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Posts Tagged ‘Recycling’

The Profoto A1X is an upgraded A1 with improved battery life, recycling times and more

15 May

Profoto has announced the A1X, an updated version of its A1 speedlight that’s improved in nearly every way.

The A1X isn’t quite a successor to the A1. Instead, it sits alongside the A1 as a more powerful alternative in the event the A1 just isn’t enough for your needs. In the words of Profoto, it has ‘a little more of everything.’

Specifically, the A1X has a more powerful internal battery that gets 450 full power flashes per charge compared to the 350 of the A1. It also features a 1 second recycling time compared to the 1.2 second recycling time of the A1, 20 wireless channels instead of 8 and a new display interface, similar to the one found on Profoto’s B10 light. The A1X is also available for Sony, whereas the A1 was limited to Canon and Nikon camera systems.

Aside from the above differences, the A1X is effectively identical to the A1. It features the signature round head, AirTTL and HSS, a magnetic click-on mount for Profoto’s optional Light Shaping Tools, an LED modeling light, built-in Air Remote capabilities and firmware update functionality. The device can be used both off-camera and on-camera, features flash durations from 1/800th to 1/20,000th and can work at distances up to 300m (1,000ft).

Below is a hands-on video created and shared by Adorama:

The A1X measures in at 75mm x 108mm x 165mm (3.0in x 4.3in x 6.5in) and weighs 560g (1.23lbs) with the included battery. Included with the flash unit is a Li-Ion battery, a USB Type-A to Micro B, a power cable, a battery charger, a flash stand, a dome diffuser, a bounce card and a dedicated bag for protecting the A1X.

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The A1x is available for Canon (Adorama, B&H), Nikon (Adorama, B&H) and Sony (Adorama, B&H) camera systems for $ 1,095, a full $ 100 more than the A1.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Recycling Rockets: Ixion Will Turn Orbital Space Junk into Spacious Habitats

25 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

As part of their NextSTEP program, NASA has contracted a space company to turn trash into treasure, converting used rocket sections already being sent into orbit into habitation units rather than letting them drift or be destroyed.

It takes an immense amount of effort and fuel to break out of the Earth’s atmosphere, yet upper stage rocket sections are routinely set adrift or de-orbited, burning up on reentry. Nanoracks believes these can be put to better use — their Ixion project aims to take large fuel-carrying rocket tubes, burn out whatever fuel remains and retrofit them for occupation.

Once the propellant-containing segment is vented in open space, remaining materials will oil off over the course of a few days. Then Nanoracks will fill the void with pressurized air from tanks attached to the outside. Humans (or robots) will take the next step, entering the capsule to add fabric, wiring and whatever else is needed. The design will factor all of these needs in advance, featuring operable hatches and attachment mechanisms as needed.

Initially, the plan is to attach these to the International Space Station for testing and to extend their habitable space. Future tubes could be used to form the basis of a commercial station or to serve other functions — the idea, in part, is to get out ahead of the demand, readying this space junk for unknown future applications. And this idea could be just the beginning: robotic space junk collection could eventually put the vast amounts of orbital debris circling the planet to much better use.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

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Recycling Genius: Shrunken Plastic Bottles Replace Furniture Joints

28 Jan

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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Assembling furniture DIY-style, without the skills, tools or fasteners used to produce conventional joints, becomes remarkably easy with shrink-wrapped pieces of discarded plastic bottles. While joinery is certainly an art – especially the complex forms found in Japanese furniture making – traditional methods aren’t necessarily accessible to anyone. This new project, Joining Bottles, offers a way to assemble functional furniture in minutes with trash and a heat gun.

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Created by product designer Micaella Pedros, ‘Joining Bottles’ aims to provide a model for producing useful objects using materials that are affordable and widely available. A pile of junk sitting on a curb suddenly becomes valuable in a new way, even if it’s a seemingly irreparable chair and a bin full of materials headed to the recycling plant.

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The individual pieces created for a series show how adaptable the concept can be. Use clear bottles if you want the joints to be unobtrusive, or colored bottles to highlight the ingenuity of the system. Wood waste of all kinds, including fallen branches, is assembled into stools, tables, shelves and other objects.

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“The different types of wood and plastic bottles available are dictating the final aspect and composition of the work,” say the creators. “In that sense, a unique conversation is engaged within each piece. It creates more space for randomness and spontaneity, in other words, for human attributes in the creative process.”

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[ By SA Rogers in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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