Her work is stunning. shown here is some detail from a Fox River Paper project... click the pic to see more.
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Brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s designs are part of some permanent museum collections including New York Museum of Modern Art, the “Musée National d’Art Moderne - Centre Georges Pompidou” in Paris, the London Design Museum, the Lisbon Design Museum and the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum of Rotterdam. Read More...

Clever... concept right now, but commercially viable. From the red dot design awards. click the pic for more info and more great designs. Read More...

interconnecting "line dings" by Aenigma Fonts (Brian Kent). Each character will connect to any other to create decorative flourishes, and specific characters together will create symmetrical designs. clicl=k on the link to go to the free download. Read More...

Rather than painting your fridge you can now install professional chalkboard panels. nice. thanks steph. click the pic for more. Read More...

Gotta admit, I've never heard of them, but what do I know? Nice insights. Read More...

Choose an image you like from the web, copy the address into the "image url" box then go down and click "random from image" and you will get a color palette. When you get one you like, tag it with any combination of words or phrases. Read More...

The project Yellow Arrow lets you discover hidden layers of your city and place your own stories in the urban landscape. Here's the gist... you get Yellow arrow stickers that have a code on them and stick them on stuff and send a story or note attached to the code to the website. When other people find yellow arrows you've placed, they can enter the code on their cell phone or on the website and get your story, message etc... Read More...

A sleek new portable speaker from Saitek, the iPhonic [product page] is clearly angled toward an iPod aesthetic; as promotional images indicate, it even features an attached stand designed for use with the nano. Fortunately, connection via headphone jack means that you can use the speaker with any DAP, and it runs on four AAA batteries (12-hour battery life) for convenient mobile use. The surface of the speaker is scratch-resistant, making this pocket-sized speaker durable for travel, and the unconventional shape is designed for increased bass with minimal distortion--it aims for a sound bigger than something this small should be able to offer.

A cool bar tool that has visual appeal and real utility, this Triple Jigger includes three measurements: .5 oz., .75 oz., and 1.5 oz. It also has the the added appeal of being made by world renowned (and often reviled) industrial designer Karim Rashid. (Available in blue or charcoal) click the pic to buy it for $10

While the iPhone was commanding most of the attention directed toward Macworld this week, Axiotron and Other World Computing (OWC) announced the world's first Mac OSX tablet. The Axiotron ModBook features a 13.3" wide screen LCD and performs just like a MacBook, equipped with OSX 10.4, (up to) 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors, (up to) 2GB SDRAM, 802.11g and Bluetooth, iSight, CD/DVD drive, and WACOM Penabled hardware for pen input with Apple Inkwell. As you'd expect, it's not available just yet, but you can pre-reserve yours--in 60GB, 80GB, and 160GB HD versions. Click the pic for more.

must... buy... rug.

You don't have to be a kid to appreciate this Flying Carpet rug, but it may help if remember how to think like one. Laying on the floor may never have been so comfortable, and this rug is customizable to your needs. (It doesn't have to look like a miniature golf course.)

A free standing bathtub can bring significant visual appeal to a bathroom. It can also make for the kind of comfortable, luxurious bath that simply isn't possible with standard, cramped bathtub your home came with. This Wet Cube Freestanding Tub measures 72" x 31" x 24" (sevearal other sizes are available) and holds 82 gallons of watter. Th epiece is designed to connect to either one, two, or three adjoining walls. You also get the option of glossy or mat white finish. click the pic to see more.

A clever tool that provides double functionality in the kitchen, this Bottle Stopper and Opener [set of two] achieves the comfort and ease of use you expect from OXO. The nonslip, pressure-absorbing rubber tool features an opening with interior ridges that can be placed around stubborn twist-off bottle caps. Once a bottle is open, the rubber rings around the insert are designed to seal bottle necks.

