Casulo shoves full bedroom in four-foot box

Moving can be a lot of hard work. You’ve got all that furniture and, well, it doesn’t all fit together like a good game of Tetris. Overcoming this common life dilemma is Casulo by Marcel Krings and Sebastian Muhlhauser. They’ve managed to fit an entire bedroom in a four-foot box.

Dubbed Casulo, which is the Portuguese word for cocoon, this contraption is a tightly designed box that contains a complete set of bedroom furniture. The two guys from the Koln International School of Design created the prototype Casulo in 2007 and, when packed up, it measures just 47.2 x 35.4 x 31.5 inches. Inside that box are a bed, mattress, tall shelves, two stools, height-adjustable chair, a desk with a separate cabinet, and an armoire to hang clothes.

Don’t believe me? There is a video that demonstrates exactly how this thing works and it’s pretty amazing. If you thought IKEA was clever with its packing, you’ve got to see this… the kicker is that the furniture can then be easily disassembled and shoved back into that four-foot box. Moving day couldn’t be easier. The whole shi-bang weighs about 350 pounds.



Another bold claim made by Krings and Muhlhauser? It will “never show signs of wear and tear.” Furniture that lasts forever, packs up easily, and completely populates your bedroom. Pretty crazy if you ask me, but great for someone constantly on the move.

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A perfect springboard for UAE

The UAE national swimming team is hoping to distinguish itself with competitive fervour at the 10th Fina World Swimming Championships (25m) that get under way at the state-of-the-art Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sports Complex on Wednesday.

"For sure we are not expected to win any gold medals or even make it to the finals of any of the events here. But we will be giving it our best shot once we are in the swimming pool," promised skipper Obaid Al Jasmi, who is leading a group of eight other swimmers in the Speedo-sponsored UAE squad.

"Our association has told us that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and that we should make the best of it to rub shoulders against some of the best swimmers in the world and be as competitive as we can so that we can break a few records for the UAE and the Gulf region," Al Jasmi said. The UAE squad, under the watchful eye of American coach Jay Benner, returned only on Saturday from a two-week training camp in Kuwait. "The idea is to keep on improving and this is what we have targeted each time we have stepped into the pool," Al Jasmi said.

"We need to be realistic while competing in a championship of this nature as there are going to be so many Olympians and World Championships medal winners eager to win. In comparison, we will be there for the experience," the UAE skipper noted.

The 10th Fina World Swimming Championships (25m) will get under way on Wednesday at the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sports Complex. The event concludes on December 19.

Besides Al Jasmi, the other members of the squad include Ahmad Khalfan, Ali Subait, Mubarak Salem, Mohammad Al Gafri, Mohammad Jasem and Al Jasmi's three younger brothers — Saeed, Bakhit and Faisal.

"The training has gone well in Kuwait," commented Benner.

Long-term goals

"We are in our final preparation and starting to rest and fine-tune for the championships. The goal for this competition is to be as competitive as possible and we are looking for lifetime best performances along with setting as many UAE National records as possible," he said. "The long-term goal of swimming in the UAE is take the sport to the point where the UAE nationals can be competitive at international competitions in the future," Benner added.

Al Jasmi admitted that the Dubai championships will be a springboard for further successes in the sport for the UAE. "We need to make our own finds. We need to identify our promising swimmers and train them. And, in turn, our swimmers need to keep an eye on the future and learn as much as possible from these top swimmers," Al Jasmi said. "The road is long. It may take another eight to ten years. But if we start right now we can be hopeful of a top world swimmer at the end of it," he added.

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Home church: Fellowship in the living room

In the age of megachurches, a growing number of Christians are looking for a more intimate way to connect with God and each other. Enter the home church movement.ambridge, Minnesota, has two formal home church groups. This one, known as the Blue Fish Group, meets in the living room of member Bob Roby on Saturday, December 4, 2010. A typical home church "service" consists of music, prayer, theological discussions and a shared meal.

On this Saturday evening, Bob Roby was the host for his group's weekly home church gathering. He says he'd "choose a handful of Christians in my living room over hundreds of Christians in a big church. It's much more intimate." Plus, "it costs a lot of money to keep something like a megachurch going. Financially, home church makes a lot more sense.

Part of each home church meeting is set aside for research. Each week, the members choose a specific Bible passage to explore. They then break into small groups and try to find out everything they can about that passage -- from its social context to its linguistic nuances. Some consult historical dictionaries. Others rely on religious reference books. After about an hour, the groups reconvene and share what they've learned.

Lonnie Gay researches a Bible passage in the rec room during a home church meeting. He'll return to the living room to share what he learns with the rest of the group. "The house church network," says Gay, "is way cool. It's laid back. It's more comfortable. At a big church, you're a number. Here you're a person. And you can contribute."There are two separate home church groups in Cambridge, Minnesota. Once a month, the two come together at the Corner Cup coffee shop for music, prayer and fellowship. These evenings also serve as open houses for area residents who are interested in learning about the home church movement.

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'Bejeweled 3' Sets A New Standard For Launch Events

If you've ever been to a video game launch event, you know what to expect. Folding chairs, take out food and many more guys than girls. Of course, there wasn't likely to be a large line waiting in front of GameStop for tomorrow's release of "Bejeweled 3." No, that franchise's fan-base is a bit different, so PopCap decided to class things up. They launched the latest sequel to their biggest franchise in the living room of a British mom. Seriously.

