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c,mm,n - Open Source Car

Open Source has become mainstream, Open Hardware such as the OpenMoko are quickly gaining adoption, but a couple of Dutch universities are already thinking beyond that stage and working on an Open Source Car

The english version of the site is still under construction, but a picture is worth a thousand words.

The c,mm,n is a mobility concept for 2020.  It is claimed to be the first ‘open-source car’ on the planet  aiming to be both environment friendly and innovative.

Haynes Team-up With Next

The institution, Haynes Manuals, are to use their characteristic cross-sections of the insides of cars on a range of clothing for boys, in partnership with the high street clothing manufacturer, Next. For those who aren't familiar with Haynes, they made their name publishing a long series of books, each one based on a different make and model of car, which were targeted at the car owners (and other interested parties like garage mechanics) and which illustrated the inner workings of each vehicle, how they might be stripped down and how they might be repaired.

Tom Tivnan at the Bookseller wrote:

Motor manual publisher Haynes has signed an agreement with high street retailer Next to produce a range of clothing for boys aged six to 16.The deal, which will hit Next stores this autumn, will use the Haynes logo and cut-away illustrations of cars taken from the manuals on the ­clothing. Haynes hopes the range will be used throughout Next's chain of more than 400 stores.

Over on HaynesOnline, they discuss the protracted process of writing the books:

Actually writing a car manual takes 20 to 30 man-weeks. Authors work in pairs, which shortens the origination time and avoids them going crazy in the middle of long projects. We buy a car at the beginning of the project and sell it at the end - either to staff or on the open market. The workshop phase lasts approximately 4 weeks, although we usually keep the car until the manual is about to print in case of last-minute queries. From the start of a project to the publication of the manual usually takes between three and six months. Motorcycle manuals take about two-thirds as long.

Monocle

Tyler Brûlé, the man behind Wallpaper*, is about to launch his latest magazine, Monocle. Monocle will publish out of London with Editorial bureaux in Tokyo, New York and Zürich.

"We believe it’s time for a new, global, European-based media brand. With a keen focus, strong reporting, sharp wit and more classic approach to design, we’ve dubbed our venture Monocle. At the core there’s a monthly magazine delivering the most original coverage in global affairs, business, culture and design. Alongside, there’s a web-based broadcast component covering the same areas through a variety of bulletins, mini-documentaries and talk formats. Focused on informing and entertaining an international audience of disillusioned readers, listeners and viewers, it is our intention to create a community of the most interested and interesting people in the world."

It's going to be interesting to see what the magazine will turn out like. I like Wallpaper*, though I'm not sure I'm the target audience for much of their stuff. The Director of Web and Broadcast will be Dan Hill of City of Sound fame, who will be leaving BBC Radio and Music Interactive for this new post. On his blog, Dan talks about the process of setting up a new magazine:

"If you're familiar with cityofsound, you'll note that the broad content offering covers a great range of personal interests, from architecture and design through cities and culture via business and current affairs. If plans develop in the right directions throughout 2007, I hope to be contributing content as well as orchestrating the infrastructure, particularly focusing on Oceania, but that's another story ... First steps involve thinking through how magazines, broadcast and web can play off each other in creative, harmonious and meaningful fashion. Initially that will mean a fair bit of wireframing in Omnigraffle, whilst sketching idents for the short-form documentaries we'll be commissioning and working out a production schedule ... Wish me luck. It's going to be fascinating, and I'm very excited about the chance to help create a ground-breaking product of such quality and distinction."

Naked Scientists in Book Form

The Cambridge-based (the UK Cambridge) Naked Scientists have published a book called Naked Science. Naked Science is written by Chris Smith - his first book no less - and is priced at an attractive £7.99. For a flavour of the book:

"What could be more attractive than magnets . . . and swallowing them?
American radiologists in late 2004 warned parents of the dangers of swallowing more than one magnet at a time. Swallowing foreign objects is common among all children, but luckily, 80% of the swallowed objects pass harmlessly through the gastrointestinal system on their own, single magnets included. Consuming more than one magnet can spell disaster, however - because the magnets are attracted to each other across the walls of the intestines, with the result that loops of bowel become locked together. The ensuing life-threatening tangle can lead to tissue death and/or perforation of the intestinal wall."

(Note to self: only swallow one magnet at a time from now on!) Buy the Naked Science at BMTMedia, (who offer free UK delivery), Amazon, Foyles and Blackwells. There's also an Australian version, called The Naked Scientist, available from Dymocks for $29.99.

Check out the latest radio show, or read the text summary:

"With a new year comes a whole new stack of science questions to challenge Dr Chris, Dr Dave and Dr Kat. This week they explain where the sand in the Sahara comes from, whether mirrors can reflect x-rays, if it is dangerous to live near a phone mast, and whether splitting water could solve our energy problems. We are also joined by the editor of Chemistry World, Dr Mark Peplow, who talks about labs the size of a postage stamp, nanoparticles in exhaust fumes, and how putting milk in your tea might not be such a good idea, and sticking with chemistry, Dave Ansell discovers which household liquids make dirty pennies look like new. In the fourth part of our series on science and colour, Anna Lacey how wearing red could turn you into a world-class sportsperson."

Web 2.0 and Travel Guides

The Times has an interesting article on how Web 2.0 has affected travel guides:

"Travellers were of course among the earliest adopters of the internet, using cyber-cafés instead of the Poste Restante, and early bulletin boards such as Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree to swap travel tips. Now “Web 2.0” sites (on which users create content and exchange views, instead of passively receiving the site’s information) are creating a growing community of travellers whose inclination is to eschew, or at least take with a pinch of salt, the advice of authority figures such as travel agents and writers. The traditional guidebook is also coming under threat from www.wikitravel.org, whose users are creating a constantly updated guide to the world." (via The Bookseller)

I think it depends on whether you're at home planning your trip or out there enjoying it. Almost every travel decision I make at home is informed and booked via the web. But I do like having a guide with me if I'm on holiday. In a new city, it does help having something to refer to that can be packed into a bag and read in a cafe, and which doesn't rely on internet access. Curious that Wallpaper* have launched a new series of very handsome city guides at this time, which is a spin off from their online travel microsite, which seems to have been mothballed since the guides came along. It's good to know what cool places the locals go to, rather than the places tourist information would have you go. Also, I think it helps to have something that doesn't mark you as a tourist, for safety's sake as much as anything else.