Frequent winners of prestigious international design awards like the Pinnacle Award from the International Society of Furniture Designers, Phillips Collection creates pieces you’re going to want to see in person. The summer Las Vegas Market, running from July 24th to 28th, 2022, is a great opportunity to do that.

The furniture design firm unveiled a newly expanded showroom with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the first day of the market. This expansion adds 13,000 square feet to the exhibition space, allowing it to showcase a greater variety of pieces, as well as larger-sized items. Hundreds of products are available for purchase each day of the event.

“Our Vegas showroom is how we access the West Coast design community, and we are thrilled by how the expansion turned out,” says Jason Phillips, the company’s Vice President of Sales. “It will help our sales team showcase our full range of products more effectively, and the variety of finish options to the customers we expect this summer.”

“Our showrooms provide a welcoming space for the residential and hospitality communities to connect,” says Phillips Collection Director of Marketing Serena Martin. “In addition, our expanded space allows us to host events, tours, and trend talks — a place where our team will inspire and offer expert advice and keep buyers at the forefront of what’s next in our home furnishings industry. There are even curated Instagrammable moments throughout the showroom for added fun. I can’t wait for the design community to join us at Las Vegas Market and share what they think of our new space!”

It’s hard to choose standout items from Phillips Collection when everything they create is so remarkable, but a few noteworthy picks include the brand’s Colossal Gray Cast Woman sculptures; its Diver sculptures in a variety of poses; beautiful Lotus three-dimensional wall art cast in copper and silver; poppy flower and birch leaf wall art measuring four feet across each; cast tree root tables; various furniture items carved from huge natural chunks of wood; 85-inch-tall liquid silver sculptures; and so much more.

Phillips Collection’s furniture and decor is sold through dealers all over the United States, so if you don’t make it to Las Vegas, you can still see some pieces with your own eyes. Find your closest dealers at the Phillips Collection website, where you can also shop for a selection of striking in-stock items like agate bowls, tabletop sculptures, framed wood burl side tables, and natural gemstone lamps.

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Venezuelan artist Claudia Bueno spent eight months hand-drawing vines, seashells, coral, and other plant and animal life onto 60 glass panels, all of which were then meticulously superimposed on top of each other. As lights shine through the glass from different angles, they illuminate the various layers of drawings, creating an illusion of movement. The entire process, from idea to installation, took three years to complete.

“The process required sharp focus and lots of patience, and it was very rewarding to see the shapes grow as we built up the layers,” Bueno told DeMilked. “This piece comes to life and gains movement with a custom designed system of lights and sound which also involved long collaborations with two artists specialized in these areas. It is magical to see it all come together now in Meow Wolf Vegas and realize that everything we planned for is working beautifully.”

Close-up shots of the panels in progress give us an idea of just how complex these layered drawings really are. Each individual flower, leaf, sea anemone, and coral branch is repeated in dozens of layers to produce an illusion of three-dimensionality. The effect is apparent even without the addition of the lighting system, but when it all comes together, it’s truly spectacular.

Bueno has a background in painting, set design, and animation, all skills that came in handy as the “Pulse” exhibit came to life. She spent six years engineering systems that make her art appear to move of its own volition using motors, tracks, light systems, and wind.

The most amazing thing about this installation is the fact that it isn’t digital. High-tech immersive installations like those created by digital art collective teamLab are undeniably incredible, but they’re made using a host of sensors, computers, and projectors. Bueno’s creation is almost entirely analog, by comparison, but achieves a similar effect, albeit on a smaller scale. It’s interesting to see how very different methods can be used to produce similarly breathtaking visuals.

“Pulse” will be a permanent installation in Meow Wolf’s second permanent exhibition space, Omega Mart. Established in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2008, Meow Wolf “creates immersive and interactive experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration,” which includes installations like Bueno’s, video and music production, and much, much more.

Here’s a bit more information about Claudia Bueno, via her website:

“Through her own intricate process of immersive suggestion, Claudia creates large scale multi-sensory light installations that communicate a profound sense of wonderment and awe. Designed to guide spectators on a contemplative journey, these hypnotic worlds are populated by signatures of life from micro to macro, existing in communion and living as one interconnected cosmic web. Fluidly pulsating colors and ever-evolving sounds make the creations come all the more alive.”

“Claudia has been inviting adventure and collecting cultural experiences that enrich her life and inspire her creative process since leaving Caracas at the age of 20. Strongly committed to inner healing and spiritual growth, Claudia fills her art with a quality of mystical curiosity that mirrors her personal fascination with energy, consciousness, and nature — ultimately transforming her art into a celebration of life and creation.”

