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Daredevil Santa: Human Flying Drone Enables Sky-High Snowboarding Tricks

24 Dec

[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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“This isn’t fake, I promise,” said filmmaker Casey Neistat as he announced the impending debut of his ‘Human Flying Drone Holiday Movie’ on Twitter with a dubious-looking graphic. Anyone who saw that tweet could be forgiven for their skepticism, especially since Neistat was teaming up with fellow YouTube star Jesse Wellens of the channel PrankvsPrank to pull off the stunt. But by all accounts, this footage of the ‘world’s largest homemade drone’ is real, and a Santa-suited Neistat is actually flying 25 feet in the air.

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Human Flying Drone Holiday movie coming very very soon. this isn’t fake, i promise. shot on my #gear360 – https://t.co/8gWQRKyh2o pic.twitter.com/QN06Kq8NFm

— Casey Neistat (@CaseyNeistat) December 18, 2016

No one in the world sells a drone that can lift a human being, so Neistat and his team set out to create one. The octocopter drone, which is augmented with a Samsung Galaxy Gear 360 action camera, reportedly took over a year to build, and the video clip was shot at a ski resort in Finland over the course of four days. In it, the daredevil YouTuber zooms down a slope on a snowboard and then takes off into the sky, going higher and higher before the final jump takes him 100 feet into the air, as smoke bombs fastened to his feet emit vivid pink plumes.

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One thing that’s not quite what it seems is Neistat’s single-handed grip on the handle: he’s actually securely fastened to the drone, dubbed ‘Janet,’ by a body harness. The rest of it, as far as anyone can tell, is legit. Looks like fun! Check out how it’s done in the behind-the-scenes video above.

[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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Invisible Repairs: Artist Fixes Broken Wood Furniture Using Clear Infill

24 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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Wooden furniture remnants stand out clearly against their subtle replacement parts in this series of artistic chair and bed repairs. Translucent acrylic fills in the gaps of these pieces, parts of My New Old Chair and Dear Bed collections by artist Tatiane Freitas. Mirroring the construction methods used for the two materials, the missing lathe-spun wooden parts are replaced by simplified acrylic geometries.

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The approach follows a certain vein of old-versus-new expressionism also found in fields of design and architecture — added elements are clearly distinguished from existing ones in order to make the time period differences legible at a glance.

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As with repair-oriented designers, there is a functional component here as well: the old chairs are able to be useful again thanks to these careful interventions.

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More about the artist: “In her day to day before graduating from Fashion school Tati Freitas was already looking into ways to create objects which could be both confortable and admired. Craft wood is her most common material, and that which gives her objects its forms, but she’s also been developing with more brute substances, like cement, and the sensible acrilic.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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MicroPAD: Tiny Mobile Units Aim to End Homelessness in San Francisco

24 Dec

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Could tiny prefabricated stackable mobile housing units help solve homelessness in cities like San Francisco, where nearly 7,000 people sleep in the streets every night? Affordable housing has all but disappeared in the Bay Area, pushing thousands of people out and giving many people nowhere to go. While most developers in San Francisco are busy working on building the kinds of expensive condos that exacerbate the problem, one is offering a potential solution in the form of minimalist pods.

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Patrick Kennedy and his team at real estate development and rental company Panoramic Interests present the MicroPAD, a self-contained, 160-square-foot mobile home that can stand alone or be stacked into a complex of up to 300 units. Nine-foot ceilings and generous windows flood the interiors with natural light, and each home contains a bed with storage drawers, a modest kitchenette, armoire closet, desk with chair and shelves, and a bathroom with a toilet and shower.

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The units can be manufactured in about a week, exceed California seismic code, are made of non-combustible materials and feature engineered soundproofing and 24/7 filtered ventilation. Ultimately, aside from the size, the MicroPAD offers better quality housing than the more conventional apartments for which many of the city’s residents already pay lots of cash. The size and stickability is a response to the eye-watering $ 1,200-per-square-foot cost of development within the cramped city – it’s quick and easy to build, and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

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Using prefab materials shaves 40% off the cost of conventional construction, and the developers note that the units can be built on, or in the airspaces above, unused and underutilized city-owned lots to further cut costs. At a cost of $ 1,000 per unit per month, the MicroPAD would come in at well under the average $ 17,353 currently spent per year on each homeless person in other forms of supportive housing. Panoramic Interests has a bunch of proposals on their site showing how and where the units could be stacked into 33-unit or 300-unit buildings.

