David Lidsky's Blog, page 4869

Close Encounters With the Space-Age Restaurant at the Center of LAX

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Back in the '90s (not the 1890s), we were asked by Eddie Sotto at Walt Disney Imagineering to help out with the design of the Encounter Restaurant. This restaurant is in the Theme Building at LAX; the building in the center of the airport that looks like a giant flying saucer. Recently the entire building was renovated and
the scaffolding that's shrouded its spider-like legs will soon be removed for first time in almost two years.

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I have no idea why it's called the Theme Building. If it...

The Winter Olympics Uniform Review: Part Deux

Ok, now that the games are in full swing and the official team uniforms have been exposed to millions around the world, it's time to sharpen the pencils at the judge's table. I must admit some of my earlier concerns have been dashed as I've had the chance to see more official team attire, particularly for Team USA.

How hot is that luge suit? These guys have to be the closest thing we have to "no-fear, hell bent on a need for speed" hot rodders. So, how better to suit them than with a...

Norman Foster on the Big Screen

Filmmakers Norberto López-Amado and Carlos Carcas release their documentary on the British architect.

There's a new architecture documentary of Norman Foster out, adding the British architect to the movie-star ranks of Rem Koolhaas, Frank Gehry, and Louis Kahn. From the looks of it, though, it's closer to The Third and the Seventh--beautiful, sure, with slow, majestic panning shots, but oh so deadly serious. Is that a problem?

Directed by Norberto López-Amado and Carlos Carcas, How Much...

Got Spare Juice in Your Electric Car? Sell It Back to the Grid, Earn Cash

Electric cars have huge batteries inside ... and as a demo of a converted Toyota Scion xB has just shown, one day you may be able to earn cash by selling spare electricity stored here back to the grid in times of shortage.

The vehicle was shown at annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science just yesterday, having been put together by researches keen to demonstrate the "vehicle to grid" or V2G concept. Essentially it doubles the car's utility in terms of...

Got Spare Juice in Your Electric Car? Sell it Back to the Grid, Earn Cash

Electric cars have huge batteries inside ... and as a demo of a converted Toyota Scion xB has just shown, one day you may be able to earn cash by selling spare electricity stored here back to the grid in times of shortage. 

The vehicle was shown at annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science just yesterday, having been put together by researches keen to demonstrate the "vehicle to grid" or V2G concept. Essentially it doubles the car's utility in terms of...

Infographic of the Day: What's Your Social Currency?

Data pulled from the website Where's George?, which charts the travels of American money, can help reveal hidden patterns of human behavior.

The National Science Foundation just announced the winners of its 2009 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, all of which appear in the latest issue of the journal Science, out today. There are a ton of great photos, illustrations, videos, and graphics among the bunch, including this beauty, an illustration of the forces lung cells exert in...

Hulu Sets Sights on iPad, But It'll Cost You

Hulu and the iPad would seem like a software and hardware combo born in media heaven, but we hadn't heard a peep from Hulu officially on the matter. But now Hulu's kind of confirmed its iPad plans. The trick is, you may have to pay.

The news isn't absolutely concrete, but AllThingsD has heard directly from several insiders inside Hulu's parent companies: Simply put, Hulu would love to serve up its web video content to iPad users. The iPad is expected to be a soaring success, and it's a device...

Waiter, There's Pseudo-Science in My Soup

Campbell's chooses "neuromarketing" over consumer feedback in rebranding its iconic soup cans.

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It's the last thing a designer expects to hear from a client: "Can you make our logo smaller?" But that's exactly what Campbell's has just done. One of the most iconic brands on the shelves, immortalized by Warhol, synonymous with soup, is shrinking its logo. Why? It's neuroscience, stupid.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Campbell's has just unveiled a rebrand of its canned soups, spurred by...

Why You Should Start a Company in… Chicago

It used to be, if you were serious about starting a tech company, you went to Silicon Valley. But emerging entrepreneurial hubs around the country are giving startup aspirants options. In this series, we talk to leading figures in those communities about what makes them tick. Here, part six of our series.

Chicago may lack the crackling energy of other startup hotspots like Seattle, Austin, Boston or Boulder, and its reputation for back-office, white-collar companies such as the former...

Open Source Maps Are Helping the World Bank Save Lives in Haiti

An aid worker from the European Commission holds a PDF printout from OpenStreetMaps.

The humanitarian relief effort underway in Haiti is proving the true potential of open source map building. Don't take my word for it, follow the Tweets and blogs of my friend Schuyler Erle. He's on the ground in Port-au-Prince along with Tom Buckley, a developer of mapmaking program GeoCommons Maker. The pair are advising the World Bank on the use of crowd-sourced mapping, primarily through the open-source...