The iPhone Dev Team has released PwnageTool 2.0.3, which supports the jailbreaking of iPhone and iPod touch firmware 2.0.2 5C1.

The new release also sports an updated version of the ever so essential Installer.app beta 6 and new .de localization for German users. There are no significant updates with regard to the 3G baseband unlock, according to the iPhone Dev Team.

"PwnageTool 2.0.3 is available," the developers reveal on their blog. "This version provides support for iPhone/iPod firmware 2.0.2 5C1, it has an updated Installer.app beta (b6) and contains a new .de localization for our large amount of German friends."

The developers also reveal that the '150' beta update to the Windows QuickPwn application is also available, offering fixes for YouTube and BootNeuter support for the unlocking of 2G iPhones. (Though they do warn that this is beta software).

"QuickPwn Windows doesn’t work well with virtualization as there are some problems with the way USB resets are handled, so we wouldn’t advise trying it, we have had reports of some success with VMWare Fusion 2.0 Beta 2, but this shouldn’t be relied on, use PwnageTool instead, or wait for QuickPwn Mac," the developers also warn.

"QuickPwn for Mac is being tested right now by a group of testers and we’ll release this when it is ready for public beta (this won’t be within the next 24 hours, but should be within the next week)," they also revealed.

From the website:

About freeing the airwaves

One of America’s most valuable natural resources is our “white spaces”—the radio airwaves, or spectrum, that have long carried analog TV signals. Three-fourths of the white spaces are completely unused today, and—especially once TV is broadcast in digital only starting in 2009—could be used to kick-start a revolution in wireless technology, including universal wireless online access and numerous new products and services that can’t even be imagined today.

This fall, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will decide whether to make this spectrum available for anyone to use. At Google, we think more open access to the white spaces is essential, not only for companies like ours, but for society in general. But this outcome is far from certain, so we’ve joined a broad coalition of public interest groups and industry peers who are working to convince the FCC to free the airwaves and unleash the next generation of Internet innovation. We hope you’ll add your voice to the debate by signing our petition (links to 3.0 Take Action) and helping spread the word about this campaign.

There are 0 total comments about this entry.

Check out the Ride Journal, a 148 page collection of writing, art, and photography all about cycling. The Ride Journal includes the work of talented photographers alongside that of top-class writers, resulting in a passionate collection of images and stories from dedicated cyclists. The second edition, reprinted to satisfy demand, is now available through the Ride Journal website.

Info.Image: We Heart Stuff

In a fascinating New York Times article, Errol Morris explores the power of images, and how they can shape our thoughts. He starts off examining the infamous doctored Iranian missile photo, and goes on to talk about why we need to question the images we view. He finds that people will tend to believe what they see, even if it’s not true. Changing history can be as easy as changing the photo - either content, or simply the caption.

Morris interviews Hany Farid, a Dartmouth professor and an expert on digital photography:

(Farid) “And even like this missile one. You start putting it out there and saying, “Oh look, this picture? It’s a fake. This picture? It’s a fake.” But you know what people remember? They don’t remember, “It’s a fake.” They remember the picture. And there are psychology studies, when you tell people that information is incorrect, they forget that it is incorrect. They only remember the misinformation. They forget the tag associated with it. They did these great studies, especially with older people. They give them information about health, Medicare, Medicaid, that kind of stuff. And they say, “this information that you heard? It’s wrong.” And what ends up happening is, that information gets ingrained into their brains, and even if they are subsequently told it’s wrong, they end up believing it.”

NYT: “Photography As a Weapon”

Building off of the success of peer music recommendation and micro-blogging sites, a new idea has entered the fray. Blip.fm

is a simple idea that enables people to share what they are listening to and pair it with a short sub-150 character comment. Amongst the similar sites like Muxtape and Last.fm, Blip.fm has been dubbed the “Twitter for Music.” Users already enjoy a layout that badges power users and offers plenty of ways to track down others with similar music tastes. Simple keyboard controls and a scrolling list of “blips” aid an already straightforward website design. The site gives everyone the opportunity to feel like a DJ while keeping in touch with contacts through quick comments. It is important to note that Blip puts the burden of copyright violation on the users who upload music, but only time will tell how that defense works out.

