Hong Kong is probably the most super-populated city in the world with a density of 30 000 inhabitants/km2, an impressive figure! Living conditions are difficult in this urban jungle of iron, glass and concrete that has long since departed from Nature, with pollution levels to reach truly alarming. The city government decided to reverse the situation, commissioned a project of urban intervention the architectural firm of Vincent Callebaut in order to make the restoration of the seafront. The basic idea is to bring the proposal back to nature and to create spaces that generate biodiversity and self-sufficient, producing more energy than they consume.
The project is ambitious and the intervention is radical. Basically proposes a mesh wave that extends and alveolar infiltrates throughout the downtown area like a living organism. This circuit incorporates all the infrastructure road, rail, river and walking while simultaneously creating authentic living cells with lakes, marinas and other biological areas. It is also in these cells that will be located for leisure and cultural facilities such as museums, theaters, etc.. The new “topography” is intended not only to city residents, also seeks to create an enabling environment to be colonized by several species of wild fauna and flora. A new ecosystem in short.
But the mesh is not a cellular infrastructure alone. It works with a number of tall towers that the developer calls “techno-organic” and that more resemble trees or rhizomes, so branch out and multiply. These towers, designed to either housing or offices, and leisure services, have to cover them an organic surface capable of developing a luxuriant vegetation and transform them literally “hanging gardens”. Architecture alive.

Well, as a music lover I must say that the Tenori-On is a…good thing.
To be honest, I listen to all kinds of music and never formulated the existence of such a device. But the Tenori-On is here and it’s real.
What is it? It’s an electronic musical instrument, designed and created by Japanese artist Toshio Iwai and Yu Nishibori of the Music and Human Interface Group, Yamaha Center for Advanced Sound Technology.
My first encounter with the Tenori-On was a video that I’ve stumbled upon when I was searching some extra info on Kieran Hebden’s Four Tet (you can see that video down below).
Basically (and I use this word loosely here) the Tenori-Ont is a tablet screen that you can held in the hands, of a sixteen by sixteen grid of LED switches, any of which can be activated in a number of ways to create as many musical landscapes as you want. The LED switches are held within a magnesium frame, which has two built-in speakers located on the top of frame, as well as a dial and buttons that control the type of sound and beats per minute.
The Tenori-On is most suitable when you want to create electronic music but it is useful in any environment.
The first time Tenori-on was demonstrated was at SIGGRAPH 2005 held in Los Angeles, CA in August, 2005. After that it was presented in France the year after and the Yamaha promoted a World Tour introducing Tenori-on that began in Frankfurt, Germany, on March 12, and finished in Tokyo on 25 April 2008.
You need to check this out and see the demonstrations on the following videos.
This makes me want one. And I do believe that once I get my hands on one of these devices, I’ll be composing non-stop the soundtracks of my life.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Imagine seeing a panoramic photo of Paris where it is represented the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the city’s various bridges and Sacre Coeur in the distance. Now, think you can zoom in on that image until you can know exactly what is already behind the windows of buildings closer. Able to count how many people are in each division, whether a room or a kitchen and compare, even furniture from different rooms.
It seems something worthy of the most powerful satellite of NASA, but are actually hyper-detailed photographs of Frenchman Jean Francois Rauzier. Or just the hyper-pictures, as the author calls them. Through the assembly of hundreds or even thousands of high quality photos, you create a hyper-resolution image that leads to both the extreme detail how the prospect. Each collage takes between 600 and 3400 individual photographs that are taken individually, a time period of up to two hours – which, in hindsight, not so much.
What takes longer this work is the combination of photographs and work in Photoshop: Rauzier ensures that the viewer can not distinguish where one begins and ends another image. Even if the work uses a 360 degree view, as seen in the hyper-photo from Paris, hence the unpredictability of the outcome.
And why this kind of pictures? Rauzier has been a painter, sculptor and photographer over 30 years of work and, since 2001, found that this was the technique that best completed at least ideologically by adding a little of everything. In his words “as a photographer use this powerful art to capture reality. As a painter, I can control my image accurately and place it wherever you want. As a sculptor, spend too much time to think about my work, play and feel its texture. Hyper-photography is a combination of these three means. ”

The “Urban Wheels” by designer Siqi Liu is a personal ride-on transporter that harnesses solar power to accomplish multi-tasks such as gardening, shopping, camping or any short distance traveling. Powered by an electric motor backed by a battery pack, the eco-friendly transporter features a flexible body and design that transforms the way people work, play and live. Presenting a compact design, the urban commuter integrates two solar panels, measuring 33” x 24.5”, which slides to the left and right up front to harness optimum sun light during the day.
Employing a key card for activation, the vehicle features an adjustable handlebar that the user can regulate between 38” and 51” according to his/her height or comfort. The transporter also includes a built-in rack or basket for your regular shopping, which when not in use can be removed with minimum fuss. All you need to do is rotate the holder and slide the rack for clutter free ride. The Urban Wheels also presents a control panel, LED lighting system and aluminum chassis to make your ride clean and green.