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Clearly, a lot of thought has been put into this proposal, and the company has already produced a number of prototypes to demonstrate exactly how the units work – one is placed outside Kennedy’s office on Ninth and Mission, a neighborhood with a significant population of homeless people. Of course, in a city where anyone who isn’t a tech worker struggles to get by, this concept could and should be scaled up to offer affordable housing for all.

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Google Sheep View: Creature-Mounted Cameras Map Rugged Faroe Islands

20 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

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Powered by solar energy and mounted to the backs of sheep, 360-degree cameras are mapping out the Faroe Islands for Google Street View. Since Google was initially reluctant to send cars to the archipelago, locals took it upon themselves to get their own interactive images out into the world, raising awareness of the region’s uniquely beautiful landscapes. In the end, they not only attracted Google’s interest but managed to spawn a creative DIY approach to mapping rugged environments.

Sheep View 360 got its start when resident Durita Dahl Andreassen first strapped a camera to a sheep, let the animal roam free around the island then uploading the results to Google. “I gently placed a 360-degree camera powered by a solar panel on the back of a sheep that would take photographs as the animal freely grazed the open hillsides,” explains Andreassen.

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“Photos are then transmitted back to my mobile phone so that I can upload them to Google Street View myself, finally putting the Faroes on the map in a very unique way!” Indeed, some of the shots and perspectives would be unlikely or impossible for vehicles or even humans, taken as they are from the tops of roofs and sides of mountains.

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This endeavor and an associated petition eventually did get Google’s attention, but by the time they showed up with vehicles the self-mapping system was well underway with sheep, bikers, backpackers, ships and even a wheelbarrow playing parts.

Ultimately, folks from the Faroe Islands have made it a bit of an interactive game — anyone who wants to can come borrow a camera and start mapping the parts not yet uploaded to Google. This presents an interesting challenge for those who want to take it on: can you as a tourist cameraman visit the places most people and cars don’t go to or can’t reach?

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“The Faroe Islands have some of the most beautiful roads in the world. It is impossible to describe what it feels like driving through the green valleys and up the mountains, or alongside the ocean, surrounded by steep drops and tall cliffs. It’s an experience like no other.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

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Turrets, Moats, Dungeons & All: 12 Real-Life Castles Currently for Sale

20 Dec

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Unless you’re a lotto winner or an English lord in search of a new manor, you’re probably not actually in the market for a castle, but these real estate listings range from the real multi-million-dollar deal in Europe to Medieval-Times-style houses in Florida and Kentucky. Maybe you’re ready to act on your dreams of living in a turret in the remote Scottish highlands, or maybe you and some friends want to go in on a budget-friendly Bay Area castle that’s just begging for some LARP action.

Château d’Aubiry, Perpignan, France

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Set in the French mountain chain of Les Apres just a few kilometers from the Spanish border, this Belle Epoque chateau is on the market for the second time since 2011. Most of its original furniture is still in place, and its greenhouses were installed by Gustave Eiffel. It’s listed for $ 13.16 million, half of what it sold for last time around.

Mary of Scots Castle, Scotland

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This castle is definitely legit. It’s 500 years old, and was once home to Mary of Scots (before she became Queen.) Cleish Castle features 8 bedrooms, and on its 26 acres, Scotland’s oldest yew trees grow – planted in 1620. Its interiors underwent significant renovations during the 20th century, so you won’t exactly get drafty stone castle charm, but that may or may not be a good thing, depending on your tastes. It’s listed at $ 1.85 million.

Medieval Knockhall Castle, England

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You know those before-and-after architecture projects that take an old shell of a castle and transform it into a modern wonder? This medieval castle in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire is just begging for the same treatment. Billed as “the ultimate fixer-upper,” it’s literally in ruins at the moment, with a price tag of about $ 186,000, but imagine the potential. Knockhall Castle dates back to 1565 and was once visited by King James VI.

Castle with Drawbridge in California

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The original owner of this ‘castle’ in San Bernardino, California got the idea to build it after visiting Europe and falling in love with castle architecture. He faithfully recreated it on his own, from the drawbridge and turrets to the stables with their bright-red doors – in a style that’s a little bit Medieval Times, a little bit Robin Hood cartoon. But you can’t really argue with getting an entire castle for $ 849,000 when ordinary homes in the Bay Area go for an average of $ 1.1 million.

