Actual footage, San Francisco Street car ride 1906
Really something to watch. Sort of a slice of time out of the past.
This fascinating bit of film was shot from the San Francisco Market Street car a few days before the '06 earthquake. Amazing to see the casual way the early cars just wove in an out of traffic and the pedestrians seemingly taking their lives in their hands as they walked in front of anything on wheels. Notice the heavy goods wagons running on tracks on the right as they get close to the Ferry Building. The wagons appear to have extra large steel wheels with a standard track width. And what about the fat cop with his truncheon ready to deal with any civil disturbances. I wonder what he did during the earthquake.
Here's some comment from a local historian:
This gets identified as 1905, and I've even seen 1909, but recent research by some transit experts concludes that it was done possibly on Monday, April 16, 1906 or Tuesday, April 17! Yep, the day or two before the earthquake that would greatly alter this landscape. The jury is out, but Spring 1906 is the current dating.
The other interesting thing is to watch the traffic and the chances people took when crossing the street. Street accidents were endemic throughout the US as the country changed with the advent of the horseless carriage. The cable cars that are visible were running at a predictable 9.2 MPH. Horses moved slowly on city streets too. But the automobile could reach speeds of 20 MPH! The early autos had the steering wheel on the right, then we standardized it to the left.
The rules of the road were evolving. Major train crossing had crossing lights, but rural crossing were only marked with a sign and you were responsible for your own safety in crossing the tracks and looking for the trains a coming. Even signal lights in cities didn't evolve until the 1920s. The cop directing traffic was about the only traffic control in use until then. As life sped up,we devised ways to protect the public, but it evolved slowly and unfortunately a lot of people died getting where we have some civility on city streets.
San Francisco - Few days Before 1906 Earthquake
Casuarina: Chiclete com Banana.
Bom demais, não conhecia mas já sou fã. Vou comprar o CD. Será que tem LP?
Mais uma descoladíssima dica da minha amiga Sílvia, lá do Rio.
Alfa Romeo - 100 Anos
Os 100 anos de existência da Alfa Romeo englobam alguns dos mais importantes capítulos da história automotiva. É uma história de carros, designers, competições e motores que foram marcos tecnológicos e esportivos durante todo o século XX. Alfa Romeo é a somatória de todas essas partes, mais milhares de pessoas que alavancaram sua história: trabalhadores, engenheiros, gerentes, mecânicos, pilotos que durante todos esses 100 anos, nos ecritórios, fábricas, oficinas e pistas de competição edificaram a orgulhosa marca Alfa Romeo.
As Alfa Romeo não são feitas por pessoas que acreditam, que dirigir seja uma atividade enfadonha, e veem carros únicamente como uma maneira de irem de um ponto A à um ponto B. Elas são feitas para transcender o essencial e entrar na área da emoção. Elas envolvem o gôsto estético, a paixão por engenharia sofisticada, o prazer de conduzi-las (pilota-las) e o desejo de expressar a própria personalidade.
Esta é portanto minha modesta homenagem aos 100 anos da Alfa Romeo.
Veja um pouco mais da história da Alfa neste LINK
Christopher Lee and Rhapsody - The Magic of the Wizard's Dream
While waiting for his upcoming Charlemagne, symphonic metal opera , let's enjoy Christopher Lee and Rapsody on this amazing work - The Magic of the Wizard's Dream.
Its such a shame that I've found out only tonight, how powerful, great singer Christopher Lee is!
...What Could Have Been - 2004 Crysler ME412 - Supercar
The ultimate engineering and design statement, and a brilliant example of the Chrysler Group capabilities, the ME Four-Twelve would establish a real-world performance record for a rear-wheel drive, mid-engine super car and may also set a record for lightening-quick vehicle development. Taking less than one year to complete from start to finish, the Chrysler Group partnered with some of the best in the business to assist in its development.
AMG Powertrain for Unmatched 0-60 Performance
The heart of the ME Four-Twelve is its all-aluminum, quad-turbo, 6.0-liter V-12 engine. With electronic sequential multipoint fuel injection and a 9.0:1 compression ratio, the ME Four-Twelve's AMG-developed engine delivers 850 bhp @ 5750 rpm, with 850 lb-ft. (1150 N-m) of
And, befitting a machine that would play comfortably in the super car league, the performance of the ME Four-Twelve is stunning. In our projections and modeling, the ME Four-Twelve goes from 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds, 0-100 mph in 6.2 seconds and it will blister through the quarter mile in 10.6 seconds at 142.0 mph. The estimated top speed of the ME Four-Twelve is 248 mph (400 km/h). The
The 7-speed Ricardo Double Clutch Transmission was developed specifically for this vehicle and features the latest double wet-clutch technology and electronic control strategy. The exclusive ME Four-Twelve transmission delivers uninterrupted torque to the rear wheels with 200 millisecond shift times.