A handwoven, 100% wool rug brings both comfort and the unique element of craftsmanship; cool imagery makes for a remarkable place to put your feet. This Sleepy Hollow Rug fits the description, available two sizes: 8" x 10" and 5" x 8", in both blue and black. Both sizes, in both colors. click the pic to shop.

well, it's not as cool as using the dining room chairs and old blankets to make a fort, but it's probably more practical and it's affordable!

"Build your children's minds as your children build creations from their own unlimited imaginations. Invent a Tent's unique design promotes creative, constructive play. Your children will have hours of fun as they create their own play forts, pirate ships, princess castles, or anything else their young minds invent!" Read More...

If you’re prone to getting up in the middle of the night to feed your face then these curious slippers known as BrightFeet could help you avoid tripping down the stairs/over the cat/ as they come complete with a set of internal headlights.

Now your every footfall can be lit by a powerful LED mounted in the front of each slipper which not only power up courtesy of weight sensors contained within each slipper but are also claimed to be capable of illuminating up to 25 feet in front of you as you try to slip unseen to raid the cookie jar at 3am. click the pic for more. Read More...

If you think that the iPhone is cool, wait until you see the video presentation concerning the Nokia 888, conceptualised by designer Tamer Nakisci.

Okay, so the iPhone is a reality and this is merely a concept but it still servers to give a fascinating insight as to where the future of mobile phones may well be headed.

Featuring a flexible touchscreen which will allow it to adapt according to user taste and to facilitate extended functionality the Nokia 888 is an intriguing design that we can only hope will eventually see the light of day.

You can watch the spellbinding video of the Nokia 888 concept in action as well as view further imagery below and/or visit the site of designer Tamer Nakisci by clicking the pic. Read More...

for the person who has everything but lacks severed horse head comfort. Read More...

With standard webcam conversations, it’s extremely difficult to look at the person you are talking too as all they can see is you looking downwards/sidewards at the screen to see them. Thus, in order to look at them you are, somewhat paradoxically, actually appearing not to look at them at all.

Now to my mind, this is a good thing as it leaves one free to actually do something else on the computer as they chat incessantly away whilst thinking (ah, the deceit of it all) that they have your full attention. But this Bodelin device will put a stop to all of that as it allows you to look the person you are speaking to during a webcam conversation straight in the eye (so no more playing minesweeper which is boring at the best of times but somehow manages to take on a whole new lease of life when a family member has managed to corner you).

According to Bodelin, the See Eye2eye (SE2E) works very much like a periscope in that it displays an image of the person you are talking to, beamed up to an optical grade beam-splitting lens which also focuses your chiselled, finely honed features down to the camera unit and back at them. Read More...

Designed by Timothy Yeoh, “Turnover” is a new E-Reader concept that has a “screen that is rotated to the back refreshes the next page during the turning action, thereby stimulating a whole book or magazine with only two pages”. This is what the designer had to say

"Turnover is two pages with infinite possibilities – you can lose yourself in any number of worlds. Touch the on button for a few seconds to bring up the book select menu and use the scroll wheel to select the book or quickly skip to the desired page. Touchscreen capability lets you bend the corner to toggle bookmarks on or off, with a bookmark symbol on the page for easy reference when scrolling through" Read More...

I swear I had this idea 2 years ago...

Designed by Vicky Wei, Memory Infinite is a “stackable” USB drive concept that features a “female connector on one end and male on the other — when more storage is needed you simply attach another Memory Infinite flash drive.”

The user can choose to combine or separate Memory Infinite, making the usage of USB finger discs more convenient. And when Memory Infinite connects to a computer using its male end, other USB devices still can connect to its female end without having to occupy another USB port on the computer Read More...

OpenMoko’s FIC Neo1973 is the world’s first Linux-powered, open source phone. It features a 2.8-inch (480×640) touchscreen display, Samsung s3c2410 SoC, a Global Locate AGPS chip, 128MB SDRAM, 64MB NAND Flash memory, and a microSD card slot. There is a YouTube video if you click the pic. Read More...

check out the Pac-Man bathroom. This masterful piece was created by gamejunkie. Click the pic for more. Read More...

