It’s a sad day for the once thriving bookend industry. Already reeling from the fact that consumers are buying less and less printed books every year, suddenly this brilliant angled shelf comes along and does away with the need for bookends altogether. More »
A new gym in U.K. is ingenious enough to convert workouts into electrical power. The gym is located in a city park in Hull, England and so far it has generated over 40,000 watt hours or 40 kilowatts. The gym is made by The Great Outdoor Gym Company, a company that has already installed more than 350 public gyms in the U.K. And because the local councils are paying for the gym, it’s free to use as long as you are a local resident. According to the company, this is their first time for them to build a gym that can convert human energy into electricity.
For now, the gym is only supplying power to its own lighting system. The end goal will be to one day supply surplus energy into the national grid. Georgie Delaney, Ceative Drector at The Great Outdoor Gym Company, says that the prototype gym costs $100,000 to install. Although it’s a bit expensive, Delaney adds that they are also working on a cheaper $32,000 model which can re-charge mobile phones and tablets. “We truly believe that in the western world we consume too much energy both in terms of food and electricity. What we’re trying to do with the green energy gyms is give councils and communities a tool, with a facility like this, so people can actually offset their consumption of both food and electricity,” Delaney said.
Image Courtesy of CNN.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Clip apartment generates own energy and uses recycled waste water, IBM, Honda and PG&E Create Smart Charging System for Electric Cars,
One of my biggest pet peeves is having lots of stuff in my pockets when I am out and about working or playing. I’ve tried a lot of different phone cases over the years that promise to hold the contents of my wallet and my phone, but always gave up on them. The reason I stop using them is that the smartphone cases typically just didn’t hold enough stuff and I still had other items jangling around in my pockets anyhow.
A case has surfaced on indiegogo that is designed to hold and protect your iPhone 4 or 5 and keep all sorts of other stuff inside as well. The Cavity Case is supposed to hold three keys the size of a typical house key or smaller, an average size car key, a remote control for your keyless entry system, and a telescoping pen.
That compartment is designed to hold the remote for your keyless entry system also allows you to use that remote without having to remove it from the case. That particular compartment can also be used to store other items such as flash drives, a cigarette lighter or custom round containers which can hold contact lenses or other small items. A pledge of $39(USD) will get you the case and the round containers, while $49 adds on the telescoping pen, and a leather wrist strap.
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Designer Hella Jongerius has certainly come up with an interesting method of keeping your office drones well fed. Of course, it might not be the most elegant solution out there in the market, and neither is it the most hygienic, but at the very least it has a sense of practicality written all over. I am referring to this unique keyboard concept that sees Hella Jongerius’ trademark of fusing industry and craft, bridging the world of high and low tech, tradition and the contemporary, into a single device. What you see above is a unique keyboard that is separated in the middle by a plate – allowing you to put your pizza and other kinds of snacks which late night workers tend to gobble down, trying to meet that frantic deadline. Hopefully the rest of the keyboard is waterproof as well, since you would need to wash the darn thing after each meal. Getting crumbs stuck between the keys is not too hot an idea, too.
Hella Jongerius has done work for notable clients such as Maharam , KLM, Vitra, IKEA and Royal Tichelaar Makkum, while some of her work had also been showcased at museums and galleries like the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, MoMA and Moss Gallery in New York, the Design Museum in London and at Galerie KREO in Paris.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPhone 4S-driven rocket collects data in the air, MarkerBot announces new dashboard and follow feature on Thingiverse,
The Clock Box is exactly what you’d expect, based on the name—ticker in a box. It’s like a grandfather clock met a chinese takeout box and had lovely time-telling babies. More »
Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, though most famous for his invention of the corn flake, also ran a very successful holistic sanitarium where the ill and infirmed would subject themselves to his unique medical practices. Our friends at Oobject have assembled 15 of the strangest restorative devices to ever come out of Battle Creek, MI. More »
You might be familiar with “sweding,” the concept spawned by 2008 Michel Gondry film Be Kind Rewind that involves making low-budget remakes of your favorite movies with friends. That’s a little like what Honest&Smile are doing with the creation of so-called “analog apps,” which use physical contraptions to change or alter a smartphone’s functionality in a decidedly homegrown way. The group’s latest project is a partnership with Moleskine, to create a photo filter app built on a slightly modified version of one of that company’s much-loved notebooks.
The Abracadabrapp, as it’s called, combines elements that Honest&Smile developed in the creation of its first project, The Love Box. As with the The Love Box, the Abracadabrapp uses a small mirror and clever iPhone positioning to capture two sides of a conversation, or two different angles of a scene. Small transparent plastic filters provide image effects, and the whole thing can be broken down in seconds to fit within the Moleskine itself for easy transportation. An analog app isn’t exactly the easiest thing to describe, so check out the video above to see exactly what Abracadabrapp really is.
The Love Box sold out quickly, and this project is being offered on Rock The Post as a crowdfunded initiative. Honest&Smile is looking for just $2,800 to hand make a set of these. Pre-orders start at the $28 pledge level, and the funding period goes from now until January 3, 2013.
If there’s one thing that people tend to toss around a lot, it’s USB flash drives. Since they are getting so small, they can easily be lost. In order to cut down on all that electronic waste, why not get a green USB flash drive, one made out of paper?
The Intellipaper USB drive isn’t completely made out of paper, but the memory chip is printed on paper, allowing you to mail it, modify it, and cutting down on weight. It also allows for easier recycling. The memory is between 8MB and 32MB, so its aimed at sending around small batches of files, or for things like business or greeting cards, brochures and ads with data embedded into them.
Intellipaper’s USB drive was launched as an Indiegogo project to raise funds for ramping up production. Unfortunately, they’ve only raised about $300 out of a goal of $300,000, so it’s unlikely that this project will ever be made, though I’m keeping my fingers crossed for them. You’ll need to pledge at least $30 to get a box of 10 disposable thumb drives.
Hammocks are a comfortable way to take a nap. Just ask Homer Simpson. Usually you just attach each end to a tree and then doze off for a while. However, hardcore nappers will want to set their hammock up on something like this badass scrap metal scorpion.
And, no, that stinger isn’t an alarm that comes down and wakes you up with a venomous sting. Although that would be cool.
You know what else would be cool? If this scorpion moved and walked around while you took a nap. Imagine falling asleep in your yard and waking up on the highway as this thing slowly carries you across the country. Yeah, that would be pretty cool. Napping and traveling.
This metal creation is pretty cool as it is though – a bed truly fit for a Bond villain.
[via Obvious Winner]
Love books? Love surprises? Then you’ll love the Biblio-Mat. It’s a one-of-a-kind vending machine that dispenses random books so you can say goodbye to boring afternoons and evenings.
The good news? It only costs two bucks a pop. The bad news? The Biblio-Mat is only for bookworms who live in Toronto. So if you happen to live close to the Monkey’s Paw, then it’s good news for you all the way.
The Biblio-Mat was built by Craig Small for the antiquarian Monkey’s Paw bookstore and it’s seriously one of the most ingenious things that I have ever seen.
Biblio-Mat books, which vary widely in size and subject matter, cost two dollars. The machine was conceived as an artful alternative to the ubiquitous and often ignored discount sidewalk bin. When a customer puts coins into it, the Biblio-Mat dramatically whirrs and vibrates as the machine is set in motion. The ring of an old telephone bell enhances the thrill when the customer’s mystery book is delivered with a satisfying clunk into the receptacle below.
[via Boing Boing]
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