Archive for the ‘most wanted’ Category
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
i also came across this today.
if you get tired of lacing your shoes every time you go outside, then the lace-amatic is the perfect gadget for you. this small two-part plastic mechanism acts as a ratchet to tighten up pre-tied shoes allowing users to slip on their shoe and tighten it up without retying a bow every time. the lace-amatic slips over the shoe’s laces and once twisted, it tightens up the laces just like tying them up. while you may be thinking this is a rather useless invention for lazy people who don’t want to tie their shoelaces, it was actually designed for older people and those with reduced mobility, for whom bending down to tie up their shoes is a difficult task.
what a great idea! some of the best ideas come from designs aimed at the less able. only the other day i saw someone with one of those tennis-ball-throwing-things for dogs, and was thinking about it. originally designed to aid old people who couldn’t throw balls for their dogs, this has since gone on to sell millions, mainly to able bodied, active people who just want to be able to throw really far!
via designboom
lace-amatic
Tags: dogs, lace-amatic, laces, shoelaces, tennis ball
Posted in did you know...?, main, most wanted | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
i came across this today whilst doing some research, and was very impressed! called ‘match’, by swedish design studio ‘form us with love’, designed for danish company muuto. a very simple idea, done very well! everyone’s had the problem of trying to light a tealight for a holder, and either burnt themselves or put out the flame by dropping the candle in, so it’s amazing no one thought of it before. i can’t find a price at this moment, but hopefully i’ll find out soon.
form us with love
muuto
Tags: candle, denmark, form us with love, glass, muuto, sweden, tealight
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Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
this is ‘tonic’, by reinhard dienes, a piece of furniture that can be either a standup bookcase or a low storage unit, by flipping the oak shell and moving the feet.
i thought the legs were maybe black rubber, but seeing the closeup shot (below) it looks like they are darker stained wood. i really like the contrast.
about the design, dienes says:
This transformation allows Tonic to adapt itself to changing living situations and desires.
im not sure how often the user might do this in reality, but it’s still a nice idea.
via dezeen
Tags: bookcase, feet, oak, reinhard dienes, storage, tonic
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Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
this is moving mondrian, by vladimír ambroz. the white frame is made from corian, and the doors and drawers can be moved around inside it as the user wishes. this seems like the kind of thing i shouldn’t like at all, but i really do. more so, in fact, every time i see it!
via dezeen
Tags: bookshelf, corian, moving mondrian, shelves, vladimír ambroz
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
i saw the new alessi collection by spanish designer marti guixe today, and my eye was caught by two of the designs in particular. above is the ‘communicator plant’, which has a trunk and branches for holding notes (presumably green post-its for best effect), as well as the pot for holding everything else.
from the original article:
‘collection of objects’ by spanish designer martí guixé is a new series of household items for alessi. the pieces are designed to encourage interaction and play from its users. through his designs, guixé researches new ways of looking at objects rather than simply reinventing a form that fits into the traditional interpretations of function.
‘objects have become tools for perceiving our daily reality, and also for communicating not only with objects, but also with other people through these objects. this collection is based on new typologies revolving around this concept.‘ -MG
the other product i liked best was the ‘24h sentence maker’. i’ve seen a few blank-clock-with-pen ideas before, but none with an explanation as strange as this:
24h sentence maker wall clock allows one to measure time with sentences. the hours are represented by words. ‘is‘ is written in the middle of the clock connecting the words to create a new sentence every hour, 24 sentences a day. for example: ‘design is desire’.
as well as the products, i love his sketches too!
via designboom
Tags: alessi, clock, household, marti guixe, objects, post-its
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
i came across this today, and have been wondering whether or not it would (or could) ever actually work. designed by julien bergignat and patrice mouille, the comments on the original article are full of such questions. having worked a lot with polypropylene (the material of which the outer shell is made of) i would presume it would not protect you in a crash at all.
however, it is still a nice concept, definitely an interesting design, and who knows!
via core77
Tags: helmet, julien bergignat, patrice mouille, polypropylene
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Friday, January 15th, 2010
this is the e8 table, by mathias hahn. made of lacquered redwood, i think this table looks amazing! a great shape, and a great colour too!
here’s what he says:
The E8 table is based on an observation of an impromptu composed piece of post war time furniture that ended up as a dining table.
