hah. via Gizmodo.

This is pretty great. Volkswagen in Sweden started this initiative to try to get people to take the stairs more. So what did they do? Turn the stairs into a huge piano. 66% more people ended up taking them, over the escalator. I would have too!

The video points you toward TheFunTheory.com; there is nothing much there other than a postulate about fun leading to behavior changes. I 100% agree and threw my email address in to find out more in the future. This is going to be fun (literally).

[via Gizmodo]

Unboxing the Nokia Booklet 3G. They seem to have gotten much better with packaging. Also, the booklet itself is pretty beautiful. [via Gizmodo]

My entire mood was just turned around. Gizmodo posted a video of this new robot that can RUN. For real running. It’s so cute.

I had strangely never thought about (or considered trying) physical computing until recently – I was perfectly happy trying to learn to make things online only. Maybe I had this perception that it was so impossible, it would require schooling. Guess not so much. A few months ago, I went to this Creative Mornings about physical computing.

12/12/08 Zach Klein and Casey Pugh on Physical Computing from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

SO COOL. Anyway, now I pay more attention to such things. Which brings me to RAPHaEL – a robotic hand that is powered by air (that’s what the A stands for).

“…Air drives the hand’s movement without costly or bulky motors/actuators.”

It can grasp something as fragile as a light bulb or an egg, or something as heavy as a can (maybe even heavier!). I giggled with glee when it let go of the orange. AI has never been such a mental stretch for me, since I tend to anthropomorphize everything. Pretty cool advancement.

[via Gizmodo]

I have either Delicioused or Tumbled about this before. Check out this Leica.

Pow. Yes please.

[via Gizmodo]

Ha! Anyone surprised about this? ^_^ [via Gizmodo]