I caught this yesterday over on Yahoo! News (Link):

The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus uses the toughest glue on Earth to stick to river rocks, and now scientists are trying to figure out how to produce the stuff.
…
The single-celled bacterium uses sugar molecules to stay put in rivers, streams, and water pipes, a new study found. It’s not clear how the glue actually works, however, but researchers presume some special proteins must be attached to the sugars.

It’s that part about sugar molecules that really got my attention. This helps cement (excuse the pun) some things that have been floating around in my grey matter for a while, going back to something I saw on the RepRap blog and which I’ve hinted at in other posts. I’ll be assembling the pieces elsewhere and post a link later.

The original article is over on LiveScience (Link) in case the Yahoo page evaporates.

I’ve mentioned 1st Avenue Machines before (reLink), and now – courtesy of an entry over on BrandNoise (Link) – comes word of their amazing work for Adidas. At least I assume it’s their work. Highend3D is reporting (Link) that it’s the work of METAphrenie. Maybe it’s both. And maybe there are a few freelancers out there that actually subcontracted the work and are bound by contract to remain silent. It happens.

Now, after you watch that uberkewl video, stop to notice what it is they’re advertising: a customizable shoe. Not new, but I think in this case it’s worth mentioning.

The +F50 TUNIT doesn’t really offer that much in the way of customization – a few interchangeable parts. However, while the Nike iD shoes don’t seem to get much attention in the mainstream (and hence the customization concept remains relatively unknown), these commercials may be the vehicle by which the idea of truly customizable mass-produced product registers with the masses. We’ll see. It’s more than just getting the idea across; it’s getting past the TiVo.

Last year I took the time to ask some professional associates about their company’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software. My interest, of course, being driven by PLM’s incorporation of virtual world simulation style elements. To my astonishment, most weren’t even aware what it was, and some reported that their company was in the process of either investigating or acquiring the software. So it’s with little surprise that I caught the following over on Desktop Engineering (Link) yesterday:

According to recent statistics compiled by consulting and research firm CIMdata, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI), the worldwide product lifecycle management (PLM) market grew 8.7 percent to reach $18.1 billion in 2005. This growth rate exceeded earlier estimates, with the boost attributed to continued strengthening of the global economy and an increased recognition of the value of PLM in improving a company’s business performance. PLM investments are forecast to continue climbing over the next five years, reaching an estimated $26.3 billion by 2010.

What’s especially interesting Continue reading →

Some blog entries seem better with clever titles, and some just plain need to keep it simple and straightforward. If you’re an Industrial Designer, especially in the playground industry, you recognize the pink stuff: home insulation foam. Only this ain’t no toy.

Michael Frumin (the guy behind the OGLE capture tool inspired by my own videostream ripping) sent an email out to a few interested parties this morning with a link to the Recursive Instruments blog (Link), which is the source of the above image; a CNC’d section of the the Second Life virtual world. Check out the entire blog to follow along with Mike Beradino and Simon Spartalian in their “ongoing effort to export a digital environment into a physical space”.

Neato.

But wait, there’s more… Continue reading →

Yet another interesting entry over on WorldChanging, this time penned by Alex Steffen. The post, “Future-Making” (Link), touches on what “reBang” is really all about now.

Initially I came up with the name and the idea mostly in the thought that industrial designers would help to build a virtual world and it would be tied to the real one. Considering my background in product design, CAD and rapid-prototyping, this wasn’t really much of a stretch (especially if you know that reading William Gibson’s collection of short stories in “Burning Chrome” had a major impact on my life). What I’ve since gained, spending time these last few years exploring videogames and virtual spaces, is Continue reading →