Early in the morning it arrives at the city dock to begin the bridge construction for the man-made island in Kagoshima bay. Boom length: 132m. Lifting capacity: 3700 tons!
It's "Yoshida" - Japan's largest floating crane, built by Mitsubishi heavy Industries Division. Read More...

Brazil-based booBox is preparing to launch a set of tools for bloggers and other website owners that will help them sell items they are writing about. Since sites will be using their own affilate codes, booBox won’t be able to directly take a cut of transactions. It isn’t clear if they are launching this for free, or charging for the service. Pending their position on that, as well as details on how difficult this will be to integrate with websites, I’m giving this an early thumbs up. This may be quick acquisition bait for Amazon or eBay. Read More...

You may have thought that beds only come in one shape, but this modern round bed from Germany's RUF-Bett proves that only the imagine can limit the possibilities in bed design. The Circolo bed is a contemporary round bed from the Fashion Bed collection at RUF-Bett. “Joie de vivre” is used to describe this unique creation, as its playful shape and flexibility inspires a bevy of possibilities. A round mattress combined with a rectilinear headboard creates a striking but harmonious contrast. Modern comfort and functionality are enhanced by fashionable textiles that produce a stylish, finished look. Read More...

Neptune don’t specialise in bathtubs, they specialise in a holistic bathing experience. Already known for the luxury a Neptune bathtub provides, the Neptuner adds a whole new aspect of sensual gratification. The Neptuner is an advanced audio technology which uses acoustic transducers to create an invisible surround sound system. The Neptuner sends audio waves through the shell of the bathtub, turning it into a single speaker. The water then enhances the sound, enveloping the user in their favourite music or TV movie. The Neptuner provides a state of the art sound system without the need for speakers throughout the room. Neptune have created a revolutionary system which is compatible with the complete Neptune range. Read More...

This contemporary tub is the ultimate in modern luxury, allowing bathers to soak in style. This Victoria & Albert tub is for the purist at heart, as the designer has removed all superfluous elements to reveal a simple, but elegant appearance. The Napoli egg shaped tub presents a fluid and organic form that acts as a cocoon around its occupant, providing a sense of comfort and protection. This freestanding design has been created using ENGLISHCAST, an exclusive one piece casting process that gives this vessel its smooth and stunning aesthetic and allows for an integrated plinth. Its high gloss finish is easy to clean, and a 25 year warranty ensures its durability. Appropriate for a number of faucet options, this tub would be an outstanding addition to a chic bathroom Read More...

An online musical keyboard with 14 professional soundbanks. Make your own club, hiphop, trance, reggae or even jazz and samba. And do it live! No tricks: you start the samples and the loops. Learn all about timing, "building" a song and creating a dance track.
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this is sort of a custom rss feed layout of some of the better feeds on the net. updated dynamically, I always find cool stuff here. Great if you are bored, curious or looking for a new bit of information. Read More...

there are a few t-shirts here I actually like, but the rest are trying too hard Read More...

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I've been meaning to add this for some time... I always find useful opinions and thoughts on Yelp. It's like Craigslist but it's more honest and covers food, shopping and more. check it out. Read More...

Share your iTunes. The service is basically Slingbox for your iTunes Library. It's a good idea, I give them 6 months before they are shut down. Read More...

These big bold asymmetrical bowls from RAW design in Oregon make your salad or anything you put in them, that much more colorful. The bowls are made of natural birch wood and are available in a rainbow of colors. They need a little special handling (don't throw these beauties in the dishwasher) but they are food-safe. The bowls cost from $58 to $112. Read More...

