Aerogel: See-Through, Strong as Steel & Ligher than Air

Despite its incredibly low density, aerogel is one of the most powerful materials on the planet. It can support thousands of times its own weight, block out intense heat, cold and sound – yet it is 1,000 times less dense than glass, nearly as transparent and is composed of %99.8 air. The lowest-density silica-based aerogels are even lighter than air.

Despite its fragility in certain regards and its incredible lack of density, aerogel has amazing thermal, acoustical and electrical insulation properties as illustrated by the images here. A single one-pound block can also support half a ton of weight. NASA continues to find new space-based applications for this incredible material.

http://dornob.com/aerogel-see-through-strong-as-steel-ligher-than-air/

No railings or risers, just sheets of straight modern glass on other side – but strong enough to support floating wood treads and the weight of people walking up and down them. Load-bearing glass is not new, but using them for residential interior spaces is striking.



Perfect for open loft spaces, building these is best done as part of a larger remodel or new construction project in which the staircases are installed along with other core structural floors and walls. The only downside: you will need to plan on more storage elsewhere, since under-stair storage soluations clearly will not work well with this much transparency.



http://dornob.com/steel-strong-floating-glass-open-tread-staircase-pictures/

Asus Ecobook

Asus Ecobook notebook (with 11.1" or 12.1" widescreen)

True to its name, Ecobook is made of recyclable plastic -- discounting the metal components and the statement-making bamboo case. The interior is lined with cardboard and not a single component is painted, sprayed or electroplated. Ecobook is also designed to be easily taken apart and be self-serviced by the owner:

The Ecobook Concept was disclosed last year but it wasn't until this November that Asus gave it a suggested going price. SRP is around $59,900.

Quite a lot, but then again, it's bamboo-clad. :)

Ecobook will be initially available in Taiwan.

Preetee Wood Kitchen

ElektraVetro White by Ernestomeda – Black and White Kitchen with Curved Island

Ernestomeda is a young and dynamic company which offers a lot of excellent kitchen designs. Its kitchens stand out by perfect quality and pleasantly surprise by awesome designs. One of the most attractive models is ElektraVetro White made in modern minimalist style. It combines the charm of curved lines and strictness of color solution. Black and white colors greatly mark its elegance and originality. White kitchen cabinets with black aluminium frame are in an amazing harmony with curved black island. This kitchen island provides enough space for comfortable cooking and having a breakfast by several persons. If you like a trendy design then this kitchen could become a good choice for you. You could find more technical characteristics and other useful information about this curved kitchen on Ernostomeda site.

http://archtopia.com/tag/black-and-white-kitchen-design/

Digitally Fabricated Bookshelf | dbd Studio

An organic curving surface was created in Rhino that stretched from floor to ceiling and overhead, terminating at the existing bulkhead. 17 sheets of 3/4″ birch plywood were then CNC milled to notch together and form the undulating, gridded mass.

http://plusmood.com/2009/12/digitally-fabricated-bookshelf-dbd-studio/

The Myrkr Chair

The Myrkr Chair is designed and built by Christopher Warren for WORD [Warren Office for Research and Design]. It was originally designed and built for a gallery exhibition called The Page, in which a reading area of various chairs and tables was needed to examine artists’ books. The exhibition is in the Guggenheim Gallery of Chapman University in Orange, California and runs through March 12th, 2010.

Old Norse for “darkness”, Myrkr is conceived of light and shadow. Its design answers the modern call for material efficiency and the utilization of technology; however, the common contemporary desires for thinness and gloss have been replaced by volume and subtlety.

"Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides." Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows

For Myrkr, modern fabrication techniques have been combined with traditional assembly methods. The lounge chair has no metal connections, but rather is made from a single laser-cut sheet of 12mm plywood and 144 dowels. It has been dipped in black aniline dye and finished with lacquer. Myrkr is light, very comfortable, and surprisingly stable.

http://plusmood.com/2010/02/myrkr-chair-word/

Cardboard Record Player

Audio engineering company GGRP Sound sent a 45rpm record in a corrugated cardboard sleeve that doubles as a record player. You can play and scratch using a pencil. big pic

Winscape virtual window

Winscape virtual window by Rational Craft. As the viewer moves around, dual 1080p images move the opposite direction, providing the convincing illusion of looking out a real pane of glass at the incredibly detailed scenery beyond.
Music is Annen Polka by Johann Strauss.

Portfolio binding?

Simply put, this blog is for me to record neat things I find and want to save for reference.

My first post is for this plywood binder. Possibly nice inspiration for my portfolio binding.