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The Most Popular Facebook City? Jakarta.

By Unknown on 11:26 AM in Culture, Facebook, Lifestyle

Forget Los Angeles or New York City. Jakarta has more people on Facebook than LA and New York City in their city limits in real life. Facebook’s total population has climbed to 642 million people, a market research firm says.

According to the ranking published by Socialbakers, more than 80% of Jakarta’s population is on Facebook – or 17.4 million people. In comparison, the U.S. census Bureau currently estimates Ney York City’s population at 8.3 million people (2009 data) and Los Angeles at 9.8 million.

Istanbul follows Jakarta with 9.6 million people on Facebook 9and a 86% penetration). Mexico City sits in the third spot with 9.3 million and 51%. The largest Facebook cities in the U.S. is New York City with 4.3 million people, Los Angeles (4.0 million) and Chicago (3.1 million).

We are taking the entire chart with a grain of salt, as Socialbakers lists some cities with a penetration of well above 100% – Caracas is topping the list with 201% penetration and 5.3 million people.
There is plenty of Facebook data out there every day – data that is about as overwhelming as the status messages of your friends. We ignore most of it, but this is an interesting one: A recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, which includes about 1600 U.S. lawyers, said that Facebook is now playing a key role in divorces.

About 20% of divorces now quote Facebook in their cases – most of which claim that Facebook is used to create and maintain extramarital relationships.

“We’re coming across it more and more,” said licensed clinical psychologist Steven Kimmons, Ph.D., of Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. “One spouse connects online with someone they knew from high school. The person is emotionally available and they start communicating through Facebook. Within a short amount of time, the sharing of personal stories can lead to a deepened sense of intimacy, which in turn can point the couple in the direction of physical contact.”

I can easily understand that you could complain about lacking Facebook privacy in such cases, at least if you are naïve enough to think that your spouse would not find those Facebook records or seek access to those documents through a court order. However, it seems that our hunger for social popularity occasionally knocks out our comprehension of common sense in real life.

Source: ConceivablyTech

19 Cool Products That Are Almost Impossible to Use

By Unknown on 9:43 AM in Culture, Design, Gadgets, Lifestyle, Technology

Sometimes modern design and minimalism go a little too far and it’s hard to figure out exactly what the products are.

We’ve tracked down 19 products that look quite cool but leave you wondering wtf?

The Cell Tankless Toilet

Even in the most modern bathroom design, a toilet is a toilet right? Apparently not, which is fine with us because why should your bathroom have to revolve around the throne? Downplay it with the egg shaped design of the Cell Tankless Toilet. [Via Yanko]

Recycled Paper Side Table

It’s kind of easy to call anything that could technically support a lamp and some magazines a “side table” which gives lots of room to minimalist designers. The Recyled Paper Side Table by Matt Gagnon technically fits the requirement of being able to hold something on it, although until you put a lamp on it people will have no clue what it is. $2798 [Source]

KONE Vacuum System

Usually you’re looking for a place to stash your vacuum in your tiny city apartment, but here’s one that you can leave out as a piece of modern art. The Dirt Devil Kone Vacuum is cordless, bagless and the coolest looking vacuum you never knew you wanted. $40 at Amazon

Das Keyboard Ultimate

Das Keyboard was designed to be the best keyboard ever made and it provides the best tactile typing experience… That’s great but why does it have blank keys? Apparently real typists can feel their way though so silly things like marked keys are unnecessary. daskeyboard.com

Flavor of Time

It’s been said that our most powerful sense is the sense of smell and that the scent of a fond memory can stay with you forever—like homemade cookies from when you were a kid, or the way that that she smelled the first time you kissed… But you probably never thought you’d be telling the time based on smell alone. That’s the idea behind the Flavor of Time Clock. There are 12 different “flavor capsules” so each hour a different scent is exuded from the holes on the face of the clock. Source

End Table Bookspine Saver

As most minimalist products you might not know what this is until you see it in use. And like the best minimalist designs, once you realize what Habitual Bedside Table is you realize it’s really the ONLY way to design a bedside table… especially if you read a lot. Via Boing Boing

