A better laptop stand that can fit many sitting positions

There have been countless occasions I wished I had a laptop stand to hold my laptop while lying in bed and thinking of all those nasty electromagnetic waves and the un-natural position it forces me to take to properly watch and write. Although there are many designs out there for a laptop stand ( I’ve already covered one such smart design here but it’s only a desk stand) there was none I have encountered to be multifunctional and to impress me such as to write about it here on perfectcube, where only best designed, most ergonomic and green products get.

Being made of anodized aluminium to be able to withstand about 6Kg in such a thin form, the LapDawg laptop stand can take quite a number of shapes to accomodate your various seating positions. The locking gear that rotates the arms is a simple push to lock / push to unlock mechanism which I guess is similar with the ball pen’s just bigger/sturdier.

You can take a look at the images below to get an idea of how this product looks and feels and what transformations it can be subjected to:

These are some of the shapes X4 can turn into.

The price of this thingie is about 90 bucks so click the link below to grab one for yourself or for a great present just in time for winter holidays.

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(LapDawg website)

The Miserolo Chair is a caterpillar track for tranquille homes

I love the kind of seating the Miserolo chair fits in. Designed by serbian designer Uros Vitas it is confortable and it allows a great deal of back-leaning without the fear of falling over.

But unlike all the other contraptions of the concept, which are whether metal-frame or bent plywood, this one can really be made anywhere with two pieces of strong flexible plastic ribbons and a lot of solid wood blocks. A CNC router is mandatory as it can precisely shape the blocks to the right angle so when unrolling, each piece would climb onto the other to shape the chair up.

Sort of beautifully caterpillar-esque, see the design below:

Design Close-ups of Miserolo chair

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4 deg rise in temperature map

Here’s the map of the global warming effects of a rise of 4 degrees in temperature made by the british government.  Do you still think global warming is just a fancy word made up for political debates and tv shows? Well, to put it mildly …it’s NOT!

Hit the link to see the map better and also a few movie suggestions that tackle climate change.

Map of a 4 degrees human-induced rise in temperature effects on the planet

Print this on paper (yes, mother nature will forgive you for this one) and stick it wherever you think people will find it and see it. Be a guerrilla eco warrior.

Also you might want to see these climate-change related movies:

• Home (imdb description)
• The age of stupid (imdb description)
• The 11th hour (imdb description)
• An Inconvenient Truth (imdb description)
• Soylent Green (imdb description)

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(via treehugger )

Could Golf Ball-like dimples increase car mileage? Apparently YES.

It is well-known that “Dimpled balls fly farther than non-dimpled balls” (wikipedia). Also there’s been some time since I first heard about the hypothesis that similar dimples in aircraft fuselage or cars bodies would make them more energy-efficient. But that was all about this theory. I didn’t see any development that would make it to the mass produced products.

Apparently The Mythbusters, the popular Discovery Channel show, did some work on this one. And the result was one that would make all green hypermilers droll: over 29 mpg improvement for a Ford Taurus covered with 1000 dimples.

Mythbusters' Ford Taurus covered in golf ball-like dimples

This could be huge as car manufacturers are struggling to lower the car mileage as much as possible to get a better eco-image and, more importantly, to be able to qualify for incentives so many clients will choose their cars.

I would also suggest car makers to consider sharkskin micrometer-fine patterns for the fuselage and plastics inside the car (which by the way should be the bioplastic sort).

You can watch this video on autobloggreen website:
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Researchers at Kyoto Univ. developed a method to render paper glass-transparent

I have to write this one down. I tried so much to find such information when I was writing the article on replacing plastic and metal with translucent ceramics and somehow I missed it, so for future reference I will write about it right now.

We’re used to seeing paper lamp shades that scatter light in a warm way and there is paper with a high degree of translucency – tracing paper – but did you thought that glass-transparent paper is possible? Thought so. Neither did I. Until I have stumbled over this article. The study of scientists at the Kyoto University, Department of Biomaterial Sciences is actually pretty new, published on Feb 3 2009.

The Abstract of the study states the following:

“Optically transparent paper of densely packed cellulose nanofibers is prepared without any additives. This material has the same chemical constituents as conventional paper, the only difference being the fiber width and the size of the interstitial cavities. This optically transparent paper exhibits high Young’s modulus, high strength, ultra low CTE, and high foldability.“

I’ll try to make it short as you can read the long version following the link above. Basically the smaller the cellulose fibres in paper the higher the degree of translucency /transparency is achieved. The method the scientists used was pretty simple 4 steps process:

The result and the stages of paper transparency during the procedure

1. They swelled the wood flour bundled cellulose fibres in water and then mechanically grinded them just once, which broke them down into single nanofibres;
2. Next step was to filter the nanofibres from suspension, applying pressure to keep them as compact as possible in a sandwitch between wire mesh and filter paper. There is no mention as how much pressure though. This step is essential because otherwise gaps between the nanofibres would form and the light will be scattered in the structure instead of passing through;
3. They let it dry for three days. At this stage the paper wasn’t transparent enough and some light was still scattering through the structure making it highly translucent but not transparent;
4. The researchers polished the sheets using emery paper, which resulted in truly transparent films with 71.6% light transmittance.