The long and narrow format allows it to be used as an every-day work and kitchen table, where temporary items such as laptops or paperwork can easily sidestep during meal times.
via dezeen
Tags: e8, lacquer, mathias hahn, table, yellow
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Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
these are the ‘gravity ruler’ luggage scales, by politecnico di milano students marcella maltese and lin wei. you wonder why no one did it before. for me, it’s another one of those ‘i had that idea a few years ago’ kind of designs. not to take anything away from it though, this is such a good design; so simple and so effective. the packaging is great too!
from the original article:
The demand for these things (what with the miserly 15kg allowance on Ryanair flights in Europe and the clumsiness of other similar products) was proven when the pair sold their first batch of 35 in under an hour at the Travel Trading fair in Milan. They’re now looking for a manufacturer.
via core77
Tags: gravity ruler, lin wei, luggage, marcella maltese, politecnico di milano, scales
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Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
these are ‘rocket’ planters by minali singh from qatar.
rocket is a reversible terracotta planter which can be utilized in two ways. smaller plants can be planted in the three small pots on one end of the pot. but the pot can be turned over to provide a larger pot space for bigger plants. the planter is made by attaching three small cones to a larger cone, thrown on a wheel.
at first i was drawn to the top image, with the three feet at the bottom as quite a nice detail, and thought that using them as small pots for herbs was a bit impractical. but then i thought about it, and it makes sense to me somehow. using the larger pot as a base or foot, the smaller pots are more stable than they would be as stand-alone pots, and just that bit higher up too.
via designboom
Tags: herbs, minali singh, planter, plants, pot, rocket
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Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
i just came across these, and think they are great. and only $5 for a set of two! only today did i find myself needing a screwdriver and not having one to hand.
link to county comm
via boingboing gadgets
Tags: key, keyring, screw, screwdriver
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Sunday, December 13th, 2009
having just bought a new watch (see ‘design on ebay‘ post, below), i have still managed to come across a few more i like. above are a collection of watches by uniform wares, a new london based design company.
i like simple watches, and if you type in ‘watch’ into the search bar in the top right of this blog you will find many posts on others i like. these watches are nice and simple, and the selection of colours above are quite cool too. unconventional somehow, but nice. the body is made of anodised aluminium, and the strap out of polyurethane.
the second watch i saw was the single hand watches by defakto, a german brand (below). again, very simple, if not more so due to the lack of minute hand. debate always rages as to the benefits of single hand watches. there are many to be found, and i guess it just depends on you preference whether you need to know exactly to the minute what time it is, rather than to the nearest 5.
defakto say:
We build place our confidence on understatement and stand for a new way of living in form of a relaxed feeling of time. Our central theme is to display time as simple as possible, but as exact as needed. Defakto builds watches for people with time whom are therefore not meticulous depended on knowing the exact time.
the other thing i like about this watch is the back (see bottom image). covered in the same crystal as the front face, you can see some of the inner workings through it. again, you could argue this is pointless if you are going to be wearing it, but i think it’s a nice touch.
both found via dezeen
Tags: defakto, dezeen, single hand, uniform wares, watch
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Saturday, December 12th, 2009
my brother just bought me these for my skateboard, and like all things enjoi, i like them a lot. i think even if you’re not into skateboarding, you can appreciate these.
cheap and cheerful!
Tags: bolts, enjoi, skateboard
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Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
now, this is one of the most exciting thigs i have seen for a while. a collaboration between muji and lego. a hole punch, that punches lego sized holes in paper and card, to help you create other things.
i know it was as recent as my last post that i was saying how rubbish fake and non-lego things were, but i don’t think this counts, as it is an official product. and how innnovative it is! the possibilites are as endless as you imagination.
recently lego has been spreading out into all kinds of areas. see recent posts on boardgames (creationary, which i have played, and is amazing), architecture and gadgets. it seems they have been picking their collaborations wisely, as few ventures seem to be bad, and it makes you wonder why they didn’t do it sooner!
[i love lego, and have done many posts on lego related things. type in 'lego' into the search bar to see other things i written about!]
via boingboing
Tags: card, hole punch, lego, muji, paper
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Friday, November 20th, 2009
i was on the v&a shop website, and came across this: the ‘lego inspired’ puzzle calender. I’m not sure if I like it or not. On the one hand, it looks like lego, but then that’s the point: it’s not. And I don’t quite understand why certain things are certain colours.
Either way, it’s one of the few items on the v&a website that actually sold out, so i’m guessing it’s quite popular. And maybe something that lego themselves could actually do, but better.