Harmony Salt & Pepper Shakers

Is that one of those new tiny speakers I’ve heard so much about? Yeah, that’s got to be it. They’re for your iPod right? This product looks way more complicated than it is… seriously, it’s just a salt and pepper shaker. The outer part holds pepper while the center blob holds salt. corinagarona.com Source

Fuksas Mocha Cups

Don’t be surprised if your friends try to ash their cigarettes, or ignore these altogether because they look like art. The Fuksas Mocha Cups eliminate handles and that tired ‘cup’ shape most mugs have. Simple and of course very unique.Source

Mondrian T Lamp

Unless it’s on you might think this was some kind of hat rack or something. The Mondrian T is about as simple as it gets for lighting and you get the benefit of clean lines without loads of color which is usually what comes to mind when there’s a mention of something “Mondrian.” See it Source

Osorom Bench

A bench huh? It’s hard to imagine something that looks like this would have a purpose, but apparently it does. Actually the curved sides might be pretty comfortable as opposed to a hard square corner. Although those holes all over it seem like if you sit on this thing you’re asking for some uncomfortable snaggage. Yeah nevermind about the Osorom Bench seeming comfortable. Source

Pano Logic Computer

If you think that even the Mac mini has too many bells and whistles then you’ll appreciate the Pano Logic Computer. It literally fits in the palm of your hand, doesn’t have any disk drives, or even a hard drive and processor. We’re not really sure how it works, but we think some kind of voodoo may be involved. (Actually, all of the real computing is done off site somewhere which is subscription based) $300 panologic.com

Phillippe Starck Veiled Watch

If you’re a fan of the slick metal bands on a men’s watch, but hate a big clunky face you’re gonna dig the Phillippe Starck Veiled Watch. At first you’ll think this is just a cool metal bracelet but upon further inspection you’ll notice the subtle hands underneath… or you might not notice—they’re pretty obscure. $150 atAmazon

Sliding Shower

You could give someone all day to guess what that weird panel on the wall was and they’d probably never figure it out without the context of a bathroom or someone using it. The Sliding Shower feels like something straight out of a sci-fi movie and seems like it’s designed to make you feel uncomfortable with change.Source

Samsung ML-1630 Printer

Usually when you think of a minimalist gadget you think of mp3 players, speakers, maybe even computers, but printers? The Samsung ML-1630 Printer makes fools of us all. At first glance we weren’t sure if it was a digital scale or some kind of light-up paperweight, but we certainly didn’t think it was a printer. Kudos Samsung for making us want a printer for looking cool rather than what it does. $159 at Amazon

Stick Sound FM Radio

Hey that’s a neat penholder. No? Um, oh, it’s a joystick for video games? Oh it’s not? The Stick Sound FM Radio makes its purpose known when you grab the stick which tunes the radio, adjusts the volume and turns it on and off. And if that’s not cool enough for you, it’s base glows blue when it’s on. $39 at Singulier

Pendulum Wall Clock

This is the result of creating a minimalist grandfather clock. No numbers, no face, no housing… just hands and a pendulum mounted to a wall. It’s a pretty cool design, but we have to wonder what the point of a pendulum is on a minimalist clock since we don’t see the point of them on a regular clock. $114 Source

Ultimate Wheel

Who needs bike chains… or handle bars…. or a seat for that matter? The Nimbus Ultimate Wheel is as basic as it gets. Until now we though the unicycle was the stripped down version of the bicycle… but no, apparent it’s a wheel with some pedals. And sure, you may look at this and know what it’s for right away, but we dare you to use it! $90 at Unicycle.com via Geekologie

Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard

This is definitely one of those products that you’ll have absolutely no clue what it is until it’s in use. And it uses lasers, which is always a plus. The idea behind this product is that instead of typing on the keys, this virtual keyboard can tell what you’re trying to type by how you interrupt the laser… it even simulates the typing “click” sounds so it feels pretty natural. $150 at ThinkGeek

Transformer Shelves

One of the marks of great minimalist design is that it actually serves a great purpose that you might not have noticed right away. The Transformer Shelves look like a table that makes cool uses of lines in its design, but it turns out it’s actually a very complicated customizable storage system. Or a very big rubix cube perhaps. Source

10 Most Amazing Buildings In The World

By Unknown on 10:03 AM in Culture, Design, Lifestyle, Technology, Top

Modern architecture has brought many amazing buildings to the world.
Quirky shapes, ambitious designs, new materials, and new different styles have come with the modern architecture into construction today. The purpose of the building is not always seen in its design. Futuristic museums and opera houses have become a usual thing. Today we list 10 most amazing buildings in the world.

