Monday 30 December 2013

LEGO Hot-Rod

Melbourne-based entrepreneur Steve Sammartino and 20-year-old Romanian genius Raul Oaida came together to build a LEGO hot-rod that’s powered exclusively with air.



Comprised of more than half a million bricks, the engine itself consists of four orbital motors and 256 pistons to reach a speed of 30 km/h.



full scale LEGO car runs entirely on air from designboom on Vimeo.

Sunday 15 December 2013

Gratitude..

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”


Saturday 14 December 2013

Nissan IDx Concept + Photoshop Rendering

Potential. It has a tad bit of it. Hopefully Nissan's design department can tweak that hideous front end before production even comes to mind. 

IDx + NISMO version 

Photoshopped, lowered on Wantanabe's 

Reminiscent. Don't you agree? 

Toyota GT86-R

Developed by tire making company Marangoni and TRC Italia styling center, this GT 86 now represents the quintessence of elegance, fashion, performance and eco-friendliness.


The GT 86-R Marangoni Eco Explorer has been fitted with a special system that enables it to run both on gasoline or ammonia (NH3), which is stored in a separate tank. The system has been developed by Bigas International, a company focused on the use of alternative energy sources for more than 40 years.

Ammonia is said to offer a higher energy content per kilogram than petrol while also eliminating fine dust particle and CO2 emissions. Check it out in the video bellow.


Thursday 12 December 2013

BMW M235i Racing



BMW has provided the first official look at its upcoming track-only M235i Racing. An entry-level racer starting at €59,500 EUR (approximately  $87,098 CAD), the M235i is designed specifically for the likes of the VLN Endurance Championship and Nürburgring 24 Hours races and comes powered by a six-cylinder 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo gas engine capable of 333 hp. Further details include aids like traction control, ABS and DSC while the exterior comes outfitted carbon fiber applications to the front and rear spoilers, as well as the mirror caps and rear diffuser – all a part of BMW M Performance’s latest offerings. Check out the first look at the M235i in action above and stay tuned for further details and specs from BMW on its latest racer.

2015 BMW M3 & M4

Ahead of next month’s official unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show, BMW leaks some choice imagery as well as the specifications to its 2015 M3 and M4 models.




On the outside each sedan sports a subtle power dome in its hood, M3/4-branded strakes on each front fender, split-five-spoke 19-inch wheels, and carbon-ceramic brakes. Under the hood, both cars pack a 430-horsepower, twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine with the choice of a six-speed manual or a dual-clutch transmission.




The cabin of the M3 and M4 will include a new steering wheel, bolstered heated seats, carbon fiber trim availability, side and top-view cameras, and LED lighting. Lastly, both models will be available in different colour options.


BAPE CAMOA AVENTADOR

Yea, I'd drive it. Snowboard's always ready ;P





Wednesday 4 December 2013

Super Formula

New Words




... describes me perfectly.

Mark Sixma & Jerome Isma-Ae - Refused

Possible Mystery Ferrari F1 V6 Test Hound?!


Ferrari has been running this mystery test car at its Fiorano test track in Italy, what the car is or what it is testing is not clear but it seems to be for a competition application. It has been speculated that this is a test bed for the new 1.6 litre Formula 1 power unit. From the sound of the engine it is clearly turbocharged. Posted on Youtube the footage shows what appears to be a very long wheelbase car with a F458 front section and a bespoke rear end, of great interest is the F1 style air box mounted on the cars roll hoop.


A lack of any major rear end aerodynamic devices such as a rear wing or diffuser suggest that this is not a chassis test as some have speculated (bringing up the old LMP rumours once again) but instead this is a pure power unit test run.

For now Ferrari are saying nothing but make up your own minds when watching the video below.

Li-Fi Revolution - Wireless Data Transmission Of The Future

Professor Harald Haas coined the term Li-Fi and is at the forefront of research into the new technology.
Li-Fi, an alternative to Wi-Fi that transmits data using the spectrum of visible light, has achieved a new breakthrough, with UK scientists reporting transmission speeds of 10Gbit/s – more than 250 times faster than ‘superfast’ broadband.

The fastest speed previously reported was 3Gbit/s, achieved earlier this year by the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute in Germany. Chinese researchers also claimed this month to have produced a 150Mbp/s connection, but some experts were doubtful without seeing further proof.

The term Li-Fi was coined by Edinburgh University's Prof Harald Haas during a TED talk in 2011 (see below for video) though the technology is also known as visible light communications (VLC).

Many experts claim that Li-Fi represents the future of mobile internet thanks to its reduced costs and greater efficiency compared to traditional Wi-Fi.

