BearChair

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Furniture

It's a limited-edition item, with just 25 being made [probably one chair for each bear used], and was created and made by Brazilian brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana.

Giant 360 degree holgraphic display

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Technology

Vizoo has developed a serious holographic heavyweight contender with the Cheoptics360 XL. This is a 360 degree holographic display designed for shows and other venues that allows audiences to view massive images of people and objects through its transparent sides. When I say large – I’m talking about a holographic display that can measure from 1.5m to 30m, allowing for people and cars to be displayed in a 1:1 scale - and bigger.
Using surface mirroring and projections, large computer-generated and video images are fired in from all sides to create the central image. Watch a video of it in action by clicking the pic.

Round-up of several Online Photo Editors

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Useful stuff on the Internet

Photos are everywhere on the web. From sharing with friends, to editing, printing, buying, selling, searching, remixing and free hosting, we’ve lined up a plethora of resources for photo fiends.

Mapufacture - create your own maps

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Useful stuff on the Internet

How To Hide An Airplane Factory

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: History/Archaeology

During World War II the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from a Japanese air attack. They covered it with camouflage netting and trompe l’oeil to make it look like a rural subdivision from the air. Click the pic to see the remarkable gallery. Read More...

POWStock - A Canonical list of free and cheap Stock Photography

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Photography

Looking for free of cheap pictures to help with your designs? This is a nice starting point. Read More...

7 More Deserted Wonders of the Modern World

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Society/Social Systems

From Web Urbanist comes another great list with pictures of abandoned towns, cities and facilities... click the pic for more. Read More...

Lancome Magnetic Reactive nail polish

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Fashion

New from Lancome as part of their fall limited edition collection comes Le Magnetique. It's not just a rich reddish brown shimmery lacquer. The bottle comes with a magnetic sleeve that, when held up to the polish, creates a gold starburst pattern on your nail. Read More...

60 Elegant and Visually Appealing Web Site Designs

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Design

In this overview you’ll find 60 fresh, elegant, professional and visually appealing designs, which pay close attention to details and manage to remain simple, user-friendly and nice-looking. Click the pic to visit. Read More...

Asian Blossom Cuff at Hardware by Rene

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Retail Lust

This Bohemian Cuff is crafted from a recycled Asian tea can that is wrapped in a white brass alloy. One size fits all plus very comfortable! Price: $26.00

Launched in 2001, Hardwear By Renee is a handbag line specializing in contemporary handbags. The handbags are designed with atypical items such as hardware and recycled materials. The collection features a range of modern colors with a clean urban style.

Based in Oregon City, Oregon, the company is owned and operated by Renee Christopher, an artist and designer. She strives to create a line of strong, sexy, and smart handbags that easily transition from day to evenings. Inspired by her vision of today's woman, the line of handbags proves durability need not be dowdy, nor femininity fussy and fragile, hardwear. Read More...

Magic Fish Spa

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Cool hunting

A newly emerged "fish spa" is becoming fashionable in many hot spring resorts, and has attracted even more customers, all curious about this peculiar treatment.
At such a spa, many Garra Rufa, a type of small tropical fish, also nicknamed Chinchin Yu, nibble fish or simply doctor fish, are put in hot springs.

As they can live and swim freely in at least 43-degree-hot waters, they are naturally used for the treatment of skin diseases in such spas.

When placed in the spa, these fish can feed themselves on the dead cells of the human body, since they only consume such cells, leaving the healthy skin of the human body to grow. The whole process is reportedly free of pain. It won't hurt and the bather might feel a pleasant tingling on his or her skin. Read More...

Library Building in Belarus

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Architecture

Foreign printed guide books also sometimes are not so serious about this structure: “Some say it looks like a diamond. We say it looks like the Death Star. In either case there’s no denying that the collosal, new home for the National Library now being constructed on the city outskirts is an example of the Soviet ‘bigger-is-better’ school of architecture.
When completed, it’ll be big enough to house a whopping 15 million books. The National Library only has 8 million in its collection, so there should be plenty of space leftover for restaurants, gyms, and for the president to roam the hallways in a black cloak, breathing Vader-like while dramatic music plays in the background.”
Of course, the most nice view of it is at night when its lightning is on. It allows to show animated scenes on its uncommon not flat but polyhedron many-sided polyhedral surface. We have a video down this page too. Read More...

