Diftype

30/Mar/2007 Filed in: Design

Diftype is the personal online portfolio and playground of graphic designer Niklas Lundberg, currently based in Umeå, Sweden. Read More...

irreverent Wondershowzen clip "Aunt Flo"

28/Mar/2007 Filed in: Amusing

they should show this in middle schools Read More...

crazy pic

26/Mar/2007 Filed in: Web pictures

Psychedelic whiteboard Art

23/Mar/2007 Filed in: Art

hypnotic Read More...

Ambient Addition - by Noah Vawter

23/Mar/2007 Filed in: Music

Noah Vawter from the MIT Media Lab has invented a walkman synthesizer mash-up that creates ambient music from environmental noise. The Ambient Addition, as the video explains, is a device that not only changes the way you listen to music, but how you look at the world. It is completely interactive and it is insanely creative. Noah Vawter further explains the purpose behind his invention and how it works:

Ambient Addition is a Walkman with binaural microphones. A tiny Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chip analyzes the microphone's sound and superimposes a layer of harmony and rhythm on top of the listener's world. In the new context, some surprising behaviors take place. Listeners tend to play with objects around them, sing to themselves, and wander toward tempting sound sources. With Ambient Addition, I'm hoping to make people think twice about the sounds they initiate as well as loosen up some inhibitions. Read More...

Sanna Annukka - she's from Holland

21/Mar/2007 Filed in: Design

Designer and Printmaker Sanna Annukka has been featured in Wallpaper and other fancy design magazines. Her work is a playful and fresh update on traditional folklore iconography. Click the pic for more. Read More...

Brand Autopsy - a Branding Blog

21/Mar/2007 Filed in: Branding / Naming

For the past decade, John Moore has made his mark in the marketing world by creating, championing, and implementing marketing ideas and branding ideals for Whole Foods Market and Starbucks Coffee. His blog is mostly writings about big brands and what has gone wrong (including his beloved Starbucks). click the pic for more.
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Egg Pants

21/Mar/2007

After becoming slightly obsessed with dip-molding, Liz Kinmark designed a product using the process. Dip-molding is usually used for cheap, industrial stuff. Only the inside surface is controlled by tooling. Gravity pulls on the exterior while it cures and causes little drips to form on the bottom. The challenge was to design a form that embraces the dripping.

Egg pants are what emerged. The product is a cute, flexible egg cup, which won't shatter and which is easy to clean.

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stop motion films by PES

21/Mar/2007 Filed in: Movies

Very strange and often hilarious stop motion and old film mash-up movies. Read More...

Hell Pizza - box morphs into a leftover "coffin"

21/Mar/2007 Filed in: Packaging

New Zealand pizza delivery company has a perforated Pizza box that folds into a coffin for your leftover slices. clever. Read More...

Texture King - Free Stock Textures

20/Mar/2007 Filed in: Design

A cool resource for designers. TextureKing is a project by REH3design. Throughout the site you will find a growing repository of high quality stock photos that are free for professional and personal use. Read More...

Colortoy - anothercool color picker

20/Mar/2007 Filed in: Useful stuff on the Internet

simple and useful tool to help you pick colors that work together.
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my superball fridge!

20/Mar/2007 Filed in: Amusing

I covered my old fridge in superballs glued to magnets. (i had some time on my hands). About 3 weeks after I did it, I wandered into the kitchen late at night and discovered that about half of the superballs were glow in the dark! Read More...

Idealist - dreamed objects

20/Mar/2007 Filed in: Inspiration

Idealist is a platform for designers and creators to publish and share their creativity, get feedback from the community and increase the popularity of their ideas.
Idealist is all about ideas, concepts, sketches, designs and new products. good stuff. click the link for more. Read More...

Ginkgo basin and bathtub by Ligne Evolution

20/Mar/2007 Filed in: Bathtubs

Bright and bold, the Ginkgo basin and bathtub features a matching modern soaking tub form. The Ginkgo design flairs upwards, opening like a flower while retaining its clean sharp form. The profile is raised at both sides, but swoops down at the front and upwards at the back for a functional yet organic look. Both the basin and the bathtub are freestanding models, which lends them a sculptural air and space. Designed by Yves Pertosa, these smooth modern fixtures offer gentle contemporary grace, and are ideal for adding signature colour to a room. Created by Ligne Evolution Read More...

