Ideally Challenged

I learned a new term today: Pyrolytic

2010-06-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

The company has Fagor Appliances Incorporating in 2007, a new collection of pyrolysis furnaces that have the ability to clean automatically without user intervention.

Pyrolytic ovens use high temperatures to clean automatically. Temperature is so high they can reach the old grease and debris do not stand and disintegrate. The results will always be uniform, ensuring thorough cleaning. Source.

The only oven I remember my family had was this white and black La Germania oven with a four-plate stove on top. I remember my mom cleaning it, her small frame almost engulfed inside the oven.

This definitely makes things easier.

Fagor is a Spain-based company, and after a brief dip into the Internet, I found out that they don't offer this locally. If you're interested in looking at their products more, you can check their US website.

If you know something about self-cleaning stoves, pyrolytic technology, or anything related to this, leave a comment. Thank you.

Related article

NComputing launches world's first USB virtual desktop in the Philippines

2010-06-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

NComputing launches world's first USB virtual desktop in the Philippines
Posted on: 06/03/10 by Alora Uy

Take the power of one computer, distribute it to 10 devices, and what do you get? 10 happy Juans, courtesy of the world's first USB-connected virtual desktop, NComputing's U170. Virtual desktop what?

The hand, the U170, and NComputing APAC region's vice president, Manish Sharma

Let's put it this way: You have a powerful PC that you just use for browsing or watching your favorite ~~porn~~ movies. You want to buy your wife and 2 kids one computer each (they always fight over the one that you have), but you can't afford to purchase 3 more PCs. Our advice? Get the U170 USB virtual desktop.

The cost of 3 more desktops = P100,000. The cost of the U170 (around P5,000) + keyboard, mouse, and monitor (P15,000 x 3) = P45,000.

You could clearly see the winner here. What's more, the U170 is easy to install, connect, and use. If you can install a new printer, then you can set this up in no time at all. Just install the vSpace software; attach a keyboard, mouse, and monitor to the device; and... well, that's it. You're good to go.

