Sanctuary is a new Sci-Fi show coming out this spring, and seems to be mashup of Buffy and Dark Angel featuring Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Emilie Ullerup & Chris Heyerdahl. With vampires, other supernatural creatures and monsters, and of course a good dose of smart talking, ass kicking female leads.

Each webisode of Sanctuary follows the exploits of Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis) as she seeks out all manner of terrifying and monstrous creatures. She is aided in her quest by her reluctant protégé Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne, Dawson’s Creek, The Big Hit, Species 3) and her intrepid, if somewhat reckless, daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup, Battlestar Galactica). Together they are drawn into a frightening and mysterious world populated by beings that defy explanation. Sanctuary takes the viewer into a thrilling world where science meets the supernatural.

What gets me excited however is not so much the show itself but the business model behind it. Rather than going down the usual route of selling the show to a TV network, and playing by the rules of episodic TV production, the people at Stage 3 Media have decided to be completely independent of the studio model, and distribute the show directly on the web in full HD, with the first episodes available for free, and moving to a subscription model after that.

The other interesting aspect is that while they are using the same production model as feature films like Sin City, and 300, blending live actors on green screen with CG backgrounds and set extensions, they're using technology from the game world which is more than capable of delivering stunning visual effects in near real-time. The trailer looks great, and I'll definitely watch our for the first webisodes.

(Disclaimer: my good friend Ron Martin is CG supervisor on the project)

I would have probably bought a pair of jeans from Los Angeles Denim Atelier just because of the deep indigo vintage denim fabric, white over-stitching and the leather-backed copper rivets, but who can resist the promise of sex?

True Collectors and Purveyors of the Finest Denim and Dry Goods (that may even possibly get you laid)

I would guess that the little "may" instead of a "will" means that performance may vary, but since my wife said that my ass looked great in them when I tried them on, I was pretty confident in the potential validity of the claim.

It was my Birthday this weekend, and I've decided to return the favor to everyone that showed up for the party with a thoughtfully chosen and wrapped present.

I figured that since I get to keep the actual presents, that it would be fun to send back a quick sketch of it with my thanks, and since the originals are now all in envelopes on their way to each of my recent benefactors, I think I should at least keep a digital copy around for posterity.

Pictures after the break.

Keepon is a Beatbot, one of the socially rhythmic robots designed by Hideki Kozima and Marek Michalowski and others at Carnegie Mellon University. The little robot, which looks like a cross between a Peeps and a tiny snowman, tries to feel the main "beat" of the music around it, and will start bopping and bouncing in time to the music.

BeatBots is a project to develop technologies and methodologies for human-robot interaction that incorporate the rhythmic properties of human interactive behavior.

I wish my robot dog had a better sense of rhythm, and would actually listen to the music instead of just dancing to its own beat. Outdanced by a tiny yellow peeps robot...

[via New Scientist]

Four picks for notcot.org picks for your ideas+aesthetics+amusement.

#3477. Object Frames, designed by Steven Haulenbeek are the illegitimate children of a Picture frame and a shelf.

#3607. Bekky is another lego inspired design. The modular rubberized foam pieces can be assembled into various sofa shapes.

#3610. My response to a series of Helvetica related posts on notcot: Death to Helvetica Tee. Get spat on by people in black skivvies with this response to the prevalence of Helvetica.

#3611. Speech Bubble cardboard coffee table by Leo Kempf [via Elmanco]

[via notcot.org/oO]

Mark Ryden's website has finally been updated to show images from his latest solo exhibition The Tree Show, including some sketches and color studies he made while preparing for the paintings.

It's always really interesting to see the transition of an idea from concept to execution, so I'm glad these have been included in the show as well.

Sweaty palms, glazed eyes, I can just feel a bad case of technolust coming. Ever since my first Newton MessagePad, I've always been a big believer in pen computing. I even bought a Tablet PC a few years ago and I've been pretty happy with it, but secretly wishing it was a sexy, brushed magnesium alloy Apple MacPad instead.

Of course, now I'm sure I'm going to find a very good reason why I can't possibly live without Axiotron's ModBook.

Designed in California by Axiotron’s team of German and American engineers, the ModBook™ is at its core an after-market hardware modification kit, which allows standard off-the-shelf Apple® MacBook™ systems to be converted into high-end slate-style tablet computers. With its condensed form factor and integrated pen-based user experience the Axiotron ModBook is the ultimate companion for applications and situations where a keyboard only gets in the way.

