Atgeld Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois.

The iPhone seemed to be everywhere at this fall's fashion week shows. And now iconic brand Ralph Lauren is offering a free iPhone app, which offers access to fashion week clips, behind-the-scenes content, a lookbook and a store locator.

One of the other notable features is a short film, "Portraits of a Collection," which offers a glimpse at Ralph Lauren's work and art.

The app doesn't allow users to purchase clothing as they can by using a mobile phone's Web browser and it won't allow you to read the QR codes appearing in Ralph Lauren ads. But the app goes beyond merely purchasing Ralph Lauren items. It's more about bringing the Ralph Lauren lifestyle to the mobile universe and getting users to interact with relevant content.

Television has traditionally been considered a mostly passive medium, where a viewer tunes in for one-way messaging and entertainment. But that role is changing. It's becoming a place where people can interact and even use familiar social networking tools.

Analysts say social networking has the potential to play a key role in shaping what people watch and do on the biggest screen in their homes. They say that eventually could pay off -- perhaps in terms of subscription revenue or advertising -- for the companies involved in these mostly nascent ventures, as efforts to marry the Internet and the TV gain traction.

"The TV set is evolving and content itself is evolving," says Michael Gartenberg, an analyst in the research division of Darien, Conn.-based Jupitermedia Corp. Understanding what friends are watching or doing on their TV screens "has to have a tremendous amount of value," he says.

Gamers have already embraced this kind of technology with Xbox Live, which allows users to make friends, chat and of course compete with one another. Sony, a competitor, has plans to offer social networking tools to Playstation 3 owners. Clearly, the ability to turn a non-social technology into a virtual community is enticing.

Outside of the gaming world, the trend is also catching on. A free download from Boxee allows you to check out various types of content and befriend other users, who will be able see what you're watching. And if you connect to a TV screen, it's possible to use your remote control to recommend content to others.

[Via the Wall Street Journal]

Buddhist monks of the Sisaket province of Thailand constructed a temple made entirely of recycled beer bottles.

The monks built the Wat Pa Maha Kaew temple using around one million beer bottles. The beer of choice? The green colored Heineken bottles and the brown bottled Chang Beer. The temple not only looks beautiful but also showcases the benefits of recycling.

The automobile industry is forever evolving. One primary goal in modern car manufacturing is making cars environmentally friendly; one company that’s out to revolutionize this concept is Motor Development International.

MDI has successfully put air-powered automobiles into production, starting with the AirPod. The Airpod is a small three-seat car that runs solely off of compressed air. Licensing was made by Tata Motors, India’s largest automobile manufacturer.

The AirPods will be available in India and Europe in 2009 and will hopefully be released in the U.S. by 2010.

You’d expect cutting-edge technology like this to drain your bank account but on the contrary, the AirPod is expected to sell for a mere 3,500 EUR (4,405 USD) upon release. A full tank of air will set you back about $2 and that two dollar tank of air will get you about 125 miles down the road before you need to fill up again. The air car engineers project that the vehicle will reach a top speed of 75 mph.