[via crackunit.com]

Fascinating renegade documentary on the most dangerous place on earth. For more episodes go to http://www.vbs.tv

Filmed by Matt McCormick for Rodeo Film Company. Thanks to Victory Bros. for posting this terrific film clip.

Milk crates are one object we don’t have to worry about showing up in a landfill anytime soon. The plastic cubes are the perfect multi-use, modular design solution. For the most part, they’re a uniform size, and can be used as a building block of a structure or as storage containers. Milk crates can usually be found for free, and are nicely sturdy due to their former life as protectors of precious milk cartons. The possibilities are endless.

The milk crate chandelier seen above is one of many ingenious uses of the humble shipping container. Check out Milkcrate Digest for a more in depth look at “the milk crate lifestyle”.

[Curbly via Core 77]

I read an interesting article in WebProNews that suggests that a fifth of marketers have purchased advertising in exchange for a news story about their products. And according to the story, another 10% had a nonverbal agreement with a reporter or editor for favorable coverage and 1 in 12 provided gifts in exchange for coverage.

This is not a new story, so the shocker here is not the idea that money is exchanging hands for favors. It's expected that some palm greasing goes on behind the scenes. What is shocking is the regularity at which it's happening. The numbers are up and many expect it to increase. And the ease of engaging in unethical practices is being attributed to the online world. I suppose the contention is that consumers are less likely to question tactics or credibilty online because it's such a quickly absorbed medium. We are skimming information and then quickly moving on. Oftentimes not digesting much more than the surface information. So subliminal messages are easily weaved into our online news stories.

There has been talk about product placement making its way to newcast in recent months and the trend is expected to continue in an effort to "equalize the cost of production". The story says that the "number of senior marketers admitting to pay-per-play schemes is actually up two percent from last year". That puts consumers in a tough position of not knowing who to trust when it comes to getting information about out products. Do we need to worry that recalls will be overlooked? Or that harmful products will be promoted as if they are safe? And what of products that will benefit consumers the most? Will they be ignored if they don't offer the big bucks? If the source that we look to for honest and unbiased information about things that affect our everyday lives can be paid off, the biggest question is- Who is protecting the consumer?

Life coach Melissa Pierce is making a documentary called Life In Perpetual Beta about “listening to your authentic self, unleashing your creativity, and living in the moment, every moment”. She explores ideas of creativity, life purpose and living by listening to what your heart is telling you to do. By making decisions and taking paths in life based on what inspires you, as opposed to a rigid plan, she theorizes that life will be better. In a nutshell: living life in perpetual beta, keep flexible.

Pierce shares clips from her documentary interviews on her blog, along with running production notes she gives on camera, so you can follow along with the process. It’s well worth a look, the film’s subjects share a wealth of practical knowledge on business, life and creativity.

Life In Perpetual Beta

A traditional publication itself (though read by this writer online, naturally), WWD

reports that magazine circulation has fallen by alarming rates over the past year. We’ve reported on this trend before, and we’re not the only ones by far, but the WWD article paints a rather more complete picture of which magazines are struggling, which are rebounding, and which are very near total failure. Plus, the article really gets down to the nitty gritty of the numbers, analyzing newsstand sales vs. subscriptions, month-by-month sales, sales by vertical, etc. Here’s a snippet:

That Men’s Vogue’s newsstand is down 39.1 percent, for example, even as it’s raising its rate base to 400,000, can be explained several ways: first, that it suffers from an apples-and-oranges comparison between five issues published in the first half of 2008 and three in the first half of 2007; second, and more significantly, that it’s growing its audience the expensive way, through subscriptions, and not wowing on the newsstand.

