An Awesome Native American Technique Gave Us the Heat-Beating Edgeland House

On your approach, you probably wouldn’t even know this house is a house. The front rises out of the ground like the facade of a secret underground lab, but from the back, it’s a giant windowed beauty. It’s called the Edgeland Residence, and it’s a re-interpretation of a Native American pit house. More »

Popticals: Folding Shades of Grey That Slip Easily in Your Pocket

Wraparound sunglasses provide as much protection from glare as you can get without having to resort to a full-on helmet and visor. But those curved lenses also makes them bulky and hard to stash away when not worn. So a company called Visoptical has developed a solution: sunglasses with a clever sliding rail system that fold away to a tiny package. More »

Lazy Zipper Tie Doesn’t Even Try To Hide the Fact It’s a Complete Fraud

The zipper tie has long been the salvation of those who only wear a suit a few times a year and never learned a proper knot. And for the most part, they’re designed to completely hide their dark secret—except this one. More »

These Slick Stackable Chess Pieces Track Your Calculated Carnage

It can be easy to forget, but a chess game is a battle. And while you’re sitting there, scratching your chin and trying to feel smart, soldiers are dying at your command. This clever chess set designed by Orr Kislev helps you keep that in mind by leaving all the corpses on the board. More »

The Yorky Lamp Knows at Least Three Commands

The quirky Yorky lamp by Hlynur Atlason looks like a two-legged dog. And it’s just about as submissive to your will, because it’s adjustable to several positions. More »

Is This a Gorgeous Range Hood Or a UFO Abduction Tube?

At some point over the past year appliance makers began a design war to see who could come up with the most innovative and original range hood designs. And with its new retractable Pareo hood, Italy’s Faber has just made a strong push towards victory and bringing an end to that war of aesthetics. More »

PE Secure External Hard Drive Locks Down Your Secret Files

There are plenty of ways to secure your ahem naughty files, from using hidden folders and strange names, but if you’re really paranoid, you might have to do even more. The PE Secure Hard Drive takes securing your files to the next level, going beyond password and encryption technologies.

pe external secure hard drive

Jae-Hoon Lee designed this hard drive enclosure and it was designed to protect the hardware itself from getting into the wrong hands. It was inspired by “old school” security like padlocks and combination locks. The PE External Hard Drive will secure your data by toughening the hardware itself. The device would add a physical combination lock, partnered with an app, that will increase the security of your data.

pe external secure hard drive portable

For now, this hard drive is just a concept, but I could definitely see something like this being made.

pe external secure hard drive design

[via Yanko Design]

Duck Doesn’t Have To Be On the Menu To Use This Adorable Kitchen Timer

Even if you’re roasting a chicken, or just heating up a can of beans over an oil bin fire, it’s ok to use this adorable duck-shaped kitchen timer that Finnish designer Eero Aarnio created for Alessi. It’s a humorous take on the traditional egg timer that hints at the longtime chicken vs. egg debate. More »

Gresso Cruiser Titanium Mobile Phone Chooses Looks over Functionality

Some people out there prefer a product that looks good to a product that has more functionality. There’s not anything wrong with that and if you are that sort of person and have a big budget for a mobile phone, Gresso has a new offering that looks pretty cool. The new phone is called the Cruiser Titanium.

gresso cruiser titanium 1

The $2500(USD) phone is encased in a single piece polished titanium shell. That shell is milled in a process involving many steps including both machine- and hand-polishing. Even the buttons on the front of the phone are hand polished. Since the shell is made from titanium, it’s incredibly strong and able to resist dents and scratches. The display is also built to be durable, having been formed from solid tempered glass panels.

gresso cruiser titanium 2

When it comes to functionality, the phone isn’t exactly high-end. It runs Symbian S40, supports Java apps, and has a tiny two-inch display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The phone operates on GSM/GPRS and EDGE bands and has integrated Bluetooth 2.0. The phone has a two-megapixel rear camera, and you get a mere 30 MB of internal storage, but it does have a microSD card slot for expansion. But if you’re buying one of these, you’re not getting it so you can play Angry Birds on it.

Not Even The Lady In the Lake Would Wear This Knights of the Round Table Watch

As the legend goes, King Arthur held court with his gallant knights around a giant round table that most certainly served as a breathtaking centerpiece to Camelot. But pretty much all of that mystique and majesty has been lost with Roger Dubuis’ latest timepiece that features a miniature version of that famous table, complete with tiny knights all cast in gold. More »