Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Something super interesting I came across the other day. This 3D-printed garment reacts to anyone that's looking, thanks to a built-in camera and some facial tracking algorithms. Architect and designer Behnaz Farahi designed this top out of plastic, monochromatic spikes. With the help of motors the spikes can undulate depending on what the camera picks up... and where you're looking. The project is the latest 3D-printed collaboration between Farahi, Pier 9 and Autodesk.
It looks pretty creepy which makes you want to stare at it even more. A cool example of how 3D printing and other technologies can be applied to a completely unexpected field.


Monday, January 25, 2016

One Fine Day in Huntington Beach

On December 12th. Mother Nature delivered an early Christmas present for all surfers in Huntington beach. A clean and bright day, wind blowing in the right direction, no crowds and just overall great conditions.
The Ocean can be so captivating, not only from a surfer's perspective, but also from the lens that captures it. Shapes, colors, dimension, always changing and such an interesting motif to capture. I got lucky that day and got a handful of nice shots. Enjoy











Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The 'Flat Tire' Birthday Ride


Since my Dad's in town and it was my birthday, we got him a bike for the day and went on a nice ride down south. Thanks to 'Moto Quest' in Long Beach for the great rental BMW. We logged a total of 300 miles across Ortega Highway, over to Mt. Palomar, back around to Temecula and somehow back home. Somehow, because on top of Mt. Palomar and right after the lunch break my rear tire was flat as a pancake. Fortunately I noticed the flat before the tire disintegrated on me, and even more fortunate my good friend Alan brought a tire fix kit along. Needless to say, that saved the day...and a good one it was.
Shout out at this point to http://www.motoquest.com/motorcycle-rental/long-beach-california-5 for being so cool with us delivering the bike past the deadline. That flat set us back by almost an hour. You guys made our day, and massive thanks Dad and Alan!

Our route
My Dad, me and the bikes. The GS is twice the size of my bike!

Lake Elsinore, in need of some water!
Lunch time

All good after lunch

View towards San Diego from Mt. Palomar
Only minutes later...FLAT

Yep...









Back on the road, Lake Henshaw from East Grande Road

NERDS


Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Recent Adventures With The Family

It isn't very often that my family comes to visit AND me having some free time to enjoy with them. After our recent wedding I took some time off and this rare case of everyone being together at the right time left us with some amazing memories of Joshua tree National Park and Palm Springs. A few of the impressions collected below.











Monday, November 9, 2015

You Could Consider This An 'IKEA Hack'

So, when our laundry basket took a turn for the worse, for the second time, I decided to fix the problem and make it look a bit nicer in the process.
Given that the original item only costs about six bucks at Ikea, you can't really expect it to last forever. However, the framing is perfectly fine, only the actual 'bag' gets destroyed. It's a synthetic material which simply can't stand up to the weight of clothes it's supposed to hold. Since it would be a waste to throw the whole thing away I came up with a nicer and more functional idea.

The original from Ikea

It's fixed to the frame, which makes it impossible to wash

My version is a nicer material that I repurposed from an old mexican blanket. It doesn't have the holes to carry the basket, but they're not really needed with the softer blanket fabric. However, I made the basket and frame parts independent and removable. Two zippers allow to detach the basket and put it into the wash as well, since over time it will need it!




Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Camera Strap From Recycled Denim

My wife used to customize vintage Levi's and fashion them into high-waisted shorts for her Etsy shop. She bought all her jeans at the swap meet and would cut the legs off, ending up with a ton of scrap 'legs', which would just go to waste. I hate seeing that and asked myself how I could use the scraps for a different product.
I love to take pictures and at the same time hate the straps that come with a decent camera. They're uncomfortable and pretty ugly. Plus, every person has the same one. So why not use the 'leg scraps' for a fresh camera strap?


Close to finished prototype



This is how it starts

The entire strap is made from recycled materials, such as neoprene from old wetsuits, leather scraps from work and old shoe laces
First protos
The result