RobiNZ CAD Blog

Ferrari World, looks CGI but it’s real

This is off topic but I thought worth sharing. Looking at the image (right) of Ferrari World, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi it seems a bit “computer render” but this is a photograph. The shrine to all things Ferrari was recently closed in and certainly stood out in the coverage from last weekends inaugural  Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix. It doesn’t fully open until 2010 but was used for some support events, concerts and the has the worlds largest Ferrari store.

I have been to Disney’s world but suspect Ferrari World will be more fun for big boys. Imagine GM Test Track done with Italian style and no budget limitations.

To give some idea of scale: the yellow prancing horse emblem on the roof is 66m (216ft) diameter and the structure encloses 200,000m² (2,152,782 ft²). I wouldn’t want the job of brushing the sand off that roof!

While it wouldn’t match a visit to the Maranello Factory for history it is the perfect stopover on the way to collect your new Ferrari for a European tour. So, what are the odds of winning Lotto?

From Ferrari World Abu Dhabi - www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com

The iconic sleek red roof directly inspired by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT body covers a surface area of 200,000m² and features the largest Scuderia Ferrari “prancing horse” emblem in the world, measuring 66m in diameter. 35,000 tonnes m³ of concrete, 12,370 tonnes of steel, 29,000m² of facade glazing and 165,000m² of roof cladding were used to create the park’s superstructure which was completed in 14 months.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi will be an intense multi-sensory experience and a must-visit venue for enthusiasts, fans and families. It pays tribute to the passion, excellence, performance and technical innovation that Ferrari has established over the years and represents today.

The Park will host over 20 state-of-the-art attractions, each designed to bring to life a different part of the Ferrari story. This includes the world’s fastest rollercoaster, travelling at speeds exceeding 200 km/h emulating the thrilling sensation of being in a Ferrari F1 car, the G-force experience that takes passengers on an adrenaline-pumping ride up over 62 m through the roof and back down again, as well as an aerial voyage over Italy, following a Ferrari. The unique experiences offered at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi will be complemented by a wide variety of Italian delicacies and unique shopping experiences…

Old Anti Gravity Cruisers of New Zealand

I must credit Franco Folini, from the NOVEDGE - Rhino News Digest, with finding this delightful Kiwi Invention. In spite of having visited Dunedin several times, and cycling around it a fair bit, I have never seen an Anti Gravity Cruiser. Perhaps I didn’t look up often enough! Click through for more of Chris Ebbert’s delightful work modelled in Rhino. Who said Kiwis can't fly!

Old Anti Gravity Cruisers of New Zealand - a set on Flickr

The Kiwis have been using anti gravity since the 19th century, thanks to its accidental discovery through Invercargill farmer Gary Wilson in 1863 who, originally intending to construct a slow-cooker for lamb stew inside a shed behind his house, built the first ketone fission device known to southern man. As we now know, the concept never took off commercially because of its inability to cross the equator, where ketone thrust inverts, leading to a sudden reversal of the vehicle's Z-coordinate orientation. An expedition is planned to recover Wilson and his vehicle who, sadly, disappeared in the sea off Japan in 1872 while on world anti gravity tour, accidentally making that other, tragic yet vital, discovery.

Paul Romer on Cities 2.0 and economic growth in a finite world

It is amusing that Peter Day’s podcast introduction mentions a chance encounter. It’s only a result of chance that I heard the interview and thanks to an unlikely encounter that I knew the interviewee.

I turned on the radio this afternoon and heard the last minute of “Peter Day’s World of Business” on Radio New Zealand National. I thought I recognised a voice and heard a familiar name in the credits. Thanks to the web I found the source BBC podcast, heard the whole thing, and also a related TED Talk*.

The reason I knew the interviewee was thanks to watching a TV travel program on a wet winter afternoon way back in 2002. It showed an awesome cycle trip in the South Island and I decided to go. That’s how, the following summer, I came to be on the same cycle trip as Paul Romer. I didn’t know who he was but by the end of the trip found him to be a brilliant, interesting guy who could pedal a bicycle at least as well as me!

I was going to post this on my other blog but as many here are involved in urban design – from dwelling to city masterplan -  or the software to do it I thought it may not be too far off topic. In the podcast Paul talks about his current project “Charter Cities” and how economic growth, with control, can lead to sustainable prosperity. The TED talk discusses “Charter Cities” in more detail with some fascinating comparisons. It’s amazing how an image of the globe at night can show much more than just city lights.

“There’s a little corner of economics where there still exists a sense of wonder about what is possible.” —Paul Romer

An optimistic and interesting economist is a rarity, especially after the past couple of years. Paul mentions that increased affluence, choice and opportunity means we are all short on time but I found these items well worth the investment.

On BBC World - Peter Day's World of Business

GlobalBiz: Paul Romer: 20 Oct 09 – MP3 Duration: 27 mins

Peter Day encounters Paul Romer, senior fellow in the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and who, twelve years ago, the news magazine Time named as one of the 25 most influential people in the USA. Producer: Richard Berenger Editor: Stephen Chilcott

Listen to the Global Business interview. Read program host Peter Day’s comment on the importance of ideas.

At TED in July 2009

Paul Romer's radical idea: Charter cities | Video on TED.com

How can a struggling country break out of poverty if it's trapped in a system of bad rules? Economist Paul Romer unveils a bold idea: "charter cities," city-scale administrative zones governed by a coalition of nations. (Could Guantánamo Bay become the next Hong Kong?)

Paul Romer's Stanford Web Page: Bio

Senior Fellow, SCID (Stanford Center for International Development) and SIEPR (Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research) 

Charter Cities: Blog - www.chartercities.org

The Charter Cities blog brings together updates, news reports, cases studies, analytical pieces, and discussions that bear on the concept of new cities with innovative systems of governance. Relevant posts can draw on economics, engineering, technology, finance, law, political science, and international relations. Many of these posts will serve as lasting reference materials, and we encourage readers to look at earlier posts for information.

* I’ve watched many TED Talks but never, given the calibre of those who give them, thought I’d have met someone who presented one!

Tales of R’evolutionary design

Danish architect Bjarke Ingels TED presentation on Architecture: creation by evolution and how sustainable can be fun.

Via TED Blog

Apple think Aussies are that stupid?

One of these is the logo for an Australian supermarket fresh produce range. The other is for a computer company which mostly seems to make music players and phones and is named after a fruit**.

Can you tell the difference?

Apple seem to think Australians will be confused by this…

Australia's Woolworths, Apple in logo dispute - Yahoo! News

* Note: The logos reproduced above remain the property of their respective owners. I have faith you’ll know who owns which.

