Though hospitals will end up looking better, these efforts aren’t about decorating, they’re about outcomes. Numerous studies point to the benefits of the design strategies and environmental interventions KP has proposed and implemented. Factors like the quality and intensity of light, access to natural light, the noise level in a room, the privacy afforded by single-patient rooms — all of these affect patient health, satisfaction, soundness of sleep and speed of healing. Views of nature have been shown to decrease depression, pain, stress and even length of hospital stays.

I’ve visited a few hospitals in Seoul and designs vary – some feel very institutional, and look like something from the Soviet Union with dull steel, beige equipment, and dark green walls covered in dark stains. Others, like Severance hospital, feel more like a shopping mall or airport terminal with bright lights, modern design, comfortable waiting rooms, Starbucks cafes and other amenities that make the whole experience a lot more pleasant. I particularly liked the flower gift shop right outside the emergency room at the Gangnam Severance. That’s entrepreneurship.

So far I’ve only been able to find a wood-handled version for $90 in Korea, and a synthetic handled one for $45 in Japan. Maybe if I’m feeling spendy I’ll get one someday.

“Hand-drip” coffee is really popular in Korea and Japan, but less so in the American cafes I’ve visited. Instead, machines like the Clover or siphon pots have gotten the most attention from both customers and press.

However, there’s something about the performance of drip coffee that I find appealing, especially when taken to the extremes of technical fanaticism that the Japanese (and subsequently Koreans) have gone. Most coffee geeks here in Asia seem to obsess over the intricacies of pouring methods, timing, etc. as if this is the height of coffee production. It is indeed more active and engaging than a french press, and the careful pouring styles have a finesse and theatricality that I appreciate in the coffee ritual – even if it might be a bit superfluous to the results in the cup.

(See also: Mulgrew Miller Live at Yoshi’s)

This is the most elegantly designed folding bicycle I’ve seen. Unfortunately it sells for over $2000.

Designed by Thermaltake and BMW, this computer case looks like the future (and costs $700).

…the top 10% of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets. On a typical online social network, the top 10% of users account for 30% of all production. To put Twitter in perspective, consider an unlikely analogue – Wikipedia. There, the top 15% of the most prolific editors account for 90% of Wikipedia’s edits ii. In other words, the pattern of contributions on Twitter is more concentrated among the few top users than is the case on Wikipedia, even though Wikipedia is clearly not a communications tool. This implies that Twitter’s resembles more of a one-way, one-to-many publishing service more than a two-way, peer-to-peer communication network.

Source

Tukwila is less a building than a machine for computing. “You look at a typical building,” Manos explained, “and the mechanical and electrical infrastructure is probably below 10 percent of the upfront costs. Whereas here it’s 82 percent of the costs.” Little thought is given to exterior appearances; even the word “architecture” in the context of a data center can be confusing: it could refer to the building, the network or the software running on the servers.

Saw this at Lotte mart today, I kind of like it. But I’m not sure I like how narrow the glass is compared to the size and design of the base — creates a little disproportionality that I don’t like. I wonder if there’s a better example of the concept? Maybe if the glass part widened to be the same size as the base…

How much sugar is in the stuff you’re eating? Kind of gross.

http://www.sugarstacks.com/

The space is dominated by a huge four group espresso machine. They have a grinder that automatically doses and tamps, which seems to ensure shot quality. Haven’t tried any milk drinks yet.  Sadly they only have paper cups, no demitasses for espresso. This is a tiny space for grabbing a drink to go, not for lounging.

See my post about their Gosok Terminal cafe here.

This is quite an attractive little container, I love the clean lines of the handle and lever, and the overall proportionality of the piece. Why do things like this have to be $50?

DWR

I’m curious how this is being sold to the public. What rhetoric is being used? Or is it just unashamedly clamping down on political freedom of speech vis-a-vis anonymity online?

http://www.v1gallery.com/artist/show/3