Cubic Houses, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Piet Blom had an idea of cubic houses in 1970s. Some of them were built in Helmond and when Rotterdam city asked him to build housing on top of a pedestrian bridge he chose this concept.

Dancing Building, Prague, Czech Republic

The ‘Dancing Building’ is a nickname given to Nationale-Nederlanden building that is located in Prague’s downtown. Designed by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in collaboration with Canadian Frank Gehry the building was completed in 1996. The building was built instead of the one that was destroyed during Bombing of Prague in 1945.

The Ufo House, Sanjhih, Taiwan

The Ufo House in Sanjhih, Taiwan is actually an deserted resort project. It earned this nickname from Taiwanese for its strange futuristic design.

Kansas City Public Library, Missouri, United-States

As an incentive to visit library the design in the downtown of Kansas city was made in shape of books that according to people of Kansas city represent Kansas.

Ferdinand Cheval Palace a.k.a Ideal Palace, France

Ferdinand Cheval Palace was built by a postman in Hauterives, France, who intended to use it as his own tomb but haven’t obtained a license for that. His Ideal Palace is now known around the world.

Forest Spiral Hundertwasser Building, Darmstadt, Germany

Forest Spiral Hundertwasser was built in 2000. Designed by Austrian architect and painter, Friedensreich Hundertwasser the building has 105 apartments and features colorful and organic design.

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Built by Nervion River Guggenheim Museum of modern and contemporary art was designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The building’s silhouette resembles the ship while the design was random, which helped it, according, to architect catch the light.

Bahá’í House of Worship a.k.a Lotus Temple, Delhi, India

Bahá’í House of Worship mostly known as Lotus Temple was constructed in 1986 and is a Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. It is open for people of all religions.

Ripley’s Building, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Known for the collection of odd and unbelievable things and artifacts Ripley’s Believe It or Not! franchise just had to have this kind of building.

The Crooked House, Sopot, Poland

Started and finished in 2003 The Crooked House was design was based on Polish artist and child books illustrator, Jan Marcin Szancer’s and Per Dahlberg’s, Swedish painter pictures and paintings.

Earth House Estate Lättenstrasse

By Unknown on 9:41 AM in Culture, Design, Lifestyle, Technology

Earth houses is a project designed by Peter Vetsch and are based on the interpretation of an environmentally conscious, ecological and progressive architecture. The pictures from this post are with a house named Earth House Estate Lättenstrasse, that is located in Dietikon, Switzerland. Compared to traditional residential houses built on the ground, the aim of building an earth house is another: Not to live under or in the ground, but with it. The earth-house concept uses the ground as an insulating blanket that efficiently protects it from rain, low temperatures, wind and natural abrasion. An earth house does not have to be built under the ground, it can be placed onto naturally grown terrain.

The earth house is a flexible construction which can be built according to the wishes of its owners, fulfilling the need for individuality, environmentally friendly construction and energy saving. They stand out due to their closeness to nature and allow an experience beyond the usual four walls and their right angles. The earth house concept uses its surroundings as an advantage – the surroundings are not adapted to the building, the house is shaped in order to preserve the natural environment.

Incredible Underground Residence in Switzerland

By Unknown on 9:35 AM in Culture, Design, Lifestyle, Technology

Have you ever thought how it would be like to live in a bunker or an underground tunnel? Well, today we bring you the upgraded version of that, which is an all-equipped underground home. Situated in the Swiss village of Vals, deep in the mountains, the house is very hard to spot, which makes for a perfect gateway. The unusual architecture plan comes from SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects, and includes all the facilities a common house has, such as a guest room, an entertainment area, but also “specialized” interiors like an underground pathway. The entrance is a wide oval opening that you are driven to by some traditional stairs made in stone. Large windows make it noticeable and draw attention to the inside décors- that is when the people living there are up for some company.