Eskimo Towelclip Radiator - the Towel Clip

20/Mar/2007 Filed in: Design

The classic paperclip is often heralded as the epitome of design. As functional as it is beautiful, the double oval paperclip was first designed by Gem Manufacturing Ltd. of England in the early 1890s. Now this classic design has been reinterpreted as an iconic radiator for your home. 80cm wide, the Towelclip is a compact radiator ideal for bathrooms. Perfect for warming your towels or even trousers, the Towel Clip features a low energy usage of only 45 watts. Simple and iconic, the Towelclip transforms the traditional radiator into a tribute to industrial elegance. Read More...

concrete kitchen sink

20/Mar/2007 Filed in: Design

Science and art are combined in the distinctive Concrete Kitchen Sinks from Mark Concrete. With over 35 years experience, Mark Lesnick uses several varieties of stone and sand to create a wide range of fabulous textures. Made to a unique formula developed by Mark Concrete, their concrete kitchen sink is approximately one-third lighter than the ordinary variety. Long counters of the deepest Violet Black offer a rich satin-like finish. The deep concrete sink is cast of the same striking material, and framed with a simple carved bevel. From beneath the lovely dark surface a path of natural stones flows across the counter and through the deep basin. The gentle water worn stones give an organic pattern and add a touch of natural colour for a soothing Zen style. Read More...

Wired I crystal globe pendants

20/Mar/2007 Filed in: Lighting

Hand blown mini-pendants embedded with wire details, the Wired I pendants create a fabulous urban atmosphere. The lead crystal spheres feature an array of wire patterns that give them a distinctive worn character. At just 4.75 inches across, these small pendants are available in a brilliant blue, clear crystal, and an age worn amber. Distinctive mini-pendants, the Wired I range may be perfect for bringing an urban or industrial feel to your interior. Available from LBL Lighting, Read More...

Cueblue - an LED light

19/Mar/2007 Filed in: Lighting

An enchanting lightanimation, symbolising a DNA-string, mutates and changes direction. An ultrasonic sensor determinates the distance of visitors who can gradually change the spead of the blue flickering LEDs. Read More...

The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems

18/Mar/2007 Filed in: Books

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A book that will open your eyes. Jef Raskin, the father of the Macintosh wrote this masterwork shortly before his way to early death. It’s the requiem of a modern genius. He makes bold yet undeniable statements like:

"There has never been any technical reason for a computer to take more than a few seconds to begin operation when it is turned on."

and

"Our honeymoon with digital technology is over: We are tired of having to learn huge, arcane programs to do even the simplest of tasks; we have had our fill of crashing computers; and we are fatigued by the continual pressure to upgrade. The Humane Interface delivers a way for computers, information appliances, and other technology-driven products to continue to advance in power and expand their range of applicability, while becoming free of the hassles and obscurities that plague present products."

clic the book to get it at Amazon.

Read More...

Royal Copenhagen Ole Colander

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Tools

Who knew colanders could be so stylish. It can be used as both a colander and a serving dish, and looks like a sleek modern chair. It is made of bright yellow-glazed ceramic, and is dishwasher safe.

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Paul Smith Graphic Plates

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Design

Yes, this design motif is getting a little played out and over exposed, but I still want these plates. Read More...

9000 people making simultaneous snow angels

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Amusing

Our culture is so random. People get press for the strangest trivial things. Genocide in Darfur? who cares! we have 9000 people making snow angels in North Dakota! (To be fair, there's not a lot else going on in North Dakota and the people in Somalia still refuse to make sand angels) Click the link for the Washington Post article. Read More...

Fizzy Fruit!

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Food

In the past few years, there have been tons of companies trying to find the next big snack for kids that are actually healthy. Well, for my taste, “Fizzy Fruit” just might be this next big thing!!!

“Fizzy Fruit — whole grapes or slices of apples or pineapples carbonated in a secret process with the same carbon dioxide that’s in soft drinks but without added sugar.”

Yup, it’s giving healthy fruits that pop much like in PopRocks, a fresh sparkling apple cider, or a nice bubbly Bellini. Personally I get that snap in a nice crisp cold grape, but this only guarantees that pop in a fizz format now.

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Bossa Nova Acai Juice

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Packaging

So, what is Acai exactly? According to the label Acai is a purple rainforest berry that claims to be the “World’s most healthy Fruit” with the highest amount of antioxidants surpassing our beloved Pomegranate fruit. Nice simple clean bottle design. Read More...