See it to believe it.

~~~~~~~~~~~

It's an interesting concept, obviously born out of necessity (which is good), but I was wondering how would the capacity of, as the example states, three computers? If the kid wants to play an online game (especially if it's a high spec game), and then the father downloads his "movies", and then the mom goes over to Facebook (I'm not sure how much bandwidth that takes up, but some of their games do), won't the primary computer crash down?

Hmmmm, well, we'll see. I'm not shooting the product or anything, but it would be welcoming if more information comes out of it since it's new and more questions needed answering. Overall, it's an interesting concept. Very interesting.

Source

[Edit]

Okay, I realized that the source link do have more pictures after the article showing what needed specs corresponding to the number of units hehehe~ That answered some of my questions, but I hope they do a launch on this thing (if they haven't done it yet) to answer more questions.

Sexy Disney Princesses by Comic Illustrator Scott Campbell

2010-05-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

And here are my favorites:

Well, she's not a Disney princess, but I like the angle, and the way she was interpreted.

And the Beast behind Belle removing/putting on her cape--amazing!

Oozing with sexiness. Best Sleeping Beauty rendition ever. Too bad I'm a girl though, hehe.

Source

Scott Campbell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: Sexy Disney Male versions

Morehere.

Otakus make 3D renditions of dwellings of some anime characters

2010-05-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Otakus were able to replicate (in 3D) the interiors of some anime characters' residences such as the ones in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kannagi, K-On!, and Toradora.The renditions are 'based on obsessive observations of the anime and some evident architectural ability.'

1. Yuki Nagato (from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

Source

2. Nagi (Kannagi)

Source

3. Taiga (Toradora)

Source

4. Yui (K-On)

More pictures at source

Accurate? Well, that's another question. Either way, you gotta hand it to these people--they got dedication.

The Need for Speed on the Web

2010-05-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

The Need for Speed on the Web
A startup hopes to exploit the growing interest in making websites speedier.
By Erica Naone

The days of dial-up modems may be gone, but some websites are still surprisingly sluggish. The issue has gained urgency after Google recently introduced a change to its PageRank algorithm that rewards sites that run faster. The search company says that users spend less time interacting with slower sites; adding to the issue are users visiting sites from mobile devices with spotty connections.

Aptimize, a startup based in Wellington, New Zealand, that launches its service in the United States today, says its software can speed up website load times, bringing increases of 200 to 400 percent in some cases. It says it can achieve these improvements entirely in software.

Ed Robinson, cofounder and CEO, says that companies often improve the speed of a website by throwing hardware at the problem. He contends that the fundamental problem is often the structure of the website itself.

To illustrate this point, Robinson talks about the way a website is loaded. When a user enters a URL, the browser has to carry out a series of tasks to load the page. First, it looks up the server it needs to visit, and then it contacts that server and retrieves the code that describes how the page should look. The browser has to follow the instructions in this code, often contacting the server several more times in order to load resources such as ads or images.

Robinson says that those round-trips to collect resources are a major culprit for slowing down websites. Even over a fast connection with a fast server, these steps take time, and any delays only exacerbate the problem. While it's possible to design a website in a way that avoids these problems, he says the reality is that many aren't written that way. Aptimize's software optimizes for speed without requiring a customer to change anything about how the site is coded, either when it's installed or in the future.

The software gets into the middle of the page-processing pipeline and makes it more efficient. It combines resources so they only have to be downloaded once. For example, it stitches any images that appear on the page into a mosaic, and sends just one image file to the browser, instructing the browser about how to slice up and display the mosaic.

Websites are often coded so that browsers load the same resources multiple times--for example, each time a user returns to the home page. Aptimize's software identifies website resources that rarely change and tells the browser to cache them for longer than normal (about a year), which also speeds up loading times. And the software has a way of alerting the browser if one of these resources does happen to change. It also performs other optimizations, such as compressing files.

Robinson says that the company currently has about 120 customers, including Microsoft.com.

In upcoming months, he adds, Aptimize plans to focus on doing more to optimize sites for mobile devices. The company will add features such as the ability to detect a mobile device and adjust for its lower screen resolution by sending less information.

Speeding up websites isn't just important for improving PageRank and performance on mobile devices, says Joe Skorupa, research vice president for data center transformation and security for Gartner Research. In many cases, even a few seconds of delay can cost businesses money. When it's an e-commerce site, he notes, impatient customers will often leave without completing a sale if they feel a page is taking too long to load. Even for internal corporate websites, lost time can mean lost productivity, he says. If, for example, a Web application used in a call center takes 30 unnecessary seconds per call, that can force a company to hire additional staff members.

Skorupa says that the code that's slowing down websites is often produced by the toolkits that developers use to speed up the coding process. Many companies can't afford to spend enough time or money on optimizing their own code. So Skorupa believes there's a lot of opportunity for companies like Aptimize to help optimize applications in new ways. "There is no shortage of bad code," he says. "We see, unfortunately, little risk that the code coming in the future will be dramatically better than what we have today."

Technology Review

Creative Wall Hook designs, cool furniture

2010-05-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

From Freshome.

Here are my favorites:

I always liked the fusion of practicality, usability, and a healthy dose of design.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And isn't this the cutest thing ever?

Danish by Design are pleased to introduce a new range of 3 dimensional Play Rugs for children of all ages. In an age when so much technology is crying out for your child’s attention, including video games, TV, DVD’s, MP3 players and chat sites, it’s refreshing to know that their next favourite play mate doesn’t even require batteries. Just pull out your child’s toy farm animals, cars and dolls and enjoy watching them rediscover their creativity and imagination on their new IVI Play Rug.

I wished I had this when I was a kid. Here are more designs to choose from:

Update~!

2010-05-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

Freshome has a new website look

I frequent this site regularly, and is one of my sources of wonderful interior/architecture/furniture ideas and designs.

Their new layout is much more cleaner than the last one. They use links for individual pages, especially for those topics with lots of pictures. It saves space, and it helps the reader sort out and choose the topics they want to read (at least for me).

Jim's Pancakes

Looking for crazy pancake ideas? Well, Jim made a website of all the pancakes he's doing for his daughter. Talk about fatherly dedication and love.

Here are some of the designs he made (and some of them stands too)

Redesigning the Web for Touch Screens

2010-05-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

Redesigning the Web for Touch Screens
A new crop of touch-based devices is changing the way users interact with Web pages.
By Erica Naone

Last week, in an essay criticizing Adobe's Flash platform, Apple CEO Steve Jobs drew attention to, among other things, its lack of support for touch--something essential to the experience of an iPhone or iPad. "Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers," Jobs wrote.

But Flash is hardly the only Web software that wasn't designed to handle touch, and the advent of touch-based devices "is almost asking the entire Web to change its behavior from what's been built up over 20 years," says Raju Vegesna, evangelist for Zoho, a company based in Pleasanton, CA, that produces a suite of complex online Web applications.

Individual problems are often small, but they add up to something more significant, Vegesna says. For example, roll-over interactions are common on many websites, but these don't work on touch devices. Other common tricks, such as hovering over a link to see the connected URL in the status bar, have to be adjusted before a user can perform the same function.

A serious problem for companies like Zoho that specialize in complex Web software is that many sites aren't equipped with the ability to trigger the "soft keyboards" used on touch devices. Vegesna explains that touch devices pop up a keyboard when they recognize a text field on a Web page, but it's different for the more complex editors used as part of Zoho's online word processors.These These usually cannot trigger a soft keyboard to pop up, leaving users frustrated.

"This is a big user interface problem for Web applications," Vegesna says, "and means that many will need to be redesigned."

These issues are significant but nothing new, says Ben Bederson, an associate professor at the human-computer interaction lab at the University of Maryland. "There are a wide range of input and output devices," Bederson says. "Whether you are building a Web app, Flash app, or native app, you have to decide which range of devices you're going to support."

Bederson notes that Web designers will have to wrestle with several issues when considering touch computers. For one thing, touch interfaces don't give users the fine-grained control that they have with a mouse. Though tests have shown that a stylus can be an effective substitute, Bederson notes that the market has largely rejected that option. So designers need to simplify a website and increase the size of interaction points such as buttons and scrollbars.

There's a more subtle technical problem too. For example, a lot of Web applications were written with a certain sequence of mouse actions in mind. An application might be coded so that it must see a mouse hovering over a button before that mouse is able to click on it. In this case, it's not simply that the mouse-over action doesn't work as expected--it's that the site actually can't register a click without it, meaning that the application breaks when used on a touch device.

Designers can help avoid these problems by building websites to adapt to different interaction situations. Bederson recently worked on adapting the website of the International Children's Digital Library for viewing on the iPad. The designers aimed to make the site flexible enough to deal with a variety of languages, nonliterate users, and kids. As a result, the elements turned out to be flexible enough to adapt easily to touch. Bederson says the designers only needed to fix one bug in order to adapt the site to the iPad.

In general, however, redesigning outdated websites "is going to be huge," says Jared Spool, founding principal of User Interface Engineering, a consulting firm based in North Andover, MA. But Spool believes the coming changes will be largely positive. "To me, the little interaction problems of how to react when a user touches something will work themselves out pretty fast," he says. What's more interesting, he believes, are the emerging possibilities for interaction based not only on touch but on motion sensing and location information. For example, Spool points to the Star Walk application for the iPad, which uses this sort of information to show users a labeled image of the night sky matched to the spot where they are currently standing. That kind of interaction simply wasn't possible before, he says.

Spool also looks forward to user interfaces made possible by greater connectivity between devices, such as interfaces designed for a group of iPads working in concert. "I think the next year is going to bring out amazing creativity as people start to play with this interaction palette that's far richer than what you had before," he says.

Food trip

2010-04-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this post is not related to design; it's more of an experience.

Last friday, me and my sister went to Pizza Hut for special sister bonding dinner. We had this for dessert:

Yep. It's Mango Panna cotta. I'm not raving about the sauce, but I always liked its combination with mango.

Then last night, me and my officemates went to the newly opened Mushroom Burger branch in Katipunan. I'm not satisfied with the service (the counter lady did not look at me when I was giving out my orders), but the food compensates it. I especially liked that there is no extra charge for ice tea, juice, or gulaman--GULAMAN~! YAY THEY HAVE GULAMAN~! It was too late for me to see that they're offering gulaman drinks, but I had a glass of Tropicana juice instead which was also nice.

I had regular fries and Royal Burger--a double decker, with tomato, pickle, cucumber (ata), melted cheese (love), mushroom omelet, and beef patty.

The beef patty was about an inch thick. It was a filling dinner.

Above. Around this time, I am deciding whether to finish the burger or not. Yes, that's pepper in my fries.

Next time I go to Mushroom Burger, I'll try their Mushroom Sandwich which, as my boss said, is really good despite of the "patty" consists of 100% mushrooms.

Edit: Officemates are inviting for another trip to Mushroom Burger, which I have to decline. Mushroom Sandwich will have to wait xD

Floater cutleries anyone?

2010-04-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

Floater series by Seongyong Lee.

Got some new things for the Dollhouse I'm making

2010-04-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I have assembled a nice bedroom cabinet:

Above: The inside
Above. My general problem when I made this was that the doors wouldn't close the way it should. I think I made the spaces too tight on this one.

Above: Right side up.
Above: Wrong side up hehe.

I realized that maybe I should get a varnish and cover the necessary wooden furnitures with it to add gloss and to protect themselves from dust. Hmm, should I use brush with it? Or spray it...? *mumble mumble*

Guess who's back~!

2010-04-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the hiatus. It's like the Holidays never left me for weeks hehe (and had some technical problems, but that's over now).

I'm thinking of switching to Wordpress for my blog because of Divine Project but the hassle of moving all the pictures, posts, and everything in between seems daunting, so I'll stick with blogspot. Besides, I think they made an update on more themes, so it's all good. I hope they update more regularly (do you think they'll offer more customizable theme options? *hint hint*)

So here's what happened for the past weeks (or months hehe):

1. Kept downloading more home pictures, which hopefully I can upload the ones that are post-worthy--at least on my standards. Not that I'm being an elitist or something, and there are plenty of good designs out there, but that's just it. Too many good designs to post. So Imma limit by putting up "standards." Uh, nuff said.

2. Went around churches in Rizal and Laguna area for Visita Iglesia with my boyfriend and his family. Did not mention to them (except for my boyfriend) that it was my first Visita Iglesia. Took pictures of the wonderful old Churches, which hopefully I can upload as soon as possible.

3. Finally got the funds to go back to Japanimation and bought more Doll house stuff. Though this time the choices are limited, and hoping to get the first floor done. For this trip, I got the stairs, and some lighting (with battery pack) for the kitchen.

There~! Hopefully I can have more updates written soon~ Happy Summer!

Win 5000 worth of Fully Booked GCs

2010-02-10T19:15:00.001-08:00

Not sure if this is true, but it looked fun so click here to answer a short survey so you'll have a chance at winning 'em.

Good luck!

My Doll House: Kitchen and part of Bathroom Part 2

2010-02-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

Okay, I wasn't able to find the other pictures, so there'll be some assembly pics that are missing.

Part 1

3. Painting

So after you have assembled all the pieces according to the instruction manual, you are now ready to paint them. Just to be safe, I used the colors as shown in the manual (it's hard to find if you don't have a background in Japanese) Colors used were Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Blue, Gold (acrylic) and White. I used mostly poster colors (because around that time, I don't have money to buy the acrylic ones, and my acrylic set were missing). After a while, the white color got absorbed by the wood, and was forced to borrow a tube from a friend.

a. Cabinet

Above. Hehehe yep~ That's my workstation haha~

You paint the main ones first, like its overall color. In the case of the cabinet, I painted the inside first because painting it last is harder when the outside is already done.

After you paint the main color, you can put in the details (optional)

4. Adding details

Once the paint is dry, you can now add hinges to the cabinets and the door.

5. Setting up wallpaper

According to the instructions, there are panels that needed to be painting (outside and floors), and the inside to be covered in wallpaper (included in the set).

Tip, don't cover the wood with white glue unless you are, unlike me, able to smoothen out the wallpaper without producing any lumps. Hehehe~

Above. Painting the outside with White Poster Paint (I used at least two-three coats)

Above. Wallpaper drying.

6. Setting up the walls and other assembling

Once all the pieces are done, you can now put the wooden frames (make sure to check that you're using the correct sides), and the door. Use a Philips screwdriver (I'm using the Leatherman one) to attach the screws together.

Aaaannnddd you're done!

You can now arrange your furniture in whatever manner you want it to look like.

Above. Note, not all were painted at this point *looks at the bowl of fruits*

Above. Utensils and other really cute kitchen stuff

And that's the kitchen, the first room on the first floor. I hope I finish the whole dollhouse by the end of this year *dances the work dance*

My Doll House: Kitchen and part of Bathroom Part 1

2010-01-25T01:19:00.000-08:00

The box consists for a wall or a floor, then a furniture. Or a furniture, then the small parts and pieces (e.g. kitchen utensils). It comes with instructions, which you can compile and place it in a binder. It also comes with a parts' page, like an inventory of the things you get in the box. It also has this mini magazine of some of the things you may do with the parts and/or layout you can come up with.

1. Sample box and parts

2. Assembly

a. Door

b. Folding table

Here are the completed kitchen utensils. Hmmm...I should've made a size comparison...

c. Bathtub

Most of the parts that was done were kitchen things, so having this bathtub is a bit odd. Nevertheless, it's going here on this post as well.

Note. The bathtub is done by my brother.

Okay, I'll stop here. I need to find the assembly pictures of the rocking chair and the cabinet hehehe~

It won't be long now~

Old shoe, new birdhouse

2010-01-17T22:48:00.000-08:00

So I found this lurking in the interwebs, and it needed to be posted.

An easy to make and easy to clean out birdhouse. Just undo the laces to clean it out. The boot was thrown in the trash and I rescued it. Screwed the board to the sole, added the roof made of flashing and a raffia shoelace. I love it and so did a Carolina Chickadee family this year.

- Source

I especially liked the part wherein you can untie the shoelaces to clean the birdhouse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you've noticed, I'm not posting as much as I should've. Well, to tell you guys some news, I'm working on some DIY projects. I just don't have the right equipment to transfer the pictures. Those are being taken care of (a.k.a as soon as sister and her laptop comes home haha), I'll post them here.

I'm excited with the projects, and I hope you will too.

Thank you for bearing with me~

Dvorak Simplified Keyboard

2010-01-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

The one we're using is the standard Qwerty Keyboard invented by C. Latham Sholes in the 1860s. In 1936, August Dvorak invented this kind of keyboard layout according to how we use the letters and how we type them. He is, after all, a psychologist (educational).

Here are some facts about the keyboard:

1. Letters should be typed by alternating between hands.
2. For maximum speed and efficiency, the most common letters and digraphs should be the easiest to type. This means that they should be on the home row, which is where the fingers rest, and under the strongest fingers.
3. The least common letters should be on the bottom row, which is the hardest row to reach.
4. The right hand should do more of the typing, because most people are right-handed.
5. Digraphs should not be typed with adjacent fingers.
6. Stroking should generally move from the edges of the board to the middle. An observation of this principle is that, for many people, when tapping fingers on a table, it is easier going from little finger to index than vice versa. This motion on a keyboard is called inboard stroke flow.

Though they weren't successful as the mainstream keyboard, it had found its way to newer platforms and ergonomic keyboards.

Source

I just find this fascinating. And then this comic shows up:

Maybe it IS interesting to learn a new keyboard.

MAKI STOOL!!

2010-01-04T17:48:00.001-08:00

noji-berlin released a new set of seating and lightning designs, and one of them is the Maki Stool.

The idea for the MAKI collection came to us while eating sushi. The stools are abstract versions of maki rolls inspired by the original. One wants to sit down on the funny little chairs made of wood and felt and enjoy the sensation of being like a child. nojiberlin loves the carefree nature of youth.

I'd love to have one of these in my room~

Source.

I'm thinking of doing something like this:

2010-01-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, minus the nice pumpkin looking thing on top. I'm thinking of buying choco cupcakes, then melting a batch of marshmallows.

We still have some leftover marshmallows from New Year's. It's a nice way to eat them 8D

^__^

2009-12-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

Dropped in to greet all of you a Merry Christmas~!

*goes back to her vacation*

Tweenbots

2009-12-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

In New York, we are very occupied with getting from one place to another. I wondered: could a human-like object traverse sidewalks and streets along with us, and in so doing, create a narrative about our relationship to space and our willingness to interact with what we find in it? More importantly, how could our actions be seen within a larger context of human connection that emerges from the complexity of the city itself? To answer these questions, I built robots.

Kacie Kinzer build a 10-inch robot to walk around New York city in a social experiment about human interaction. I find this a very good concept, coupled with the fun and child-like factor in the form of a robot.

For more information (included the vid where the robot was walking around) click to on this link.