Starting with any of the current Apple MacBook models, the engineers at Axiotron perform what amounts to computer brain transplant, dropping the guts of the MacBook into a custom case, replacing the screen with a brighter, wide-angle display with an integrated Wacom digitizer module, and an optional integrated GPS.

ModBooks will start shipping in June 2007 from $2279 to $2799 depending on the MacBook model used.

Created by Swiss-based architect turned designer Nicolas Enrico Staubli, the Foldschool project is a series of cardboard furniture for kids After downloading printable plans from his website, you can build your own cardboard furniture, which include a stool, a chair, and a rocker.

foldschool is a collection of free cardboard furniture for kids, handmade by you. The downloadable patterns can be printed out with any printer. Follow the instructions and assemble a stable piece of furniture.

The simple but sturdy design remind me of low resolution polygon mesh objects, which would give a kid's room that vintage game look, and I'm sure the design is scalable to a grown-up size.

[via trucdesign]

Venture Vehicle might be trying a little too hard when using the phrase "Revolutionary. Radical. Innovative. iPod Cool." to pitch its new hybrid vehicle Venture One. Still I hope that the Los Angeles based company takes it's sci-fi looking vehicle from concepts to production models, because, it actually is very cool, regardless of the boast of its slick marketing and image branding team.

When true vision meets paradigm, paradigm always blinks first. Introducing the VentureOne, a revolutionary 3-wheel, tilting, plug-in Hybrid vehicle. This unique 2-passenger flex-fuel Hybrid vehicle will achieve 100 miles per gallon with a top speed of over 100 mph.

Classified as a motorcycle, rather than a car, the VentureOne is based on a 3 wheel design that puts the engine and two propulsion wheels in a separate unit in the back, connected to the main body by a unique tilting mechanism. This allows the little two-seater to literally carve the road like a motorcycle.

Venture Vehicle is planning to offer different drive options, an All-Electric model, and two plugin hybrid options, with the sportier one rated at 120MPH with a 300Mi range. In all models the propulsion is always electric, with two in-wheel  engine. The hybrid models add a small combustion engine connected to a generator, which greatly simplifies the transmission.

The tilting mechanism and general look of the VentureOne is not new, being entirely based (and licensed) from the Carver One, a crazy but conventionally powered three-wheeled car/motorcycle hybrid.

We're only a few weeks away from CA|BOOM4. The yearly design and architecture show is back in Santa Monica for the fourth time, with a bigger exhibition space in Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. The show is open from Friday March 30^th until Sunday April 1^st, with an opening party on Friday night which I'm planning to attend.

CA Boom 4: March 30 to April 1, 2007 at a new and larger location, Barker Hangar, Santa Monica Airport.One hundred plus participating exhibitors will showcase what’s next in how we live and how we work. Specific areas in the show include: prefab, fine furnishings, indoor outdoor living, fine furnishings, surfaces and finishes, and modern parenting.

And, like last year, CA|BOOM is organizing architecture tours in Santa Monica, Venice and West Los Angeles.

Another quartet of notcot.org picks for your ideas+aesthetics+amusement. This week, a stool fresh from the printer, an interesting slice of time, japanese art is not always as it seems, and the art/sport of camera tossing.

#3525. One Shot stool by Patrick Jouin for MGX. The stool is made in a single piece using laser syntering, and opens and closes like an umbrella.

#3526. Grandfather clock at Spring. This would look great with a few different slices side by side to make a world clock.

#3519. Japanese artist Sayaka's watercolors seem very romantic, until you notice some decidedly naughty details.

#3543. Wondering where the graphic design for Adobe's Acrobat packaging came from? Welcome to the wonderful world of Camera Tossing (yes it's exactly as it sounds...)

[via notcot.org/oO]

This happened a few weeks ago, but I only noticed yesterday. Google Maps now has a traffic layer for major cities.

There's nothing worse than getting stuck in traffic when you have some place to go, so I'm happy to tell you about a new feature on Google Maps that can help. For more than 30 major U.S. cities, you can now see up-to-date traffic conditions to help you plan your schedule and route. If you're in San Francisco, New York , Chicago, Dallas, or any of the other cities we now include, just click on the traffic button to show current traffic speeds directly on the map. If your route shows red, you're looking at a stop-and-go commute; yellow, you could be a little late for dinner; green, you've got smooth sailing.

I just hope they plug the traffic data into their navigation feature, so I can figure out when is the best time (or the lesser evil between two times) to cross from the coast to the valley.