Konstantinos Computer BulletTrain Express In The Wild

Konstantinos' Computer

BulletTrain Express In The Wild

"The BulletTrain Express makes a LCD TV with a Mac Mini hooked up to it like a laptop without the monitor being attached." –Konstantinos

Konstantinos is a full-time student and he purchased a BulletTrain Express for his Mac Pro. We were talking about some design elements of the BulletTrain Express and he took a photo of his setup with his iPhone and sent it to me.

We currently in the process of completely overhauling the BulletTrain.com website and for each product we will have a new micro-site that contains everything about that product, including a gallery, so people will be able to take photos of their rig to show how they use it. I don't know why, but I am TOTALLY fascinated with seeing how other people setup their computer desks, and I thought this image looks cool, so I thought I would share it with you.

Konstantinos and I were having a fascinating conversation about how successful the BulletTrain Express in its role as a keyboard and mouse replacement for a living room LCD TV with a Mac Mini hooked-up to it, and Konstantinos said "It makes a LCD with a Mac Mini hooked up to it like a laptop without the monitor being attached." When Konstantions brilliantly make this observation, I had an "A-Ha" moment, in the sense he succinctly and articulately summed it up!!!

The BulletTrain Express is more that just a keyboard tray for the Apple Magic Trackpad and Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard for desktop computers. It really does re-invent the entire Living Room/Family Room/Den LCD/Plasma with a computer hooked up to it experience by giving you’re a perfect solution that does make it like a laptop without monitor being attached!!!!

Of course, I realize Konstantinos BulletTrain Express is being used to control his desktop Mac Pro with two monitors hooked, up but I thought his observation was brilliant!!!

Update: Konstantinos just saw this post and sent in this update image so we could get a better idea of his setup.

Tim Cook: COO of Apple

Tim Cook: COO of Apple
It was announced today that Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence for heath reasons, and Time Cook will be running Apple and this video offers insight into his personality, and he offers some great advice.

Your Next Car Could Be Electric All-Electric Mercedes AMG SLS-E-Cell Demo

Your Next Car Could Be ElectricAll-Electric Mercedes AMG SLS-E-Cell Demo
Mercedes Benz announced yesterday they wear going to manufacture the SLS AMG E-CELL and they showed it off at the North American Auto Show. In this video we David Coulthard takes us for a spin in the amazing new Mercedes!!!

I would not be surprised, if in the next 10 years, all new cars will be electric–and there are so many advantages to electric!!! First, of course, is the lack of carbon emission, second, the engine is silent so there is no toxic noise pollution. Next is fuel cost savings. It costs much less to run a car on electricity than on gasoline or diesel. Also, you can charge your car in your garage every night or any time you wish, so no more trips to gas stations.

Also, electric cars have way fewer parts, and they require far less maintenance, so there is much more in cost savings, not to mention parts last longer. All in all, comparing a gasoline powered car to an electric car is like comparing an old-fashioned Black and White 19inch Tube Television to a modern Color 55 LCD TV–absolute night and day!!!

The Electric Mercedes SLS uses lithium-ion batteries for power which take advantage of the regenerative braking that actually recharge the battery when the car brakes. Apparently the SLS does 0-60mph in less than 4 seconds.

Mercedes Benz is a partial owner in California based, Tesla Motors, as is Toyota, so you have to wonder what Tesla's input, if any, was in this car?

The Cockpit Of The Mercedes Electric Gullwing

A Perfect Marriage of Sophistication with Simplicity

The Cockpit of the Electric SLS Gullwing is a true minimalist masterpiece as we see from this photo of the extremely simple dashboard.

In this next photo we get a good view of the minimalist interior. Notice the unusually large LCD panel. Very, very cool...especially if it is easy to use and works well. It almost looks like an iPad...

Amazing Video Of The Night Sky Joshua Tree National Park, California

Amazing Video Of The Night Sky

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Gizmodo just had a competition for best time lapse video and this amazing video won. I had no idea you could see anything like this from earth. I have got to go to Joshua Tree to check out this amazing splendor!!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The BulletTrain Brand Inspiration...

The BulletTrain Brand Inspiration

Many people have been asking me lately how and why I came up with the name "BulletTrain" brand name?