Advanced Composite Structure, Cat-Quick Agility
The ME Four-Twelve's advanced, carbon fiber bodywork was designed to mate to a carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb monocoque tub. Aluminum crush structures and chrome-moly sub-frames complete the ME Four-Twelve's rigid support structure. Taking advantage of its impressive racecar-like structural rigidity, the ME Four-Twelve's suspension, steering and brakes are engineered for super car performance. Overall, the vehicle's structure - consisting of multiple materials - achieves an ultra lightweight design with outstanding vehicle rigidity and complies with all US federal regulations related to impact testing.
The suspension is comprised of double wishbones, aluminum control arms, horizontally-opposed coil-over dampers with electronically controlled compression and rebound tuning, stainless-steel push rods and a blade configured anti-roll bar.
The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering has an overall ratio of 16:1 with 2.4 turns lock-to-lock and a turning circle of 36.0 feet.
The ME Four-Twelve braking system features massive 15.0-inch (381 mm) ventilated carbon ceramic composite disc brake rotors with six-piston aluminum mono block calipers for superior braking performance during all driving conditions. The composite discs are sixty-five percent lower in weight than comparable cast iron rotors. This results in significantly reducing unsprung mass and improving shock damping response.
Ultimate Chrysler Engineering and Design Statement
At just 44.9 inches tall, 78.7 inches wide and 178.8-inches long, the two-seat, mid-engine ME Four-Twelve has a striking presence - poised as if ready to pounce. The ME Four-Twelve carbon fiber body work has that 'chiseled all from one piece' look, honed from hours of development in the Chrysler Group wind tunnel in Auburn Hills, Mich.
The computer controlled active rear spoiler articulates rearward 100 mm to increase down-force to a total of 925 lbs. (421 kg) at 186 mph (300 km/h), while achieving a competitive coefficient of drag (Cd) of 0.358. This results in unwavering stability at the ultra-high speeds of which ME Four-Twelve is capable. All body openings have been optimized to achieve maximum thermal performance. In addition, large vented front and rear wheel houses reduce lift as well as active and passive aerodynamic devices that have been implemented to provide stable vehicle performance at all speeds. Those devices include:
-A front fascia splitter for increased frontal down-force
-A fully developed under body with integral rear diffuser to reduce lift and provide additional rear down-force
-Formations in the belly pan forward of each wheel to aid in reducing lift
-The decklid rear 'ski-slope' formation improves rear down-force
-Large rear grille integrated into the fascia helps ventilate air through the engine compartment
-Cubic section at the leading edge of the front fascia helps air attach to the underbody and reduces lift
Purposeful Interior Environment
Chrysler brand beauty and elegance has been blended with the function and form that are essential in the ultimate super car. For example, ME Four-Twelve interior shows the carbon fiber structure of the body tub throughout, used for its light-weight attributes but refined in texture to fulfill the Chrysler brand promise. In addition, leather-covered sport seats, a tilt steering wheel, automatic climate control and a premium audio system are housed in a vehicle that is just as at home on the highway as it is on the race track. Unique features and elements include:
-Carbon fiber seat structure with a total seat weight of just 27 lbs. (12.3 kg)
-Competitive-in-class interior roominess with 37.2 in (942 mm) of headroom, and 42.7 in (1085 mm) of legroom
-A large glass roof panel extends from the windshield to the rear header
-Passenger-side adjustable foot support helps keep the co-pilot in position during extreme cornering maneuvers
This vehicle breaks the mold of the super car genre because its packaging can easily accommodate drivers in a wide range of heights. Ease of access to driving controls was a primary focus. For example, there are steering wheel mounted controls, including a column mounted F-1 racing style paddle shifter with aluminum shift paddles and centrally mounted driver controls.
'In terms of advanced materials, aerodynamic efficiency and vehicle dynamic performance, the ME Four-Twelve represents the ultimate engineering and design statement from Chrysler,' said Wolfgang Bernhard, Chief Operating Officer - Chrysler Group. 'Its everything weve learned about creating exciting, desirable automobiles. And, as such, it's not really a concept car but is, in fact, a prototype that will be road-ready by summer.'
Source - DaimlerChrysler and conceptcarz.com
Image Credit: © Chrysler.
Datsun 240 Z... it perfected the concept of a low-cost, reliable, sports car.
