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September 30, 2006
Allerca Cat
Cat allergy sufferers rejoice because a biotech company called Allerca have finally begun selling their long awaited Allerca cat.
These are the world's first hypo-allergnic cats. Now you may think it all sounds creepy but rest assured, these cats aren't some lab experiment grown in test tubes. Quite simply, the company has identified the gene that triggers allergies. By screening and breeding only cats who have the genes missing were they able to carefully create a new cat that doesn't carry the gene at all.
Aside from its biotech origins, the Allerca cat is assured to be as healthy as any pedigree. They are loving, energetic, and very expensive. At $4,000 a pop and a year long wait list already, the company can hardly breed enough of the kitties to go around. So if you have cat allergies but love furry little felines, go ahead and put yourself on the wait list. For you non-allergy sufferers, save yourself the money and go adopt a cat. There are many that need homes.
via slash gear
Posted by tranism at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Sleepypod
By far the best looking pet carrier I've seen. Sleepypod by meowme is the perfect place for your cat or small dog to sleep and travel in - much more comfortable than a hard crate. The outer shell is made of ballistic nylon. Inside you'll find a nylon covered foam bed with an optional heating pad. Your pet sleeps in a plush washable shearling bed. The dome can be removed or zipped open just for a peek-a-boo. The shoulder strap completes the package; heavily padded to make transport comfortable for pet owners.
At 17" in diameter and made from such high quality materials, not to mention smart looking, it's a steal at only $200. Somebody really needs to buy me one.
Posted by tranism at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 27, 2006
I Don't MySpace, I Wallop
Software giant Microsoft is not content with being left behind in this age of online social networks and blogging so instead of buying up established networks like Friendster and MySpace (both of which have already been bought by other companies), they went out and created their own.
The service is called Wallop - and as they put it; "discover an exclusive social experience like no other". So let's dissect its features, shall we?
For one, the design is slick. It uses almost every arbitrary web 2.0 design rule; glassy interfaces, big type, lots of rounded edges, and icons. Throw in a bit of Windows Vista and you pretty much can picture what Wallop looks like, or you can click on the image above to see a bigger version. Overall it puts MySpace and Friendster to shame. Just like the aforementioned, Wallop lets you keep and organize a list of friends, blog and store photos. However, it goes a few steps beyond by allowing you to share music, web links and features a fully integrated chat module (we'll get into what modules are later) and email system. The most important feature is customization.
People LOVE to deck out their MySpace and Friendster pages. Unfortunately, most of them have no design sense or coding skills so pages end up bloated, bogged down, and left looking like some rudimentary web design 1.0 class project. This is where Microsoft's strength weighs in. The interface looks like a desktop application. Every component (friend's list, pictures, music, blog, web links, chat) lives in a widget like window. So in essence, you basically have a computer desktop environment where you can change the desktop background and re-skin all the modules or widgets. This allows everyone to personalize their page without compromising on functionality. The friend's sorting feature seems particularly interesting. It allows you to group your friends into different communities, i.e. family, work friends, drinking buddies, ex-b/f's, etc. Each group and each person sprawls lines to other people they know or are connected to. It's sort of a visual diagram of the 6 degrees of separation theory. There's a lot more to it but with those features, it makes your ordinary friends lists look antiquated.
Wallop is devoid of advertisement banners but features a new system for people and companies to make money by creating cool widgets or modules and selling them thru what they call the Wallop Modder Network.
Wallop looks to be a fully fledged online social community that addresses many of the issues with current communities. The service is beta right now and accepting new members by invitations only, sorta like what Google did with their mail service. With Microsoft as it's daddy, I'm sure we'll see tons more features and services launched once the site goes public. For now, enjoy MySpace and Friendster because Wallop may just be the next big thing in online social communities.
Posted by tranism at 1:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
September 26, 2006
Order of the Phoenix
The movie is in its final stages of production. July seems so far away. I don't know if I can wait. I'm tempted to read the 5th book over again to try and quell my anxiousness. Fortunately, some images direct from the upcoming movie were just released and it's looking HOT. Harry looks HOT. Hermione looks HOT. Ron looks HOT. Did I mention Harry is lookin' HOT?
I did however imagine Dolores Umbridge to be portlier but other than that, they got her character spot on.
you'll see what I mean after the jump
bigger versions of the pictures here
Dumbledore's Army. Man, this is the first time I've REALLY REALLY wanted to be in a gang.
Posted by tranism at 3:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
September 25, 2006
Theories: Harry Potter Book 7
So after attending a Harry Potter Read & Discussion group, I've come away with some amazing eye openers in regards to what might happen in the final book of the series. If you haven't read the Harry Potter books, then all this will sound like crazy talk to you. And yes, I know I am a nerd for attending a Read & Discussion group. Now, here are my theories.
