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Mesmerizing Touch Wood SH-08C ad showcases Japan's beauty, mankind's ingenuity (video)
Sharp isn't apt to sell but 15,000 of its Touch Wood SH-08C handsets, but after watching the ad below, you can bet there will be demand for more. It's a bit baffling to think of the trouble Drill, Inc. went through in order to assemble the pieces necessary for a wooden ball to trickle down a homegrown marimba, particularly in the midst of Kyushu, Japan's woodlands. Kenjiro Matsuo was responsible for the creation of the instrument, while Morihiro Harano is being handed credit for the idea itself; in fact, he confirmed to The New York Times that no artificial music was added whatsoever, with only the background levels being adjusted up for effect. You may have never listened to a piece of classical music in your life, but you're sorely missing out if you ignore Bach's Cantata 147, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Or, at least the version in that video below.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar paper planes, Denmark's flaming tower, and used coffee power
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Green power lit up the world this week as ZenithSolar smashed the record for solar efficiency with its massive parabolic mirrors and Denmark unveiled plans to construct a towering "cathedral" that will transform waste into energy. We were also all abuzz about these batteries made from used coffee capsules and MIT rolled out a new type of foldable paper-thin solar cells. Speaking of super-thin foldable tech, this week we showcased the world's first biodegradable paper watch and we spotted an ingenious folding beer box that can transform a six-pack into a pitch-perfect xylophone. And while you're working on that one, you can keep your rowdy kids busy with our Top 5 smart smartphone apps for kids that educate and entertain. High-tech lighting was another hot topic this week as GE launched a new super-bright LED bulb that harnesses jet engine cooling techniques to cut its energy use. GE also flipped the switch on its funky new hybrid halogen-CFL light bulbs, and we saw San Diego blaze a trail for energy-efficient lighting as they unveiled plans to construct the nation's largest interactive LED light show - on a bridge! Finally, we wrapped up this week's Apple news with a look at a chic new laptop bag courtesy of vegan handbag company Matt & Nat.