When I was a small child, I used to play with old metal model train sets from the 1950s. As I grew older and became aware of the original Japanese bullet trains, I was in awe of their technological innovation and prowess. In particular, I was fascinated with how a bullet train differs from a standard locomotive.

Essentially a locomotive uses coal-burning for fuel and has metal wheels that run over two metal tracks that the wheels ride upon, and when you have metal constantly grinding against metal, you develop a great deal of friction which negatively impacts the speed at which a train can travel.

Shinkansen Zero from 1954 pictured on far left is the inspiration for the BulletTrain logo

Conversely, a bullet trains run on electricity and are much lighter in weight so they actually float more above the track so there is far less friction, which allows bullet trains, also known as high-speed railway lines, to travel up to 300 MPH!!!

The very first bullet train ever made was designed and manufactured in Japan in 1954 and it was named the "Shinkansen Zero." Shinkansen translated into English from Japanese literally means "New Trunk Line."

The name "Bullet Train" was translated from the Japanese term "Danagan Ressha," which was a nickname for the original concept that was originally contemplated in the art-deco era in the late 1920s though the 1930s. The name "BulletTrain" was adopted since the original Shinkansen Zero looked like a bullet traveling at high speed.

The most modern for of BulletTrains are named "Maglev" trains which is a conjunction of "Magnetic" and "Levitation." Maglev transport trains are super-cool since they literally float above the track using magnets (electromagnetic suspension systems) to levitate the train above the track so there is zero friction. This is how I came up with the BulletTrain slogan of "Friction-Free Computing" back in 2000.

Maglev Bullet Trains use a regenerative energy process which was the inspiration for created "Hybrid" automobiles. In other words, Maglev Bullet Trains take energy required to propel the train and regains the energy while the train slows down. This process is know as "regenerative braking."

Disneyland Monorail

As I mentioned, when I was a small child, I was fascinated with trains and I remember the first time I visited Disneyland's World Of Tomorrow and rode on the Disneyland Monorail, which also blew my mind. It is amazing how powerful Walt Disney's vision of the future was!!!

BulletTrain Design Language

So just how inspired are my BulletTrain designs, by actual bullet trains? Tremendously!!! When I designed and made the first prototypes of the Aluminum BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform for the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, I set out to make it look like like an actual Maglev BulletTrain which appears to be floating above the tracks.

When you look at a BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform sitting by itself on a desktop, it literally looks like it is hovering above the table, almost like a UFO, as you see in the photos below of one of my original prototypes.

This prototype had brushed aluminum, but the final product has an anodized finish designed so make the all three parts that make up the BulletTrain Express look like they are one single piece. I literally began designing the BulletTrain Express the day the Apple Magic Trackpad went on sale, and I had my first functioning prototype 4 days later.

Not one day has gone by since then where I have not looked at the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform in awe of its beauty, but if you own one, you know it is not just another pretty face, and that it works even better than it looks, which is hard to imagine, but true, nonetheless.

Of course, when I designed the BulletTrain for MagicStand for iPad I had the same objective–to not only give the iPad a leg to stand on, but to also make it look like the iPad is just hovering on the table or surface it is standing on.

In the photo below of the iPad which has a BulletTrain Express attached to it, notice it not only looks like it is hovering in the air, but also notice the iPad is literally floating an inch out in front of the edge of the desk. Once again, inspired by a Bullet Train floating above its track.

BulletTrain Hotness: Carleigh W: First Civilian To Own A BulletTrain Express!!!

BulletTrain Hotness: Carleigh W

First Civilian To Own A BulletTrain Express!!!

Christmas 2010 Thank You

Tyson is a member of the BulletTrain team and he did much of the foundational work on the all-new BulletTrain.com web site and he also did a lot of work on the upcoming 2.0 version of BulletTrain.com which will go live some time in the next month.

When I first mentioned the idea of the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform to Tyson, he said "That is stupid. I would never want anything like that," but then when he saw the first generation prototype he fell in love with it.