Dumbledore is dead. His portrait appears in the Headmaster's Chamber. As a portrait figure, he isn't all there but he is available to encourage Harry and members of the Order.
Severus Snape was (is still) in love with Harry's mother Lily. He was not aware that his secret work for Voldemort would lead to her death and out of that regret, he left the Death Eaters, came to Hogwarts and became a member of the Order.
Snape and Dumbledore had their own unbreakable vow, at which time, Snape is supposed to kill Dumbledore. Dumbledore's plea could be viewed not as a plea for his life, but a plea for Snape to follow thru with what they promised to each other.
Malfoy repents and turns against the Death Eaters and ends up helping Harry, Hermione and Ron. I think it's important for Rowling to show that even in the darkest and eviliest of deeds, one can turn their lives around and change.
Harry, Hermione and Ron will all survive and the three of them learn how to destroy Voldemort's horcruxes without killing Harry, with whom Voldemort shares his blood with. This involves the use of "ancient magic" or powers based in love and loyalty - the exact kind that Voldemort has no power, fight, or defense against.
The two prophecies broken in addition to the main one during the battle in the Ministry are actually clues to the death of Voldemort and victory of Harry. The prophecies speak of all ending after the solstice and none other following after all is said and done.
Harry's invisibility cloak is more than meets the eye and although they are rare to begin with, Harry's is much more special. The cloak might be a key item in helping Harry and crew find the horcruxes.
In a major battle, we see Hagrid and Neville cut down. These characters are so loved by readers that it sets up the perfect scenario to pull at your heart strings before the final battle. Despite devastating losses, Harry, Hermione and Ron must persist.
Harry's scar is actually the last and final horcrux. Harry is prepared to sacrifice himself in order to make sure Voldemort is defeated, but out of the love and bond he has with Hermione and Ron - they actually create a new spell (which is the hallmark of great Wizards) to remove the scar from Harry's head.
Hermione and Ron finally hook up and confess their love to each other. Hermione moves on to become one of the greatest Witches of all time. Ron finds the confidence that he's always wanted and finds peace with his family, whom all have survived and even reconciled with Percy. Harry finally finds peace with his parent's death and we learn all of his family on the magical side is not dead; we learn that Aunt Petunia is actually a Squib. Thru all his experiences, Harry finally becomes what we've been waiting to see happen - a man.
What do you Potter fans think? Got your own theories? Please share it!
Posted by tranism at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
September 22, 2006
Unorthodox Taxidermy
Dr. Seuss was more than some silly book about weird characters that spoke in a hypnotic rhythmic rhyme. First and foremost, Seuss was an artist. Even today, his art stands to be unique and instantly recognizable.
During the 30's, Seuss started to explore mediums beyond two dimensional drawings. Coupled with his esoteric nature, he created sculptures made from real animal parts called the Unorthodox Collection of Taxidermy.
Most of them are sold out but they are beautiful to say the least. I wish I could afford one.
Posted by tranism at 1:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
September 20, 2006
Message Bean
An ordinary bean turned into a memorable gift called Message Beans. The bean is carefully etched in such a way that when the bean germinates and sprouts into a miniature plant, your etched in message appears, i.e., "love you".
Ready to grow in its own canister, all you need to do is add water. Pretty neat gift I thought.
Posted by tranism at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 16, 2006
Zune Zune Zune
There's PLENTY of news out about Microsoft's Zune player, Zune store, Zune platform. People who know me know I'm an admitted iPod fan. The iPod's design is beautiful and functional and Apple's created a great platform for the iPod to exist on; the iTunes store.
So now Microsoft has its own platform and the Zune seems to be addressing all the problems other MP3 players have, while one-upping the iPod. But I already have some issues with the player.
The design is hideous. I don't know if Microsoft or the Zune's manufacturer Toshiba designed it, but it's a horribly dated design. Toshiba's Gigabeat is heads and shoulder a better design study both aesthetically and functionally. I don't understand the desire to frame the screen in another color. Don't they understand when you have a screen bleeding flush into the edge, it actually looks bigger? The scroll wheel isn't even a scroll wheel. It's a directional pad like those you might find on a game controller. A HUGE design no-no is to imitate design but not functionality. If I see a wheel, I instinctually want to be able to scroll. Perhaps they should have used a 4-way directional pad like the Gigabeat, since that's what it really is. Now I want to go back to the screen. Some would have you believe that Zune's screen is widescreen, but it's not. It's the same 4:3 aspect ratio found on the iPod and the same exact resolution, just turned sideways.
