Von Braun

We had loads of Braun products. My father was really into them during their heyday. Sadly many things were lost or broken and so they vanished with the years. I still have and use a wonderful Braun Super-8 projector and when I have to buy now consumer products I make sure to check out what Braun has to offer. Since Braun stopped offering entertainment products, the only consistent and typical Braun design can now only be found in their kitchen products.
I wonder if Apple has already seen the new Braun Pocket Shaver, which is a refreshing step forward back to classic Braun. New stuff to rip-off.

The pictures are from various sources I saved over the years. Most can be found in the Dieter Rahm Pool.

It´s More Fun To Cloud-Compute

Back in August of last year I posted about the computerised kinetic sculptures of Joe Gilbertson and the similar, very sophisticated advertising installation at the BMW museum.

IBM has borrowed the same idea for a presentation at this year´s CeBIT fair to explain the concept of "Cloud Computing" in a graphic way. The scale of the presentation is a bit smaller (yes, it´s got less balls) than the BMW version but the balls are magically changing colour!
However, the thing I like best about this is the female voice that talks in this very soothing, Westworld-voice with ambient sounds playing in the background.


found on Basic Thinking.

Super Sonic Birthday

40 years ago today the Concorde took off for its maiden flight. Although it would last another seven years until the supersonic jet would carry it´s first jet-set passengers.


When I saw the Concorde for the first time on the runway I was surprised how small the jet actually looked, and I remembered how I had read some comments by passengers who complained about the tiny interior of the plane. How typical: Flying at kerosene guzzling Mach 2.23 while eating from custom made china all they could think of is how small the rocket-shaped jet was.



Once, while I was waiting to fly out of JFK with British Airways, a computer malfunction kept the passengers from checking in and for some reason the Concorde travellers would not be allowed to wait in the exclusive lounge. Instead they had to wait with us regular travellers which became a very interesting, slightly nasty experience. It turned out that most of these Concorde travellers were not exactly the Bianca Jagger-type. Instead they were mostly regular, middle-class people with issues who had saved a very long time for a one-way trip with the legendary jet. As soon as their trip deviated from their jet-set fantasy, they were seriously pissed. A matter that got only worse when they got served free champagne...


The last time I have seen the Concorde was at a CSD party in London´s Clapham common. While Björn Again were doing their rendition of "Dancing Queen" and fireworks were going off, the Concorde was majestically crossing the sky, surrounded by explosions of light as thousands of people were cheering this perfect moment!

You can buy a variety of interesting and ugly Concorde memorabilia including cutlery and a whole jet engine, which will only cost you one million Pound Sterling!



After the Russian Tupolev copycat (which also looks amazing) never really "took off", there are currently plans for the "son of Concorde", new supersonic jets that would reach up to 5 Mach. London to Sydney in five hours! Both planes are now grounded and exhibited in an aviation museum in Germany.

Techno City

New photos of abandoned future-ruins in Dubai? Tilt-shift photos of Brazilia? You guessed it, it´s just the real silicon valley inside your motherboard. Not a new idea as can be seen in the b/w pictures below, but these are nicely photographed and found here.

Enjoy some classic, proto-techno from Juan Atkins´Cybotron - Techno City (click arrow for embedded play)

Minimal Light Orchestra

I woke up this morning convinced that I was Philip Glass. Must have been the effect of diddling around with Auditorium last night.

Auditorium is a new flash-based game that -at first glance- appears to be pretty esoteric.

The aim is to solve animated, geometric "puzzles" by diverting a "flow" of "audio visual particles" in order to "energize" targets, or "audio containers" which play sequenced music when they are hit by the matching colour of the particles. What?


Anyway, it is very intuitive and hypnotic! Things get amazing as soon as you reach the second "winter"-level, where you have to deal with three or four "audio containers". The sequences build on each other and while you try to divert the "flow" you suddenly become the conductor of a pearly, minimal composition. It is a mixture of a riddle, abstract painting and a sequencer.
At level 2.5 it gets quite tricky...


According to the website, the game is still in demo-mode and the soundtrack composed by Dain Saint will expand with the game.

Try it!

