manuel venatof

Maybe you can take that time you're investing in being condescending and use it to plug the words "artificial photosynthesis" into Google Scholar. Because right now you're seriously jumping into some Insane Clown Posse "fucking magnets" territory.

You are wrong, man. Read those articles in deep and you´ll see that in the so called "artificial photosynthesis" they are bypassing those unknown steps i was talking about in my post with "artificial methods" - making it inefficient both in terms of cost and output results. In other words nothing to do with the real process

It seems that those key mechanisms happen on a quantum level thus making it very hard for scientists to map and understand them correctly.

Anyway, this is my last post on the matter, nay, my last post at all. I dont want to drag the thread with a side discussion on biotechnics - as interesting as it is. I just was using it as case-in-point on the limits of technology. If i come across as condescendent I express my sincere apologies.

I... wait, what?

Chlorophyll traps light, then

2H2O -> 4H^+ + O2 + 4e^-

Followed by

NADP^+ + 2e^- + 2H^+ -> NADPH + H^+

And that's photosynthesis.

There's a lot of awesome mysteries in the universe but let's not make mysteries out of things we understand really well.

Heh. Well, the whole thing is a bit more complicated than that, only a xix century-like mind would believe describing a phenomenon at a basic chemical level is equal to understanding.

Ask yoursel this: If we understand it "really well", how come we haven't been able to replicate the process in a lab?

Of course we know a big deal, as i said, this is the most studied process on earth, but some key steps still elude us - we are getting there though.

I found this interesting article on russian website and i decided to translate it. I apologise for all errors, because neither russian nor english isn't my native language.

Thanks for the article. The text raises some valid points. Its true that we are using “obsolete†tech (70 gore, 80´s China Silk (Toray, Pertex,etc), 90´s hybrids (Schoeller, etc) but i think some context is much needed here.

The massice advance of technoscience in the last century has led us to believe technology is capable of anything - as a matter of fact, is this scintillating light, this sick, fascinating groove that some of us try to capture in our "style". Truly, some of its feats - like remote controlling a rover in Mars - are mind boggling... but sometimes, “down to earthâ€, there are big, hard walls that resist our advances. Think, for instance, about photosynthesis, it´s by far the most researched natural process in the world, and yet we dont know how it operates; no matter how hard we try, how much money we spent, its inner works always seem to slip away from our hands.

Sure enough, Gore-tex might have abused its monopolistic position in the market but lawyers and patens are not the main reason we are still using membranes from the seventies. Fact is, making a breathable waterproff clothing is not an easy task, at all! – and it some ways is akind to squaring a circle, a mirage, an unattainable ideal.

The physical/chemical limits of inanimate membranes are well known to any outdoor user; and its no chance that they stay at the bottom of the backpack 99% of the time - seeing daylight only at very specific, brief moments. (Curiously enough they are much better suited for urban needs, though a non "tin-foil feeling" fabric like Neoshell would be much welcome.)

Its only now, with the advance of biotechnics & nanotechnology that we are closing into the mythical land of the breathable jacket. The time of “Life Fibersâ€(hail, KLK!) is coming...

I guess everybody has a different aprecciation of urban techwear but to me is not so much about form vs function dilemma but about the "technological feel", about that point when technology enters the realm of art.

Look for instance at the back of an Ipad or a Surface, theres not much ornament or fashion there but when you touch those aluminium -or magnesium - surfaces you know deep inside theres state-of-the-art tech behind then. High technology thus turns itself into a formal expression of its own development.

Those technical atributes I try to capture or reflect - as part of a narrative - in my urban clothing. It has to be minimalist, well thought, sutble, precise, polished, ergonomic, useful... with a degree of perfection in its manufacturing.

Petre Inspirescu (Bucarest)

Sorry to derail the topic of an urban techwear blog (although it sounds like a great idea), but im looking to see what you guys use as waterproof boots/shoes in the winter. I have a pair of salomon gore tex running shoes from a few years back, but theyre nearing the end of their lifespan so Im looking for a replacement. Preferably shoes since these will mostly be for a city winter, and something like hiking boots gets annoying when im indoors. Anything worth mentioning, or are options fairly limited?

There are dozens of brands making GTX shoes - almost every company has a gtx line so its mostly about which ones fit your style.

Im using these two:

With the Meindl doubling as light hiking shoes. Both brands are quite good but Meindl is superb madeingermany quality. But if you are more into Salomon-like sporty shoes then the posibilities are infinite: Hanwag, Bestard, Inov8, NB and a million more - including the sport giants. Then you got the luxury brands which also use membranes in some models so theres plenty of choice.

It's a really good feeling when you see a product you worked on getting such good feedback. I really would encourage everyone to go and try out the Under Armour  magzip if you get a chance. It's a cool piece of technology and it's just in it's infancy. It's going to be getting much more use and getting perfected over the coming years.

 

Thanks for posting this @Opetian.

 

Also, as for the tech wear review blog, if anyone has any domain name ideas please shoot them my way. I have a few floating around my head but I'm open to suggestions.

That zipper is awesome. If it proves durable and resistant it might become a standard in the industry.

As for the Urban TechWear blog mos def would read it.

I have to disagree on the Merino Tees in Humid weather.