Drawstring Garbage Bags in Black, White and Blue Damask

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Packaging

Part of the Home Chic Home Collection by Two's Company, these fabulous tall Drawstring Kitchen Garbage Bags handle garbage with glamour or transform into stylish storage bags for your seasonal sweaters or bedding. Each decorative box includes 20- 13 Gallon trash bags with a lovely damask pattern and blue drawstring closure.

HP touch screen photo printing kiosk for home users...

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Technology

HP has released an egg-like photo printer in the U.K. called the HP Photosmart A826 Compact Photo Printer. This printer has the biggest LCD screen I have ever seen on a photo printer measuring in at a whopping seven inches. Not only is the screen very large, it is touch sensitive too. Read More...

snowflake crystals under an electron microscope

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Science

Crazy pics that go up to 18,000x with some interesting notes about the construction of a snowflake. Click the pic for more. Read More...

YAML Builder

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Web 2.0

"Yet Another Multicolumn Layout" (YAML) is an (X)HTML/CSS framework for creating modern and flexible floated layouts. The structure is extremely versatile in its programming and absolutely accessible for end users. Read More...

The wine library - a web tv show about wine

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: video

They are at 300 episodes.

"What motivates this revolution, you ask? Our movement seeks to break down the barriers, stereotypes, and misperceptions that otherwise prevent people from exploring and enjoying the exciting and rewarding world of wine." Read More...

drawings composed from the words that describe them

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Art

This is something crazy people do when no one is looking. Read More...

Citizendium - a wiki encyclopedia with some credibility

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Reference

Think of a more heavily moderated wikipedia... Read More...

Blogger Template Editing

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: D.I.Y.

from the site: "One of the most common criticisms of Blogger templates is that they're somewhat plain. This is somewhat true, however, it is also one of the biggest misconceptions. If you know where to look, you will find that Blogger's templates (yes, even the ones in the Templates screen) are almost infinitely changeable to suit any style you might want to have for your blog." Read More...

Phone Menu hack

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: iPhone

I love that people have already made the iPhone better. This application runs on top of Springboard (the iPhone's home screen) and lets you scroll back and forth. Read More...

Oakland Crime Spotting Map

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Useful stuff on the Internet

A nice Google Map Hack that shows weekly Oakland Crime Statistics. They should add a feature so you can add your crime while it's in progress. Read More...

Why We get High - By Bruce Eisner

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Psychedelics

Here is a recent Bruce Eisner essay musing on the human quest for intoxication.

Bruce Jay Ehrlich (better known by his writing name Bruce Eisner) (born Brooklyn, New York, February 26, 1948) is an American writer, psychologist, and counterculture spokesman best known for his book Ecstasy: The MDMA Story. He received his B.A.in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1979, his M.A. in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Psychology from Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, San Francisco, California. He is owner of the Mind Media Life Enhancement Network and President of the Island Foundation.

Read More...

Apple Aperture Software License

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Amusing

I was installing Apple's Aperture and while waiting for an update to run, I read the license restrictions (for fun)... and came across this. Read More...

The History of Religion in 90 seconds

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: History/Archaeology

How has the geography of religion evolved over the centuries, and where has it sparked wars? Our map gives us a brief history of the world's most well-known religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Selected periods of inter-religious bloodshed are also highlighted. Want to see 5,000 years of religion in 90 seconds? Ready, Set, Go! Read More...

City Wall - interactive city map

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Technology

Located in Helsinki, a huge 'touch-sensitive' screen has been installed, which functions as a collaborative art/information project for the city.

Members of the public can stand in front of the screen and scroll through the media content by using 'Minority Report'- type hand gestures [always an entertaining way to end the evening after having a few beers.
 The wall is designed to accept content from public sources like Flickr and YouTube with the aim of sharing the information and giving visitors a 'good feel for the city'.

Pantone Cell Phones

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Design

In their press release, Pantone described Ishii's mission for the Japanese market: "To expand the use of PANTONE Color Systems throughout the design and manufacturing sectors, thus linking industries and businesses in Japan to the global community with a universal color specification standard."

Vrtual Dog Walking Game from Japan

31/Aug/2007 Filed in: Amusing

This is sad - a video arcade game is Japan, which is a virtual dog walker.

