Jul 04
There’s hardly a better day for grilling than the 4th of July, and what better way to celebrate a nation’s independence than barbecuing with a charcoal grill that celebrates freedom from traditional geometry?
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Jul 04
Some dresses have designs that are so unusual that you can’t help but stare at them. These two dresses designed by Ying Gao in collaboration with robotics designer Simon Laroche definitely will draw attention.
These interactive pieces of clothing, titled (no)where (now)here are equipped with eye-tracking technology so that they literally come alive when someone’s looking at them. Tiny motors are activated to set off wave-like motions all over the dresses, while the photoluminescent thread gives the dresses a distinctive glow.
The design is complicated but beautiful, and the concept intriguing.
The artist’s statement reads: “A photograph is said to be ‘spoiled’ by blinking eyes – here however, the concept of presence and of disappearance are questioned, as the experience of chiaroscuro (clarity/obscurity) is achieved through an unfixed gaze.”
Jul 04
Many people are uncomfortable with the prospect or even just the idea of eating alone at a restaurant. I’d like to say that I’m so confident that I can’t relate to this feeling, but I can’t, because I do. There’s just something about eating alone that feels so… lonely. Maybe movies and other media have reinforced that idea in our heads, but social designer and initiator Marina van Goor disagrees with the concept and isn’t afraid to say so.
Goor set up the pop-up Eenmaal restaurant last Thursday in Amsterdam, and what sets it apart is that it’s the world’s first restaurant that serves parties of one exclusively. Inside, you’ll find tables with a single setting arranged all over the restaurant, which means that diners can only dine alone and with themselves only.
Goor explains: “Eenmaal is a restaurant like any other restaurant, but one thing is totally different: you only find tables for one person here. Eenmaal is an exciting experiment for those who never go out dining alone, as well as an appealing opportunity for those who often eat alone at restaurants.”
It’s a fun concept, and it’s just too bad that Eenmaal was only open for two days.
[via Pop Up City]
Jul 03
I love the Mac Pro.
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Jul 03
As you kick back under a glittering shower of high-production-value pyrotechnics on Independence Day this year, take a second to remember how the modern firework started out: As a tiny, but startling, accident.
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Jul 03
Why put your luggage in the belly of an aircraft when your luggage can be the belly of an aircraft? Enter the Aviator collection, suitcases that look like they could take the flight to your destination all on their own.
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Jul 03
Smog, haze, smoke, exhaust… The atmosphere is full of pollutants these days. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about it. You could go out and face the world wearing a mask, or you could just slip the Hand Tree around your wrist the next time you take a stroll – assuming it existed.
The Hand Tree is a concept design by Alexandr Kostin that marries wearable technology with a relatively common appliance, the air purifier. The bracelet is essentially a wearable air purifier that filters air on the go, surrounding its wearer with fresh air that’s minus all the unpleasant smells and particulates normally found in city air.
It’s a neat concept but I think the task of shrinking a normally bulky air purifier down to wrist size would be very, very challenging.
The Hand Tree is a semi-finalist in the Electrolux Design Lab 2013.
[via Yanko Design]
Jul 02
If, for whatever reason, you’ve decided that simply biting your fingernails isn’t the best way to keep them short, you’ll want to invest in a nice trimmer. But not some giant monstrosity that requires a purse or a murse to keep it on hand. Go for Kershaw’s ultra-thin nail clippers that fold down to an easily pocketable four millimeter package.
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Jul 02
Computer makers are focusing more and more on design these days with their products. Computers are no longer a beige square box, but almost pieces of art that need to look good sitting on a desk. Yesterday, the IDSA handed out its International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA for short), and companies like Dell, HP, IBM, and Vizio took home some of the prizes with their creations.
In the “Computer Equipment” category, Vizio took home two IDEA awards, one for their Thin + Light Notebook and the other for their All-in-One Touch PC. HP‘s Envy 120 e-All-in-One printer also won an IDEA award, as did Dell‘s Enterprise 12G Power Supply Unit and IBM‘s unique-looking PureSystems server machine. The Nest smart thermostat also made the list.
In the “Entertainment” category, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera took home an award (we’ve talked about this new camera before). The Sonos SUB and the Beats Executive headphones also won in the category. Most of the products mentioned here are either enterprise-level products or products that have just recently released. Vizio’s line, on the other hand, are probably some of the more ubiquitous from the winners.
We’ve taken a look at Vizio’s latest lineup in the past and even reviewed one of their latest all-in-one machines, as well as checked out their newest laptops at CES back in January. Of course, design was one of the first aspects that caught our eye, and while is seen to have a leg up in that category, many companies are catching up extremely quickly.
Design has become huge in recent years, and Ford’s executive chairman Bill Ford recently said that design is essentially “all-encompassing,” and it consists of not only how pretty something looks, but also how well something functions and what it can do to make it extra special.
Dell, HP, IBM, and Vizio take home 2013 IDSA design awards is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Jul 02
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