April 11, 2011

3D printed chair by Bram Geenen designed using the same methods as the Sagrada Familia

Filed under: Design by Branko Collin @ 10:14 am

Writes Bram Geenen:

Designed using the same methods […] Antoni Gaudi [used], who made models of hanging chains [which, when viewed] upside down, showed him the strongest shapes for his churches. […] The chain models […] combined with a software script are used to generate the structure of the ribs. This is necessary because of the complexity of the forces in a chair’s backrest.

This video shows you what this means:

The chair can be bought from its printer, Amsterdam-based Freedom of Creation, who have over ten years experience with 3D printing. The measly sum of 15,977 euro, making the chair not as cheap as a CatCase, will ensure this treasure becomes yours. Not a word on whether you get complimentary new car smell with that order.

(Link: Bright. Photo: Studio Geenen. Video: Vimeo / Studio Geenen.)

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April 10, 2011

Superbus gets shown to the press

Filed under: Automobiles by Branko Collin @ 2:36 pm

On April 4 former astronaut Wubbo Ockels showcased his Superbus to the press at a former air strip near Leiden.

For those of you who don’t remember, the Superbus is a bus shaped like a race car. Its top speed is 250 kph, to be reached in custom bus lanes. Its aerodynamic shape not only allows it to go fast, but apparently also makes it energy efficient. It can carry up to 23 passengers.

The Superbus prototype is on display at the 59th UITP Congress & Exhibition in Dubai starting today. A feasibility study has shown that the Superbus might be the most efficient public transport option between Amsterdam and Groningen, a distance of 180 kilometres that nevertheless takes two hours by car and even two and a half hours by train. The Dutch government, one of the major backers of the project, is said to have cooled considerably on the Superbus idea, and Ockels now hopes to be able to convince Arabian backers of the usefulness of a fast Abu Dhabi – Dubai connection.

More videos here:

(Video: Youtube / Rijksoverheid.nl)

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April 9, 2011

Store your books and cats in the same place: CatCase

Filed under: Animals,Design by Branko Collin @ 12:38 pm

This mixed bookcase and moggy palace called CatCase is sold by UrbanCatDesign (CamelCase) for 1250 euro. For that price you get Dutch design, MDF, and a choice of carpet colours.

(Link: Bright. Photo: UrbanCatDesign.)

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April 8, 2011

Urk looking into getting drug sniffing dogs

Filed under: Animals,Food & Drink,Religion,Weird by Orangemaster @ 10:01 am

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Every country in the world has that one town that people make fun of and in the Netherlands, that town is Urk, Flevoland.

The former island (that could explain some weirdness) seems to attract attention by making decisions based on its strong religious beliefs that are akin to fighting windmills because nothing they do seems to work, it just seems to get worse.

After banning strippers, attempting beer confiscation and littering the rest of the country with creationist folders, it’s now time to score some drug sniffing dogs to enforce the town-wide marijuana ban, which ironically is illegal. Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten warned Urk’s city council that it cannot declare the entire village a drug-free zone because that’s illegal. But hey, when you do things based on your religious beliefs the law goes out the window pretty fast and you can get away with murder.

The word on the Internet is that the kids in Urk are some of the most messed up youth in the area not because of some sort of preponderance of drugs and booze, but because of the very religious city council constantly making them the object of their problems. We’ll save the hard drug use and unwanted pregnancies stories for later.

Slightly unrelated, but I had to.

Lard – I want to be a drug sniffing dog

(Link: dutchnews.nl)

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April 6, 2011

Dutch sign language jokes, not very politically correct

Filed under: General,History by Orangemaster @ 11:55 pm

Watch this video here, we can’t embed it. It is subtitled in English.

They say it is a prejudice to sign a headscarf as a symbol for the cheap German supermarket chain Aldi where Muslims shop and to sign a pointy helmet for Germans referring to the WWII. It’s nice to know that the Dutch speaking world is not alone in its prejudices.

And the Dutch have five sign language dialects because they had five different schools that did their own thing.

The sign for Facebook does remind me of a fish.

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April 5, 2011

Girl turns 18 becomes an illegal immigrant and is shunned

Filed under: Film,General by Orangemaster @ 6:33 pm

Sofia came here when she was 2 from Colombia with her father, went to school, speaks fluent Dutch and and when she turned 18 she automatically became an illegal immigrant and cannot go to college, get state assistance or a job.

The current Dutch government wants to declare illegal immigrants criminals and make it a crime to help illegal immigrants as well. The film is in English and has some English subtitles.

“Here in the Netherlands, they don’t care if you’ve been here 20 years, 2 years, 1 year, 2 months, you’re still illegal.”

(Tip: Ferrie Differentieel, Facebook)

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April 4, 2011

Wooden iPad 2 cover

Filed under: Gadgets,Technology by Branko Collin @ 10:10 am

Hot on the heels of the announcement of Apple’s latest toy comes this wooden cover for the iPad 2 by Dutch manufacturer Miniot. It works like Apple’s own Smart Cover, as it uses magnets that attach to the tablet, and the cover can be rolled up to function as a stand.

The Schagen, Noord Holland based company sells them or 50 euro or more. There’s a video that shows you how it works.

(Link: 9 to 5 mac. Photo: Miniot.)

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April 3, 2011

Everybody owns a Ferrari in this Dutch village

Filed under: Automobiles by Branko Collin @ 3:13 pm

At least that is the conceit that some of the YouTube commenters and Autoblog are taking a stab at:

Welcome to the Netherlands, where the houses are all perfect – almost to a Truman Show level of creepiness – and everyone, without exception, drives a Ferrari. Most people seem to own at least two. At least, that’s what the Netherlands looks like when a Ferrari club rents a bunch of vacation bungalows for a group gathering.

The video was published in 2009.

(Source video: YouTube user Hans308GT4)

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April 2, 2011

Supercool white and chrome football table by GRO

Filed under: Design,Gadgets,Sports by Branko Collin @ 4:26 pm

This football table by GRO, a collective of British designers in Eindhoven, takes 12 weeks to build and 48,500 euro to purchase. It’s called 11 The Game (or just ’11’), and you can see it in action at Vimeo.

(Photos: 11thegame.com. Link: Engadget.)

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April 1, 2011

Schoolchildren in Arnhem to perform with Roger Waters

Filed under: Music by Orangemaster @ 4:33 pm

Schoolchildren from the John F. Kennedy school in Arnhem have been chosen to sing the children’s chorus in Pink Floyd’s 1979 hit ‘Another Brick in the Wall Part 2’ live and on stage with Roger Waters on Friday 8 April at a sold out GelreDome, Arnhem.

Waters has been taking on schoolchildren to sing this chorus from around the world ever since the tour started in Toronto, Canada. Next week the kids finally get to meet the rock legend they had never heard of before they started practising. Their teacher says in the video they practice almost every school day. After all they have to dance a bit, and the song is in English.

I was exactly their age when the song was a hit on the radio, and I totally didn’t understand the complexity of Pink Floyd’s famous concept album until I saw the movie in 1984. At the time, it was the first movie made to fit an album, as opposed to a soundtrack being made to fit a movie. Being Canadian I also had no working understanding of the British school system with uniforms and headmasters or why the rock star (Bob Geldof) was so zonked and didn’t move. You could say it was part of my education.

(Link: gelderlander.nl)

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