Thomas Raschke - Wireframe sculptures

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Art

Thomas Raschke brings to us his wonderful series of “wire frame” artwork pieces ranging from full sized rooms, teddy bears, radios, power tools, and various other objects made from wire steel…yup I said wire steel (the above image is not from a computer). Read More...

How to find MP3 files with Google

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Search and Research

here is the search string you can cut and paste into Google:

-inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:"index of" +"last modified" +"parent directory" +description +size +(wma|mp3) "my favorite band"

Substitute the phrase "my favorite band" for any band or singer you might be looking for, and your search will lead you to open indexes that contain downloadable music files.
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Homemade Microwave Potato Chips

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Food

Good article from a food blog on making Potato Chips in your microwave... Read More...

Google Image Ripper

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Useful stuff on the Internet

If you ever use Google Image Search and are annoyed by the thumbnails view that makes you click and hunt for the original image... this solves a problem by ripping the originals to a page without any fuss. Click the link above to see my Kashi Cereal search.
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Dragonfruit - the pink variety

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Food

Inside, the texture is like a cross between a watery melon and a pear, but scattered with tiny crunchy seeds, like a kiwi. The taste is also fairly melon-like, in that it is bland and somewhat sweet. But it looks cool. The pink inside variety is less common.

Pitaya is a fruit that is grown in nearly all tropical climates these days, though it is said to originate in South America. In fact, eating it is about as simple as you would assume on looking at it: open it up and eat the inside, not the cool pink and green skin. It's in the cactus family and if you are interested in growing some dragon fruit in your own home, a simple Google search will take you to hundreds of sites willing to instruct you. Read More...

Laser cut skate decks from refill 7

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Design

Beautiful laser-cut skateboard decks .

An exhibition allowing artists to explore the idea of lasering away at seven layers of ply that make a deck and add their own distinctive mark.

A select group of artists globally have contributed their works to explore this new technology. Only 50 limited edition decks will be produced per artist. The aim of the show is to have a series of unique decks that collectors may choose to ride or display.

The exhibition will have its first show at the MTV Gallery Space in Sydney, Australia scheduled on Thursday 29th March, to be followed later in the year by New York, LA, Japan and finally a scheduled tour of Europe. Read More...

Karim Rashid Verve Clicquot Loveseat

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Furniture

The loveseat consists of two opposite facing chairs joined in the center by a pedestal with an ice bucket in the classic Clicquot yellow creating an intimate place to share your bubbly. The loveseat sells for around $10,000 and can be seen at Conran's. Read More...

Colorjack Sphere

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Useful stuff on the Internet

Color Sphere helps you design your website, redecorate your home, or choose your outfit in the morning. It can even simulates various forms of color blindness! Sphere uses color theory in order to provide you with visually appealing colors. There is a widget for OS X. click the pic to check it out.
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Wolfram Tones - Computational Music Algorithms

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Music

When prominent scientist Stephen Wolfram published A New Kind of Science in 2002, it was immediately hailed as a major intellectual landmark. Today the paradigm shift that Wolfram's work initiated is starting revolutions in a remarkable range of areas of science, technology--and the arts. WolframTones is an experiment in applying Wolfram's discoveries to the creation of music.

WolframTones works by taking simple programs from Wolfram's computational universe, and using music theory and Mathematica algorithms to render them as music. Each program in effect defines a virtual world, with its own special story--and WolframTones captures it as a musical composition.

It's all original music--fresh from "mining" Wolfram's computational universe. Sometimes it's reminiscent of familiar musical styles; sometimes it's like nothing ever heard before. But from just the tiniest corner of the computational universe WolframTones can make everyone on Earth their own unique cellphone ringtone. Read More...

York Mints limeted edition packages

13/Mar/2007 Filed in: Packaging

The York Mints "Designer Series" tins are the ultimate fashion accessory. Celebrity designers Nicky Hilton and Nicole Miller created two fresh new York® Mints designer tins exclusively to benefit the Young Survival Coalition (YSC). The tins house the latest mint offering from York, featuring a soft mint center surrounded by a layer of dark chocolate and hard-candy shell.

Hilton’s tin features a chic black and white design with a muted floral pattern, capturing the essence of her signature style. Miller’s tin has a black and cream intricately designed palette following suit of her Spring 2007 collection.

Each tin features the designers’ signature and will retail for $25 with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the YSC. Read More...