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The levitating pod made a 15-second sprint on the company’s 500-meter Nevada desert test-track. It reached a top speed of 107 miles per hour in just 6.25 seconds. The velocity was limited by the amount of track available, but the forward-thinking group anticipates its final product will be able to transport people through vacuum tubes at speeds of up to 640 miles per hour. That will allow travelers to make a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles in roughly 35 minutes, twice as fast as commercial jet travel and three times faster than high-speed rail.

The practice run is a huge milestone toward making hyperloop transit a reality. After more than 400 passenger-less maneuvers, putting humans inside demonstrates the viability of the enterprise’s technology.

“I can’t tell you how often I get asked ‘is hyperloop safe?,'” Jay Walder, CEO of Virgin Hyperloop, said in a prepared statement. “With today’s passenger testing, we have successfully answered this question, demonstrating that not only can Virgin Hyperloop safely put a person in a pod in a vacuum environment, but that the company has a thoughtful approach to safety which has been validated by an independent third party.”

Hyperloop technology uses networks of pneumatic propulsion tubes (much like the ones that outside bank customers use to send deposit-filled canisters to inside tellers) to create a near-frictionless environment. The conveyances are propelled by both that vacuum system and magnetic levitation, which uses two sets of magnets to push and repel the transports above the tracks and through the tubes.

The company obviously has confidence in its product, as it allowed two of its executives to volunteer as the inaugural journey guinea pigs. Describing the ride, Virgin Hyperloop Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder Josh Giegel told the New York Times it “felt not that much different than accelerating in a sports car,” while his thrill-seeking comrade Sarah Luchian, head of Passenger Experience, said “it was much smoother than I expected.”

The pair were strapped into five-point harnesses in an experimental two-seater capsule nicknamed Pegasus. Future pods for mass transit will be able to accommodate up to 28 commuters, with separate cargo convoys following behind. For intercity connections, the corporation’s blueprints call for either digging underground tunnels or constructing above-ground rails. So far, they have only concentrated on the above-ground variety.

There are plenty of competitors in the field vying to beat Virgin to the market. The Boring Company, headed by Elon Musk, has said its on schedule to complete an underground system for the Las Vegas Convention Center by January 2021.

Rival company Hyperloop Transportation Technologies procured an official classification from the U.S. Department of Transportation in July of this year, which actually helps the entire industry as the new designation applies to all pneumatic navigation companies, putting them under the Federal Railroad Administration. With official recognition, hyperloop tech is more likely to receive regulation and funding.

Virgin Hyperloop is pressing forward with development, having recently announced plans to build a $500 million testing center in West Virginia. The company hopes to gain official certification by 2025 and float its trains into commercial use by 2030.

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The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) made the announcement in July 2020, a full six months before the January show. On one hand, that means attendees need not worry about airfare and hotel rooms. On the other hand, it means preparing to observe, disseminate information, and make purchasing decisions entirely online.

Traditionally, the show is set up like any other type of trade exhibition, with rows of booths manned by product specialists ready to promote the newest and best devices and robots from their respective companies. But the pandemic has organizers rethinking tradition in order to avoid creating an atmosphere where the virus can easily spread.

The CTA has stated that this year’s event will be a “new immersive experience,” and that it’s “highly personalized.” It’s unlikely retailers, manufacturers, and other industry professionals will know what that will even look like for some months, but it’s at least reassuring to know that the organizers do plan to return the show to its physical place and time for 2022.

CES is world-renowned as the premier launching point for all things electronic. The convention brings together innovations across myriad industries for public viewing and allows competitors to see what’s coming down the pipeline. Standard categories for show products include 3D printing, accessibility, artificial intelligence, audio, cloud services, computer hardware, content and streaming services, and cyber security and privacy.

It’s the type of futuristic atmosphere where you’re likely to see a robot delivering a snack or a refrigerator that answers questions about whether or not you have milk. Cameras, computer software, drones, and gaming technology are also commonplace in the convention’s tightly-packed confines, as well as exhibits promoting photography, education, fitness, and lifestyle products related to family, beauty, and pets.

The banking and e-commerce worlds are also represented at CES in the form of mobile payment options, digital finance, and business policies. Software and apps for nearly every category of business abound, with both video and telecommunications solutions often making big appearances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTdHXTDcfMc

Sustainability is another popular topic at the show, with a range of eco-friendly products for the home debuting there each year. And speaking of homes, you can also expect a lot of exciting smart home tech features to be unveiled at next year’s CES.

If there’s a single event that can offer a truly immersive digital experience, CES, with a history of over 50 years exploring innovations, seems like the obvious candidate. After all, tech is what they do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luHdZzSOtwE

Over the years, we’ve covered a plethora of products revealed at the event. After all, it is the place to be if you want to see the most current sensor, biometric, space, esports, travel, vehicular, VR and AR, wearable, wellness, and wireless technology. So although 2021 will look a little different from the couch instead of the convention center, the Dornob team will still be tuned in, ready to research and report on the all the latest gizmos and gadgets.

