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Sun Herald

Sunday June 1, 2008

Ella Mudie, Julian Schoffel, Louise Rugendyke & Kirsty Munro

Cats on the web, the science of paper folding and how you can glow as you exercise.

Cool cover

Bold brollies give stylish shelter from the storm.The humble umbrella is being revitalised as a style icon, with

JOI Umbrellas enlisting the help

of trendsetting artists. The British company has commissioned two artists to create exclusive designs for their umbrellas. London illustrator Jethro Haynes has produced a colourful psychedelic design (right), while German artist Stefan Marx crafted his own brand of bold and playful geometric patterning. With production limited to 500 per colourway and prices at about $140, including shipping to Australia, these are brollies to hold onto. Go to Joiumbrellas.co.uk.

Ella Mudie

Glow racer

If you fancy the idea of an evening bike ride but don't want to end up as an impromptu hood ornament on a semitrailer, then Puma's new Glow Rider bike may be right up your alley. Coated with special luminescent paint, these bikes soak up daylight, becoming florescent in the dark and making them much easier to spot at night. The Glow Rider's twin disc-brakes are perfect for stop-start city commutes and a nifty folding mechanism lets you store the bike in a cupboard or under the bed. The Puma Glow Rider retails for about $1700. For more details, see Um.puma.com.

Julian Schoffel

Feline unusual?

If you believe the creators of the website Cats That Look Like Hitler, our feline friends are just one step away from attempting world domination. The site

is full of "kitlers" - cats with a line of black fur beneath their nose that gives them an uncanny resemblance to the former fuhrer. The site is the latest in a long line of cat-related websites. Witness Stuffonmycat.com, which - you guessed it - has pics of cats with stuff on them; Mycathatesyou.com is full of cranky kitties; and another quirky cat site, Icanhascheezburger.com, receives more than 2 million hits a day. Or for political pusses, try Catsforobama.com.

Louise Rugendyke

Clever folds

Origami is inspiring engineers. Professor Hagiwara Ichiro, of Kyoto University, set up a research group called Mathematics of Origami Engineering five years ago and the fruits of their experiments are now being revealed - via satellite. Miura-ori is a method of folding up satellite antennas before they are launched. By pulling on opposite corners, like a classic origami flower, the antenna is unfolded in space. Usually this is a complex procedure but with origami-inspired folding, it becomes simpler and less prone to failure.

Professor Ichiro compares it to viewing a mathematics problem in three dimensions. We're likely to see more origami-based solutions in furniture, car design and architecture in the future.

Kirsty Munro

Youth workout

According to the Los Angeles Times,

teen-centric gyms - spaces where kids can work out with their own age group to music they like - are sprouting up across America. At 02 MAX Fitness in Santa Monica, kids train in a funky loft, then play video games and hang out in the lounge afterwards. The YMCA in Victoria and NSW runs a Teen Gym program offering age-appropriate exercise and training for young adults. Prices vary but expect to pay $29 to $40 per month. Go to www.ymcasydney.org or www.victoria.ymca.org.au.

Ella Mudie