Mori Digital Art Museum by teamLab

Digital technology has allowed art to liberate itself from the physical and thereby transcend boundaries and teamLab an interdisciplinary group of ultratechnologists whose mindblowing projects seeks to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology, design and nature, shows us just what is possible nowadays.

Various specialists such as artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians and architects of this collective named teamLab are creating new experiences in a vast complex, three-dimensional 10,000 square meter space, 520 computers and 470 projectors which invite you to an entirely new world; borderless art.

Artworks in the Mori Building move out of the rooms freely, communicate with other works, form connections and relationships with people and influence and sometimes intermingle with each other.

Their main aim is to discover  new relationships between humans and nature, and between oneself and the world through art. 

Lifehack finders Nice to Know:
teamLab's philosophy behind the fantastical and high tech magical art they create:

"There is no boundary between humans and nature, and between oneself and the world; one is in the other and the other in one. Everything exists in a long, fragile yet miraculous, borderless continuity of life."

25 simple but genius bodyhacks

25 simple but genius bodyhacks

Fun to watch and interesting to know!  A video from 5 minutes crafts.

SOLA Cube by Usagi no Nedoko

SOLA Cube showcases extraordinary craftmanship and original ornaments of beauty by placing delicately preserved plants, seeds, flowers and even  minerals, and microbes, in the form of a miniature acrylic cube sized only 1.6 x 1.6 inches. 

Exceptional craftsmanship is necessary to enable this small transparent cube, which measures only 4 centimeters, to hold a plant at its very center without letting any air bubbles get inside.

How it is made:

In the first step of creating the SOLA Cube, liquid acrylic is poured into a mold slightly larger than the Sola cube. The dried plant is carefully placed when the liquid hardens to a gel, after this proces more liquid acrylic is then poured into the mold.

The mold is then placed into a vacuum kiln, then pressurized to force out any air bubbles.

The cube is showered with hot air of 80 degrees for about 3-4 hours. This stabilizes and hardens the acrylic, and guarantees the SOLA cube's durability. 

Finally the cube is cut to precisely 4 centimeterson each side, the corners are rounded and smoothed at the end of this step and the surface of the cube is then polished until it is shiny, clean, and glossy.

The manufacturing process and resin used in polishing is adjusted, depending on the variety of plant to be set inside the cube.

Every Sola cube is a true piece of art carefully handmade by an Japanese artisan, and each one takes considerable time and effort to complete. It makes for a very special and unique gift for a loved one.

Sola cubes can be displayed  in multiple ways to inspire and be observed, studied, admired.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know: the name “Sola” with the Chinese symbol 宙 means universe.

The ADcase mobile airbag by Philip Frenzel

Philip Frenzel may have the best new solution to save smartphone damage caused by falling. He created the ADcase, a  airbag for your mobile phone, an equipped case that senses when your phone is in free fall and releases metal prongs to protect it from damaging.

He came up with the workable idea of a specialized case integrated with sensors that could detect when a phone was in freefall, and deploy a set of retractable legs bound by metal springs in response to protect the phone and set up a project to realize his idea into ADcase.

The ADcase works through its dampers which are pushed into their “airbag” position with metal springs, they mainly absorb the impact of the fall and thereby prevent the breaking of  a device’s screen and inner parts. The legs really appear to soften the impact of a fall more than your average case, while also making it less likely your smartphone's more fragile bits come into contact with a hard surface. After being deployed, the dampers can easily be pushed back into the case, allowing it to be used again and again.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

The ADcase is called  so because "AD" stands for "active damping" there is an official ADcase website though the ADcase is not for sale yet.  The designer of this clever gadget has already acquired a patent and even received an award from the German Society of Mechatronics for his invention.

UFBS (Ultra Fine Bubbles) and Nanoteragoup experiments

Ultrafine bubble are just one-billionth of a meter in diameter but they have amazing potential because recent scientific studies has shown that they are able to extend the freshness of raw seafood and promote crop and vegetation growth.

