Something Fun

Heathrow Gets a New Terminal

Thu Nov 22, 1:41 PM ET

LONDON - The British government set out proposals Thursday to add a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said the expansion was needed to aid economic growth and that the expansion would meet tough environmental standards.

"Heathrow supports 170,000 jobs, billions of pounds of British exports and is our main gateway to the global economy. But for too long it has operated at nearly full capacity, with relatively minor problems causing severe delays to passengers," Kelly said.

"If nothing changes, Heathrow's status as a world-class airport will be gradually eroded — jobs will be lost and the economy will suffer," she added.

The public has until Feb. 27 to comment on the expansion proposals, Kelly said.

The Competition Commission criticized British airports operator BAA last month for failing to manage long lines at Heathrow and causing "unacceptable delays to passengers, crew and flights."

BAA, which is owned by Spanish infrastructure group Grupo Ferrovial SA, plans to open a fifth terminal at Heathrow in March.

That will allow Heathrow — which was designed to serve about 45 million passengers a year but now sees around 68 million — to raise its annual passenger capacity by 30 million.

A cool designer

I like the bookshelf.



brazilian designer marcos breder has just sent us a couple of images of his new products, the 'equation
bookshelf' and 'colméia fruit bowl' are some of the standouts. the 'equation bookshelf uses a series of parentheses
to create a math equation from the objects on the shelf (remember, bedmas). the 'colméia fruit bowl' is made from
bolts that are attached together to create a gently curved platform.

plumen light bulb by hulger




like their popular line of phones, hulger always tries to break conformity. the 'plumen' project is yet another
example of this. the 'plumen' is a prototype low-energy light bulb that adds some much need diversity to the world
of fluorescent light-bulbs. after noticing that there were only three archetype bulb forms on the market, despite an
abundance of manufacturers, hulger set out to break the mold. they began experimenting with a series of
unconventional designs, aiming to create something that moved bulbs away from being merely a commodity
product. they settled on the 'plumen' shape and are seeking manufacturers to produce the bulbs.

the hulger 'astor' and 'sophia' phones can also be purchased on the designboom shop.

Time on a Bottle

time in a book

what are our perceptions of time? are we constantly aware of its passing? does this awareness directly control
our behaviour?

lousie klinker and anab jain explored our relationship with time and its behavioural influence, conscious or
subconscious, through a series of unconventional objects during their brief, one week project 'time in objects'. the
resulting products change the way in which we approach them, how we use them and what we take from our use
of them.

'no more page numbers. time is now the reference. how long does it take to read? how long have you been

reading? what happens if you read faster than indicated on each page? do you gain time? do you waste time?'

time in a pen

'would it add anything to the experience of using a markerpen if you knew that it's total life is 12 minutes? will the
awareness dictate anything how it is used?'


time in a pint

'would it make any difference to order a 10-, 30-, or 60 min. pint in the pub? can the glass change the experience?
does it give any new meaning to "go for a cheeky one"?'


time for a cigarette

'we have been playing around with cigarettes and the time you spend smoking them. does that give a different
experience of smoking as cigarette when indicating the smoking time and suggesting different smoking speed?'


flexible time

'this clock let you make an hour longer or shorter. do you specifically like the hour between 12 and 1? just push
the numbers around to create your own time.'

Just a Plane Table

plane table
---


table designed by irish designer lorraine brennan
based on an A4 paper plane,
made from 2 mm folded steel.

Business Fashion Non sense

Halfsuit for boxer-wearing telecommuters: Businessbibs

My husband is one of those "I am most happy with my tees and jeans" people. Because he's in the technology industry, everyone around him dresses more or less in the same fashion. It's only when he has to meet up with the big bosses or customers, either personally or increasingly via videoconferencing, that his suits get to see the light of the day. In spite of my genuine appreciation of how good he looks in those suits, he is still convinced of their complete uselessness. His strong distaste is reflected in his view that a tie serves no purpose other than as something to wipe one's face after dinner!

It's no wonder then that he sent me this link on Businessbibs. It's basically a half suit that you can put on over virtually anything, to give you that professional appearance during video conferences or web chats. Each Businessbib has a slit back Velcro-sealed design and can be slipped over your T-shirt and shorts to give you to that sophisticated look in a jiffy. Once you're done with the meeting, you can remove the Businessbib and get back to your casual lifestyle. Since this will work only for videoconferences, its usage is pretty much limited to telecommuters. Also, the product is a no-no for people who use their hands to do the speaking or have a habit of moving around during meetings. For those adventurous ones, who believe that they can try this out in face-to-face meetings, it would be nothing short of suicidal.

Businessbibs are hand-made from recycled materials and are supposed to be sturdy and stylish. Priced between $135-150, they can be ordered online.