The Datsun 240Z was introduced in 1969 as a 1970 model. The engine was a derivation of the Datsun 1600. The Datsun 1600 engine was a copy of the 1960's six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz 220 engine, but with two less cylinders. By adding two extra cylinders in the 240Z the cylinder count was back to six. With 151 horsepower and 146 pound-feet of torque the vehicle could propel from zero-to-sixty in eight seconds. The independent suspension and the rack-and-pinion steering added to its quick response, performance, and handling. The front disc brakes brought the car to a stop from high speeds in just seconds. With a price tag of just over $3,500, it cost much less than anything else on the market. Due to demand, a year later Kelly Blue Book rated the value of a used 240Z at $4,000. 
O Datsun 240 Z foi introduzido em 1969, como modêlo de 1970. O motor era derivado do Datsun 1600, que por sua vez era um motor copiado do Mercedes-Bens 220 de 6 cilindros, dos anos 60, com dois cilindros a menos. O 240 Z voltou então a ter seis cilindros, como nos Mercedes 220. Com 152 cv e 146 lb/ft de torque, o pequeno esportivo poderia ser lançado de 0 a 60 mph em 8 segundos. Graças ao sistema de direção por rack e pinhão, tinha resposta muita rápida aos comandos do motorista. Com um preço de Us$3.500,00, custava muitíssimo menos do que qualquer outro esportivo no mercado. Devido a alta demanda o prestigiado Kelly Blue Book (publicação que devido sua confiabilidade, orienta os americanos na consulta de preços para carros usados) elevava o preço do 240 Z para US$4.000,00.
The 240Z was not a new idea. Sturdy engineering, excellent performance, low price, attractive styling, and average interior had been achieved by many manufacturers prior to the Z-car. The reason the 240Z car was so great was because it capitalized on all these criteria and perfected the concept of a low-cost, reliable, sports car. Mr. Yutaka Katayama is considered the 'Father of the Z Car' and is responsible for the design and creation of this legendary vehicle. As recognition of his contributions to the automotive world, in 1998 he was inducted into the Automobile Hall of Fame.
O 240 Z não era uma idéia nova. Sólida engenharia, excelente performance, baixo preço, estilo atrativo, e interior razoável tinham sido apresentados em muitos outros esportivos, anteriores ao carros Z. A razão pela qual o 240 Z era tão ótimo, foi porque êle capitalizou todos esses critérios citados e aperfeiçou o conceito de carro esportivo, confiável e de baixo preço. O senhor Yutaka Katayama, é considerado o "Pai do carro Z", e é o responsável pelo desenho deste já lendário veículo. Como reconhecimento às suas contribuições ao mundo automotivo, em 1998, o senhor Katayama foi introduzido ao Automobile Hall of Fame.
O 240 Z não era uma idéia nova. Sólida engenharia, excelente performance, baixo preço, estilo atrativo, e interior razoável tinham sido apresentados em muitos outros esportivos, anteriores ao carros Z. A razão pela qual o 240 Z era tão ótimo, foi porque êle capitalizou todos esses critérios citados e aperfeiçou o conceito de carro esportivo, confiável e de baixo preço. O senhor Yutaka Katayama, é considerado o "Pai do carro Z", e é o responsável pelo desenho deste já lendário veículo. Como reconhecimento às suas contribuições ao mundo automotivo, em 1998, o senhor Katayama foi introduzido ao Automobile Hall of Fame.
The Mathematical Art of M. C. Escher
"For me it remains an open question whether [this work] pertains to the realm of mathematics or to that of art".
M.C. Escher
click at any picture to enlarge it.
INTRODUCTION
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aurits Cornelis Escher, who was born in Leeuwarden, Holland in 1898, created
unique and fascinating works of art that explore and exhibit a wide range of mathematical ideas.While he was still in school his family planned for him to follow his father's career of architecture, but poor grades and an aptitude for drawing and design eventually led him to a career in the graphic arts. His work went almost unnoticed until the 1950’s, but by 1956 he had given his first important exhibition, was written up in Time magazine, and acquired a world-wide reputation. Among his greatest admirers were mathematicians, who recognized in his work an extraordinary visualization of mathematical principles. This was the more remarkable in that Escher had no formal mathematics training beyond secondary school.
As his work developed, he drew great inspiration from the mathematical ideas he read about, often working directly from structures in plane and projective geometry, and eventually capturing the essence of non-Euclidean geometries, as we will see below. He was also fascinated with paradox and "impossible" figures, and used an idea of Roger Penrose’s to develop many intriguing works of art. Thus, for the student of mathematics, Escher’s work encompasses two broad areas: the geometry of space, and what we may call the logic of space.
