The Latest Lexus Hybrid Is An Electric Carbon Fiber Bicycle

the press release from Lexus
Introducing the Lexus HB (Hybrid Bicycle) Concept

Lexus has established itself as an industry leader in bringing advanced technologies to the premium car market. Now it has applied the same thinking on a smaller scale to create the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle, a design concept the captures the fundamental engineering and design values of the brand, but with two wheels rather than four.



In every aspect this is Lexus, from the L-finesse design language of the engaging and elegant frame, to the application of hybrid power, an electric eight-speed transmission and lightweight carbon fibre construction.





Lexus has brought what is one of the only two examples in existence (one black and one white) to the UK for the first time, following the bicycle's debut at the 2009 Tokyo motor show (at that show, the concept bike was shown in black).



above: the Lexus HB Concept bike appeared in black at the 2009 Tokyo auto show

Its arrival coincides with the announcement of Lexus's title sponsorship of the Great British Bike Ride, a four-day charity fun ride from September 1-4, 2010, that will see hundreds of cyclists following a course from Land's End to the home of English rugby at Twickenham.



Lexus has pioneered high performance, low emissions and optimum fuel efficiency with its full hybrid Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain technology. The Hybrid Bicycle adopts similar principles, with the pedal power of the rider boosted by assistance to the front wheel from a 240W electric motor, via a 25.9V Lithium-ion battery, with a choice of Eco or Power modes. And, as with Lexus Hybrid Drive, there is an energy regeneration function that helps recharge the battery by capturing kinetic energy generated under braking.



The Lexus Hybrid Bicycle has all-wheel drive, by means of a belt system. It is equipped with an electric eight-speed Shimano internal gear system, which references the sophisticated eight-speed shift-by-wire automatic transmission of Lexus's LS 600h limousine.



The carbon fibre construction shares the same light-but-strong composite materials technology that was used on Valentino Rossi's MotoGP-winning motorcycle.

The video below is from the 2009 Tokyo Auto show (courtesy of Gizmag):


Specs:

• Length (mm) 1,598
• Width (mm) 425
• Seat height (mm) 900
• Wheelbase (mm) 1,080
• Tyre size 20 x 1 3/8
• Weight (kg) 17
• Charge time Approx. 2hrs
• Motor output (W) 240
• Battery type Lithium-ion
• Battery voltage 25.9V/4.0Ah
• Gear system Shimano 8-speed internal gear
• Shift lever Shimano dual control
• Drive train Belt drive

The big bummer? There are no current plans for the Lexus Hybrid Bicycle to become a production model.

the white bike images are courtesy of Lexus and the black bike, courtesy of Gizmag

The Most Beautiful Nail Art (Or Manicure Masterpieces).

above: Technoid Subculture nail art

Now, THIS is finger painting. CND (Creative Nail Design) is a company known better to professionals that the average consumer. The first to create a nail polish resistant to yellowing, the company has continued to innovate with science and beauty. The amazing nail polish art shown below was created with their products.

Afro Love nails:

Bridal nails:

Downtown Doll nails:

Flirt nails:

Punk Rock nails:

Global Chic nails:

Holiday Nails:


Pretty phenomenal, right? But what's even cooler is that on their site, they describe exactly which polishes you need to create each of the above designs of nail art and the steps as to how to apply them.

If the above nail art seems to daunting for you to try, CND still makes it easy to have uniquely beautiful nails by simply combining their color polishes with their effect polishes.



First you can choose from their cremes, primaries or chrome polishes:


After polishing your nails with the first color, you can add a number of effects (shimmer, pearl or sparkle) by using their 'effects' polishes:



and voila, many fab looks can be achieved, such as these below:




About CND
CND (Creative Nail Design) got it's start when Dr. Stuart Nordstrom, a practicing dentist, got the idea for a new nail enhancement product: A patient remarked that the material used to prepare temporary caps smelled like the material used to sculpt porcelain nails.

The result was SolarNail™ Liquid, the industry’s first-ever monomer formulation for greater nail strength and flexibility — and the first product to deliver natural, non-yellowing nail color..

Building on a foundation of hard work and smart chemistry, the fledgling company pursued and achieved one innovation after another—an uninterrupted succession of advances that continues, virtually unabated, to this day. With every new breakthrough came growth. Throughout the 1980s alone, the company doubled its revenues every year.

BREAKING NAIL NEWS:



The latest news from CDN (even covered here in the NY Times) is the upcoming release of their long-wearing 'shellac' polish. A special nail polish that is said to last weeks without chipping.



The SHELLAC polishes (not yet available for purchase) are dried by a UV light and when removal is desired, each nail has to be soaked for 10 minutes in the special removal gel wraps, shown below.



