XBMC launches on new Apple TV, iPhone and iPad with 1080p video decoding

Hold tight new Apple TV fans, this news may rock your ever-loving world: XBMC, the open-source media center software that spawned offshoots like Plex and Boxee, has just launched on the jailbroken second generation Apple TV bringing 1080p video playback with it. Sure, we've had aTV Flash (black) to play with, but until now, the full potential of your little $99 media puck has been difficult to realize.

What's exciting about XBMC on the new Apple TV, is that it comes packing full hardware video decoding using Apple's 'VideoToolBox' private video acceleration API. This has given XBMC access to the built-in hardware video acceleration of Apple's A4 SOC, making non-Apple approved HD video playback a reality. Yes, that's right, all manner of 1080p video can now be streamed to and played on the tiny $99 box.

It's not just video playback XBMC brings to the Apple TV either. Apps you know and love from XBMC on your desktop, Xbox, or first generation Apple TV are there to play with, and this is just the beginning. Of course once XBMC landed on Apple TV, there wasn't much stopping the developers loading it up for other iOS devices. Courtesy of Cydia, XBMC is also available for any jailbroken iPad or iPhone, ready to stream media to your portable screen. Admittedly the iPhone and iPad version needs a little work in the skinning department, but that's next on the list. For now it works, and works well.

Don't take our word for it -- jailbreak your pocket media streamer and install XBMC on it right now. But, if you'd like to take a further look before you make the plunge, head on over to our sister sites: Engadget, where Ben Drawbaugh puts XBMC on the Apple TV through its paces; and TUAW, where Megan Lavey talks XBMC development and possible entry into the iOS App Store. Move over Boxee, Apple's $99 streaming media center never looked so good.

XBMC launches on new Apple TV, iPhone and iPad with 1080p video decoding originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Strip a Record Player Down to the Bare Essentials [Record Players]

We don't need your 1200s any more, Technics—some twisted metal and plastic is all we want for a bare-bones record player. Inventor RD Silva identified the must-have components and threw away the rest, resulting in this minimal design. More »

Ford Fiesta diboyong Naruto Mimin

JAKARTA (DP) — Bertempat di halaman kantor Kementerian Pemuda dan Olahraga (Kemenpora) Republik Indonesia, jakarta, Mimin Naruto dari Akasia Motor Jakarta akhirnya memboyong Ford Fiesta.

Selain sebuah mobil, hari ini (21/1), diserahkan Piala Menpora kepada Mimin, Champion of Extreme di final battle Class Mild Accelera Auto Contest (CMAAC) 2010, medio Desember lalu, pula.

Sepanjang 2010 CMAAC digelar sebanyak enam seri di enam kota yakni Surabaya, Jogjakarta, Makassar, Palembang Pekanbaru, dan Jakarta (final battle), dengan total peserta mencapai 694 mobil.

“Kreativitas para pemuda Indonesiaa harus selalu diwadahi, salah satunya seperti ajang miodifikasi otomotif. Kemenpora akan selalu mendukung kegiatan-kegiatan yang bersifat positif untuk para pemuda,” urai Wafid Muharram, Sekretaris Menteri Pemuda dan Olahraga. [dp/Wyu]

Dragon Space 2 Armour in Dead Age 2

When it was announced that there would be Dragon Age armour in Mass Effect 2, it may have gone crashing through the fourth wall like a confused rhinoceros, but at least the two games came from the same developer. It’s bemusing to try to fathom how the two universes might cross over, but we got over it. But for Dragon Age 2 you’ll be able to unlock unique armour if you also have, er, Dead Space 2. Buh-huh?

There’s a trailer explaining all this below.

(more…)

Kondom Menarik

Kondom, kini tidak hanya berfungsi sebagai alat kontrasepsi dan mencegah penularan penyakit kelamin bagi penganut seks bebas. Tapi sepertinya sudah menjadi fashion atau untuk ‘lucu-lucuan’ kali ya? Kebetulan hari ini lagi bosen posting tentang ‘ilmu’ SEO, Backlinks dan bla bla bla, yakh saya surfing aja di dunia maya… dan seperti biasa nyari yang aneh dan lucu dech. Akhirnya ketemulah nich, koleksi kondom yang aneh dan lucu… Silahkan dilihat-lihat yakh, kalau ada yang menarik jangan pesen ke saya, karena gak tahu juga nich, ada yang jual gak ya di Indonesia?