For those of you old enough to remember, Tyson is like the kid in the old LIFE Cereal commercials named Mikey. In the LIFE Cereal commercials, they said "Let's get Mikey. He hates everything." Then Mikey likes it and the other kids are surprised. Tyson is basically Mikey. In other words, for me as a designer, Tyson is the ultimate litmus test, becasuse I know Tyson is really picky, and if he likes it, everybody else will ;-)

To make a short story long, since Tyson setup the shopping cart, he was the very first person to buy a BulletTrain Express on the first day they were available. Actually, he bought two. The second one was a gift for his friend Carleigh who is pictured above hugging her BulletTrain Express giving the "Two Thumbs Up!!!"

Tyson picked up her keyboard and I mentioned we had not shipped out any BulletTrain Expresses yet, and that Carleigh would be the first person, not related to BulletTrain to own and use a BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform, and I mentioned to Tyson he should let her know she was the first to receive a BulletTrain Express.

Carleigh took this photo of herself recently and sent it in an email to Tyon and said:

"Cheesy sales man smile, but quality product. Two Thumbs Up! Thankkkk You Tyson!"

I mentioned to Tyson that Carliegh has an amazing smile and I wish she would hug me like the BulletTrain Express while giving the Two Thumbs Up!!!! ;-P

There are a few other things that come to mind when I look at this image. First is how fascinating it is for me as the designer to see peoples emotional response to the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform. In other words, when was the last time you saw a photo of somebody hugging or posing with a keyboard!?!

Secondly, it is also amazing for me to notice the emotional response females are having to the BulletTrain Express Keyboard!!! Women in general seem to really like it, and one girlfriend of mine mentioned she thought it was so cute, clean and sexy, and she continued "In many ways, The BulletTrain Express is like a piece of jewelry. It is metal and beautifully shaped, but when you walk in a room and see the BulletTrain Express on a desk or coffee table, it really makes a powerful fashion statement!!!"

Note: By the way, it is an urban legend and not true that Mikey died from eating too many Pop Rocks ;-))) If you are enough to remember Pop Rocks, smile, and if you have no idea what Pop Rocks are, you can also smile :-)))

History Repeats Itself: The 20th Anniversary Mac

History Repeats Itself

The 20th Anniversary Mac

"History does not repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme." –Mark Twain

I was talking with Andy Runton today, who recently purchase a BulletTrain Express. Andy is an amazing comic book artist and he does the amazing OWLY comic book. Andy mentioned to me that the BulletTrain Express reminded him of the keyboard that came with the special Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Macintosh (1997) as seen below.

It is remarkable, upon reflection and investigation, how similar the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform for the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad is to the 20th Anniversary Mac keyboard. Even the 20th Anniversary Mac keyboard had a trackpad that was removable!!!!

Below is a 20th Anniversary Mac Video overview by Jonathan Ive:


The 20th Anniversary Mac appears to be the first desktop computer that came with a keyboard that had a laptop keyboard form factor, which lacked the numeric keyboard and had a built in wrist wrest.

Of course, I would prefer the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform with the 27inch iMac, but it is fascinating as Andy pointed out, how remarkably similar they are.

1995 Monorail Computer

The First All-In-One Flat-Screen Computer

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." –Albert Einstein

Barbara Everett once said "Irony is only hypocrisy with style," and I must must admit it seems ironic to me that the now icon 20th anniversary Mac was not the first commercial desktop computer with a built in flat LCD screen. In 1995 a computer company named Monorail introduced The Monorail computer as seen above and it ran Windows 95.

It was pretty innovative for its time and it was not only a flat screen desktop computer, but it also had a built-in CD ROM drive that popped out its left side. When Apple introduced the second generations white iMac, it brought back memories of the Monorail. I always remembered the Monorail brand, because the name monorails, always remind me of Bullet Trains ;-) I imagine the point of this, is that it's all derivative–in one way or another.

BulletTrain Express Keyboard with Black Keys?

BulletTrain Express Keyboard with Black Keys?

I am thinking about developing a silicon overlay for the standard apple keyboard that would not only protect the keys and make the keyboard more impervious to liquid, but it would also give the BulletTrain Express black keys. Of course I wish Apple would just offer their Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard with black keys, since white keys don't really match the iMac and they are hard to keep clean.

