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Trim this 3D-printed bonsai tree by hand, just like a real one
Bonsai trees are cool. But Nendo is cooler. Pair the Japan-based design studio with a future-centric baby tree, and you've got something. As phone carrier Softbank launched its own crowdfunding site, amid a sea of products we've already heard about, the design firm's Creative Director Oki Sato took to the stage with something actually intriguing: a plastic bonsai tree that you can prune -- or even print a finished article.
Fur technology makes Zootopia's bunnies believable
Zootopia is a world where humans don't exist. It's a big, crowded metropolis where anthropomorphic animals drive cars, fight crime, eat ice cream and ride trains. Prey and predators of varying shapes and sizes coexist in harmony until their prejudices get in the way.
Floating Bonsai trees are better than floating speakers
Floating things on magnets makes most things cooler. Bonsai trees are certainly no exception. Kickstarter project "Air Bonsai" combines together magnetic levitation, wee plants and traditional Japanese "monozukuri" (craftsmanship). Using the same magnetic floating trick we've seen in speakers, everything that the tree -- or plant of your choosing -- needs is contained within the floating ball. The team has already passed its goal of $80,000 but you can still add to the money pot, with $200 enough to land you a basic starter kit.
Thursday iPhone App Potpourri
Much to the chagrin of many of our iPhone-less readers, TUAW receives a huge amount of mail every day from iPhone developers who are releasing new software or updates. Here are a few of the apps that have made their way to our mailbox in the last day or two:Walt Disney World Notescast (click opens iTunes) -- Any readers taking a summer vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort should look at this reference app from TimeStream Software. The US$0.99, 17.7 MB app features over 200 pages of detailed and updated info that can make planning and enjoying your vacation as simple as reaching for your iPhone. My personal favorite? The Hidden Mickey tours.iBonsai (click opens iTunes) -- Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing miniature trees in small pots, shaping and pruning them to create small, living works of art. iBonsai uses a proprietary algorithm to produce beautiful and completely unique trees in just 30 seconds. This US$0.99 app is one of the most unique apps I've found in the entire App Store.
WriteRoom
Despite the fact that I have a shaky at best grasp on my native English tongue, I am paid to write things. Unfortunately for my paycheck, a combination of ADD and a constant barrage of notifications from NetNewsWire, Mail, Colloquy, and Adium conspire to distract me from my duties. Until of course, Michael at binarybonsai posted about a simple little program by the name of WriteRoom. WriteRoom does one thing, and does it well; it makes you focus on what you are writing by making the entire screen a text field. Merlin Mann at 43 Folders posted a hack a few months ago to accomplish this using Backdrop, but WriteRoom makes de-cluttering your workspace as simple as opening the application. Of course, now that my computer doesn't have anything to distract me with, I find myself looking longingly out the window at a beautiful San Francisco summer afternoon, but thats besides the point. WriteRoom is available as a free Universal Binary download.
