Jeff Mack Designs custom built a walnut and epoxy conference table that looks normal at first, but place a smartphone or other Qi-enabled wireless charging device on the lightning bolt, and it starts charging. “We wanted to have a subtle detail marking where the wireless chargers were and this is how it turned out!,” said Jeff. Read more for a video of it in-action.
Photo credit: Brent Walter
Auto enthusiast Brent Walter transformed an original 1971–1973 Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle into two functional motorbikes, called “Volkspod”. They’re powered a 79cc (birch green) and 212cc (pastel blue) Volkswagen engines and the frame has been modified to include a functional headlight and taillight systems. No performance numbers were mentioned, but on a related note, the original 25 hp Beetle was designed for a top speed around 100 km/h (62 mph). Read more for a video and additional information.
Designed by Poland-based Wojciech Morsztyn, the Ocean Community is basically a luxurious, solar-powered floating house, with the main goal to extend a city’s coastline. These structures would float no more than 800 meters from the city’s coastline, meaning that its residents would easily be able to commute back and forth. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: The Agency
The Allosaurus (different lizard) is a carnivorous theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 155 to 145 million years ago during the late Jurassic period. This large bipedal predator had a large skull equipped with dozens of sharp, serrated teeth. Its body averaged 31-feet in length, though fragmentary remains suggest it could have reached over 39-feet. The last place you’d probably expect to find an Allosaurus skeleton is a giant mansion in Beverly Hills. Read more for additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Related Oxford
Hudson Yards announced earlier this week that Edge, the Western Hemisphere’s highest outdoor observation deck, is set to open on March 11, 2020 offering the public the opportunity to see and experience NYC like they never have before. This structure pierces the sky at a soaring 100 floors from its record-setting height of 1,131 feet, with expansive views of The City, Western New Jersey and New York State spanning up to 80 miles. Visitors will be able to enjoy varying levels of thrill including leaning over the city up against the angled glass walls to stepping all the way out onto the glass floor or taking in the view on the outdoor skyline steps from the 100th to 101st floor. Read more for two videos, additional pictures and information.
Google’s digital wellbeing experiments hope to help people find a better balance with technology, and they’ve done so through five experimental apps that promotes technology to assist the user in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. One of the most interesting things they launched was a printable Paper Phone, which lets you take a break from the digital world by printing a personal booklet of the key information you’ll need that day. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Photo credit: Darren Britton
If you were one of the first 2,000 people to pre-order a Google Pixel 4 in the UK, a cereal box probably showed up at your doorstep. This isn’t your typical supermarket cereal box though, as the front lists some of the smartphone’s new features, most notably the upgraded camera, complete with astrophotography functions, and Motion Sense. Apparently, you also get unlimited Google Photos storage. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Jordi Koalitic via Peta Pixel
Photographer Jordi Koalitic from Barcelona is known for “creative photography,” and not just for the locations, but rather how he creates the shot. To be more specific, he uses practical effects, or a special effect produced physically, without computer-generated imagery or other post production techniques. This could range from using simple objects to photographing things from unusual angles. Read more for a video compilation and additional information.
Matt Thompson, a professional woodworker from Michigan, is known for his wacky creations, including a beer-dispensing Adirondack chair, but his latest project may be the most unique of all. Simply put, it’s a wooden Rube-Goldberg-inspired chair that not only massages the back, but can even pour you a glass of wine. For those who don’t know what a Rube-Goldberg machine is, it’s basically one designed to perform a simple task in an indirect and overly complicated way. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: Nicolas Boullosa
Former photojournalist Dan Price decided to leave his career and live underground in rural Oregon, and he’s been there for over 20 years with no interest in returning to the hustle and bustle. Simply put, he was worn out from the never-ending rat-race in 1990, and had an epiphany after reading a 1974 book called Payne Hallow about the simple lifestyle. Read more for a tour of his humble abode and additional information.