What to cut with: a knife analysis

10/Mar/2007 Filed in: Food

Nice knife article from cooking blog "Food for Engineers". No idea if it's accurate info but it's interesting. Read More...

Watch Phil Donahue hand Bill O'Reilly his ass

04/Mar/2007 Filed in: Influences

I love a smart liberal. Phil Donahue was a huge influence on me when I was a kid being babysat by the television. Read More...

Pixel notes - a wall made out of post-its

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Art

Pixelnotes (the creation of two artists) is a wallpaper consisting of four layers of varying gray tones, with each layer perforated in a grid format and backed with an adhesive similar to post-it notes. So basically you write a message on the wall, peel a square off, and reveal the gray beneath it. The wall will eventually form a pixelated image depending on how you use it. Read More...

Inflatable Bubble Bar

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Furniture

The Bubble Double-bar is an inflatable and illuminated double-bar which is easy to transport and install. Perfect if you need an impromptu bar or if you just prefer all your furniture to be inflatable. Read More...

wow! cool folding chair video

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Furniture

A folding chair concept (I believe it's made out of cardboard) click the pic to see the video. Read More...

Switchable mirror glass makes energy efficient windows

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Sustainability

A group from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has designed glass which can switch between window and mirror. The switch is done by altering the gas content between the two glass panes. By introducing a small amount of hydrogen into the atmosphere between the panes, the glass acts as a transparent window. Alternatively, adding a small amount of oxygen with no hydrogen forms a reflecting mirror. The idea is to save energy in buildings by reflecting away heat on heavily sunny days. Read More...

Build your own BED sheets - from InMod

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: D.I.Y.

Here’s a cool website you can use to make your own custom bed sheets. You can choose the type of fabric, patterns, and colors among others. Expensive but really interesting.

Inmod’s vast variety of base and embroidery colors, allows you to transform your space using color to set a mood. Choose from earthy, natural tones or bright, vivid modern shade. After selecting the look of the duvet, switching to a room view is just a click away, allowing you to be the interior designer. Begin by customizing the floor, follow with a rug, a bed frame, a nightstand, wall color, and bed sheets, molding and even accent vases, no details were spared in our design studio, to allow you to have a clear picture of what your customized duvets would look like in your bedroom.

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rubik's cube art

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Art

This guy makes art using Rubik's cubes. Which means he has to solve the Rubik's cube (on one face at least) to fit what he wants. Well that, or peeling off the stickers and putting them on in the correct order. Which I wouldn't know anything about.
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controlling computer games with your brain

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Technology

Step aside Nintendo, Emotiv's got dibs on the ultimate game controller right here with their Project Epoc. It's basically a headset fitted with a bunch of sensors that "read" your mind and let you control video games (be it from your console or PC) via your thoughts. Did I mention it can do this wirelessly? Though it looks like a torture device, the concept is pretty sweet. Click the pic for more. Read More...

random web pic - space shuttle launch photographed from the sky

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Web pictures

Fire Station in the Netherlands

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Architecture

It's in Houten in the Netherlands and was designed by local firm Samyn & Partners. Read More...

Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators for homes

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Technology

Cool technology that doesn't use pulleys, cables or pistons... just air and a vacuum pump. Click the pic for more pictures and information Read More...

Paintings by Matthew Curry

02/Mar/2007 Filed in: Art

I like artist process stuff... here's the finished version of a Matthew Curry painting featured in a stage by stage slideshow on Making Room Magazine. Read More...

The Collective Type Project

01/Mar/2007 Filed in: Fonts

The objective of Collective Type is to build up a font made of different drawings that visitors create.

The font will consist of the usual 90 numbers and letters of the Roman alphabet, this detail excludes the special characters that some languages (Portuguese for example) use like “ç” and “~”.

Each character is made of 225 different drawings produced by the visitors, this means that after all those drawings the final aspect of a letter/number is achieved. Right now all the letters and numbers are completed (total of 20,749 drawings) and you can either check the whole gallery or a specific letter. For instance, the picture above represents the 225 drawings that make up the letter B: click the pic for more Read More...

Easy Desk

01/Mar/2007 Filed in: Furniture

cool adjustable aluminum "desk" for holding your laptop in the right spot while you lounge away. Seems like a good deal for $58 click the pic for more Read More...

Silicone colander collapses to store flat!

01/Mar/2007 Filed in: Food

Great idea. Though not as beautiful as some colanders, looks like a smart solution for the space challenged kitchen. Read More...