Visit their site to learn more and to find distributors.

CND
Special thanks to CND and NY Times for the images and info.

Antoine Laverdiere's Restaurant Animal Lights Available To the Public

If you've ever been to, or read about the famed Montreal restaurant, Le Club Chasse et Peche, you may have noticed the unusual animal wall sconces and pendant lamps.



Designer Antoine Laverdiere was commissioned by the Montreal restaurant to create some unusual lighting for them. The results are whimsical ceramic and glass Buffalo and Veal wall sconces and Duck pendant lamps.




And now, the soft and ambient whimsical lights are actually available to the public for purchase.

Duck (le canard) is available in white ceramic with a mouth blown, clear glass shade. A white ceiling canopy/cover is included for ceiling (hardwired) installation.

$379.00, 7" x 10", buy it here.

The Veal or Calf (le Veau) is available in smoke and offers left and right models for bedside installation. Installs by electrical plug:

Buffalo (le Bison) can be used as a wall sconce or table lamp and is available in white. Installs with an electrical plug.
:

Buffalo: 18"L x 8.5"W
25W G19 bulb medium (not included)
base included


Veal (Calf) : 13.5"L x 5.5"W
 Max 40 W G16.5 bulb (not included)
 Candelabra base included

.

$429.00 each, you can buy them here.
A plug-in dimmer cord in black or white is an additional option.

Le Club Chasse et Peche
423 St Claude
Montreal, QC H2Y 3B6, Canada
(514) 861-1112

You can see more of designer Antoine Laverdiere's work here.

Iron Man 2 Movie Tie-Ins & Merchandising From Fragrance To Cars To Cookies.

above: Diesel's limited edition Iron Man fragrance

With Iron Man 2 opening May 7th, the glut of marketing tie-ins and giveaways (purported to cost 100$ including media buys) has already begun to hit the market. In addition to the expected special edition video games, comic books, and action figures, there are fragrances, cookies, motor oil, a special edition Audi r8 and even a limited edition 18ct gold LG mobile phone. Not to mention the numerous microsites created by the retailers. And I've got a look at those and more for you.

Diesel's Limited edition Only The Brave Iron Man fragrance.


Now's your chance to smell like Tony Starck.
Coinciding with the May release of Iron Man 2, Diesel has created a special limited edition of their Only The Brave Cologne, clad in the colors of character Tony Starcks' suit.




The fragrance is touted as a fusion of plant and animal kingdoms. It blends leather, styrax and labdanum. Lemon and violet express urban modernity, underscored by the strength and singularity of cedar and amber. This limited edition comes in a single 75ml format. A vigorous tribute to IRONMAN’s visual universe. See more at Diesel's Fragrance factory

Other Iron Man 2 Movie Tie-ins:


• Audi R8 V10 (see the microsite here)

and the Audi Iron Man 2tv commercial:


•Dr. Pepper (play their online game here)

The Dr. Pepper Iron Man 2 tv commercial:


•Royal Purple Motor Oil (see the microsite here)


•LG has an 18ct gold limited edition (only 20) phone. Consumers have the chance to win one of the LG Iron Man 2 phones, worth about $2,000 by visiting their microsite here.


•Burger King is offering the following Iron Man Toys along with more you can see here.


•7-11 is offering Iron Man Big Gulp Cups, Iron Man Straws, a special Iron Man Invincible Orange Slurpee and even Iron Man Cookies:


•Land O'Frost lunch meats is also offering promotional items plus an online game and downloadable coloring book sheets:



•Sony Music is offering a special AC/DC Collector's edition CD/DVD that comes with extra footage, a hardcover book, a poster and stickers:

AC/DC "shoot To Thrill with Iron Man footage:


•Semir is offering Iron Man2 clothing:



•Hershey's Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is offering you chance to win a role in a Marvel movie


•Oracle is offering wallpaper and a microsite


In Iron Man 2, Oracle is a proud sponsor of Stark Expo, a world-class tradeshow that depends on a cloud computing architecture to ensure that all systems are free from overload. And that’s where you come in: by becoming a Master Cloud Operative, you’ll help keep Stark Expo up and running. Complete your training, test your troubleshooting skills, and get certified in the Oracle Pavilion.


Play the game here.

the Oracle commercial:


A look at SEGA'S Iron Man 2 video game and the microsite:

And a discussion with the developer can be found here.

And the microsite, here:


And of course, the 'faux" The 2010 Starck Expo site:



Marvel products, collectibles, clothes, comic books and toys and more from Hasbro are already saturating the market.

The Official Iron Man 2 movie site