as i have already mentioned, the world cup is nearly here. i have previously posted about nike kits in a bottle, and the umbro world champions kits. now, from nike and wieden+kennedy, comes the ‘write the future’ video to even more increase my anticipation.

me too is a range of furniture and other items by magis, but just for kids. you may be familiar with the puppy, above, which is exactly what i was looking at when i came across the rest of the range, most of which i didn’t know existed.

while i do kind of like the puppy (especially the glow in the dark version, above), what caught my eye the most was the alma chair (below), designed by javier mariscal. it comes in four colours, and is stackable too, but what caught my eye was the detail on the back. turning something as simple as the ribbing into something beautiful is a hard task, and it is pulled off brilliantly. the only thing i can’t believe is that it doesn’t come in a adult version!

the magis site actually has (basic) technical drawings of all their designs, and i was frustrated to learn the height of the alma seat is only 320mm, which is probably just a little bit too small for me to get away with buying one for myself. however, selling for between £30 and £40, i am still really tempted!

link to me too site

lego have just released an app for the iphone, which turns any photo you take into a mosaic of lego bricks. i have just downloaded it, and not only is it great, it’s also free!

via designboom

last year i took part in the ’super christmas market’ at somerset house, and will do so again this year! as you can read on the poster, it is a great place to get some original designs from some great designers, at an affordable price.

i will be situated alongside chloé nagle, martha mitchell and julia patterson, as part of studio ransoms. below is my selected product, measuring mugs, and below that are chloé, martha, and julias respectively; tailored decorations, bottlenecks, and brooches.

also there will be previously-blogged-about-friends offcut design and michael marriott. so come along!

link to super christmas market

a few months ago i did a post called more lego things, about a range of official LEGO gadgets, and have found out they are set to be released in the next month!

via designboom

[note, the mp3 player pictured in the bottom left of the picture is unofficial]

i saw this on boingboing, and it looks incredible!

link

it’s not out yet (the website says to ‘return next week for full details’ [including price]), but the nike+ sportband does what the nike+ ipod gadget does, but without the ipod. which is a good thing, if, like me, you don’t have one. the nike+ ipod ones seem cheap until you factor in the cost of the nano aswell, and so this could be the perfect solution.

link to nike+ site (which i will be checking again in a week!)

UPDATE! they’re retailing for £40. that’s a little bit more than i was expecting given the cost of the nike+ ipod kit, but oh well…

following a previous post on ‘classic football boot design’, i’ve opted for neither. hypocritical maybe, but i just really needed some new boots. at least they’re made from leather…

i’m not sure how much of the product description is true, but anyway, they sound quite technologically advanced:

‘Nike AZT90 Laser FG Leather Black/RedFootball Boots

The Nike Total 90 Laser is the new boot choice of England and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, creating a revolutionary enhancement of the Total 90 series.

Applying the learning from sports like golf or tennis, the expanded Sweet Spot on the Nike Total 90 Laser allows the athlete to maximise shooting and passing accuracy through better boot to ball alignment and targeting.

Unique precision rings create optimum trajectrory, spin and distance control. Twisted medial rings provide more agggressive contact, enhancing ball spin and swerve opportunities.

The highest density material (3 times harder than a synthetic upper) is aligned with the hardest part of the foot for improved accuracy and distance. The precision rings are sectioned to help the player keep the ball down when shooting at goal. Rings also add more aggressive contact to the ball, allowing the player to add height and swerve to the ball as desired.

Waterproof eVent Fabric also lets sweat escape, maintaining a constant temperature inside the boot while playing.’

great!

(from boingboing gadgets): ‘Tor Clausen makes these fantastic Musical Rumba Series tables in his Olympia, Washington studio, each one topped with interchangeable percussion instruments that lock into a flat grid.’

prices range from $800 to $2900. i’m slightly sceptical that it might get annoying after a while, but then again if i knew someone else that had one, i would probably want to go round to their house all the time.

be quick, this ones nearly over!

link

one of my first posts was about these concrete rings i really like, and now on designboom they have some images of how they are made. i just wish they were a little bit cheaper. maybe one day…

link

also today, from core77, i saw these rings based on the periodic table and the elements they’re made from, which i quite like too!

link

there’s an article on designboom called ‘poor jewelry’, which is quite interesting. i was first grabbed by the images, which are nice enough to look at if you don’t want to read the article.

but, if you’ve got 5 minutes, and can forget that it’s actually spelt jewellery, the click here!

i thought i’d better start writing these down…

from designboom:

‘you should explore the properties of this unique material and challenge
people’s perception of how crystal can be used in the near future.

come up with new products and ideas to fill the new SWAROVSKI concept store:
· what role could crystal play in an urban lifestyle and make you feel better?
· how feminine and sensual can crystal pieces be and make you feel more beautiful?

we are looking for innovative product concepts that might be based on pure crystal
or fuse crystal with new materials or functions.

