cities
Design
San Diego Floating Airport Would Be A City Of Its Own
5:20PM Rosa Golijan | San Diego is in desperate need of a new airport, but no one wants it near their land. The so-obvious-that-you’ll-slap-your-forehead solution? Don’t build it on land; the ocean’s right there. There’s even a plan, but it’s more than an airport. More »
GPS
10:14AM Nick Broughall | You know what’s been missing from GPS mapping? Highly detailed 3D renders of the buildings you’re driving past when you’re driving through the city. Well, that or unicorn riding fairies. Whereis have just announced that they’re going to be showing off the 3D models of Sydney and Melbourne in upcoming devices that use their maps. More »
Whereis Launching 3D City Models For GPS Mapping
10:14AM Nick Broughall | You know what’s been missing from GPS mapping? Highly detailed 3D renders of the buildings you’re driving past when you’re driving through the city. Well, that or unicorn riding fairies. Whereis have just announced that they’re going to be showing off the 3D models of Sydney and Melbourne in upcoming devices that use their maps. More »
Online
San Francisco Sets An Example, Opens City Data For Anyone To Use
9:20AM Jason Chen | SF Mayor Gavin “Handsome” Newsom just announced via Techcrunch that the city will start placing crime, health and other city data online for people to use. What’s it for? Think iPhone apps that show restaurants’ health code ratings, for one. More »
Robots
Giant Confused Robot Politely Asks for Directions
1:00AM Dan Nosowitz | Just like an American tourist in Europe, this German robot is completely lost and can only understand basic gestures like emphatic pointing to help it to its destination.
Design
Architect Dreams Up Lilypad: Floating City Ark for Eco-Refugees
1:00AM Gizmodo US Edition | Remember I wrote about the floating home solution that Dutch builders are using to counteract rising sea levels? Architect Vincent Callebaut has started with that idea, and taken it much further down the archeology-meets-ark route, and created Lilypads: floating eco-cities. Each 50,000-person pad is a designed as a zero-emission floating home that uses solar, wind, tidal and biomass power to generate energy for its inhabitants. Plus it’s got a titanium dioxide skin that helps it tackle rising atmospheric CO2. It’s a fantasy right now, but rising sea levels may one day tempt builders to take on mega structures like this… just keep Kevin Costner away from the project, is all I’m saying. [Freshome via Inhabitat]
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