Condometric

Kondom ini dapat ‘menunjukkan’ panjang penis Anda dan mungkin membanggakannya? Tapi sex bukanlah tentang ukuran tapi bagaimana kita dapat memuaskan pasangan kita, gitu bukan?

Tuxedo Condom

Ini kondom wajib dibawa kalau menghadiri pesta dengan pakaian formil kali ya? Tapi untuk apa ya? Atau saat makenya harus berpakaian tuxedo? hahaha…

Obama Condom

Jangan-jangan para team sukses-nya obama wajib pake kondom ini waktu pilpres ya? Kira-kira bakal ditangkap gak ya, kalo terjadinya di Indonesia?

Whiskey Condom

Kira-kira bisa bikin mabok gak ya nich kondom?

Kondom Anti Perkosaan

Kondom khusus untuk wanita yang diciptakan di Afrika Selatan (kota dengan tingkat perkosaan tertinggi di dunia). Dalamnya dibuat bergerigi seperti gigi hiu, jadi kalo masuk ya gak masalah sich tapi kalo dicabut bakalan cacat dech si Mr. P, krn gerigi tajam tersebut. Tapi apa sempet minta ijin pasang waktu mau diperkosa? hahaha…

Kondom Dinosaurus

Ini kondom untuk dipakai atau hanya untuk pajangan lucu ya? Bener-bener aneh, gimana juga cara makainya?

Penemuan Terbaru Gambar Misterius di Lihat dari Angkasa di Peru

Lagi- lagi di negara Peru ditemukan lukisan besar yang dapat dilihat dari angkasa.

Penemuan ini ditemukan oleh tim Peneliti dari Jepang dua gambar menggemparkan di dataran Nazca, Peru. Satu seperti muka manusia dan satu lagi seperti seekor binatang.

Dilansir dari Japan Times, gambar muka manusia itu berukuran panjang 4,2 meter dan lebar 3,1 meter. Geoglif, atau gambar di permukaan bumi, yang lain tampak seperti seekor binatang yang memiliki panjang 2,7 meter dan lebar 6,9 meter. Namun tanggal pembuatan kedua geoglif ini belum diketahui.

Berikut Gambar-gambar yang telah ditemukan oleh para peneliti:

Penemuan ini telah menambah koleksi ‘misterius’ yang diperkirakan dibuat antara 200 tahun dan 600 tahun sebelum Masehi. Kawasan penemuan ini ditetapkan UNESCO sebagai Situs Warisan Dunia

Sumber: VIVAnews

Clear iPhone 4 mod

Yesterday the general public learned what a pentalobe is. You might be asking yourself why you'd need such a thing, but if you're like Uwants member mkmarken, then you'd want it to disassemble your iPhone 4 in order to strip the black coating from the inside of the Gorilla Glass enclosure with a little paint thinner. Just because you're continually discouraged from opening your device doesn't mean you can't make it easier for everyone to see what's inside. [via TUAW]

Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » |

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Alat yang Membuat Manusia Terbang(JetPack) Telah Dikomersialkan

Impian manusia untuk terbang dengan sendirian tanpa menggunakan Sayap mungkin akan terwujud. Jetpack akan segera di produksi dan dikomersialkan, The Martin, siap untuk lepas landas!

The jetpack yang telah dikembangkan akan dikomersialkan pertama kalinya, The jetpack Martin, siap untuk memproduksi massal dan akan segera launching ke publik. Pemerintah Kota Los Angeles telah memesan 10.000 jaket jet untuk pekerja paramedis, polisi dan pemadam kebakaran. 'Kita semua akan terbang di sekitar LA segera,' kata Walikota Antonio Villaragoisa. 'Dan itu alat canggih bagi penegakan hukum.'

LAPD sedang melakukan proses perekrutan lebih dari 1.000 Petugas Penegakan Hukum untuk mengenakan Jet Pack. Mereka telah mulai dilatih di dekat Joshua Tree Taman Nasional.

Jetpack ini dikembangkan oleh Martin Aircraft Company yang didirikan pada tahun 1998 dan dioperasikan di luar Selandia Baru. The jetpack Martin dapat membawa seseorang hingga 8000 meter di langit atau 31,5 mil dan kecepatan maksimum 63 mph. Dengan tangki penuh gas, yang akan bertahan sekitar 30 menit.

Jetpack ini nyaman namun untuk mencari tempat mendarat menjadi kendalanya. Dengan ketinggian 5 meter dengan lebar 5,5 meter, dengan panjang 5 kaki susah dalam mencari tempat mendarat.