** I’m not sure FTC rules apply here but just to be sure better declare… My new iPhone was not a gift from Apple but was supplied by Vodaphone in exchange for money. Likewise, my Aapples don’t come from Woolworths because apples grown at Dragicevich Orchard, just down the road, are much nicer than anything that comes from a supermaket!

A typographic map of Paris

I love Marks typographical maps and art. This is the latest but check out New York, London and Amsterdam. 

Paris : Mark Andrew Webber
This Carving of Paris was done in two months of working flat out including pretty much all weekends, its 150cm X 180cm in size (thats the carved area). I hope to be able to make Prints ASAP, I will update this and let people know when they are done!.

Via SwissMiss

My Fiat 500 mouse has arrived

It’s arrived!

I stumbled upon this at the Fiat U.K. website but found they are available in New Zealand from Andrew Simms European (parts dept). I even had a choice of colour, metallic pearl white or red, but it had to be red!

First impressions are the build quality is good, the shape is useable (even the side mirrors don’t annoy) and I love the LED lights! On the USB base station red taillights indicate the power is on and the headlights indicate charging. You can use the mouse with the lights off to save power, “eco mode”, but why would you?

A full test drive will follow after it’s been properly run in!

Jay Leno @ McLaren

Jay Leno visits the McLaren Technology Centre to look at the new MP4-12C road car. The building is a Foster and Partners design, there is a glimpse of Bruce’s first car and a 1968 high wing M7C F1 car similar to the one featured in my current blog header (photographed at a F1 Design Exhibit in Wellington).

New Zealand Architectural Design History online

New Zealand Design Review was the journal of the Architectural Centre, Inc., Wellington. The New Zealand Electronic Text Centre have digitised issues from 1948-53 on-line. It’s a nice snapshot of some classic Kiwi design, both architectural and graphic (look at those covers!).

New Zealand Design Review | NZETC

The Wellington Architectural Centre began the two-monthly publication of Design Review in 1948. The Wellington Architectural Centre was founded in 1946, and began the first architectural school in Wellington (1947) and the first town planning school in New Zealand (1949). The Centre was unique at the time of its founding in that it invited members interested in a broad range of design and the arts, rather than restricting membership to professional architects and architectural students. Internationally it is one of the oldest organisations of its type.

MAN ON WIRE, my film of the year

Don't worry, this hasn't changed into a film review blog but MAN ON WIRE deserves a special mention. Although Slumdog Millionaire got most of the glory, and I liked Burn After Reading, this Oscar winning documentary is my film of the year.

It's the story of Philippe Petit, a French high wire artist, who gained fame for his walk between the World Trade Canter Twin Towers, New York City, in 1974. The events leading up to that NYPD offence notice, uniquely titled "MAN ON WIRE", are told with a combination of documentary film, photography and re-enactments of the "break in". 

It is narrated by Philippe and his co-conspirators and you see the impact, good and bad, his dream had on all involved. There is also extensive archive footage from the construction of the Twin Towers as Philippe plans his "artistic crime of the century".

But that's not what makes it special. Philippe's dream to walk the towers began when he saw an article announcing the World Trade Centre project in a French newspaper. He watched, waited, planned and practised until the tower construction had progressed enough, but was not completed, for the walk to be possible. It's no secret, or plot spoiler, that his dream became a reality (look at the poster!) but that in no way diminishes the impact of the movie.

MAN ON WIRE is not a film about a walk. It's the story of a mans determination to realise his dream. What makes it surreal are the subsequent events which mean it can never be repeated.

A dream, realised, now only memories captured in a remarkable film.

• MAN ON WIRE - www.manonwire.com
• Philippe Petit - wikipedia.org
• MAN ON WIRE (IMDB)

I LOVE "THE RIBBON", do you?

I'm going to be writing about some "recently ribboned" applications in the next few weeks, some better than others. Before that I have decided to set out how I feel about a variety of "already ribboned" applications and how I arrived at this conclusion: I love the ribbon!

There you go, I said it, but before you respond please read this:

These parameters will apply to my future discussions of "ribbon'ification". Hopefully they will also fend off some inevitable, but irrelevant, responses to any discussion of a graphic user experience:

• Keyboard shortcuts have no relevance; When you are talking about interaction with a Graphic User Interface other command access modes are not a factor. Yes keyboard shortcuts are faster and I use literally thousands.* If you only work in a few applications nothing will beat them. However like many users I use many applications in a day and only the basic keyboard shortcuts are common across them all.
• Loving the Ribbon doesn't mean loving all Ribbons: It's nothing more than a tabbed device to present tools and objects in a User Interface. Some applications do a better job than others but that's not a criticism of the concept, just it's implementation.
• It's not just the ribbon: The Fluent User interface includes: The Application Button, Status Bar Controls, Ribbon Components and Floating Cursor Toolbars. However, like most people, I'll mostly just refer to it all as "the ribbon".
• It's not the only User Interface, but it's the one that matters: It is the one most Windows users, lets face it most computer users, will face over the next few years especially as Windows 7 rolls out. For me Mac O/S option is not on the horizon so that debate is irrelevant too. For the majority of corporate computer users there is no choice even if you think it's better. That may change but I'm not holding my breath.

The Ribbon OR how Microsoft Office 2007 changed the [Windows] world:

The Ribbon, more accurately the "Fluent UI", arrived with Microsoft Office 2007. Ribbon shock ensued as the familiar File, Edit...Help array of menus and toolbars disappeared to be replaced with the Ribbon, Application Button and associated User Experience refinements. Most were lost at first when a familiar, if often illogical, layout of commands and tools was totally changed.

The first Fluent UI application I used was the one that started it all. Microsoft Office 2007 arrived and, yes, at times I got lost and cursed the new User Interface. It's strange but the disappearance of the File menu and replacement with the Application Button seemed to be more of a struggle than the ribbon. Yes, I spent some time getting used to a new work-flow based arrangement of tools but once over that hump I have found it becomes more natural.

MindManager, the best Ribbon so far:

Not long after Office MindManager 7 arrived. Another familiar UI was replaced by something totally new. Trigger another round of "ribbfusion" (confusion induced by a ribbon changes) while you abandon old habits and adapt to the new. I grew to like it and think Mindjet's MindManager Ribbon is the best I've encountered to date, even better than Microsoft's! I suspect this is because MindManager is a visual product and the ribbon presents visual controls far better than menu/toolbars ever could. Add to that MindManager's use of colour and nice tab layout and you have a dramatic improvement over it's toolbar'ed predecessors.

Snagit: Their Ribbon becomes Fluent:

Snagit 9 arrived with half of the Fluent UI. Snagit 9.0 was ribboned but the full experience arrived when 9.1 added context sensitive cursor toolbars and live preview for visual effects. It showed what a difference these, non-ribbon, items make to the Fluent UI.

