Masters of the mask
A group of 15 students from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University ‘s (PolyU) School of Design (SD) participated in a six-week workshop aimed at creating a new generation of “Asian Fit” protective facemasks. The masks, designed to specifically fit the Asian population in terms of size and purpose, also tackle the needs of material technology, branding strategy, and public-health policy. The new design concepts take into consideration specific purposes of individual users, such as bus drivers, medical personnel, and firemen.
The “Masters of Mask” project brought together experts from the SizeChina Research Lab, PolyU’s School of Nursing, and Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong.
Roger Ball, associate professor of SD and the Director of the SizeChina Research Lab, says, “It has long been the objective of the SizeChina Research Lab to help designers make products like protective facemasks that best fit the Asian population by using the ergonomic data collected from the Chinese population. These newly designed masks can well protect the Chinese from pollution and viruses like H1N1 in an innovative and fashionable way.”
Car parts online
A new Web search engine for car parts, www.checkanumber.com, makes it easy to find parts within a specific area code.
The brainchi ld of Bintelsoft Inc., a California software company, the site features parts inventories from dealers, parts stores, warehouse distributors, and others. It has an “eBay”-style marketplace where dealer items may be posted with details and pictures.
“Our new site is the perfect place to easily find car parts. We have also created a special link for auto dealers to sell their inventory. This is a great opportunity for recently closed dealerships,” explains Ole Stein, CEO of Bintelsoft Inc. Those dealerships can expedite their sales of parts, accessories, shelving, tools, shop equipment, computers, phones, and furniture, as well as their buildings and property. All items may be uploaded to eBay, craigslist and worldslist using CheckaNumber’s automated quick links.
A special offer for “closing dealerships” can be found at www.checkanumber.com/closing_dealers.php.