This innovative field of technology originates from Japan and its applications are very promising and highly experimental in the work of applicable nano sciences in water.

For example in the medical field the use of UFB's (short for Ultra Fine Bubbles) raises high expectations as research is now being focused on their ability to destroy bacteria and even viruses.

According to Nanoteragroup a company who specializes in developing the technique UFB's are shown effective in:

Helping the growth of aerobic microbes and decomposing sludge at water bottom. Removing bad stenches and even more exciting stimulating self purification to recover a clean water environment and improving the quality of water without destroying the water environment.

UFBs have also shown very effective in oxidation and reduction of organic compounds, in eliminating floating blue-green microbes (and thereby supplying oxygen to bottom water) and in resolving excess nutritious matter.

In laymans terms UFBs make it possible due to their ultra fine or small size to come in between the mass and the volume of other particles by changing the structure on the inside on a nanolevel; this results in a rearrangement of the available space and the waterbubbles breaking down the structural pattern of the bigger particle at its deepest core by filling it with UFBs.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know: nano-size bubbles do not scatter visible light, making the water solution look transparent and have been confirmed to stay in a liquid for over six months.

Deveci Tech. The ENLIL Eco-smart Wind Turbine with Wi-Fi

The energy crises that faces us today and in the near future because of the depletion of exhaustible resources that are also destroying the ecosystem by generating carbon into our atmosphere , is a valid reason for great concern for the scientific world.

Finding a sustainable solution is something what the Deveci Techn. a company located in Turkey did by inventing ENLIL: a unique and eco-friendly energy generator.

In short ENLIL is a device; a windturbine with a smart vertical axis that draws wind energy from highways and transforms it into a usable powersource through creating electricity from the generated windforce. The turbine has built-in sensors and helps generate energy by using the winds created by passing vehicles as well as natural airstreams.

ENLIL provides a creative new way of thinking by placing the hybrud vertical axis wind turbine which has a solar panel on top, on highways, Metrobus lines, high rising buildings and onther transportation lines. It can contribute to becoming a real and practical solution to the crisis.

ENLIL wind turbines have a built-in IOT platform which measures the temperature, humidity, wind and CO2 levels of the environment where it is placed. These turbines are part of Smart technology and usable for the development and planning of Smart Citis and communities because they are multitasking pieces of technology that utilize existing infrastructure. By creating ENLIL, Deveci Tech. inspires to build smart cities of the future with a team of talented engineers and progressive environmentalists.

The recordings made by ENLIL can help predicte weather and it is also possible for the ENLIL device to provide relevant information in advance about seismic movement that may cause earthquakes, through it's earthquake monitoring station which is to a great advantage to earthquake sensitive areas.
Ecologically it is innovative in checking the carbon footprint by keeping close track of the CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

ENLIL is a smart device which can provide wireless internet. Users can access the information any time by downloading and installing the app on their mobile phone.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know: a project likw ENLIL proofs that it is possible to think outside and come up with a clean, green and safe energy source. Enlil will soon launch its own mobile app to provide data about the readings recorded by the wind turbine.

Whistle for help with Geko's Smart Whistle

The world’s first Smart Whistle by Geko is created with GPS tracking and Bluetooth technology that alerts your family and/or police or ambulance directly whenever you are in need of help.

How it works:

This new device works together with an app called WISO. After downloading the WISO app on your smartphone simply pair it to your Geko Smart Whistle.

On the app you are able to select the contacts you wish to notify in case of an emergency or accident when you need help or assistance.

If you want to activate your SOS alerts, blow on the mouthpiece or press on your Smart Whistle’s button for two seconds. Doing this will automatically call (Android only), text, and email your contacts.

The texts and emails will contain an SOS message, along with a map guiding to your current location, this information will be updated continuously every two to three minutes until deactivation of the alert.

After deactivating the alert, your contacts receive another message informing them of your safety. 