TESSELLATIONS
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that completely cover the plane without overlapping and without leaving gaps. Typically, the shapes making up a tessellation are polygons or similar regular shapes, such as the square tiles often used on floors. Escher, however, was fascinated by every kind of tessellation – regular and irregular – and took special delight in what he called “metamorphoses,” in which the shapes changed and interacted with each other, and sometimes even broke free of the plane itself.His interest began in 1936, when he traveled to Spain and viewed the tile patterns used in the Alhambra. He spent many days sketching these tilings, and later claimed that this “was the richest source of inspiration that I have ever tapped.” In 1957 he wrote an essay on tessellations, in which he remarked:
In mathematical quarters, the regular division of the plane has been considered theoreticallyWhether or not this is fair to the mathematicians, it is true that they had shown that of all the regular polygons, only the triangle, square, and hexagon can be used for a tessellation. (Many more irregular polygons tile the plane – in particular there are many tessellations using irregular pentagons.) Escher exploited these basic patterns in his tessellations, applying what geometers would call reflections, glide reflections, translations, and rotations to obtain a greater variety of patterns. He also elaborated these patterns by “distorting” the basic shapes to render them into animals, birds, and other figures. These distortions had to obey the three, four, or six-fold symmetry of the underlying pattern in order to preserve the tessellation. The effect can be both startling and beautiful.. . . Does this mean that it is an exclusively mathematical question? In my opinion, it does not. [Mathematicians] have opened the gate leading to an extensive domain, but they have not entered this domain themselves. By their very nature thay are more interested in the way in which the gate is opened than in the garden lying behind it.
In Reptiles the tessellating creatures playfully escape from the prison of two dimensions and go snorting about the destop, only to collapse back into the pattern again. Escher used this reptile pattern in many hexagonal tessellations. In Development 1, it is possible to trace the developing distortions of the square tessellation that lead to the final pattern at the center.
POLYHEDRA
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them the subject of many of his works and included them as secondary elements in a great many more. There are only five polyhedra with exactly similar polygonal faces, and they are called the Platonic solids: the tetrahedron, with four triangular faces; the cube, with six square faces; the octahedron, with eight triangular faces; the dodecahedron, with twelve pentagonal faces; and the icosahedron, with twenty triangular faces. In the woodcut Four Regular Solids, Escher has intersected all but one of the Platonic solids in such a way that their symmetries are aligned, and he has made them translucent so that each is discernable through the others. Which one is missing?There are many interesting solids that may be obtained from the Platonic solids by intersecting them or stellating them. To stellate a solid means to replace each of its faces with a pyramid, that is, with a pointed
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At left, Escher's Order and Chaos. Here the stellated figure rests within a crystalline sphere, and the austere beauty of the construction contrasts with the disordered flotsam of other items resting on the table. Notice that the source of light for the composition may be guessed, for the bright window above and to the left of the viewer is reflected in the sphere.
Intersecting solids are also represented in many of Escher's works, one of
the most interesting being the wood engraving Stars, at right. THE SHAPE OF SPACE
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dealing with the nature of space itself. Inspired by a drawing in a book by the mathematician H.S.M Coxeter, Escher created many beautiful representations of
Circle Limit III. This is one of the two kinds of non-Euclidean space, and the model represented in Escher's work is actually due to the French mathematician Poincaré. To get a sense of what this space is like, imagine that you are actually in the picture itself. As you walk from the center of the picture towards its edge, you will shrink just as the fishes in the picture do, so that to actually reach the edge you have to walk a distance that, to you, seems infinite. Indeed, to you, being inside this hyperbolic space, it would not be immediately obvious that 
infinite distance to get to the edge of ordinary Euclidean space too. However, if you were a careful observer you might begin to notice some odd things, such as that all similar triangles were the same size, and that no straight-sided figure you could draw would have four right angles – that is, this space doesn't have any squares or rectangles. A strange place indeed!Even more unusual is the space suggested by the woodcut Snakes. Here the space heads off to infinity both towards the rim and towards the center of the circle, as suggested by the shrinking, interlocking rings. If you occupied this sort of a space, what would it be like?
In addition to Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries, Escher was very interested in visual aspects of Topology, a branch of mathematics just coming into full
or bend it – but which do not tear or puncture it – and topologists were busy showing the world many strange objects. The Möbius strip is perhaps the prime example, and Escher made many representations of it. It has the curious property that it has only one side, and one edge. Thus, if you trace the path of the ants in Möbius Strip II, you will discover that they are not walking on opposite sides of the strip at all – they are all walking on the same side. It is easy to make a Möbius strip; just cut a strip of paper with scissors, give it a half-twist, and then glue or tape the ends. What do you predict will happen if you attempt to cut such a strip in two, lengthwise?
