Hasta La Ideas

Après plusieurs mois de développement, découvrez l’application officielle du site Fubiz, sur votre iPhone et iPod Touch. Retrouvez gratuitement et en temps réel toute l’actualité du site et de nombreux contenus dans cette version optimisée pour iPhone.

Edit : l’application est classée n°1 dans le top Général sur iTunes.

Fonctionnalités principales :

– Compatible Retina Display
– Mode paysage sur toutes les pages
– Lecture des vidéos HD depuis l’application
– Possibilité de voter pour chaque article
– Compatible multi-tâches (iOS 4.0)
– Navigateur Web intégré
– Moteur de recherche (plus de 5000 articles)
– Mise en cache des articles, pour lecture hors connexion
– Tri du contenu : pages Popular / Mosaïc
– Possibilité de réagir en ajoutant votre commentaire
– Partage des articles par e-mail et sur Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr…
– Archives mois par mois
– Galerie et diaporama (plus de 120 000 images)
– Notifications Push

Produit par Fubiz et Cahri.
Disponible sur iTunes. Prix : Gratuit.

Plus d’informations sur le site dédié.

Previously on Fubiz

• Apple Macbook Air
• The Flud x Fubiz
• The iPod Wall

Chickens have lent their name to a funky dance and a contest of nerves in which James Dean drives his car directly at you, and next they may contribute to saving our planet, as seen in two recent posts at Inhabitat.

The first points out that “eggshell membranes can absorb almost seven times their weight in C02, making them an ideal sponge for absorbing harmful greenhouse gases.” I know it sounds crazy, but:

Thinking of how many eggs are consumed around the world – India, for example accounts for about 1.6 million metric tons (or 2,305 pounds) of eggs annually all by themselves – if everyone was to leave their shells out after usage, they have the potential to absorb a considerable amount of Co2.

A research team at the University of Calcutta is working on a way to extract the membranes from the shells, which could then presumably be used to create filters of some sort.

The second post looks at the usage of chicken manure as a source of biogas, plans for which are now underway in the Netherlands and the U.K. The plan is for local farmers to collect and contribute chicken poo (among other animal waste) to nearby powerplants that will use “anaerobic digesters” to convert the stuff into biogas, which will in turn generate electricity.

A question I’ve got about this latter one is, How the heck do you collect chicken manure? The convenient patty shape of cow manure seems it would lend itself to harvesting, but chicken waste seems challenging. I hope they’re not cooping them up in a Matrix-like structure where all they do is eat and poop.

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A snowboarding band of friends introduce a new headphones line

Hanging with the Frends crew means lots and lots of laughs, as I recently learned over dinner. The “Frends” are actually seven guys who regularly win professional (if not Olympic) snowboarding medals and since banding together in 2006 have become their own sort of self-entertaining traveling circus. Despite their penchant for making videos of each other pulling silly stunts or simply having a good time, they certainly know how to reign it in and focus on something they are passionate about—whether that’s on the mountain or designing their new collection of headphones.

The latest addition to their eponymous fashion and accessories label, Frends co-founder Keir Dillon tells us headphones are the perfect fit for their crew because “There is nothing better than linking turns to your favorite music.”

The collection includes four colorful styles—Classic (inspired by an old Marshall amp), Alli, Coupe and Clip—all affordable and meticulously designed to the Frends’ expectations, which is the earnest concern of making sure it’s done right. Dillon explains, “We wanted to find that balance of enough pop to express yourself, but also not so much that you look like a cartoon character walking down the street.” With fabric cords, enticing unisex colorways, iPhone and Blackberry compatible mics and custom tips for the ear buds, the headphones are the perfect blend of youthful zest with considered design.

Initially trying each style, we’ve been road-testing the Coupe ear buds daily, listening to a variety of music genres through a variety of platforms. From computer to mp3 player, the earphones hold up, delivering an intense supply of dynamic sound for a relatively low price point (Coupes are $30). Creating a quality product at a price people can actually afford was a principal concern for Frends, who understand no one likes to settle and “strive to deliver all of our products with the features you want.”

A “platform for ideas to grow from,” Frends plan to keep on delivering “innovative products that push what people expect out of their electronics” while allowing the consumer decide the future. Dillon explains, “If there is a demand for a certain product we will do our best to fulfill that demand.”

Frends headphones come packaged in corrugated cardboard and biodegradable
plastic and currently sell online from Zumiez and select Burton stores with prices spanning $30-60.

We just caught wind of a new kind of 3D-Interface Controller, the Axsotic 3D Spherical Mouse, which allows a user to rotate objects in modelspace as though you were holding them, while drawing and clicking with your other, an experience likened by the designers to working on a 3D tablet. In the video above, the mouse is demonstrated in a character design scenario.

We’d love to hear your initial thoughts. Would this change the way you work for the better? Let us know in the comments.

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One of the reasons cars cost what they do is because they’re made with a lot of stamped steel and aluminum, and those materials, not to mention the tooling they require, ain’t cheap. So Canadian designer Darren McKeage and his company, Motive Industries Inc., are attempting to skirt those manufacturing costs by building a car from biocomposite materials derived from hemb fiber. Called the Kestrel, the car was unveiled to the public last month.

The car’s design features bio-composite materials and innovative tooling and part-molding techniques that Motive says will permit profitable manufacture of the Kestrel at smaller initial volumes than traditional stamped-steel or aluminum vehicles. “The cost to tool a traditional vehicle is in the hundreds of millions [of dollars],” explains company president Nathan Armstrong. “The techniques we are using will allow us to scale up the tooling and manufacturing process as demand increases, with ramp-up costs affordable for a new company….”

…Composites also will increase impact absorption and rust resistance. “Composite materials have been used in advanced applications for many years because of [their] relative light weight and ability to absorb impact loads,” says Armstrong.

Designed to run on a lithium-ion battery, the lightweight car (under 2,000 lbs) is slated to see production in 2012.

via composites world

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