AutoCAD 2009: Autodesk's first Ribbon rocks the AutoCAD world 

The AutoCAD Ribbon was as controversial as any but came with an out clause. Unlike Microsoft Office, MindManager and Snagit you had a choice between the old & new User Interface. Indeed many AutoCAD verticals imposed this choice by largely ignoring the ribbon and loading traditional toolbars. For those that chose to use it the AutoCAD Ribbon offered many features familiar from other Fluent Applications with one major addition: Customisation.

It's long been a strength, to some a curse, that AutoCAD allowed extensive customisation of it's User Interface. Unlike many other applications AutoCAD users often took advantage of this so the ribbon had to accommodate it. Unlike other ribbon applications AutoCAD 2009 also echoed the legacy menu structure within it's application button hosted Menu Browser. A mixture of old and new User Interface was probably a technical and commercial requirement for Autodesk but I suspect created more problems than it solved. A clean break does inflict more migration pain, but in the end it's an easier process.

 

What I like about the Ribbon:

I own Office 2007 but still use Office 2003 at work. This means, sadly, I have a direct daily comparison between old & new. As "ribbon shock" has abated I've grown to hate the old Menu/Toolbar UI as much as I love the Ribbon. Here are some of the reasons why:

It attempts to be task based and coordinated: Admittedly there is endless potential for debate in that line. I do find some applications do a better job of arranging the tools to suit work-flow,or maybe my work-flow just happens to match them better?

Before you howl about the old applications being better consider the task not the tools. Say you are In Word and want to change the page orientation. In the old Office it seems logical that it might be on the Format menu, but it's not there. You'll actually find it on File > Page Set-up which seems odd when page orientation is per section/page, not per file. In 2007 it's on the Page Layout" tab along with other page set-up controls which makes more sense. In that case the work-flow is better as the ribbon allows access to different controls for the task at hand. In other cases tool relationships could make the ribbon less efficient but that's down to tab arrangement and tool placement.

Cursor Tools: The hover toolbars in Office, and Snagit, place context sensitive tools at the work-face. This removes the need to trek to the ribbon for minor changes. It becomes the tool-box for major tasks with the cursor toolbars acting as your tool-belt, bringing the essentials to the work but not getting in the way.

Right Click > for comfort. If the hover annoys a right click brings up the same object toolbar options along with the traditional task oriented menu. The Fluent UI doesn't abandon these menu/toolbar elements but does relegate them to short task specific applications. That 20 item menu, 15 with flyout sub-menus is history!

Live Preview: This is one part of Fluent that is often not even thought of as a User Interface function. However it does significantly enhance the User Experience. Applying changes only to undo them when the implications are realised is eliminated. This could be done pre-ribbon but the integration of style galleries and tools along with preview is a significant advantage of the ribbon.

It's constrained but at least it behaves: Most ribbons are constrained into the top section of the application window. Their stable nature avoids weird start-up conditions like the toolbar scramble. The example shows PowerPoint but I have several applications from multple vendors which occasionally don't retain previous layout settings. With the Ribbon, and no toolbars, at least there is no random scramble.

In summary:

• Not all ribbons are created equal, some do a better job than others
• Often it's not about the ribbon, it's the choices made in the placement and design of tools
• The combinations of tools, galleries and other controls allow much more flexiblity in design.
• Task based UI have the potential to be more engaging if done well, more enraging if they are wrong.

Overall I think the Fluent UI represents a significant step forward in User Experience design. To sum it up in a line:

I love a good ribbon!

Also See:

ChiefTech: Office Suite lock-in: The same today as it was yesterday
I've always thought the interface changes for Office 2007 was a stroke of genius by Microsoft...

The Microsoft Office Fluent user interface overview - Microsoft Office Online
Taking into account extensive usability data and recent advancements in hardware and software, the team has delivered the most significant update to the Microsoft Office user interface in more than a decade...

The blue monster - gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards"
As a marketing blogger, I get asked a lot, "What is the future of marketing?"
I always answer the same: "The Blue Monster".
What's The Blue Monster?
A Blue Monster is a Social Object that articulates a Purpose-Idea.
What's a Social Object? What's a Purpose-Idea?
Sit yourself down, pour yourself another glass of whisky. This might take a while to explain...

* From 5/24/2005 to 2/19/2009 (1367 days) keyboard shortcuts were responsible for manupulating/creating about 1/2 the content typed on this machine!

Total user Keystrokes typed including ActiveWords: 409,825
Total Keystrokes substituted by ActiveWords less ActiveWords typed: 404,019  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Total Content Entered: 813,844  
Percent of Total Content saved by ActiveWords that substitute and transform text: 49.64%

Autodesk Gallery - The technology toy box

A few weeks ago I blogged about the design related displays in the Autodesk Gallery at One Market Street - their San Francisco Customer and Technology Showcase. That is just one aspect of the space. The real fun part begins when you get to the technology previews.

Autodesk Labs have a range exhibits showcasing user experiences, possible technologies and input devices that must be seen, touched, felt to be believed. Autodesk Labs Software Engineer John Schmier was our guide backing up functional explanations with some of the challenges, technological and human interaction, being explored in these prototypes. What we have today is pretty good, but the future is going to be amazing!

Multi-touch and design:

First up was Mudbox, a Kiwi made Autodesk acquisition, running on an awesome Perceptive Pixel Multi-touch screen. I would have the paid the excess baggage to get it home but I suspect they'd notice if it went missing! John explained some of the challenges that are faced when you try & do more than just zoom, pan or move objects around as seen in most touch demos.

The screen/software has to interpret gestures used to change settings, edit objects and change views/orientation while the user works. Decoding that mix and generating the intended result demands precision sensing and complex interpretation of the human input. Aside from that, it was also my first real look at Mudbox and how it allows virtual sculpting, with this screen, literally hands on!

 

This YouTube shows Hans Kellner, Autodesk developer, demonstrating the display with Mudbox.

Augmented Reality - What the?

The Autodesk Labs team have a collection of technology demonstrations which explore various methods of viewing and interacting with virtual models. This goes beyond the touch screen bringing the model, or objects representing it into the real world. I saw the Boom Chameleon at AU 2007 (below) but it was fun to try it again. Moving the screen allows you to see a model "in the round". The Labs have developed that further by getting rid of the boom and using objects with shape markers whose location/orientation is sensed by web-cam. As you manipulate the shape marker your virtual model follows. The possibility of applying this to retail layout design certainly got my attention.

  

Brian Pene demonstrates Augmented Reality

Mixed reality Interface (MRI) showing interaction with the 3D model of a house created in Autodesk Revit.

3D Printing:

Although it's been around a while 3D printing is going from exotic to almost mainstream. Desktop printers are starting to become viable and AutoCAD 2010 has integration with external 3D printing services. I saw a couple of printers and a table full of samples demonstrating many uses. Although often used for form prototyping some techniques are robust enough for functional testing. It's impressive to see printed forms that would be rather difficult to fabricate without this technology!