(£12, if it becomes available again)
link to v&a shop
Tags: calender, lego, v&a
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Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
these are damien hirst’s latest deck designs for new york skate brand supreme. above are 5 variations of his iconic spot series, and below are 5 decks with a more pharmaceutical theme. if i were to buy one, it would be from the latter designs i think, but they’re all very nice.
this is his second range of designs for supreme, follwing his spin series from earlier in the year (below).
found via itsnicethat
link to supreme
Tags: art, damien hirst, new york, skateboard, spot, supreme
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Saturday, November 14th, 2009
these are the nike zvezdochka trainers, designed by marc newson. i saw them probably about 5 years ago now at the design museum when marc had an exhibition on there. i don’t know why i suddenly remembered them recently, but i did, and i didn’t have a blog then, so i’ll write what i would have written at the time.
there’s no doubting these shoes are cool, but why? looking at them now i am reminded of two things: jelly shoes and crocs. actually, they were designed as a multi purpose shoe for cosmonauts; it’s named after the russian space dog that ventured aboard sputnik 10 in 1961. so that explains the name.
the shoe is made of two parts: a rubber outsole and an insole that fits inside it. i remember what i liked was how the ’sole’ of the shoe was actually the insole popping out of the holes in the outsole (does that make sense? see picture above).
being a fan of nike, and also of marc newson, is another reason i like them. the thing about them was that they were never available in the shops. certain boutiques had them available in very limited numbers at the time, and they all got bought up by design and trainer lovers alike.
i remember they came in a range of colours (both insole and out), my favourties being the green. i know there are reasons why companies do collaborations like this where they keep the batches small, but this is one i wish i could own. as it is, if i had managed to buy them, i would never actually wear them as i wouldn’t want to ruin them knowing they’d never be in the shops again!
Tags: cosmonaut, marc newson, nike, shoes, space, sputnik, trainers, zvezdochka
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Saturday, November 14th, 2009
it’s not very often i tear something out of a magazine to remember to blog about it, but today i did. there were a few key factors that made me do it: firstly, winter is coming. secondly, it’s raining today. thirdly, when planning holiday in winter the main problem is usually footwear.
on a ski/snowboard holiday for example, deciding what to wear when not on the pistes is a bit annoying, as i don’t want to buy a pair of boots specifically for the snow, when i may only need them one week of the year.
i have walking boots, but they are waterproof only to an extent. wear them literally all day in the snow, or in extremely wet conditions (canoeing, for example) and they will become heavy, wet, and cold.
so perhaps here is the solution: seal skinz. falling into a similar category (of use at least) as recent posts on sigg, mag, scottevest, stovetec and an old one on inflatable kayaks, this is something that i am excited about. i like innovative use of materials to solve problems in products, so while this might be seen as an item of clothing rather than a product, i still think they are relevant.
SealSkinz® are the world’s only range of waterproof, breathable, close-fitting socks and gloves. Suitable for a wide variety of uses, from outdoor pursuits to gardening, you’re sure to stay dry with SealSkinz® on!
i figure that with a pair of these underneath my walking boots, i should be sorted! no need to buy boots specifically for wet or snowy weather, and i increase the number of uses for the boots i already have.
a look at their products reveals lots of other exciting things, but if i’m sticking closely to the socks (that caught my attention in the first place), the things i like are their original ‘mid-thermal black socks’, the ‘high-vis sock’, which has a reflective strip around the top, and the latest range of waterproof football socks (both below).
all in the £20-£30 range, i think they could be a sound investment.
link to seal skinz
Tags: camping, canoe, gloves, seal skinz, sealskinz, skiing, snowboarding, socks, water, waterproof, winter
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Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
this is the ‘mayday’ lamp, by konstantin grcic, a designer i like very much. i received the book ‘kgid’ (konstantin grcic industrial design) as a gift just before beginning my degree in product design, and it was very influential and inspiring for me.
one of his most well known designs is ‘chair one’, which i absolutely love (and will almost certainly do a blog post on soon). heading to his website i found a few interesting things about the light (which are also in the book): the first is the origins of the word mayday, and the second about his design process. Both are below, the most interesting part for me being his first line about him designing it.
Mayday … Mayday … were the famous last words before the Titanic sank. The S.O.S. call originates from the French ‘m’aider’ (engl. ‘help me’).