please note: the products should be ‘packageable’ that means they should be able to be sold over the counter
- so do not think about crystal furniture, a crystal city or a crystal car…
see SWAROVSKI’s current product range and brand focus at swarovski.com‘

‘ the designers of 3 winning entries will be granted with cash prize awards :
- first prize Euro 4000
- second prize Euro 3000
- third prize Euro 2000

winning entries and a selection of the works sent in will be promoted
by SWAROVSKI internationally in exhibitions and events

and as always… designboom will publish an exhaustive results report.’

there’s loads more information here, which is also where you register etc.

i’ve written more than a few posts about LEGO recently, but it’s only because it is so good.

not only does LEGO digital designer let you build models from scratch, using any brick shape size and colour, but it then lets you check how much it would cost to buy, and you can submit it to the website to sell!

they have some ’starter models’; half built models for you to edit and/or finish. then you can just build whatever you can imagine! it’s like having the best collection of LEGO ever to build with. I just hope it’s not too much choice…

i think i know what i’m going to be doing this easter break…

download it here!

7 leagues professional jumping stilts (as they are officially known) are something i’ve been hearing about for a while now. i saw a kid in bromley wearing them last year, but not using them to their full potential (in my opinion).

they are made of an aluminium frame and fibreglass springs, and some pictures i’ve seen of people using them to the max look amazing!

prices range from about £170 to about £250, which is quite a lot. i remember when micro scooters first came out they cost about that much though, so maybe these will get cheaper as popularity increases. i hope so!

from core77

link to 7leagues

cre.ations.net sells kits to build this binary/POV custom LED wristwatch. I think if it looked a bit nicer, i’d get one.

i’ve been thinking a lot about watches recently. i’m currently doing a project on the brand swatch, so have looked at pretty much their whole range and now want to buy one as ‘research’.

some other watches i’ve seen and want include michael young’s watch, which one of my tutors has, and a LEGO watch, which my friend sam dransfield has. below are pictures, but both are slightly different to the ones owned by the two sams.

diy led watch from cre.ations.net

michael young watch from twentytwentyone

sam/ham, owner of the lego watch

i’ve never had a leatherman, but if i did, i’d want this one. it’s based on the leatherman skeletool, which weighs a mere 5 ounces, but by making one handle out of nylon and making the driver a bit smaller, it weighs even less!

i’m guessing they’ll be quite expensive, but by the looks of it pretty damn cool!

link to toolmonger, a site i’ve only just found out about!

this chair, designed by an ex maths and PE teacher from london, is (apparantly) untippable.

a fact i didnt know, is that every year, 7,000 pupils are admitted to hospital as a result of chair-related accidents, and 70 per cent resulted from rocking back dangerously, according to government statistics.

the max chair, created by the design company sedley place, has curved legs that prevent rocking. mr wates, the inventor, said that no child could lift it more than 5cm off the ground.

that sounds like a challenge!

from timesonline

i’m probably getting a bit obsessed with posting stuff about LEGO recently, but this guy designed some of the best stuff i remember.

AND he got the job when he was 17! from an advert in the newspaper! how crazy is that?!?!

click here for a link to the interview on boing boing.

I would LOVE to work for LEGO….

flikr set

‘cable carpet’ by britta böhne, 2006

fingers laptop stand by oof design

i think all of these are great. in fact i’m gonna try to make the fingers stand tomorrow on the strip heater….

via designboom

after saying that LEGO is my favourite thing ever, i’ve read this article which is very funny.

it’s true, however many amazing sets there have been, some of these are terrible. and i did actually have 6949….

link

needless to say, LEGO is (in my opinion) not only the greatest toy of all time, but the greatest product of all time.

today is (apparantly) it’s 50th anniversary.

click here for a timeline of LEGO. and maybe go buy some!

i think i first saw this on the designboom competition last year.

all i know is i want one one day.

link

again from seoul design week, im pretty sure a jeweller i know did something like this a couple of years ago. and she didn’t believe me when i said she was the most talented person i knew other than me…

link

this page lets you find the distances between places on google maps. that sounds kind of boring when i read it, but its not. you wanna know how far the walk to college is? the cycle to work? planning a walk or just want to show off what distance you can jog.

i highly recommend it to anyone that can walk, run or cycle.

link

this IS cool.

(designboom again, sorry!)

i hate it when you see something you thought of ages ago and then someones already done it, sometimes better.

i was just thinking of something like the radiator plate two weeks ago. and the abrasion chairs seem like the exact idea i did for a project last term.

both very good, both from seoul design week

(designboom)

i’ve owned both. i currently have the adidas. both are classic designs. both are the best boots i’ve ever used…

wow, up and running one hour and already a request for the morning chair!

well julia, i found an old picture that i think you’re gonna like!

thanks!

(ps if anyone nicks this they’re dead!)