Ka Lai is a designer who just graduated from the Dutch design school in Utrecht:
Based on the personal emotions and sentiments that the designer, Ka-Lai Chan, has experienced. The chair is an expression of the growth of her own personality and character over the past years. With partly organic forms and using a classic black and white leather skin, it brings together contemporary and modern elements.
“In the past I have always found myself to be quite introverted. Often, perhaps due to my social background, I could not let my emotions surface – I didn’t dare show my feelings to other people. It felt like there was something growing inside me which was getting bigger and bigger. I always tended to hide away my personality, but my deepest wish was to be able to open up and just be myself. In part, I see my chair is an expression of this process”
Recently, after a testing 6 months with 3 numbers, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has launched number 4 of its interactive multimedia on-line in-flight magazine iFly. It is available in the Dutch and English language.
It is not KLM’s intention to scrap the paper magazine (yet?), but it is an interesting experiment. The topic presented to the viewer are based on the viewers behavior and interests, for instance the time a viewer spends on a certain topic.
An very interesting format for future blogs and hotel sites as well. Media gurus love the clickrate and time spent on the site….
Update.
I was a bit surprised not having found more on the subject.
After each new issue they send an e-mail to their subscribers.
* After their third issue, KLM has found that iFly is their best marketing tool ever used to sell repeat tickets.
* The average reader spends 20 minutes reading the magazine.
* 20% read the entire magazine.
* Frequent flyers are heavy users of the magazine.
* The click-through rate of iFly is higher than any other online campaign from KLM.
Scheveningen is a suburb of The Hague and the main beach resort of The Netherlands.
1906 Postcard - Scheveningen beach with the Kurhaus
Since we enjoy a wonderful summer here in the Hague, I’m remembering the typical good old cane High Back Scheveningen Beach Chair that used to be all over the Scheveningen beaches. These chairs disappeared completely from the Scheveningen Beach scene in the 70ies.
One problem was that they are very heavy. You need two persons to move them. The second problem is they were a bit unstable. With a bit of wind, they are easily blown over.
However, they had two huge advantages:
Wind protection.
By their design they already offered a nice protection against the wind. If you added a towel inside in the back the protection was complete.
They offered you a nice feel of privacy: No strangers’ eyes burning in your back.
Dreamy Scheveningen Beach Postcard - Undated
I’ve grabbed some historic postcard pictures from the internet to make my point while I was in search of modern equivalents for this wonderful beach chair, but couldn’t find a decent one. That is strange as the modern materials for outdoor chairs are so flexible. High Back beach chairs still do have a function as the following postcard fro a German Beach proves: Postcard from a recent G8 Top
A recent G 8 top postcard with several World Leaders on a Northern German beach in its own model of a high back beach chair. It is much heavier, hence it is not feasible for Scheveningen where you have to adapt to the wind direction frequently, but a swiveling high back maybe?
So Chair designers out there: If the Germans can do this, why can’t the Dutch do this?
Two Dutch University Teams have unveiled their new solar cars for the 2009 Australian World Solar Challenge (the 10th Challenge).
The WSC runs over 3,000 km from Darwin in North Australia to Adelaide in South Australia. The start will be on October 25, 2009.
Nuon Solar Team of TU Delft
The Nuon Solar Team consisting of 14 undergraduates from TU (Technical University) Delft, led by coach Wubbo Ockels, the only Dutch Astronaut, here left on the photo, have unveiled their entry for the unofficial world championship for solar cars. Nuna5 is ready for the team’s 5th title!
As the Nuon Solar Team has won 4 prior editions, their competitors will be putting every effort in beating them in this challenge. At first glance it seems that the Nuna5 is a further development of proven technology as could be found in its predecessor Nuna4
Twente University Solar Car Team
Twente University Solar Car Team Solar Team Twente will probably be one of the closest competitors of the Nuon Solar Car Team. Here is a video animation of it’s 2009 solar car:
They have refined two innovations of their former model: The cantilever wing design that enables them to turn the wing with solar cells to the sun and the Fresnel lenses to get more sun rays on the solar cells.
Some WSC History
To me it seems very odd that the “Official WSC Site” gives hardly any information about the 2009 edition.
The event evolved from an experiment by Danish-born adventurer Hans Tholstrup who, sponsored by BP, designed the world’s first solar car, called Quiet Achiever, in which he completed the BP Solar Trek, traversing the 4052 km (2,518 miles) between Sydney and Perth in 20 days. That was the precursor of the World Solar Challenge originally held every three years to one held every two years.
After the 4th race Hans Tholstrup sold the rights to the state of South Australia (source World Solar Challenge Wiki).