Another very remarkable lithograph, called Print Gallery, explores both the logic and the topology of space. Here a young man in an art gallery is looking at a print of a seaside town with a shop along the docks, and in the shop is an art gallery, with a young man looking at a print of a seaside
All of Escher's works reward a prolonged stare, but this one does especially. Somehow, Escher has turned space back into itself, so that the young man is both inside the picture and outside of it simultaneously. The secret of its making can be rendered somewhat less obscure by examining the grid-paper sketch the artist made in preparation for this lithograph. Note how the scale of the grid grows continuously in a clockwise direction. And note especially what this trick entails: A hole in the middle. A mathematician would call this a singularity, a place where the fabric of the space no longer holds together. There is just no way to knit this bizarre space into a seamless whole, and Escher, rather than try to obscure it in some way, has put his trademark initials smack in the center of it.
THE LOGIC OF SPACE
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Escher understood that the geometry of space determines its logic, and likewise the logic of
space often determines its geometry. One of the features of the logic of space which he often applied is the play of light and shadow on concave and convex objects. In the lithograph Cube with Ribbons, the bumps on the bands are our visual clue to how they are intertwined with the cube. However, if we are to believe our eyes, then we cannot believe the ribbons!  |
By introducing unusual vanishing points and forcing
elements of a composition to obey them, Escher was able to render scenes in which the “up/down” and “left/right” orientations of its elements shift, depending on how the viewer’s eye takes it in. In his perspective study for High and Low, the artist has placed five vanishing points: top left and right, bottom left and right, and center. The result is that in the bottom half of the composition the viewer is looking up, but in the top half he or she is looking down. To emphasize what he has accomplished, Escher has made the top and bottom halves depictions of the same composition.  |
A third type of “impossible drawing” relies on the brain's insistence upon using visual clues to construct a three-dimensional object from a two-dimensional representation, and Escher created many works which address this type of anomaly.
mathematician Roger Penrose’s – the impossible triangle. In this lithograph, Waterfall, two Penrose triangles have been combined into one impossible figure. One sees immediately one of the reasons the logic of space must preclude such a construction: the waterfall is a closed system, yet it turns the mill wheel continuously, like a perpetual motion machine, violating the law of conservation of energy. (Notice the intersecting cubes and octahedrons on the towers.) SELF-REFERENCE AND INFORMATION
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of information science and artificial intelligence. This aspect of his work has been largely A central concept which Escher captured is that of self-reference, which many believe lies near the heart of the enigma of consciousness – and the brain's ability to process information in a way that no computer has yet mimicked successfully.
The lithograph Drawing Hands and the woodcut Fish and Scales each captures this idea in a different way. In the former the self-reference is direct and conceptual; the hands draw themselves much the way that consciousness considers and constructs itself, mysteriously, with both self and self-reference inseparable and coequal. In Fish and Scales, on the other hand, the self-reference is more functional; one might rather call it self-resemblence. In this way the woodcut describes not only fish but all organisms, for although we are not built, at least physically, from small copies of ourselves, in an information-theoretic sense we are indeed built in just such a way, for every cell of our bodies carries the complete information describing the entire creature, in the form of DNA.On a deeper level, self-reference is found in the way our worlds of perception reflect and intersect one another. We are each like a character in a book who is
Escher's works exhibit this theme of intersecting worlds, but we will here consider only one of the exemplars. As is common in Escher's treatment of this idea, the lithograph Three Spheres II makes use of the reflective properties of a spherical mirror. Here, as Hofstatder noted, “every part of the world seems to contain, and be contained in, every other And so we end where we began, with a self portrait: the work a reflection of the artist, the artist reflected in his work.
CONCLUSION
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Gallery
The Art Of Geometry - Bathsheba Grossman
"I'm an artist exploring the region between art and mathematics, and this is my gallery and storefront. My work is about life in three dimensions: working with symmetry and balance, getting from a zero point to infinity, and always finding beauty in geometry".
Bathsheba Grossman
That's to say, I like to think about shapes, and occasionally I think up a new one, and usually they come out very symmetrical. I'm like any artist in that it's difficult to explain exactly how and why this happens.
So I'll write about my odd points. Apparently I've studied more math than most artists. I don't use it very directly – I'm certainly not a research mathematician, and most of my designs are drawn rather than computed – but it's plain that my creative engine is interested in this subject.
I like technology. 3D printing in metal is my main medium, and I also work with subsurface laser damage in glass. This isn't because I love gadgets, it's much more trouble to do this than to use the mature tech that most sculptors enjoy. I do it because the shapes I have in mind aren't moldable, and I want to make a lot of them. Those two constraints, taken together, turn out to be remarkably constraining: most traditional sculpture technology simply doesn't operate on un-moldable objects.