Banyak spesifikasi untuk jetpack di atur oleh pembatasan FAA, termasuk tangki bahan bakar 5 galon dan daerah-daerah yang dapat mengoperasikan alat tersebut. FAA tidak mengharuskan bahwa pengguna-yang akan hampir pasti akan disebut oleh pemilik sebagai 'pilot', atau 'rocketeers' - namun perlu file rencana penerbangan sebelum melesat ke langit. Bagaimana polisi atau pejabat FAA akan bisa menangkap pilot yang gagal.

Saat ini jetpack Martin diklasifikasikan sebagai wahana rekreasi, tetapi dibatasi untuk airspaces non-perkotaan untuk individu. Hukum harus berubah dan diubah untuk menghadapi serangan jaket jet dan rocketeers.
Harga saat ini adalah $ 100.000, tetapi perusahaan berharap harga bisa diturunkan dalam waktu dekat.

Sumber: weeklyworldnews.com

TUAW's Daily App: Shibuya

We're finishing up our week of minimal game experiences with an app that's probably the 'most game' of the lot. Shibuya is actually a puzzle game, but it's also pretty trippy.

The idea is that you must organize colors into stripes as they drop down the screen, and whenever two stripes of the same color touch, they get cleared off the board. The difficulty is that you aren't given the colors in the same order, so as the spikes drop, it's up to you to lay them all out correctly so that two like colors actually touch. It's a little tough to explain, but just playing it will allow you to figure it out. You basically have to think ahead about how you lay the colors out before they drop down to match themselves up.

It's really fun, and the music is a nice bonus -- it's very well done. There are two gameplay modes to play around with, and there are tons of achievements to earn with Game Center integration, as well as leaderboards to compete on. The game is US$1.99 on the App Store, and those two bucks will give you plenty to do as you try to master this fun and eclectic title.

TUAW's Daily App: Shibuya originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

An Attractive Case Mod You Can Actually Buy [Case Mods]

Case mods provide some giggles, sure, but how many of them that we've seen previously would you have actually bought? If I were in the market for one, this Hammerhead HMR98902 would be top of my list. More »

Skype plug-in for Firefox blocked by Mozilla due to crashes, epic slowdowns

We're not very big fans of browser toolbars to begin with, and today's news from Mozilla is a perfect example of why. The Mozilla team has decided to block the Skype plug-in, citing serious stability and performance issues. Skype will be added to Mozilla's plug-in blocklist, though users will be prompted and given the option to re-enable it if they wish.

As Stephen Shankland points out over at CNET, the Skype plug-in has had a lengthy run as the #1 or 2 cause of crashes in Firefox 3.6.X. Right now, the total tally is running at about 40,000 crashes per week -- a number that Mozilla just isn't OK with. They also call out Skype's phone number detection and linking feature as a major problem, causing big-time slowdowns when Firefox tries to render a Web page.

If you're concerned this might break Skype on your system, it won't. The Skype program itself will continue to work as it has, you'll just be missing the toolbar in Firefox and the clickable phone numbers on Web pages -- and we don't know many people who will miss those.

Skype plug-in for Firefox blocked by Mozilla due to crashes, epic slowdowns originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ScanDrop for Mac Sends Paper to the Cloud, Free for Lifehacker Readers (For Now) [Video]

Windows/Mac: ScanDrop, a scan-and-send solution previously available on Windows only, directly connects your Mac and scanner to Evernote, Google Docs, or its own service for quick filing. If you need to de-clutter, grab it now, while it's free through this link. More »

Senjata-Senjata Teknologi Tinggi Masa Depan yang Sedang Terus Dikembangkan

Perlombaan setiap negara besar untuk mengembangkan senjata canggih dengan daya hancur yang mengerikan masih terus berlangsung hingga saat ini. Semua mengembangkan ilmu dan teknologi yang menghasilkan daya penghancuran yang semakin luar biasa menakutkan. Berikut 10 senjata penghancur paling canggih di dunia yang sangat luar biasa itu.

1. Aurora Excalibur

Senjata ini merupakan pesawat tak berawak yang beroperasi dengan lepas landas dan mendarat secara vertikal. Pesawat ini dapat mencapai kecepatan 460 mph (740 kmh) dan dapat membawa misil untuk ditembakkan. Pesawat ini bisa melakukan semua hal itu melalui remote control. Excalibur berhasil diuji pada Juni 2009.

