Japan is the birthplace of high-speed rail and continues to be a pioneer in train travel. Officials recently revealed the country's first magnetic-levitation train that was revealed to the public. The new train will be able to reach speeds of up to 311 MPH using "L-Zero" technology, and it can transport passengers from Tokyo to Nagoya in less than 40 minutes. In other news related to transportation, Tesla is gearing up to unveil something huge this week. Elon Musk recently posted a photo of the project in development, although we'll have to wait until Thursday to get the complete details. China's Foxconn is best known for producing Apple products. However, the company is now ready to enter the electric vehicle market with a car that costs $15,000. And Spanish company Opbrid intends to revolutionize public transportation by introducing the development of a system that will recharge the entire electric bus in five to eight minutes flat.
Copenhagen is Europe's top design capital. The Danish city could soon be home to one of the most innovative renewable energy plants in the world. Argentine designer Santiago Muros Cortes just won the 2014 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition with his proposal for a huge solar-powered hourglass that can produce enough electricity for 1,000 Danish homes. Burlington, Vermont is now powered entirely by renewable energy. The city of 42,000 residents is powered by a mix of biomass, hydro and wind. Minecraft servers Although solar farms are great, they can consume a lot of space. This is why the folks at Ciel et Terre just installed the UK's first floating solar farm in Berkshire. The array is comprised of 800 photovoltaic cells as well as an output of 200kW. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to install solar panels in 24 public schools by 2016. The solar schools are part of a larger plan to install 100 megawatts of solar power on 300 public buildings over the next ten years. Signal is a snowboard maker, just launched a solar snowboard that charges electronic devices while you cruise down the mountain.
The world's highest vertical gardens are now located in Sydney. It's an incredible sight to behold. The 550-foot building was designed by architect Jean Nouvel and French botanist Patrick Blanc, and it includes 250 species of native Australian flowers and plants. In other green architecture news, North America's biggest green wall is now in place in Vancouver. A stunning time-lapse video showcases the construction of the 10,150-square-foot, double-sided green wall. Urban development is responsible for many environmental issues including water pollution to the urban heat island effect. Can urban design and tornadoes to coexist? A Turkish newspaper has released a new report which blames Istanbul's rapid urbanization in the recent spate of "freak mini tornadoes". Beehives have served as an inspiration for designers and the UK Pavilion at the 2015 Milan Expo will bring awareness to the demise of bees through the creation of a virtual beehive comprised of a high-quality steel lattice and LEDs.
It's October in early October and Halloween is quickly approaching. Are you aware of the costume you'll be wearing? If you're not sure, fear not -- we've got a lot of ideas for DIY costumes! You can play out the debate between Android and iPhone by dressing as your smartphone of choice, or you can bring your favorite game to life by dressing up as the Minecraft character, Tetris blocks or a Rubik's Cube. Robot costumes are also a tried-and-true favourite, or go for a more elaborate DIY R2D2 getup. Best of all, most costumes can be assembled with cardboard boxes and materials you have lying around the house!