Features of the Geko Smart Whistle:

Bluetooth:

The Smart Whistle comes with Bluetooth technology to allow pairing between it and your WISO app. Through Bluetooth it syncs with your phone and app and allows texts/emails to be sent once activated.

Audio Recording & Messaging:

You can send your preselected loved ones a personal recording to let them know what’s happening.
Aside from sending digital alerts to your pre-selected contacts, you can also keep blowing your whistle and/or set your app to play a loud siren to attract attention, or, even set stealth mode to remain quiet.

GPS on Google Maps:

You will be easily able to be tracked during an emergency on Google Maps via the WISO app, or online. When the Smart Whistle is activated, your contacts will receive the SOS alerts with a simple and discreet location info on a map straight to their phone or email. After this the WISO app will update your contacts with your current location every three minutes! This will automatically go on until alert is deactivated.

IOS and Android suitability:

As long as you are connected to the internet it does'nt matter whether you have an iOS or Android device, you’ll be able to pair your Smart Whistle to both and activate your SOS alerts. There are no seperate monthly service plan/ contract required.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

This device is especially suitable for women, kids, students, elderly who live alone, and athletes who practice (extreme) sports individually.

It comes with 1 year guarantee and is available in different colours.

The strap is designed to be stretchy and flexible in order to be strapped on anywhere / anything and is made durable for outside use and different weather types.

You also receive 30 free SOS SMS per month and unlimited email/call notifications up to 3 contacts.

1 Candle x 12 with Rekindle

Benjamin Shine must have had a momentous spark of true inspiration which lead him to make Rekindle: the candlestick holder which slowly but steadily turns into a brand new candle, as it burns and melts away.

Rekindle is a self-regenerative wax candle stick that consists of a tubular acrylic stem that holds and remolds the melting wax of the candle as it is burning into a second new candle.

As the wax accumulates inside the stem, it hardens around a strip of wick running through the center, as a result all you'll need is a new wick to recreate the original candle.

The recycled candle is however a little smaller, because every time it burns all the way through, the flame is generated by burning wax vapours.

Still the Rekindle lets you re-use your candles in the most effective way, up to 12 times!

Very useful during a cold season where extreme storms have been shutting down cities and especially in case of other emergencies where the electricity is off for an  uncertain period of time.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

The designer can customize this item to your choice of stainless steel, anodized aluminum, or porcelain.

If you are interested in this please contact Benjamin Shine directly.

Prime numbers: Amazing patterns in 3D

Mac keyboard hacks: timesaving shortcuts

The right keyboard shortcuts can save you much of your time. Here are some basic and more advanced shortcuts you can use if you own a mac keyboard.

Basic tricks:

Cmd+Z: Undo

Maybe the most frequently used keyboard shortcut is Cmd+Z. It undoes your last action and works across multiple programs, so whether you've accidentally deleted a file, applied an image filter you don't like, or erased pages of important textfiles you can use this shortcut to retrieve it back.

Cmd+W: Close

Cmd+W is for closing
any window or file you have open. It works for almost anything, from open documents to browser tabs. Great when you need to close down a lot of windows, images, or anything else quickly. This shortcut saves you alot of time and clicking.

Cmd+Q: Quit apps

When you click the red "x" in the top-left corner of an application window, macOS won't actually close the program completely but it will minimize the app to the dock. Because it leaves programs running, it can really slow down your processor speed. To avoid this you can use this keyboard shortcut.

Cmd+F: Search

By using this shortcut: in your browser, you can search the current webpage; in Finder, you search the contents of your hard drive; in iTunes, you search your music library or the store; you can start a search from about anywhere by hitting Cmd+F.

Return: Rename

When busy with renaming files, this shortcut is great. Once you've selected the file in Finder, you hit the Return key, type out the new name, and hit Return again when you've finished. Then move on to the next file by moving the cursor.