Mechatronic Metal Balls

BMW has modernised and re-opened its vanity museum in Munich last month. I don´t usually care too much for real BMWs but I can´t ignore their attitude to spend lots of money on outlandish concept cars and flashy publicity stunts.

Two of their latest, viral image campaigns are particularly outlandish and flashy: The fabric covered and shapeshifting GINA concept is the most amazing car since FAB 1. The moment when GINA opens its bonnet for us is positively obscene! GINA is on display at the Museum and I wonder how "she" looks outside of a perfectly lit film studio (I also wonder if the fabric would make flapping noises on the Autobahn?).

Although, judging by the second featured attraction, I expect GINA to be presented in the best posible light and far out of touch, hidden from closer looks.


The so called "Kinetic Sculpture" baffles the visitor with a 6 minute choreography of 712 "flying" metal balls, constantly re-grouping and morphing to form abstract, flowing images and car-shapes (to remind us of where we are).

A similar work, on a much smaller and less sophitsicated scale was already done by artist Joe Gilbertson. His kinetic sculpture "Tryptich" is composed of 300 balls, suspended from an intricate, motorized machination that constantly moves the balls up and down. The soothing look of the effect is disturbed by the relatively loud noise of the complicated machine.

BMW probably threw tons of money at a horribly named company called "art+com" who took the idea to the next level. The over 700 balls are attached to thin wires which are invisibly connected to an undoubtedly complicated machinery that moves each ball individually and computer-aided on the vertical axis.

Sure, the effect is very nice and haunting, but the purpose of this "mechatronic installation" is diminished by the constant forming of BMW-resembling-models and the boring and painfully unfunny projection of buzz-words such as "innovation", "competence", bla bla bla.

But that´s what you get when you turn to a company that´s called art+com. What sort of name is that? Would you still go to a hairdresser with the word "art" or "avantgarde" on the name plate? Or would you expect having a great night-out in a club called "Old Daddy"? Thought so!

This is a video of the full 6:30 minute lasting cycle.

First Class Shower Scene

This is a picture of a shower. One of two showers that are accessible to the fourteen 1st class passengers onboard the Airbus A380 that is now part of the Emirate-Fleet.

I don´t know exactly how pampered 1st class travellers will deal with the 5-minute time limit for each shower-session, but they will probably complain to the two designated shower attendants who make sure that your precious feet don´t have to squish through puddles your insanely rich predecessor left on the floor.

Read a report of a test-flight at Telstar Logistics and see more photos (including in-flight toasters) here.

All in all there are a few gold trims too many for my taste, but I guess that I won´t have to worry about this style-dilemma any time soon.

Moebius Sculpture

Abstract architecture applied to amusement technology




This is "Steel Hawg" which is currently under construction at Indiana Beach.
The builders of this ride, formerly "Arrow Dynamics", were responsible for bringing the steel rollercoaster to the USA (Disneyland´s Matterhorn Bobsleds).
Next door at Knotts Berry Farm they would erect the first "Corkscrew" coaster and they were responsible for bringing the log-flume to amusement parks all over the world.
While other manufacturers would use the most advanced technologies to sculpture more and more daring designs, Arrow was notorious for modelling their rides with bended coat hangers!

In the seventies their testing facility was located behind a drive-in theater in Mountain View, California. I guess that watching the contraptions on their testing grounds must have been much more thrilling than watching, say "The Deep".


After they had almost lost the amusement arms-race to Swiss and German manufacturers Arrow finally went off stage with a big bang! Arrow´s most outlandish steel monster, "X" at Magic Mountain in 2001.
When this incredibly complex and gargantuan machine turned out to be a costly and difficult Diva, which was far too risky to become a big seller, Arrow had to close their doors.

When entrepreneur Stan Checkets, who stormed into the amusement industry in the mid-nineties with his invention of the air-powered free-fall ride, decided to expand his product pallette, he hired the Arrow-engineers and formed S&S Arrow.

Based in Utah, the S&S plant soon became an experimantal dreamland for outlandish prototypes and hi-tech thrill rides. Like a demented amusement park straight out of "Vermillion Sands", Checkets also builds rides that will never see the light of day in any conventional or commercial venue.

