Hasta La Ideas

Widely posted on Facebook is the following footage, purportedly by Asahi TV, of the tsunami slowly and steadily engulfing a town in Japan. It is terrifying to see how in the span of just six minutes, it goes from a car calmly driving away to houses and buildings being removed from their foundations:

Much has been made of how Japan is the best-prepared country in the world for earthquakes, as in the Times piece entitled “Japan’s Strict Building Codes Saved Lives” looking at the anti-earthquake design features built into structures there. A separate YouTube video shows the resultant swaying behavior of skyscrapers dissipating the seismic forces:

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A pretty exciting development in Rapid Prototyping is the combination of old and new technologies to give users even more materials choices. For example, RP company Shapeways announced yesterday that users can now order parts in silver, which should be a boon to jewelry designers, among others.

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If you think about it, money is weird, and we seek to make it invisible. I’ve heard rumors that in the basements of the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and others, there are cages full of gold bars belonging to particular countries, and as currency fluctuates or transactions are enacted, forklifts shuttle the bars from one cage to another.

We consumers carry paper cash, a bunch of scrips, so we don’t have to learn to drive forklifts. And our use of the paper is continually decreasing, as we switch to little plastic cards or tapping out keystrokes on Amazon. We see physical representations of money less and less.

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Biomimetics, concrete cloth and other high-tech visions of awesome interactive design to come

Textile and design expert Bradley Quinn secures his place among authors on the pulse of technology and design with his new book, “Design Futures.” The 240-page road map about design’s immediate future, edifies communities from architects to budding app developers by detailing innovations in material, surface and imagination. Quinn focuses on a number of cutting-edge trailblazers attempting to manipulate form and function by reshaping current dystopias as a way to better the urban experience.

Treading the boundary between academic and journalist, the author’s relaxed approach belies his curiosity. Balanced with his opinion of the trends he’s observed and thoughtful conjecture, Quinn often leaves the reader with a gaping jaw. He posits that future cities will be markedly greener than the concrete metropolises of the twentieth century, writing, “In fact, every aspect of urban architecture will be responsive in the future, not only because the facades will illuminate and change shape, but also because the exteriors will be conceived as sensitive skins that harness energy while shielding the structure against the wind, rain and solar heat.”

Impressive not just for the breadth of knowledge Quinn displays, his work also makes clear distinctions between micro and macro elements, and details how to seamlessly integrate elements from a myriad of sources into new cities. Interviews with individuals at the forefront of their respective industries add depth to the book, taking it out of pure fantasy into the realm of the real. “Design Futures” comes out 1 April 2011 from Merrell, pre-order it now from Amazon.

Three kid-friendly devices to help little ones and their parents doze better

As the dark circles under the eyes of most parents will tell you, instilling good moral values is often far less challenging than negotiating the sleep schedules of your little one. Thankfully for children and their minders alike, a few digital devices help tykes who have trouble understand when it’s time to get up and help them sleep in longer.

The Zazoo Photo Clock features both a night and day scene to help children understand when it’s time to get up, before they know how to tell time. At night a starry night image sets the mood for sleeping, and when it’s okay to get out of bed, the day scene appears. A great product that will grow with children, the device helps teach visually for more effective results. It also features an alarm clock, calendar and digital photo frame, has the ability to play mp3s and sells from
Zazoo’s online store for $90.

A similar product, the OK to Wake alarm clock and nightlight comes with two interchangeable bezels—green antennas or a pink flower—or as a cuddly Owl. The kid-friendly designs help kids understand when it’s time to wake up with an adjustable green glow, and uses sound effects to gently ease them out of sleep, or in the case of the lullaby-playing owl, into sleep. Whether you opt for the more traditional alarm clock look or the bird, they both keep kids in bed by way of simple technology and run $25-30 from American Innovative.

Cloud B, like the alarm clock owl, makes sleeping more cozy with a stuffed animal called the Sleep Sheep. Soothing sounds help put children to sleep with options such as a Mother’s Heartbeat, Ocean Surf, Whale Songs and Spring Showers. Two sleep timer options promise to lessen the days of midnight crying by way of this sleep friend. Sleep Sheep sells from Cloud B for $30.

Whether it’s you or your child that needs a better night sleep, these multifunctional products should at least provide a few extra Zs.