Designed by Max and Linda Geiser and made by FOLD, the Wallter Saucers wall applications are some of the most versatile that I've seen. They are made of wood and come primed for painting, so you can customize the colors to match your decor. Each set includes 5 nesting saucers, which can be arranged in just about any way you see fit. You can leave the saucers "nested" for compact accents or separate them, spreading them along the wall for a larger, more wallpaper-like, pattern. The largest in the set measures 23"W x 13"H and all are .5" thick. Price: $87. Read More...

There are no precious metals or gems to be found in these rings, but they carry a significant message that could be considered to be more valuable. The handmade rings are works of art, each made of thin layers of cloudy white plastic with black text on the layers, peeking through to the wearer and revealing a love letter. The two pictured say "I want to be your wife always" and "I've loved you since the moment I met you," but custom orders are available if you would prefer to have your own message embedded on a ring for a loved one. Read More...

It looks more like a retro space age wardrobe from a hotel room in the tropics than anything else, but this wooden exterior hides the Meneghini Refrigerator, one of the most expensive you can get, priced at around $19,000 (£9795). The cabinets are handmade and are intended to help the high-tech unit - which can include coffee makers, ice machines or a "Micro Combi steam oven" built right into the door - blend into the room. Various colors and finishes are available for the wood and the cabinet can be made single, double or triple-wide. Read More...

Yet another free service that gets you space and a voice... via pics you post. It's cool because it's international and there are groups based around subject matter. Shown here is a set from the group "color me impressed"

click the pic for more. Read More...

This caught my eye because Desert Solitaire is one of my favorite books and it tops their list.

Nice diverse selection. click the pic for the whole list.

snip: "The editors at CounterPunch read all those lists of the hundred best books of the century and didn't care for them. So we've talked to friends, striven to remember what shaped us, informed us, what was innovative, path-breaking. Here's our reckoning. This first instalment is of non-fiction, first published in English. They are presented here in alphabetical order by author." Read More...

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Like I've said before, I love a good list. Well there are a lot of them here.

snip: "Listango is a new web site that lets people create, tag and share lists on any topic imaginable. Create lists of your favorite books, movies and music. Keep track of your goals. Create online to-do lists. Give travel tips and recommendations. There are no rules. Go wherever your imagination takes you."

Good place to go if you're willing to rely on the wisdom of crowds to help you pick what movie to rent next or what book you should be reading. Read More...

Zach Braff put Joshua Radin's song "Winter" on an episode of Scrubs, a move that eventually led to a recording contract with Columbia and his debut, We Were Here, much to the excitement of thousands of female fans. Radin plays the role of the quiet, romantic, sensitive guy, obsessed with his own heart and that which surrounds it, and does it all pretty convincingly. His songs are intimate, vaguely postmodern (his frequent references to the entity of a song within the song itself) affairs about love, addressing an unnamed woman and contemplating the state of their relationship over quietly picked acoustic guitars and the occasional bowed accent. His voice is soft and airy, timid and gentle to the point of fragility (it is extremely hard to believe when he sings "I scream that I wanna be anyone but me" in "Amy's Song" that he's not being hyperbolic), and his songs are layered in a similar way to the work of Elliot Smith.

The late singer is definitely a huge influence for Radin (he's even thanked in the liner notes), but while Smith was able convey emotion not just through his words but through his voice, Radin is mostly expressionless (besides the occasional breathy sigh), that even the happier pieces can still sound as if they're being sung upon his deathbed. And while he does have some good lines ("There's a hole in my pocket that's about her size," "I keep your picture in my worn-through shoes"), many of his rhymes seem a little forced, almost corny ("Photographs and brightly colored paper/Are your masks you wear in this caper," he whispers in "Closer"), which greatly takes away from the profundity he's apparently trying to reach.

Worth a listen and I think his next album will be a big positive evolution. Read More...

I love lists, and I love music. I don't agree with everything on these lists, but if you are looking for a nice starting point to dig in to good music from 2006... this is a good square one. Read More...

I'm not sure how these guys are flying under the radar of the copyright cops... but they are, so enjoy it while it lasts! Read More...