 

I also saw, but for some reason didn't photograph, the full size 3D printed motorcycle seen at Autodesk University 2008. In fact The Gallery is like an permanent AU Main-stage that you can participate in. The bike is huge, virtual prototyping made very real!

Autodesk Gallery at One Market Street, the name tells you where to find it and if you're visiting San Francisco it's worth checking out.

For more info and contact details see: www.autodesk.com/thegallery

Autodesk Gallery - Design on show

Having seen "The Gallery", on Scott's Labs Blog, I was keen to visit and delighted to find it was the location for the AutoCAD 2010 Backstage Pass Event. When I arrived much of the display area was packed with people and equipment to support the web-cast. If you thought this just required a web-cam, a PC and plugging in a microphone think again! Later in the day they had all disappeared and I had a chance to see some of the impressive displays.

 

What is "The Gallery at One Market"?

Autodesk's San Francisco Customer and Technology Showcase features projects designed with Autodesk applications and the latest in design technology. It really is CAD Geek heaven!

  
The building (right) in Market Street,San Francisco - Aircraft Engine in the lobby.

The range of work is breath taking from giant civil projects to tiny medical products, Industrial Technology to Fine Art. Even this long post can only show a few items that caught my eye. It's certain nobody will leave this building thinking Autodesk just means AutoCAD! However, it's also surprising to see how many projects used AutoCAD, alongside other platforms, as part of the design/documentation process.

California Academy of Sciences, the model!

When I visited the California Academy of Sciences, earlier in the week, I didn't realise I'd see it again in the Gallery. The displays of real, as opposed to virtual, projects feature physical objects, design/documentation and often encourage interaction. Below you see models of building elements alongside my photos of the finished project.

 
Curtain Wall/Canopy Structure over the central Café

  
A design model (also this months banner image) of the living roof

 
Model Detail and Design Technology used

This Autodesk Video shows the objects, design documents and back projected wall displays that support the display models.

 Lego at this scale isn't child's play, but they still can!

"Maxine" is a Legoland Mega-Model Dinosaur which is taller than me! OK, I'll admit I'm not very tall but it is 9ft high made of 70,000+ Lego Bricks! Her (?) internal structure, including steel tube support skeleton, is revealed as part of the body has been left incomplete. There is also a box of bricks which allows kids, of every age, to get involved and help complete the model.

 

Transports of delight, from cars to bridges:

Transport related displays include the aero engine, concept and production cars and infrastructure projects like the new Bay Bridge.

 

This Autodesk Video shows the construction, including how they got the Mustang up there!

Cathedral of Light:

This SOM project impressed with stunning wooden design models. The detail is amazing. (All images in this post link to full resolution photos on Flickr).

  

The design displays are impressive but, for me, the real fun begins when you get to the technology previews. More on those in a future post!

Autodesk Gallery at One Market Street, San Francisco.

If you want to visit - virtually or physically - see details at: www.autodesk.com/thegallery

Tags: Autodesk+Gallery

Happy Birthday 747 - First flight +40

Last week I flew about 22,000km in a Boeing 747 for the AutoCAD 2010 Launch Event. I didn't realise, until today, that the 747 celebrated forty years of flight while we were in the air on the flight home. Happy Birthday Jumbo! Thanks to Joe and the team who, literally, allowed millions to see the world.

First flight +40 - boeingblogs.com

First takeoff – Paine Field, February 9, 1969. (photo from the Boeing Blog)

The 747 which got me there, Air New Zealand NZ0008

 

My flight home, Air New Zealand NZ0007, landed 05:00 February 9, 2009.
This is in San Francisco just before we boarded.

 

Chris Bangle leaves BMW

I never really liked the Bangle era BMW's, except maybe the 5 Series, but must admit they had to do something radical. After decades of refining design themes established by the 1970 Bertone BMW Garmisch 2002Ti concept their "language" had become very predictable. Not an accusation you can make of his time at BMW!

The news that he is leaving to "pursue his personal design-related endeavours beyond the auto industry" is a loss for BMW, but he leaves it in good hands.

One Chris Bangle design which has aged well, even become a bit of a classic, is a car I like so much I considered buying: the 1990's Fiat Coupe.

Perhaps it was the prototype for his "flame surfacing" concepts which later revolutionised BMW design.

Biking San Francisco again: The California Academy of Sciences and a few hills

After zipping along the Embarcadero to see Six Apart I headed back towards Golden Gate Bridge again. I wanted to visit a special building I'd seen in on Extreme Engineering - one of those "mega build" shows - on Discovery Channel. The day was another stunner with just a hint of sea fog in the morning. I stopped for a photo of the Bay Bridge, the other one, which is a more spectacular engineering achievement than Golden Gate. Sadly it doesn't have cycle access though, like Auckland Harbour Bridge, there are some moves to change this. After a coffee & bagel at Fort Point I headed over Lincoln Park towards Golden Gate Park and the California Academy of Sciences.

 

 

de Young Museum of Fine Arts

Approaching from the West, you see this building before the Academy. It opened in 2005 and was designed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron and Fong & Chan Architects in San Francisco. The de Young looms above the park looking something like a Vogon space ship which has recently landed. Brutal, but also somehow elegant, it has a skin of of copper, stone, wood and glass which is supposed to change as it ages. Unfortunately I didn't have time to look inside, a reason to return, but the elaborately perforated exterior hints at the art treasures within. A current feature exhibition was a tribute to designer Yves Saint Laurent. I suspect my mum (a dressmaker) would love to see it. The next will be Andy Warhol.

  

 

The California Academy of Sciences

This is the building I saw on Discovery, and architecture & eco web sites, and was drawn to visit. Keeping with it's environmental theme I arrived by bicycle which qualified me for a discount on the entry. I didn't mention last weekends trans-Pacific flight!

The first impression is its total contrast to the de Young, which it faces across a sunken garden. While that dominates Renzo Piano's Academy blends in to the surroundings. It's a large structure but floats above the gardens with the planted domes and solar panel roof displaying it's environmental ideals.

Inhabitat » The New Green California Academy of Sciences Unveiled!

  

  

Perhaps the iconic feature is the green roof. You may not think roofs very interesting but this one attracts hoards of curious people. It's a complex mix of recycled material - concrete and blue jeans - with thousands of soil filled coconut fibre trays to hold the plants on the slopes until established. Although only recently completed they said the local wildlife have discovered it and are moving in. However I must admit the rolling green forms did have me wondering if Teletubbies might appear soon.

