PS3 Released this Week and is Green?
Coming out this week is the, smaller, cheaper model of Sony’s Playstation 3. Heavenly rumored and expected for most of the year and finally, officially announced three weeks ago. This is the week that in Japan and North America you can walk into a store and come out with the new version of the console.
What makes it so different from the old one, now termed as PS3 fat? First off is the new price point. Originally the Playstation 3 came out at a dual price point of $499 and $599 depending on what specs you wanted. Now the slim is at retail for $299. Various retailers are getting rid of their old stock at the same price.
It is in the hardware. The first thing you are going to notice is that its a hell of a lot smaller. The PS3 fat is an inch wider and the slim is about 1/3 shorter and almost 4 pounds lighter. From being one of the heaviest consoles ever and second only to the original X-box in size to a much more manageable size that takes up roughly the same space as a wide-screen laptop.
Much of the other specs stick to the line as the more recent iterations of the Playstation 3. It stick with the 2 USB ports, integrated Wi-Fi and an absence of a Flash card slot, that was removed after the original production models were pulled off the line. The boxed console comes with the composite cable and a Dualshock 3 controller. All the same.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Sony decided to include a replaceable if wished 120 Gig hard drive. Plenty of space for whatever your need may be. The big disappointment is the lack of PS2 backwards compatibility. It can play Ps1 games fine, but your PS2 library is a no go. This is another feature removed from the original line of consoles.
Now to the title of this post. How exactly is it a Green console. The console is built now not to overheat. Shrinking processors and a bigger fan prevent this. The big upshot of it is that the console is said to use 34% power. That’s all well and good, but is direct from the Sony press release. C-net decided to try this and see if it’s on the up and up. What they found is the console uses up to 70% less power to run than it’s bigger brother when playing games and up to 50% when playing Blue-ray discs.
If you’ve been on the fence of whether or not to get a Playstation 3, the Slim is big new argument to go out and get one.
Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Ceramics
Somewhere between found art, Picasso, and industrial design is where Object Factory’s newest US based installation takes place.
Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Ceramics is the first major U.S. museum exhibition to survey contemporary innovation in industrial ceramic production and the renaissance of ceramics in art and design today. The exhibition explores how artists and designers are reviving interest in ceramics through collaborations with industry that enhance and sometimes subvert the industrial process. Object Factory presents works created for leading manufacturers as well as artworks by independent artists and designers. Both non-functional and functional works are highlighted, as are important technological advances in ceramic material that allow for its use in electronic appliances, cutting implements, and other surprising products.
Object Factory has more than some 200 works by over fifty artists, designers, and industry manufacturers. This large collection features work by some of the greatest American, European, and Russian designers. The exhibit runs from May 6 to September 13th and it can be found at the Museum of Arts and Design
By train: A, B, C, D or No. 1 to Columbus Circle at 59th Street; N, R, Q or W to 57th Street and 7th Avenue F to 57th Street and 6th Avenue By bus: M5, M7, M10, M20, M30 and M104 to Columbus Circle at 59th Street or 57th Street and 8th Avenue
Museum Hours Tue. – Sun. 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Thurs. 11:00 am to 9:00 pm Closed Mon. and Major Holidays
SUMMER HOURS: Due to popular demand, the Museum will be open on Tuesdays from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm throughout the summer.
The Swerve
Alright, So here’s the story:
I was sitting at home one day, humbly minding my own business, and peacefully watching “Green Acre’s” when all of a sudden just as Arnold the pig informed Mr. Drucker that Mr. Douglas had parked in the spot where he (Arnold of course) usually parks his bicycle MegaLongCat comes storming into my house, yelling and shouting in some far off language, (I think it was some weird cross between Manhattanese and the lower half district of Jersey city with a bit of Creole and Jamaican tossed in just to confuse me).
“Christoph hajuba relief check Wall-street discount seafood ‘mon!’” he exclaimed.
Which translated of course means “Hey whats up man? Let’s go party it up!”
Of course I told him I was much too busy to “party it up” as he called it, for I was trying to solve this conundrum of how a Arnold, being a pig and all, was able to ride a bicycle.
To make a long story short, Megalongcat handed me this package and said you should really check this out. The package read “swerve.” Apparently it was the worlds best neck hair remover. I wondered if he was trying to give me a hint, and then I wondered why he cared so much about my neck hair.