With Blurb, anyone with access to a computer can make a book and get it professionally printed. The company offers free downloadable software, called BookSmart, which enables people without design experience to easily lay out the pages, choose background colors and fonts and edit photos. The design templates were created by book design experts.

Blurb prices range from $18.95 for a 40-page, full-color paperback and $29.95 for the same hardcover version, to $69.95 for a 440-page, full-color paperback and $79.95 for the same in hardcover. Volume discounts are available for orders of 25 and up, with custom quotes for a print order of 400 or higher. Shipping and handling charges are separate.

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Wowbow's first line of beautiful modernist pet furniture is named for Mija, the creator's rescue dog. Similar to many new pet owners, Kim and Richard Bull were dissatisfied with their options for dog beds and feeding bowls. As good designers do, they channeled that frustration in to the creation of new product. The Mija Bed and Dining Table are both made from 10mm thick acrylic and can be ordered in a range of colors. Read More...

Songbird™ is a desktop Web player, a digital jukebox and Web browser mash-up. Like Winamp, it supports extensions and skins feathers. Like Firefox®, it is built from Mozilla®, cross-platform and open source.

I love this application because it's going to force iTunes to sharpen it's game. Better radio station choices, a nice interface and a sense of humor combined to make one of the best music applications out there. Read More...

One of the most polarizing music Web sites online, Pitchfork is more of an online magazine rather than a blog. What you'll find on P4K, as it's affectionately referred to, are a ton of bands — from indie to electronica to hip-hop — you've never heard of, and a few that you might know. They strive to introduce new and experimental bands to their audience, and they thrive on controversy.

Reviewers will often pan an artist just because they're becoming popular, and will likewise fawn over a totally unknown artist so they can boast that they were the first to "break" a band into popularity.

If it sounds a bit pretentious, well, it is. But the P4K staff are also incredibly knowledgeable, if not a bit verbose. Spend some time with Pitchfork, and you'll be sure to find something new that grabs you by the ears and won't let go. Read More...

Music, art, fashion and other carefully selected event highlights in five cities: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Chicago. Type in your email address to get the weekly newsletter for the urban mecca of your choice, and you'll always know just what to do with your free time. Read More...

The brainchild of a group of students and teachers from MIT, I-Neighbors offers a free and easy way for residents of a given community to exchange information (and maybe even bond). Search by zip code to see if anybody's already created a home page for your neighborhood; if not, you can create your own. It takes just a few minutes to register, and your profile can be as vague or specific as you like. Provide an email address to be included in the directory and to receive group emails. You can add events to the calendar, recommend cleaning ladies and handymen, upload photos, even contact elected officials (see GovLink). Of course, whether a neighborhood thrives or dies depends on the participation of its members. Is yours a ghost town? The site provides a ready-to-print flyer for posting at the gym or corner deli to help advertise the link and drum up interest. Read More...

Interactive video tutorials teach non-geeks how to upgrade to high-definition TV, set up a wireless home network or stream digital music from a computer to another room in the house. The "convince me" pages offer reasons why you should take on a particular job in the first place-which comes in handy if you've got a skeptical spouse with veto power. Visitors are invited to vote on which projects CNET's experts should tackle next. Read More...

Always on the lookout for an innovative approach to search. This metasearch engine from Vivisimo clusters results by sub-category to help you zero in on what you need—an approach AOL will take on the new aol.com, launching in July (see sidebar). For more cool new search tech, try Grokker, where Yahoo Search query results are displayed as a circular map. Read More...

Lose yourself in this vast collection of rare prints, vintage maps, manuscripts, posters, photographs, sheet-music covers, dust jackets, menus, cigarette cards and other artifacts. There are more than 300,000 digital images of original materials available for viewing. Access is free, and you can download images to your computer for personal or research use. The My Digital page will store your favorite discoveries along with your search history. Read More...