  

 

Inside the rain forest and planetarium are housed in giant domes. In the rain forest exhibit you ascend spiral ramps from forest floor to the tree tops, then descend to the subterranean aquarium. It gave me a good chance to try out the zoom on the new camera which proved quite effective, even captured an ant from about 10 metres away!

  

 

The aquarium has two sections. First you enter a tunnel which looks up into the rain forest you recently departed. The effect of sunlight filtering through the dome roof lights as large fish swim over is quite magical. Then you walk on to separate aquarium showcasing local and exotic fish in their enviroments, both freshwater and marine.

  

 

On leaving I had to snap the giant placemark by the entry. It was funny considering how I'd found the location back in New Zealand. I was impressed with the exhibits, Darwin featured due to the upcoming anniversary, but to be honest I had come to see the building. It's stunning!

  

 

Up Twin Peaks, several times...

Then it was back on the bike to find a way up the Twin Peaks hills. I hadn't planned to do this and my printed maps, or the bike rental one, didn't show the area. My GPS only has major streets for the USA so the tactic was to ride around the peak trying to find the road up. On the third attempt... I did. The actual climb wasn't too bad and the two dead end attempts were much steeper! It did seem higher than 922 feet (281 m) but maybe that was just because I did most of it three times!

On the way back I was racing the setting sun as didn't have high viz clothing or lights. I loved the old houses in the Pacific Heights area but found going down the steep streets rather tiresome as you don't get much chance to build up speed. The constant Stop signs mean lots of braking, aware not to overheat the rims, and aching hands. I think I prefer the, San Francisco steep, stop sign free 79.3km/h hill in Oamaru, New Zealand!

  

 

 Where I went (red line)

My perfect computer - Part 1 - It comes out of the closet?

Recently I was clearing out a closet and found what was, a long time ago, my design tool box:

+++

An A3 board, mechanical/architectural templates plus a handful of drawing instruments meant I could draw pretty much anything. From a pencil scribble, a marker rendering to formal drafting (with lousy printing because I never did that very well!) this little board could do it all. While today's tools are far more capable I think there are still some lessons here for digital design hardware and software.

The format fits:

It was robust, portable and large enough to allow human scale interaction. I sketch better on A3 than smaller sheets, but they are portable enough without folding. In a 2D pre-digital world it was a powerful set of generic tools I could use anywhere.

The digital state of the art?

My work machine - a HP 8710w mobile workstation - approaches A3 size, is portable (well luggable) and powerful enough to run any CAD/BIM tool. In many respects it's a digital version of that old board with the addition of incredibly powerful design tools and all the advantages computers have over paper.

What's missing is the human interface. You can't "sketch" on a laptop and while plug-in digitiser tablets are an option they are not really practical for mobile use.

We have another machine at work that gets closer to the ideal in many respects. The HP 2710p Convertible Tablet PC has pen input and, with Vista, remarkable handwriting recognition. In fact it's ability to read my scrawl sometimes exceeds my own! Folding over the screen and pulling out the pen turns a good notebook into a brilliant Tablet PC. You have a digital sketch pad not too different to that A3 Rotring, except it's heavier and also warms your lap!

The problem is it doesn't have the processor or graphics grunt to handle full on design applications. Its 12.1" screen is good quality (1280 x 800 pixel) but a bit small. I tend to run out of space when sketching or spend too much time zooming & panning. If it were a tablet I think the HP 8710w 17" (1920x1200) screen would be about right.

Enter, with a thud, the Lenovo W Series:

This is Lenovo's attempt to satisfy the designer, and provide a bit of tablet'ness, in a powerful mobile workstation.

With Duo Quad Core processors, 17" wide screen display (even one version with a slide-out secondary display) and up to NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700 1GB discrete graphics the performance matches a desktop. They also built in a small integrated WACOM tablet digitiser. That gets over the mouse/keyboard barrier but it introduces compromises a proper Tablet PC avoids. I've been watching Rob's video blogs Part 1 & Part 2) over at GottaBeMobile and it looks like quite a beast. Weighing in at about 5 kg it's more "luggable" than portable but still better than a desktop when taking work to a meeting. There are more tech details in the Lenovo announcement at GottaBeMobile

Without handling one it's hard to tell how usable it is but I think they have missed the point. For me the Tablet PC wins over a digitiser pad because the interaction happens at your finger, actually pen, tip. I find digitiser pads don't provide the essential hand/eye feedback due to their remote location, even after acclimatisation. It's interesting to see tablet user James Kendrick is finding the same.

jkOnTheRun  - Quick impressions of the Lenovo W700ds portable workstation

Will "touch" be the Tablet PC breakthrough?

Tablets have a loyal following but never really took off. With the arrival of Windows 7 I wonder if touch will be the catalyst to more widespread adoption. To me a PC with touch is just a Tablet PC that doesn't need a stylus. Problem is touch doesn't work that well when you're reaching over a keyboard on a conventional laptop. Fold the screen over, like a convertible tablet, and you have a much more "touch friendly' form factor. Maybe all that finger painting at Kindergarten was just early practice for touch PCs!

Microsoft Shows What A Tablet PC Of The Future Can Do - GottaBeMobile

Their will be other user interface innovations, like those seen at Autodesk Gallery below, where direct manipulation of 3D objects will make the mouse/keyboard seem archaic.

Autodesk Gallery: Augmented Reality Demo - Autodesk Labs

So what is My Perfect PC (for now)?

Based on technology that's available today, or nearly here, I'd like:

• Powerful processor, memory, disk spec for CAD, BIM, Engineering Modelling.
• High quality separate graphics
• Touch, tablet like pen and voice interface.
• Full size keyboard with number pad, touch pad and stick.
• Power for decent mobile use (i.e 8 hours real work)
• Not too compact - 17" screen minimum
• Maybe even Windows 7

Except they'll likely struggle with this requirement, unless lots of people buy them:

• Not too expensive...

That's what I want, does anyone else? Will anyone make it?

Note: This post started months ago in draft form. I've hit publish now as decided it will never really be finished so regard it as part 1 of a series. Expect future editions as my wish-list and the technology evolves.

RIP Tony Hart - The Television Artist

I think there is a direct link from the brilliant work of Tony Hart to the work I do today and my preference for visual tools (click to view the map). Thanks Tony, from a big kid who watched your television art.

Tony Hart, artist and inspiration for children, dies at 83 | The Guardian

Tony Hart - The Official Tony Hart Website - Television Artist

 

I found the YouTube via this tribute at Thoughtspurs Blog

Gregg Lynn

BD Online's great weekly news email led me to this interesting TED Talk from Greg Lynn. He discusses calculus in architecture and the use of generative components. The talk is from 2005 and Greg shows Bentley software in use. Given the direction Autodesk is heading it's worth watching for non-Bentley users too.

