swiss

The Swiss aren't generally a people known for making a lot of noise. That's why they're good at hiding money. So maybe it's not surprising that Empa--a Swiss "interdisciplinary research and services institution"--has introduced lightweight, translucent curtains that absorb sound.

Designed via computer simulations by acoustic scientists and material engineers, the curtains blend sound obstruction and redirection with specialized textile properties to reduce decibels in rooms facing noisy adjoining environments. As Empa puts it, "With a gap of 15 cm between curtain and wall, the new developed curtain--depending on the frequency--absorbs up to five times more sound than typical lightweight curtains."

Sound-absorbing materials already exist, of course, but they don't tend to complement the average living room too well--unless you're into the rubber and foam aesthetic. Empa's curtains are the stuff of scientific conferences and published tech papers right now, but the imagination reels (quietly) at the possibilities when these curtains become widely available around the world. It's fun to envision the situations and environments where the curtains would be most desirable--even mandatory. … Read more

Victorinox Swiss Army, makers of the popular multitool, today announced three new secure flash drives for travelers who want more than just your generic USB-powered storage key. The Slim and Slim Duo devices are outfitted with Victorinox's classic folding pocket knives, scissors, and nail files, but each also includes a USB flash drive, with up to 64GB of storage for the Slim and 128GB for the Slim Duo.

Both drives are waterproof and shock-resistant, available for purchase in a variety of bright colors (red, blue, orange, pink, green, silver), and also available in knifeless flight-friendly versions.

The Victorinox Secure … Read more

Switzerland prides itself on its neutral sense of justice.

Its definition of neutrality, of course, might not mesh with yours, especially should you have strong feelings about Nazi gold or women not being allowed to vote before 1971. Still, it's a neutrality that sometimes rears its beautiful head to quite bizarre effect.

So might I offer you an ad for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's iPad app? For reasons the corporation has tried to explain--reasons you might be tempted to doubt--at the 39-second mark of the ad, up pops a little green android standing among the throngs.

Now, you might be wondering whether this android is portrayed as a bad guy, a club-wielding, club-footed neanderthal trailing in the iPad's wake.

Yet, no. This very strange--one might almost call it very Swiss--iPad app ad suggests that the android is one in the army of good guys.

I thank AndroidGuys.com for quoting SBC and its artistic motives for this motif: "The android is here as part of the details we wanted to include, in this case a hint to the fact that we cover both platforms (Android fans might want to have a look at the swissinfoandroid channel)."… Read more

Tourists can now tour the breath-taking Swiss Alps without hurting the environment.

Scandinavian EV maker, Think today announced it has teamed up with its Swiss distribution partner, M-Way, to bring a fleet of 60 Think City cars to eco-tourists.

For about $57, or 60 Swiss francs, a day, tourists will be able to rent a Think City car through Alpmobil. Unfortunately the Web site is only available in German, but it can be easily translated by using Google's translation tool. It works, I tried it.

"This trial program fits perfectly with Alpmobil's philosophy, and we are proud … Read more

While it has been fun watching Jeremy Clarkson of BBC's "Top Gear" fame test out fantastic rides for a thrill, I figured why not keep the fun going and bring on all the guys from "Top Gear"--Anthony Davidson and The Stig in this instance--as they try to figure out what the best car is for drifting.

In case you didn't know, drifting is "a driving technique and to a motor sport where the driver intentionally oversteers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a … Read more

On Wednesday, we had a snippet of Jeremy Clarkson (of BBC's "Top Gear") blazing through the Swiss Alps in a Maserati GT. This clip is a part of his "Thriller" DVD, in which Jeremy tries to find the ultimate thriller automobile. Clarkson seemed underwhelmed by the Maserati but what else did he find during his search for the true king of thrill rides? Well, Jeremy stumbled upon this Porsche 944 Turbo, a pretty cool car in its own right. But this particular Porsche has a little something extra that makes it even more righteous: this … Read more

In Tuesday's blog post, we got a closer look at the supposed ultimate lady thriller automobile, the Maserati Quattroporte, and I figured since we're on the subject, why not go for a thrill ride in a Maserati Gran Turismo? Climb in and let's go for a spin with Jeremy Clarkson of BBC's "Top Gear" fame--and away we go!

This clip comes courtesy of an excerpt from Jeremy Clarkson's Thriller series where he pushes all kinds of fine automobiles such as the Alfa Romeo 8C, the Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 GT, and in this … Read more

The idea of combining a USB drive with a Swiss Army Knife-like tool has been around for a while, inspiring the Cyber Snipa Dog Tag back in 2006. Now we have a USB drive that combines Victorinox Swiss Army authenticity and top security.

Victorinox, the company behind the famed Swiss Army Knife, launched on Friday a new memory stick called Victorinox Secure Pro, which it includes as one of the tools within the Knife itself. According to the company, the device is the most secure of its kind that is available to the public.

To achieve this level of safety, … Read more

The first of three state-of-the-art combat training centers for the Swiss Army is open for business.

The SIMUG live simulation platform for field training, located in Bure, uses laser-based simulators to enable highly realistic training exercises, according to developer RUAG Electronics (PDF).

The training site allows up to company-size units to deploy with their entire combined arms arsenal. Trainees are wired with laser-firing simulators, and both humans and vehicles are connected by transponders and W-LAN to a central control. Their position and status are recorded in real time to be presented in a multimedia debriefing after an exercise. Battlefield effects … Read more