Lifestyle
The latest news on health, home innovation, design, architecture and outdoor living.
Ineos Grenadier Raidbox camper kit kicks off new era of 4x4 micro-RVs
January 30, 2024
French supplier Capvango has introduced one of the world's first camping systems for the Ineos Grenadier. The sleek kit packs the cooking and in-vehicle sleeper capabilities adventurous souls need for a few nights out in the Highlands or Outback.
Health & Wellbeing
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Has COVID set us up for a major heart disease epidemic? It’s happened before
April 18, 2024Researchers suggest the 1918 influenza pandemic caused a wave of heart disease in the 20th century. With new evidence showing the impact of COVID on our hearts, could this recent pandemic be setting us up for another century of cardiac problems? -
How much dietary fiber do you need to reduce high blood pressure?
April 09, 2024There's been no guide on how much dietary fiber you need to eat to reduce blood pressure – until now. A new study has confirmed that it has an effect independent of medication and quantifies just how much is needed to directly impact high blood pressure. -
Toilet flush tests reveal just how nasty it is to leave the lid up
April 07, 2024When it comes to toilet etiquette, do you put the lid down before you flush, or leave it up? A new study has shown just what happens when you leave it up – and the results might have you questioning just what you do behind closed doors.
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Outdoors
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SkyNest modular hammock tent works as a whole or in pieces
April 17, 2024The SkyNest combines a hammock, bug mesh net and rainfly in a single package that can be used all together or in its separate components. It's claimed to be roomier than other hammock tents, and easier to set up. -
3-wheel tank-track motorcycle crawls over the most brutal terrain
April 17, 2024Bet you haven't seen one of these before! This unique single-track all-terrain vehicle rocks three wheels with massive balloon tires inside a proprietary monotrack system, driven by a grunty electric motor. But... How do you steer the thing? -
Acoustic navigational tech gets scuba divers using GPS maps
April 16, 2024Because GPS doesn't work underwater, divers usually can't track their real-time position on a digital map. The new Diver Navigation System (DNS) gets around that problem, however, using both floating and wearable acoustic transponders.
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Tiny Houses
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WWII airplane inspires extraordinary off-grid tiny house
April 24, 2024The Monocoque Cabin is an extraordinary tiny house that's modeled after a World War II airplane. It's defined by an eye-catching curving exterior and comes with lots of options, including its interior layout and off-the-grid capability. -
Video: Hardy tiny house gets a size boost for apartment-like living
April 22, 2024Minimaliste previously impressed us with its Noyer and Noyer XL, which offer luxurious small living in all weather. The firm has now iterated on the model again with the even larger and apartment-like 2024 Noyer XL tiny house. -
Video: Mi Casita tiny house rewrites the book on space-saving design
April 15, 2024Despite its modest length of just 26 ft, the Mi Casita tiny house has a space-saving interior that fits in the kind of features we'd usually expect in a much larger model, including a bathroom with a tub and a downstairs bedroom.
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Architecture
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Affordable starter home is 3D-printed in just 18 hours
April 25, 2024One of the big possibilities of 3D-printed architecture is that it could revolutionize affordable housing. Portugal's Havelar shows this may soon be within reach with its inaugural 3D-printed home, which took just 18 hours to print. -
Sustainable learning hub embraces timber craft old and new
April 23, 2024BIG has revealed plans for an ambitious new timber college building that will combine cutting-edge engineered wood with traditional Japanese joinery techniques to create a striking-looking and sustainable place of learning. -
Danish green-roof beach house boasts sustainable sophistication
April 19, 2024Heatherhill Beach House stands as a testament to the seamless integration of traditional Danish aesthetics with contemporary design. Conceived by Norm Architects, this holiday home boasts a green roof and calming central interior design.
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Around the Home
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Air-purifying pothos plants work almost 30X better with microbial boost
April 24, 2024Pothos plants are already known for being particularly good at purifying indoor air, so imagine if it were possible to make them 30 times better at doing so. Neoplants claims its Neo PX system does just that, using special soil-dwelling bacteria. -
Review: Latest Landroid robo-mower could do with a tad more Vision
April 16, 2024We've now spent several months with the latest wire-free Landroid robo-mower, and we've found it a mix of confusing, educational, satisfying and highly entertaining. Oddly enough, the one thing the Vision seems to need... is a bit more vision. -
No outdoor outlet? Power Mole transmits electricity through window glass
March 25, 2024The Power Mole wirelessly transmits 10 watts of electricity through window glass, allowing indoor outlets to power outdoor devices. It's built on the inductive coupling technology utilized in wireless smartphone charging systems.