Grab Snoopy's leash and walk the pooch around a bit to earn points. Walk too fast you tire the plastic dog out. Too slow, the thing could get run over by a bus.

melting building

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Art

this is not Photoshopped. This building mural, a trompe-l’oeil, is located in Georges V Ave. in Paris, France. Trompe-l’oeil is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects really exist, instead of being just two-dimensional paintings. The name is derived from French for “trick the eye”, from tromper - to deceive and l’oeil - the eye. Read More...

Istanbul Street Style

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Fashion

Acollection of symbols and characters, images that celebrate avant-garde style and individualism as witnessed on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey. Click the pic to see more. Read More...

Drawer Geeks

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Art

Every other friday, a group of professional illustrators and artists draw their interpretation of a predetermined fictional character(in this case, catwoman). Fun to see how people with talent riff on the same subject matter. Read More...

Miro video player

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Mac Stuff

Miro can play any video format (much more than quicktime), download torrents, permanently save videos from YouTube, and watch video podcasts. Beautiful interface, 100% free and open source. Read More...

soundshowers - relaxing art

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Tools

A series of art installations at Gardemoen Airport in Norway that genuinely serve the needs of travelers. Back in 1998 when Oslo's glittering new airport was built, eleven Soundshowers designed by the Artist Anna Karin Rynander and Engineer Per-Olof Sandberg, were installed in the main terminal and new railway station.

The intention was to create a new kind of facility for visitors in a public place - a refreshing shower of positive and calming sounds. As visitors enter circle shaped floor marks, sounds begin to play. The sounds are clearly audible for the user but virtually suppressed for others due to the shape of the cleverly designed sound lens.

Each Soundshower is equipped with a computer, a digital sound library and a control program that contains random parameters and rules for how the sounds are assembled. Since the sound streams are composed in real time, unique experiences are created for each visit. Read More...

12 Volt Battery Hack

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Hacks

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Hands up who hates buying batteries. (I had both hands up in the air by the way, briefly, but had to put them down to continue writing this article). Anyway, batteries are the bane of my life. It seems almost every toy we have for our children or gadget for ourselves require batteries. And they need them in all shapes and sizes. The worst offenders are those button-cell batteries. Small and costly...until I saw the coolest video.

Kipkay over at Metacafe has done it again, with a life hack and battery hack that will save you roughly $40 on those 1.5V button cell batteries. All you need is a 2-pack of 12V A23 batteries, which retail at less than $2 a pack. I found my set on Amazon for $1.66.

As the video shows, you simply split them open to reveal EIGHT 1.5V button-cell batteries, each one worth around $5. And as these 12V batteries come in pairs that gives you a grand total of 16 new batteries worth around $80. Not bad for an initial investment of $1.66. Read More...

Dirty Three - Indian Love Song (live)

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Music

Misprinted Type

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Design

The personal site of Brazillian designer and artist Belo Horizonte. very diverse and interesting stuff. Read More...

Daniel Eatock - art, design, ideas, etc...

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Design

Daniel Eatock is a London based idea person and creates a vast array of things. click the epic above to visit his newer site and view the series of prints made by pushing ink out of an matrix of Pantone Markers that are soaking through a stack of paper, and many more. Also, check out an older set of ideas here: http://www.foundation33.com/ Read More...

Sick on Sin

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: T-Shirts

Canadian T-shirt company Sick on Sin has some interesting designs... I wasn't going to post because I hated the prices... but they are listed in Canadian dollars (which are worth even less than ours!). Read More...

Cut Out and Keep - a DIY craft blog

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Crafts

Cut Out + Keep is a treasure trove of DIY projects, all of them simple enough for even all-thumbs types like myself to handle. Every project comes with a very helpful difficulty meter as well as an indication of how long it will take; many of them only take minutes to execute. Read More...

kirigami

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Crafts

If you’ve ever made paper snowflakes as a child, you’ll be particularly inspired by these amazing Kirigami patterns by Flickr user lilzabubba. She uses KolorFast Deco-Puffs tissue squares; if you’d like a general rundown on how to make your own, click here. Read More...

Hidden Door Company

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Cool hunting

Hidden Doors, are doors that appear and function as a built-in or free standing piece of furniture. This company makes custom versions based on your space. Pretty cool. Read More...

awesome fortune

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Web pictures

Google offers site search for small businesses

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Search and Research

Google introduced a new service for small businesses that allows visitors to search within their Web sites on a customized search page.
The product, Custom Search Business Edition, adds to Google’s growing portfolio of paid services for businesses. It builds on Google’s Custom Search Engine, a free, ad-supported product launched last October for searching within a predefined group of Web sites.
A key difference with the paid edition is that businesses can customize the search page with their own logo and color scheme. They can also modify results by manipulating an XML (Extensible Markup Language) feed of the raw search results, to guide visitors toward products the company wants to sell, for example.
The service is priced at $100 per year for Web sites with up to 500 pages, and $500 for up to 50,000 pages, Google said on its Web site. Read More...

