digg mix: September 2010

Robo Chair by Luca Nichetto

Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Robo chair by Italian designer Luca Nichetto is “Kama Sutra meets Industrial Robotics.” The concept of dismantlement provided the spark for Robo’s design, which found inspiration in the Icelandic singer Björk’s 1999 video for the song “All Is Full of Love” directed by Chris Cunningham in which the main protagonists are robots that take on human characteristics.

“I find the idea that a robot could become a living being really exciting, and so I imagined what would happen if the same principle were applied to the design of a chair. The goal was to create an object that respected the environment by playing with a design comprised of separate pieces so that the chair could be transported in a small box. My vision became reality when I translated the forms of a ‘humanized’ robot into a chair, placing particular emphasis on the shapes of the robot’s ‘limbs’. The project couldn’t have been called anything other than Robo” (Luca Nichetto).

The Robo chair is indeed a design innovation with its completely new and unique look with separated seat and legs. When shipped, the disassembled components of the chair fit in a box measuring only 50 x 50 x 20cm which will save the transport cost.
Via

5 Ways to Rev Up Metabolism and Jump-Start Weight Loss

ast winter, I put on a few extra pounds. It was probably 5 pounds or less, but my clothing fit differently and I didn’t like it. Usually, when I notice the pounds creeping on, I pay a little more attention to what I put into my mouth and spend a little more time at the gym. The weight usually comes off slowly, but eventually I’m back to my Feel Great Weight.

But this time, after a few weeks of small lifestyle tweaks, the scale still hadn’t gone back to “normal.” I didn’t want to drastically change my life by cutting out my favorite foods or spending hours and hours at the gym, so I focused on revving up my metabolism to jump-start my weight loss efforts.

Here’s what I did:

I ate breakfast
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast within an hour or two of waking up jump-starts your metabolism because your body is running on empty after a night of not eating. Plus, eating early can help curb cravings and hunger throughout the day.

I went to bed earlier
When I didn’t get enough sleep, I felt myself reaching for snacks a lot more often. Research shows that people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to gain weight over time. My lack of sleep messed with my hunger hormones, so I tended to overeat when I felt sleep-deprived.

I pumped some iron
A lot of women steer clear of strength training because they think they’ll bulk up, but this is not the case! I started taking Body Pump classes, and within a couple of months, I noticed a difference in my weight and how my body looked. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so adding a couple of full-body strength training workouts to my weekly routine definitely helped me tone up.
jump-start-weight-loss

I kicked up my cardio
Incorporating intervals into my cardio workouts maximized my calorie burn. Intervals vary the energy that your body uses, which keeps it guessing and ups your metabolic rate. You even benefit from an “after-burn” of calories when you finish your workout.

I added some protein
Instead of just winging it in the kitchen, I built my meals around low-fat protein, like tofu, beans, eggs, and lean meats. Protein helps your muscles recover after a workout and makes them stronger. It also takes more energy to digest protein, which means you’re burning calories without even trying! Plus, adding protein to my meals satisfied me for long stretches of time, which meant that I’d consume fewer calories overall.

Personalized Golf Putting Set

Monday, September 6, 2010

While you may have been his greatest gift, it’s now time to get dad a Father’s Day present that won't grow a rattail

Get your on-the-go padre this zippered travel golf putting case from an Atlanta-rooted artist, which features a comfort-grip, silvertone shaft putter (breaks down into four pieces for easy carrying anywhere), whose head can be engraved with dad's name/monogram. Also included's a golf ball along with a metal practice cup "perfect for when there's no green available", which can also be said about the fancy oregano in the back of High Times.

To order yours today, visit NeotericExpressions.com, and click the link on the top left for their Etsy shoppe

'Sunshine vitamin' helps beat cancer

Friday, September 3, 2010

Milk fortified with vitamin D can make our bones not only stronger but also prevent heart disease and cancer, a new study says.

In colder countries with poor or erratic sunshine, half the population is likely to be low in the 'sunshine vitamin'.

The vitamin is vital for calcium absorption and bone health and may help to prevent Alzheimer's, reports the Daily Mail.

Vitamin D-rich foods include oily fish and eggs but with 90 percent coming from the action of sunlight on the skin there are concerns that advice on abstaining from sunbathing is unnecessarily restrictive.

Recent research has shown that vitamin D supplements are as good as some drugs at keeping prostate cancer under control.

It is also being said that taking vitamin D supplements in pregnancy and childhood could wipe out 80 percent of cases of multiple sclerosis.

Susan Lanham-New, the member of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and Surrey University nutritionist, said a study of 14,000 pregnant women in Bristol during the 1990s found that more than 90 percent of them were not getting enough of the vitamin.

She said: "Vitamin D is known to be vital for a wide range of body functions. A lot of us are very worried about (deficiencies) and think it needs looking at."