Also, unsurprisingly, the article points out that magazines are trying to raise their subscription bases online as a cheaper way to add subscribers than direct mail. Ironically, the WWD article we’re reporting on here requires a subscription to read, but is that honestly the way to publishers should be going? The walled-garden strategy proved to be a giant failure many months, if not years ago. And when you compare these stats about tumbling magazine circulation with the piece Piers posted earlier about how blogs are getting double the page views of traditional publications, perhaps magazines should be taking a different approach to things.

At this point, it is almost no longer news...is it?  ...the cat and mouse game goes on and on...

Notes from Team Dev:

 NOTE: THE UPDATE OPTION FOR CUSTOM RAMDISKS IS NOT YET SUPPORTED FOR USE WITH ITUNES, SO FOR THIS RELEASE OF PWNAGETOOL USE THE RESTORE OPTION.

Please ensure you ONLY download and use the tbz file - as we warned yesterday the re-compressed unauthorized .zip files cause problems with certain parts of the release.

If you choose to download the file  PwnageTool_2.0.2.tbz from anywhere else apart from these mirrors then check the SHA1 sum, AGAIN - ONLY DOWNLOAD THE TBZ! 

MIRROR LIST

• stevenlu.com
• forty2blog.de
• ZippyShare 

Announced today and available for Macs running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, ShareTool lets users access their Bonjour services from anywhere securely using 100% SSH encryption. The software support extends to iTunes Music Sharing, Screen Sharing, File Sharing, printing, and much more. 

Your home or office network already supports file sharing between Macs, iPhoto and iTunes sharing and more. ShareTool simplifies the process of extending that network securely using the 'Net: You can listen to your entire iTunes music library at work, control the screen of any of your home computers, or grab that important file.

The software automatically configures routers supporting NAT-PMP or UPnP. Remote services automatically appear in Finder, iTunes, and other applications while ShareTool enables remote access for any application or service that advertises itself using Bonjour and runs over TCP/IP.

Access to your services requires your Mac OS X username and password. A single license costs $20, a demo version is available.

After punk was plasticized and hip hop lost its impetus for social change, all of the formerly dominant streams of “counter-culture” have merged together. Now, one mutating, trans-Atlantic melting pot of styles, tastes and behavior has come to define the generally indefinable idea of the “Hipster.” An artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization - a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning.

Not only is it unsustainable, it is suicidal. While previous youth movements have challenged the dysfunction and decadence of their elders, today we have the “hipster” - a youth subculture that mirrors the doomed shallowness of mainstream society

More here -> http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

IAmRich is the latest from developer, Armin Heinrich. It costs almost $1,000 (£599.99), and does absolutely nothing at all.

As noted by Alley Insider, the application simply displays a red virtual gem on the screen of the iPhone. And the developer's description is moderately amusing, too.

"The red icon on your iPhone or iPod touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were rich enough to afford this," the app's information page says in iTunes. "It's a work of art with no hidden function at all."

I'm all for this kind of app development, it's ultimatly up to you (if) you buy into it or not...

a fool & his money are soon parted, hell this is the kind of shit Gucci & Prada have been doing for years ~ big up the little man!

from "The Journal of Urban Typography" which is a wonderful project!

If you're a UK resident, The Type Museum needs you. Tim Martin explains:

Much like Michael Jordan, Obama is on pace to truly change the game.  There has been many shirts of the Democratic nominee surfacing in the streetwear world, but this one leads the pack.  Peep the Obama mug shot on top of the famous jumpman silhouette.  Classic.  Available now at Robust Flavor.

Info.Image:  Robust Flavor

The explorers just find the videos; a separate group of scanner scripts checks the current status of videos. It checks both the new videos and ones that have been killed to see if they return. YouTomb archives every video it finds. They display the thumbnail of the video under fair use, but they're still determining whether they can display each video in full.

anyhooo, my wife thinks it's a sign that they have Molton Brown in the loo's here... She may well be right ~ hope so :)

Eva Funderburgh is a ceramic artist located in Seattle, Washington. Coming from an education in chemistry and sculpture, she has focused herself on making strange whimiscal clay creatures. She works on exploring the colors natural to the clay and the finishing process of woodfire, and strives to present creatures that equally mix whimsy, mischief, and threat.