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The holiday season is upon us, and people everywhere are heading out in droves to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas. From caroling to festive fun and frolicking, there’s certainly no shortage of spirit right now, and one of the most recent trends to emerge at this time of year is that of intricate lighting displays. Whether it’s individual homes coming alive with projections of angels, snowflakes, and Christmas scenes, or plazas, squares, and boulevards decked out with ornaments, decorations, and strings of fairy lights, you’re bound to find fun Christmas lights pretty much anywhere you go. It’s also a great opportunity to go out and be a tourist in your own town.

In honor of all that, we thought we’d check out some of our favorite Christmas light displays from around the globe.

Tokyo, Japan

Japan’s capital is known for its bustling intersections, loud audiovisual spectacles, and quirky character, and this really comes to the fore at Christmas time. Various neighborhoods across the city enter into something of a competition to see who can produce the best winter light installation, giving tourists visiting the city around the holiday season the treat of glittering arrangements in lots of different districts. One of the most popular winter illuminations is located in Midtown, where visitors can see a carpet of blue lights laid out on the ground. The “Starlight Garden” area here also features a whopping 190,000 LED lights.

Las Vegas, Nevada

“America’s Playground” is undoubtedly one of the most extravagant places in the world all year round, but it really outdoes itself when it comes to Christmas lights. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a race track that’s turned into a neon tunnel every holiday season, where visitors can venture beyond the famous Strip and ride down the two-and-a-half-mile “Glittering Lights” circuit. All in all, 500 displays appear in the LED setup, so you’re sure to be entertained while you wait for your turn.

Dublin, Ireland

The Irish capital is a great place to visit at any time of year, but lovers of the winter holidays will find that Dublin has a couple extra-twinkly treats in store for Christmas. The city’s famous Christmas lights are switched on every November, but this year the city’s most prominent buildings, including Trinity College, Central Bank, and the Customs House, are used as canvases for projections of Christmassy displays that make for a great walking route for anyone new to the city and looking to explore.

Austin, Texas

The cultural capital of Texas is no stranger to top-notch light shows, as it’s been hosting its “Trail of Lights” event for some 50 years now. Visitors can follow a 2.1-mile-long trail that takes them through the city’s Zilker Park, where an incredible 800 trees are lit up. An additional 50 light displays round out this amazing spectacle, cumulatively taking over 500 volunteers to set up each year. Austin is also home to the Zilker Tree, the self-proclaimed “World’s Tallest Manmade Christmas Tree” that towers 155 feet above the ground.

The post Stunning Christmas Light Displays From Around the World first appeared on Dornob.

The post Living Underground in Las Vegas first appeared on Dornob.

If you’re used to seeing the dreary, claustrophobic bomb shelters in movies, you’ll be blown away by this luxury underground bunker home in Las Vegas. Built in the 1970s by a wealthy businessman, the retro-fabulous subterranean home was meant to keep the owner and his wife safe in the event of a nuclear attack.

When the home was built, there were very few clues above ground as to its existence. If you managed to glance behind the right boulder and found the door, you would then travel 26 feet underground to a fascinating false world. A “yard” surrounds a two-bedroom house and a one-bedroom guest house. Fake trees, boulders and plants add to the creepily realistic subterranean world.

Unlike those bleak movie bomb shelters, this one offers luxuries that most of us don’t even get to enjoy above ground. Two hot tubs, a heated pool, sauna, bar, dance floor and putting course are built into this odd home’s underground environment. In fact, the original owners didn’t wait for the air raid sirens to go off before enjoying the bunker: they are said to have lived underground full-time.

A 360-degree mural painted around the perimeter of the bunker contributes to the illusion of being outdoors. A grill hidden inside a fake boulder (which vents to ground level through a nearby hollow tree) even let the residents feel as though they were having a good old-fashioned cookout. A two-bedroom guest house was eventually added and is now the only way to enter the underground home.

This hilariously kitschy subterranean bunker home recently went back up for sale. Via Forbes:

“The house near Flamingo Road was recently listed by Stephan M-LaForge at Berkshire Hathaway for $18 million, and judging by the photos seems to be stuck in time from the 1970s. Bizarre furnishings and decorations fill the home with a country cabin meets suburban housemaker vibe. Although the pink kitchen trim, pink toilets, green fake grass carpets could hardly be considered traditional. Collectors from the 70s will appreciate the built-in appliances including a wall toaster as well as the quirky features like a boulder encased BBQ.”

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