Microsoft's decision to use Wifi instead of Bluetooth is also another boo-boo. There's no way the battery life on that thing can sustain music, movies, and wireless transfers for more than 3.5 hours, unless Microsoft has some magic battery and since they refuse to release official battery life numbers, it leaves me wondering. The official battery life estimates are 12 hours for music playback and 3.5 hours for video. Just as a note, the 30 gig iPod does 15/6 and the 80 gig iPod does 20/4.
But I will say their packaging is nice. Apparently the days of a gazillion screencaps, stickers, text blurbs and logos on Microsoft products have missed the Zune factory because the box is clean and def. stands out. I for one am Happy Microsoft has finally entered for foray. If anything it pushes Apple to better their design and services. The future of MP3 players looks good.
Posted by tranism at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
September 13, 2006
Blog Upgrades (NOW WITH DIGG!)
We're upgrading some of our blog components, come back in a few hours!
So electro^plankton is slowly inching its way towards a web 2.0 redesign. I thought it best to start by adding in new features and one of the things I love most is social bookmarking. I'm an avid user of Stumble and digg. Unfortunately Stumble is browser dependent so until that service becomes more universal, I'm integrating digg into this blog.
From now on, if you see a post you like and want to share with the digg community, just click on the little digg guy. Remember, digging for stuff you think is cool not only makes you the envy of the digg community but also helps electro^plankton.
For those that don't know what digg is; it's a social bookmarking network. You sign-up for a free digg account and you along with millions of other digg users are constantly submitting content you dig. If other people dig it as well, your post rises to the top of digg's ranking, upping your stats as a "cool finder" and sending all those digg users thirsty for cool content to very thankful websites for the traffic.
More features will be added in due time. ENJOY!
Posted by tranism at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 6, 2006
Meet The Robinsons
The newly reformed Disney Feature Animation studio's first project called Meet The Robinsons is already reaping the know-how of its new head, Pixar's John Lasseter. The project began before the merger but already, Lasseter wants to make sure the project is a huge success. Although not a Pixar creation, it's been reported that Lasseter has given his input regarding one of Disney's biggest weaknesses - storytelling.
These new images are really exciting. The style is great, with the slightly muted colors, art deco influence, and 30's era sharp angles. I so hope it delivers!
via Jim Hill Media
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 5:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
September 5, 2006
Atomic Ballroom
Nike Savvas’s installation is part of an exhibition which features the innovative ways in which contemporary artists uses form, color and space. Thousands of suspended polystyrene balls are held in place by a nylon wire that runs across the room in a grid.
Occasionally a set of industrial fans blow across the room and puts the the whole spectrum into a wobbling craziness that eventually settles down into one coherent bobbing in time.
A pretty stimulating piece to stare at I'd imagine, though to me this immediately appeared to be the ballroom at ikea flown into space. Wouldn't it be so fun to play in it!
More pictures after the jump.
via MoCo Loco
Posted by diverseawareness at 1:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 4, 2006
Crocodile Hunter Gone?
He's gone guys, he's really gone. I still can't believe it. I've always placed him in this elite category of celebs that'll never go away like Elvira. He wasn't even killed by a croc! There's just something wrong about that. Instead, he was killed by one of the most serene and quiet animals in nature; a stingray. I guess his luck finally ran out. He was only 44.
Posted by tranism at 5:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
September 3, 2006
Mongol Wolf Hunters
Mongolians have fascinated me ever since I was a kid. In almost every Asian culture - be it Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese - there are stories written about the warrior people of Asia. The nomadic horseman from the steppes, conquering all - who's culture was so wrapped in their environments and the animals they shared it with. It then doesn't surprise me to see modern Mongolians, still living the nomadic life, still working with some of the world's most dangerous and beautiful animals.
First we look at the Wolf Hunters of the steppes. This particular group of Mongols are raised with Asian falcons, training them since birth. The wolf provides much needed fur and meat for a people constantly on the move. As with most native people, they hunt only what they need. The concept of surplus and excess escapes them.
images via Holott
more photos after the jump
Posted by tranism at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Mongol Reindeer Riders
When I first saw these images, they sparked my imagination. I've asked many of my nordic friends if it were possible to ride these magnificent creatures. Most said no because they're not domesticated like horses. Although Siberian reindeers vary greatly from their Scandinavian cousins, it's an exciting prospect nonetheless.
This particular Mongol tribe domesticates reindeers along with horses because these people live further north. Mongolia is a land trapped between hot and cold seasons. The blistering desert can suddenly become frozen tundra within months. Reindeers are hardier and can trespass the tundra a lot better than horses. They are also incredibly strong and make a powerful weapon in keeping other wild animals away. I mean, if I saw a bunch of riders on reindeers, I think I'd run for my dear life.
I wonder is Santa Claus knows what his deers are doing during their off-peak season.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)