odd look at news on the web
TreeSoil earthen shelter nurtures young trees in harsh conditions
20 November 2025 @ 9:00 pm
Blending ancient land-shaping traditions with cutting-edge fabrication, a new project called TreeSoil is reimagining how architecture can support vulnerable environments. Conceived through a partnership between two research groups, the Technion Institute’s Material Topology Research Lab (MTRL) and the Tree Lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, the project proposes a small but radical idea: build structures not for people, but to protect saplings struggling to survive in degraded landscapes.Continue ReadingNarwal's flagship Flow robovac: The best we've tested is $500 off
20 November 2025 @ 7:03 pm
Narwal's flagship self-cleaning wet/dry robot vacuum is on sale for Black Friday. We've spent several months with the Narwal Flow, and while it doesn't offer any spectacular party tricks, it's the smartest, best-performing robovac we've seen.Continue ReadingCategory: Around The Home, LifestyleTags: Robot, Smart Home, Triple-laser gimbal projector throws color-accurate 300-inch GTV
20 November 2025 @ 5:08 pm
Though the world's smallest Laser TV took most of the CES 2025 spotlight, JMGO did have other models on display – including an early look at a new N series. Now it seems that the first N3 tri-laser model has soft launched.Continue ReadingCategory: Home Entertainment, Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Projectors, Gimbals, Inside-out tower weaves artisan legacy into Dubai skyline
20 November 2025 @ 3:32 pm
If New York is the city that never sleeps, Dubai is the city that never stops building. This latest example of its constantly changing skyline, by Zaha Hadid Architects, consists of a residential skyscraper with a striking exoskeleton design inspired by traditional local craftsmanship.Continue ReadingCategory: Architecture, TechnologyTags: Fingertip wearable lets you feel virtual textures on touchscreens
20 November 2025 @ 1:48 pm
Engineers from Northwestern University have developed a flexible device you can wear on your fingertip like a Band-Aid to feel the sensation of interacting with textured and patterned surfaces on a touchscreen. It could be a major step forward in how we interact with personal technology.Continue ReadingCategory: Mini ebikes with go-kart tires are built for all-day wheelies
20 November 2025 @ 9:58 am
If you're lucky enough to have a couple thousand bucks burning a hole in your pocket, you could do a whole lot worse than drop it on an Antic. This little beast draws inspiration from the mini bikes of 1970s, swaps their noisy engines for an electric motor, and lets you get into all kinds of trouble on two wheels – or one, if you're feeling rowdy.Continue ReadingCategory: We’re evolving too slowly for the world we’ve built, according to science
20 November 2025 @ 2:04 am
As our evolution slows and industrialization and technology accelerates, a growing body of research suggests that human biology is struggling to keep pace. Many of the chronic stress-related health issues we face today aren’t personal failings or modern inconveniences – they’re the predictable result of forcing Stone Age physiology into a world it was never built for.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Brilliantly classic egg camper adds off-road spec the RV world covets
20 November 2025 @ 12:30 am
Scamp might not be as celebrated in modern circles as Airstream, but it is a similarly iconic camping trailer brand with deep history. Its roots dig all the way back to the market's original fiberglass camper icon, and much of its modern lineup looks virtually unchanged from those classic fiberglass pods of the 1960s and 70s. This month, though, the Scamp family flashes a new look with the Scamp X, a ruggedized, all-terrain design that updates the iconic egg trailer for modern deep-wilderness adventure. The X is Scamp's first off-road-specific model in more than 50 years in business.New study finds popular fitness apps may actually demotivate users
19 November 2025 @ 11:03 pm
We already know how watching other people’s lives on social media can negatively affect our self-esteem and satisfaction with our own lives. Apparently, using apps to track your own calories or fitness activities can have a similar effect. The latest research from scientists at University College London (UCL) and Loughborough University suggests that fitness apps can actually become major demotivators.Continue ReadingCategory: Nike's smart trail jacket fits in your palm & keeps pace with weather
19 November 2025 @ 7:32 pm
Where there's an uncomfortable athlete, there's room for a wild, high-tech solution. At least that seems to be Nike's strategy of late, resulting in such contrivances as robo-shoes and active-breathing jackets. The all-new Lava Loft Down Jacket is a little less animated, but it still uses a rather unconventional solution to solve a common problem, interspersing baffles of ultra-warm down with wide open vents to react to the massive weather shifts a trail runner can experience when logging miles. When it's time to remove the Lava Loft all together, the 10-oz jacket packs down to fit in your hand like an apple.