David Lidsky's Blog, page 4866

Apple's iPad Disrupting the Network TV Business Model? I'd Buy That for a Dollar!

The iTunes pricing debate is be getting hotter, as the iPad's launch date approaches, with news that networks are wary of Apple's lower price plans. The TV industry's following the music and publishing biz here...will things be different this time?

According to a piece in the The New York Times, the discussions between Apple and the TV networks, aiming to get more content into the iTunes media store in time for the extremely media-friendly iPad's arrival, are stuck on one main point: price...

Man Made Music Tells Sonic Stories With a Little Help from Grammy Winners

It's one thing to pen a jingle. "I'm telling stories," says Joel Beckerman, the award-winning founder and President of Man Made Music. The idea is that sounds--from the lowliest chime to the most intricate composition, like Beckerman's rework of the NBC Nightly News theme with its original award-winning composer John Williams--evoke emotions and memories and help create narratives.

Beckerman's done that by connecting the Black Eyed Peas and their so-bad-it's-unforgettable "I Gotta Feeling...

Vitra Unveils Its Stunning New Museum Designed by Herzog & deMeuron

The German furniture-maker maker adds another jewel to its starchitect-studded corporate campus.

The Vitra campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, is already a mecca for contemporary architecture, featuring a design museum by Frank Gehry, a conference center by Tadao Ando, and another building on the way by SANAA. And they've just finished what might be the greatest of them of them all: a new building, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, to showcase the company's home-furniture...

The BBC's Great White Elephant--How New Media Buildings Rapidly Become Old Media

One of the things that makes me proud to be British is the good old BBC. As well as providing the nation with ad-free TV, radio and Internet, the Beeb, or Auntie, as it is nicknamed, also broadcasts around the world, providing news in 31 languages. To paraphrase the AA, some of its listeners probably regard it as the fourth emergency service--especially if they're listening in a politically unstable country. The fact that it brought us Blackadder and David Attenborough is proof of its...

Inspired Ethonomics: Portland, a Global Model of Transit-Oriented Development

Portland, Oregon, is consistently ranked as one of the country's most livable cities (and it was a Fast City in 2007). And it continues to show solid growth despite having the second lowest per capita transit spending of the 28 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. A system of trains, streetcars, buses, and aerial trams give the city one of the most diverse transportation portfolios in the world. In this episode of e2, we find out how have city planners integrated transportation planning into...

The Origami MP3 Player Does Not Come Preloaded with M.I.A's "Paper Planes," Ben Folds

A concept for a device that you control by folding.

Designed by Jun Pyo Kim, Keun Sol Kim, Sung Mi Kang & Joo Hee Park, this MP3 player's interface design does away with all the buttons. Instead, there's a single hinge down the center. To play, you fold it halfwise, to form your standard play icon. To fast forward, you slide on layer slightly forward--thus making the fast-forward icon.

To rewind, you simply flip it over:

Maybe not the most practical design--and perhaps too gimmicky to...

Nike Innovation: Cleats to Hoops Pads to the "Chalkbot"

Its once ubiquitous pitchman Tiger Woods may be laying low these days, but Nike continues to shine with a winning array of inventive shoes, clothing and retails stores, clever customization tools, and compelling green solutions. Here are the 2009 highlights from No. 13 on our Most Innovative Companies list.

The Fascinating and Bizarre Works of MVRDV

No one has better embraced a progressive ideal for our urban future than Dutch design firm MVRDV. Its radical designs comfortably and sustainably fit as many people in as little space as possible. In the past 18 months, the 50-architect firm has been winning design competitions, getting projects green-lighted, and breaking ground on its urban climbing utopias, meaning the rest of the world is finally catching up to its way of thinking.

What the ARM M4 Chip Means for Your Fridge, Microwave, and Breadmaker

ARM's just pulled the veil off its Cortex M4 low-power microcontroller CPUs. They're tiny, super-smart, and they might just be responsible for making your next refrigerator or dryer a much more eco-friendly machine.

I just did a quick count of how many CPUs are in devices I can see without moving from my office chair. It's nine, and I'm probably missing a few: Some are in my laptop and iPhone, of course, but many are in things you wouldn't necessarily think about--like the DSLR on my desk...

Infographic of the Day: Curling Explained (FINALLY)

At last, someone makes sense out of the weirdest sport of the Winter Olympics.

If you've been following the Winter Olympics at all, you've probably seen a little bit of curling--and you've probably been totally baffled by it, as well. Finally, The Times of London has produced an infographic, designed by Ciaran Hughes, which explains the sport (full-size version here):

The key to remember is that you only get points for the stones you throw that end up closer to the bull's eye than all of...