A radical new design that sets out to improve on almost every aspect of snowboard riding – more speed, higher jumps, quicker turns, better fit and less chatter. Now, after four years in development, “The Whip” as it’s known has been officially launched.

The design retains a 4×4 mounting system so it can be used with most conventional bindings but a stiff binding with minimal padding is recommended. While the The Whip will perform well in regular powdery conditions, it’s not built for deep, off-trail powder.

The Whip represents a total rethink of several elements of snowboard design, but at first glance, there are two glaringly obvious features that stand out – the elongated cutout that runs through the center of the board and the raised, carbon-composite mounts dubbed “Spider back suspension”.

The purpose of the Open V Hull shape is to reduce the amount of surface area in contact with the snow and in turn reduce drag for greater gliding speed. The straight inner edges boost directional stability and are positioned lower than the outer edge resulting in a slight V-shape that is designed to improve edge to edge transition.

The second – and most striking – design element is the Spider back suspension, a system which was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous Vitruvian Man sketch. Lin explains that the SBS fulfills several key roles – it acts as a suspension system to reduce chatter and because it’s edge mounted, allows for easier transfer of weight directly to the outside of the board, which is curved like a conventional snowboard for turns. The SBS mounts are tilted slightly toward the center of the board for a more natural stance and further assist turning by raising the center of gravity. The inner arms also act like leaf springs to give the board more “pop”.

The board is hand-built from wood, plastic, steel edges and carbon composite while the SBS is constructed with carbon composite. The suspension role played by the SBS also means that there’s no need for a dampening rubber sheet to be added to the board.

Only one model of will be released this year with the company expecting to produce a few hundred this season. The first, 158cm model is known as “The Whip F-117” (see below for specs) and there are plans to introduce more boards by next season.

The Whip is patent pending in the U.S., EU and most of Asia and the “F-117” model is now available for pre-order at the Cheetah Ultra Sports website at a price of USD$1899. via cheetah ultra sports

The Whip F-117 Specs:
* LENGTH: 158cm
* WAIST WIDTH: 23.5cm
* EFFECTIVE EDGE: Outer 127cm, Inner 86x2cm
* NOSE WIDTH: 29cm
* TAIL WIDTH: 28cm
* OPENING WIDTH: 7cm
* STANCE LOCATION: 10.5 Back
* SPIDER HEIGHT: 3.8cm
* RIDER WEIGHT LIMITS: 135-195 lbs.

Designer: Adams Lin

A new application for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad for “How It Is” for the new unilever series commission for tate modern’s turbine hall by polish artist miroslaw balka.

The How It Is application for iPhone™ or iPod touch® is an interactive interpretation of Miroslaw Balka’s epic work in The Unilever Series, How It Is. Drawing on Balka’s own handwritten notes, playlists and interviews about his Turbine Hall commission, it allows you to immerse yourself in a dark and mysterious 3D world. As an added bonus, if you can get to Tate Modern, opening the How It Is App on your iPhone there will unlock a secret game.

The How It Is application works with iPhone 3G and iPod touch (though the location service will only work with iPhone 3G). It is available on the App StoreSM. The App Store lets you browse applications and download them directly to your iPhone or iPod touch.

customer review: “While I have found apps often distracting (trenches) or addictive in short bursts (doodle jump), this is the first time I have experienced a fully immersive app. Play it with your headphones in the dark and allow yourself to be impressed with how you deal with the unknown. If you have no interest in what is an experience not a game then don’t bother, but I thought it was utterly brilliant.”

Designer: champayne valentine
Resources:
tate museum
itunes app store

Here’s a clever concept to the mis-match aspect ratios for cinema ( 16/9 ) and television ( 4/3 ). Not sure how it’s done but I don’t mind showing this piece of furniture. Being familiar with these dimensions it was easy to remember the model name: 16943. Never liked the 4/3 configure.

Designer: Studio Frst

Nike hindsight gives you unparalleled vision.

Stay one step ahead of irresponsible motorists. The Nike Hindsight gives you superhuman-like powers with extended peripheral vision so all those sneaky cars, beware.

They work similar to bifocals except for your peripheral vision. By using fresnel lenses on both sides of the glasses, riders can detect motion in a field of view beyond the normal human limit of 180º. If you want to get technical about it; high power, diverging fresnel zones aligned vertically distort into view an extra 25º on both sides. Vision is radically distorted in the periphery, but as the eye detects only motion in that area, little clarity is lost in the process.

A rider’s clear benefit is in the early warning of approaching vehicles, but a less obvious advantage is reducing the necessary head rotation to check behind. Tho it was intended for bicyclists, there’s a myriad of sports and activities where a greater field of view becomes an advantage. As for me, I would totally wear these 24/7 to keep this one particular friend in check. He finds it funny sneaking up on me. My nerves are shattered enough. I can’t take it anymore. I need these shades.

Designer: billy may
Producer: nike

three good things to say about this chair. a chair that fits in your pocket. a great gift idea. a designer object that is in your budget. Designer: alejandro aravena Producer: vitra

Fox Vs Duck is a new experimental new microgame for iPhone and iPod Touch. A three-way collaboration between game design legend Tak Fung (MiniSquadron, Fable), art director Dave Ferner (United Visual Artists) and musician Matthias Kispert (D-Fuse), Fox Vs Duck has a unique atmosphere all of its own! Full review at app advice Designer: studiofungfung […]

they’re called green toys because they save energy. how much energy is saved ? on average(*), every pound of recycled milk jugs used in the making of green toys:

saves energy equal to 3,000 aaa batteries.
saves enough electricity to power a tv set for three weeks.
saves enough electricity to keep a laptop computer running for a month.
(*) compared to non-recycled plastic.

green toys says it uses recycled milk containers as the main ingredient in creating their toys. when you finish your milk and toss the container in the recycling bin, the milk containers are collected at your curb by a local recycling company who separates them from all the other types of plastic. next, the milk containers are reprocessed into super clean fresh plastic. for the plastic geeks, the plastic material is high-density polyethylene (or HDPE). this material is considered one of the safest, cleanest plastics around.

Producer: green toys

Specifications:

Stainless steel 40mm case

Quartz movement

Dual analog display

Gray rubber strap

Water resistant up to 3ATM

Designer: philippe starck
Producer: kenmar watches
Retailer: style ceo