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Turrets Moats Dungeons All 12 Castles Currently For Sale

[ By SA Rogers in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Gifts for Star Wars Geeks: Millenium Falcon Multi-Tool & Death Star Waffles

20 Dec

[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

It may not slip into your pocket with quite the ease of a Leatherman, but this Millennium Falcon multi-tool is a lot more fun to use when the hyperdrive breaks down and R2 isn’t around to fix it. Packed with four hex keys, two screwdrivers and a wrench, it features a magnetically sealed hatch and a built-in adjustment wheel built into the helm.

The handy implement is just one of dozens of Star Wars gifts available at ThinkGeek – which can still get to you in time for Christmas if you order by Wednesday the 21st.

If you’re going to own a waffle iron, it might as well imprint something cool onto your breakfast, right? The dark side has waffles, and they pop out in the shape of the Death Star. If one side doesn’t come out perfect, just flip it over – “there’s a concave dish composite beam suppresser indentation on both cooking plates, so you’re covered.”

If a luxurious Wampa rug is more your style, they’ve got those, too, along with Rogue One Deathtrooper fleece robes, hooded scarves just like Rey’s in The Force Awakens, Chewbacca foot stockings, Tauntaun sleeping bags (bound to be better-smelling than the real thing!) and Darth Vader silicone oven mitts. Practically anything Star Wars-related you can think of is here. Check it all out at ThinkGeek.

[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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The Architect: New Film with All-Star Cast Features Egotistical Starchitect

19 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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All of the stereotypes associated with the architectural profession and its stars, real and exaggerated, are about to be revealed in an hour-and-a-half movie starring Parker Posey (wife), Eric McCormack (husband), John Carroll Lynch (builder) and James Frain (architect).

Directed by Jonathan Parker, the The Architect‘s trailer gives you a taste of what is to come: “Often the opinion of the client must be disregarded for his own good,” says starchitect Miles Moss (James Frain). “Less is only more when more is no good” (a satirical nod to Mies van der Rohe).

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The story revolves around a couple that buy a tear-down house and decide to build from scratch. They spot a house they like and hunt down the architect to design their dream home. It quickly becomes clear, however, that their dreams will be replaced by those of the architect, or at best: rendered in concrete, glass and steel. The wife (Parker Posey) may also be having second thoughts about her choice of partner. Architects and architecture often take a back seat to the main story (Sleepless in Seattle), but in this picture, for better or worse, they are the center of attention.

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His masterful creation meets resistance, probably in part because its semi-circular spaces are somewhat difficult to furnish. “I don’t know why people hire architects, and then tell them what to do,” Moss wonders aloud, frustrated with his clients. Like this one, many of his lines clearly refer to quotes from famous architects both contemporary (Frank Gehry) and historical (Le Corbusier).

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“These are the sleeping spaces” says the architect, pointing at the plan (“You mean bedrooms?” the husband replies) — “You could call them that” he admits, his voice dripping with superiority (architects are notorious for giving things fancy names). The movie hits on movements from Modernism through Deconstructivism, wrapping them in the comedic story of a troubled couple. Love it or hate it, this is a must-watch movie for fans as well as critics of the profession.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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On Thin Ice: 10 Abandoned & Defrosted Ice Skating Rinks

19 Dec

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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At these abandoned ice skating rinks, hockey turns to hooky faster than frosty ice turns to lukewarm water. Kinda like Blade Runner but without the blades.

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Berkeley Iceland opened with a bang on November 1st, 1940 when three-time Olympic skating champion and Hollywood actress Sonja Henie performed before a packed house. Sixty-six years later, the venerable rink closed and soon fell prey to vandals and graffiti artists. Fun fact: East Bay Iceland, the rink’s owner at and after closing, was Richard Zamboni, son of the inventor of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine.

Bladeless in Bristol

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The Bristol Ice Rink opened in 1966 and closed in late 2012 after a 46-year run… and a jolly good run it was! It’s estimated that over 10 million people from all across southwest England visited the rink, including Olympic Ice-dancing gold medalists Torvill and Dean. “It’s not a case of skating being dead and buried in Bristol,” explained rink manager Eddie Pearson, “but we’ve come to the end of our lease and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

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Urbex explorer Beyond The Boundary did something, however, even if it was photo-documenting the doomed rink in April/May of 2013 and again later that year, just as building demolition was getting underway.