I have a grass-roots business model. I don't limit editions, I price as low as costs permit, and most of my selling is direct to you, by way of this site. My plan is to make these designs available, rather than restrict the supply. It's more like publishing than like gallery-based art marketing: we don't feel that a book has lost anything because many people have read it. In fact it becomes more valuable as it gains wide currency and influence. With the advent of 3D printing, this is the first moment in art history when sculpture can be, in this sense, published. I think it's the wave of the future.
That said, most people's next question is "So, is this your real job?" At present I'm happy to say that it is. It took me about ten years from art school to make a dollar, during which I worked as a programmer, college professor, tech writer, typist, web designer, etc., making sculpture by hand as best I could. In the last years of the 20th century, 3D printing was developed to a level that could do my work, and then, quite suddenly, I began to be an artist.
That was satisfying of course, but it brought new challenges as I studied up on CAD, made my mistakes with new media, and started figuring how to make the money work. There's always so much to do! I've tried to include on this site everything that you need to understand what I do, and to take up the subject yourself if you feel inclined. There's plenty of room.
But none of this is important to the work: naturally I'm proud of it, but now it makes its own way. I hope you'll enjoy my designs. They're visions of order in the universe, my peaceful places. I feel calm and hopeful in making them, and I hope they will bring some of that satisfaction into your life.
What's the impact of all this? Suprisingly large. My work has appeared in the New York Times, the London Times and Der Spiegel, as well as Wired, Discover and Make magazines. One of my lamps was in TIME Magazine's 100 most influential designs of 2007. My sculptures have appeared in two hit TV shows, Second Life, and a Japanese videogame commercial. John Conway and Douglas Hofstadter used pictures of them in recent books. They've been shown in Italy, Spain, Korea, New York and Cleveland. An irony-free Wikipedia entry for me was started in 2004. And this site moved over a quarter million dollars of art in 2007, which isn't bad considering I wrote the whole thing by hand, with web skills dating from about 1996.
On the supply side, I've been influential in popularizing direct-metal printing as an art medium. My work has led many artists, both mathematical and the other kind, to experiment with the technology, and some are prolific in it. The success of my work has invited 3D printing suppliers and developers to consider art and design applications as a strong market that is worth developing.
The upshot is that I've become known in geek culture and in the 3D printing industry. I haven't made much inroad into the traditional art world, but then showing in galleries is not a focus for me. I made a conscious decision about ten years ago to work directly for the viewer – you – rather than try to get the attention of cultural gatekeepers. The logical outcome of this decision was that only a small group of mathematicians and enthusiasts would ever see this site. It's been a huge surprise, and a testament to the love of math and geometry that's out there untapped, that it didn't turn out that way.
Thank you for letting me have this job.
Metal Process
A look into how I do metalwork.
A quick tour of my workspaces.
text excerpted from Betsheba Grossman website
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Industial Design: Urwerk Watches
Like your Rolls-Royce, Louis Vuitton bags, and priceless, endangered animal collection, the Urwerk UR-202 turbine regulated watch is another expensive item you don't really need. Still... you want it, right? Who wouldn't want this beast, what with its self-winding kinetic motor, telescopic minute hands, orbiting and revolving hour satellites, and fancy, mechanical turbines that we understand almost nothing about. But hey, when your timepiece is more complicated than a jet plane -- and likely more expensive -- you've probably made it. Check out the totally awesome video after the break to see this thing in... uh, action.
One of the most interesting innovations encountered in the case of the UR-202 is the fact that the rotating vanes used in the past have been replaced by miniature twin turbines (miniature air compressors), which are coupled with the winding rotor. According to the position of the selector lever, the turbines act as shock absorbers, cushioning the sharp movements of the rotor and thus reducing wear and increasing the lifespan of the movement.
Furthermore, the turbine system is totally self-contained within the waterproof case, which provides a better level of protection even when the user decides to go for some extreme sports-related activities. The air flows from under the turbines and is channeled up past them under a saphire plate and down through holes leading to a tiny air chamber. read more @ www.softpedia.com
UR-202
The URWERK UR103 is not defined as a measuring instrument, it is emotion. It is the Art of time. This emblematic line increases today with the presentation of the UR103T.The UR103T, “T” for Time, Temerity, Telluric? “T” of the 103T is a mystery which is revealed with the first glance. Observe the heart of this creation, you find a new form of life there. A moving structure took seat there. Tarantula!
