Simple yet concise. There are things about the Japanese culture which makes it so unique and attractive. Be it their music, culture or fashion, everything seems to have that very special flair that could almost transcend reality. Clothes that might look so weird and ideas so radical making its way on to the streets, becoming an everyday affair is proof of the society’s acceptance to constant change. How did youth culture transformed traditional mentality into what it is today? Check out this video by Japanese agency, Hakuhodo, as they create this amazing mash of music video to illustrate the transition of times for Beams in the last 40 years. Amazing work.
Run with me
Love running? I bet you will love having a partner that will not only run with you, but also become a partner to pace you and in this case, out run you! Don’t just beat the clock, beat this robot. The PUMA BeatBot is programmed to run focusing on a lane while it act as a push for all runners aiming to beat their own time. Well, since humans get tired and you don’t always have the luxury to find a sprinting partner, this robot might just be the solution for you! I love this idea simply because it not only taps on technology to better our lives, its actually one step towards health technology. Check out the video as Usain Bolt trains together with it and gives his thoughts on the experience. Nice work by MIT & JWT.
Balls, balls and more balls.
I think humour has got no limits. Not that there is nothing under the roof you can’t joke about, but its more of what did you just joke about that caught my attention. check out this billboard execution. Very simple, very clear and extremely hilarious execution. once again, its a damn funny billboard.
Wheels of innovation
Wow, if you ask me what good design is, I would certainly vote for solid aesthetics combined with unrivalled functionality. Our landscape is changing, the building structures in modern environments are less forgiving compared to the spacious environments we were once so used to. Of course, adaptation means solutions that allows us to commute with efficiency. Check out this new mobile cycle. The Cargob Urban Eco-Bicycle is a very awesome delivery bike. I love how it places the cargo in front, making it so easy to access parcels. On top of that, there is a motorised mechanism at the back which basically accumulates energy from the riding and braking. This useful energy can be used as electronic energy to power devices like your mobile phones as well as the LED lights! And what’s forward moving if we don’t incorporate anything or everything with mobile right? There is the app which allows the user to navigate his route upon scanning the details of the parcel box. In addition, it also has a messaging system and parcel acknowledgement feature. Very neat and innovative product.
Oreo in a different light
Have you checked out the new flavour from Oreo? Their newly launched ‘Filled Cupcake Oreo’ literally gave their classic cookie a change in their food design. This one has got that awesome chocolate filling together mixed with original creme, right smacked in the centre. A rather enticing blend of flavour. I think what is notable is the launch of this cookie was rather less mainstream than usual. They unveiled on 245 W. 18th St. in New York and expose this delicious cooke to the excited passers-bys. The current launch date is set to 8 February in the US. I wonder when will they come to Asia??
Hire and fire
Two things: Never diss the employees who you fired because you never know if they would ever make a lethal comeback at you. And the next thing you probably want to consider as a CEO is to make sure you fired ONLY the right people. When asked if the employees he fired had indeed been hired by Apple, Tesla CEO, Elon Musk’s sarcastic(well, at least in my own opinion) remarks made quite a clear statement. “They hired people we’ve fired. We always jokingly call Apple the ‘Tesla Graveyard.’ If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I’m not kidding.”
Ironically, it seems that this man is now hiring an ex Apple employee. Microprocessor engineer, Jim Keller has been officially hired to work on the Autopilot Hardware Engineering for Tesla. Apparently, this was a strategic decision where Tesla sees the value that Keller could bring on board for their project. Tesla officially declares Keller as a potential employee who would “bring together the best internal and external hardware technologies to develop the safest, most advanced autopilot systems in the world.” Keller was given the position as Vice President of Autopilot Hardware Engineering. Now, expect more awesome stuffs from Tesla.
Igloo bungalow!
I believe in the concept of Airbnb; where people could connect with one another as they enjoy a part of their lodging together. The concept itself is beautiful. It connects people, enables travellers to enjoy a rather unique experience. We can certainly stretch the concept of unique all the way towards exotic. We can all pretty much agree that creativity has no limits. Check out the “Boutique Winter Igloo”. A freelance art director, Patrick Horton, and his room mates had just built an amazing winter cave, made up of natural elements. It promises a rather exotic experience for two. After having listed it on Airbnb, the ad got taken down by an employee from Airbnb. This was what he said to Patrick:
“We are happy to see that you guys are saying busy and having fun during Blizpocalype,” an Airbnb rep wrote. “Unfortunately, you igloo, while very well constructed, has failed to meet our occupancy standards.”
Check out the pictures. Its really one chic looking backyard bungalow! Enjoy the snow people.
Read for me, please.
Undeniably technology has slowly changed the way we live. Today, it can be said that humans are starting to rely on them to the extent where we are almost living on a lackadaisical routine. As cringing as it might be, technology does have its advantages especially if it could help to benefit physically impaired patients. Amazon’s new update for its Alexa digital gadget now incorporates a new smart speaker technology. The ‘Echo’ now narrates Kindle books and it can be activated simply by instructing the gadget with words like, “Alexa, read ‘book title'”.
This function immediately triggers Alexa to start the reading program. But do not expect real human reading with emotions but rather, a more robotic approach. Atop of the reading functions, it helps to track the books you were reading and also included smart voice commands like pause, go froward or resume. The complexity of the program is still in its infancy, so don’t expect it to be able to perform operations like jumping in between chapters within your Kindle book. Still, this can be a great help for people who wishes to listen rather than read. But truly, are we over relying on technology or are we really leveraging them to our greater convenience?
To die in style
Like they say, if you are going to die, you rather do it in a glorious fashion. This video speaks it all. Saatchi & Saatchi, New Zealand has created amazing work for the Toyota Hilux. They not only dramatises the idea, the content is both extremely hilarious and engaging. An alternative approach towards selling a commercial vehicle with lesser traction compared to Toyota’s flagship models. Nice.
Life’s short play hard
You don’t see amazing feats like this everyday. Compared to Jean-Claude Van Damme’s leg split for Volvo, this is bringing it even higher. NVIDIA’s recent video for their new device, the NVIDIA Shield TV, push sky diving to its limit. One cannot stop but applauded their daring move. Take a look at the video. A plunging living room with the diver literally strapped to the sofa, enjoying his drink and playing his video game. All these while he falls freely down from high above. Skydiver Jeff Provenzano, straps himself to the living room which was flung out of the plane in mid-air. He demonstrates mad skills as he combats the spinning platform at high velocity WITHOUT failing to enjoy his console game! Is this even real? This is definitely a very solid approach to garner attention from their consumers.
Zack Chia 