Wi-Fire, a long range external Wi Fi antenna/ range extender

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Technology

The Wi-Fire is a compact, range-extending USB device that enables you to access a wireless Internet connection from up to (an alleged) 1,000 feet away--three times the range of your internal wireless adapter.

The Wi-Fire is available on Windows XP or on Mac OS X. Read More...

Oliver Vernon

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Art

Oliver Vernon lives in a renovated loft in Bed-Stuy, where he paints and draws obsessively. His work is a constantly flowing but constructive meditation on depth, mandalic design, and the mystic spunk that lends organic shapes their peculiar and sometimes alien sense of life. The fluttering ribbons and liquid rhizomes that often float through his evocative spaces are at once playful, probing, and recklessly extravagant. He paints on different types of surfaces, working both with and against the grain of wood and canvas, sometimes combining (and recombining) panels to form larger works; sometimes he adds collage elements as well. click the pic for more. Read More...

RMF FM Radio Station Headquarters in Poland

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Architecture

Martian base? Or some other alien’s structure on Sirius’ planet, for example? No, it is the headquarters of the Polish radio RMF FM. Amazing architecture Read More...

Infinite Bubble Wrap Simulator

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Amusing

Bandai has come up with the solution for all of us plastic bubble popping fiends in the world. The PutiPuti the Infinite Bubble Wrap Toy. A bubble wrap simulator if you will. Unlimited popping action!

And this one does something real bubble wrap doesn’t. It will reward you with a new sound after 100 pops.

Something like a dog bark, a doorbell or even…wait for it….a fart! Read More...

YUKO SHIMIZU - Illustrator

20/Aug/2007 Filed in: Design

Yuko Shimizu is a Japanese illustrator, who lives and works in New York, USA. She was born in Tokyo and grew up in Tokyo and in New York. Although she always dreamed of becoming an artist, it took her a long time till she actually became one. She has the BA in marketing/advertising from Waseda University and worked in the field of publicity in Tokyo for a long time till she decided it was time to change her life to do what she really wanted before it was too late. She packed up everything and left Japan in 1999 to study in School of Visual Arts in New York, received the MFA in illustration from SVA in 2003.

She has been working as a full time illustrator since. Her work has been published in such countries as US, UK, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Turkey. Clients include: The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Interview Magazine (all US), Esquire and Financial Times Magazine (both UK). She has just finished set and costume design for M.A.C. Cosmetics (US) fall 2004 promotional campaign. She also teaches at School of Visual Arts in Illustration and Cartooning Department. Read More...

Ambigrams

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Design

Ambigrams are delightful graphic logotypes that read the same if they are reversed or flipped upside-down. Here is a great article from "StepInsideDesign" Read More...

People Make Perfect Pixels

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Art

Ultrabloom - Heat Reactive Glass colorants

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Materials

UltraBloom Applications — this product may be incorporated in applications where ambient temperature changes occur naturally or through human interaction,or where environmental variations in temperature may be purposefully influenced through a wide variety of designed means. Read More...

Toothpaste for Dinner - Cartoons by drew

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Amusing

Not usually on the menu but appetizing in its own weird way is Toothpaste for Dinner, the site for the cartoonist known as Drew and his t-shirts sporting his wacky yet pithy cartoons. Click on the pic for more! Read More...

Olivier Gregoire "hot paper" toaster

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Food

From the site: "Nowadays, the kitchen gets purity of lines and openable spaces. Far from the industrial plastic toaster, I wanted to create something more unique by a contemporary approach of material. As for the design, I wanted something which disregarded the product itself by puting forward the visual impact. I used 2 white thermoformed patches of corian suggesting paper that would have been creased by heat. Their thin thickness shows a game of shadows and lights while underlining lines fold in a sensual way . This micro-architecture then becomes an ornamental element ; an image, a unique work." Read More...