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Good Thinking
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$300,000 robotic micro-factories pump out custom-designed homes
April 20, 2024Construction is the world’s largest industry, contributing 13% of global GDP. It is also the most inefficient, least digitised and most polluting industry. Now AUAR has begun rolling out an ingenious end-to-end solution based on its micro-factory. -
Movement at the top in 2024 World University Rankings
April 13, 2024The 2024 QS World University Rankings were released this week, and with three new key metrics added to the scoring process, several universities have rocketed to the international forefront, while traditional icons are being pushed below the fold. -
Personal 'invisibility shield' goes on sale, starting under $70
March 27, 2024If you've ever wished that you could turn invisible, here's your chance. A consumer "invisibility shield" has just hit Kickstarter, and it could be yours for as little as £54 (about US$68).
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Children
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Ride-on Unicorn robot: A quadruped companion for kids
March 28, 2024The XPeng Unicorn is a pony-sized robotic companion with the foundations to become much more. Shown to the world for the first time this week at the Bangkok International Motor Show, the Unicorn has the potential to become a market maker. -
Lego pays homage to a 70s classic, the Polaroid OneStep SX-70 instant
December 15, 2023Sadly not in time for the holidays, but perhaps a treat for the new year – a project out of the Lego Ideas fan platform is about to bring the iconic OneStep SX-70 instant camera back to life through a 516-brick set. -
Review: Turing Tumble lets kids build complex marble-powered computers
November 14, 2022Minnesota company Upper Story has sent us its Turing Tumble, a fascinating educational toy that quietly tricks kids into inventing binary logic computers using nothing more than tiny marbles dropping through a series of clicky-clacky plastic pieces.
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Remarkable People
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Lanny Smoot: First Disney Imagineer inducted into Inventors Hall of Fame
January 21, 2024With more than 100 patents, illustrious inventor Lanny Smoot is making history as the first Disney Imagineer to be inducted into the National Engineers Hall of Fame. The only other employee from The Walt Disney Company to do so is Walt Disney himself. -
High-tech entrepreneur Brett Adcock on Figure, Archer, and early success
October 02, 2023Brett Adcock has co-founded two companies on the bleeding edges of innovation in emerging markets: Archer Aviation, in the world of eVTOL aircraft, and Figure, in humanoid robots. We look into his background, and the startup that launched it all. -
SR-71 pilot, photographer and storyteller Brian Shul dies at 75
May 21, 2023The aviation world has lost one of its brightest luminaries. Major Brian Shul was an incredible survivor and a top gun pilot – but also a gifted photographer and storyteller, whose stories about the extraordinary SR-71 Blackbird will live forever.
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Pets
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Rubicon Dog is a pooch-holding canine booster seat
August 11, 2023Many people seatbelt their dog on car rides, but they don't want the critter messing up the seats. The Rubicon Dog is designed with just such folks in mind, as it safely secures pooches while containing their loose fur and dirty paws. -
StayrAI performs automatic water-changes so aquarists don't have to
July 10, 2023Regular water-changes are essential to the wellbeing of aquarium fish, but the task sometimes gets missed, plus it can be hard to determine how much water should be replaced, and how often. That's where the automated StayrAI Rein system comes in. -
Dog personality determined by much more than breed, study finds
May 30, 2023Often, the decision to get a Rottweiler over a Chihuahua is made based on personality. A new study has found that while the breed is an important factor, a dog’s personality is determined by a complex interaction between genetics and environment.
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Holiday Destinations
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"Hologram zoo" opens in Australia
July 26, 2023Axiom Holographics has opened a unique family attraction in Brisbane, Australia, a kind of augmented reality zoo built around a much larger version of Euclideon's multi-viewpoint 3D display tables and Unlimited Detail graphics engine. -
111 Resources, ideas & opportunities for people who can "work from anywhere"
March 23, 2023The collective mindset change that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have begun a societal revolution that may well return us to our nomadic origins. We've collected a list of resources available for those who can work-from-anywhere. -
Airbnb lets visitors haunt the halls of the Phantom of the Opera's home
February 21, 2023Airbnb regularly offers the chance to stay in one-of-a-kind places, and has now teamed up with Palais Garnier, the Paris opera house which inspired the Phantom of the Opera novel, to offer a night of luxury and a rare look behind the scenes.
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