~~~~~~~~~

Me and a friend of mine were thinking if this was done here in the Philippines. Of course it would give different results:

1. The toy robot may get run over;

2. It must be done in parks like Luneta;

3. May be brought home by street kids;

4. What would happen if it was placed in Ayala.

Okay, so we may be pessimistic about Filipinos. Hmm...then again, this experiment is a NICE idea to be set up here. Watcha think?

Bought meself some air dry clay

2009-12-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

I wanted to try doing some little sculpture awhile back, but was a bit disappointed at the cost of polymer clay (P700, Deovir). A friend of mine suggested I use Air Dry Clay instead. You don't need to bake it, just let it dry under the sun or overnight. So I bought 1 kilo (P38, Deovir), and tonight I pulled a chunkful to make trial little sculptures.

So while they're drying (a lamp is hung overhead, turned on), I'm making this post. Here are some things I noticed while using this type of clay:

1. It's gray. Ugly gray. The saleslady said I can paint acrylic over it, so clay color doesn't matter.

2. You need to put water on the clay to make it malleable. I was adviced to mash it first before using (I think this is an SOP on clay substances. I'm not sure though).

3. Putting too much water will make it a slippery gunk of mud.

4. Mold it in any way you want when the clay is just moist.

5. When your done, you can coat it with water to make the outside smoother.

So far I have made what I call a "Cat Set:"

1. Cartoony cat. At least one inch in height.

2. Two bowls, one for food and one for milk/water.

3. Fish

4. Cat food (I don't know what it looks like, and I don't really care, so I got an unused pen, and stabbed the surface with it to make it...chunky)

5. Toy mouse

6. A ball of yarn.

It is also important, and I reiterate IMPORTANT to put plastic over your workspace. Although they can clean off easily, the clay is still pretty messy.

I'll post pictures when I'm done (or I can find the opportunity to transfer picture files from my cellphone).

DIY Rock 'N Roll Bracelet

2009-12-07T19:51:00.001-08:00

A small project I cooked up the other day. This one is how to make a rock n roll bracelet.

Materials

1. One inch thick black garter (this one I found in Marikina. Costs me at least P13 for a yard)

2. Black thread

2. Needle

3. Two buttons (you can put as many buttons as you like, with any design that you want. You can also put in safety pins with beads)

4. Scissors

Procedure

1. Cut the garter using a pair of scissors according to the size of your wrist. Make some leeway for sewing.

2. Make small folds on each end, press them against each other, then sew them together. This is to prevent the ends from fraying.

3. Sew the buttons near the sew line. This is to avert the attention on the line by hiding it using the buttons. You can also put any other buttons you want, and other decorations you like to put as well.

Just to show the buttons in relation to the sew line:

4. And your done! Enjoy!

RF Bellato Guild Master Female headgear props

2009-12-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

Above. Gray accompanying me while I work. Not what I expected though.

This post is about a headgear I made as part of the costume of the Female Bellato Guild Master. They were photographed a bit too late--they're still in separate pieces though, and is just about to be assembled.

There were three main parts of the headgear, and was constructed out of left over rubberfoam, and some parts using a used illustration board (talk about recycling). I did this overnight because I didn't have enough time to make this on that week. It was a busy week in the office.

1. The main base which was composed of an octagonal box constructed from a thin ply of rubberfoam, and a thick one (at least half inch) as foundation. Then the rest of the small octagonal parts were glued on top, then painted using silver acrylic as the main color. I used at least two coats of paint. It didn't have to be too silvery because the effect I was going for was metallic silver. Black acrylic was used to paint the outline detail.

The one hanging off from the table was made out of cut illustration board, then glued on rubber foam so it'll flap like that.

The Indian feathers-looking things protruding from the back were also made from illustration board. Both painted using silver acrylic.

2. This one is made out of rubberfoam, and the trickiest to assemble. It should be made from one single rubberfoam, which turned out okay on this one. The extension is made from a pattern done beforehand, then glued together.

Note: Since I didn't have time to make corrections, the final product ended up with hexagonal sides instead of octagonal.

3. My favorite piece of all. It was said that when you need to brainstorm, you need to be pressured. Or something like that.

My main problem on this one is making the dome shape in the center. What I did was I cut one of the dishes (from a set of six, small size). It doesn't need to be perfect because you'll be covering it with a rubber foam outline. Paint the outside with red acrylic paint. When it's dry, paint it with glue solution (50% glue, 50% water) carefully to protect the paint and to make it quite glossy.

And then glue it under the rubber foam outline, and now you have a quick orb thingy.

Since it's hard plastic, I used my dad's utility Leatherman and sawed the paint dish off. You have to be careful not to cut yourself.

Once you have assembled the three main parts, you attach a strip of garter under the main base and the flap-thingy on the side (measure beforehand on the model).

And this is the finished product, worn by the model, Chepot:

On another related note, see the necklace Chepot's wearing? That's made out of felt cloth, then painted the details on.

I'm not particularly proud of that. Especially if I have to sew the whole thing in place on the model. After she cosplayed, she had to cut the ends off to free her from the necklace.

In any case, here are some pics:

1. Cut out a strip of yellow felt cloth. Painted the details on using gold and red acrylic (gold to make it more...shinier and sparkly).

2. Rubber foam painted gold (two to three coats). Then painted the details after the base paint has dried.

Helsinki named World Design Capital!

2009-11-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Congratulations!

They call it a mobile office. I call it a giant pop up!

2009-11-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

And that's a good thing. I saw this, and my childhood fantasies just went on hyperdrive!

The "Pop Up" office is created by Liddy Scheffknecht and Armin B. Wagner. It fold up into one panel, and you can take it anymore. It doesn't look like it's strong enough, though, but looks fun nevertheless.

Source.

Adults may be proned to Visual Illusion more than children.

2009-11-24T19:44:00.000-08:00

Sometimes seeing means deceiving before believing, depending on your age. Children and adults size up objects differently, giving youngsters protection against a visual illusion that bedevils their elders, a new study suggests.

This unusual triumph of kids over grown-ups suggests that the brain’s capacity to consider the context of visual scenes, and not just focus on parts of scenes, develops slowly, say psychologist Martin Doherty of the University of Stirling in Scotland and his colleagues. Even at age 10, children lack adults’ attunement to visual context, Doherty’s team concludes in a paper published online November 12 in Developmental Science.

As a result, visual context can be experimentally manipulated to distort adults’ perception of objects’ sizes. But Doherty’s group finds that children, especially those younger than 7, show little evidence of altered size perception on a task called the Ebbinghaus illusion.

“When visual context is misleading, adults literally see the world less accurately than they did as children,” Doherty says.

This pattern holds for Scottish children and adults in the new study as well as for Japanese children and adults who participated in other investigations conducted by Doherty’s team.

Some researchers argue that East Asians focus broadly on the context of what they see while Westerners focus narrowly on central figures. Doherty says the new findings instead indicate that adults in both Scotland and Japan can’t help but track visual context, although this tendency was stronger in the Japanese adults.

Other investigators have noted that children with autism don’t succumb to visual size illusions, consistent with the idea that autism involves an excessive focus on details. But visual context largely eludes all young children, not just those with autism, Doherty asserts.

Even if the new findings hold up, it’s still possible that further research will show that children with autism develop a susceptibility to size illusions more slowly than those without it, remarks psychologist Danielle Ropar of the University of Nottingham in England.

Psychologist Carl Granrud of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley calls the new study convincing but “somewhat surprising.” Children exhibit sensitivity to visual context on some other visual tasks, he says, such as one in which two equal-sized horizontal lines are perceived as differing in length when flanked by diagonal lines.

Earlier research has yielded conflicting evidence that children fall prey to the Ebbinghaus illusion, partly because of weaknesses in study designs, Doherty says.

His team studied 151 children, ages 4 to 10, recruited from a Scottish primary school and nursery school. Another 24 volunteers, ages 18 to 25, were college students.

Participants viewed a series of images containing pairs of orange circles in which one circle was 2 percent to 18 percent larger than the other. An experimenter asked participants to point to the circle that “looked bigger.”

Control images showed only two orange circles. In other images, each orange circle was surrounded by gray circles intended either to hinder or aid accurate size perception.

Misleading images showed the smaller orange circle surrounded by even smaller gray circles to boost its apparent size. Large gray circles surrounding the larger orange circle were intended to shrink its apparent size.

In helpful images, large gray circles surrounded the smaller orange circle to make it appear smaller than it actually was. Small circles surrounded the larger orange circle to magnify its apparent size.

Four-year-olds correctly identified the larger circle in 79 percent of control images. That figure rose with age, reaching 95 percent in adults.

For 4- to 6-year-olds, accuracy of size perception for misleading images remained at about what it was for control images. Misleading images increasingly elicited errors from older children and tricked adults most of the time. Adults made almost no errors on helpful images. Kids from age 7 to 10 erred on a minority of helpful images, while 4- to 6-year-olds performed no better than chance.

Source: Wired Science

UP AME update: A more detailed map

2009-11-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

Again, it's this Saturday, November 28, 2009 in A Venue hall.

Pre-sale tickets are P90. Get them now~!

Design comments

2009-11-19T21:17:00.001-08:00

So here are some designs and my take on each of them.