I designed the MAYDAY lamp to be a tool. It has a practical handle which incorportates the ON/OFF switch and two spikes to wind up the 5 meter long cable. A big hook on the end of the handle comes in helpful to install the lamp wherever needed. The big white funnel is at the same time reflector and protector. Its smooth polypropylen plastic gives off a warmly diffused light and is strong enough to absorbe any bashing. MAYDAY is not designed for anywhere in specific. It rather comes in handy in all sorts of expected/unexpected situations: Taking it to the garage for work underneath the old Mercedes Benz. Taking it to the garden where it can hang from a tree. Using it on top of a ladder or lying on the floor trying to get the cat from behind the cupboard. Kids love MAYDAY inside their self-made cardboard house. I have one next to my bed for late night reading. Another one sits by the front door of my apartment … just in case.
available in a few colours, my favourite is the orange one i have featured pictures of here. everything about it is great, from looks to function. like any good tool, it does exactly what it needs to do perfectly. produced by/for flos, the best price i have found is £67, which for such a versatile lamp and design classic is not too bad!
link to konstantin grcic
Tags: chair one, flos, kgid, konstantin grcic, lamp, mayday, tool
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Monday, November 9th, 2009
this is the ‘here’ hook, by richard shed. i bought one a while ago for my brother, and am hoping he’ll keep forgetting to ask for it back. and i think that is testament alone to how good a design i think it is.
Never again will you have to tell guests where to hang their jackets.
made of lacquered mdf, it is available for around £10 in various places. i think richard shed is a friend of my old tutor sam johnson (which is mostly irrelevant, now i re-read it), and if you head over to his website you’ll see lots of other nice products.
link to richard shed
Tags: here, hook, mdf, richard shed
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Thursday, November 5th, 2009
this fleece hoodie from scottevest not only has an incredible name, but also a lot of cool features too:
Comfortable, stylish and useful, the Ultimate Hoodie Microfleece is a must have layer. It has earned its title as the Ultimate Hoodie with 11 hidden pockets and compartments that are strategically located and ergonomically designed to manage all of your gadgets. Our patented Personal Area Network (PAN) provides wire management for iPods®, cell phones and other wired devices. Special earbud loops keep your music within easy reach.
The Ultimate Hoodie is made of ultra-comfortable, lightweight microfleece, thick enough to keep the chill off but thin enough that you can control your iPod® right through the fabric. This hooded sweatshirt features spacious DeepPockets™ with magnetic closures to keep your essentials secure. Other great features include a built-in extendible keychain and a secret pocket. Microfleece. Machine Washable.
this came as a recommendation from an inhabitant of montréal, which is as good a sign as any for me that it would be just the thing for winter. there’s nothing like a good fleece to keep you warm when it’s freezing outside. usually i’m put off by multi-pocketed items of clothing because they bulge out too much, but if the xray image below is even slightly representative of what it claims to be, then it won’t be bulging with stuff when you’re wearing it either!
thanks sophie!
link to scottevest
Tags: cold, fleece, hoodie, microfleece, pockets, scottevest, winter
Posted in main, most wanted | 1 Comment »
Saturday, October 31st, 2009
this is the tykho radio, designed by marc berthier for lexon. i have always like this design, but had forgotten about it until i saw it for sale at habitat last week. (habitat have started selling products from other design houses such as lexon recently, and this is one that fits in perfectly).
the outside of the whole radio is rubber, including the speaker. this not only gives it a really great feel, but means it is splash and shock resistant too. it will also not look out of place inside or out, in the kitchen, the bathroom or the office.
it keeps the number of buttons down to a minimum, and to tune it you use the aerial, spinning it in either direction. it is available in a few different colours, and costs around £45 (depending on where you look).
link to lexon
Tags: habitat, lexon, marc berthier, radio, rubber, tykho
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Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
and also (following the last post), i just saw this.
this analog alarm watch by industrial facility takes its starting point from the alarm clock image. here, sound is replaced by vibration (through the use of a small motor), which indicates that the alarm is activated. simply by moving the hand to the desired time and lifting the alarm button, the watch can be set and used for daily alerts.
via designboom
Tags: alarm clock, industrial facility, sam hecht, watch
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Monday, October 19th, 2009
another thing i havn’t posted about for a while: watches i like. so here’s two!
above and below are some variations of the RADO r5.5 watch, designed by jasper morrison. apart from the titanium buckle, the links and watch face are made the same high tech ceramic used in F1 and space shuttles.
the use of this material is what i like about it most i think, but it does look very cool too.