2. Peluncur Granat XM-25

Senjata ini mampu menembakkan 25 granat pada jarak apa pun, jarak dapat diatur dan diprogram pengguna. Senjata baru ini menggabungkan kemampuan menembak dan komputer.

3. Hellads

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Pentagon mengembangkan senjata laser masa depan yang dikenal sebagai High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System.

Sistem laser ini dibuat seringkas mungkin agar dapat dipasang di pesawat taktis tanpa mempengaruhi performa misi. Laser ini cukup kuat untuk menembak jatuh roket, misil, dan artileri lain.

4. Kamuflase Masa Depan, Metaflex

Metaflex Future Camouflage, Ilmuwan Skotlandia mengembangkan kamuflase dengan menciptakan materi yang disebut Metaflex. Materi ini seperti jubah menghilang Harry Potter. Pemakai akan menjadi tak tampak karena materi Metaflex membengkokkan cahaya ketika sampai di permukaannya. Jubah hilang ini diuji tahun ini dan berpotensi dapat digunakan sebagai senjata pertahanan.

5. The Free Electron Laser

Angkatan Laut (AL) sedang merancang sistem laser lain yang dapat menembak jatuh roket dan misil yang menyerang kapal. Tak ada batasan penggunaan laser ini ketika sasarannya bukan pelacak, sensor, pertukaran informasi, dan target. Rancangan awal senjata ini selesai pada Maret dan prototipe senjata ini tersedia pada maret 2012.

6. Railgun

Militer Amerika Serikat (AS) menguji sebuah versi Railgun pada 2008 lalu. Senjata ini dapat mempercepat kecepatan proyektil menjadi 2,4 kmh (tujuh kali kecepatan suara). Versi sempurna senjata ini akan siap antara 2020-2025 mendatang.

7. Organisme Sintetis BioDesign

DARPA mengeluarkan dana sebesar US$ 6 juta (Rp 53,7 miliar) untuk proyek menciptakan mikroorganisme ‘yang diprogram hidup selamanya’. Mikroorganisme ini berisi molekul yang membantu bertahan hidup, serta dapat digunakan untuk membunuh hanya dengan menekan satu tombol. Debut senjata ini masih belum diketahui. (Bio Design Synthetic Organisms).

8. Senjata Pembunuh milik China

China mengembangkan ‘senjata pembunuh’ yang memiliki kemampuan menarget dan menghancurkan pesawat AS. Misil balistik antipesawat ini dapat menyerang pesawat AS pada jarak dua ribu km. Kemampuan manuver tak terprediksi misil ini membuatnya mampu menghindari radar. Debut senjata ini belum diketahui.

9. Hybrid Insect MEMS (HI-MEMS)

HI-MEMS terdiri dari setengah serangga, dan setengan mesin. Pertama, sistem mikro-mekanis ditempatkan di dalam serangga selama masa metamorfosis. Serangga ini beroperasi seperti mobil remote control. HI-MEMS akan digunakan untuk mengumpulkan informasi menggunakan sensor, seperti mikrofon atau detektor gas. Debut senjata ini belum diketahui.

10. Sistem Senjata Sunyi DREAD

Sistem Senjata Sunyi DREAD (DREAD Silent Weapon System) memiliki kemampuan menembakkan 120 ribu peluru per menit. Senjata ini sepenuhnya digerakkan listrik, bukan bubuk mesiu. Berarti senjata ini tak akan bersuara dan tak akan ada panas. Debut senjata ini belum diketahui.

Sumber :

kaskus.us

Apple TV clock mod makes up for the lack of an iPad clock

Do you have an old first-generation Apple TV lying around collecting dust? Would you like to turn it into something useful and attractive?

TUAW reader Antonio Worrall had purchased a second-generation Apple TV, and his old unit had gone to 'join the choir invisible,' so he decided to put the deceased box to good use. It was his first mod, and we think it looks pretty good. And of course, it makes up for the lack of a native clock app on the iPad...

You can view some other snaps of the Apple TV clock on Antonio's iDisk here. I'm just glad that I finally have a use for my old Apple TV, too.

Apple TV clock mod makes up for the lack of an iPad clock originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Camino 2.1 alpha preview released, new features in tow

Camino, the open source web browser for Mac OS X, has released Camino 2.1 Alpha 1 -- the first preview release of the forthcoming Camino 2.1 update.