Chris Duffy's chair that seems to defy gravity. At first take, you'll notice that this chair doesn't have any back legs, and yet it's still standing. But if you do a double take and notice that the shadow itself is part of the chair (Woopsie. Did I just spoil you?) It's a really fun furniture to...scare your friends, maybe. Source.

Shrub Tables by Zhili Liu. I think that this set is fine and all, but what really took me was this picture:

I know it doesn't have anything to do with design, but isn't it that in making a prototype, proper protection is a must? Then again, this also tells something about the welder's resourcefulness...Source

Oaza Zdravlja Pharmacy by Karim Rashid. First words that came into my brain was "BUBBLEGUM DRUGS!!!"

Yes, that's a pharmacy. I'm unsure about this design, firstly because it's inappropriate for the function of the establishment (drugstore). The kids would prolly take it as a candy store instead of a drugstore. Source.

And last but not the least...

Cellulose Meeting Pods by Paul Coudamy. I give it an A for functionality, but a C on design. Well, it looks like a makeshift house for the homeless. Give it a little color, at least, so the meeting experience will be a bit...memorable.

Oh, and I think this will be perfect for a small study group. Source

Best Plurk Layouts for 2009

2009-11-19T03:53:00.000-08:00

See full list.

Yes, I have a plurk account. Hahaha.

Finally found that Lady Gaga vid!

2009-11-19T01:56:00.000-08:00

...where she's wearing some crazy pair of shoes:

Here it is:

For more information, you can go to that post (already edited because I already found it).

Wallpapers are not so boring anymore

2009-11-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

Remember when I put up a post about some wall treatments that one can do in their home some days ago? Well, here's another interesting take on wall treatments. It's decorative and functional as well. It's a wallpaper design by Kicki Edgren Nyborg (hm, last name rhymes with Cyborg. Interesting).

Source.

The Art of Tim Burton (Standard and Deluxe Edition) is now taking pre orders!

2009-11-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Art of Tim Burton is the definitive compilation of forty years of Tim Burton's artistry, including film concepts and hundreds of illustrations from his personal archives, edited under the creative guidance of Burton himself. This comprehensive 434 page book is grouped into thirteen chapters that examine common themes in Burton's work, from his fascination with clowns to his passion for misunderstood monsters, to his delight in the oddities of people. Many of Burton's friends and collaborators offer their thoughts, insight and anecdotes about Tim Burton's style and artistic approach to life.

Artwork from the following films and projects are included in this book:
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride (both 2005)
Big Fish (2003)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Sleepy Hollow, (1999)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Ed Wood (1994)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Batman Returns (1992)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Family Dog (1987)
Batman (1989)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Frankenweenie (1984)
Vincent (1982)
Hansel & Gretel (1982).

The book also contains additional drawings from his illustrated book of poetry The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories (1997), and from The World of Stainboy web shorts (2000).

You can arrange for your pre-orders in Steel Publishing.
Official Site of Tim Burton

AME no Jidai

2009-11-18T05:47:00.000-08:00

Again, advertising the UP AME's anime fair for this year.

AME no Jidai. November 28, 2008. A-Venue Hall, Makati.

Ang INK Exhibit: Forever RENEver

2009-11-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

On its 18th year, Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang I.N.K.) presents its annual exhibit for 2009, entitled “Forever RENEver,” a tribute to the late children’s writer Rene O. Villanueva, whose literature has showcased I.N.K. illustrators’ works for several decades now.

Ang I.N.K. pays tribute to one of the most celebrated figures in the landscape of Filipino children’s books with a showcase of more than 30 works that bring to life Rene’s never-been-illustrated literature.

Join Ang I.N.K. in honoring the memory of Rene O. Villanueva, and in ensuring that his legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of future generations of Filipino readers.

Start Time:
Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 7:30pm

End Time:
Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 8:00pm

Location:
CCP Little Theater Lobby

Visit their Website.

Crayola Fun Facts

2009-11-17T01:48:00.000-08:00

An article from COLOURLovers gave me nostalgia. Then again, anyone who used Crayola would find themselves remembering their colorful childhood.

For the last 100 years or so kids have been exploring and creating worlds of color with Crayons. For a lot of us, our life long love affairs with color began with these wax sticks and a blank sheet of paper. According to a Yale University study, the scent of Crayola crayons is among the 20 most recognizable to American adults. Coffee and peanut butter are 1 and 2. Here we go down crayon color memory lane with all 120 color names and hex codes, fun facts and photos.

Fun Facts:

1. There are 120 Crayon names including Fuzzy Wuzzy Brown, Macaroni and Cheese, and Outer Space.

2. The first box of Crayola crayons was sold in 1903 for a nickel and included the same colors available in the eight-count box today: red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, black and brown.

3. Most Crayola crayon color names are taken from the U.S. Commerce Department's National Bureau of Standards book called "Color: Universal Language and Dictionary of Names." Many crayon names are also borrowed from traditional artists' paints.

4. Crayola crayon colour names rarely change. However, there are exceptions. In 1958, Prussian blue was changed to midnight blue in response to teacher recommendations that children could no longer relate to Prussian history. In 1962, the colour flesh was changed to peach recognizing that not everyone's flesh is the same shade.

Source

Stumbling upon awesome music

2009-11-17T01:15:00.000-08:00

An officemate gave me a link in one of Stumbleupon's pages. It's labeled "Audiogravity 18th September". Here's a screenie:

...but you have to experience it first hand. Here's the link.

Korean Culture Week Festival:

2009-11-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

For details, do get in touch with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, 811-6139-44, or CCP.

Thanks for the heads up, k1lljoy!

Nick Brandt Black and White Photography about Africa

2009-11-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Born and raised in London, Nick Brandt studied Film and Painting at St. Martins School of Art.

He started photographing in December 2000 in East Africa, beginning the body of work that is his signature subject matter and style. He no longer directs, devoting himself full time to his fine art photography now.

Brandt's first book of photographs, "On This Earth", was published in October 2005, by Chronicle Books, with forewords by Jane Goodall and Alice Sebold (author of "The Lovely Bones").

He has had numerous one-man exhibitions between 2004 and 2006, including London, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, Hamburg, Santa Fe, Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco.

He now lives in Topanga, California.

Here are some of his cool shots. I swear, his photographs are love.

More about Nick Brandt here.

Wonder wall

2009-11-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

A wall is important because it keeps away rain, and sun from entering the house. And provides foundation for the windows and doors (and roof, but then again, there are pillars for that).

It's also a good canvass for some decorating ideas. Here are some:

Photo Collage : Perpetual Wall Calendar

The perpetual wall calendar is a beautiful collage of photos that Littlebrownpen has collected while in Paris. Chalkboards, license plates, doorways, bottles, monuments. 49 glimpses of Paris that capture the the essence of the city at street level. All you have to do is to arrange the photos according to the current month and clip them together using the clear photo clips provided. After that you just have to hang it. The assembled collage is roughly 3ft x 3ft. The idea is very interesting and if you have some time and you love to take pictures you can even make your own version, or buy this one from here.

As the quote said, it's a nice idea on a wall, yet functional. You can indeed make your own version, using local scenes. Or have a photograph of your friends holding up a piece of the square, and then take a picture of it.

Source.

Framed Objects by The.

No, the sentence has not been cut short. The is a group of eclectic wares designers.

A simple frame can take an everyday object and turns it into a quirky and interesting art piece. Framing a key chain or coat hook is another way to make a functional home accessory stylish and contemporary. With this simple idea you can Turn flowers, books, keys, jewelry, articles of clothing, and other ordinary objects into works of art. This product called “Framed Objects” is available from Thinkofthe.

I think this is an easy DIY project to do at home.

Source.

I am not sure about this [Edited: Lady Gaga seen wearing McQueen's shoes in new vid]

2009-11-15T06:07:00.000-08:00

Lady Gaga was seen wearing these. What do you think?

Source

Edit:

The shoes were designed by Alexander McQueen, and those are not the kind of shoes he designed, which described as lobster claws."

They came in three main varieties: first, ultra-high booties that looked more like prosthetic lobster claws than shoes you might see on the racks at Neiman Marcus, in keeping with the apocalyptic-aquatic theme of the show. These came in exotics, smooth leathers, and a variety of exterior embellishments, including shards of turquoise. The second type were booties that looked like something a resident in Wall-E’s post-apocalyptic Earth might wear. The heels were covered in an amalgamation of industrial metal, creating perhaps the most wearable shoes of the collection. The third type were intricately carved porcelain platforms that were reminiscent of a coral reef, held on to the foot by clear plastic straps.

I especially like the second type (third pic), but it's still not something I would want to wear hehehe.

Link.

The video Lady Gaga was seen wearing a pair is her latest video "Bad Relationship"

Just to point out, here she is wearing one of McQueen's designs:

100% Biodegradeable chair.

2009-11-14T04:46:00.001-08:00

Okay, maybe the legs are not, but hey, the rest are biodegradable. It's the Compos Lobby Chair by Samuli Naamanka.

Designer Samuli Naamanka has created the Lobby chair for the Finnish manufacturer, Piiroinen.

Normally, you might expect a chair like this to be made from plastic or fiberglass, but Samuli Naamanka has instead designed the chairs to be made from a 100% biodegradable natural fibre. The seat doesn’t contain any inorganic materials, not even binding substances. There aren’t even any oil based materials used in the chair.

After the chair has been used for a long time, the seat material can be milled and used again for the production of a new product. At the end of the life cycle, the seat can also be demolished by composting it for about 80 days.

Source.

Website: Things we forget

2009-11-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

Stumbling on to this gem is fortunate. Not because of the novelty idea of using post its to convey the message, but the messages itself and how it is conveyed.

See for yourself.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Ghostbuster

2009-11-12T00:20:00.000-08:00

I know Halloween's already over. But I was browsing the internet and came across this. And I was, like, "why didn't I see this sooner!"

Anyway, here's the link of the step by step guide of making the Ghostbuster costume~!

The Lomo LC-A+ Customization Competition

2009-11-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

Design the LOMO LC-A+ Your Way!

Still part of our LOMO LC-A 25th Anniversary Celebrations, we’re giving all you design-minded analogue heads the opportunity of the lifetime! Your task is to create a custom skin for the legendary LOMO LC-A+. Design it with any medium you want, but keep in mind that the winning entry is meant for mass production! With your efforts, we are giving out unarguably one of the best prizes we’ve had for a Rumble ever – read on!

