思創生活團隊 的部落格

Vodafone為了提升發展中國家的上網率，於2011年2月發表了一款叫做Webbox的產品，此款產品的設計，不但適合未開發地區的民眾在資源有限的環境下使用，另外，簡易、直覺的使用設計，更獲選為2011年德國通用設計獎中消費者最愛獎。

圖片來源：http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/press/news/webbox.html

美國國家科學基金會曾估計全球約有三千萬個物種，但至今僅被科學家辨識出約兩百萬種，其餘94%則處在快速消失的生態圈中，如果達爾文活在當代，也不得不感嘆為何物種採集的速度永遠趕不上它們被環境破壞滅絕的速度。

源由聖經裡上帝要諾亞將世界上各種生物放入一艘大方舟，以躲避大洪水的神話，2010年初，一群紐約大學Tisch藝術學院的互動電訊傳播學程的學生們也試圖運用最夯的手機科技，保護或保留這些即將滅絕的生物的蹤跡，於開發出真實版的諾亞計畫App（Project Noah）。

Can you imagine when the phrase “one size fits all” actually becomes real?

Well, it just did.

Smart material was definitely up there in the lists of a couple of Harvard and MIT researchers. They’d devised a programmable matter that folded itself into different shapes.

Looking like a piece of napkin, this thin sheet was connected through a series of triangular sections that could fold itself into a boat or an airplane – all without human intervention.

Astroboy, Japanese manga, 1952-present

As robots become more common in the household, as domestic help, pets, companions, or medical assistants, their design and functionality may vary based on cultural factors.

Japan, as perhaps the world's largest producer and consumer of robotics, is an interesting case. A rapidly aging population, along with a reticence to bring foreign domestic help into the household, combine to create an ideal situation for the introduction of household robotic helpers. In addition, there are some who think that the Shintoism and animist belief systems of Japanese make them more accepting of robots than Westerners.

Westerners, with some religion-based strictures against idol-worship, may have negative feelings toward robots in daily life.

The following quotations from a Japanese scholar and a roboticist illuminate some aspects of Japanese culture and spirituality in relation to robots.

"In Japan, most people still have an animist sensibility. We've always prayed to water gods or whatever. In the same way when we see a robot, we respond to the spirit. We feel like we have to take care of it and respect it." - Rie Nakamura, Waseda University

“If you make something, your heart will go into the thing you are making. So a robot is an external self. If a robot is an external self, a robot is your child.” - Masahiro Mori, Japanese roboticist

(http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=873&catid=26&subcatid=163)

Examples of Japanese Robots

What happens when you really need to make that call, use your GPS, or listen to the song, but your mobile device's battery just ran out? There have been a number of products designed to help people recharge their devices on the go, but the following are special in that they convert energy from the user's own body into electricity that can charge portable electronics. Charging devices with body power, whether it's by converting kinetic energy or body heat, is helpful for outdoor exploring, travel, or emergencies, and is a type of renewable energy that does not rely on a sunny day or strong wind to work.

Etón American Red Cross Clipray LED Flashlight & USB Cell Phone Charger

This LED flashlight and USB cell phone charger is powered by a hand crank. Energy is stored in an internal battery. It's particularly suited for emergencies and outdoor use. Weighing only 138 grams and including a built-in carabiner clip, it's built for portability. Endorsed by the American Red Cross, Etón also donates a portion of profits to the organization.

One minute of cranking provides 10 minutes of light. The charging times for cell phones vary due to differences in batteries and power requirements.

Cost: US$15

http://www.etoncorp.com/product_card/?p_ProductDbId=1519313

Other similar products, such as the SOS Charger (http://www.soscharger.com/) are also on the market.

Everyone travels, and the sad part is, everyone is bothered by the hassles of traveling, especially in tedious tasks such as booking hotels or documenting trips.
In this month’s newsletter, I’ll introduce you to two new web services that just might make your traveling life a little easier.

BedMap

“Gosh! Why can’t you just give me a map?!” That’s my reaction when I tried booking hotels online in the past. Obviously my search criteria included hotel prices, but more importantly, I needed to know where the hotel was in relation to my destinations, and more often than not, hotel bookings services only gave out addresses.

Although it’s been done before, BedMap assists travelers in booking hotels. However, what differentiates them from typical hotel search engines is that they actually show you where hotels are on a map.

Moreover, they include the hotel prices right on the map so consumers can compare hotels in respect to their locations right away.

Snazzy Napper 時髦睡眠面罩：世界上最搞笑的旅行產品

這個新產品讓民眾在睡覺時可以戴在頭上並遮住臉，這樣一來，睡覺的醜樣也不會被路人看到了，它看起來像是中東婦女的傳統服飾burqa，只不過它短了點、而且面罩露出的不是眼睛而是鼻子，它的外側還有口袋可以讓你放東西。

面罩的設計師Margaret Wilson是在往倫敦的一趟旅途中得到靈感的，她在機場時要把夾克蓋在她的頭上才睡得著，她說這樣其他旅客就不用看到你睡覺時嘴巴張得開開的臉了，設計師嘗試著把面罩設計得比較友善一點，她在上面放了Z還有羊的圖樣，但是當CNN記者實際在公共場合試用這個產品時，卻招來許多異樣的眼光，還有路人當眾大笑出來。這樣反而會讓使用者在睡覺時更容易受到別人甚至是小偷的注目，加上放在外側的口袋，這等於是給小偷一個訊號，告訴他們這是個良好的偷竊機會。不過也有使用者非常喜歡這個產品，在旅行時、或是在車上時使用。這個時髦睡眠面罩要價美金17~28元。資料來源

在中國「奢侈品」的消費稅是很高的，所謂奢侈品包括進口的化妝品、鞋包、衣服、手錶、名車等， 由於中國境內稅金太高，許多中國人一出國，奢侈品的消費力一爆發就相當驚人，因為不管怎麼買，都會比在國內買更便宜，所以代購、自用的一次買進，目前香港是中國旅客首選的奢侈品消費地區，中國人的消費力甚至讓香港地區的國際品牌奶粉、洗髮精等日用品都賣到缺貨。

究竟中國境內的奢侈品稅有多重呢？