How calculus is changing architecture (Greg Lynn)

Greg Lynn talks about the mathematical roots of architecture -- and how calculus and digital tools allow modern designers to move beyond the traditional building forms. A glorious church in Queens (and a titanium tea set) illustrate his theory.

Take a look at Las Vegas, thanks to a unique city model

About this time of year I'm usually packing my bags, ready to head to Vegas for Autodesk University. I suspect there will be much said about "Digital City Models" at AU this year but you don't need a computer to model a city. Last year I blogged about Julian Bencito's New York paper city model school project. He's just completed another amazing model: this time of Las Vegas. I won't see the real thing this year, but this version comes close!

There are more videos on Julian's Papermodeling YouTube Channel

Name: Julian
Age: 15
Hi I'm Julian Bencito and I make Models out of Paper for fun!
I build cities out of paper that gives a virtual image of everything that you can see from the air. I have completed New York and Las Vegas City. My next Project will be Los Angeles...

Updated 2008-11-28:  A couple of photos from Julian (Click thumbnails for full image)

Giugiaro on the future of the automobile

From supercars to superminis, Giugiaro has designed them all. The best designer in the history of the automobile talks about it's future:  

Giugiaro about the future of cars
A series of thoughts by Italdesign's founder Giorgetto Giugiaro about the future of the automobiles and the difficulties for designers in the automotive industry of today.

Renault Mégane : design story

I'm a sucker for these design videos: Cars, Design and CAD all in one. The process is interesting, love the model making, and then there is the challenge of trying to figure out which design applications they are using!

I liked the Mégane MkII with it's "bustle bum" as it stood out - literally - in the rather dull mid-size hatch segment. This one appears rather toned down in comparison, but will probably sell better.

Enrico's Venice Chronicles to be published soon

A couple of years ago I mentioned Enrico's "Venice Chronicles". What started as a graphic travelogue, shared on the web, is soon to be published as a book. Enrico shared the creative process on his blog. It's been interesting to follow the development as sketches became finished watercolours, then formatted into a book. It's on my Wish-list* ready for my next Amazon order. 

* Due to New Zealand being international shipping from everywhere I bookmark a batch of products to order before clicking that alluring "Buy" button.

Enrico's blog

The Venice Chronicles - a travelogue in pencil, watercolor and varying shades of silliness. Enrico Casarosa is a storyboard artist living in San Francisco, working in Animation by day, publishing artbooks and comics by night. Forever stuck between the gravitational pulls of Italy (his home country) and Japan (a cultural passion).

Tags: Venice+Chronicles

BIM and the lost art of drafting

It started with a simple question: "Can we get as built drawings?"

It ended in a musty basement facing a huge pile of yellowing prints. There were literally hundreds, most torn, tattered, and largely forgotten.

They were drawn with a pen in an artful way CAD can't. However the thought of documenting a large project this way made me cringe. A single change would have impacted dozens, maybe hundreds, of sheets but it's not the only reason to love BIM.

That heap of prints was the owners record of their building. It's the reason Owners need BIM, a digital reference, long after the design is finished.

Syd Mead, the world of Blade Runner

I’ve posted previously about Blade Runner, which I regard as the second best Science Fiction movie in the history of cinema. There was a realism, a depth, to the design which went beyond the "staging" you see in many movies. That is thanks to the work of Visual Futurist Syd Mead.

Thanks to Drawn! blog for leading me to these BoingBoing TV interviews with Syd Mead. After a brief review of his career, and thoughts on car design, he discusses the reasoning behind the world of Blade Runner, as seen in the movie, and some concepts which didn’t make it.

Part One;

Part Two;

Part Three;

Part Four;

Tags: Blade+Runner

 

UPDATE 2008-07-25: This post evolved as I found the four videos.

Italdesign @ 33

Automotive.com have a great article celebrating Italdesign’s 33^rd Anniversary. They feature a range of concept and production cars, both exotic and everyday. Italdesign excel at both, as seen in my photo below! 

Italdesign Giugiaro | European Car Magazine Article at Automotive.com
Thirty years marks a generation. For most of us, that's how long it takes just to grow up, tame our wild oats, settle down and start doing something productive. Few of us make much of a mark in so little time. Giorgio Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani, on the other hand, have made an indelible mark on our automotive generation--first separately, then together as Italdesign, all in the 33 years since the company was born in 1968…

Tags: italdesign

Cool Auto Design, Thanks to Pulse...

While I have many CAD/BIM/Design RSS feeds in my reader it’s always good to find new ones. In this case I found Car Body Design.com via Franco’s “Novedge Pulse” aggregator.

It has some brilliant “behind the scenes” stories on Auto design, including the tiny Fiat Phylla concept, and links to many tutorials/demonstrations for 2D & 3D Design software (including Photoshop, 3DS Max, Maya & Alias).

 Car Body Design.com Tutorials - www.carbodydesign.com

Car Body Design.com - Fiat Phylla Concept

Sony's HD Foam

Sony are at it again! After Balls, Paint and Play-Doh Rabbits it’s Foam!

470 Million Litres of foam, shot in the streets of Miami!

From http://www.sony.co.uk/images via Sony NZ

Why New Zealand needs a new flag!

I’m not picking on Corel but the image (left) is from an email upgrade offer for Corel X4. Since it’s distributed in both Australia and New Zealand by the same company you just have to pick the correct button for each country to place your order in local currency.

Can you tell?

When I was on holiday in Viet Nam we found, in a rather remote place, a cafe (below) which made quite a feature of selling “X Cream” New Zealand ice cream. It was very nice and even came with free broadband access. The thing was, and I didn’t notice when I took the photo, the shop sign featured an Australian Flag!

Did they know? If a Kiwi didn’t why should they?

  

That’s why we need this:

NZ Flag.com Website - www.nzflag.com
This site is intended to stimulate debate about the New Zealand Flag. We want all New Zealanders to ask whether the current flag represents our country as we see ourselves today? Can we improve it?
Does it portray the image we want to give of New Zealand internationally?
Most importantly, does it inspire us?

Stunning street animation

This is off-topic but I couldn't resist sharing it. Blu's streetscape based animation is amazing.


via DRAWN!

Doodling for thinking

Hugh MacLeod’s Microsoft Blue Monster is featured in a Businessweek article on “doodling” as a tool for business. There is more to business than Word and PowerPoint!

gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards": "doodling for profits"

There's a great little article on the Businessweek website about the power of doodling in the corporate world.

Amazing Paper Airplanes

This recent post on A Welsh View appealed thanks to my Paper Airplane obsession…

A Welsh View: Japanese Scientists, Origami Masters Hope to Launch Paper Airplane From Space
Shinji Suzuki, a professor at Tokyo University's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, believes that a successful flight from space by an origami plane could have far-reaching implications for the design of re-entry vehicles or space probes for upper atmospheric exploration….

