concept theme park goes the vertical way, right in the middle of the city

UPDATED February 5, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

Vertical Theme Park night scene 544x311px
(image credit: Ju-Hyun Kim)

theme park is land intensive and often, far away from city centers. it not only takes up huge land mass and visitors have to travel long distances just to experience the theme park. it is no coincident that traveling, usually by automobile, chalked up carbon emissions. what if we could have a theme park that doesn’t take up huge land mass and it is near to majority of the population? apparently, this is what New York-based architect Ju-Hyun Kim has in mind and the concept? it’s an urban vertical theme park right smack in the middle of New York City.

this vertical theme park scape like any other skyscrapers in the city comes complete with thrill rides, children rides and amenities that you would expect of a typical theme park. going skyward not only reduce the land required significantly, and being in right in the city means less traveling and accessibility via public transportation systems to the theme park is possible. indirectly, this will reduce our carbon emissions and less gas being used by the visitors for those who still do drives to the theme park. admittedly, we do have enough land space but it is the traveling which contributes to the carbon emissions and also the gas used to reached this places that impact the environment. not to mention, walking around the park to get from ride to ride could be an extremely tiring activity.

having a skyscraper as a theme park seems like a logical way, since we already have some on top of buildings. so why not take a bolder step? don’t let the prospect of vertical theme park scares you off. it will have rides and amenities that are on par with any typical theme parks. the vertical theme park will includes favorite thrill rides such as the Flume Ride, Roller Coaster (that scales down the peripheral of the building), kiddie rides such as the Vertical Carousel, Ferris Wheel and family spots such as the Sky Promenade and Space Theater. for extreme thrill seekers, there’s the City Diver – bungee jumping, the city-style, from 550 feet above ground.

of course, staples such as eateries and other service facilities will not be left out. now, as a side advantage (of being in the city), everyday white collar workers can hit the theme park any time of the day to relief themselves of the stress they had accumulated in their offices. in business point of view, it will be more business everyday and not just during holiday seasons. certainly an interesting concept that theme park lovers will love to see it becomes a reality someday. concept design is out, now it is time for some bold company (with excellent engineering brains) to take on the challenge. anyone?

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via Inhabitat

SCIENCE

generating electricity from wind power need not to be expensive

UPDATED January 6, 2011 Mike chua 1 Comment

Winflex Wind Turbine img1 544px
(image credit: WINFLEX)

typically, a wind turbine would cost millions of dollars to construct and that’s not including the cost of the operations yet. an Israeli company, WINFLEX, is set to change this with this low-cost Winflex Inflatable Turbine. on the wind harvesting end, the Winflex Inflatable Turbine’s rotor is an inflatable wheel with pressure within being maintained by a central inflationary system.

the rotor has sail-like blades that spanned from the inner circumference of the inflated wheel to the center hub. constructed out of light, flexible composite material, this wind turbine is inexpensive to manufacture and install unlike the typical wind turbines we have today.

harnessing the wind energy might be a common thing in near future with this low-cost wind turbines where previously, the prohibitive cost for a modern day steel structure wind turbines has forbid us from doing so. very soon we could be seeing these wind turbines popping everywhere, and probably not a very good news to the grid, isn’t it?

as an affirmation of their innovation, Winflex was one of Innovation Award Winner in GE’s Ecomagination Challenge.

via Core77

AUDIO/VISUAL

in the age of digital music, there’s still a CD player that cost $77k

UPDATED January 6, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

Metronome Technologie Kalista Ultimate SE CD Transport close-up 544px
(image credit: Metronome Technologie) Sonneteer Morpheus Music Server | approx. £50,000 | www.metronome-technologie.com

it is hard to believe that at this age of digital music, there would be any CD player going around, not to mention one that cost a whopping (approximately) £50,000. new from French firm, Metronome Technologie, is the Kalista Ultimate SE CD Transport – a top load CD transport which features the Philips CDM12 PRO 2 pickup mechanism with custom modifications and a new clamp.

wow. unbelievable. not the specs, but the price tag. then again, there are some who still swear by cassette tapes today, so why not the Compact Disc? for those who have extremely, ultra, super-duper deep pockets and swear by CD technology, this is the one for you.

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via BornRich

AUDIO/VISUAL

holy matrimony between Morpheus Music Server and Music Center

UPDATED February 2, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

Sonneteer Morpheus Music Centre with Penaudio LS 544px
(image credit: Sonneteer) Sonneteer Morpheus Music Server | US$tbc | www.sonneteer.co.uk

this week, we celebrate the holy matrimony between Sonneteer Morpheus Music Server and Morpheus Music Center. may we wish them a harmonious and happy days ahead. nah. obviously, both Sonneteer Morpheus Music Server and Morpheus Music Center are not humans but are the latest products from British luxury music systems brand, Sonneteer. hand made in UK, the music server will be showcased in this week CES 2011 working harmoniously with the music center and hand-crafted loudspeakers, Penaudio.

lets bring our attention to our groom.. i mean the music server. the Morpheus Music Server rips music CD and stores them in its 3TB hard drive. for those who experienced corrupted hard drive will appreciate that this music server employs two drives which mirror each other (i.e. RAID technology), therefore in the event that one of them should fail, your stored music will still be safe and sound. the ripped contents are catalogued with essential info such album name, artist, song titles et cetera and Morpheus Music Center ready.

this hand crafted, engraved aluminum coated music server, sits silently in on corner while the music center pull off music from it and if you have more than one music center, other music centers can also pull off music from the music server at the same time. it also has a Bluetooth option which enables streaming of music from iOS devices, Bluetooth-enabled smartphone and devices. so how much will it cost? no words yet, but i am sure it will be announced this week at the CES 2011.