> and i think her work is amazing !

Remote controlled unmanned military drones have been called “the future of warfare”. Keeping military personnel safe and out of the action and danger of combat is obviously a good thing. High tech defense contractor Raytheon has recently exhibited a system that allows for greater control over remote combat planes, which was partially designed by video game producers. With Raytheon’s “Universal Control System” you can pilot robotic planes and destroy targets thousands of miles away. It looks exactly like a video game, but with this one, real people get killed.

Slate: “War Is Halo: Killing real people becomes a video game.”

Cyber Clean is a Swiss made (first of it’s kind?) cleaning slime that can get at hidden dirt no matter where it hides. Roll the goop over your keyboard or any other device and it will slink in and pick up any bit of filth and debris. It cleans and kills germs while binding with dirt due to its special viscosity and elasticity. It can be used repeatedly until it gets filled with junk and will change color to let you know it’s through. When your done, just throw it away - it’s also biodegradable.

[via Core 77]

With so many competing brands to choose from, it is possible that New Balance isn’t your immediate go-to for a new pair of sneakers. However, the New Balance MT580J Luggage collection reminds sneaker connoisseurs that NB not only focuses on aesthetics, but also on the functionality of the shoe. The MT580J Luggage collection comes in three colorways that feature croc embossing, high quality leather, and still maintain a lightweight. All three colors are available at Atmos.

Thanks for waiting :)

Here you go. [appears to be down for now, we took link down until we can revive the poor wounded server]

We’ll be releasing a more official announcement soon, but we wanted to get the tool out there. We sincerely hope you enjoy using it as much as we enjoyed making it :)

Update 1: Just to clear up some confusion over what this actually does: yes, it jailbreaks and unlocks older iPhones, and jailbreaks iPhone 3Gs and iPod Touches. We only support the 2.0 firmwares.

Update 2: It looks like there aren’t enough TCP ports on that server, so _BigBoss_ has generously offered to mirror it.

Update 3: If you get Error 1600 from iTunes (or if you see in your log a failure to prepare x12220000_4_Recovery.ipsw), try: mkdir ~/Library/iTunes/”Device Support” ;  if that directory already exists, remove any files in it.  Then re-run PwnageTool.  

Update 4: Here’s another mirror.

Update 5: If DFU restores are giving you trouble, another route to pwned 2.0 for 1G owners is to use our first pwnage at 1.1.4.  Once you are pwned there, you  can do a normal recovery-mode restore to your custom 2.0 ipsw.  BTW the iPhone does *not* need to be pre-pwned to be able to DFU-restore into a pwned ipsw — it needs to be pre-pwned only for normal recovery-mode restores of custom ipsw’s.

Update 6: Mail application not working at 2.0?  Please restore to your custom ipsw (you don’t need to DFU restore if you are pwned, normal restore will work now too) but then select “Set up as a new iPhone” when iTunes asks.  Your first sync will bring back all of your settings anyway.

Gizmodo has posted a guide for extending the battery life of your shiny new iPhone 3G. Apple is notorious for pushing products with unimpressive battery life, and the new iPhone is no different. The battery isn't user-replaceable, which means you can't keep a spare, and the energy needs of the 3G chipset adds to the problem. Apple provides some useful tips on maximizing battery life for your iPhone. The tips include common sense advice that applies to nearly all electronic devices - turning down the brightness on your LCD screen, turning off radios not in use like Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and 3G, and setting Auto-lock to a minute or less will keep your devices running smoothly for longer.

Wordle is a fun toy which generates “word clouds” from text that you provide. The more a word appears in the text, the more prominence it is given. No surprise then that campaign is the most prominent in the creative social blog.

my cloud

San Miguel's Hidden Depths is back > Returning for it’s second year with five dates this summer, the events will be headlined by some of the most unique acts in music, art and film.

Check it out...