And thanks to John, a reader, for the link to this site with amazing paper projects;

Yees Job - www.yeesjob.com
Yee is a Canadian Artist. His company Yee's Job is located in Montreal. He designs & handcrafts all kind of paper craft.

And here’s another:

Paper Aircraftwerks - www.paperaircraftwerks.com
Detailed paper Models from a PDF

2001: A Computer Graphics Discovery, and farewell Arthur

Farewell Arthur:

I had this in draft form ready to post on 6 April. That would have marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. However after today’s news it seems appropriate to post it now.

Writer Arthur C Clarke dies at 90
British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died in Sri Lanka at the age of 90. The Somerset-born author came to fame in 1968 when short story The Sentinel was made into the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by director Stanley Kubrick.
Sir Arthur's vision of future space travel and computing captured the popular imagination… cont

Sir Arthur C Clarke: 90th Birthday Reflections:

So, on with the original post….

KiyoshiHiHiHi has posted an awesome CG exploration of the spaceship “Discovery” from the best science fiction movie ever made:

2001: A Space Odyssey.

I’ve been fascinated by this movie since I first saw it as a child, about age 6 or 7. That it’s aged so gracefully is a tribute to the effort that went into making it’s technology as “real” as possible, given what they knew at the time, and highest production standards of the day. Especially when you consider it was released in 1968, when we hadn’t landed on the moon, and 2001 was still thirty three years in the future (I was two!). Even today it presents a plausible vision of the reality of long distance space travel.

Piers Bizony’s book 2001: Filming the Future is an awesome illustrated record of the production process from script development, design and filming, through to release. Sadly the “look inside” on Amazon doesn’t show any of the detailed design illustrations used for the craft, costumes and sets seen in the book. It’s worth buying for them alone but the story of it’s creation is also fascinating. Clarke & Kubrick seem to drive each other to new levels of excellence honing the novel/script and making the move.

Piers credits Harry Lange, Frederick Ordway and Tony Masters for production design. Lange & Ordway had worked with NASA and there was lots of input from other Aerospace, Aviation and Computer companies, many involved in the real space programme. He says IBM were heavily involved but chose not to be named after “HAL [the mission computer] was portrayed hijacking the ship then “disconnecting” the human end users”. All the “computer graphic instrumentation” seen in the movie was actually filmed cell animations projected into screens of the space ship sets/models. Apparently there are still a few IBM logos visible in the final movie although the often quoted “HAL is one letter off IBM” was denied by both Arthur & Stanley.

This CG exploration shows Discovery’s internal layout complete with centrifuge crew quarters. That set was built as a 40 Ft diameter “hamster wheel” so the astronauts could appear to walk on the roof in artificial gravity. You can also see the flight deck and the pod bays which led to the infamous line: “Open the pod bay doors, HAL".

We’ve come a long way since 2001 was made but it’s sad that much of that future, is still in the future. I have read the recent release 2001 - A Space Odyssey [on Blu-ray] shows the 70mm negative film in all it’s glory. I’m sure Stanley and Arthur would be pleased.

Via www.flightglobal.com/blogs/hyperbola/

The Story of the a Ribbon

It’s the year of the Ribbon, but why?

Jensen Harris, of the Microsoft Office User Experience Team, has posted a recording (and PowerPoint) of his awesome presentation at MIX. He tells the story of the Office UI development from version 1.0 to 2007. It’s a compelling explanation of why Microsoft ditched Menus & Toolbars for the task based “Fluent interface” with it’s Ribbon, Contextual Tabs, the Mini Toolbar, and Galleries.

Given the impact of this change I recommend it to anyone deploying, training or even just using Office 2007 (or other Fluent based applications). Dealing with, or selling, change is much easier when you can answer the inevitable “Why?” questions with facts rather than speculation!

Jensen Harris: An Office User Interface Blog : The Story of the Ribbon
Last week, I presented a session at MIX called "The Story of the Ribbon." I talked a bit about the general design process we used to come up with the Office 2007 user interface, to iterate on it, and to evaluate it. As part of the discussion, I showed for the first time some of the early prototypes we worked on (and abandoned or refined) along the way…

(Jensen Harris has links for live & download video + the PowerPoint used for the presentation).

Living with the Office Ribbon:

I use Office 2007 at home and found the Fluent UI a dramatic change, for the better. “Ribbon Shock” has worn off and I prefer it to toolbars, especially combined with the Galleries and live formatting preview (seen in Jensen’s video).Unfortunately, I’m able to do a direct comparison every day as still use Office 2003 at work. Once you get past the “where is it” stage I find the ribbon generally supports a more logical work-flow. There is one “feature” of toolbars I’ll never miss. I usually have 2 rows of toolbars in 2003 except when the applications spontaneously start up like this

With the Ribbon, with no toolbars, at least there is no random toolbar scramble.

Other Ribbon related posts:

• MindManager Pro 7 Ribbon vs Toolbars.
• The best Office 2007 Fluent User Interface isn’t from Microsoft!
• Life with MindManager 7 – MindManager veterans will experience “Ribbon shock”.
• AutoCAD 2009 – It’s the User Interface…

Tags: Fluent+UI, Jensen+Harris

Fiat embrace the new media - Geneva 2008

Fiat have gone a bit web 2.0 crazy for the Geneva motor show including a Blog, Flickr & YouTube. Among the car shots, and motor show eye candy, you can see the design model and cad drawings for their “Giant 500 Stand”. It wasn’t me who left a comment about this being the US version of the little 500, but I did think it

Fiat Ginevra 2008 Blog - www.ginevra2008.fiat.it
Fiat on   – including cad images of their “Giant 500” Stand – www.flickr.com/photos/fiat/
Fiat on  – http://www.youtube.com/ginevra2008

     

Tags: Fiat, Fiat+500, Geneva

Fiat 500 Abarth - Re-inventing a design classic

Fiat does small cars best. Abarth has returned to it’s roots, making Fiats fast. The Fiat 500 Abarth is nearly here.

It’s small, it’s Fiat, it’s Abarth and it will be a classic*.

Fiat 500 Abarth Design Preview

Fiat 500 Site - www.fiat500.com

* Unlike the new Mini, a successful failure

Tags: fiat, abarth, Fiat+500

18 Stunning Bridges...

Bridge design can result in some beautiful combinations of engineering and aesthetic excellence. Frikoo have a brilliant review of amazing bridges with photos and information. I’m not really surprised they missed this one…

 

18 Stunning Bridges From Around The World - Frikoo

With the technological boom of the last century came a huge increase in construction capability, and rivers, seas or valleys which were once thought to be completely uncrossable were finally overcome by the advent of numerous new, spectacular bridges. So in honour of these incredible engineering achievements, we have selected our favourite few bridges from around the world. We have the very old, the very new, the very-nearly-finished, the very long and of course the ones which just look very, very cool. Take your pick!