The answer of course was sewn into the fact that I probably the hairiest back and neck region (next to our barbarian friend Mageta the Bunny Pillager also known as Mageta Terrorizer of Kittens and Other Tiny Beings, as well as the Dreadful Swain Train of Pain)
So I said ok, why not i will try it out. Megalongcat said “No, no, no, I want you to review it, take a look at it, tell me what you think, and then post it up.”
By this point in our conversation, however, I finally determined that Arnold must have been using a tricycle as that would have been the only way his feet could reach the pedals. (But then I wondered why they would have called it a Bicycle in the show, which is now still causing me trouble to this very day).
[Images from http://www.theswerve.com/]
I took the Swerve out of it’s box and I gave it the once over trying to figure out how to use it.It was not until I pulled out and read the instructions that I fully understood.
I decided that in order to test it, I must compare it to other razors. I mean why buy something that you already have.
[Images from http://www.razorspares.com]
The first razor I tried out was a Mach 3 due to the fact that both had 3 blades and lubricant and what not. It was definitely troublesome trying to shave the neck area. I had to hold up another mirror to angle myself in the right position to see where and what I was shaving. After clumsily falling over myself and several minutes of frustration I got everything settled and started to shave.
Ow..Ow…Ow… you know how if you let your beard get somewhat long and then try to shave it with a razor how the hair kind of gets pulled out and your skin hates you for awhile. Yeah that’s what happened. It was difficult trying to shave normally which is from the top to bottom, so I had to shave against the grain, which on the chin is fine, but on the back of the neck it is a bit of a pain. Well, the shave went alright, and I hacked my back up fairly well. Now all I had to do was wait for the hair to grow back.
So several weeks and many episodes of Green Acre’s later it grew back to a point I deemed reasonable enough to attempt a shave. For the next test I used the same type of razor, however, I used the Fusion with 5 blades and vibration (I don’t know if that actually does anything but it makes you feel like it does). I had some of the same issues, such as the mirror, and the angling, but overall it was a much smoother and better shave than the 3 bladed. It was a lot less painful.
So now I thought to myself as I waited for the hair on my neck to grow back, how will the Swerve fair? It seems like it’s design may be more accommodating, but with only three blades will it hold up?
Well, the hair has grown back and I have just shaved with the Swerve. To my surprise it actually worked very well and I was able to get to more places then I thought…I mean…yeah holding the mirror was still tricky…but overall it was able to stand up to the 5 blade and out maneuver it. I think it works fairly well.
With all three of the razors I used though, the clean up sucked. Neck hair and shaving cream all over the floor. I also felt kind of stupid. However, if you want to shave your neck this is the tool to do it with. I honestly do not know how it works on the back because shaving your back seems to be more trouble than it is worth (I would just Nair that if I had too). This on the other hand seems like a great way to trim down the neckline a bit when used in between haircuts. The design really makes it easy to use, much easier than I thought it would be.
The Prices Range from $4.99 for a single and $12.99 for a three-pack; both of which can be purchased from their website www.theswerve.com
~FlakHound
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Anti System: Repurposing for the Resistance
Remembering the hype in New York last holiday season on the evening news about the repurposed newspaper and envelope wallets… totes, handbags, etc. Why use old newspaper when you could use a skateboard? I think the obvious answer is it’s lighter, and less bulky as a wallet, but no, not skateboard wallets. Skateboard notebooks, or Sk8 Notebooks, Sk8 Notebook Minis, and Sk8 Shoulder Bags, all designed by Anti System.
[Image from http://web.mac.com/lovegallery/iWeb/Site/Home.html]
The notebooks were an incredible idea. And while the shoulder bags lend themselves to a particular taste in style (just like the paper envelope wallets), they certainly are unique, not to mention durable. While it is small, the hard shell cover does offer some flexibility for bulk with its hinges, not like a hard shell suitcase, and certainly more stylish than the average fanny-pack.
Should Sk8 Shoulder Bags not suit your fashion interests, Sk8 Notebooks and Sk8 Notebook Minis also incorporate the skateboard shells but are, as the name states, notebooks. More of a concealed weapon of sorts in comparison to the shoulder bag I suppose? Some especially beautiful designs on the notebooks, like these:
And at a smaller and slimmer scale, if you’re still feeling more of the newspaper wallet style, Anti System offers an international substitute to the New York Times, using pages of Japanese newspapers, laminated, with a strap. Even smaller? There are also card cases.