It's been just over a year since version 2.0 was released, and we can expect to see some great new features and improvements in the upcoming update. Most notably, version 2.1 comes with an enhanced location bar with auto-complete and an offline mode, too.

Other new features to expect are as follows:

• Improved Plug-in Control: Camino now disables Java by default, and a new hidden preference allows disabling arbitrary plug-ins.
• Status Bar: The status bar can now be hidden by choosing 'Hide Status Bar' in 'View' menu.
• Certificate Errors: The certificate error page in Camino 2.1 Alpha 1 is both friendlier and more informative than the one in Camino 2.
• Gecko 1.9.2: Camino now uses version 1.9.2 of the Mozilla Gecko rendering engine, which has enhanced support for web standards and improved JavaScript performance.

However, not all of these new features are fully implemented in the Camino 2.1 Alpha 1 preview release.

Remember, this is a preview release for testing and feedback. This release may be unstable and unsuitable for daily use, but if you're feeling adventurous -- and want to check out the new features -- visit the download page here. If you're looking for a light-weight and snappy alternative to the more common Mac OS X web browsers, visit the Camino 2.0 download page here.

[Via Download Squad]

Camino 2.1 alpha preview released, new features in tow originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft Admits 'Damage' Windows 7 Phone

(AFP / R REKOTOMO)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Microsoft has confirmed that some mobile phone that uses Windows 7 Phone software, send and receive 'phantom data' that suck up the cost of data network.

In early 2011 some customers complained in some forums virtual world that their phones have been automatically using data packets without sepengatahuan them.

Microsoft revealed that their investigation has found that almost all the problems were caused by a service 'third party' without identity. Yet they continue to look for other causes.

'We're communicating with third parties to help them make some improvements,' said a Microsoft spokesman told the BBC.

The company also believes that problems affect only a few percent, a small number of customers Windows Phone.

The problem was first stuck out in early January when some mobile users with operating system Windows 7 Phone claims that the phone they use 30 to 50 megabite data every day without their knowledge.

Windows 7 Phone launched in October 2010 which was greeted with joy by the users and manufacturers of telecommunications products.

The software is regarded as the company's first serious challenge to their rivals in the sector, operating systems like Apple, Google, Research in Motion, and Nokia.

Scientists Now Can Distinguish Sex pterosaurs

Photo: Lu Junchang

LONDON - A fossil pterosaurs (dinosaurs aviator type) and their eggs were found in China.

This discovery could identify the gender of the dinosaur if it is female. These results also allow the researchers could identify the sex of dinosaurs for the first time. Similarly, as quoted by BBC News, Friday (21/01/2011).

Scientists say in Science Magazine that gender differences in pterosaurs is on ornaments on her head. Jantanlah sex which has the ornaments on the head.

The fossil was discovered by Lu and his colleagues Junchang in Liaoning Province in China. The province in recent years many dinosaur fossils.

Fossils of pterosaurs were from the genus Darwinopterus. Based on fossil findings, at the bottom of the frame was also found fossilized dinosaur eggs, dinosaur is estimated it will soon lay eggs when she died.

The scientists speculate that dinosaurs may have fallen from the sky, is seen from his left arm broken bone.

This fossil is estimated to 160 million years old.

'The most important of this invention is now we can distinguish the gender of the pterosaurs. For females have greater hip bone and do not have bone ornaments in the head, while the male has a bone ornament on his head and has a small pelvis, 'said David Unwim, a pelaeobiolog from the Department of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester.

This conclusion was drawn because of pterosaur fossil found in the eggs, which have also minus big butt bone ornaments on his head, unlike other types of Darwinopterus.

SMS Cerdaskan Anak-Anak

illustration (special)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Short Message Service or SMS on mobile (phone) apparently can improve children's spelling ability.

According to a study in the UK, the use of sms can increase the level of literacy in children who are studying the basis for introducing the composition of words sms services to children outside of school time.

But the conclusion is still questionable because many see that as the children often use non-standard abbreviations and the language of 'slang' in sending the message then the trend will also happen when they do their school work.

However researchers from Conventry University, as quoted by the Telegraph, said there has been no evidence to suggest that access to the phones harmed reading skills of children, quite the contrary they can become more competent in spelling.

In his research on academics involved 114 children aged from nine to ten years, which is taking primary education in the Midlands region, England.

Children who are not accustomed to using a cell phone divided into two groups.

Children in the first group given each a cell phone used to send messages over the weekend and during school holidays. The test was conducted for ten weeks.