Designed for those who like to look further, San Miguel has invited five artists to curate their own individual night. Each host will bring together a collection of guest performers who have inspired them, past and present. The bespoke events offer more than just a great line-up – aiming to reveal a little more about some of today’s most intriguing artists.

The criteria for a Hidden Depths event are defined only by the imagination of our headliners. Last year saw an exclusive screening from Director Shane Meadows, a surprise guest appearance from DJ Kid Koala and a Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. album preview.

The full extent of a Hidden Depths line-up is only ever revealed on the night. So as well as our fantastic headliners, expect plenty of great surprises, a host of exclusive performances and maybe the odd collaboration – just to keep you guessing.

In the past, you’ve only ever been able to withdraw £10 from Britain’s cash machines ($20) but Hackney, in East London, is to get the UK’s first ever machine to dispense a lower denomination on August 1st. Earlier this month, the Bank of England had argued that the nation’s high street banks were ‘sitting on piles’ of £5 notes instead of offering consumers the chance to withdraw smaller amounts. Ron Delnevo, the managing director of Bank Machine, explained it would be of ‘great benefit’ to customers, adding ‘our campaign is particularly timely given the new credit crunch’.

Paper 'reveals Banksy's identity'

Banksy unveiled by The Mail on Sunday ~ how ironicly shit that he's a public schoolboy....

Several pictures purporting to show Banksy have appeared over the years

Mysterious graffiti artist Banksy is a 34-year-old former public school pupil called Robin Gunningham, The Mail On Sunday has claimed.

The paper says it has identified the "guerrilla artist" from a photograph taken four years ago in Jamaica, which shows a man kneeling by a spray can.

But a spokeswoman for Banksy refused to comment on the report. "We get these calls all the time," she told the BBC.

"I'll say what I always say: I never confirm or deny these stories".

Afro-punk has taken over Brooklyn the past two weekends with multiple festival days at locations around Fort Greene. The events culminated yesterday with a day long Brooklyn style street party featuring music, art and fashion sponsored by Toyota and Mountain Dew.

Maybe you’ve never heard of Afro-punk? It got it’s start in the late 80’s and early 90’s with hardcore bands like the Bad Brains, 24-7 Spyz, and Fishbone. Since then it’s adopted elements of hip-hop and nu soul. The sound is being pushed forward by bands and artists looking to try something new and mash sounds and instruments together that you wouldn’t expect to work. Beyond the music there are close knit ties to the BMX and skateboarding communities. And Afro-Punk has spawned a distinctive take on fashion mixing 70’s glam with contemporary streetwear.

PSFK checked out a couple of artists this weekend including Little Jackie who just released a new album this past week. The Carps from Toronto are two guys advancing the punk sound with a stripped down mix of drums, guitar, and weird electronics. Lastly J*Davey from LA caught our ears blending airy vocals with rock and ambient synth breaks.

Toyota seems to have taken a liking to Afro-punk. The company had a slew of customized Matrix cars on display including an official Afro-punk version. They’re sponsoring a slew of events as part of their 5th door tour.

Envirofit, a US nonprofit has created an innovative cooking stove for use in developing countries. Traditional cooking stoves burn all kinds of biomass including wood, crop waste and animal dung. The problem being that they spew out lots and lots of nasty smoke. Added to the fact that these things are used indoors and it turns into a huge problem. 1.5 million people a year (mainly women and children) die in indoor pollution related deaths.

Envirofit’s new stove eliminates up to 80% of harmful emissions, and speeds up cooking time by as much as 40%. They also come in 3 different models, from basic to “family and festival” style.

[via Ecogeek]

go on play with it...

Reggae music, ginger beer, and salt fish & akey are some of Jamaica’s most well-known and loved exports, but CLOT clothing company is pointing out that a familiar Jamaican expression can now be added to the export list. The “BumbaCLOT” tee is an homage to Bob Marley, and was designed to encourage new thinking and ideas amongst Asian youths, and to help bridge the gap between Eastern and Western cultures. However, one can’t help but point out the irony of creating a unity shirt that literally translates to “Ass-wipe”. Nonetheless, CLOT’s interesting wordplay to incorporate their brand name is nothing to hate on. The t-shirts are available in 3 colors. The green and yellow versions arrive at JUICE in Hong Kong this Saturday, while the red in an online CLOT exclusive.