I went to Malaysia this summer

 I sweat a lot and I found that although they didn't keep me dry, the T's dried a lot quicker then their 100 % cotton counterparts.

And stank a lot less. best ones I wore however  were 50hemp/50 cotton shirts from Jungmaven , they were coolest, dried quickly, but still stank

When it comes to drying cotton and silk are probably the slower fabrics so merino would perform a little better but still not well enough.

Gotta agree on the smell problem, i own a Grifone tshirt made of coolmax (and another italin-made fabric which i cannot remember right now) and it dries ultrafast, even coming out of the washer its almost dry already but man it stinks as hell.

I dont know exactly the reasons for this ( may be the high rate of evaporation favours the decantation of sweat´s waste material onto the fabric ) but I have yet to come across a non-smelly syntethic fabric

Avatism (Milan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNJBHBr53QY

On the shoes it depends on wheter you gonna be outside and walk a lot or not, if you are then waterproff is a no-go. As a matter of fact i´d go to the other extreme and use all terrain sandals like the ecco sandals -or something similar.

http://www.charlesclinkard.co.uk/images/products/zoom/1389174008-97770600.jpg

http://www.getashoe.co.uk/full/5148_1.jpg

As for the rest i gotta agree with SuE, as much as i hate them, umbrellas seem to be the only answer in hot & rainy weather (Incidentally, i´ve been using a neoshell jacket for the past weeks and it certainly seems to "breathe" better than gore or event but its still a far cry from a real, properly breathable waterproof).

My final advice is copy the fabrics & uses the locals go with - dont think any tech can beat that, not yet.

Yes,I read those postings about the Parkas but there were none that really were what I am looking for.

The Pemberton is quite nice but the problem with the sleeves/cuffs doesn't make this one attractive for me (too bad because the rest, except maybe the bulk, seem to be perfect)...

I hear you - The Arc Therma with a different hood would´ve been perfect too. Aside from what have been mentoned i really cannot think of any other option. At sleek yet warm, minimalist parka is hard to find out, a grail really(As a matter of fact, if you find something dont forget to post cuz i´ve been looking for quite along time now). .

May be the canadian/scandinavian sufus can tip you on some luxury brand that makes something similar - like the canadian goose travel collection:

http://www.canada-goose.com/products-page/mens-travel/winfield-jacket

http://www.12345clothing.com/shop/img/p/584-2351-thickbox.jpg

It wont be cheap though:)

We talk about this very topic a few pages ago, and some sufus suggested a few nice parkas.

PD: The Westcomb Pemberton ticks all the boxes for you (C_change, Hutterite down, plain appaerance) and it would be the perfect parka were it not for the faulted cuffs (they use the same velcro cuffs as in the climbing jackets which in this case poses a few problems - the liner pops out everytime you enter the hand, horrible aesthetic,etc), whereas a retractable cuffs would´ve been perfect - and expected in a expensive jacket).

http://shopwestcomb.com/pemberton-parka.html

PS: Strange, It seems - in the new pics - the moulded cuffs have disappeared. Gotta email them to see which system they are using now.

The lovely first days in a jackets life - when the DWR still works as god intended to...

Mikael Stavöstrand (Stockholm)

Chilly and windy days here. Still on the hunt for a perfect cold trouser. I´d like something that is as comfy as cotton on the inside and some kind of windproof or waterproof on the outside with a relaxed, regular cut but it seems im alone, lost in a barren, microniche market of my own.

So, which are your favourite,to-go pants for cold wheather?

Anders Ilar (Gothenburg)

Monolake (Berlin)

Chilling sounds for a chilling night

Articulation - when referring to a garment, means altering the base patterns so that the garment seams map the body, improve range of movement and increase function of wearability.

I'm very familiar with ice breaker and their product. They do make their base layer with some articulation however they are limited, as adding more seams would increase the cost of manufacturing the garment and would probably impact their margins.

Look at Acronyms's DS-HD2, this hoodie has some of the most impressive articulation and patterning that I've ever seen. There are darts in all of the right places to help shape the fabric to the body, gussets to help prevent the bottom of the hoodie from lifting up while reaching, and the fabrics technical stretchability.

The concept of composite articulated baselayer is mapping the body with the merino, but with multiple types of merino knit fabric. Say, a merino mesh for the underarm gussets and a set in panel between your shoulder blades for added ventilation.

Look at what Aitor Throup did for Umbro as well. That whole capsule collection featured very well thought out composite articulation.

Thanks for the explanation.

In my opinion the articulation at the elbow can be done in multiple ways where function & form meet in an aesthetic pleasant way - even a simple horizontal panel/band would work well if the color combination is appropiate.

On the other hand, the shoulder/armpit area poses a bigger challenge in terms of resolving a properly working (comfortable, freedom of movement,etc) articulation in a minimalist & elegant manner - it seems to me that only a few chosen pieces & designers have succeded at this dilemma - or better, at this "juncture".

Pardon my ignorance, what does "articulated" mean when referring to merino base layer?

Daniel Bell (Detroit)

More D-techno to keep you going

Robert Hood (Detroit)

Some good ole detroit techno to get you pumped for the weekend

The Mole (Montreal)

Dumb question for sure, but how does that cuff work?

Jichael Mackson (Munich)

Alicia Hush (Montreal)