How to Draw Celtic Knotwork The old method These instructions can be followed with pencil and paper or using any computer based drawing or drafting program. I have used Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator, and AutoDesk AutoCad for various projects, but my favorite is Corel Draw. This method, like most, begins with drawing the grid. The second step is to draw in the diagonals. Next draw in the connecting curves that will become the edges of the knotwork. This is the step that most people have the most trouble with: deciding where to "Break the Grid". So, where do we put these spaces to make an aesthetically pleasing design? Here is how I do it:: I CHEAT! 1). Or 2). But back to the tutorial. Follow the diagonals until you come to a red line. OK, now that you spent all of that time drawing the grid, the diagonals and the breaks, erase all of it except the knotwork path that we darkened in the last step. For this step a computer graphics program comes in real handy. We're almost there!
You Shall Have Bike Lanes Wherever You Go Some cities are slow getting around to approving bike lanes; others don't bother. Here is a way to carry your bike lane with you wherever you go: project it onto the road with fricking lasers. Alex Tee and Evan Gant of Altitude write: Our system projects a crisply defined virtual bike lane onto pavement, using a laser, providing the driver with a familiar boundary to avoid. Light Lane via GOOD A commenter pointed us to another idea to promote bike safety: The SPEED-VEST is a bicycle safety device and advocacy tool which displays the wearer’s current speed on their back in easy-to-read lighted numerals. Mykle Systems LabMore Bike Safety in TreeHugger: Turn Signal Jacket For Cyclists How To Be Seen On Your Bike at Night
"Silence", Alarm Clock by Johan Brengesjo A Silent Alarm Clock Alarm clocks usually jolt us awake leading us to reach for the almighty snooze button. Silence is a conceptual alarm clock that allows you to program multiple alarms and wakes you without any sound. Each person wears a wireless rubber ring with an integrated vibration device that generates a tactile alarm. The snooze function is engaged by shaking your hand. However, each successive time you want to snooze, more movement is required, making sure you get to work on time. Designer: Johan Brengesjo
50 Fantastically Clever Logos I know everybody and their brother does logo roundups so you’re probably sick of them, but I don’t believe I’ve ever done one and there is a particularly impressive brand of logo design that I wanted to point out. Today we’ll look at 50 logos that are the result of going beyond the typical thought process and injecting a little wit and hidden symbolism into the design process. What Makes a Logo Clever? To explain what I mean by “clever” logo design, let’s take a look at a typical logo, (i.e. one that isn’t clever). The logo above is a nice piece of work. However, my favorite type of logo design is that which takes the assignment one step further. These types of logos make you smile at the brilliance of both the idea and the execution and have several layers of meaning that can hit you in waves. I’ve broken down this collection into three categories: visual double entendres (two things in one), word and character art, and ambigrams. Visual Double Entendres Lion Bird Chad 2010 I love this one.
Lucid dreaming sleep mask Microsoft's Courier 'digital journal': exclusive pictures and details (update: video!) We've been dying to know more about Microsoft's Courier tablet / e-book device ever since we first caught wind of it last September, and while our entreaties to Mr. Ballmer went unanswered, we just learned some very interesting information from an extremely trusted source. We're told Courier will function as a "digital journal," and it's designed to be seriously portable: it's under an inch thick, weighs a little over a pound, and isn't much bigger than a 5x7 photo when closed. That's a lot smaller than we expected -- this new picture really puts it into perspective -- and the internals apparently reflect that emphasis on mobility: rather than Windows 7, we're told the Courier is built on Tegra 2 and runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows Mobile 7 Series, which we're taking to mean Windows CE 6. Update: We've added a gallery of user interface shots -- some of which we've seen and some of which are new. Courier user interface See all photos 8 Photos Comments
Cod inspire potentially life-saving cold storage tech for human blood Polymers similar to the proteins found in this Arctic cod could dramatically improve the cryogenic storage of blood How is it possible that cold-blooded fish such as cod can live in Arctic waters without just freezing solid? As it turns out, they've got proteins in their bloodstream that act as a sort of antifreeze. British scientists have now copied the fashion in which those proteins work, to create a process by which donated human blood could be frozen for storage, then quickly made available for transfusion. Although it is already possible to store blood cryogenically, it requires the addition of an organic solvent in as high as a 1:1 ratio, before the freezing occurs. As an alternative to such solvents, researchers at the University of Warwick are instead looking to polyvinyl alcohol. Like the solvents, it keeps cell-rupturing ice crystals from forming as the blood thaws. Additionally, less of it is required – about 0.1 percent of the volume of the blood. About the Author
Bento Laptop Tablet Hybrid by René Woo-Ram Lee Bento is quite an exceptional and forward thinking concept by René Woo-Ram Lee. It’s quite a plausible scenario that most of use/own a tablet, a PC, external hard drives and a smartphone. Now combine the power of these to have fully customizable Bento Laptop! The Box accommodates all the gear to work as one whole unit or individually; as you see fit. Features Laptop with 15″ OLED screen11″ tablet and 4″ phone sit in shallow depressionsSolar powered lithium-ion battery1TB SSD drive Designer: René Woo-Ram Lee The Fujitsu branding is evident and rightly so, the concept is a part of the Fujitsu Design Award that is organized by Designboom. Stick POP Portable Printer by Jihun Kang, Youngho Lee, Jieun Lee &... Printouts In A Jiffy, Anywhere It was about time that someone came up with this, I mean we are in the portable era! Stick POP is a portable printer that can handle a small amount of load. You can’t overburden it with all your documents, just a small stash that you need pronto. Measuring 23 cm by 6 cm, it’s easy to fit it in your handbag.