The Grand Prize

A life-changing opportunity to see your design concept transformed into a limited edition LOMO LC-A+ and sold all over the world!

Priceless exposure in the design field.
A 3-day trip to the Lomography HQ in Vienna. Hotel and flight included.
5 of your self-designed LOMO LC-A+ cameras.
Runners-up will see their design concepts in a future newsletter, gallery and who knows – an exhibit of the best works!

More information here.

Not your ordinary bunker

2009-11-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

Found this while browsing TheChive. Too bad, there aren't any more references for this.

In fairness, the interiors makes up the bleh looking exterior (but it's a bunker! It doesn't have to be painted pink just to make it un-bleh).

Minimalistic realization

2009-11-09T23:33:00.001-08:00

Now I know why I am not fond of minimalist interiors. Well, for me, it doesn't have that touch of individuality and whackiness I crave. Minimalism concentrates on the basics of design elements like shape, lines, colors, etc. which makes it ideal for efficiency, per se. I think people prefers this because of simplicity, and the fact that you don't have to clean much (like an extra vase or an Art Nouveau-ish chandelier).

Take a look of this and this to this perhaps.

A multi-tasking wall (paper) and a cool old furniture remake

2009-11-08T20:43:00.001-08:00

Using Wallpaper as A Storage Solution : Pocket Wall

The Pocket Wall is an interesting idea proposed by Maja Ganszyniec and is probably one of the coolest ideas for storage, especially for a small apartment. If you’ve ever lived in a small place you tend to think about innovative ways to store all of your stuff, and you are looking especially for storage that won’t be too bulky or interfere with my decor choices. This idea is basically a wall covering that contains peg holes and pockets so that you can store items by hanging them or loading them into the slots.

This is interesting, especially if you have a whole wall and you don't know what to do with it. I don't know if this is available locally, but I think we can make a nice DIY equivalent (wall quilts anyone?)

Source

Tiuku Clock by Ari Kanerva

If you don't like the look and feel old things bring you, here is something that may just fill in that category: a modern remake of the grandfather clock.

Finnish designer Ari Kanerva has created the Tiuku clock as a contemporary minimalist version of a grandfather clock.

Source.

Something exterior and something interior.

2009-11-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Exterior: ‘Anamorphism’ : A Stunning Street Project by Ninja182

Graphic design studio Truly Design introduces us to the street art of Ninja182 and his latest project called ‘Anamorphism’ made with contemporary art techniques to create a mind-blowing artwork, which can only be seen in its completeness from a specific angle in the room.

This reminds me of camouflage art you now find on the streets. A house or a building with this kind of paint job will sure rock.

Source with more pictures here.

Interior: Stylish Apartment For Sale in Linnéstaden, Sweden

Linnéstaden is a typical inner city district where you will find Gothenburg’s first suburb – Haga – and the big central park – Slottsskogen. We do not know if the location of this apartment had anything to do with its high-quality design, but we are really delighted to see how fresh everything in these pictures is. There is a wooden hall connecting the whole apartment. A nicely renovated kitchen in white with a green attitude, newly sober, renovated bathrooms, modern decorating details and bright tones turn this place into a real contemporary masterpiece.

I notice that more and more cool interior designs are coming from Sweden. This design is cozy, contemporary, and efficient. A combination of old styles, new styles, modern fixtures/furnitures, and fresh new design ideas (anyone saw that letter 'A' on the windowsill?)

Source with more pictures.

Multipurpose mirror for those who are always on the go.

2009-11-08T20:26:00.001-08:00

The Reflect Mirror is a brilliant multipurpose mirror for those who are always on the go. As you can see from the picture attached below the reflect mirror with its 90° angle can be used as a tray to place your keys, sun glasses, jewelries, coins etc so that you won’t forget to take them with you after checking yourself out in the mirror. For men, the angeled portion of the mirror allows you to see below your chin when shaving, which can come in handy as well. Also, with a total of 8 holes on the rear of each mirror, reflect mirror can be placed almost anywhere on the wall, including corners. The simple ornament design with classic black, white and gold color variations can match almost any surrounding, adding a nice touch to your interior. You can order it for $60 from here.

Source

I wonder if they have this kind of version?

It's like, a REALLY fullview mirror!

Pipti/Pipti Art Exhibit

2009-11-02T03:51:00.001-08:00

November 3, 2009
Sining Kamalig, 4th Floor
Gateway Mall
6:00 PM

Happy Halloween~!

2009-11-01T05:20:00.000-08:00

The only way not to be scared of this day is to go to parties where you know that all of the participants are faking it, and think happy thoughts involving the next biggest event after Halloween that involves reindeers.

If you have an active imagination, then I can't do anything about it. Hehe.

Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer 2010

2009-10-25T01:59:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that this was my first time that I've seen a fashion show that's NOT on TV?

Last night was the Philippine Fashion Week showcasing works by Arnold Galang, Dita Sandico Ong, Enrico Carado, Happy, Andrada, and Tina Daniac, ending it with a steamy show by EsAc and EsaC + (Raoul Ramirez and Lyle Ibañez). It was held last night in SMX Function Room 4, Mall of Asia.

Perhaps it's the Halloween that the colors were all coupled with black colors. Arnold Galang's works reminded me of persian, but chic. I don't know what you called them--the pants that looked persian, the ones that kinda sag by the crotch--but I liked it. The padded shoulders on tops reminded me of the eighties.

My favorite for the night were the works of Happy Andrada. The dresses were so cute (my terms), and the wedding dresses are made of love. I even saw one that I wanted as a bridal gown (if ever).

Generally, there were some styles that are coming back, like the tiered and mermaid dresses. I notice that one of the sets' theme has a cool looking wrist band that I'd like to try. At the back, me and my friends were discussing how weird the models walk from the side.

Probably the highlight of the show was the two last sets from EsAc, EsAc + and EsAc Couture. EsAc + was particularly fun. I thought models are supposed to be skinny and young, but since EsAc + caters for plus sized and plus aged women, it was appropriate that the models are graceful aged women. Also, yummy hunks in bikini trunks served as "curtains" for these models.

Overall, me, my sister, and friends had fun. We got awesome ideas for fashion in a personal sense, and get to experience events we don't go to regularly, like a fashion show.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Which means that yesterday, I went around different areas in the metro. I live in Antipolo, attended the birthday of my officemate's two year old in Batasan, then went to Anonas in Cubao to fetch my sister, at the same time trying to look human enough for the fashion show, then straight to MOA for the said show.

Went home at 2 am in the morning. Oh hurrah. I want a car now.

New Layout

2009-10-21T20:18:00.001-07:00

Since I'm getting tired editing pictures to match my old layout, I decided to change a new, bigger layout to accomodate big pictures! Yay!

Well, this might be bigger than I expected it to be, but oh well. It looked simple and elegant.

The World's Largest Treehouse

2009-10-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

I posted before about awesome treehouses. Now, I'm posting about only one treehouse, but it's size makes it up for it.

This is measuring 100 feet, mind you.

Link

Excuse me when I scream in design-gasm

2009-10-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

THIS IS JUST PERFECT!! Can't even describe it in words why this house exterior is perfect for me. For interiors of this house, go here.

And the wall design looks like an installation on the wall, with art behind, and a glass infront with art on it too. Very cool effect. Link.

Cebu Pacific Promo until January next year

2009-10-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

This is an email I recieved. This is an affordable way of spending Christmas with the family--a trip overseas!

CEB offers all-international seat sale for as low as P999 For travel starting November 15 until January 31, 2010
Asia’s third-largest low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) gives Asian destinations a boost with our all-international seat sale starting now until October 19, 2009, for travel from November 15, 2009 until January 31, 2010.
For ‘Go Lite’ P999, you can book and buy flights from Clark to Bangkok, Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, and from Manila to Kota Kinabalu and Taipei.
For ‘Go Lite’ P1499, you can book and buy flights from Manila to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai, as well as from Cebu to Hong Kong and Singapore.
For ‘Go Lite’ P24! 99, you can book and buy flights from Manila to Incheon and Jakarta, and from Cebu to Incheon and Pusan. Those with check-in luggage will just add P100 upon booking. Osaka seats are also available for the ‘Go’ fare of P2599.
We also have an ongoing promotion for 30 kilos free baggage allowance (FBA) for international flights out of Clark! The Clark FBA promo is for Clark to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore and Macau flights for travel from October 15 to December 31, 2009 only.
Fly for as low as P888 with our seat sale to all Visayas destinations from Manila, as well as for our Cebu to Clark service.
Book and buy your seats online at www.cebupacificair.com now!

Hmm...to bad it doesn't have Japan on their list. Hongkong and Macau is interesting though.

Tim Berners-Lee, forerunner of the World Wide Web, regrets one thing:

2009-10-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

The double slash after http:

The double slash, though a programming convention at the time, turned out to not be really necessary, Mr. Berners-Lee explained. Look at all the paper and trees, he said, that could have been saved if people had not had to write or type out those slashes on paper over the years — not to mention the human labor and time spent typing those two keystrokes countless millions of times in browser address boxes. (Today’s browsers, of course, automatically fill in the “http://” preamble when a user types a Web address.)

This is nostalgic. My thesis required me to research the history of Internet, and his name pops out a lot. Funny though, I never really wondered the use of the double slash. It's like, in Christianity, God exists. No explanations given.

In laptop news, Acer released their 3D laptop (complete with glasses). I'm unsure with this, so I'll let you decide.

Sources:

Nytimes
PCPro

When you can get everything you want in your phone.

2009-10-11T23:38:00.000-07:00

Pomegranate Phone

Click and see what it "really" offers. One of the best web ads I've seen for a long time.

It's fun too.

My Favorite Things Part II

2009-10-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

2. Spanish Colonial Houses

Also known as Bahay na Bato (Stone house). These are the houses you see in Vigan, or some parts in Manila (like Intramuros). Usually, they have stone first floors, and wooden second floors, with tile roofings. If you don't have time to go around, you can just view some art galleries in 4th floor Megamall, where Bahay na Bato is a popular painting theme.

