If you’re not a morning person, or are dealing with a nasty hangover, the clinking sound of a spoon stirring a mug of coffee could drive you insane. And the fact that you can’t buy this clever Pegtop ridged mug that automatically stirs its contents when spun on a plate might annoy you even more. More »
Futuristic eco-hotels are nothing new, but there’s something unique about the one shown above: it’s well on its way to being created. Crafted by the Barcelona-based IN-TENTA creative design group, the removable hotel room is scheduled to be manufactured by Urban Square. Reportedly, it’ll be dropped into “natural locations,” with the shell keeping everything above ground in order to make a minimal dent in the Earth itself. As these things usually go, there doesn’t seem to be much talk on how the plumbing will be handled, but really, who cares about details when you’re living like this?
Via: Inhabitat, Designboom
Source: IN-TENTA
One of the few non-kitchen related tasks on Thanksgiving involves prepping the dining room table with inserts or expansions to accomodate extra guests. But why wrestle with heavy slabs of lumber when this lightweight table made from carbon fiber, kevlar, and titanium can be set up and lifted by a single person? Oh, that’s right, it costs $68,000. More »
The basic essentials for living under a roof with four adjacent walls are a constant. But it you live in a shoebox apartment, a dorm room, or a tiny studio, you have to make every little item count. Here are a handful of compact gifts that make a solid contribution to a happy home—and don’t take up a whole lot of room while they do it. More »
Designed for neat freaks, the obsessive compulsive, or anyone tired of borrowed gear not returning to where it belongs, these simple location marking stickers serve as the perfect reminder as to where your stuff goes. More »
While it took me some time to become a fast texter on a touchscreen, anyone who’s had a touchscreen phone knows, that with time, you can type pretty fast on one. That being said, nothing works quite as fast as keys you can actually feel, and this is where the FlipType case comes in.
The FlipType case was conceived by NOS Design, and it’s supposed to make the on-screen keys on your iPhone easier to use, providing a tactile response from them. The translucent, tactile keyboard flips around from the back of the case, and allows users to instantly transition from a touchscreen device to a keyboard you can feel. One limitation of the design is that it only works in portrait mode, but that’s how most of us type on our iPhones anyhow.
While it’s not the first tactile keyboard overlay for the iPhone, it’s an interesting concept since it’s built into a case, and can be used only when you need it.
[via TrendsNow]
In a triumphant victory for the producers of Hoarders, the city of San Francisco gave developers the go-ahead on Tuesday to enter a trial run of 375 “micro-apartments.” More »
If you consider yourself an expert on mixology, then you probably already have the basic tools of the trade. If you’re still aspiring to be one, then I’m sure you’ll find the Bar10der handy.
It won’t win any awards for spelling, but the Bar10der can help you prepare ingredients and mix up an assortment of alcoholic beverages which will make you the life of the party.
Think of it as the Swiss knife for bartenders that’s got every tool that you might need to fix up that perfect little cocktail.
The Bar10der is available online in four different colors for $49.99(USD).
[via The Gadgeteer]
Microsoft’s Jensen Harris, who wears the hat of Director of Program Management for the Windows User Experience team, showed off some Windows 8 mockups minted in early 2010 during a talk at last summer’s UX Week 2012. Now, a video of the presentation has been posted online, giving us a look at the reference designs. Despite roughly two years separating mockup creation and the launch of Windows 8, the OS remained remarkably true to its conceptual roots. During the hour-long talk, Jensen covers the birth of Windows 8, its driving principles and even mentions some distaste for the faux leather aesthetics in some iOS apps, calling them “cheesy visual effects.” Hit the adjacent gallery to catch a peek of the early Start screen, on-screen keyboard, Charms Bar and lock screen. For a video of the hour-long talk covering the story of how Redmond’s operating system came to be, head past the jump.
Gallery: Windows 8 mockups from 2010
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Software, Microsoft
Via: The Verge, istartedsomething
Source: UX Week
I have a recurring nightmare about being attacked by some sort of creature with too many legs. I’m not sure if it’s from playing too many FPSes, or from reading about Cthulhu. Heck, maybe it’s from visiting the aquarium. Who knows. But if you’re not afraid to have some tentacles hanging around your bookshelf, then you’ll definitely want to check out these bookends.
They’re made by Knob Creek Metal Arts, and feature a cutout of a woman being abducted by some sort of creepy tentacled beast – I’m going with a Kraken, but it definitely could be Cthulhu, or just some sort of giant octopus. Or maybe a septapus. Maybe it’s just Squiddly Diddly.
Each pair of Tentacle Attack bookends is handmade from steel, and sells for $43(USD). Grab a pair now, before the tentacles grab you instead.
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