In attendance for the "Bejeweled 3" worldwide launch event was a Women's Institute secretary, a grandmother, a librarian, a banker and a trendy dad. Not what you normally think of when you think "gamer," but these are the sorts of people that have made "Bejeweled" the insane success that it is, so why not celebrate them? And give them tea? The release of "Bejeweled 3" marks a return to form for the franchise, which has gone experimental in recent years. The last two Bejeweled games, "Blitz" and "Twist," took the basic tenets of the franchise and turned them on their head, adding social networking and new gameplay mechanics, respectively.

"Bejeweled 3" sticks closer to the original's roots, but also expands things with a number of pretty extravagant game modes. You're still matching up similarly-shaped gems, but you'll also have to battle rushing columns of ice, dig through gold-filled mines and swat away butterflies throughout the game's 8 main modes. The game will be available tomorrow through PopCap's official site.

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Living Room: Microsoft in talks for new TV service

The software giant's possible push into the television business comes as Google Inc, Apple Inc and Netflix have jostled for a seat at the table of television's future -- a main topic of discussion at the Reuters Global Media Summit to be held this week.

The maker of the Windows operating system has proposed a range of possibilities in these early talks including creating a "virtual cable operator" delivered over the Internet for which users pay a monthly fee. Other options include using the Xbox to authenticate existing cable subscribers to watch shows with enhanced interactivity similar to how pay TV operators have sought to do over the Web, said these people.

Microsoft is also exploring the possibility of creating content silos and selling more individual channels directly such as an HBO or Showtime. It already has Walt Disney Co's ESPN on the XBox Live online service for example.

These people said a service may not arrive for another 12 months, but early discussions have been productive.

Microsoft said it does not comment on rumour or speculation. The people involved in the talks asked not to identified as the discussions were confidential.

News of Microsoft's plans come as the pay-television industry has sought to allay investor concerns that consumers are fleeing expensive subscription packages for cheaper online services operated by companies such as Netflix Inc and Hulu, which both charge $7.99 per month (5 pounds) for streamed shows and movies. The phenomenon is called "cord-cutting."

The worry is that so-called over-the-top services could undermine the lucrative cable TV industry, whose dual-revenue stream model -- cable networks such as ESPN are paid carriage fees by pay TV operators and also earn revenue from advertisers -- has made pay-TV one of the most resilient sectors during the economic recession.

But programmers would welcome new types of competition to the cable and satellite companies, senior media executives said. "We think the more competition the better, we will price and package it in such a way that we still make the dual revenue stream," said one of the people who spoke to Reuters. "We could probably charge more for interactive advertising."

Microsoft has long held ambitions to be a major player in the TV business and has previously invested in interactive television initiatives including Web TV and MSN TV set-top box software. Its latest plans include offering interactivity to engage viewers through social media, interactive advertising and motion control technology, say people who have seen early demonstrations.

Microsoft has bet on new "gesture" technology that lets users of its Xbox, who buy a camera accessory called the Kinect, control on-screen functions using voice to launch channels and waving arms to fast-forward or rewind videos on ESPN.

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Longwood Gardens green wave wall longest of all

The famed Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa., recently unveiled the largest living green wall in North America. Until its dedication in October, the plants on the side of PNC's headquarters at One PNC Plaza, Downtown, held that distinction. What makes Longwood's even more unusual is its curved shape and location -- It's an integral part of the interior of Longwood's East Conservatory Plaza, which has been under construction for the past year.

Designed by famed British landscape architect Kim Wilkie, the 14-foot-high wall covers 4,072 square feet and contains 47,000 plants representing 25 species. It is watered by almost 4,000 feet of irrigation drip lines strategically placed throughout.

Stainless-steel panels hold the plants with coconut coir fiber planting media that was developed by GSky, a leading manufacturer of green wall systems. The system was developed to allow the 3,590 panels to move if necessary.

The undulating wall combines with the plantings to give the impression of a gentle green wave. Among the common plants used are spider plants, mosses, ivies and holly, rabbit's foot, asparagus and maidenhair ferns.

Built into the earth, the green wall is part of a glass-roofed corridor that runs between two rows of lavatories. The walls are naturally lit by domes with etched glass and motion detectors that add supplemental light when needed. Motion-activated faucets help conserve water.

The East Conservatory Plaza also can lay claim to the first terraced lawn in the United States. A special mower hovers over the turf, cutting the flat and curved portions at the same height. The plaza is surrounded by new woodland plantings, including hundreds of new trees and shrubs and a magnificent 200-year-old English yew, planted by Pierre du Pont, that stands guard at the entrance to the conservatory.

Longwood Gardens is the premier U.S. botanical garden, encompassing 1,077 acres that includes meadows, vegetable and flower display gardens, water features, conservatories and woodland areas. The original Longwood property was purchased by a family named Peirce, who bought the land from William Penn and established a working farm.

In 1906, Pierre du Pont purchased the property to save the trees from the sawmill. Mr. DuPont loved fountains and designed many of the ones found on the property. He was inspired by his trips to Italy. Longwood Gardens is also a research facility and has programs for horticultural interns, those seeking master's degrees and professional gardeners. It attracts more than 1 million visitors a year from around the world.

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