the second watch i like is the sharing watch by korean design studio maezm. the watch [below] is designed so that it is convenient for more than one person to read.
a normal watch is worn so that it is convenient for the wearer to tell time – with numbers readable when the arm is folded toward the trunk of the body. however, through a slight change of turning the display board 90 degrees, the intrinsic meaning of the watch changes – for example when you are showing someone what time it is. sharing watch by korean design studio maezm displays the time in such a way that it is read in the same way to you as it can be read by others. the simple act of turning the numeric face 90 degrees reconsiders the ritual behavior of sharing time on a different level.
although it would probably confuse you for a few weeks, it is still a nice idea, and just looks so simple.
r5.5 via designboom
sharing watch also via designboom
Tags: ceramic, jasper morrison, maezm, r5.5, RADO, sharing watch, watch
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Monday, October 12th, 2009
i think maglites are a design classic. i’d put them in a similar category to sigg water bottles (that i did a post on here). they are just very simple, very functional, and therefore very useful. i thought, like sigg, that they were a swiss design, but they are actually american. and the newer ‘mag LED’ designs are the most efficient. apparantly, a new set of batteries will last literally days if you leave it on!
the LED versions do cost a bit more, but the saving on batteries alone surely makes it worth it. i don’t think i’d have much use for the larger model (below), but the above model (the 3w LED torch) is compact but powerful, and costs about £20. not bad!
and the solitaire (below) costs only a fiver!
link to mag
Tags: AA, batteries, camping, led, light, mag, maglite, torch
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Monday, October 12th, 2009
i was first shown ‘trip clips’, from terra plana (the ethical shoe people), a few months ago now. i thought the idea of a little lime green tab at the back of my jeans would look cool, regardless of the function. but the function is (obviously) the best bit. they describe it better than i can:
Not wearing Trip Clips will seriously damage your jeans! Trip Clips are the indispensable tool for keeping your jeans from fraying round the heel. You can still wear the baggiest of jeans and these little clips will keep the hem of your trousers safely away from the ground. All you need to do is place the hoop over your foot, clip it on and away you go!
they cost £5, which i don’t think is that much really, if they can save your jeans from getting all torn up. they come in a range of colours, but seem to be out of stock on the website at the moment. im going to go to the terra plana store and see if they have any there. when i first saw them they came in a few different colours (including my favourite, the lime green), but the colours they do now are different it seems. i think i’d want a brightly coloured pair, and a discreet pair, for different occasions.
Tags: clip, jeans, shoes, terra plana, trip clip
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Saturday, October 10th, 2009
if there ever was a company that makes everything, it is rolson. anything tool related anyway. one of my first ever posts (which you can find here) was on a set of safety goggles with led’s on the side, which i have since bought, and are brilliant. i have also more recently got some metal polishing cloths, and some mini clamps.
the reason i mention them, is because i was at my local car boot sale today, where there is a guy that always sells tools and other diy things, and i saw a basket of rolson tools, of which one caught my eye: the ‘clip on spectacle eye loupe’.
i thought it was such a specific tool, that i couldn’t believe anyone actually buying (at this car boot sale at least), yet there it was. right next to the ‘watch bracelet link removing pliers’ and the ‘watch case holder’ (both below).
it made me wish i actually had a use for these things. they are, as i’ve said, extremely specific, but they are so well made and look amazing too.
if you have any job that may require a tool, or have a general interest in things like this, i suggest you head over to their website. you might have a task you didn’t even think there was a tool for, but rolson make one. it has such a vast amount of products to browse through, it’s brilliant!
link to rolson
Tags: car boot, loupe, rolson, tool, tools, watch
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Saturday, September 26th, 2009
this alarm clock, by industrial facility, is designed so that the whole of the back casing is the actual bell that rings. industrial facility say that this improves the efficiency of the clock, using fewer components and creating a louder ring. it was designed for the japanese brand IDEA, and comes in three colours, each of which is inspired by a loud object: a fire bell (red), bicycle bell (chrome) and door bell (black).
simple, clever thinking. and they look good too!
via dezeen
Tags: alarm clock, analogue, bell, IDEA, industrial facility
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Friday, September 25th, 2009
this is a tshirt, with an actual lego base plate attached to the front! im not sure how practical this would actually be, but it’s a cool idea anyway.