All of these products by Anti System are handmade, but they’re so loved they seem to all be sold out on Tokyocube! Unfortunately, most information on Anti System Products is in Japanese, their main website http://antisystem.jp/ redirects to here where more unique pieces can be found.
[All product images from Tokyocube]
Feeling Felty…
A fun new exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, that opened last week, offers a look at the versatility and creative opportunities that come with working with felt. The exhibition, “Fashioning Felt”, includes the work of over 20 designers spanning products, furniture, fashion, and even architecture.
If you were wondering how to bring more felt into your life, this is without a doubt the exhibition for you!
But in all seriousness, the exhibition offers the opportunity to see how felt-making techniques are transformed into surprising results. Like the exquisite felt necklace with coral beads by Brigit Daamen, a necklace that shows both the durability and fragility of felt… or the very surprising Felt Rocks by Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen that will give your pet rock some competition.
The exhibition can be found at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, in New York City:
2 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128
More information is offered on the Cooper-Hewitt’s website for the exhibition: http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Fashioning-Felt/
[Images from http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Fashioning-Felt/]
Unique Product Innovation – Toilet Seat Handles *Shandles*
Creative Fluff seems to have attracted an eclectic and innovative group of people lately. A few weeks ago we were contacted by a group named Shandle. At the time I was like “well, what the hell is a Shandle?” I quickly found out that a Shandle is single-handedly the greatest innovation for single men, frat boys, potty-training (for toddlers or frat boys…or single men for that matter), and girlfriends obsessed with clean bathrooms. The Shandle is a device for any toilet seat that serves as a handle for the lower toilet cover. You know the second seat that you never want to touch because its either grimy or you’re at your friends place and you’re not quite sure who else has touched it or what could possibly be under there? Shandle solves that problem.
We were lucky enough to be sent samples from one of the employees and we went ahead and took pictures of the unpacking process. As much as we would like to post pictures of the Shandles in use, we found that Katherine’s toilet seat was considerably too high-tech for it to be installed in, and mine was..well. There won’t be any pictures of my bathroom anytime soon. (Didn’t get a clean enough bathroom). You’ll have to take my word on it, but the Shandle works well on most standard toilets and they come in over 60 assorted designs. Some are silly while others have decent contemporary designs so there’s a Shandle for everyone. Below are pictures of one of our favorite Shandles. When the bathroom is in Fluff-tastic condition we’ll post pictures of it in action.
If you’re looking for something that would give your friends a laugh when they have to use your restroom, I highly suggest you head on over to Shandle and order yourself a couple.
Kindle 2: The unboxing, part 2
So yesterday, I posted something on the Kindle 2’s packaging. Unfortunately, as it was a gift I could do the actual unboxing, but it is revealed today.
Removing the ultra light box from its paper slip, the container is a simple molded carton stamped with the product name. Simple enough. No excess use of material, no fancy glossy paper, all recyclable material to be environmentally friendly.
The Kindle 2 has a nice and simple keyboard, with pleasing “round button” tactile quality that didn’t exist in on the first keyboard. It also comes without the awkward shape of the first Kindle, finished in back with a sleek brushed metal.
And finally after removing the Amazon Kindle, one would then begin to reap the benefits of the ebook reader with its beautiful free web access… an attractive quality for even those who don’t do the ebook thing.
[Image from http://xkcd.com/548/]
The Kindle 2 can be found at Amazon here.
Kindle 2: Packaging may make you go “ooooooo”
So I received Amazon’s Kindle 2 today, though it’s not mine, I’m seriously considering getting one just so I can experience the un-boxing of my own. However, because this is a gift, the un-boxing of the product must wait! I did get to remove the Kindle 2 box from the .. um.. box. You’ll understand when I get to the photos.
Here’s what happened. I got this light little Amazon box, and when I opened up the cardboard box it was shipped in, I was greeted with a lively graphic of glossy black letters sprinkled across a matte black interior. Still can’t help but run my finger across the forms of the glossy alphabet.
Then removing the actual Kindle 2 packaging, I found more of the delightful letter splatter in the bottom of the box, encircling the recycle icon.
… And it becomes evident that the Kindle has gone green.