According to my Folk Art professor, Mam Hila, Bahay na Bato came from Bahay Kubo.

Bahay Kubo is a traditional Filipino house that is made of mostly bamboo. Sometimes, inside, there is no flooring but it's clean, brown ground. Instead, another structure inside the house, standing on stilts, with bamboo flooring served as sleeping quarters.

Filipino houses usually have separate kitchen spaces (which is inherited by some of today's housing standards). This set up was also seen in Bahay na Bato structures, but more on that later.

When the Spaniards came, they realized that everything in the Philippines are different from their beloved Spain. First, there are only two seasons--the rainy season, and the hot/sunny/dry season. Since bamboo doesn't stood a chance against tropical storms especially if built with two floors, the Spaniards built their homes in stone.

Wrong idea, actually. They later realized that there is condition number two: Philippines is the Ring of Fire; earthquakes happens more often than they used to.

This prompted building the first floor with stone, and the second floor made out of wood--the first floor will be strong enough to withstand storms and heavy winds, while the second floor will be pliable enough to withstand the earthquakes. Plus, it made the house cooler. The second floor is where most of the living spaces are found like the sala, dining area, and sleeping quarters. On the first floor is the kitchen and garaje.

You may point out that the first floor IS made out of stone, and therefore must crumble to the earthquake. To compensate, they used thick bamboo trunks in their foundation.

We all know bamboo is stronger than it looks :)

So there you go. That is the story of the Bahay na Bato :D

But if you're curious, it's the interiors I'm interested about.

Tips from an expert flood victim.

2009-09-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is from an email I recieved. I know it's out of this blog's topic, but I want to share this for all of my friends living in the lower regions of the metro. (Edited to suit paragraph standards)

Advice from an experienced flooded victim
By : Gwendolyn So

Unbeknownst to many, my family and I are experts when it comes to flooding. By this I mean that for almost 10 years when we lived in a low part of Sto. Domingo Street in Quezon City , we experienced flooding INSIDE the house at least once a year and if I remember correctly, sometimes it was twice or even thrice a year.

The first time it happened we were in shock, but as it happened more and more it became routine. Here are some nuggets of wisdom that may help:

1. I learned that once the water reaches knee level, the gates can't be opened anymore because of the water pressure. We thought we still had time to take the cars out but realized we were trapped. That time our cars submerged. Make sure you know which area near your residence is considered higher ground and take your cars there EARLY.

2. Do not despair so much if your cars submerge. They can be fixed. It's expensive and takes a long time for the smell to go away, but it's not the end of the world. After the flood, just let the car dry. We were still able to use our Hi-Ace and Mitsubishi Lancer despite their having been half submerged in floodwaters.

3. I learned that heavy stuff, like the ref and shelves, FLOAT. So every year from then on, we would TIE DOWN heavy appliances like the ref (too heavy to carry upstairs but in latter years we did lug it all the way up to the 2nd floor), the big shelves with wedding souvenirs and knick knacks and my dad's collection of wine. How did we do that? Tie them to the windows.

4. Adrenalin will give you superpowers once you decide you're not afraid of a little water and start saving what you can. In my case, it was my collection of books. They're not rare first editions but regular books. However, I love my books and I'm not letting them drown! I was able to move and carry our heavy sofa powered by my body's own adrenalin hormone.

5. You can have fun in the midst of disaster so I took out our cameras and starting taking pictures. It was to make everyone have a good laugh as we surveyed the chaos around us, the cockroaches and rats swimming by, the black inky spots of oily stuff occasionally floating around.

6. Apparently, no matter how much you're enjoying yourself frolicking in the water and saving what you can, once the cold water reaches your chest (especially your nipples), you start to shiver and it gets hard to breathe. This is the time to give up and go upstairs.

7. If your electricity stays on, go to the switch box and turn off all the electric outlets downstairs but not upstairs.

8. Cleaning after the flood is a pain. Once the waters recede, you are left with mud everywhere. They stick so you have to get the hose and start using the walis tingting (how do you say this in English? It's a broom made of just think twigs/sticks tied together in a thick bundle). You just keep the water running and sweep, sweep, sweep like there's no tomorrow.

9. You must scrub the walls with disinfectant. If you only rinse with water, it will still smell. We used Lysol. Scrub, scrub, scrub like there's no tomorrow. (If Lysol is too expensive, just try the regular bleach!)

10. First time water got inside our house, we didn't know we had to use Lysol and that the drying process is super vital. So, after a few days, there was this nauseating smell and later we found molds growing everywhere! We had returned the
furniture and appliances to their normal places and the walls behind grew molds. Yuck!!!

11. We were still able to use our ref that floated in flood waters. Just clean and clean and dry and dry.

12. Once electricity is available, get out all your fans and dry everything thoroughly.

13. Yes, paint will peel off and wooden drawers and shelves deform. Salvage what can be used. Once they dry, it's still okay but sometimes the drawers get stuck because the wood expanded so you have no choice but to destroy it because icky water is still trapped inside.

14. Wait at least 2 to 3 days to dry everything. Use fans and hairdryers. Do not, I repeat, do not be in a hurry to return stuff you saved to their original places.

15. Have this mindset: Ah, it's good I'm now forced to do a general cleaning of my house. Now I have no choice but to do it.

Advice from me: It is easy to go insane after this kind of calamity, to despair of the material things we lost (especially the cars) but please be thankful you got away with your life and that of your family and loved ones. just keep on smiling. "Smile and whole world will smile with you; weep and you weep one!"...

And here's a satellite picture taken today about the next typhoon after Ondoy, Pepeng I think is the name.

I hope everything, and everyone got to their feet by the time this storm comes (hopefully by the end of this week). If not, I sincerely hope this doesn't hit Manila full force again.

Let them recover first.

Typhoon Ondoy

2009-09-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Which is the reason why I wasn't able to follow on my post last Saturday. On that same day, the rains are drowning the Filipino people in various areas in Luzon. Some lives were lost, some left homeless, and some left with little or nothing else.

Global warming is just one of the reasons, because seriously, this has NEVER happened before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

This limited Fungi Shelf by Katharina Mischer is just sooo cute~!

Source: Freshome

My Favorite Things Part I (Art Nouveau)

2009-09-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

More like ideas. Haha.

First things first, I'm having browser problems in the other computer so I wasn't able to post anything for the past two weeks.

Second, my favorite things. I'm going to list down the design ideas/structures/things that I like, and that someday I'll be able to do when I make my own home :D

1. Art Nouveau

I may not get all the facts right, since I'm writing this through memory, so bear with me (and post a comment if you see some discrepancy). The things that I remember whenever Art Nouveau comes to mind are swirlies, nature (like flowers and vines), linear style art, posters, Mucha, and Gaudi.

Art Nouveau is a response against classical, historical art that has been going on for the past century. It can be describe as using nature themes like using plant motifs such as fleur de lis, flowers, and vines. It is also described as using flat, linear outcome, similar to Japanese artstyle called ukiyo-e.

This movement came out from the Arts and Crafts movement and started in Europe, and depending on the location, is known for different names, such as Jugendstil in Germany, and Vienna Secession in Austria.

Alphonse Mucha's posters were used mostly as advertisements. For example, the poster above is Maud Adams as Joan of Arc. What I like about Mucha is the successful use of ukiyo-e technique, the intricacy of the work, and the use of colors and gradients.

And here is Antoni Gaudi, probably my favorite architect of all time. His works gives me a feeling of grandeur, and childish fantasies. Look it up on Google. He even designed and constructed a roof that looked like alligator skin (complete with the spikes).

The above picture is Casa Batllo. Reminds me of a Casper film for some reason.

And that's all for now. I'll post my second favorite thing tomorrow. Bye~

Project Icarus

2009-09-15T18:36:00.001-07:00

I was browsing through my online reading lists for the day (this replaced newspapers every morning), and encountered this article through Yahoo.

I was like, wow. Just wow. Now kids who have a knack with space and astronomy will have a chance to feel it.

This is a story about three MIT students who launched a $150 or less photography equipment to near space. They blew up a helium-filled balloon, strapped a beer cooler under it, with a Motorola digicam with 8 gig memory card, and a cellphone that served as a tracking device.

Taking pictures of space, or at least the earth's curves (Oohh la la), is not a new concept to professionals and students alike. It's just that, with new technologies coming in, they forgot what was essential.

"I would like to reiterate that high-altitude balloon photography has been around for a LONG time. (decades, probably) What is special about what we’ve done is our low budget and ease of assembly/creation."

The balloon reached 17.5 miles (around 90,000 feet) high up in the atmosphere, dropped back to earth five hours later within the Massachusetts state.

I don't know about you, but I find this really cool.

Source:
l337arts
Wired.com

Of Rules and Lawmaking.

2009-09-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

Rule number one, whenever trying to transport a potentially dangerous chemical (e.g. rugby), try to wrap it with plastic first before putting it into your bag. Otherwise, it will spill and destroy your P2k worth of Hongkong Shopping [someone did] a few months back.

True-to-life rule I must live by from now on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If I am a lawmaker, not a graphic designer like I am today, there is this one law I want to mull more over and pass to the senate.

Putting up trees in the backyard.

Article 1. If you have a big backyard, it is compulsary to put up at least one tree. If a backyard does not exists, at least 3 meters worth of potted plants, or three (3) potted tree plants.

a. If living in a condominium or apartment complex, it is the responsibility of the apartment owner to put up a tree or potted plants around the area. Utilize free space for this (e.g. rooftop for potted plants)

b. Building permits must now pass through DENR to give it's thumbs-up sign and forego the building project.

c. Living in the squatters area is NOT an excuse.

d. If the person has a house but he's not living in the city, that person is still bound to this law.

e. If the person has a house outside cities/metropolitan areas, and trees grow around the house, the nearest tree must be at least 5 to 6 meters.

f. Offices, private companies, government buildings, and the like, without single ownership are complied with these rules as well. The punishable party is the highest officer in charge for that building (e.g. CEO, President of the Philippines, Proprietor, etc.)