The last born of collection UR103 borrows more than one gene ADN from famous representing gossamer-like world:
Over the years, the people over at Urwerk have come up with a pretty comprehensive line of watches, all included in the 103 family. However, back in the first half of 2008, the watchmaker has decided to finally move on and inaugurated the 202 collection with the UR-202 model, touted to be the world's first watch to use compressed air for winding purpose.
URWERK are known for their cutting-edge and in your face designs. They won’t shy away from a challenge and if bucking trends were a hobby they’d certainly be the fan club presidents. The UR-CC1 is certainly playing to their strengths. The UR-CC1 makes use of two horizontal indicators displayed by two retrograde cylinders: one for the hour, the other for the minutes. And like you had any question about the complexity of its inner-workings. read more @nexus404.com/Blog
UR-CC1
Prices start @ $65,000
Ensaio: Ferrari Aurea
(text courtesy of DGF Design) Ferrari Aurea arose from a graduation thesis with the support of Ferrari engineers. The Aurea Project was born from the desire to place the F1 DNA on a normal car. With the teamwork of Ferrari's Product Engineers, the project saw a good deal of modification to become a sports car heir to the 360 Modena.
One of the major requests was to “dress” the engine-frame of the 360 Modena. The light changes made to the frame have been verified by a special calculating program (Straus) and compared with the original one. The development has been cured by three Ferrari’s engineers:
• Amedeo Visconti: coordinating and homologation rules supervisor;
• Luca Caldirola: external co-examiner who with engineer Stefano Carmassi (responsible for Enzo’s fluid dynamic) resolved the aerodynamics.
The formal and stylistic evolution went through hand rendering to study models to computer graphics models (Rhinoceros and 3d Studio Max).
Mr. Freddie Cole: The Greatest Living Jazz Singer.
Lionel Frederick Cole, born October 15, 1931 in Chicago, was the fifth child to bless the harmonious household of Edward and Pelina Cole. By the age of five, under the benevolent guidance of his father, a minister, and his musically inclined mother, he started to play the family piano.
Masterful vocalist and pianist, Freddy Cole captivates listeners with his elegant presence, subtle phrasing, and intimate singing style. Although he has been charming audiences in the States and abroad for over 40 years, Freddy did not find wider acclaim until the 1990s.
Having a family member already in the limelight has its mixed-blessings. For much of his career, Freddy was overshadowed by the larger-than-life persona and legendary career of his brother Nat King Cole. He had to struggle to find his own niche in the jazz world.
A natural musician, Freddy was also a gifted athlete with professional aspirations. However, when a high school sports injury put an end to his budding football career, he decided to pursue music, issuing his first recording, "The Joke's On Me," in 1952.
Freddy continued his music education, first at Chicago's Roosevelt Institute, and later at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. After earning degrees from Juilliard and the New England Conservatory of Music, he hit the thriving jazz scene of New York City, taking whatever work he could find and learning the ropes from such influential mentors as drummer Sonny Greer.
In the mid 1970s, Freddy built an international fan base with a series of European recordings. His album, One More Love Song went gold in Brazil. Because his intimate singing style resembled that of many Brazilian balladeers, the Brazilians embraced him like one of their own.
Today, Freddy Cole feels "blest" to be doing what he loves best -– telling stories through music, reaching people with his exuberant warmth and inexorable talent. We should consider ourselves equally as fortunate to hear more from this jazz great with the panache of Duke Ellington and a voice like "raw silk."
www.npr.org
"Freddy has an impeccable sense of swing... he is, overall, the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive."
The New York Times
"Gorgeous autumnal baritone, expressive phrasing and pitch-perfect feel for jazz standards, pop tunes and love ballads."
People Magazine
Carrozziere Bertone BAT Cars
Bertone Alfa Romeo BAT 5, 7, 9
Alfa Romeo contacted Giuseppe 'Nuccio' Bertone of the Bertone design house in order to commission three concept vehicles with extensive research on the effects of drag on a vehicle. The idea was to create vehicles with the lowest possible drag coefficient.
The cars where named BAT for "Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica and were built upon the Alfa Romeo 1900 chassis.
Each year between 1953 and 1955 at the Turin Auto show, Bertone and Alfa Romeo presented a BAT concept, the BAT 5, 7 and 9.
The cars were successful in their goal, the best achieving a drag coefficient of 0.19, an achievement even by today's standards.
For each of the cars, Alfa Romeo provided a five-speed gearbox and a powerful four-cylinder engine that produced more than 90 horsepower, good enough to propel the car to a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h).
B.A.T. 5 was first shown at the Turin Auto show in 1953.
The shape of the front aims to eliminate the problem of airflow disruption at high speeds. The design also aims to do away with any extra resistance generated by the wheels turning, as well as achieving a structure which would create the fewest possible air vortices.