via designboom
Tags: base plate, lego, tshirt
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Monday, September 21st, 2009
feeling a bit creative, and want an actual outlet for it? something physical, tangible, that you have [partly] designed yourself? head over to nike id, where you can fully customise [colour-wise, at least] a wide range of footwear, apparel and accessories.
you can keep it quite basic [like the top image], go for something a bit colourful [above] or go all out [below]!
they have a wide range of products to customise, from shoes to football boots to bags to tshirts, and they don’t cost that much more than you would pay for the pre-chosen colours in the shops.
even if you aren’t planning to buy, it can be fun to play around anyway. the site is simple and easy to use, so give it a try!
link to nike id
Tags: bag, boots, colours, customize, football, id, nike, nikeid, shoes, soccer, trainers, tshirt
Posted in did you know...?, main, most wanted | No Comments »
Saturday, September 19th, 2009
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]
Tags: camera, lego, mp3 player, phone, usb, video camera
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Friday, September 18th, 2009
I saw these, and think they look very cool! and just in case you don’t wear glasses, they do sunglasses too. they are made of water buffalo horn, and each pair is hand manufactured. images of the process are at the bottom of the post (this is the bit i usually find most interesting!).
Zurich and London designers Aekae have designed a collection of glasses made of water buffalo horns. The range of eyewear, called SIRE, consists of three pairs of sunglasses and three pairs of correctional frames.
Each SIRE natural horn spectacle consists of up to seven thin layers of horn. The core plates of horn fibers run in opposite directions known as the ”Triplex Safety System”, which is considered to offer the highest standards in quality, stability and resistance to deformation. The only waste in the production are horn splinters, which serve as natural plant nutrition. At the end of the manufacturing process every frame is polished carefully by hand, to make the natural horn structure visible.
The water buffalo is a domesticated animal throughout Asia, comparable to our cattle. It is normally trained to plow and harvest fields, and is vital in the rice plantations. Besides also supplying milk and leather, the horns, which can reach two meters in length, are later used for exclusive natural products.
via dezeen
Tags: aekae, glasses, horn, sire, sunglasses, water buffalo
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Thursday, September 17th, 2009
i saw this on designboom, and it focussed on the portable usb peg (on the left), but what i was drawn to was the hook peg. im sure it’s been done a million times by a million different designers, but i still think it’s great. why aren’t these for sale?!
by poor design
via designboom
Tags: hook, peg, pegs, poor design, usb
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Monday, September 14th, 2009
Case-mate’s carboard iPhone case comes with free shipping and personalization–with a Sharpie.
this is great. and what’s even better is some of the things on the website. like the faq’s, here are some of my favourites:
Q) Is it waterproof?
A) No, so dont put it in the dishwasher
Q) Is this case flammable?
A) If you light it on fire it it is
Q) Can I use this case to microwave my frozen pizzas?
A) I dont see why not, although we cant insure quality taste
Q) Will this case make me awesome?
A) I think that goes without saying
Q) Is there a warranty?
A) no, it is cardboard afterall
Q) Can I get a paper cut on my ear while using this case?
A) My first guess would be no, but anything is possible, we dont promote unsafe use of the recession case
Q) Does it come with a screen protector?
A) no we are in a recession!
Q) How long will the product last?
A) forever as long as you don’t destroy it!
Q) Is this case made from recycled cardboard?
A) 100% of only the best for you!
Q) Will the product scratch my device?
A) no! its cardboard not brick!
and here is a review:
I had an iPhone, and ordered the cover. Before I received the cover, I was laid off, and my iPhone was a company phone. The amazing thing is I really didn’t notice much difference in performance with or without the iPhone. This cover works fine without an iPhone. It form fits to my 15 year old Nokia nicely — you just have to bend it a little.
via boingboing gadgets
link to case-mate
Tags: cardboard, case, case-mate, iphone, recession, sharpie
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Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
this is the split-ring-key, by scott amron. another ‘why did no one think of that before’ idea, i think it is excellent!
Carry your keys on your other key. Real working key blank. Key blank can be cut by any key cutter to fit KW1 or SC1 keyways.
and only $7 for two!
via itsnicethat
link to amron experimental (where there are lots more nice things to look at!)