Whether you want to buy one now or build one yourself, the Aurora team has made both possible. You can contact them for pricing if you are ready to buy. If you prefer to build, this is an open source project with full assembly instructions, schematics, drivers, patches and all other source code and information you should need available here. See more photos of the Aurora mixer here, or see it in action after the break.

Currently, they support software enviroments like: Processing, Max/MSP, VVVV, and Adobe Flash. That list will undoubtedly grow as the community plays with it. They envision the hardware connecting via MIDI, OSC, RS232, TCP/UDP, DMX, or USB.

They encourage others to design their own inputs. Community members can share modifications and designs, though there isn't a forum or store yet. If you design a setup that you really like, they can even fabricate a single unit for you. Keep your eyes on this one, it could be a real hit.

A similar idea for general gadgetry can be seen over at Bug Labs. Starting with a base unit, you can add different input and output modules to create various useful functions. They currently offer GPS, a camera, a display, and motion sensing. Mix and match to make your dream gadget

[Markus Kison] built a device called Pulse, which is part art installation and part data visualization tool. What the emotional visualization organism called Pulse actually does is scan new posts on Blogger.com blogs for synonyms of keywords related to 24 distinct emotions from eight emotional groups. A red cone in the center expands when keywords are detected, in effect acting as a mood indicator for Blogger.com blogs.

The 24 distinct emotions are based on [Robert Plutchik]'s psychoevolutionary theory of emotion, and the device itself is built from a glass case, various servo motors, and custom controller for the servos. This is a compelling idea, but we wonder whether it scans for modifying words or just the keywords alone. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to have the sadness region expand drastically if many people simultaneously post the sentence "I'm not sad at all." Video embedded after the break.

read his account of being 1st in line

http://www.jeffjordanart.com/

All has been quiet on the predictions front for a while now. The truth is, there just hasn’t been much to say, so Mac Predictions hasn’t said anything. In the meantime, this blog did enjoy getting the BBC’s attention with our last post - despite referring to them (with some accuracy) as the “British broadcast monopoly.”

But as the biggest day of the year for Apple approaches - iPhone 3G day - the time has come to post a new prediction. What surprises (if any) does Apple have in store for us this Friday? Here’s what we know to expect:

• iPhone 3G launch

• iPhone 2.0 firmware download

• App Store

• Free Apple Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback

This last item was inadvertently revealed by Apple with the developers pre-release version of iTunes 7.7. It’s a great idea - a free app, downloadable from the App Store, for iPhone and iPod Touch, which will presumably allow the user to browse an iTunes library on a remote Mac or PC, using a combination of Bonjour and WiFi. And in combination with Apple’s AirTunes solution for wireless streaming of music to a hi-fi, it may finally complete Apple’s living room audio solution. In terms of the remote interface on the iPhone itself, MacPredictions envisages that this will appear almost identical to the iPhone’s own iPod application - right down to browsing album art in Cover Flow.

Launching a free, high-value App like this is certainly a great way to incentivize users to trial the new App Store, although to be honest, Mac Predictions thinks it would have been more elegant to integrate this functionality into the iPod app itself - perhaps with the option to browse and pair with additional iTunes libraries via a new “Sources” menu in preferences, similar to Apple TV. In the iPod app, a new “Sources” icon would then appear alongside “Songs,” “Artists,” “Albums,” etc. But hey, who are we to challenge Apple on this point. If it must be a separate app, so be it!

...Anyway, what does Apple’s new, free Remote app tell us? Simply this: Apple has surprises up their sleeve for this Friday, and the Remote app may not be the only one. Our bet is that they’ll have more than just free App’s up their sleeves. It seems unlikely that Apple will take a back seat and allow 3rd parties to have all the fun with iPhone app development. That’s hardly been their strategy with the Mac after all. Sure, they bundle free apps with the Mac, such as Mail, Calendar, Safari, etc. But they have plenty of premium apps as well, such as iLife, iWork, Final Cut Studio, Aperture and Logic. Isn’t it likely that they’ll pursue a similar strategy with iPhone?

