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I would coat my life in liquid glass

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Nanopool, a German nanotech company, is shopping around its new liquid glass coating. Once sprayed on, any surface from fabric to metal to stone is completely protected from dirt, bacteria, stains and the like. Materials can be easily wiped down with nothing more than hot water and returned to a level of cleanliness normally associated with harsh chemicals or back-breaking labor.

I WANT THIS. I will spray it on my car, inside and out. I will coat my furniture in it. Dip my clothes in it. Cover my electronics in it. “Clyde, you’re going for a swim.” Etc.

Read the article and share my fervor:

Spray-on miracle could revolutionise manufacturing

(Thanks, The Independent.)

Hot on the heels

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Following up on yesterday’s post on the sci-fi tech of Caprica – chiefly the digital paper, I found this new digital magazine concept from Popular Science publisher, Bonnier. Straight to the video:

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

Now, let’s critique it, shall we? Über sexy.  I’m not entirely sure that I believe the narrator’s notion that page turning is a false notion in a digital format, especially since he’s replaced page turns with horizontal swipes that feel an awful lot like page turns, no? I love the “heat up” concept and the radial menu, though I wonder how it might grow. Overall, I’m happy with Mag+.

And to recap, we’ve had:

Microsoft Courier from aswin indraprastha on Vimeo.

& (terrible techno not withstanding)

&

Alright, we get it. Now where’s the Apple Slate to make it happen?!

In the process of so much collecting, I also stumbled across kottke.org, which bills itself “Liberal Arts 2.0.” As we desperately need to rethink this sphere I’m in now, I am intrigued. And will be back.

A little pick me up

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Since I really need an excuse to think about it right now, I thought I’d post a few of the resort in Mexico where I will be in 17 days, the Iberostar Quetzal.

riviera maya web-01

Evidently, I'll be arriving via this gate.

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And presumably walking through these paths to my room.

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Before lounging the days away in this pool/bar.

Oh, yeah, did I mention the Mayan ruins at Tulum?

Oh, yeah, did I mention the Mayan ruins at Tulum?

Pretty freaking great. There are apparently monkeys that visit the balconies (Bella, you are getting a new friend) and a Japanese restaurant in the resort. Cave snorkeling, jungle hiking and a bar at the airport. Passport, take me away!

This car game that I play

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As a design geek paying absurd amounts of attention to the world of cars, I sometimes find myself wondering why I’m reading auto blog x again or paying $12 for a copy of UK Top Gear or Car magazine. It’s going to be the same thing as always: reviews of hypercars I can’t afford, pictures of vehicles that aren’t on the US market, concepts that are dolled up to the point of insanity, etc.

I keep reading. And reading. And reading.

And sometimes, like yesterday, there’s a pay-off. Audi debuted the new A8 at Design Miami – with Lucy Liu as emcee, no less – and the event was the perfect opportunity to not only gush over the gadget-y goodness of this new barge but also to put to use a crazy level of knowledge about the design direction the car takes.

First, the car. A few of my favorite images for you.

A8090115

2011 Audi A8

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Those headlights. God damn. I can't wait to see the full LED lights at night. (If I'm run over by an A8, this is why.)

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And the interior is jaw dropping in its serenity and cohesive use of shapes and materials. Blows the doors off this:

Audi_A4Interiorl

Fuck you, 2009 A4 interior. Why are half of those buttons where they are? What's with all the chintzy looking cheap plastic? Especially since we started here:

TorqueOmata2157

Soothing. Logical. Clean. Simple. (And a 2005.) Stop chasing BMW because they are the only ones that can do crazy and asymmetrical.

But I digress. Sorry about that tangent. The message I’m trying to get across here is that the new Audi A8 is absolutely beautiful. What’s more, it’s a direct descendent of a recent show car, the 2009 Audi Sportback Concept.

2009-audi-sportback-concept-0015

I absolutely love that you can see the waterfall grille evolve its shape in this concept and find it applied in the A8. And they one upped the lights.


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I do prefer the angles and curves of the concept to the final A8, but this was supposed to pave the way for a more curvaceous (and younger) model, the A7 so I can understand the more grandfatherly finished product.

Imagine. A concept turned to reality. And my joy at paying enough attention to see it happen.

If you’d like to see more about the Audi A8, Fourtitude is carrying some of the best photos of the launch and will certainly be chiming in with thoughts soon.