Article 2. Problem with trees.

a. When the tree is crossing over the fence and onto the neighbors, and if it's becoming detrimental to the other party, the only damage to the tree allowable is cut its branches. Permission from the tree owner must first be acquired. Then, a municipal permit must also be acquired and have an engineer look it up and see if it cutting can be avoided. If not, the length of the cut area is to be negotiated by the owner, the neighbor, and the engineer.

b. The longest length of a branch to be cut is up until where the branch started from. Cutting the whole trunk is NOT an option.

Article 3. Punishment.

a. Failure to comply with the one-tree or potted plants rule will be penalized with at least P100k fine, 2 years jailtime, or 5 years worth of community service (aka tree-planting sessions).

b. Failure to comply to Article 2 will be punishable with the same conditions as Article 3.a.

Well, there are still loopholes, and I'm guilty of lack of research when it comes to permits and stuff, but hey, the purpose here is to provide a greener and healthy places to live in, especially in the cities.

And I may sound harsh in some areas, sorry about that. That's my sadistic side smiling.

Affordable and durable car? Yes! It exists!

2009-09-09T19:02:00.001-07:00

And I'm talking about here in the Philippines. Norkis group of Companies released hybrid vehicles called their Legacy First line.

These cars (since they are small) have smaller engine, hence, less fuel use, uses 3 cylinders, and requires less plugs. It's lightweight and compact so finding a parking spot is easier and less hassle (dangerous? stressful? Haha). It also requires smaller tires and less wear and tear.

These vehicles started out in the provinces, specifically in Cebu area where they usually use them as PUVs (Public Utility Vehicles), and private cargo vehicles. They recently set up their showroom in EDSA (Guadalupe, I heard)

Above: Norkis Spider

Above: This one was seen in Pampanga for P200k at least.

I don't have the price list or warranty details for these cars, but I've looked up in the Tsikot forum that their warranty duration is smaller (6 months at least). The price for one of these babies is P80k to P150k, depending on the model.

So if you want a low maintenance, no frills driving experience, and wanted to help the environment as well, this is one of the vehicles you may want to consider buying.

Sources:
Norkis Group
Tsikot Yehey Forum

How is your weekend?

2009-09-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

We just had a long weekend because of a holiday that yet sprouted up because of a death of a famous person. Did you notice that more celebrities/famous personalities are dying this year?

Anyway, I wanna start this week with this:

It's a usable sculpture, I swear. I did not put it there because it looks really...pretty xD

See? You can put your secret stash of...whatever in there. No one will suspect haha.

Oh, and thank Peter Wolfe for that.

Source

Houses made from recycled materials

2009-09-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

...is not a new idea. This has been presented, seen, and done by various people in various parts of the world.

Dan Phillips, 64, owns a construction company called Phoenix commotion. He mostly works around his community where he lives (in East Texas) and provides both inspiring, and eco-friendly ways of building homes.

Read full article here

Idea: Chain linked fences

2009-09-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

This idea has been cooking up in my mind for sometime. It originally involves smal pieces of a chain link fence (which eventually evolved into something else, but more on that later).

1. Can be used as dividers: Chain link fence can be good dividers. It divides the room, but you'll be able to see what's on the other side as well

2. Can be used as hangers: You can hang your bags, trinkets, paintings, etc. Place this against the wall, and hang whatever you want.

That's as far as I've gotten as of the moment. You can paint the divider into whatever color you want (red fence against a white or black wall, or paint it silver). It gives this steampunk-ish feel.

Check out the pictures showing this divider in action. Sorry about the unpolished drawings tho haha.

I think putting up shelves against the fence is possible, though I haven't thought about that idea much to make up a working schematic.

Another set of witty installations for homes

2009-09-01T22:55:00.001-07:00

Let's start with the door, shall we?

Here is Leandro Erlich's Shattering Door.

Finn Juhl's Baker Sofa. I find this sofa simple, elegant, and space efficient. I like to have this one, if ever.

I want to have this chair as well: Elizabeth Cordes' The Etch Chair. It's like seeing an optical illusion in 3d form.

This is what it looks like, without confusing people:

And last but not the least: would you live in a Lego House?

Top Gear's James May loves Lego. So much in fact, that after this one is completed, he intends to live there. I'm worried about the durability of that thing, but I find it a cool endeavor and nostalgic.

Even kids won't say no to this kind of labor. Haha.

Have a nice day~!

Jack and Jill Teenage Pregnancy

2009-09-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

One of today's problem with the youth is teenage pregnancy. Statistically, there are more teens in the impoverish areas that succumb to this problem which results to overpopulation, and possibly malnutrition, lack of education, and sometimes child abuse to the innocent party.

I think contraceptives is a practical choice, though I am with the idea of leaving the sex after marriage (or until capable of sustaining the child when that happens, like a job).

So here's a comic I did, which ironically, wasn't made for this topic. The song was made up by a friend, Chepot.

You may want to read this as well.

aM Laboratory sinewave synthesizer

2009-08-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

This cute site (yes, I find it cute) is unlike other synthesizers, wherein you put in dots to make a simple picture, but the dots sends off wave sounds.

Here is something I made:

According to the site, there is a way to save your synthesized picture, but I can't seem to make it here.

Maybe you'll have better luck than me xD

Spin the Web: Web Development

2009-08-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

Get ready to spin up a kick-ass website for yourself or your org!

On August 29, learn about the current standards and trends in designing a web site during the Web Design Basics lecture. Then on September 5, get to know the Groovy and Grails framework, the latest and hottest in web programming. And on September 12, improve the efficiency and ease-of-use of your website through a talk on Web Usability.

All lectures will be held from 1PM to 5PM at the Lecture Hall, Alumni Engineers Centennial Hall (across NIGS). Admission is free. For questions/whatnot, contact Rose Ann (0926 670 9286).

This series is brought to you by the Association for Computing Machinery – UP Student Chapter and Orange and Bronze Software Labs, Ltd.

Source

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

2009-08-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

I'm always attracted to designs that save space, ecofriendly, recycled, and sustainable.

So it's not surprising that I find these chairs cool and attractive.

African designer Ousmane M'Baye Exhibition at Viaduc des Arts

Source

Flux Chairs by Douwe Jacobs

Yes, that's paper. And yes, it's foldable xD

Source

The Drops Chair by Camilla Hounsell Halvorsen

Camilla Hounsell is a design student at Norway's Oslo National Academy of the Arts. This chair consists of stainless steel legs and an inner tube covered with recycled upholstery material.

All of a sudden, this reminds me of a chair made out of katsya (Or the basahan the kids in the streets sell. Hmmm...a carpet design like that is not a bad idea)

Mold Chairs by Anders Johnsson and Petter Thorne

A couple of designers from Stockholm did these creative chairs recycled from wood veneer.

I like the second one. It has this "capiz" effect going on.

~~~~~~~~~~

I also like designs that are cool and has this all-in-one theme in furniture.

Stone Designs' The RS Life Collection is full of simple designs, basic materials, with colorful touches.

I like these cabinets:

Okay, so that cabinet doesn't have that all-in-one feature. But this does:

~~~~~~~~~

And wood. I like wood, or wood effects.

Hold Cabinets and Up Coffee Table by Gauthier Poulain (Now imagine that they are refrigerators...)

Velice Lounge by DesignKoalition

and this one looks like the one two pictures up.

