Wednesday, August 27, 2008

SAIMIR STRATI'S EXTRAORDINARY MURALS

The art of Saimir Strati

Saimir Strati was born on 11 April 1966. He is an Albanian artist who is regarded as one of the world's most well known modern mosaic artists.

Strati nailed it!







His mosaic mural consisting of 500 000 were given the Guiness World Record as the 'largest nail mosaic in the world' in September 2006. The nails weigh 400 kilograms in total.

Sink your teeth into this...







His mosaic mural consisting of 1.5 million toothpicks won a Guiness World Record for 'largest toothpick mosaic' in September 2007.

Put a cork in it...







Strati is currently busy with his lates project; a cork mosaic. The mural appears on the wall of the Sheridan hotel in Tirana. Strati is using 300.000 corks on a banner measuring 96 square metres, to create what he hopes will also be entered into the Guinness World Records.

MINIATURE HORSES REPLACES GUIDE DOGS







Miniature horses guiding you in the right direction


Horses are natural guide animals and have been guiding humans for centuries. Many blind people ride horses in equestrian competitions. Some blind people ride alone on trails for many miles, completely relying on the horse to guide them safely to their destination.


A miniature guide horse is ideal for blind people who is allergic to, or afraid of dogs and who loves horses. A guide horse has a gentle nature and is therefore ideal for people with physical disabilities. They live longer than dogs (30 - 40 years) and they do not have to sleep in the house. Horses are not addicted to human attention and normally do not get excited when petted or groomed. They do not get fleas and only shed twice per year.


Miniature guide horses have a phenomenal memory and a very wide range of vision. Horses can see clearly in almost total darkness. Trained horses are very focused on their work, are not easily distracted and has the ability to stay calm in any situation. Naturally safety oriented, horses are constantly on the lookout for danger. All horses have a natural instinct to guide their master along the safest most efficient route. They can also travel far distances in a single outing.


Many people do not associate a horse as being a pet, and therefor they will be instantly recognized as a working animal. Horses are not addicted to human attention and normally do not get excited when petted or groomed.


If the shoe fits...





Even though their hooves are far stronger than the soft pads of a guide dog, a Guide Horse must have traction on slick surfaces and protects their feet from hot surfaces or sharp objects on the ground.

www.guidehorse.org

ERGO-CHAIR: THE POSTURE PERFECT CHAIR




"Eggciting" chair...(get it?)

I decided to take a quick break from uploading architecture related posts...this invention had me sitting up straight...(get it?, okay I'll stop).

Doctor Riter's ErgoChair is a new and exciting chair designed by a group of clever people in Switzerland to promote correct posture, to help strengthen the muscles in the abdominal area and the spine, and to take stress off the back and neck. The egg-shaped ball of the ErgoChair does not compress discs in the spine, like a regular chair.

Most people who sit in front of a computer or at a desk for prolonged periods of time assume poor posture. It results in flattening of the lumbar spine and altered head carriage. This can result in chronic lower back pain, weak abdominal muscles and neck problems that often lead to headaches. Prolonged sitting can also cause poor circulation in the legs resulting in painful leg cramps or the sensation of the legs falling asleep.

The ErgoChair enables individuals to achieve proper posture. The egg-shaped flexible ball allows free movement of the body - up and down, back and forth, and side to side – for the body to find the best posture to relieve and prevent back pain.

An award-winning product at the world’s most prestigious International Invention Conference. The ErgoChair won Best New Invention in the furniture category, out of 1,000 entries from 42 countries. The ErgoChair is patented in the U.S. and Europe".

All Graphic Designers needs a chair like this!

www.modabode.com/Doctor_Riters_ErgoChair_ABB100000.html

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

RUBICUBISM





I thought getting all the sides the same color was hard enough....

Rubicubism is defined as an
avant-garde artistic movement that uses Rubik cubes as a medium to create art. The French artist known by the pseudonym Invader is at the origin of this movement.

Read more:
www.space-invaders.com

Monday, August 25, 2008

THE FISH HIGHWAY







What is a fish highway?


There are some other exstreme fish tank implementations, see
SWIMMING WITH SHARKS IN VEGAS & AN ELEVATOR IN A FISH TANK

The 'Fish Highway' is not as extreme, but it is still a very unique installation.
Imagine a means for fish to swim out the top of your aquarium, up to the ceiling, across the room and then down into another tank. That’s a fish highway. It can be implemented in your own home or business.

Why doesn’t the water spill out of the highway?
The highway tube is completely sealed except for the openings at each end which are submerged below the tank water levels. Like a large drinking straw, when the air is sucked out of the tube the water rises inside it and will stay there unless you let the air back in.

Does it harm the fish?
As the fish swim higher the pressure drops a little but it’s only slightly lower than the pressure pressure in the tank.

How do you fill it?
When the air is sucked out of the sealed tube the water from the tanks flows into it. Eventually, after all the air is removed the tube is filled with water.

How do you clean it?
Water flows through the highway continuously so the tank filters clean the water in the highway. Algea is removed using cleaning magnets for acrylic tanks.

How does water flow through the highway?
Water is pumped through a separate pipe from one tank to the other using a small pump. As the tank water levels change (one rises and the other falls) flow is induced through the highway by the force of gravity.

www.fishighway.com

SWIMMING WITH SHARKS IN VEGAS


Five Hundy







Is Jaws in the swimming pool?


This is my second post on amazing fish tanks, see AN ELEVATOR IN A FISH TANK.

The Golden Nugget Hotel in Las Vegas offers a unique swimming experience...


The $30 million hotel includes a shark tank surrounded by a swimming pool with a three-story waterslide.

The secure waterslide leads you through the center of the shark tank. Those who are less adventurous can peacefully enjoy the sight of some of the world's most interesting beings, that is equally entertaining.

www.goldennugget.com

Thursday, August 21, 2008

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE IN DUBAI







Every house has a beach...


I recieved a mail with these pics, I just wanted to share it with everyone. Really amazing...and a bit scary, because these houses are built on a fake island. Everything about Dubai seems to me to be fake.

See:
LYONS-DUBAI: The first cloned city in Dubai, for more Dubai updates.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

JAPAN’S STYROFOAM DOME HOMES






Dome sweet dome

I always wondered how it will feel like to live like a smurf...

I came upon pics of these odd-looking houses. What made them even more peculiar is that they are made out of styrofoam, typically something the Japanese would come up with.

The Aso Farm Land Resort village in Kyushu, Japan has about 480 styrofoam domes as lodging, recreational facilities and retail shops.


While Styrofoam may be most commonly associated with disposable coffee cups, meat trays and packaging, prefab home manufacturer Japan Dome House Co., Ltd. uses it to construct easy-to-assemble modular homes.

Dubbed the 'habitat for the 21st century,' the dome house is an igloo-shaped structure built from snap-together wall sections made of 100% expanded styrofoam. It might seem like an odd choice of material for a house, but the company lists a number of advantages that styrofoam has over traditional materials.

Unlike wood and metal structures, the styrofoam dome house does not rust, rot or attract termites. It is also highly resistant to earthquakes and typhoons. In addition, the walls, which are treated with a flame retardant, emit no toxic fumes in a fire.


The houses are environmentally friendly and energy efficient. They also have good insulation properties and can reduce energy bills by 90%. The styrofoam used for the dome home's 175 mm thick walls is significantly denser and stronger than ordinary packing foam.

http://www.i-domehouse.com/