I just hope that some of these innovations make their way down to the A3 by 2012.

Fingers (not cables) crossed

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My iPhone’s earbuds are crap. I suspect your iPod/iPhone buds are just as bad. They really don’t fit in my ears, the sound quality is leaving a lot to be desired, they tangle mercilessly and they aren’t particularly durable. Most of these things will be fine for the casual listener since they are free and replacements are only $19. But not for me.

It’s always been this way. Ever since I got my first portable music player back in junior high, I’ve been on a quest for the best, most affordable, longest lasting and stylish listening devices. It’s what I do.

I thought my compulsive searching had finally paid off when I chose a pair of V-Moda Vibe Duo earbuds for Xmas 2007. They were super swanky, the sound was terrific and the fabric-covered cords seemed to be ideal for preventing spaghetti. However, six months in and the cable feeding the left channel started to fray. V-Moda replaced them (though I had to pick up the shipping) and I was able to keep on listening for another few months.

Fast forward to last week and the left channel cut out on me mid-walk. No amount of futzing seemed to bring back half the music, so I contacted V-Moda to secure yet another replacement. I was informed that my earbuds were out of warranty and that, lucky me, I could instead ship them back (again, my money for shipping) and receive a 50% off coupon for the V-Moda store. Joy of joys!

Personally, I don’t think $100 earbuds should last less than a year. If you know me, you know I treat all of my stuff with kid gloves. I Scotchgard my jackets, I polish my door handles, I’ve been known to darn my socks. There’s no reason for these Vibe Duos to be falling apart this quickly.

So, the hunt was back on. And, much to my surprise, I’ve found something that I’m actually rather excited about: Pipe Headset CMYK by AIAIAI. Not only is this set of earbuds supposed to be well sound balanced (thanks to tuning by C4 Studios,) they are also delightful to look at and reviewed as durable with thick cable construction. Reviews are favorable, the price was right at $54 and the only complaint I’ve heard is that the colors are loud – which is a plus for me.

So, AIAIAI, the challenge has been set. Will you impress me? Surely only good things come from Denmark?

Never clean again!

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I wish that’s what this development out of Purdue was promising. Specifically:

The polymer coatings, which can be applied to surfaces including glass and concrete, are 20,000 times thinner than a human hair and have two key layers: A bottom layer of polyethylene glycol, which attracts water, and an upper layer of a Teflon-like molecule that repels oil.

Oh, please be the way to white gloves that repel dirt a la The Diamond Age. I do love washing my car, but this would certainly free up many hours of my time.

(Thanks, GreenBiz.)

I hope this is a new feature

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Jalopnik is a perennial favorite car blog read every day for me. I was delighted to see that they had a piece by Peter Orosz (of Hyperleggera fame) today under the heading of “Design Deconstructed.” The first case study was the 2010 Acura ZDX (a schizophrenic car if I’ve ever seen one.) I enjoyed reading what was essentially the same sort of autistic deconstruction of a motoring form that I myself often force upon the unlucky (Kate.) What most people see as nothing more than an appliance can send me through hundreds of words of compare and contrast. It was truly wonderful to read some else’s similar exploration – especially since I wouldn’t have necessarily chosen the same comparison cars. I’d love to see more Design Deconstructed breakdowns of today’s vehicles.

Here’s hoping it’s a recurring feature, Jalopnik!

Car news of the day

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Been busy as a busy person at work getting ready for Zimbra training (12 sessions in three days this week, thank you very much) so I haven’t had much time to scour for interesting things to post – or inclination to do so after work. However, here are a few car related links to tide you over.

  1. World Car Fans has done a delightful video edit of Jaguar’s press footage for the all-new XJ. I melt every time I see those magical LCD dials pop to life or animate the changing of gears. Old school elegance meets Starship Enterprise. Bella and I need to cruise in such a fast cat, no?
  2. Jalopnik lists five (snarktastic) reasons why roundabouts will never work in America. Having driven in them all throughout Maryland, I think I may agree. I also think that Jalopnik really could benefit from a copy editor. Dang. (In response to this piece from Slate.)
  3. The best auto show on the planet, Top Gear, will be making its return this season in glorious HD. Thank you, BBC America, for FINALLY bringing me your Britshows in the resolution they deserve. You Are What You Eat not withstanding.