Nest Armchair by Autoban

~~~~~~~~~~

And these are just too cool to pass up:

Verwoben (Interwoven) Shelves by Marco dos Santos Pina

Pottery Barn Smart Technology Daily System for the Design Lover Geek

An Art of Irony

2009-08-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Yuken Teruya is an artist who recently used paperbag trash into amazing diorama art.

There are just too much paperbag trash out there that it can now be used as a medium.

Source

Having a Pot Belly is fashionable

2009-08-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

THIS summer the unvarying male uniform in the precincts of Brooklyn cool has been a pair of shorts cut at knickers length, a V-neck Hanes T-shirt, a pair of generic slip-on sneakers and a straw fedora. Add a leather cuff bracelet if the coolster is gay.

In truth this get-up was pretty much the unvarying male uniform last summer also, but this year an unexpected element has been added to the look, and that is a burgeoning potbelly one might term the Ralph Kramden.

Too pronounced to be blamed on the slouchy cut of a T-shirt, too modest in size to be termed a proper beer gut, developed too young to come under the heading of a paunch, the Ralph Kramden is everywhere to be seen lately, or at least it is in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene, the McCarren Park Greenmarket and pretty much any place one is apt to encounter fans of Grizzly Bear.

What the trucker cap and wallet chain were to hipsters of a moment ago, the Kramden is to what my colleague Mike Albo refers to as the “coolios” of now. Leading with a belly is a male privilege of long standing, of course, a symbol of prosperity in most cultures and of freedom from anxieties about body image that have plagued women since Eve.

Until recently, men were under no particular obligation to exhibit bulging deltoids and shredded abdominals; that all changed, said David Zinczenko, the editor of Men’s Health, when women moved into the work force in numbers. “The only ripples Ralph Kramden” and successors like Mike Brady of “The Brady Bunch” had to demonstrate were in their billfolds, said Mr. Zinczenko, himself a dogged crusader in the battle of the muffin top. “But that traditional male role has changed.”

As women have come to outnumber men in the workplace, it becomes more important than ever for guys to armor themselves, Mr. Zinczenko said, with the “complete package of financial and physical,” to billboard their abilities as survivors of the cultural and economic wilds.

This makes sense, in a way, but how does one account for the new prevalence of Ralph Kramdens? Have men given in or given up? Are they finished with asserting the privileges that have always accrued to men. Or is the Ralph Kramden Barack Obama’s fault?

Hipsters, by nature contrarian, according to Dan Peres, the editor of Details, may be reacting in opposition to a president who is not only, as the press relentlessly reminds us, So Darn Smart, but also hits the gym every morning, has a conspicuously flat belly and, when not rescuing the economy or sparring with Kim Jong-il, shoots hoops.

“If we had a slob in the White House, all the hipsters would turn into some walking Chippendales calendar,” Mr. Peres said. Instead, the streets of Williamsburg are crowded with men who are, as he noted, “proudly rocking a gut.” Mr. Peres’s magazine has a term for these people: the new “poor-geoisie.” But the people lining up for $13 lobster rolls at the Brooklyn Flea last weekend hardly looked as if they were worried about making the rent.

“I sort of think the six-pack abs obsession got so prissy it stopped being masculine,” is how Aaron Hicklin, the editor of Out, explains the emergence of the Ralph Kramden. What once seemed young and hot, for gay and straight men alike, now seems passé. Like manscaping, spray-on tans and other metrosexual affectations, having a belly one can bounce quarters off suggests that you may have too much time on your hands.

“It’s not cool to be seen spending so much time fussing around about your body,” Mr. Hicklin said.

And so guys can happily and guiltlessly go to seed.

Women have almost never gotten a pass on the need to maintain their bodies, while men always have, said Robert Morea, a personal fitness trainer. (Full disclosure: my own.) It would be too much, he added, to suggest that “potbellies are suddenly O.K.,” but as lean muscle and functionality become the new gym mantras, hypertrophied He-Men with grapefruit biceps and blister-pack abs have come to resemble specimens from a diorama of “A Vanished World.”

“When do you ever see that guy, anyway?” Mr. Morea asked, referring to those legendary Men’s Health cover models, with their rippling torsos and famished smiles. “The only time you really see that guy, he’s standing in front of an Abercrombie & Fitch store.” Perhaps, he suggested, there is really only one of them. “It’s the same guy. They just move him around.”

The New York Times

The Story of Oxygen

2009-08-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

This amazing video is made as a thesis product of Christopher Hendryx studying in Ringling College of Art + Design. The video is about the story of Oxygen (the element) and how it interacts with other elements in a schoolyard setting.

Oxygen from Christopher Hendryx on Vimeo.

For more, visit Particle Art.

Source

This is a witty light

2009-08-25T08:00:00.001-07:00

Why? Because this lamp is designed like an eraser:

See?

Steffen Kehrle and Julia Landsield are the talented brains behind the Erasing Darkness lighting system. Designed for Moree, the light of the Erasing Darkness was apparently too bright, hence why the duo decided to literally block it somehow. The idea was brought to reality by covering the object that was replicating the look of a push-out eraser with a paper cover that not only adds to the chic factor it also adds a nice shade around. It comes with energy saving bulbs that deliver great light, as for the paper thing, you shouldn’t be too worried as the system is actually crafted from aluminum.

Source

Book cases made out of...books?

2009-08-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

I have a question: If you're a book-lover, would you use the books as shelves? If not (combined with a shiver), you can probably make them out of blocks, paint them over. Or print out a sticker, then stick on the wooden block.

This would be the most practical way if you want to make book-shelf-themed sofas (look picture above). The frying pan is a nice touch though.

Note: I finally figured out how to put pictures, and links using the office computer. Yay~ I can now do regular posts (which is good because my backlog list is starting to piling up).

Source: Dornob.com

Erratum and some updates

2009-08-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

On my last entry about the open forum held in UP, I captioned some items from Seedsop's blog:

"He [GM Zyn] made it a point to say that "cosplay is a hobby, if you get paid to do it then you're not a cosplayer but a model."

Instead of GM Zyn, it's supposed to be Robert Wong. I'm going to make a change once I get home (because of this computer's limitations. Explanation further along this entry). Thanks to Seedsop for the correction.

Moving on...

I finally figured out how to adjust the pictures width so that it will fit on the layout. Before, the picture looks like it was chopped unceremoniously on its right side.

All the pictures have been edited to fit the layout.

Second, the reason why I'm not posting as much as I'm supposed to be. Office computer refused to open blogger.com for reasons too technical for this entry (and for my understanding), and the home pc is well...weird.

But I already made a list of idea topics that you may be interested in, so I'll be posting some of them this week.

Thank you.

First Philippine Cosplay Mini Summit and Open Forum

2009-08-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

Held last August 15, 2009, a Saturday, in UP ITTC. Here are some excerpts from Seedsop's reaction blog about the forum:

"The open forum was an opportunity for the government to have a better understanding of what cosplay is and what it is all about. This was perhaps in a way for our community and the subculture in general to let our government have a glimpse of what we are like in the midst of continuous negative sentiment from various government officials.

"He [Robert Wong] made it a point to say that "cosplay is a hobby, if you get paid to do it then you're not a cosplayer but a model.

"I [Seedsop] see it as well as an art form as well and a way to express oneself and a reflection of one's creativity as well. But I have to disagree with him in saying that people getting paid to cosplay are not cosplayers anymore but are models. Just because a cosplayer was paid for his services, does not necessarily make him or her less of a cosplayer. In fact there are cosplayers here that have been asked to do appearances and were paid either in kind or in some small monetary value. Are they considered models already? How about cosplay cafes? There are employees there that are actual cosplayers but get paid to dress up as a maid, butler or some other character. Does that make them less of a cosplayer, too?

"As I [Seedsop] continued to listen to the government point persons, I noticed a consistency in their answers. They showed a certain interest as this was unfamiliar territory but would give vague answers and did not promise anything but research about it more. Typical of the government, really but I can also see why. Here's a bunch of people who have only heard about cosplay just recently and don't know about our subculture. You can't expect us to make changes when we don't know what changes are needed. Just like Commissioner Ibrahim asked, "How can we help you?"

Seedsop also pointed some possible advantages of cosplay here in the Philippines: one, it could be a venue for trade and commerce since conventions showcases shops selling knick-knacks imported and locally made; second, "cosplay could also be promoted as an form of art and expression of our culture."

Cosplay in the Philippines and a possible government support has too many sides to react as of the moment. There is also the question of the definition of cosplay in relation to the Philippine setting, and it's probable impact and contribution locally.

What do you think of cosplay as an art-form? Would the government CAN help this budding endeavor of today's youth?

Note: Edited

How Eiffel Tower is built.

2009-08-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

I was browsing through some image sites, and I discovered this (and I'm happy that they included building plans on the pictures).

Click here

Either it's an eyesore or a symbol of France, we could all agree that Eiffel Tower had made its mark all over the world.

Enjoy!

Wall Graphics

2009-08-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

Wall graphics are mostly printed on a vinyl sticker and mounted directly to the wall or through a PVC foam board. Inks are normally mild solvent for higher resolution prints and less unwanted odors. Some are sprayed with a liquid based coating for protection while others are laminated using thin clear plastic sticker.

Advantages:
a. Perfect for people who love personalizing their spaces on a regular basis; or live in an apartment but doesn't want to go through the hassle of redecorating
b. Perfect for offices to give a creative touch.
c. Giving shops or stalls a creative pop.

With all the options to choose from, what would be the cheapest way of having a wall mural? Here’s a list to consider:

Graphics – since we are talking about wall, then we’d probably be imagining a relatively big space. Big space would require a reasonably big resolution to get better looking graphics. Ask for an experienced graphic artist to do the design for you so as to maximize the effectiveness of your wall graphics. In designing, don’t forget to consider tables or modules that would cover the graphics when installed.

Surface Finish – if your walls are roughly painted, your service provider will recommend to install the sticker on a PVC foam board before installing to your wall. A good shiny surface will do away with additional cost.

Coating – if the wall to be installed is exposed to heavy traffic, a plastic lamination is suggested to protect the graphics. For light to moderate traffic areas, your graphics can last with just a sprayed topcoat.

Inkjet process – there are a lot of ways to print wall graphics and the cheapest would be a solvent based inkjet printing. Solvent-based are typically used for outdoor or a relatively far distance viewing while mild-solvent give you a higher resolution printing or sharper looking images but a little bit expensive than the regular solvent-based printing. If your graphics wouldn’t demand details, ask for a regular solvent-based printing.

Installation – do not attempt to install it yourself if size is more than 10 square feet. Otherwise you’ll end up ordering another one. Let the experienced installer do their thing. Anyway, if they damage it, they’ll replace it without any charge.

I think it is locally available, but I don't know which stores offer this. It's an interesting idea, especially if you like to have a touch of creativity in your room.

Sources:

Springwise.com
Graphicstar
Freshome

Amazing treehouses~

2009-08-14T23:31:00.000-07:00

If I am destined to have a house, the one with a backyard, I would love to have trees on em. And, killing two birds with one stone, have a tree house too. I prefer not too big, just cozy and sturdy enough. One good thing about treehouses is that they're bound to be cool under the shade.

Here are some awesomely designed treehouses. Enjoy!

Source here for more pictures.

Paint Tool SAI Mai trial colored pic DONE!

2009-08-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Two things I'm ecstatic about this program:

1. You can blend colors!

2. The Water Tool.

Depends on how hard you press your pen on the tablet, it will give you different weights of that color. Also, when you apply a color on or right next to a different color on the same layer, it looked like the colors blending.

When it comes to coloring, I prefer the BRUSH TOOL. But if I want some details (like the lines on the broom bristles), or defining a dark shade, like, let's say a crease on clothing, I use the PEN TOOL. The Brush tool allows you to blend the colors nicely, like you're painting on a canvass.

Second, the Water tool. Well, it blends two colors together. Kind of. I'm not sure yet as to how it works (and why I saw too late that there are other Water tools), but I used it to smoothen two different colors together.

Therefore, the drawing.

This character I did when I was still studying in Miriam College. A character from a manga I was trying to finish--until I wasn't able to start on Volume 3. Her name is Mai Halesport.

Enjoy~!

And so I commenceth

2009-08-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hm. I wonder if I used that right. You know, the word "commenceth."

Anyway, sometime before, a friend introduced me to Paint Tool Sai and at first I wasn't sure what to do with it. I was pretty homey with Adobe Photoshop, and it was that time where I don't have time at all.

But today, I had a go with it--and it was fantastic!

First of all, it was light weight, and the version I got was the portable one (and I'm a fan of portables). I was only able to play around with the pen tool because I didn't have enough time to color it. Don't worry. That is my next agenda.

Here is something I drew using the pen tool of the program (pardon me if it's a little too big).

I still haven't adjusted to its layout, but I think I did okay with this one. We'll see how this one turn out.