Until very recently Michael Jackson was considered a lunatic, a madman, a decrepit and even a pedophile. Now who died returned her the title “King of Pop Music”. Considerations aside, the fact is that the American singer ever walked into the mouths of the world, and apparently liked it. Cultivated eccentricity and fed obsessions. One of the most incomprehensible and it was evident that the transformation imposed on his face year after year.

This process eventually bring serious health problems and resulted in no “beautification” (whatever that means) but a gross distortion and caricature of his face. You can follow the evolution of his facial features by comparing the photographs year after year. This evolution has inspired the artist – who unknown – which brought together in one panel the various stages undergone by the face of Jackson. To do this chose the form of a spiral, referring ironically to the King of Pop walk towards the abyss that would be the end …

Designed as a part of “Untrod,” a new design project of IDEA International, the “Madokadoke” by Ross McBride is a LED watch that looks more like a fashion accessory than a timepiece. Named after Ross’ wife, Madokadoke, the bracelet watch features a hidden button that flashes the LED lights through the lines engraved on its surface to tell the time digitally. When not in use as a watch, you may turn off the light to convert it into a bracelet. Available in a variety of colors, the bracelet LED watch seems to explore new possibilities to minimize the difference between gadgets and fashion accessories.

Click here to view the embedded video.

NOTE: See also the version below. It has Portuguese subtitles to the whole dialogue and the film quality seems better.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gmail Priority InboxEmail is great, except when there’s too much of it. Gmail is rolling out a new feature today, called Priority Inbox. It automatically identifies your important email and separates it out from everything else, so you can focus on what really matters. Gmail has always been pretty good at filtering junk mail into the “spam” folder. But today, in addition to spam, people get a lot of mail that isn’t outright junk but isn’t very important—bologna, or “bacn.”

So they’ve evolved Gmail’s filter to address this problem and extended it to not only classify outright spam, but also to help users separate this “bologna” from the important stuff. In a way, Priority Inbox is like your personal assistant, helping you focus on the messages that matter without requiring you to set up complex rules.

As messages come in, Gmail automatically flags some of them as important. Gmail uses a variety of signals to predict which messages are important, including the people you email most (if you email Bob a lot, a message from Bob is probably important) and which messages you open and reply to (these are likely more important than the ones you skip over). And as you use Gmail, it will get better at categorizing messages for you. You can help it get better by clicking the or buttons at the top of the inbox to correctly mark a conversation as important or not important. (You can even set up filters to always mark certain things important or unimportant, or rearrange and customize the three inbox sections.)

Priority Inbox will be rolling out to all Gmail users, including those of you who use Google Apps, over the next week or so. Once you see the “New! Priority Inbox” link in the top right corner of your Gmail account (or the new Priority Inbox tab in Gmail Settings), take a look.

Feel like doing some deep scuba diving without visiting an ocean? Then go take a trip to Nemo 33, the deepest pool in the world.

Located in Brussels, this swimming pool is perfect for learning how to dive or for fine-tuning your skills before you hit the deep ocean. It’s 105 feet (33 meters) deep with 2.5 million liters of chlorine-free warm water. But the pool isn’t just used for practice; it’s also a tourist attraction. Everyone is welcome to test dive with instructors who will provide training if you are a beginner.

The pool was created by Belgium civil engineer John Beernaerts 13 years ago.  He was sitting in a Belgium bar one day with a pen and a napkin and just started drawing. What he eventually sketched amazed even him. He envisioned a giant indoor diving complex, full of underwater tunnels and chambers. An almost byzantine maze was what Beernaerts had in mind, and that’s essentially what Nemo 33 is.  The type of pool you can get lost in if you’re not careful.

Why is the water in the pool 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees F)?  Well,  John’s vision was to create an environment that would mimic deep-sea diving in the Caribbean.  He felt that type of an experience would be the kind that locals and tourists would enjoy the most, and given the number of people who have turned out to swim in or tour his facility since its inception, he seems to have guessed correctly.

Since 2004, over 100,000 divers have visited Nemo.  So, far, they all have come back alive.  No sharks or terrifying octopuses to contend with in these waters.  No stingrays to pinch you as you explore deep sea passageways.  No jellyfish to make you squeal as you try to make your way back to shore. No, what Mr. Beernaerts built in Brussels is nothing short of a scuba utopia. It’s one of the most unique tourist attractions in the world, and truth be told, if you’re a scuba fan, you’ll probably want to give Nemo a taste test before you die.