If you remember the first Kindle, you’ll remember a chunkier box that looked something like this:
[Image from http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2008/03/amazon-kindle.html]
Kindle 2’s packaging is greener. It’s obvious that the environment was taken into consideration. The thick, bulky box of the Kindle 1, is now replaced by a lightweight black material similar to that of an egg carton that houses the Kindle 2 in its belly (I’m guilty of trying to remove it without actually opening it, but to no avail).
The same glossy letter splatter is found on the smooth paper cover enveloping the rounded case, creating in the center a badge for the name “Amazon Kindle”. This paper wrap seems flimsy, but is actually acting as a kind of security system (at least for me in this case) as well the decorative element of the packaging.
And here is where it stops. I can go no further until this gift has been opened. AH! THE FRUSTRATION! This post is to be continued when the gift has been opened and held hostage momentarily by me and my camera. Stay tuned for the unveiling…(tomorrow?)
Geek Out Tote Bag
Feeling the urge to “geek out” you accessories, then I may just have the thing for you. From the Himeya Shop is a tote bag with a very old school style to it. How old school? 16-bit ear old school.
The Sega Genesis tote bag. Niche? Maybe, but still cool to look at. Comes in black only and made of nylon. $55 pricewise. Just thought I’d share it.
http://www.himeyashop.com/product_info.php/products_id/11854
From The Shooting Range
These little personalities are part of Rachel Pfeffer’s Bullet Buddies collection. Each Bullet Buddy is unique labored over until it obtains its own form and expression. They have all been transformed from empty bullet shells, abandoned at shooting ranges, into quite the collection of characters. They are all made by hand, and are an interesting way of recycling the bullet shells into collectable items, pendants, or key chains, and can be personalized by the artist. I suppose one could consider this a sustainable solution to all those discarded bullet shells, a step in the direction of the modifying and repurposing concepts found in the English Retreads tire handbags or Droog Rag Chair. In any case, creator Rachel Pfeffer has taken on the task of recycling and giving new life to these empty bullet shells in the creative spirit.
More bullet buddies can be found on the artist’s own website at http://www.rachelpfeffer.com/bullets.html and on Etsy.
[ Images from http://www.rachelpfeffer.com/bullets.html ]
Designer of the Week: Okapi Studio and Modular Design
Gabi Lungu at Henkel Design Awards 2007
Ladies and gentlemen it’s time for your favorite portion of the Creative Fluff magazine blog (insert drumroll please) I am pleased to bring you the lucky Designer of the Week: OkapiStudio. We were lucky to get in contact with a young design studio such as Okapi and after a few back and forth emails we were given the chance to review one of their best design pieces: The Shelf Concept Project.
Before we go into detail about one of their best design projects, lets talk about a little of their history. Okapi studio is an Art Direction and Design Consultant agency based California and Romania with over five years of experience in international markets “offering a fine mixture of traditional and new media creative services”. OkapiStudio is run by three individuals: Gabi Lungu the Creative Director, Andrei Ostacie the Marketing Director, and Sam Purtill who is their managing partner.
I’m sure I’m not giving their studio any justice when it comes to describing what it is exactly that they do so below is a short description from their website:
“OkapiStudio is a multidisciplinary creative shop, encompassing talents that excel in full advertising services, brand strategy, graphic, web and motion design. We help companies in the research and development process and we fine tune their brand and positioning by carefully planing each move.”
Enough background lets get into the awesomeness that is Okapi studio. The picture above is from their exclusive Shelf Concept Project which at a glance looks like a normal, minimalist, and modern shelving unit that could be sold as an item through CB2 or another contemporary furniture store. But as you can see below, there’s more than meets the eye when OkapiStudio is involved:
The shelves are modular, a concept that is being readily adopted by all industrial design groups recently (within the past two years). Modular design is a good base for any furniture/storage project because it gives consumers/users the abiltity to not only adjust how their furniture looks within a space, but it gives those with smaller homes the ability to save on space while owning an exceptionaly designed storage system.
Below is a small clip from their website concerning the Shelf Project:
“When we play in-house with our talent sometimes we come up with amazing things. This is a classic example of research for functionality while trying to use a cost effective solution for spacing issues. Be it used for home or office purposes, the modular office storage equipment is a flexible and smartly designed solution that adapts to space requirements. Built from plastic polymers, it comes in lightweight customizable modules that can be used accordingly to everyone’s needs. The shelf concept provides a fresh and modern approach to similar common wood based products on the market, with it’s perfect shapes that mold around the objects and the possibility for redesign on the fly to match any setting you might have in mind.”
