[via tested]

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[via engadget]

If you’re planning to visit Iceland, bring a coat (or several!) – situated just south of the Arctic Circle, the Nordic country has a frigid climate. With winter temperatures in the negative double digits, and blistering glacial winds and dust storms, it’s called Iceland for a reason. The locals have spent centuries adapting to these challenging conditions, and their super smart green-roofed turf housesare some of the coolest looking hillside homes we’ve seen. Built with the simplest of natural materials, the turf house is a warm and cozy escape from the chilly countryside.

When Iceland was first settled it was covered in plentiful birch forests, however the wood isn’t the best material for building. Birch homes couldn’t stand the weather, and boats made from the wood perished in the stormy waters, making transportation and importing of foreign materials nearly impossible. Left with only local materials to work with, settlers soon began building homes with rocks and turf.

The common home began with a stone foundation and a wooden frame covered in layers of turf which provided a great deal of insulation. The only external wood used was the home’s doorway where each homeowner could showcase their creativity. Throughout centuries of development, turf houses were slowly replaced with iron sided and reinforced concrete homes, though these historical green huts still sprinkle the Icelandic countryside.

Read more: Iceland’s Cozy Green-Roofed Turf Houses are Countryside Cabins Built Into the Earth | Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World

This probably shouldn’t shock too many people but, Tim Cook believes the future isn’t with the PC, but with the tablet. After shipping 15.4 million iPads in Q1 Cupertino is clearly comfortable with the idea that tablets are taking off and, as we begin to demand our devices become more mobile, it only makes sense that these finger-friendly slates will one day outsell less portable options like laptops and desktops. When might that day come? Well, Mr. Cook refused to speculate, but he was confident that the tablet market will be bigger, at least in terms of units sold, than traditional computers. Cook is already seeing a shift, with the iPad cannibalizing some Mac sales, but he does believe “there’s more cannibalization of Windows PCs by the iPad,” a trend he clearly loves. We hope, for their own sake, Dell and HP are ready for the coming revolution.

via [engadget]

See more at Tested.com!

Prague-based Kozhenova is an artist, designer, and architect. Throughout her career, she has focused on reuse of materials such as circuit boards.

Here are some prototype images, and even a small “how to” guide for our handy D.I.Y. crowd!
Or, if you’d like to just purchase some of this designer’s work, click here.

Andy Serkis is a wildly under appreciated actor who is doing some of the most progressive dramatic direction and performances in both films and videogames. Gollum, King Kong, King Bohan, Monkey, and most recently, Caesar in the blockbuster (and just overall well done reintroduction of a classic franchise) Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

I’ve taken the liberty of including a few interviews below. You should really check out what he’s done in the past decade. Really groundbreaking stuff.

That’s all for Offtopic Friday! I hope you all enjoy!

-Wolf