Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Greek and Roman galleries at the Met
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/installation_gr.asp?&HomePageLink=special_c2a
There is no event in the upcoming season that is so defining for the life of this institution, for New York, and for art lovers around the world than the completion of the New Greek and Roman Galleries, involving the installation of thousands of works of classical art from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Dyson's Super Slim Vacuum: The Lamborghini of Filth
Dyson’s vacuum cleaners have a superpower: They make you want to vacuum. The unparalleled suction, the storm of debris sweeping like a funnel cloud in that transparent chamber—it’s all more exciting than any vacuum should be. You’re happy to scour every nook and crevice in your home, and even happier to dump the resulting block of filth in the garbage. The only drawback, for any Dyson, is a price so steep it’s practically a joke. The DC18 Slim, the company’s newest and lightest upright model, costs $470. But this is no mere Porsche of vacuums. The Dyson Slim is a screeching Lamborghini Gallardo, and a new benchmark for the entire industry. (That would be the vacuum industry, of course.)
And I know, I’m extremely late to the party in reviewing the Slim. But months after its release, this impeccably engineered vacuum is still leading the competition. It uses Dyson’s Root Cyclone technology, which pulls debris and fine particles out of the air into multiple centrifugal chambers. It also uses an innovative hinge design similar to the one introduced in Dyson’s Ball vacuums, but manages to be much lighter than previous models. It’s still 15.8 pounds—turning trips up and down the stairs into surprise workouts—but for Dyson, this is uncharted territory.
According to Dyson, it’s not as powerful as the 20.79-pound DC17 Animal, but there’s no way you’ll tell the difference. And when you’re not lifting it, the Slim feels much lighter than it is, thanks to that swiveling ball-hinge design. It moves with surprising grace (for a vacuum), swerving instead of merely pivoting as you slalom across carpet and hardwood floors. It glides under furniture, and, true to its name, it is slim enough to fit between most chair legs. Every inch of this thing is a feat of industrial design. It even has a handle that pops off while the vacuum is still running, turning into a telescoping wand to clean ceiling fans and tight corners.
The Slim kicks out essentially zero odors or fine particles, though that’s nothing new for Dyson. All of this model’s impressive design features showed up first in the Ball, but the Slim still feels like the dirt- and carpet fuzz-inhaling Lamborghini that it is. And to finish beating the metaphor to death, it’s turned me into one of those idiotic car commercial characters, looking for any excuse to jump back behind the wheel and hit the twisties. Even if the twisties, in my case, are a few rooms in a railroad apartment and a couple of chairs I’m too lazy to clear out of the way.
The Slim is more vacuum than most people need, but it’s the first Dyson I’ve used that looks and feels precisely as expensive as it is. At the risk of sounding completely misogynistic, it’s an excellent gift for a girlfriend, wife, mother, etc. Despite the initial look of confused horror (Wow! You got me... a vacuum...), she will use it, and you will be thanked, and the world around you will become shockingly clean. —Erik Sofge
And I know, I’m extremely late to the party in reviewing the Slim. But months after its release, this impeccably engineered vacuum is still leading the competition. It uses Dyson’s Root Cyclone technology, which pulls debris and fine particles out of the air into multiple centrifugal chambers. It also uses an innovative hinge design similar to the one introduced in Dyson’s Ball vacuums, but manages to be much lighter than previous models. It’s still 15.8 pounds—turning trips up and down the stairs into surprise workouts—but for Dyson, this is uncharted territory.
According to Dyson, it’s not as powerful as the 20.79-pound DC17 Animal, but there’s no way you’ll tell the difference. And when you’re not lifting it, the Slim feels much lighter than it is, thanks to that swiveling ball-hinge design. It moves with surprising grace (for a vacuum), swerving instead of merely pivoting as you slalom across carpet and hardwood floors. It glides under furniture, and, true to its name, it is slim enough to fit between most chair legs. Every inch of this thing is a feat of industrial design. It even has a handle that pops off while the vacuum is still running, turning into a telescoping wand to clean ceiling fans and tight corners.
The Slim kicks out essentially zero odors or fine particles, though that’s nothing new for Dyson. All of this model’s impressive design features showed up first in the Ball, but the Slim still feels like the dirt- and carpet fuzz-inhaling Lamborghini that it is. And to finish beating the metaphor to death, it’s turned me into one of those idiotic car commercial characters, looking for any excuse to jump back behind the wheel and hit the twisties. Even if the twisties, in my case, are a few rooms in a railroad apartment and a couple of chairs I’m too lazy to clear out of the way.
The Slim is more vacuum than most people need, but it’s the first Dyson I’ve used that looks and feels precisely as expensive as it is. At the risk of sounding completely misogynistic, it’s an excellent gift for a girlfriend, wife, mother, etc. Despite the initial look of confused horror (Wow! You got me... a vacuum...), she will use it, and you will be thanked, and the world around you will become shockingly clean. —Erik Sofge
National Geographic Your Shot
Outstanding user submitteed photos
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/yourshot/your-shot.html
Artificial Societies and Virtual Violence
How modeling societies in silico can help us understand human inequality, revolution, and genocide
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18880/
Converting DVD into HD DVD
Converting DVD into HD DVD
Software for multicore computers could add resolution to video in real time.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18970/
Asus ultra portable
A massive notebook has its perks, but there’s something to be said for a laptop that can actually fit on your lap. This ultramobile PC weighs in at just under two pounds but is packed with enough RAM and flash memory for anything you’d need on the go. A built-in camera, mic and Wi-Fi are just some of its perks. Eee $200; asus.com
iWay iPod transfer card reader
iTransfer
Love scrolling through photos on your iPod but hate the unwieldy uploading process? This tiny card reader plugs directly into your video iPod and lets you skip the computer to instantly transfer photos from your camera’s SD card. iWay $70; herringtoncatalog.com
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