The photo below is of an actual prototype silicon overlay, which would be easily cleanable and would retail for around $30. What do you think? Looks pretty cool to me!!!

California Bullet Train Gets Federal Funding

California Bullet Train Gets Federal Funding

California's Bullet Train is coming!!! Actually it is already here with the BulletTrain Express, but that is a different story. The U.S. Transportation Department announced today that they were investing $624 Million in bringing the California High-Speed Rail to life. This new funding adds on top of the already announced $715 million.

So what does the California State BulletTrain have to do with BulletTrain beside the fact they are both amazing? I was inspired by the original Japanese BulletTrains, so 10 years ago, in 2000, when I founded BulletTrain, I named it BulletTrain after these amazing technological wonders, and as a California based company, and as a native of California, I am so happy to see these long overdue BulletTrains finally coming to California!!!

Tufts University VisWall Center for Scientific Visualization Will Be Using The BulletTrain Express Keyboard

...National Science Fondation...
Tufts University VisWallCenter for Scientific VisualizationWill Be Using The BulletTrain Express Keyboard
Tufts University will be using the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform in their University Information Technology Department (UIT) for an extremely profound project they are working on named VisWall. Lionel Zupan is heading up this very exciting project which is just amazing!!!
The VisWall is 14x8 feet and has a super high-resolution screen that has 4 times more pixels than a high-def TV screen. Tufts University's VisWall located in the Center for Scientific Visualization is supported by the National Science Foundation. I think they are going to love the BulletTrain Express!!!!

Fast Train Moves Past Train Station In Slow Motion

Fast Train Moves Past Train Station In Slow Motion
This video is not of a BulletTrain, but of a train moving quickly through a train station and it's completely mesmerizing. It was at 210 frames per second while the train moved at 35mph, and this video is playing back at 30 frames per second. Simply Amazing!!!

A letter from a reader on the Lunatik iPod Watch Case...

Lunatik Case for Apple iPod Nano

As some of you know, I am also the editor and publisher of Jake's Rolex World which you can always find at RolexMagazine.com. Perry is a reader of Jake's Rolex World and he sent in this email today:

Hi Jake,

I know you’re into great designs, check out this little gem being developed for the new iPod Nano.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-multi-touch-watch-kits?ref=email

I’ve pledged to secure my Lunatik and I can’t wait to receive it.

Kind regards

Perry

Here is my response:

Hi Perry,

I am familiar with the Lunatik, and saw their video earlier this week.

Maybe I am slow or just missing something, but can you please tell me why in the world you would want to wear an iPod Nano on you wrist?

It just does not make any sense to me and here is why:

First and foremost, the iPod Nano has no Bluetooth, so if you want to listen to music you have to have the headphone jack plug in your watch on your wrist!?!?!? This makes zero sense and strikes me as being extremely uncomfortable and it would ALWAYS get in the way.

The Nano does not play video, or have a phone or do anything except play music, or maybe play a slideshow, so what is the advantage of having it on your wrist?

Plus, if you want to see what time it is, you have to push a button to turn on the screen. This defeats the "at-a-glance" nature of wearing a wrist-watch.

Also, you have to recharge it all the time. The whole point of having an automatic watch is you don't have to wind it, and a quartz watch only needs to have its battery replaced every 5 years, but having a watch you have to plug-in every few days seems highly non-sensical to me.

It strikes me that the Lunatik is perfectly named in the sense you almost have to be one to waste your money on its novel design. In my opinion, from what I can tell so far, this product is a shining example of "design for design sake" which makes no sense to me. It's like putting a Cadillac medallion on the front of a Mercedes, or wearing ski gloves on the beach in Tahiti.

Speaking of the beach in Tahiti, another challenge is that the iPad Nano is not waterproof, so if you get it wet, it could ruin it.

Of course, as a designer, I am open-minded and realize, I might have this completely backwards, so please enlighten me as to why you or anybody would want to wear an iPod Nano on their wrist?

Warmest regards,

Jake

So if anybody wants to school me on what I am missing here, please do so in the comments or send me an email. Of course it is impressive they have already raised a quarter of a million dollars, when their goal was to raise only $15,000.