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The Pocono Ice-A-Rama rink at the couples-only Penn Hills Resort in Analomink, PA opened in 1962 and was promoted at the time as being the only indoor ice skating rink in the Poconos. Flickr user Kate McCann (k8mccann2) visited the long-closed resort/rink complex in 2014 and yeah, vacations in the Poconos aren’t what they used to be.

Akita Mañana

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It gets pretty snowy in northwestern Japan so one would think winter sports & recreation facilities would attract a loyal local crowd. Well, think again: the Akita Ice Arena is most definitely closed and obviously abandoned. Imgur user plasticscissors visited the shuttered but not-quite-inaccessible arena in March of 2013 and was kind enough to post a host of images. Now you know what an iceless ice skating rink looks like – miles of plastic tiles.

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On Thin Ice 10 Abandoned Defrosted Ice Skating Rinks

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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Trinity River Park: Huge New 10,000 Acre Urban Nature District for Dallas

18 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Designed to restore and augment the city’s floodplain, this new green recreation space features thousands of acres of forest as well as playgrounds, lawns and trails. Upon completion, it will be one of the biggest urban green space initiatives in the country.

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In a state not exactly known for its greenery (or environmentalism), this project in Texas by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates is designed in part to address a critical and ongoing issue: flooding damage during severe weather events.”I believe we can create the most value and the greatest benefit to our citizens when we complete projects around nature,” said mayor Mike Rawlings of the project.

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The park aims to serve both recreational and engineering purposes, shoring up the city against future floods while creating a great green asset for citizens and visitors. Developed in collaboration with government engineers, it will be part community resource but also (and critically) part infrastructural insurance against the effects of climate change.

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The development is part of a larger series of projects along the flood plain and will link into over seventy miles of regional trails. At an estimated cost of $ 50 million, the park is not cheap but surprisingly inexpensive given its scope and aims. So far, a private donor has stepped forward offering $ 20 million of the funds needed, leaving a smaller bill for the city and state governments as well.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Luminous Loops: Interactive Light Display Inspired by the Zoetrope

17 Dec

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Take a seat inside this human-sized zoetrope, pull the bar back and forth and watch as fairytale imagery come to life around you. ‘Loop’ is the main installation at this year’s Luminothérapie, an interactive public art installation competition that takes place in Quebec each year. Developed by artists Olivier Girouard and Jonathan Villenueve in collaboration with Ottoblix, ‘Loop’ tells 13 different stories in each of the oversized illuminated circles placed along a street in Montreal.

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The zoetrope, in case you’re not familiar, is a pre-film animation device that displays a sequence of images within a cylinder to produce an illusion of motion; users look through slits in the cylinder to watch it. ‘Loop’ takes this traditional object and updates it with interactivity and light, asking users to power the spinning cylinder themselves. A flickering strobe light illuminates the monochrome images lining the inside.

‘Loop’ took three months of design work and 800 hours of assembly to complete. One of the designers makes a living building Lego sets, while the other has been designing since he was just a child. Explaining how they came up with the concept, Olivier Girouard says Villanueve took inspiration from mechanical interventions at Berlin’s Technology Museum.

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“Thinking of hamster wheels, we decided to build a vertical zoetrope. So we combined three mechanical elements: the railway push-car (like the ones made famous by Bugs Bunny cartoons), the music box and the zoetrope. We came up with the idea and sketched out the project just one week before the deadline for submitting proposals!”

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“Our invention reminds me of the Chimera, the mythological three-headed beast born of the intersection of different universes,” says Villanueve. “I like this more or less unclassifiable hybrid machine. Is it a toy? A projection device? A kind of lighting? Looking at previous Luminothérapie pieces, we noticed that installations that were not only participatory but also collaborative, where participants had to act together to produce a result were – in our opinion – the more successful projects and the most appreciated by the public.”

Loop will light up the Place des Festivals in Montreal until January 29th, when it will take off on a tour of Quebec cities. Check out last year’s installation – a series of illuminated see-saws.

360Photography

Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Daredevil Santa: Human Flying Drone Enables Sky-High Snowboarding Tricks

Invisible Repairs: Artist Fixes Broken Wood Furniture Using Clear Infill

MicroPAD: Tiny Mobile Units Aim to End Homelessness in San Francisco

Google Sheep View: Creature-Mounted Cameras Map Rugged Faroe Islands