The Smart Home of the Future Is Here

Source: Pellesten

For most people the concept of a smart home implies a house with a number of cool features like a lighting system that can be activated by clapping one’s hands. Ion Cuervas-Mons thought bigger and, together with colleagues from the Think Big Factory (which he leads) has created a working, almost fantastical smart home called Openarch.

It’s a kind of magic

Openarch truly is the smart home of the future, offering a number of av services; a flick of the wrist can display internet pages or a cityscape (with sound effects) on the living room walls, a digital alarm clock on the bedroom wall can be switched off with a wave and the day’s schedule appears.

The smart home system works from a central console in the living room but lights, music and the internet can be activated or shut down by a movement within two meters from any wall.

Angelina Jolie’s Jewellery Helps Afghan Girls

Angelina Jolie has launched a jewellery line, ‘Style by Jolie’, of which 100% of the proceeds will go towards building schools for girls in Afghanistan.

Style by Jolie

Predictably the range designed by Angelina Jolie includes a number of emerald stones; one of the actress’s favourites, set in an elegant, minimalist design. Jolie co-designed the range with jeweller Robert Procop (who also designed her engagement ring).

The range is partially inspired by jewels the actress has worn before such as the black and gold necklace she donned at the premier of ‘Salt’ in 2010.  According to Ecouterre the range will also include ‘an oversized pear shaped citrine necklace, a cushion cut black necklace’ as well as rings, earrings and bracelets.  While there is no childrens jewellery in the ‘Style by Jolie’ collection, all the proceeds will certainly go to children.

Urgent Action Needed to Curb UK Obesity

Source: Joe_13

It’s a fact, obesity in the UK is a big issue that’s getting worse; presently one in every four adults is obese. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has issued a report in which they call for a number of urgent measures like a 20% tax on sugary drinks, a ban on unhealthy foods in hospitals and fewer fast food outlets near schools.

How do you know you’re obese?

According to the NHS a person’s BMI or Body Mass Index is used to determine whether they are obese or not. BMI is calculated by taking your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared. Having a BMI between 25 and 29 is considered as being overweight, between 30 and 40 is rated as obese and over 40 as morbidly obese (yes, by then it is life threatening).

U-Star Language Technology Gets People Talking

In what is set to be a revolutionary addition to the world of speech translation, scientists in Singapore are about to clear a universal speech translator device for shipping. The system, known as U-Star, speaks 20 languages and promises to bridge language barriers in a more advanced and efficient way.

Development

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) announced yesterday that this breakthrough technology has entered its final stage of development and that it will be ready for shipping well ahead of the scheduled unveiling at the ASEAN Economic Community 2016.

Uses

In the future the technology could be used anywhere from a person to person situation to a translation agency London or Hong Kong. Presently the device translates 10 different Languages and can support a multi-lingual conversation.

Wheel Welcome: New Honda Brio Reaches South Africa

Honda is about to Jazz up their service offering as the new Honda Brio hits the South African market this Monday the 3^rd of December. So if you’ve been experiencing a bit of indecision regarding your Christmas shopping (for yourself) this year, you might want to get that order in.

Olympic Furniture to be Sold in Auction

Olympic furniture

Many individuals and corporations from around the word have a passion and aptitude for furniture such as modern living room pieces, and those individuals will be very interested to hear that Olympic furniture is up for grabs to the public. Thousands of pieces of furniture from this coveted event will be sold in an Olympic auction in Nottingham.

Olympic furniture auction

Not only will the auction of furniture used in the 2012 London Olympic Games in London appeal to the furniture enthusiast, but also someone that wants to have a piece of significant history. There will be an array of Olympic furniture for sale, ranging from chairs, couches, luggage trolleys and even lockers used by Olympic sportspeople. Competitor’s beds from the famous Olympic village will also be auctioned off, with gold and silver medallists, the couches they relaxed on and wardrobes they used, forming some of the most popular items. Although individuals are able to bid on the Olympic furniture, the auction is aimed at trade buyers as the furniture will be sold in bulk. There will also be a smaller Olympic furniture auction that aims at raising money for the Royal British legion.

Three Quarters of UK Food Shopping is Done Online [STUDY]

Food shopping in the UK has seen much evolution over the last several years. From online grocery shopping to self-service checkouts, supermarkets are trying to make the experience as efficient and practical as possible. There are people out there who are still sceptical of making transactions on the Internet and for this reason it might come as quite a surprise that 75% of grocery shopping is done on the web in Britain. It’s no longer frozen food delivery vehicles like Igloo lining the streets, but retailers themselves are being spotted all over the place.

Survey Specifics

This latest research was conducted by Nielsen and the results have been attributed to rising food prices and convenience shopping. The global survey was centred around Digital Influence on Global Shopping and used over 28,000 consumers across 56 countries.