Wow, not only did Canada kick our butts on the ice, they are doing it in Fashion Technology too. Don’t believe me, take a look at these gorgeous lighted fabrics and this dress from Karma Chameleon.

(Above: one of Spiral Magazine's Animated Avatars by Designers Reed + Rader)

Augmented Reality or AR is a term for for "a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery - creating a mixed reality."

"Everything has an end. The cycle of life is a positive thing because it gives room for new things to come." - McQueen

It has been almost two weeks since I learned about Alexander McQueen's tragic suicide. When it happened, I didn't want to blog about it because it felt too personal and deeply depressing. For me, iHeartSwitch is about moving forward with technology in a positive light, not mourning the past. But sometimes, you have to acknowledge and share your pain in order to move past it. I am lucky enough to have a venue to do that and I know many of you were also deeply shocked and hurt by his passing as well, so you won’t mind if I get a little personal.

It may be hard to believe but during the 50s and 60s blow-up bras were manufactured and sold to the mass market by Frederick's of Hollywood ("make the most of you") and Très Secrète ("the most inspired of the sweet feminine deceptions"). Mercifully, they were long buried in the dustbin of history—right where they belong. That is, until a 21st century Chinese company got "inspired" and decided to revive the idea that refuses to go flat (sorry).

With the advancement of a new micro solar cell, sequined dresses of the future may not just indicate a fashionista on the loose, but instead, an environmentally conscious go-getter with a fully charged cell phone.

The scientists at Sandia National Laboratories, makers of all things sci-fi, have created tiny snow-flake looking solar cells (pictured below) for possible applications in textiles and clothing. These cells are being designed to be less expensive and have greater electronic efficiencies than the current cells on the market. The micro cells require cutting edge manufacturing techniques to ensure quality. Even so, their miniscule size makes it so that there is a minimal loss of power production if one were to be damaged. Compare this to today’s large rectangular solar panels, where if one goes down, the whole unit has a huge loss in power production. Instead with these new cells if one went down it would just be a small percentage of the overall grid.

This is defiantly a technology to watch. I see a future of sparkling rooftops, glittering light poles, and fashionable sequined shrugs. What do you see? What would you make with solar powered sequins? Leave a comment and let us know.

Source: Inhabitat

Dress image from stellarmagazine

Mr. ArduinoFun has posted a really great tutorial for the electronic seamstress on Instructables. The concept, based Ethan Dicks from theFusefactory.org's emergent Sheep Sculpture project, is a scarf that detects when you are near your loved one.

I am loving this sexy silk dress from Aniomagic. Not only is it pretty, but just a swing of the train controls a hidden iPod. It may look hard to make, but it's EASY! Aniomagic sells everything and has the directions up on their site and on instructables. Go ahead and turn that LBD into the next glamtronic super machine!

GET THE MATERIALS:

This Christmas we had a big gathering up in the hills of Arkansas at my grandmothers farm for a 1930s inspired family holiday. The rule is that everything must be 1930s including the gift for the gift exchange, which has to be hand-made and $10 or under.

Make a Flip Book from iHeartSwitch on Vimeo.

Sparkle Labs has come up with the sweetest little light up paper Christmas tree for the holidays. It is easy to make, just use your Discover Electronics Kit for the lights and follow the directions on this page.

If you missed Hanukkah, its not too late! There are still a couple days left to make this beautiful paper Menorah! Download the instructions and template off the project website.