Posted on 08/07/2006 11:49:16 AM PDT by Junior
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A young Dutch architect has created a floating bed which hovers above the ground through magnetic force and comes with a price tag of 1.2 million euros ($1.54 million).
Janjaap Ruijssenaars took inspiration for the bed -- a sleek black platform, which took six years to develop and can double as a dining table or a plinth -- from the mysterious monolith in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 cult film "2001: A Space Odyssey."
"No matter where you live all architecture is dictated by gravity. I wondered whether you could make an object, a building or a piece of furniture where this is not the case -- where another power actually dictates the image," Ruijssenaars said.
Magnets built into the floor and into the bed itself repel each other, pushing the bed up into the air. Thin steel cables tether the bed in place.
"It is not comfortable at the moment," admits Ruijssenaars, adding it needs cushions and bedclothes before use.
Although people with piercings should have no problem sleeping on the bed, Ruijssenaars advises them against entering the magnetic field between the bed and the floor.
They could find their piercing suddenly tugged toward one of the magnets.
As I understand it . . . one had to get one's . . . uhhh . . . waves together . . .
uhhhh . . . particularly relative to their . . . uhhh
peaks and troughs.
We rarely managed such syncronicity . . . in more ways than one and more arenas than the water bed.
Sadly.
I wish!
My little brother once ran away from Mom in the mall, got into Foley's, and entered himself in a Win the Waterbed contest. (He was maybe nine at the time.)
Imagine Mom's surprise when she found out he'd won, especially since that was the first she knew he'd entered.
He had that thing for YEARS. The heating element went out after a year or so, and it was like sleeping on a giant squishy ice cube. It was quite refreshing to come inside on a hot July day, strip the sheets off his bed, and lie down on the mattress.
Back in the '70s, an older brother of one of my friends was disallowed a waterbed on grounds that the upstairs floor, where his bedroom was, wasn't built stoutly enough to support one.
I'm pretty sure it's "snow queen," as in "cold as ice," not "snuff queen" which frankly is nasty no matter which construction one places on it. :)
I have always been intrigued by rope beds. How does one make one?
I sent this to my husband, who said it looked too dangerous for him.
I'm not sure if he's worried about the tether cable snapping and the bed cruising around the room, or about me kicking him so hard he falls out and hits the floor from three feet up.
i don't do well with word problems!
well there's always freepmail isn't there? ; )
When I first heard the song, I heard "waterbed filled with Elmer's glue."
I was pretty stoned and thought, far out,cool and hmmm where will I get enought glue.
(Related thread, seorta)
Ooooh, now, that IS intriguing. I wonder how the slosh factor would be reduced with glue.
And what would happen to that much glue in a mattress? Would it harden, or just stay gluey?
The ones I was famiailr with were antique (three different ones 1770-1840) and already made. But the key is to have rope holes along the sideboards and sometimes a few along at the bottoms of the headboard and footboard. You basically lace the rope criscrossing and as the rope is entertwining it tightens quite nicely. We used to use a piece of plywood on top of the ropes (I think with a thin cloth barrier to prevent rubbing) and then a VERY thick cut to specifications foam piece as the mattress on top.
Works well.
The biggest problem is the really early beds were sometimes 3/4 size (hence less than full) and desinged for 5" tall people. Sometimes modern replacement sideboards were used to allow for more lenth. If one is shoppping for a real unaltered antique bed check for new sideboards. Anyway slept on one for about 20 years. Then switched to a Victorian bed. and hey-now I am up to the 1950s probably.
One can't make one. You need two to make one.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