The most surprising part of the car has to be the tail, with the length-ways rear windscreen divided by a slim pillar, and the two fins tapering upwards and slightly inwards, for a highly aesthetic finish.
Bertone had solved the problem of aerodynamic stability, creating a car with an excellent index of penetration, with a Cd of 0.23.
B.A.T. 7 was shown at the Turin Auto Show in 1954, a year after the BAT 5.
The BAT 7 took up the styling dictates of the previous model, the BAT 5, and worked them to the limit. For this 1954 design, as for the other BAT models Bertone added some elements from his experience working on wing profiles in the aeronautical industry.
The result was the exaggerated shape of the large, curved tail fins.
The nose was lower than the BAT 5's, and the protrusions where the headlights would normally be found stuck out even further.
The headlights were located next to the nose and moved to point down when used. The Cd was only 0.19.
B.A.T. 9 is the third and final BAT car to be made and shown at the Turin Auto show in 1955.
It was made to look more like the current Alfa Romeo models than the other BATs.
It has been called the best looking of all the BATs, but there are those who disagree.
The BAT 9 did away with the marked wing lines of the previous models in favour of a cleaner, more sober line.
The tail fins, which in the other two models, 5 and 7, had a real wing-like look, were sized down into two small metal plates, much like the tail fins in production on American and some European cars of the time.
Bertone transformed the highly creative styling of the two previous BAT models into design credibility, abandoning the extremes of the other designs.
1953 BAT 5
1954 BAT 7
1955 BAT 9
Amid turmoil surrounding ownership of Bertone between managers and Lilli Bertone came this spectacular BAT 11dk prototype. It was ordered by passionate enthusiast Gary Kaberle who owned one of the three class BATs made by Carrozzeria Bertone. He provided initial sketches to Bertone had them realize his dream: a modern interpretation of the BAT 9d he once owned.
In 2008, Bertone dropped their typical stand at the Geneva Motor Show and instead privately released the BAT 11dk in the city of Geneva. Subsequently, it was shipped to Gary Kaberle in Michigan and shown for the first time at the Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance.
The new car takes some design cues from the originals. The most prominent of these is the huge curved rear wings from BAT 7. Like the three cars, it also has a rounded greenhouse, excellent proportions and a hint of art deco futurism. One of the more unique features are moving fenders that make clearance for front-wheel steering.
BAT 11 carries the initials dk for Kaberle's late wife who died of breast cancer. The designer of the original BATs also fell ill with same disease "so we’re doing some things to dedicate the car to my wife and the Scaglione family" said Kaberle at the Detroit Auto Show.
Back in the sixties Nuccio Bertone designed a series of exceptional show cars of which his 5th, 7th and 11th designs became reality. Launched in consecutive years, the cars were made on top of the Alfa Romeo 1900 chassis. At the time, they were so far ahead of the scope of automotive design and so daring that they became legendary.
Unfortunately, BAT 11dk is only a non-functioning mock-up with operable doors, interior and drivetrain. Throughout the past year Gary Kaberle has displayed the car with hopes that someone might come up a couple million dollars to manufacture the design.
source: super cars.net
Story by Richard Owen
Smart Bikes - New Concepts
Reinvention Of The Wheel?
Perhaps, but who am I to argue with designers. I get this uncanny feeling that there is a deluge of cycle concepts floating around, so if you get bombarded by one too many concepts, please bear with us. And what have we here; an urban cycle that can be toned down to save space when not in use. Why? Urbanites don’t have spacious homes, and those who do…they don’t need bikes, they use shiny cars. The design consists of 2 systems: Wheel folding system & Bike Structure System.
Eco // 07 – Compactable Urban Bicycle
Wheel folding system
The Wheel is composed of six modules, each one has a double pivot in the joints, this allows the wheel to fold and become smaller, the spokes are contained in the inner structure of the wheel, when you unfold the system, the spokes rotate to the center of the mechanism where it attaches to the center of the wheel.
Bike Structure System
The double triangle structure is composed of expandable modules, each one collapses to a smaller dimension and then this modules aligns with the rotation of the axis in the joint of the structure. A special X aligns all the modules to their position.
Designer: Victor Aleman
Sporty Bike
I told you there was this bike conspiracy going on amongst the designers, add the Furious Sports Bike to the list. Dishy in its current avatar; the bike boasts of an aerodynamic design coupled with user-friendly ergonomics. What I really like is the ample display nestled between the handlebars. You get details like the route-map, current bike gear, temperature, time and speed displayed on it. The seat however looks tad uncomfy for me.
Designer: Nenad Kostadinov
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