Moreover, the paper proved better mechanical properties than the paper we all know. Dr Masaya Nogi, seemingly the head of the team, says:

“21st-century paper using cellulose nanofibers has high transparency like glass and plastics, high thermal stability like glass, and then high foldability like traditional paper—it’s not only flexible, but it’s foldable.”

Foldable like paper, thermoresistant and transparent like glass, Ladies and Gentlemen... the superpaper!

I can’t wait to learn more on this apparently “simple” method of obtaining a material that shows such qualities. I can only imagine a few layered such sheets of transparent paper made into different objects such as lampshades. Cover it with an eco-friendly nano-coating (read this article on nano-technology for more information ) for waterproofing and you could make endless objects with it.

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designer beanbags of today's times are luxury and style anybody would like

I was looking in the past days all over the internet for a green and eco-friendly sofa or lounge but even the greenest options weren’t that green after all. You can have a look at my previous article to see what’s all about. For the easy-readers I’ll just state my conclusion and go on with the article: there doesn’t seem to be a complete green alternative for the very thing that makes sofas comfortable: foam . So where else can you find comfort and style and the possibility to choose completely green materials?

You’re right: beanbags.

But historically beanbags weren’t something classy or to buy and feel proud of it. Their design doesn’t allow for great flexibility in shaping as a sofa does. That’s because you just can’t use such diversity of materials to build a beanbag. They’re just bags. And they somehow occupy lots of space and tend to flatten over half of your apartment when you sit on it. “Historically”.

But not any more. Although the variety of shapes didn’t changed a lot, talented designers came up with beanbag lounges you’d be proud of having. Lots of celebrities do. And TV shows also. Talking about comfort?  “Comfort” is the word that was found among the thousands beans inside it, just like a message in a bottle. Take a look and feel inspired.

The classiest lounge i have found on designerbeanbags and it’s called Fiorenze Leather Beanbag. I couldn’t have described this better: “Opulent European style coupled with the confidence of quality and longevity. Inspired by open spaces, clean living, freedom of mind and creative expression. That’s the spirit of the Ambient Lounge Fiorenze genuine leather range.”

Fiorenze Leather Beanbag makes a luxury addition to the most opulent crib

Second but somehow cuter is the Sake Chair designed by Pascal Mourgue which you can find at Ligne Roset:

Cute and very stylish Sake Chair whispers "comfort" to your eyes

Last on my short list is the EcoPod Beanbag which is a sort of tub chair with a beanbag cushion. Inmod describes it like his: “EcoPod combines the aesthetic appeal of an iconic design with an industrial strength frame, providing unique eco-modern styling, comfort and durability”.

The EcoPod BeanBag Tub Chair bridges the beanbag concept with the tub chair style

The list isn’t very large as you can see but that’s about all I could find on my liking. Should you have any info on other beanbags this stylish and classy other than those presented at the websites I linked above please let me know and if they are up to these ones then I’ll make them a place here on perfectcube.

On a eco-friendly side-note, the possible fillers for an eco-friendly beanbag would be un-popped popcorn, buckwheat hulls, perhaps acorn seed ( oak tree seed) and of course the hardest nut to crack… the macadamia nut -very expensive though, I don’t know if there’s any way of securing large quantities of these nuts in whole or only husks.

For pillows millet husks seem very adequate.

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An eco-friendly affordable alternative to Latex foam is needed

As you did probably noticed, lately, my interest has been going round the concern on toxic chemicals in our beloved state-of-the-art designer items, be they electronics, furniture, clothes or food. There are many alternatives already for woodworking, construction, electronics, food, clothing but there’s one field of furniture making where there is a lack of alternative and accessible eco-friendly materials. That’s upholstery.

While eco-friendly fabric exists and is readily accessible, the alternatives to cushioning provided by foams is far from adequate. There is:

• latex ,of course, but latex has been around for ages and the likes of politicians and celebrities always could afford it. Not me. Not too many of us.
• Tthere are soy-based or other plant-based foams which sound good until you read carefully that only 5-30% is non-petroleum based filling. See first page on google search for “natural foam” there is a reference to Foamex and their Reflex® Natural™ foam, a high-performance, environmentally-friendly flexible polyurethane foam for the furniture industry, made partially from plant-based renewable raw materials . They reduce dramatically the environmental impact of the manufacturing (at least on paper) which is good but anyway it’s still petroleum-based with the addition of some plant raw materials. Another perhaps better known by you americans is TheSofaCompany with their 20% soy BiOH polynols. The nasty fact besides being petroleum based is that all that soy is treated with pesticides and other chemicals that dilute drastically its eco-friendliness and green healthy appeal.
• Then there is this company I could find while searching the web that makes a sort of foamy product from animal hair/ coconut hair and latex spray and that has already been used to fill the seats of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

From these 3 options the only readily-available product for the craftsman is the soy-based foams, though I didn’t see it in shops but perhaps that’s because I live at the end of the world, where very little (good)  happens (this would be Romania, if you’re really curious). Can you buy wherever you live soy foam that is organic? I doubt it.