Tags: itsnicethat, scott amron, split ring key
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Friday, September 4th, 2009
bookmark II, by propaganda. a nice idea, and i like the photo. and i guess it could be done diy style with a large rubber band if you wanted.
via boingboing gadgets
Tags: boingboing gadgets, bookmark, diy, propaganda, rubber band
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Friday, August 28th, 2009
i saw this on designboom, and loved the process involved. mdfo is a range of mdf experiments by israeli designer oron ohayon, using mdf and hot water. from the article:
he produced 3 pieces of furniture that are made from MDF, wrapped with a flexible coating that swells with the board. the table legs were inserted into the table board corners then dipped in hot water. both the chest and shelves were produced using the same technique.
what i like best, as i have said, is the process. using the properties of mdf, and what happens to it when exposed to water. usually it is a problem; i remember when one of my tables got drenched it lost it’s smooth straightness, but this makes use of that in a controlled way.
it also reminds me of when i was on a wooden rowing boat last week, which began to fill with water at first. i told my housemate that we were going to sink, but he said to just wait. sure enough, 10 minutes later, the boat stopped flooding, as the wood had expanded in the water. very clever stuff.
link to designboom article
Tags: boat, designboom, mdf, mdfo, oron ohayon, shelves, table, water, wood
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Friday, August 14th, 2009
i have seen quite a few things that i like recently. and this is another product that immediately caught my eye!
the appropriately named k95 (it measures 95mm in length) by manworksdesign comes in red, black, white and green. it comes in 1gb and 2gb models, and is waterproof too.
link to original article
link to manworksdesign
Tags: k95, manworksdesign, submarine, usb
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Friday, August 14th, 2009
a came across the olympic power strip, designed by yar rassadin, on a designboom article about him. a russian based designer who has created quite a broad range of products, but it was this one that caught my eye. it reminded me of the ‘containership power’ by giffin termeer that i did a post on last year.
‘olympic’ is a power strip for champions.
the simple design is based on the medal podiums of the olympic games, so you can decide which device is of a winning standard to plug in.
very simple, and very cool! i wish i owned one of these cool power strips…
link to original article
link to yar rassadin
Tags: designboom, giffin termeer, olympic, power strip, yar rassadin
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Saturday, August 8th, 2009
i saw this on designboom, and it reminded me of the bamboo bicycle i did a post on, by ross lovegrove. from the article:
the project began by investigating the use of wood as a construction material, paying close attention to its particular considerations. the result is a fully functional bike that weighs only 2.3 kg. with some special metal parts and carefully constructed wood pieces, arndt has created a bike that blends new and old together into one unique package.
the detail at the back looks quite interesting. this bike is so light, and apparantly strong too. i think i prefer it aesthetically to the bamboo one as well. on arndt’s website, it has the following quote from the twitter of lance armstrong, which sums it up nicely:
“Good morning. Check out this killer wooden bike.”
nice!
link to original article
link to arndt menke – zumbragel
Tags: arndt menke - zumbragel, bamboo, bicycle, bike, wood
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Saturday, August 8th, 2009
this is the stovetec wood burning stove. i saw it on boingboing gadgets today, and wanted to know more. i only recently bought a bbq bucket, which has already been quite usefull for small, impromtu bbqs, as it is easy to carry, easy to use and easy to clean. they are pretty cheap, and when compared to the cost of disposable bbqs they become an even better option. once you have one, you only have to buy the coal each time, which costs less than a disposable one, and is a lot more eco friendly in every way.
but anyway, the stovetec. the reason it caught my eye is because it is wood burning, which would be quite useful when camping (for example). on the stovetec site, it claims:
3 billion people cook on an open fire and 1.6 million die every year from breathing in the smoke’
reading a bit more at their website, it becomes apparant that these stoves were designed with the third world in mind.
StoveTec Stoves, rocket stoves invented by Dr. Larry Winiarski, use 40-50% less fuel and reduce emissions by 40-75% while reducing green house gas (GHG) emissions an estimated 60% or 1-2 tons per year. These stoves are preferred over other improved cook stove and three stone fires by 95% of users in Uganda. High adoption and preference reported in India, South Africa, Ethiopia and Chile proves the stoves great versatility among many different users.
i think that this could be a great product for campers; the one door wood stove is the burns wood, roots, crop residue, etc. so basically, anything you can find in the wild. when making a wood fire, you would look for these things to build a fire anyway. this gives you the opportunity to focus the heat, make it more useful, reliable, and more efficient.
i can’t seem to find anywhere to buy it myself, but on the original article it claims it is available for about $35.
link to bbg article
link to stovetec
Tags: bbq, boingboing gadgets, camping, fire, rocket, stove, stovetec, wood
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