If you haven’t googled them already, you should Check out the Okapi Design Studio here:
Designer of the Week: Delineo Design – Industrial Design
More and more designers have been emailing use their work as of late and I never thought I would see the day where I had to swim through design projects, designers, and exhibitions on a daily basis. I’m obligated of course to take care of these in the order they arrive and this week Creative Fluff Design Blog is proud to have chosen DelineoDesign, a young Italian Student Designer who has an affinity for the modern, chic, and trendy. His goals, in his own words are to “discover, experiment, reflect, and observe” and though his words might be out of order to me personally as a designer (which is my translation from Italian to English). Delineo has skills across a series of mediums and I have had the pleasure to go through his work and choose what I found to be his most influential work.
I think it’s best if I start with his most ecletic work. Aside from the modern furniture designs you will find on his personal website and later in this review, Delineo has a knack for functional footwear. These soccer cleats (my favorite sport) are egonomically designed to conform to that natural shape of the human foot. Much a trend in Delineo’s work, we find his taste of modernism.
One of his more interesting pieces, this lounge chair easily comes off as something you would find in an alien’s apartment, or perhaps your own living room ten years down the road. Conceptually ahead of its time, this chair manages to retain what looks to be both comfort, and Delineo’s aesthetic tastes.
This last piece, and perhaps one of the most important ones in his collection is the Korebo racing mountain bike design specifically for the human body and comfort. I would love to own one of these and can’t wait for them to wind up in the production stage. If you want to see more of this young Italian student designer’s work, make sure to check him out at: http://www.delineodesign.it/
Jolyon Yates ODE Chair: Designer of the Week
I suppose people are starting to like us over in Europe; or maybe for some reason our design blog just happens to rank better. All of the same, we over here at Creative Fluff received an email from the Jolyon Yates design studio based in Northumberland England. Yates informed Creative Fluff of his 2008 line of ODE Chairs, a new venture in industrial design. However, before going into detail, let’s talk about Yates’ past which will help in giving us an insight to his creative sustainable design.
“Born in Durham, England in 1968, Jolyon studied Industrial Design at Sheffield Hallam University and then Automotive Styling at the Royal College of Art, London. After a spell at Opel in Frankfurt, working on the development team of the World’s first wholly ‘virtual’ car design, Jolyon was invited to Style Porsche in Stuttgart. In this capacity he worked on major internal and external projects. In a freelance role, Jolyon went on to work with Stefan Stark, Seymour Powell and The Product Group. Returning to New Zealand in 1998, Jolyon taught Design at Massey University in Wellington before taking up a role at Bakewell-White Yacht Design in 2000 Jolyon now participates in various international transport and design projects: his specialties include conceptualisation, development, rapid prototyping, visualization, print and web”
Our Designer Katherine describes the chairs as “very contemporary while maintaining their organic shape to them; most contemporary furniture is characterized by hard edges and simplistic forms without taking the human into account.” The chairs also remain “artistic” and it is “enjoyable to see that the furniture “is available in the original wood grain which would make the environment that it’s in more comfortable than it would be if it were made with cheap acrylic. They also remain comfortable in appearance though the wooden grain might suggest otherwise.”
Overall, we were very impressed with Yates work and suggest taking a look at his website for more information on other products and updates with their design studio.
Sustainable Design, Going Green the Old Fashioned Way
Recently I have been in the mood to buy a bike, not anything fancy mind you, but a good plain old fashioned bicycle. However, knowing myself, I would use it for the first few days, and if the bike gets lucky maybe even a week before I forget about it or just consider it too much trouble. (Living on campus with a bicycle just doesn’t really make sense in the end.) Yet it is good to know, that if i do decide to give into my impulsive nature and buy a bike, it will have a good home. Not with me of course but with a bit of luck at this little place I discovered.
Amazing I thought to myself, what a great idea to turn something from junk to Design Motif. Although their website and their ordering information may be a little hard to use and somewhat inconvienent, for any lover of Modern Art and/or Bikes be it motorcycle or bicycle, these pieces are a must have. The look turns out to be so modern and edgy.
A really great aspect of this business is the fact that they recycle the materials instead of throwing them on the scrap heap. It is a great way to really rethink and reuse our everyday items. It definitely makes me wonder about other material goods I may throw away and what other uses I could just have for them.