While the second group was not given specific behavior and a control or comparison group.

Meanwhile, the researchers gave a series of tests of reading, spelling, and phonology before and after the study. Ability to read and spell the children also was monitored every week.

Research published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learnig, published next month, found evidence that 'there is significant contribution from the use of a short message to the spelling ability of children during the study.'

The study also showed that children who use mobile phones for ten weeks have a higher IQ level than that do not use the phone.

Friday Five with Mini Moderns

Mini Moderns is the brand of interiors products designed and produced by Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire, who also run London-based design and branding agency, Absolute Zero Degrees. Launched in 2004, it is a print driven collection incorporating wallpaper, textiles and home accessories for design conscious families. The print design influences range from textile designs of the 1950s to vintage toys and games. The initial wallpaper collection was snapped up by Heal’s and the brand goes from strength to strength, selling both on line and via select stockists internationally.

Operating a predominantly “Made in the UK” policy helps keep their carbon footprint to a minimum and supports local businesses. As the collection is produced in factories known to them, all Mini Moderns products come from sweatshop-free environments.

Our Friday Five:

1. The 1951 Festival of Britain
We have always loved the Festival of Britain. The Festival of Britain was an exciting glimpse into the future, celebrating the new wave of British design, with design for all available via the introduction of Hire Purchase schemes — meaning modern design was suddenly within reach of everyone. New design was everywhere — even at Woolworths where Enid Sweeny celebrated furniture by Robin Day and Terence Conran on her Homemaker design for Ridgway.

It is this optimism that we love about the Festival of Britain, and over the years we have amassed a number of items celebrating it. The C.O.I.D. book “Design in the Festival” is a particularly inspiring find. Having been huge fans of the Festival of Britain, it was an honour to be commissioned in 2008 by Southbank Centre to reproduce as wallpaper, one of the Festival’s signature patterns, “Net and Ball,” which had been designed in 1951 by the architects of the Royal Festival Hall, Peter Moro and Leslie Martin, as a carpet pattern for the Hall.

Our obsession culminates in our new wallpaper design, “Festival,” featuring our favourite pavilions and sights from the festival. The new paper launches in January 2011, in commemoration of the Festival’s 60th anniversary.

2. Hotel Parco dei Principi
Designed by Gio Ponti in 1962, Hotel Parco dei Principi is situated on the Naples coast just outside Sorrento. The sea-facing balcony rooms have a clear view of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius. Furnished throughout by Ponti, most of his work is still intact, including the thirty different floor tile designs used throughout the 100 rooms in the hotel. The rooms still have original Ponti furniture and the concrete geometric diving board gives the pool a modernist edge. We have stayed in the Hotel Parco dei Principi a number of times and it never disappoints. Even having a Campari and soda in the bar is a design experience — well that’s what we tell ourselves!

3. Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn
Like most people, we love New York — but we try and stay down in the Lower East Side as much as we can, usually in the Hotel on Rivington. Here we can take advantage of seeing friends who live in Alphabet City, seeing bands at the Bowery Ballroom and having easy access via the Williamsburg Bridge to our friends in Brooklyn. It’s great to get off Manhattan and into Brooklyn to experience areas like DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), Williamsburg for great independent design shops and gigs at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Park Slope and eating in Vinegar Hill.

4. Portmeirion Village
We love the slightly odd Italianate “other worldy-ness” of Clough Williams-Ellis’s Portmeirion village. Used as a location in original 1960’s cult TV series Dangerman and more famously The Prisoner, it is no secret how much the village, and the modernist ceramics, of Portmeirion Potteries have influenced us in our prints. We stayed in Bridge House, with views over the estuary. The building is in close proximity to Battery Square, which we paid homage to both in our wallpaper of the same name and our rug design, “Campanile.” These two designs include key pieces of the village architecture, and references to our stay.

5. Out of season seaside resorts
There is a lot more colour in the coast during the “out of season” time when the sun isn’t bleaching it out. Although we love a sunny day, we find that traditional seaside resorts come alive in our eyes when the crowds have gone. We both grew up in close proximity to Filey, Scarborough and Whitby and still visit our old haunts when we get back to the Yorkshire coastline. Having been in London for such a long time now, we have also discovered the Kent coast with amazing seaside resorts such as Broadstairs, Whitstable, and Deal. Be sure to get a hot chocolate in Morellis’ 1950’s cliff-top café when visiting Broadstairs.

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