ByUs - unique Danish Jewelry Collective

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Fashion

ByUs is a collective of eight Danish jewellers with modern, experimental sensibilities. I've posted some of them here before but there's plenty of new stuff to see! Pictured above, clockwise from top: work by Karin Pinnerup (glass), Hanan Emquies (rubber) and Mikala Mortensen (silver); the rest of the octet are Kirsten Ellemose, Ditte Marie Jakobsen (don't miss her inside-the-shirt brooches), Annette Dam, Lene Hald and Marie-Louise Kristensen. Read More...

Giant Cupcake Baking Mold

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Food

Although this cupcake cake mold does seem to defeat the purpose of making and serving cupcakes, but I still love it because cupcakes are cute and a giant cupcake is even cuter! Click the pic to see it at Surlatable. Read More...

Peace Monkey Cards

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Retail Lust

We like Peace, and we like Monkeys. So what’s not to love about this Peace Monkey card? Blank inside. $12.99 for a set of six at Elsewares. Read More...

Libertine - a hipster T-Shirt from Target

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: T-Shirts

screenprinted tree extends to both the front and back of the shirt. click the pic to see it at Target.com
Read More...

Drift - a bench from the future

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Furniture

The goal of Future System and its architect Amanda Levete was to create a simple object with subtle complexities. Here, the sculptural, elongated form never strays too far from the elemental. Just try keeping Drift from becoming the focal point in a room. Read More...

Patchwork Plates

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Retail Lust

This series of 30 ceramic plates is guaranteed to make your meals more interesting. You could just get a few, or the whole thing (if you have that sort of money). One thing is for certain, you'll not be accused of boring tableware.

"Using different original plates from the Royal Tichebaar Makkum collection, each piece is partly hand-painted and partly printed. Mix and match the patterns to enliven your table with vibrant bursts of color..." Read More...

Dioscuri by Artemide

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Lighting

These are so often seen in modern interiors some would say they're a staple for home furnishings. I think they give off such a nice glow. "The minimalistic design features a handblown glass globe supported by a hidden base. Adjust the lighting level with the on/off/dim switch on the cord."

Read More...

Lampada

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Lighting

DESCRIPTION: Kitset light in PVC box. 4 designs available: Byron Poem (A), Crane (B), White (C), David's Eye (D). Material: Black metal lamp stand with printed polyprop, wrapped clip shade.

Read More...

Shiira - The Next Browser For Mac

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Mac Stuff

Shiira is probably one of the best designed web browsers I have probably seen for the Macintosh operating system. Shiira is webkit based browser and is written in Cocoa. One thing is for sure, its killer features make Shiira a much better browser than the native Safari on a Mac. Also Shiira is better than Firefox on a Mac too.

Here are some of its uber cool features :

* RSS support
* Page holder
* An Awesome sidebar design
* Sound effects and font smoothing enabling/disabling for better accessibility for anyone
* Tab Exposé
* Page transition effect (Tiger only)
* Switching browse mode in the toolbar
* Private browsing support
* Firefox bookmarks handling
Read More...

Tank Books - classic literature packaged like cigarettes

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Packaging

From the site: "As one habit dies hard, another takes hold.

The ban on smoking in public places comes into operation in the UK on July 1, 2007. Tank is launching a series of books designed to mimic cigarette packs – the same size, packaged in flip-top cartons with silver foil wrapping and sealed in cellophane.

TankBooks pay homage to this monumentally successful piece of packaging design by employing it in the service of great literature. Cigarette packs are iconic objects, familiar, tried and tested, and over time TankBooks will become iconic objects in their own right. The launch titles are by authors of great stature
– classic stories presented in classic packaging; objects desirable for both their literary merit and their unique design.

TankBooks are for people on the move, lovers of literature and connoisseurs of design. Try one and you’ll be hooked.
Read More...

Reference for EVERY Character Key on a Mac

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Mac Stuff

Ever wanted to type the copyright icon, or do an accent over an A without having to resort to some character palette? We have, and it takes time and is an effort. So we put together a series of help sheets that reference all of the characters that aren’t listed on your keyboard, along with their shortcut keys to make your life easier. Click the pic to go download the guides from GoSquared.com

Read More...

modularparallel a livejournal by ?

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Inspiration

I like this live journal, done by someone interesting and creative... shown here with 2 friends after they spent the afternoon painting their interpretations of the same bridge. Lots of fun photos and design inspiration. click the pic for more. Read More...

shot glass freezer mold

05/Aug/2007 Filed in: Tools

fill with water or juice to make frozen shot glasses! makes (4) glasses at a time
Read More...