Both Wi-Fi and Li-Fi transmit data over the electromagnetic spectrum, but whereas Wi-Fi utilises radio waves, Li-Fi uses visible light. This is a distinct advantage in that the visible light is far more plentiful than the radio spectrum (10,000 times more in fact) and can achieve far greater data density.


Li-Fi signals work by switching bulbs on and off incredibly quickly – too quickly to be noticed by the human eye. This most recent breakthrough builds upon this by using tiny micro-LED bulbs to stream several lines of data in parallel.

The research was carried out by the Ultra Parallel Visible Light Communications project, a joint venture between the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Strathclyde, and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Existing LED light bulbs could be converted to transmit Li-Fi signals with a single microchip, and the technology would also be of use in situations where radio frequencies cannot be used for fear of interfering with electronic circuitry.

And although Li-Fi bulbs would have to be kept on to transmit data, the bulbs could be dimmed to the point that they were not visible to humans and yet still functional. One draw-back is that the data receiver would have to be in sight of the transmitter-bulb as visible light does not penetrate solid materials.

The makers of Li-Fi note that this quality might actually be an advantage in some scenarios, making Li-Fi more secure than Wi-Fi with hackers unable to access unsecured internet connections from out of sight of the transmitter.

Monday 2 December 2013

Passenger - Let Her Go (Stevie Mink Remix)

I remember hearing this during one of Hardwell's sets back in July. Forget the original, this is what's up!

Fairhaven Beach House



Angular zinc-clad volumes fold around a central courtyard and stretch out towards ocean views at this house designed by Australian architect John Wardle on the scenic Great Ocean Road in Victoria.


Named Fairhaven Beach House, the three-storey residence is perched on the top of a hill. John Wardle Architects laid out the building with an uneven U-shaped plan to create a wall of windows facing the water and an east-facing courtyard that is protected from coastal winds.


The route from the entrance to a large living room was intended as a dramatic progression through the building, passing by a cantilevered study and through a pivoting asymmetric door.


"It is a dynamic, fluid journey through the house from arrival to the ocean view," said the architects, whose past projects include a house on a working sheep farm in Tasmania.


"It is choreographed to increase anticipation before reaching the main living space," they added.


A large kitchen and dining room is positioned on one side and projects even further towards the coastline, plus a secluded balcony provides an opportunity to dine outdoors.


"The house is carefully zoned to allow for privacy and communal gathering," said the architects.


While the exterior of the house is clad with grey zinc panels to blend in with the tones of the bush landscape, the interior features timber surfaces across every wall, floor and ceiling.


Two bedrooms are located on the ground floor and a wooden staircase leads up to a third on the upper storey.


A garage, wine cellar and informal living room are tucked away in the basement.


Fairhaven Beach House topped the residential category at the Australian National Architecture Awards earlier this month. Judges described it as "a masterful control of form and space, scale, material and detail".


Directly From The Architect 

Fairhaven Residence


The Fairhaven Beach House is located on top of the ridgeline above the Great Ocean Road on the Victorian coastline. The site enjoys panoramic views over the southern ocean and surf beach below.


The proportions, orientation and dimensions of windows have been tailored to particular views and to reveal internal spaces. The design process has been one akin to scenography, bringing together sensory and spatial experiences to frame the theatre of inhabitation within.


This beach house coils and steps around a protected central courtyard, which creates an outdoor space sheltered from the harsh prevailing winds. The living area doors and an oversized sliding kitchen window open up and integrate the courtyard with the house during fine weather.


It is a dynamic, fluid journey through the house from arrival to the ocean view; it is choreographed to increase anticipation before reaching the main living space.


As you step beneath a cantilevered study into a dramatic vertical entry space, you become acutely aware of a number of twists and folds along its length that make the transformation into the horizontal living space. Its main window aperture matches the cinematic proportions of the ocean view.


The house is carefully zoned to allow for privacy and communal gathering. The upper level houses a suite of private rooms including a main bedroom, ensuite, study and viewing terrace. The entry level contains a pair of bedrooms and bathroom. The main living and dining space is where the occupants come together. A garage, laundry and informal living space are hidden from view in a basement level.


Materially the house is clad in a green-grey zinc cladding, for both its longevity and natural colouring that merges with the scrub and tea tree landscape. In contrast, the interior of the house is completely lined in timber (floors, walls, cabinetry and ceilings) to form an enclosure for living that its inhabitants become completely immersed within. The eye is then always drawn back to the outlook beyond.







Function leads to Form.



2014 BMW 2 Series Coupe M Package

Introducing BMW's 2 Series coupe with a smidge of M branding.













See the original 2 Series Here