The "Sonic Boom" is actually a 400ft. Chimney which allows you to fall down its dark shaft in a small cabin. At the top YOU have to press the "go"-button and then gravity will take over. The only thing that stops you from crashing into the ground is the compressed air that builds underneath you in this metal cylinder. The sound you make while being braked to a stand still gave the ride its name.

Visit Johnnyupsidedown.com for some photos and videos of this strange place.

The "Steel Hawg" is their latest attempt to get a share of the market of so called compact coasters planned for shopping malls and smaller parks. The design seems to reflect the confusion and overall lack of direction in the fun-business.

Currently they are building their first ride in Germany. Not quite a rollercoaster it will be the ride with the fastest and strongest acceleration on the planet. Build next to the legendary Nürburgring race-track it will run parallel to the course and will speed up to 217 km/h in 2.5 seconds.

Aircrash Bureau

One man´s horror is another man´s statistic.

The Aircraft crashes record office-website lists all commercial aircraft crashes since 1918 (photo documentation starts 1926).

First I was suprised by the existence of the site (must have been a momentary lack of cynicism), then I was taken back by the presentation which lists the latest crash, aircraft and casualties next to a rotating "new"-gif on top of the site. (They sadly added a second incident throughout the day! The site is obviously well maintained).

But then I found myself looking up accidents which I remembered for one reason or another. I found the terribly tragic crash of a 747 falling into a highrise in Amsterdam, which I read about on the frontpage of a newspaper while waiting for take-off in 1992.
I looked up the China Airlines Boing that overshot the runway on the old Hong Kong Kai-Tak airport, shortly before I was to land there for the first time in 1993. It was left lying there for some time, so that every passenger was allowed to witness the wreck from above.
I also had to look up the Aloha Airlines plane which lost parts of its roof in flight but managed to land with only a few casualties (a smalltalking Steward would later tell me that they called her "The convertible")

Yes, they are all there!

I asked myself why I was bothering to look up these terrible pictures in the first place. I am the last person to stare at car-crashes but when it comes to air-crashes: I can´t help to be fascinated and horrified.

The social and sexual philosophies of the ejector seat. The unfairness of the black box recorder. The microcosm of the airport and the entranced survivors who wander admidst the rubble, still wearing bathing suits.

Statisticats can even look up deathrates per operator and the worst accidents per year.

But the total rate of 16.874 crashes which claimed 120.017 lifes over 90 years, somehow seems tame if you compare it to the horrible devastation that is shown in the pictures and if you put it in perspective to the victims of the automobile.


The photos are taken from Aircraft crashes record office and I will remove them upon request.

Woof...hello, I am Rex! Woof woof...hello, I am Rex...

This perplexing video of "Big Dog", a walking machine, is currently all over the net. This must be the work of years and years of combined research of eager scientists financed by military funds.

Isn´t it kind of strange that the emotions that this extraordinary four legged machine evokes are more negative than positive? After short moment of admiration a feeling of creepiness and downright fear at the possibilities this robo-dog is capable of kicks in.
Sure, it could be helpful in many ways and terrains, but does anybody doubt the opressive use of "Big Dog"?

Even without any cuddly fur and some big soft eyes, "Big Dog" makes us believe that it´s alive! The way it moves on ice is just too familiar to be artificial.

Some have commented that they felt sorry for it, when it was kicked and tried to keep balance. I immediately expected it to turn around and go after the attacker!

Are we really so conditioned by watching sci-fi movies, or have we inherited the cynical approach that all new technology will be turned against its creators?

Maybe I followed the guys from Survival Research Laboratories for too long.

MCube: The golden age of wireless

The MCube is one of those new gadgets that immediately allows us a glance into the future of wireless appliances.
It is a wireless charger, bluetooth speaker, information display and has no "i" as a first letter.

You just have to place your mobile next to it and it will be charged up via short range induction technology. It´s a sort of immaculate conception, if you will.

It can also transfer your phone data and will make it accessible on its display. The MCube can also play your mobile´s music files via bluetooth and an inbuilt speaker.

The basic function is nothing really revolutionary...but look Ma, NO WIRES!

The MCube is designed by Sohui Won, Seung-Hoon Kwak & Yeong-Kyu Yoo.
I found this on the great Yanko Design. I did not find any info when and where it will be in the shops.