The MacBook Air - Form without function?

It looks lovely, but then you see at all the compromises in spec and wonder…

If Apple are so smart why can’t, or won’t, they design a user replaceable battery?

I’d rather have one of these

UPDATE 2008–01–17: And then you read Sony did it four years ago.

Bertone Saved?

 

RobiNZ Personal Blog: Bertone Sold, Bertone Saved?

William McDonough's "Tower of tomorrow"

Autodesk University AEC Keynote speaker William McDonough was commissioned by Fortune Magazine to design a “Tower of tomorrow” . It’s nice to see his ideas applied to a multi-story city building.

Tower of tomorrow | FORTUNE Magazine

The building of the future will not just sit on a lot – it will breath, sleep, and wake up in the morning. And it will be beautiful…

Imagine a building that makes oxygen, distills water, produces energy, changes with the seasons—and is beautiful. In effect, that building is like a tree, standing in a city that is like a forest.

Via inhabitat.com

Tags: William+McDonough

Sabine Heine - Architectural Illustrator

I really liked these Architectural illustrations found via swissmiss 

swissmiss: Sabine Heine | Illustrator

Play-Doh, coming soon... is here!

• 2.5 tonnes of plasticine on set.
• 40 animators.
• 3 weeks.
• 189 2ft bunnies
• 150 1ft cubes
• 10ft x 20ft purple wave
• 30ft giant rabbit.
• 6 cameras.
• 40 animators working through 4 hours generated 4 seconds of footage.
• 40 animators working on the same scene had never been attempted before.
• The 60 second spot will be constructed of approximately 100,000 stills

In the tradition of Balls and Paint, it’s Play-Doh 

See the preview and wallpapers - Sony BRAVIA - New York - Downloads
(I’ve seen this on YouTube but the “official version” is much better quality)

The result is at http://www.bravia-advert.com/

Disclaimer: I have a Sony ES component Audio system and Trinitron TV, but not a BRAVIA. I just like these adverts!

Tags: Sony+BRAVIA, Play-Doh

Toyota Corolla Art?

The arrival of conceptual shading, and hardware that could cope, in CAD meant escape from the world of wireframe. This Toyota Corolla takes wireframe out of the monitor into the real world…

I can see its ribs! Toyota Corolla in wireframe - Autoblog

Dean Kamen at TED 2007

Seeing Dean Kamen’s presentation, from a Segway but not about them, was a highlight of Autodesk University 2004. This clip gives a glimpse of what he’s about; being remarkable…

Dean Kamen previews an extraordinary new prosthetic arm, on TED.com

 

Inventor Dean Kamen gives a 5-minute talk about the extraordinary prosthetic arm he’s developing at the request of the US Department of Defence, to help the 1,600 "kids" who've come back from Iraq without an arm (and the two dozen who’ve lost both arms). Kamen's commitment to using technology to solve problems, and his respect for the human spirit, have never been more clear than in this deeply moving clip. (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 05:41.)

Tags: Dean+Kamen, TED+2007

Cool Architectural font by Lisa Rienermann

 

The Sky fonts by Lisa Rienermann : mirage.studio.7
A font created Lisa Rienermann while studying at the University of Duisburg-Essen, the alphabet is formed of the shapes of buildings against the sky when photographed….

Fiat's "iPod of cars" 500 Powered by Windows

July 4th 2007 was a significant day as, 50 years after the original, Fiat released the new Fiat 500.

Fiat Chief, Sergio Marchionne, was widely quoted "I want Fiat to become the Apple of cars" and “the Cinquecento will be our iPod". Is it IT irony that when you connect an iPod to your new 500, seen right, it’s hooking into a Media & Navigation system that runs on Windows Mobile (note the logo)!

Fiat 500 Microcar Powered by Windows Mobile
The new Fiat 500 was recently revealed and one of the most noticeable features of the tiny hatchback is the Microsoft logo in the cabin..

Software Development : Blue & Me - Fiat and Microsoft Collaboration
Instead of costly and rigid hardware, Fiat Auto and Microsoft is offering a platform that can be adapted to most mobile phones, digital media players and other mobile devices. The customer is free to change them with new models without compromising compatibility with the car.

Fiat wants Cinquecento to be the iPod of cars - Jul. 4, 2007
Fiat hopes its new version of the three-door Cinquecento will become as popular as Apple's device. 

Marchionne was really referring to the new 500 joining the old one, the legendary Bambino, as a design icon. There is no doubting they’ve done a stunning job bringing the classic 500 lines into the 21’st century. It was a challenge when you consider the original was a tightly packaged rear engine car, the new one is front engined & front wheel drive.

I love that in spite of being 5 star safe, front wheel drive, and having 21’st century packaging the 500 is still small. It’s about 100mm shorter than a new Mini, which isn’t very mini. With around 69 – 100bhp from 1.2 or 1.4 Litre engines it should zip around town, certainly more fun than a Prius. If that’s not enough wait till the 500 Abarth (seen testing here) arrives with a rumoured 1.4 Turbo and 140+bhp.

 

There is more on the most important car since the invention of the wheel on my other blog. I can’t wait for the New Zealand launch!

Tags: iPod, Windows+Mobile, Fiat+500

See you at Build NZ 2007?

BuildNZ (inc DesignEX 2007) is the Auckland “industry showcase” for AEC related products & services. It’s a great way to catch up with what’s new from a wide range of exhibitors, including Design Software. I’m planning to go Monday afternoon, see you there maybe?

BuildNZ Website - www.buildnz.com

BuildNZ & DesignEx exhibitors

Tags: BuildNZ

Luigi Colani, the 3D Philosopher…

A long time ago, a product design student got a brief for “A two wheel scooter that is different” and was inspired by a remarkable designer. 20’something years later I still find Luigi Colani’s work both remarkable and inspiring.

Luigi Colani - Translating Nature
One of the most influential designers of the past half-century, Luigi Colani, is the subject of an exhibition at the Design Museum in London...

Tags: Luigi+Colani

Kiwi Photography & Art - Art Attak

Continuing yesterdays theme, another artistic former colleague launches on the web…

Art Attak | Painting | Photography | Gifts
Art Attak began in 2005 as a brand for the creative work of Lesley and Grant Weston. Their work spans everything from oil painting through to photography, often using inspiration from nearby Bethells Beach on the West Coast of the North Island of New Zealand.

Tags: Art+Attak

Words as art - artazon

I recently caught up with a former colleague who I hadn’t seen for a few years. Have a look at her stylish new venture:

funky word art for your home

stylish  -  effective  -  simple

www.artazon.co.nz

Tags: artazon