Results from the former editions:
1987
1st Place General Motors “Sunraycer” (USA) average speed 66.9 Km/h
2nd Place Ford Australia “Sunchaser” (AUS) average speed 44.48 Km/h
3rd Place Biel College of Engineering (CH) average speed 42.93 Km/h
1990
1st Place Biel College of Engineering (CH) average speed 65.18 Km/h
2nd Place Honda “Dream” (Japan) average speed 54.67 Km/h
3rd Place University of Michigan (USA) average Speed 52.53 Km/h
1993
1st Place Honda “Dream” (Japan) average Speed 84.96 Km/h
2nd Place Biel College of Engineering (CH) average speed 78.27 Km/h
3rd Place Kyocera “Son of Sun” (Japan) average speed 70.76 Km/h
1996
1st Place Honda “Dream II” (Japan) average speed 89.76 Km/h
2nd Place United High Schools of Biel (CH) average speed 86 Km/h
3rd Place Aisin Seiki “Aisol III” average speed 80.7 Km/h
1999
1st Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (AUS) average speed 72.96 Km/h
2nd Place Queens university “Radiance” (CAN) average speed 72.17 Km/h
3rd Place University of Queensland “Sunshark” (AUS) average speed 71.68 Km/h
2001
1st Place Nuna “Alpha Centauri” (NL) average speed 91.81 Km/h
2nd Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (AUS) average speed 90.26 Km/h
3rd Place University of Michigan (USA) average speed average speed 87.37 Km/h
2003
1st Place Nuon “Nuna II” (NL) average speed 97.02 Km/h
2nd Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (AUS) average speed 91.90 Km/h
3rd Place MIT “Tesseract” (USA) average speed 90.20 Km/h
2005
1st Place Nuon “Nuna III” (NL) average speed 102.75 Km/h
2nd Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (AUS) average speed 92.03 Km/h
3rd Place University of Michigan “Momentum” (USA) average speed 90.03 Km/h
2007 (NB lower average speeds due to 25% smaller solar panels)
1st Place Nuon “Nuna 4” (NL) average speed 90.87 Km/h
2nd Place Umicore “Umicar Infinity” (Belgium) average speed 88.05 Km/h
3rd Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (Australia) average speed 85 Km/h
A New Name: Global Green Challenge:
Ah….It turns out there is a new site and a new name on the block which gives much more information: The Global Green Challenge. Apparently the event has evolved. This is the new logo:
I believe that all parties involved have a task in bettering their communication. Teams involved communicate in their local languages and there are many loose ends.
Qrooz 01 against the background of Dutch architect Ben van Berkel’s Rotterdam “Swan Bridge”.
In my youth I have extensively traveled the many canals, rivers and lakes of The Netherlands with a 1890 built barge that my dad had converted in a moving house boat in 1960. Many people did that in the 50ies and 60ies with barges that were put out of commission and were not scrapped by generous scrapping subsidies, because road traffic became more fashionable in those years than transport over water. As a student we even hauled motor yachts from the Mediterranean through France and Germany to The Netherlands. I say a moving house boat, because it it moved more like a crab than it sailed. Comfort was Spartan. Only cold water and no shower. In the first years even no heating. But we had a lot of fun wit it. I learned from it that The Netherlands can be best viewed from its waters.
In 2001 we sold the barge, named Vrouw Holle, to an Englishman who after an extensive renovation is now underway with it somewhere in Europe.
Later on with friends and with my current small fast motorboat Haagsch Schuim I have traveled much longer distances.
I must admit I sometimes do envy the current owner of Vrouw Holle and dream of having my own sailing house again. Never necessary to be in one place for long. Always possible to adapt your neighborhood to your mood. Do you want to be fashionable? Moor in Amsterdam, London, Paris or in Berlin all cities that are navigable. Do you want peacel? Seek a mooring place somewhere in a remote place like one of Finland’s 1000 lakes. Much more freedom on the water than when camping on land. And rather than carrying around all sort of stuff to your second home, caravan or yacht, you have your home with you: Ideal!
The same dream did 5 Dutchman*) set out to develop the Qrooz which is a combination of a house a boat and a lounge.
One of the 5: Dutch industrial designer Huibert Groenendijk who also designed the Roterdam watertaxi:
Although he probably wants to forget about it, Huibert also designed a motor yacht version of the Rotterdam Watertaxi:
The V Tesse or the Blu V-Tesse that sadly disappeared from the market.
Back to the Qrooz, a design that seems to work as 2 Qroozes have been launched till today and number one has cruised the European waters extensively already.
It has an enormous living space. It comes in Mini, Large and XL sizes and the prices range from Euro 464,000.- onward. (yes you probably have to sell your house to afford it:-)
*) The 5 are:
Arno Schuurs: Initiative
Huibert Groenendijk: Initial design
Peter Bosgraaf: Naval Design
Casper Helldorfer: Building
Sander Doves: Partner
