New Soft Helmet Turns Hard in Crash: The RibCap

December 5, 2005 by Leave a Comment

The Ribcap is a soft, flexible cap that hardens on impact to protect the head from damage. The secret lies in the use of an elastomeric compound called d3o. It was discovered by researchers at University of Hertfordshire. It's a shear thickening … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Clothing Tagged With: cap, compound, damage, headgear, ribcap, snowsports, Soft, swiss company, university of hertfordshire, use

Best Digitial Camera Reviews

December 3, 2005 by 3 Comments

The best source for in-depth digital camera reviews is Digital Photography Review. They have a useful buying guide, where you can specify exactly what type features you want in a camera. The reviews are often ten Web pages or more in length, and … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Cameras Tagged With: button placement, Camera, digital camera reviews, digital photography review, Digitial, guide, review, shutter lag, top rated digital camera, type

New “Eneloop” Rechargeable Batteries From Sanyo

December 1, 2005 by 14 Comments

Sanyo has developed a rechargeable battery that comes charged — so buyers don't have to charge it before use. The new battery is a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) cell of the type commonly found in many portable electronics products but with a key … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Rechargeable Batteries Tagged With: careful regard, Cell, dry cell batteries, Material, nickel metal hydride, Pack, polyvinyl chloride, Sanyo, tomoyo nonaka, use

Handmade Toys

November 30, 2005 by Leave a Comment

This Baby Elephant toy is handmade by artisans in rural Kenya. The octopus is created with natural wool yarn treated with natural vegetable-based dyes. It's filled with acrylic (kapok would haven been better). The price is $22 from Branch. The also … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Baby & Kids Tagged With: Baby, baby elephant, Branch, handmade toys, kapok, natural wool, price, toxic toys, toy, wool yarn

Yaktrax Ice and Snow Shoe Grips

November 30, 2005 by 2 Comments

Here's something that allows you to get traction on snow or ice while wearing your regular shoes. These Yaktrax grips are essentially a thick rubber bands, equipped with steel coils, that fit over the sole of your shoes. Apparently the idea was … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Clothing Tagged With: amazon, Ice, idea, pair, rubber, rubber bands, snow shoe, steel coils, tibetans, Yaktrax

Efficient Material of the Year: Bamboo

November 28, 2005 by 4 Comments

Well, this year bamboo takes the prize as efficient material of the year. We've got to hand it to the grass that is showing us yet another side of its efficiency. Since bamboo products are still sometimes difficult to locate, we had to track down … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Bathroom Products Tagged With: bamboo products, Clothing, fiber clothing, grass, knife block, Material, Perfection, Silk, silk bed, table linen

iT House

November 28, 2005 by 1 Comment

Inhabitat reports on the iT House — a prefabricated housing system that uses glass and aluminum frames as its basis. Created by Bosch, the house is only 1000 square feet, and is designed to be constructed in 8 weeks. It makes use of radiant … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Architecture Tagged With: aluminum frames, basis, facets, Homeowners, housing, housing system, radiant heat flooring, solar panels, use, web

Knock-Down/Drag-Out Bed

November 26, 2005 by Leave a Comment

This bed can be assembled with nothing more than a screwdriver. The quickly collapsible, and transportable, queen size bed is the latest in knock-down construction -- something for the modern nomad without skimping on design. … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Beds Tagged With: accouterments, bedside, coffee, coffee cups, forest stewardship council, inch, perimeter, queen, queen size bed, vivavi

A Guide to Buying Non-Toxic Furniture

November 25, 2005 by Leave a Comment

Wouldn't it be great to sit in a chair and breath easily, knowing you are not inhaling chemicals like "perfluorooctane sulfonate". Sustain Lane has a short guide to help you to know what to look for when shopping for furniture. Here's a summary: … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Furniture Tagged With: Buying, club chair, fibers, furniture, glues, perfluorooctane, polyurethane foam, summary, toxic materials, upholstery

Waterless Washing Machine

November 23, 2005 by Leave a Comment

A waterless washing machine that removes stains from garments in a few minutes has been developed at the National University of Singapore, the facility said on Wednesday. The appliance uses negative ions, compressed air and deodorants to clean … [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: News, Washing Machines Tagged With: cleaning, clump, industrial design students, Machine, national university of singapore, negative ions, technology, university of singapore, Washing, waterless washing machine