Category Archives: Design

This Futuristic House Rotates 360 Degrees to Capture Amazing Sunrises, Sunsets, and Vistas

This is an octagonal house in Northern Italy that rotates 360 degrees –in both directions and it chases the sun with its solar panels while offering amazing sunrises and sunsets as well as stunning views. The structure is balanced on a central pillar and has a steel frame, with walls made of wooden strips, and insulation panels of hemp and wood fiber.

Designed by architect Roberto Rossi, he drew inspiration from another rotating Italian home called Villa Girasole built in the 1930s by architects Angelo Invernizzi and Ettore Fagiuoli. This futuristic home, which is located near the city of Rimini, was constructed by Italian building contractor ProTek.
— Read on www.techthatmatters.com/this-futuristic-house-rotates-360-degrees-to-capture-amazing-sunrises-sunsets-and-vistas/

Europe’s Largest 3D Printer Made History by Creating an Entire Two-Story House

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This is Europe’s biggest 3D printer and it has wowed internationally by making an entire two-story house. To top it off, it’s reportedly the largest house printed in one piece – with a fixed printer, in history. This impressive digital feat was accomplished by a Belgian sustainable construction company, Kamp C.

This impressive printing beast is a 32-by-32-foot printer. While its innovative mechanism functions similarly to smaller plastic-printers, it actually uses a specific concrete mixture to build layer-by-layer. This process outweighs conventional construction as it’s faster, more cost-effective, and stronger. Its super-strength is due to the compression of the materials, which is “three times greater than that of a conventional quick build brick.”
— Read on www.techthatmatters.com/europes-largest-3d-printer-made-history-by-creating-an-entire-two-story-house/

This Futuristic One-Wheeled Exercise Bike Redefines Home Fitness Equipment – Tech That Matters

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This is the Ciclotte Bike, an ergonomic, innovative exercise bike that is known for its luxurious contemporary design that elegantly […]
— Read on www.techthatmatters.com/this-futuristic-one-wheeled-exercise-bike-redefines-home-fitness-equipment/

Boogaali | The Ugandan Company that’s Making Affordable & Sustainable Bicycles Out of Bamboo

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It’s in his workshop, in the capital city of Kampala, that young Ugandan entrepreneur Noordin Kasoma designs bicycles made from bamboo. His company, Boogaali Bicycles limited, produces bicycles that are, not only affordable but also sustainable.

In an industry dominated by steel and aluminium, the use of bamboo is not as bizarre as it might seem. Kasoma says his bikes are strong, light and durable. They are also comfortable, he says.

Boogaali-Bamboo Bikes

“The bamboo itself tries to absorb the shocks that you are passing through, better than steel or aluminium.”

Bamboo frames aren’t uncommon in the cycling world. Noordin’s bicycles, however, come with a Ugandan spin: the joints are reinforced with bark cloth, a traditional clothing material extracted from the inner bark of the Mutuba tree.

In addition to being hand-crafted, the Boogaali bamboo bicycles are customized according to the cyclist’s needs and specifications.

Zillow CEO: Real estate market is beginning ‘great reshuffling’ as people seek more space at home

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The U.S. real estate market is beginning to show signs of a “great reshuffling,” as people relocate to homes with more privacy and space to ease working from home, Zillow CEO Rich Barton said on the company’s Q2 2020 earnings call this week.

“I believe we are at the dawn of a great reshuffling,” Barton said. “I’m sure I don’t need to spell it out for you because we are all living it, spending an average of nine hours more per day at home. Zoom meetings are changing the way families think about space and privacy. Home offices are in high demand. Backyards are more desirable than parks and gyms. Work-from-home policies are eliminating the commute for many. There’s an endless list of considerations.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/zillow-were-at-the-beginning-of-a-great-reshuffling-to-space.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.CopyToPasteboard

Tune Your Guitar in Seconds

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Brownie Bytes thinks this is cool!

Roadie 3 is our new flagship automatic instrument #tuner. It helps you find your sound fast with quicker rotation and enhanced accuracy to keep your tunings consistently dead-on.

Roadie 3 is built with carefully tooled and proprietary audio algorithms. Its next-generation vibration detection delivers improved tuning accuracy and enhanced noise immunity.

Roadie 3 can tune almost all instruments with geared pegs in just seconds. Like what you ask?

How about electric #guitars, acoustic guitars, classical guitars with nylon strings, pedal steel guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos, to name a few.

How It Works

When placed on the tuning peg, Roadie 3 will listen to the vibrations of your guitar string, analyze its #pitch, and automatically turn the peg to get your string into perfect #tune.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/roadie-3-automatic-instrument-tuner#/

Slocum Glider “Silbo” Circumnavigates the Atlantic Ocean | Science & Technology | News

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Teledyne Marine’s Slocum G2 Glider named Silbo, manufactured by Teledyne Webb Research, has completed an over 4-year journey that circumnavigated the Atlantic Ocean in four legs, a first for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

In all, Silbo covered 22,744 km and spent roughly 1,273 days at sea.

During Silbo’s incredible journey, it collected hurricane data, corrected current models, and provided close to 5000 CTD casts that aided metalogical forecasting. With partners from Rutgers University and its student base, UVI, PLOCAN, UGCLP, the Marine Institute, and others, Silbo also participated in the Challenger glider mission.

Silbo has been a test bed for many new engineering hardware and software features for both existing and next generation Slocum gliders. Recent legs have provided data on new battery configurations, advanced software, and techniques for piloting long endurance missions and minimizing biofouling. Silbo’s accomplishments have been critical in the glider community’s understanding of techniques used to increase robot durations at sea.

— Read on www.oceannews.com/news/science-technology/slocum-glider-silbo-circumnavigates-the-atlantic-ocean

The Truth Behind Italy’s $1 Homes in Picturesque Rural Towns

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Starting in early 2019, 20 towns across Italy began selling homes for €1, or about $1.10.

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Local governments hope the plan will attract fresh faces and new businesses to towns that have been suffering from rapid depopulation and a growing number of abandoned homes for decades. But the true cost of these homes turn out to be much higher than $1.

Business Insider video feature story describes the depopulation problem in rural Italian towns and what small town governments are trying to do about it.

Interesting concept and marketing program. Hint: taxes, fees, and renovation costs amount to a lot more than a $1.