I read all this stuff and write all these articles to have a reference on the many aspects of healthy living, eco-friendliness, contemporary design/architecture and I will take it step by step but I really don’t want to wait for ages to replace my brominated flame retardant, VOCs cocktail-ed mattress and sofa and chairs. Everything that provides comfort in the house depends on foams. And safe eco-friendly ones are too expensive or no-where to be found.

One particularly interesting research is done by scientists at the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Glasgow. They have developed a better flame resistant foam that doesn’t use toxic chemicals but nano-clay particles. From the product description I didn’t see it being made from stuff other than the same old petroleum products but as long as it’s healthy it’s still ok.

The main problem is that there is no way the small woodworking business or craftsman could get sheets of these foams like they can buy usual polyurethane foams. And that’s frustrating.

If you know any way of the green minded budget-tight way of being able to make cushioning for sofas and chairs from renewable, non-toxic materials please direct me to those info as I am eager to learn more. Until then I’m stuck with thinking of buying or crafting some contemporary nice-looking beanbag, which provides less choices as design is concerned but health comes first, right? I’ll make another article on beanbags with very nice contemporary looks and eco-friendly pedigree so subscribe to my RSS feeds or keep coming back.

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Swank Lounge Chair is eye relaxation as well as body comfort

Huntinburg, Indiana based OFS has designed a lounge chair I couldn’t just pass by. It’s so elegant, so simple in construction that even your eyes start to relax when watching it even before you close them up after sitting down. As they say, “Swank is a statement about comfort and convenience through simplicity in form, and brevity in material use”. Nothing more true. Hit the link to see it yourself and dream of elegance and style.

The integrated shelf below the seat is an intuitive and convenient place for all the stuff we seem to carry along with us these days.

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Evaporative cooler preserves food with zero energy consumption

Winner of the designboom’s green life contest, this project is  (by the author rochus jacob’s words):

” a transfer and optimization of basic technology mainly used in emerging countries to the high-tech kitchen. Food gets preserved by the cooling effect of evaporating water using no electricity. The system is designed to be stackable, can be used as an alternative for a pantry, second fridge or an advanced fruit bowl. The design could help to reduce domestic energy consumption without radically compromising comfort. The cooler consists of two pots, one placed inside the other. The space between the two pots is filled with wet glass-foam, a waste product of the glass recycling process. I used this material instead of sand in the original version because it soaks in the water quicker and let the whole container become much lighter. The smaller inner clay pot, is covered with a damp cloth that is stretched over the lid. The water contained in the glass-foam between the two pots start to evaporate. By virtue of the laws of thermodynamics, the evaporation process automatically causes a drop in temperature of several degrees, cooling the inner clay pot, destroying harmful micro-organisms and preserving the perishable foods inside. To keep the cooling process active water needs to be added every couple of days, a green indicator highlights this for the user. A full working prototype was realized, by working with professors of physics, using recyclable materials such as glass foam, clay and bio-plastics.”

Thermodynamic Cooler uses passive evaporative effect to keep food fresh for days

As the author states, it’s not new. Actually it brings a 2002 invention by Nigerian teacher  Mohammed Bah Abba into the XXI century.

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Greensulate based SIPs

Remember my  previous article on Ecovative’s Greensulate product to replace polystyrene? You can check it to see what greensulate is. I then wrote another article on Structural Insulated Panels, SIPs, and expressed my wish to see greensulate be the insulation part in a SIP. I have just ran into a youtube video on how greensulate is made and at the end of the movie my prayers are answered. Hit the link to see the video.

This other video takes longer but again we can learn that Ecovative will focus on the green building industry and provide Structural Insulated Panels with Greensulate core as their main product.

I wonder how are they going to manufacture locally all over the world? They need to franchise the whole business or otherwise it will need a gigantic infrastructure to build and maintain.  This could be the next Google. As far as I am concerned, and I have already mentioned it, I believe this is that sort of idea that brought Apple or Google to the heights they are now on.

There’s though one thing I hate in this world and it is patents. I know that they protect the idea, the intellectual property and so on but I love Linux, Open-Source, Engineers Without Borders, the green self-sustainable and grid-decoupled communities so I’d like anybody to be able to build his own insulation panels this way. Sounds like a great DIY job but there are many mushroom growers around the green self-sustainable movement and also engineers and mycologists so what about some experimentation and some feedback?

I really hope to hear from you on this one.

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