So in conclusion, if you want to turn your bike into a rocking chair, check out Bikefurniture.com.
Mike Ming: Trendy Illustration Meets Commercial Industrial Design
The mainstream and the underground have been merging at an exponential rate in the past two years, and to put things into perspective lets take eclectic, trendy hip hop singers Santogold, and M.I.A. Both are known for their unique beats, melodies, and vocals which sets them apart from mainstream hip-hop. But just how underground are M.I.A. and Santogold? Not too long ago Santogold’s music appeared in a beer commercial, and then M.I.A. featured their song “Paper Planes” as the trailer music for the movie: Pineapple Express. The trendy underground is quickly moving towards the mainstream; part of this is due to the failing American economy, and part of it is simply because artists can no longer afford to starve (go figure). The question that remains is can these artists who become apart of the main stream retain their essential values and stand out from the rest of the muck. Mike Ming, a creative illustrator stands as a shining example that this is indeed possible.
Lets get a short background of Mike Ming out of the way before discussing his work:
“Brooklyn-based artist Mike Ming (born Michael Miyahira) brings fascination with popular culture and life experiences to the canvas.” – Dell.com
He graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1995 with a BFA in Illustration and has since taken his artistic creativity and honed it into a personal and expressive style which he can call his own. Ming was contacted by Dell to provide illustrations for their new inaugural Special Art Edition Inspiron 1525 laptop.
“I want to create a sense of energy, playfulness, sophistication and psychedelic momentum when I started this…This new technique from Dell brings my inspiration—water and the energy it produces—to life and gives computer aficionados their own display of style.” – Dell.com
But what is the technology that makes it possible to have Ming’s creative artistic talent showcased so vividly? Dell describes it best:
“A new Dell manufacturing technique brings alive every color and brushstroke on the laptop’s cover, creating a fluid, graffiti-inspired tattoo effect that lets style pioneers add another level of individuality to everyday life.” – Dell.com
Ming’s work has been showcased in a series of galleries, festivals, and art shows all across the country and if you like the laptops, I highly reccomend visiting his website for more of his ecletic design style.
www.mikeming.com
Playful Patterns – Nantaka Joy
It’s becoming commonplace that I don’t actually find these links to amazing artwork and design on my own, but that I get linked to them by other creative fluff members or one of our many subscribers ( I say many because we’re so popular I can’t be bothered to keep track). This time around I was given a link which took me to the impressive work of Joy Deangdeelert Cho and her line of creative print design under the studio name: Nantaka Joy. Her Work has been featured in mainstream magazines such as: How, Home Companion, Wedding, Craft, and Lucky.
Above is a picture of her “Ombre Lace Grey Tiny Card” which is an excellent example of her creative textile design which features a visually stimulating juxtaposition of foil and playful patterns as the cover to a normal sized note card. The note card, obviously meant for meaningless scribbles, gives anything that a person has to put down with ink significant meaning. Her work instantly transforms anything written within the notecard into a keepsake no matter how inane.
Another example of her famous ‘playful patterns’ can bee seen with her “A Note – Agate Grey” which features an interesting “textural combination of…high and low elements” (Nantaka.com) Lineart has always been a creative artform which only recently held attention in the high art and design spotlight. If you go to the MoMA store anytime in the next couple of weeks you’ll notice a large collection of line art stationery for sale. Though Cho isn’t featured at the MoMA (yet) that doesn’t mean her work doesn’t deserve museum treatment. Below is another piece of her work which came out five days ago: “Woodcut Floral File Folders – NEW!”
If you’re still reading this post you shouldn’t be. You should be over at her website taking a look at the rest of her work because I’m sure my descriptions of her wonderful work don’t give her enough credit.
Hiccup Inc.
As difficult as it is to admit, I occasionally watch the Martha Stewart show… (there’s really nothing else worth watching on day-time television anyway). But getting back to the point, guest Ashley Steele demonstrated how to make the wooden baby blocks sold on her website Hiccup Inc. The blocks are kid friendly and have quite a unique vintage style not often found in the world of baby toys. I found these to be a nice spin on the generic primary colors used in children’s toys or the typical baby designs found in many toy stores.
This style extends beyond the wooden blocks into all of Hiccup Inc.’s products, from rolling wooden animals to bookends. The best thing about the designs are that the style are a little more adult than most baby toys, and if you’re up for a little craft project, the same concept can be modified to be a little more mature for non-baby décor needs.