Why would they not have announce such a plan last month at WWDC? Perhaps because it wouldn’t be very diplomatic to highlight to their community of developers who are just beginning to embrace the iPhone SDK that they’re going to be competing against Apple itself. This blog still believes that the first paid-for apps to see the light of day from Apple will be the mobile for iWork, which we anticipate will be called iWork Touch, and it could be coming as soon as this Friday.

more > stephanehalleux.com

[ Jo's Playground ]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

A Malaysian scientist has discovered a revolutionary method of producing aerogel using waste rice husks. Known for it’s ghostlike appearance, aerogel has many possible applications including insulation and as a shock absorber. The strong, light weight substance (it’s 99% air) is made of silica, which composes 20% of the weight of rice husks. Using husks as the source of silica for Aerogel drastically cuts the cost of production.

Treehugger reports:

Aerogel was invented in 1931. But at $3000 per kilogram, it’s use has been limited to visionary projects and unique structural applications like reinforcement of tennis raquets. But that could change soon. Halimaton Hamdan, a Cambridge-trained professor of chemistry at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (Technical University of Malaysia), has announced the discovery of a cheap process for turning waste rice husks into aerogel. Actually into “Maerogel”, as Hamdan has dubbed the “Malaysian aerogel”.

The translucent, smoky material weighs only three times as much as air. It is, in fact, mostly air; air cleverly trapped in a silicon matrix which gives the material insulating properties 37 times better than fiberglass. The image demonstrates the insulating capability as a layer of aerogel prevents a blowtorch from burning the hand below.

Aerogel can also bear mechanical pressure of up to 2000 times its weight. The combination of low weight and strength make aerogel a multifaceted green construction material.

[via Treehugger]

Mare139 has knocked out 7 pieces and began to work on a larger sculpture installation which is set at his much talked about exhibition at…Read More

A recent article from the New York Times reports:

Perhaps the summer’s most visible change is occurring in the downtown strips of small towns where, for decades, cruising on Friday and Saturday nights has been a teenage rite of passage. It is a peculiarly American phenomenon — driving around in a big loop, listening to music, waving at one another and wasting gasoline.

“We’re not cruising around anymore, with gas costing $4.50 a gallon,” said Ewelina Smosna, a recent graduate of Taft High School in Chicago, as she hung out the other night at the Streets of Woodfield, an outdoor mall in Schaumburg. “We just park the car and walk around.”

NYT: As Gas Prices Rise, Teenagers’ Cruising Declines

Kids today are increasingly prone to social, mental and environmental stresses that lead to hyperactivity, ADD, frantic multitasking, and distraction. How can this tide be turned? A program in Bangkok, Thailand called the “Mind and Self Grooming Day Camp” is helping children deal with these problems by teaching them meditation. Using a custom tailored approach that cuts the meditation exercises down to easy 15 to 20 minutes segments, the camp turns meditation into games that kids can enjoy and relate to. The program has helped students deal with problems at school and to stay relaxed and focused amidst our fast paced over stimulating modern society.

[via Bangkok Post]

A series of interviews with VW researchers and designers unveil their visions of electric-driven Single Occupant Vehicles, holographic projections, gesture controlled dashboards, and emission free automobiles.

While the entire site is in German, it’s still worth having a look at their future scenarios.

Volkswagen 2028

Opening tomorrow (July 4th) on Montague Place behind the British Museum in London is a new temporary cultural space designed by Carmody Groarke Architects. Called the Sky Walk, the installation is the centerpiece of the Bloomsbury Hub of the London Festival of Architecture. Sky Walk is a series of elevated ramps that take visitors on a meandering journey exposing them to new views of the architectural details on the surrounding historic buildings. Over the next three days, Sky Walk will serve as a backdrop for performances, and exhibition, and a continuous picnic of locally produced food.

