Netherlands-based Paul de Ruiter Architects has designed a building that isn’t supposed to stand the test of time. In fact, this parking structure is only supposed to last 10 years at least, and 20 at most. It’s a concept to get excited about. As for the Dutch parking structure itself, it’s green in both appearance and construction. That filmy canopy would allow for light to enter the structure, for people inside to see out, and would facilitate natural ventilation. It also uses a heat recovery system that will keep the attendants of the structure warm, as well as the ramps from [...]

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The U.S. government is considering the sale of Plum Island, famous as a site for biological weapons testing and all manner of disease study. It’s home to a defunct government lab, a light house and a beach, but you could easily picture zombies and super soldiers strolling the grounds. The sale of Plum Island, located near Long Island, New York, is being spurred by the government deciding to move its operation to Kansas. The new lab will cost something to the tune of 650 million. The old one? Why, Plum Island could sell for as little as $50 to $80 million, U.S. Rep. Timothy Bishop told the [...]

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Thanks to work being done by a pair of researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratories in Tennessee, something as simple as a webcam could be diagnosing your eyes as well as a trained ophthalmologist. Before we get to that point, however, Ken Tobin, a scientist, and his partner Edward Chaum, an ophthalmologist, have a smaller stepping stone they want to clear. They’ve created a company called Automated Medical Diagnostics (or AMDx) with the aims of provided a nerve center of software for eye exams. Consider this: you go to the doctor because your eye is hurting. [...]

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Boy, something like this would have made class a lot more interesting — and musical. Blair Neal’s “Color a Sound” uses transparent sheets (just like teacher used to use) sliding across an overhead projector to act as sheet music, while the different colors and shapes of markings act as the notes. You control the tempo yourself with a crank, and the projector-boombox can even change to making drum beats for something a little funkier. Check out “Color a Sound” in action in the video below.

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BT intends to launch a touch screen tablet device to compete with Apple’s iPad by next year. The tablet device is not given any name yet. A brief description on BT’s tablet device is given in London at BT’s annual strategy day. No specification and properties of the device is disclosed by the company. But analysts predict that its going to be larger than iPhone and smaller than an iPad in its size and will resemble to the O2 Joggler. The device can be used as phone for answering and receiving calls, for text and voice messages and you can send video messages using it. Ian Livingston [...]

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Look, sometimes you just need to blow a lot of money on something completely stupid. That is the only reason something like this five-foot-tall Gundam figure, created by the official Gundam folks at Bandai, exists. Because, come on. I’m not saying it isn’t a lovely specimen. There was a lot of attention to detail put into making this thing, and it’s pretty awesome. But just remember: it’s not a real robot. That gun doesn’t fire and this guy won’t be protecting you from any evildoers. It’ll just sit in the corner of your room, staring at you, a constant [...]

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When Paul English, the co-founder of travel search engine Kayak.com, says that he has a “big, big project” ahead of him, he’s not kidding. That’s because he’s planning to cover all of Africa with free Wi-Fi, and he wants it to be “completely self-sustaining,” to boot. He aims to bring this about through JoinAfrica, a non-profit/for-profit mishmash that’ll get underway this summer. English himself has already gotten his hands dirty, using the wealth he’s gained from his website’s success to buy satellite dishes and the other equipment [...]

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Kim Jong Il, the “Dear Leader” of North Korea, does not fly when he travels. Instead, he travels around the country in one of six armored trains, stopping at any of the 19 private stations reserved just for him in the country. Not just any trains, either — Kim Jong Il has had them decked out so much that they resemble something like a military command center mixed with a luxury hotel. From the LA Times: Kim’s train is equipped with conference rooms, an audience chamber and bedrooms, with a pair of Mercedes-Benzes on standby, not to mention satellite phone connections and flat-screen [...]

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Sometimes designers create something that is simply too far ahead of its time. That seems too be the case with the Clipper CS-1, a cocoon like workstation which actually dates back to the early ’90s before most of us even used computers. Created for CAD workers, the opaque side screens are supposed to reduce screen reflections while letting plenty of natural light through, but they also provide much better privacy than an open cubicle. Unlike other similar personal workspaces which are designed to work outside, the Clipper simply sits inside an office to give each worker their own sanctuary. Created [...]

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The world is currently head over heels in love with tablets, due in large part to the iPad,but one concept mechanism called The Page offers something many media organizations would probably rather have instead. The concept e-reader would display interactive text, video and images on a foldable grid of paper-like material (something that is actually not far from emerging from many labs). Designed by Jae Kim, the form and function of the media reader is something we are actually likely to see within the next decade or so. You can see video of how The Page concept would operate in reality here. Via [...]

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