This well-organized, easy-to-search compendium of book reviews—last we checked, there were 1,430 titles covered—includes editor's picks and bestseller lists by year. The site links to (and vets) dozens of literary weblogs, from Bookninja to Mobylives to its own Literary Saloon. The Review Index lets you search for books by author or title, genre or nationality; you can read the site's own review or click to read reviews published elsewhere. Read More...

I know, I've never heard of them either, but Graham and Green appears to be a UK retailer that sells interesting things beyond C2B and EQ3 style. Looks expensive, but nice collection of stuff. Read More...

traineo is a free and simple website that gives you the motivation and support to reach your weight loss and fitness goals. Read More...

Nice site that aggregates vacation rentals into a decent search engine with a pretty good interface. check it out. Read More...

the Ultimate Motherlode of full videos online (TV shows, movies, cartoons)... interesting and impressive collection of links to content hosted elsewhere, including buried YouTube videos. Read More...

This is an incredible free app. I seriously was blown away that the developer had not made this a shareware download. This app lets you create professional movie scripts and manage all aspects of the fimling process. This truly is incredible. Although it is not as nice as Final Draft 7 is in the script department, the price tag of $0.00 certainly makes up. Indie-movie lovers rejoice. Enjoy! Read More...

This preference panel expands on Apple’s screen corner activation. This will let you do a myriad of tasks using the screen corners as activations. It also expands on whether a screen corner simply needs to be hovered over, clicked or pressed with a key command. This app also contains a polished UI. Check it out. Read More...

Lighting system that combines solar collectors and fiber optic "transporters" to bring sunlight to any room regardless of where it is in a building. Brilliant concept.

"Imagine an indoor environment where the variation of the outdoors light is always present, or a house that has sunlight in every single room. Now, Parans releases the first sunlight-transporting product of its kind. Above to the left, the simple principle of Parans’ system is shown. The sunlight is collected by panels outdoors. The sunlight is then transported through fibre optic cables. Indoors, the sunlight flows out through beautifully designed luminaires."
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I'm surprised the cell phone companies aren't doing this too... random messages sent to a stranger and posted in their entirety online. Also perfect for downloading and mashing up with cheesy pop songs, art rock, etc...

503-766-2959

"this is my experiment to see how many random people i can get to leave me a voice mail. i got this phone number voice mail thing from privatephone.com, and i want you, whoever you are, to call it and leave me a voicemail. tell me anything. tell me what's going on, tell me what you're thinking, tell me what you ate for breakfast this morning... anything. just tell me something."

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British Hippie couple builds a "hobbit house" on the cheap and it actually looks good. Incorporates the principles of the earthship with straw bale construction. Good pics at the site, click the pic for more. Read More...

An online anagram generator. Type a sentence and it spits back surprisingly decent anagrams. Read More...

The Springwise.com guide to the top 10 eco & sustainability business ideas in 2006. Nice coverage of several things I had not even heard of. Click the pic for more. Read More...

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Google has 50 percent of the US search engine market, Yahoo! has 28 and Microsoft 13. But there are several other search engines available. Click the pic for the 5 best. Read More...

excellent stuff. Read More...

TechMemem seems to catch stories about breaking Technology up to a week before the AP or Reuters runs them. It's sort of a "raw feed" of tech news... warts and all. Definitely interesting and informative. They recently broke the story of SlingCatcher, Sling Media's device designed to receive broadcasts, not just re-route them. Computer-based client software will provide access a variety Internet video, both big and small, via your TV. Miss Lost? No problem, buy it online through the vendor of your choice and stream it via your Slingcatcher to watch on TV. Saw some ridiculous thing on YouTube? Share it on the TV rather than crowding around a laptop. Sounds pretty cool. Click the pic to check out more bleeding edge tech news. Read More...

Yet another photo service? Well... Zoto is upping the ante with a low membership fee and "unlimited storage" The client for Macs and PCs is actually not bad... and the service is easy to use. Read More...