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via BornRich

AUTOS, BOATS

hybrid Ocean Empire superyacht harvest from the sun, wind and waves

UPDATED May 26, 2012 Mike chua Leave a comment

Sauter Zero Carbon Design Ocean Empire LSV img1 544px
(image credit: Sauter Zero Carbon Design)

automobile are fast going green with electric propulsion system, prior to full-fledge electric vehicle (EV), there were hybrid vehicles which uses a little bit of both electric and petrol power. sea faring transport is heading that way too, and it is not new, at least to Sauter Zero Carbon Design who is known for concepts hybrid yachts. the latest to join the rank of Sauter hybrid boat is this 44 meters Ocean Empire LSV (or Life Support Vessel), with two Hydroponic farms and fishing facilities for harvesting from the sea. Continue reading hybrid Ocean Empire superyacht harvest from the sun, wind and waves →

HOME, LIVING

iRobot Scooba 230 is the smallest floor washing robot

UPDATED July 17, 2013 Mike chua 2 Comments

iRobot Scooba 230 img1 544px
iRobot Scooba 230 Floor Washing Robot | US$tbc | www.irobot.com

i am sure most of us are familiar with robotic vacuum cleaner, iRobot Roomba which takes the chore of vacuuming the floor off our hands. but the Roomba is big and it doesn’t cover wet area such as the laundry area and bathroom, so in comes the Scooba, the newest and smallest cleaning robot from iRobot.

measuring just 3.5 inches tall and 6.5 inches in diameter, the petite Scooba not only differ in size from the Roomba but also its capability. the robot cleans your floor with its three-stage system which washes, scrubs and squeegees your floors. being tiny, means it is able to reach those hard to reach places, including under the furniture.

asides from the sensors and electronics, inside the machine is an active-reservoir that separating the fresh cleaning solution and dirty water. as the robot cleans, the fresh cleaning solution reservoir shrinks, while making room for dirty water collected during the cleaning process.

i am tired of mopping even though i have only a small area to cover. in any case, i would love to have of these.

via DVICE

AUTOS, CARS

a Russian futuristic-looking sports car that’s not a concept

UPDATED May 26, 2012 Mike chua 2 Comments

MaRussia B2 - black - front angle view 544px
(image credit: MaRussia) MaRussia B2 | US$tbc | www.marussiamotors.ru

a supercar from Russia is something we never thought of but here it is from Russia with love, is the MaRussia B2. in a time where sports car are going electric, MaRussia chose to to go ‘old school’ with the good old petrol engine. the edgy front end and bulging sides gives the car a menacing look and might not appeal to everyone. it kind of looks like a supercar made for Darth Vader, isn’t it? Continue reading a Russian futuristic-looking sports car that’s not a concept →

ACCESSORIES, GAMING

feel your game with the world first tactile controller for iPad

UPDATED August 25, 2011 Mike chua 3 Comments

Ten One Design Fling Tactile Game Controller for iPad img1 544px
(image credit: Ten One Design) Fling Tactile Game Controller for iPad | US$24.95 | www.tenonedesign.com

there are console gamers and then there are iPad gamers. if you belong to the latter, then here’s a piece of good news for you. Ten One Design has started taking in pre-orders for the world first tactile controller for iPad, Fling. basically, it is a physical joystick constructed out of transparent materials which allows clear, unrestricted view of your game. Continue reading feel your game with the world first tactile controller for iPad →

SCIENCE

‘transparent cement’ might be a solution for energy saving

UPDATED January 5, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

Italcementi i.light installed in Italian Pavilion @ World Expo 2010 544px
(image credit: Italcementi)

if you had been to the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, you might have noticed the awesome Italian Pavilion. looks aside, it was what they used to clad this building that was (somewhat) magical. apparently, the Italian Pavilion walls are not your usual bricks and mortars, and it wasn’t cement either. when viewed at a certain angle, the walls looked like it was concrete but it was really an unique material which actually allows light to pass through them.

developed by an Italian firm, Italcementi Group, the trademarked “transparent cement” is named as the i.light. what is it with the “i” in front of a word, anyway? in anyway, what’s in the i.light is a trade secret and what was known is that it’s “an innovative cement and admixtures mix design.” we shall spare ourselves the torment of technical details.

no words on the i.light availability commercially but using such materials in future buildings could potentially cut down on electricity in terms of day time lighting. not to mention a more bright and lively environment. you know? future doesn’t have to be all dark and creepy like Dark City. the future is indeed bright, isn’t it?

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via Gizmag

LIFESTYLE

descending the building the Batman way with Rapunzel

UPDATED February 5, 2011 Mike chua Leave a comment

Rapunzel Descending Device by Sin Sun Ho img1 544px
(image credit: Sin Sun Ho)

there is no Rapunzel around to throw down her hair to descend quickly down a building during an emergency, instead you can use this gadget, aptly named Rapunzel Decending Device, to do so safely. yea, it’s called Rapunzel alright but this Rapunzel doesn’t has a chunk of hair in it, but instead it has steel cable reeled in it, ready to help you descend a building quickly in an emergency.

during an emergency such as a fire situation, users (or escapees?) head to where the Rapunzel is installed, presumably at the emergency exit windows, insert his or her hand into the device and simply glides down the side of the building the way Batman does. though, Batman usually goes up, rather than down. we simply love ideas that save lives, this one is no exception and besides, the concept device looks pretty cool too – almost look like a drink bottle.

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