Spanish-built Tecnilinea Pyramid Liner is a series of clever textured pads that allow you to draw either freehand lines or perfectly square straight lines… freehand. These templates have a small grid of 0.5 milimeter spaced lines through which you run your pen or pencil to make technical drawing almost fun, and certainly a lot faster. I can see potential for more advanced patterns through changing surfaces: perspectives, alignments… physical CAD!

[Via Compradiccion]

And violins. I will just quote a Youtube commenter:

la cremme de la cremme
la puta crema
la fucking shit
for real

They are French and they’re called Birdy Nam Nam.

[Thanks TJ]

The economy of ergonomics (saving through preventing injuries).
The ergonomy of economics (haven’t figured that one out).

A quick google on “ergonomic economy” turns up with articles on the aforesuggested (word!) matter:

“The economy of ergonomic improvements is reported as case studies from four Swedish companies. Poor workplace ergonomics and related musculoskeletal problems were already known and had caused repeated sick- leave periods at these workplaces. Expenses associated with certain preventive activities were accounted for and financial effects were estimated based on interviews with representatives at the companies. When costs were compared to gains, the improvements appeared to be highly profitable.”

[Original Photo]

Halo theme by college teen virtuoso band Corporeal (of 3 guys playing 1 guitar fame) and a few other Halo 3 trailers that make you wish you were had the time to be addicted to videogames.

You can count videogame franchises that have set a decade-lasting standard in their categories with a hand and a half, and while I’m no fan of First Person Shooters, watching the following trailers makes me proudly remember Halo is one of them — I actually played multiplayer Halo 2 for months.

(more…)

What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.

I’m so joining this. And if you happen to have a blog, so should you.

[Via Zen habits]

Compillation of the most stunning gymnastics from the —long gone— era of 10.0 scores.

[Via Inner]

Drak Roasted Blend just posted a compilation of photos of unbelievable cloud formations, good/bad wather thresholds and generally beautiful things that happen in the sky when you’re not there.

Del dicho popular “quien mucho abarca poco aprieta” más su posiblemente válido opuesto “quien mucho aprieta poco abarca”.

In English: “he who much embraces, little squeezes”

As some of you know, I’m colorblind. A colorblind ex-graphic designer to be precise.

I didn’t quit because of my problem identifying most colors —I now actually study car design which is way more critical when it comes to chosing colors— but I inevitably have to start any color composition by picking named colors off Corel Draw’s default palette. Even reading “Light Blue Green” on the status bar makes me feel confident it is indeed a light greenish blue or something like that. Picking colors from a photo or a website is another story, and I have to rely in the pseudoscience of RGB hexadecimal code to decode what a color might actually be.

But today we have tools like Name That Color, a genial (free, open-source) web tool for everybody to check the actual real name of any color and thus the identity it’s been hiding, or select one of the 1500+ preset color names in order to get its RGB code (or just to see how the heck the color wisteria looks like).

Also invaluable for many can be the several color palette generators that generate 5-20 colors based on any photograph, either a url or uploaded. For even more random inspiration, colourlovers.com has tons of custom palettes by users, but if you really want to combine colors yourself, you may want to read some advice.

Now if only all the good brands of markers put actual names of colors on the labels, and not only the bad ones.

De entre las viñetas de El País (periódico español), las de un tal Elrich (.com) se están haciendo un hueco en mis risas a la mismísima altura de Forges. Ésta es la que ha “triggerado” que finalmente lo publique aquí:

LOL indeed.

[This is an actual email sent to my Transportation Design classmates and teachers]

I may have found the ultimate tool for creating the “bubble” or “memo” maps Shook introduced us to in Trans 4 this week; and what’s best, sharing them for active feedback: Bubbl.us That is, hands-on editing by those you choose. The obvious advantages of making the bubble map on this website/program are several:

Z. Automatic arranging and coloring of bubbles by levels.
Y. Manual rearranging of bubbles at any time, both in placement and hierarchy.
X. Shows primary and secondary connections between bubbles distinctively.
W. Shows direction of connections.
V. Option for exporting to high resolution JPEG, perfect for printing any size.

The less obvious but with most potential feature is the ability to share bubble maps with coleagues, and give either read-only or full edit access. The latter, in my opinion, can be especially useful throughout the semester in Trans 4 and I encourage all of you to try it out. Registration is easy through the invitation email I am sending you right after this one. (And no, I don’t get commission or anything from this :))

[Via Download Squad]

I’m tempted to start a new category, Technohuman, for innovative devices that augment our senses or skills in order to produce Superhuman results (really, the Hang Drum should be one of them). Monome, a year-old open source interface system with a grid of highly customizable button-LEDs, is one of them, and the most beautiful application is music.

Two more videos, including interview and demos by one of its creators: (more…)

To me developments in the dance music industry are almost as interesting to follow as as climate change or cars. Fedde Le Grande’s latest tune isn’t a breakthrough, but it does sound like a bit of fresh air. The singing girl with the friendly face, some “Ida Corr“.

[Via BBC Radio 1 Chart Blog]

Antes de “An Inconvenient Truth” y su oposición The Great Global Warming Swindle (tampoco cierto del todo), estaba el oscurecimiento global [wiki], un fenómeno relativamente desconocido que cambiará la perspectiva sobre las causas del cambio climático. Aquí está EL documental:

Hay decenas de teorías sobre el cambio climático basadas en modelos que, por definición, se crean en la búsqueda de un patrón en particular, desde un interés en particular. Éste documental de BBC Horizon de 2005, sin embargo, parece más realista, honesto y neutral sobre un problema —la reducción de la cantidad de luz solar que llega a la superficie de la Tierra— que es tan verdad como es sentido común, y cuya solución (la reducción de la contaminación que ya se está llevando a cabo globalmente), paradójicamente contribuye al calentamiento global. Sí, el oscurecimiento global enfría la Tierra y contrarresta el calentamiento global, de ahí la creciente inestabilidad del clima causada por ambas fuerzas luchando entre sí. Aunque está brillantemente presentado, narrado y respaldado, cuidado con a quién se lo pasáis, que puede dar cierto miedo.

ACTUALIZADO: A continuación, y a la espera de su disponibilidad íntegra, los primeros 12 minutos del documental, en español: (more…)

Starting with a really uplifting, almost new-era, indefinitely playable song, it’s stunning that the official video lives up to it and even improves it, mainly thanks to some amazing but simple choreography. Meanwhile, the live version (below, reason for this post)… Ok I was supposed to go to bed 2 hours ago, as my ability to write at the moment shows Just watch at least one, I promise you won’t regret it.

From the upcoming documentary about The Young @ Heat Chorus. “At an age when most people are either dead or living out their last days in retirement homes, these men and women are up on stage singing their hearts out about the big taboos surrounding old age: about love and sex, loss of youth, loneliness and death. In their mouths, familiar lyrics take on whole new meanings.”

[Via The Documentary Blog]