David Lidsky's Blog, page 4857

Anatomy of Inspiration: Louis Vuitton's Concept Handbags Steal from Prada's Architecture

Why didn't Prada think of this?

These concept designs for Louis Vuitton, created by Dzmitry Samal, are both hypercool and hypermodern, and "inspired by architecture:"

But wait a second! Any fan of architecture and design will recognize that the strappy motif actually appeared previously in Herzog & de Meuron's Bird's Nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics---and, even earlier, in this stunning flagship store for Prada in Tokyo:

The similarities are hard to ignore, right? Which makes you...

Lease a Tesla Roadster, Just $1,658 a Month

If you really want a Tesla Roadster but don't have an extra $111,005 lying around, never fear--you can lease one for just $1,658 a month!

What's more, this could be the first time a car maker has used a planned production hiatus to push sales.

Tesla announced Thursday that it would offer the option to lease the Roadster and Roadster Sport on a three-year, 30,000 mile contract, with $12,453 due at signing. Tesla is the only manufacturer selling an all-electric car in the U.S. The Roadster...

Could the Wondrous Bloom Box Power Your Alt-Fuel Car and Smartphone Too?

Bloom Box has hit the media in a huge way, accompanied with all sorts of fanfare and skepticism. The company's CEO has now appeared to explain some of its scientific secrets, and it may be even cleverer than you've thought.

By now you'll have heard that Bloom Box already has some extremely high-profile first customers, including eBay, and that its claims to be an eco-friendly alternative fuel source that generates electricity with an efficiency of 50% to 55% (beating solar power's 10% to...

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO on Motion Controls and the Year of the PlayStation 3

Jack Tretton, the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, discusses how Sony is reorganizing, the motion-control competition with Microsoft, and how Sony ignored naysayers and found gaming success.

Kevin Ohannessian: Tell me about .

Jack Tretton: The goal there is to have an organization that serves all of the digital platforms at Sony. We invested heavily in creating the PlayStation Network and it does a great job serving Sony Computer Entertainment's business...

Infographic: How Google Quashed Privacy Concerns Over Google Buzz

This graph illustrates the best-case scenario for any crisis manager (and, incidentally, what Toyota did wrong).

Almost immediately after Google Buzz launched, people started raising privacy concerns ("F*ck You, Google"). But Google quickly responded with a series of fixes. So did the PR move work? Yup. Social media monitoring and analytics company Viralheat analyzed thousands of Tweets abotu Buzz, prior to the privacy hubbub and after: 

Basically, Google managed to squash them before...

Advantage #2,137 to Working at Home: You're Napping Right Now (And Better for It)

This week, I was heartened by the news that says that siestas are good for you. Oh, the joy! Researchers at the University of California have discovered that a bit of shut-eye in the middle of the day improves the brain's ability to function in the evening, as it clears the brain's short-term memory, making room for new information. Well, if you'll permit me to quote that great philosopher of the 20th Century, Monica Geller, "I know!"

Although this idea has been kicking around for a couple...

The Case for Handcrafted Social Media (Or Why You Should Stop Auto-Updating Your Feeds)

You follow the same person or company on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz, and every other time you see an update you get déjà vu. You think, "I've seen this before..."--and you have, because they're automatically posting the same content across different social media networks. Piping feeds from one network to another is a zero-effort way to broadcast content, but it also offers minimal returns.

Auto-tweeting a stream of blog headlines with bit.ly links to the full article doesn't invite...

Infographic of the Day: What Health Supplements Are B.S.?

The scientific consensus on everything from vitamin C to ginko biloba.

We're drowning in neutraceuticals, which are unregulated and often make ridiculous health claims--which is probably the key reason why they've become a $23 billion industry.

Which ones actually work? This interactive infographic by the tireless David McCandless lays it all out. Here's a screen-cap of just the top of the chart:

The bubbles show a given supplement, and the health benefit in confers. The higher the bubble...

Breaking: Folks Still Love Booze, That Funny Feeling Inside

Former San Francisco Chronicle columnist and National Treasure Herb Caen called the stuff in his "vitamin V." It was the drink of choice for The Thin Man's boozing sleuths Nick and Nora Charles--he claims that in order to make a proper one requires the right amount of rhythm. And he claimed it rather coherently after drinking six of them! It's simple and classic and it will totally freaky deak you.Has a cocktail ever inspired more rhapsodizing than the martini? No, no it has not. (Absinthe...

The Hummer Is Officially Dead; Let the EV Revolution Commence

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It's official: GM is shutting down its Hummer brand, marking the end of an era for gas-guzzling SUV lovers everywhere. The company made the decision to shut down the brand when a $150 million deal to sell it to Chinese manufacturer Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines fell through.

Unsurprisingly, environmental concerns factored into the decision. The potential buyer couldn't get approval from the Chinese government, which has recently decided to place a priority on saving the...