Instructions for the blocks, shared by Ashley Steele, can be found on The Martha Stewart Show website: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/baby-wooden-blocks?autonomy_kw=blocks&rsc=header_2
To see more Hiccup Inc. products go to their shop on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5685264
You can also go to Basic Grey Paper for decorative paper, letters, and other craft supplies to make your own blocks: http://www.basicgrey.com/
Olympic Gold Medals: A Design Retrospective
The Olympic Gold Medal, however, only finds itself in history circa 1904; olympic games prior this were never awarded with any sort of medal. For about 40 years the actual design of the gold medal remained the same and it wasn’t until 1972 games that the design was changed for the first time. But enough of the boring history lesson. Let’s have a retrospective look at the best designed Olympic medals:
Munich
Sydney
Rome
Beijing
Torino
Nagano
Calgary
Sapporo
Athens
Heatherwick
Heatherwick Studios is a London based design practice that started in 1994. Since then, they have produced some very creative design solutions. Heatherwick designs on many different scales, from roll-up bridges to the Longchamp zip-bag, even furniture pieces.
Here is their website if you’d like to look at more of their work: http://www.heatherwick.com/
The Future?! – The Wearable Motorcycle
Even though it is just in the conceptual stage, this personal vehicle, called the Deus Ex Machina runs on a Lithium battery and is said to be completely green. It is to be able to go from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds and hold that speed on a single charge for an hour. It may not be much, but it would only take 15 minutes to recharge. Utilizing 36 pneumatic muscles and 2 linear actuators for control and ability to steer. It has 3 modes of transportation.
Jake Loniak, the bikes inventor, believes a working prototype could be made. “This is fantasy, it’s a green vehicle, and all of the numbers are based in the real world.”
Sustainable Cardboard Toilet?
I am definitely not a tree hugger in any shape or manner. Perhaps my girlfriend is; which would explain her love for animals and plants above human life, but that’s the closest you’ll catch me to the eco-love business that’s been floating around. I should also say that I understand the sheer importance of sustainability and ethical design in today’s rapidly degrading world (I still won’t give up my Dodge Daytona Turbo for an electric car) which leads me to the actual point of this blog post: Sustainable Cardboard Toilets.
Now you must be thinking. Fred, what the hell are you going on about? Has all of your unnatural McDonald’s gone to your head? I assure you it has not. Fist and foremost, let me give you the rundown on how I came across this miraculous device. My girlfriend dropped me a link to this thing called TreeHugger. Now I was thinking: Has she finally gone over the eco-loving edge? But as it turned out. She hadn’t. TreeHugger was in fact an on point and intellectual blog about environmental stability and sustainability and how to make our lives more ‘Green’. Below is a short quip from TreeHugger about who they are and what they do:
TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, we strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information. At TreeHugger we know that variety is the spice of life, so you can find all you need to go green in our up to the minute blog, weekly and daily newsletters, weekly video segments, weekly radio show and our user-generated blog, Hugg. We also extend our expertise to companies looking for a little green guidance. Past clients include Domino, Sundance Channel and House & Garden.
Well I have to say, with a pagerank of 8; it’s pretty obvious they’re setting the bar for Green Blogs and they’ve got something good going for themselves. Now what had my attention from the get-go was something affectionately named “The ShitBox” created by Richard Whatron. Below is a description by him of the box:
“lightweight portable cardboard toilet, made specifically for outdoor use. The concept is simple the box pops up from its convenient 14” flat pack to a rigid reusable box, you pop in a degradable poo bag, do you business, seal and dispose of (responsibly of course!), and off you go.”
Mater Design
Mater is both new and at the same time, well, not so new. Though it was only started in 2006, I’m sure plenty of other blogs have covered Mater Design due to the growing interest in sustainability, “green” living, and ethical design. Mater is a Scandinavian company the proudly practices ethical production its high end, contemporary, home accessories. I first discovered Mater’s website searching for examples of ethical design for a class presentation. Mater was an extremely strong example of ethical design for the following reasons:
- they support the UN declaration of human rights
- they support the declaration of fundamental principles and rights at work
- they support the UN global compact
- their production cycle “support[s] people, local craft traditions and the environment”
Mater takes their “interest” in designing ethically further than most companies I’ve seen, creating a responsible production cycle.
