They’re not steampunk.  They’re not sculptures. They’re not just lamps. They’re certainly not modern.  So what are they?  They’re steel and brass original machine lights, hand-crafted out of 200 parts. Frank Buchwald, a designer and manufacturer of furniture, lights and objects lives and works out of Berlin Germany, and is by all means, lighting it up.  http://www.frankbuchwald.de/custom-made/index_eng.html

They’re calling it a polar umbrella. It’s an incredibly aggressive design for the future, based on the bleak reality that the ice caps are melting, at an alarmingly hyper rate. So there’s actually something we can do beyond minimize CO output?  Well that’s the concept. The umbrellas would also feature helipads, observation catwalks, research facilities, solar panels and underwater eco-habitats.  Now that’s architecture.

The Future of Space(ships).  To be technical, this is a crewed, suborbital and orbital vertical take-off, horizontal landing lifting-body spaceplane. In layman’s terms, it’s a spaceship.  It’s been in the works for 10 years and its primary purpose is transportation to and from The International Space Station.  Dream Chaser is set for launch in 2013.  The Truth is Out There.  Way Out There.

Finally, researchers have come up with a way for us to type up our annual reports while sipping on a cup of coffee, without moving a single muscle.  Scientists have invented a mind reading device that allows anyone to type words and phrases with pure brainpower.  Using functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI for short), the brain typing system analyzes hemodynamic responses in the brain.  Simply look at the letters projected on a screen, think about what you want to say, and he machine takes care of the rest, typing what you think in real time.  Now, time to get your mind out of the gutter. 

Raised in a family of doctors and formally educated as a painter, Alessandro Brighetti finds himself and his work helplessly drawn towards the fields of arts and science. Initially channeling this keen interest through works reminiscent of petri dish experiments and cellular dissections, Brighetti’s work has since evolved to include a range of chemically enhanced sculptures.

At least fifty calves and three human beings are living with no pulse in their bodies, thanks to an artificial pump that replaced their naturally-grown hearts. Doctors Bud Frazier and Billy Cohn devised the artificial organ, and it can completely replace a heart and provide a continuous flow of blood throughout a body without recreating a pulse.

Like the Godfather, the second part of the interactive Scale of the Universe by Cary Huang is even better than the first one. Prettier, with more information, and smoother. You can click here to enjoy being reminded of your mortality and insignificance.

It’s basically a space arachnid on roller skates.  The All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (aptly titled Athlete) follows its kin, Spirit and Opportunity, into the outer limits of Deep-Space Rover design.  The difference is, massive in scale and with articulated legs, ATHLETE has the ability to float, jump, crawl, drill, and a host of other reconnaissance and exploration based technology, all of which you operate as an avatar. 

Vascular Cambium and Lateral Meristem?   Anyone?  Okay, terms only Dendrochronologists (tree ring daters) would recognize.  This is wildly unfamiliar terminology to many, but Bartholomaus Traubeck has found a way to decode the tree’s story, through the age-old medium of music.  If a tree falls in the forest, does the other tree hear it?  Traubeck says yes.

(Source: treehugger.com)

One man’s catastrophe is another man’s art form.  Eyal Gever started his career as an Israeli Para-trooper, but due to health concerns, transitioned to a desk job, becoming a CGI maestro.  Now, inspired by various disasters, and printed on a $300k printer, he transforms tragedy into innovative “ultra-design.”