Advanced tricks:

Cmd+Space: Launch Siri

The Siri feature (Apple's smart assistent) can be used by the Cmd+Space shortcut. You need to press and hold these keys to access it. When Siri launches, you can voice a variety of commands, from searching local files to preparing for the day's weather.

Cmd+Opt+Delete: Immediately delete a file

To make sure a file is securely gone, or prevent the Trash folder from taking up too much hard drive space, hit Cmd+Opt+Delete to immediately delete a file indefinitly.

Cmd+Opt+3: Take a screenshot

Hit Cmd+Opt+3 to save your entire screen as a PNG file on the desktop. Use Cmd+Opt+4, to draw a rectangle over an area to screenshot just that specific region. And you can hit Cmd+Opt+4 and then press the space bar before clicking on a window for a shot of that window on its own.

Cmd+Opt+Esc: Force quit applications

The Cmd+Opt+Esc shortcut will bring up the Force Quit dialogue box, with a list of  currently running programs. Select the problematic app and hit Force quit. To skip the dialogue box and immediately shut down the program you're currently using, press Shift+Cmd+Opt+Esc.

Cmd+comma: Open preferences

Press Cmd+comma to open the Preferences pane for whatever program you're using.

Improved navigation tricks:

Cmd+number: Change the Finder view

Cmd+1 lets you view each file as an icon, Cmd+2 as a list, Cmd+3 shows the contents of a set of folders as a series of columns, and Cmd+4 gives you the cover flow perspective. The arrow keys will let you navigate through lists, columns, and files.

Cmd+H: Hide applications

Cmd+H hides all the open windows of the application you currently are using, and switches the foremost application to the most recent one. By adding the Option key you can achieve the opposite effect: Cmd+Opt+H hides all the open windows of all the open applications, except the one you're using right now.

Cmd+Tab: Switch apps

A quick tap on the Cmd+Tab keyboardshortcut will switch you from your currently-foremost app to the app you were using immediately before; another tap will take you back again. Hold down the Cmd key even after you press Tab, and you'll see icons for all your open apps: Hit Tab to cycle through them.

Space: Quick Look

The Quick Look shortcut is perfect for looking at a series of images or other files without fully opening them in an application. Select the file you want to preview in Finder and hit Space. To close this view, tap Space one more time. Also it is possible to select a list of several files and press Cmd+Opt+Y to access a Quick Look slideshow.

Cmd+Opt+D: Show or hide the dock

Quickly hide it from view, by hitting Cmd+Opt+D. Press the shortcut again to reveal the dock once more. If you prefer the dock-free look, go to System Preferences, where the Dock entry lets you automatically hide it when not in use.

Educate yourself with MOOC provider edX

EdX is an excellent MOOC provider for people who want to learn online, (MOOC is short for massive open online courses). The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University founded edX in May of 2012.

Ever since it's foundation it has been governed by colleges and universities and it is the only leading MOOC provider that is both nonprofit and open source.

As an online educational organisation edX offers high-quality courses from the world’s leading universities and upscale institutions, that enable anyone to educate themselves on an academic level.

Some of the university level courses are free of charge and there are a wide range of courses made available in computer science, languages, engineering, psychology, writing, electronics, biology, or marketing.

Edx also performs research in e-learning, based on how people use their platform.

Their ultimate mission is to provide quality education for everyone, everywhere and increasing access to high-quality education for everyone, everywhere.

Therefor they have developed ways to allow people around the world to get an education that would otherwise be impossible.

Unlike other MOOC providers like Coursera and Udacity, edX is a nonprofit organization and runs on the free Open edX open-source softwareplatform. This online learning platform is freely available.

On June 1, 2013, edX open sourced its entire platform. On GitHub the source code can be found.

With Open EdX, educators and technologists can build learning tools and contribute new features to the platform, creating innovative solutions to benefit students globally.

Also the platform is made freely available to other institutions of higher learning that want to make the same offerings. Several higher-education institutions use the Open edX to provide MOOC services, such as MIT's MITx platform and some private companies also use Open edX to provide training.