Sky Walk was constructed over the past three days out of reusable staging components. It’s covered in a translucent black mesh. The ramp reaches a height of over 13 feet at it’s tallest point.

The event is the first step in the total transformation of the street into a usable public space and a destination in its own right. The design firm of Burns+Nice have already developed proposals to redo the street and surrounding areas.

[via WAN]

Ricoh is building an nature powered billboard, scheduled to go up in Times Square this December. A first for New York, this solar and wind powered giant ad is only the third in the world. The other two are Pacific Gas & Electric’s in San Francisco and Ricoh’s original eco billboard in Tokyo. The ad’s lighting will be powered by 45 solar panels and 4 wind turbines. Strangely the system lacks any kind of back up power source. If there’s a cloudy day with no wind, the ad will not be illuminated.

[via Live Science]

WTF?

not sur whats worse the use of "barn door pixel swerl" as a transition or:

fat white american tourist get all "dancehall" wid da natives...

ghastly & wonderful, all in heaps of naff shitness

oh god, you've just gotta check this out > and turn your sound up ?

really nice work, done for converse more to follow....

"We are in the midst of suing them," (Devo's Jerry) Casale told AAP. Devo is suing McDonald's over New Wave Nigel, a toy that the fast food restaurant gives away with some Happy Meals. New Wave Nigel is part of an American Idol-related line of freebies based on various genres of music. From AAP: "This New Wave Nigel doll that they've created is just a complete Devo rip-off and the red hat is exactly the red hat that I designed, and it's copyrighted and trademarked"

"They didn't ask us anything. Plus, we don't like McDonald's, and we don't like American Idol, so we're doubly offended."

paris based photographer denis darzacq recently completed a new series of photographs entitled ‘hyper’.
the series explores ‘the place of the individual in society’ a common theme in his work. the series may seem
surreal and clearly a product of photoshop, however none of the works have been digitally manipulated.
instead, darzacq recruited young dancers and sportsmen to pose for the series using empty supermarkets
as a backdrop.

http://denis.darzacq.revue.com

Tag Town: by Photographer, Martha Cooper

Graffiti has spread to the far corners of the earth and in the process has become the biggest art movement in history and every graffiti writer began his or her writing career with a tag. Developing an original, consistently written name is the primary act for a writer. The photos in Tag Town, dating back to the 60’s, introduce us to the origins of New York style graffiti. Tags and pieces share a common heritage and by understanding one, you can understand the other. For those who learn to read tags, a world of aesthetic expression and communication opens up. Tags are a universal language – the jazz of lettering. Tag Town also contains rare photos of work on the street by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, artists whose tag-inspired work helped found the rapidly growing street art movement. The accompanying text is based on interviews with New York graffiti pioneers Blade, Part 1 and Snake 1. Martha Cooper has specialized in photographing urban art and architecture in New York City for thirty years.

Tag Town: by Photographer, Martha Cooper

The Rivington Club is set to release their next collaboration, the Saucony Shadow 6000 A.R.C Edition. The pack comes in three classic running colors, red, blue and green which are colors that defined running sneakers of the 80s. The model used is the Saucony Shadow 6000 originally released in 1985 but is still a popular running and walking sneaker. Each colorway is limited to 200 pairs and matching tees will be available as well. In store sales will be available exclusively at the Rivington Club starting at 11am and rivingtonclub.com 12:00am, Saturday June 28th, 2008.

> rivingtonclub.com

You gota be fuk'n about right....

urm...

no..

sorry.

simple ~ beautiful ~ perfect = i played with it for hrs !

what say you ?

Jeff Han's touchscreen foreshadows the iPhone and more

David Gallo shows underwater astonishments

Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos Photosynth

Arthur Benjamin does "mathemagic"

Sir Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen

Tony Robbins asks why we do what we do

Al Gore on averting a climate crisis

Johnny Lee demos Wii Remote hacks

You can also watch the Top 10 TED talks highlights video.

[via Gizmodo]