With more than 90 global partners, EdX counts the world’s leading universities, nonprofits, and institutions as it's members. EdX university members top the QS World University Rankings® with the founders receiving the top honors, and EdX partner institutions ranking highly on the full list.

It is possible to get a verified certificate after completing a course and also to automatically update the information about the received cerficate on to your LinkedIn profile.

For more information visit the site: Open edX or edX.

Lifehack Finders Nice to Know:

As of 29 December 2016, EdX has around 10 million students taking more than 1,270 courses online.

More than 70 schools, nonprofit organizations, and corporations offer or plan to offer courses on the edX website.

Online education is available via EdX in English, Mandarin, French, Hindi, Spanish

Edx latest tweet says they are excited to announce two new Microsoft Professional Program tracks, Cloud Administration and DevOps.

The Everybot by Moneual: a robotic mop

After numerous autonomous smart vacuum cleaners, here is the first ultimate robot mop cleaner called Everybot. A project launched at Kickstarter.

This ingenious device by Moneual has seven different cleaning modes to fit the types of floors and furniture layout of your home, and the oval shape allows it to fit into and clean even the hard to access corners. Everybot can be a real timesaver.

Everybot has a number of truly impressive and advanced features: multi-directional sensors to avoid obstacles and the ability to sense vertical drop-offs: so no falling accidents with a staircase or countertop.

The sensors of this smart device can even detect room lighting, which allows it to travel back to a well-lit area after it's done mopping under furniture.

Everybot has a dry cleaning mode too to clear the floor before mopping so it essentially is a vacuum and mopp both.

Lifehack finder's Nice to Know:

Besides mopping and vacuuming you can also use the handle on top to let the Everybot work. It is a multifunctional cleaning tool; also handy to clean windows, countertops or your car.

Japan's new licensing for 11 bitcoin exchangers

As China is withdrawing from bitcoin trading, operating licenses have been issued to 11 bitcoin exchanges by Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) 

The new Japanese law established bitcoin as a legal payment method and is now enforcing new ruling regarding security guidelines for cryptocurrency exchanges.

The licensing enforces certain operational requirements for the exchanges. These include: the verification of customer identities, the segregation of customer accounts and high standards for cybersecurity.

The new regulations are intended to protect investors from fraud and cyber crime, while supporting financial technology innovation.

The registration places several requirements on the companies, such as building a strong computer system and checking the identity of users to prevent money laundering.

Japan is currently uniquely proactive in its cryptocurrency regulations.

Bitcoin payments may be accepted at over 260,000 stores in Japan by this summer as result of partnerships between bitcoin exchanges and major retailers.

Coincheck, which holds most of the bitcoin payment market share in Japan, will bring Bitcoin payments to shops that use AirRegi, a point-of-sale app developed by Recruit Lifestyle, by this summer.

Using AirRegi customers can simply scan the barcode displayed on the app to pay with bitcoin. Coincheck will then process the transaction, converting the bitcoin into yen.

It was also very recently  reported that Japanese banks are considering setting up their own digital currency called the J-Coin.

Japan already had over 4,000 locations accepting bitcoin and considering the tax incentives and the new favourable regulations the country is expected to have a positive impact on consumer confidence and growth of the domestic virtual currency market.

As for the new regulations and licensing the exchange firms are reacting very enthusiastically.

Quoine, one of the 11 bitcoin exchange firms to receive a license said that they are aiming "towards the healthy development of the cryptocurrency industry within Japan and on a global scale."

"Japan has been exploding with demand for both bitcoin trading as well as virtual currency services," said Bitflyer's CEO, Kano.

"The FSA's approval for bitFlyer to operate as a Registered Virtual Currency Exchange, and the agency's openness and forward thinking regulation could not come at a better time for the blockchain space."

Lifehack Finders Nice to know:

Blockchain is a digital leger that is dispersed across networks. It is used in the cryptocurrency space to securely record every transaction between users.