Bye Bye Wind Table Keeps Your Dinner on the Table and off the Floor

Having meals outside your home (and no, I don’t mean eating out at restaurants) is one of the simplest pleasures of life. The great outdoors provides the perfect ambiance for dining, but unfortunately, strong winds might make for a messy meal.

Grooved Table2But a gusty day won’t be a problem if you’ve got the Bye Bye Wind Table, designed by Marco and Paola Oliva Marotto. It’s a table that looks like it’s molded from plastic. But what makes it special is the fact that it’s got special grooves where you’re supposed to put the plates and cups in, so that nothing topples over or gets blown away when a breeze comes along.

Grooved Table1

It’s a neat solution for an age-old problem. It’s even got slots in the corners which you can fill with plants to give the table a more vibrant look.

Unfortunately, it’s still a concept design for now but I’m sure many people, especially those with sprawling lawns and decks, are eager to see the Bye Bye Wind table become a reality.

[via Blog Deco Design via Crib Candy]


Easy Eye Drops Make Sure You Don’t Blink

As someone who has eyes that get irritated easily, I can definitely appreciate a good design for the classic eye dropper. Even though I use eye drops on a regular basis, I still find myself blinking uncontrollably as I squeeze the drop over my eyeball.

Designer Ilmo Ahn is probably well-aware of this, which is why he came up with the Easy Eye Drops dispenser. It’s basically an eye dropper that comes with a mechanism that’ll help keep your eyes open when you prop it against your eye.

Easy Eye Drops

The container has a pair of soft, eye-safe silicone flaps at the end, which hold your eyelids open while you drip in the droplets. When not in use, the silicone flaps are stowed inside the container, and never need to be touched by hands.

easy eye drops 2

That means you don’t have to hold your eyelids open anymore when you’re getting ready to use the eye dropper on them. The Easy Eye Drops is a 2012 IDEA Awards entry.

[via Yanko Design]


Bond-Style Yacht, Vintage Speakers, Courtyard Gondola, and More [Most Beautiful Items Of The Week]

Relax at the end of your long work week and take a moment to check out these lovely things. From a versatile fan-like wall shelf, to a yacht meant for a super villain, these are the most beautiful items of the week.

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You’ll Flip for The Dark Knight Rises Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Watch

I wasn’t aware of the fact myself, but apparently Jaeger-LeCoultre watches have had cameos as part of Bruce Wayne’s wardrobe in several Batman films through the years. It makes sense. Only the best for Bruce Wayne. And money is no object for Gotham’s leading billionaire. Now, to honor the release of The Dark Knight Rises, Jaeger-LeCoultre has come up with this tribute Reverso chronograph.
batman dark knight watch
This watch is similar to the one worn by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises. This very special piece features an engraved bat logo on the back, instantly making it a geek classic.

If you want to see some of the watches worn on screen by Batman himself, you can check them out at specialty JLC boutiques in Geneva, London, L.A., and Hong-Kong. They don’t mention the price, but I’m certain they’re too rich for my blood – but damn if they aren’t nice to look at.

[via Albotas]


Proof That the iPhone 4 Could Have Been a Sony Product—According to Apple Itself [Apple]

FWD highlights an early iPhone 4 concept design created by Apple’s designer Shin Nishibori. It unequivocally confirms what I’ve repeatedly said since the introduction of the iPhone 4: it feels like an old school Sony product. Just like the iPhone 5 design or my custom wooden iPhone 4, which feels like a 70s Betamax VCR. [FWD] More »

The 9 Best Buildings of the London 2012 Olympics [Architecture]

Though not nearly as ostentatious as the buildings from the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the stadiums and arenas for the London 2012 Olympics are still quite lovely. Here are the best buildings you’ll probably see over and over again for the next few weeks. More »

Medicine That Blooms in Your Cup Gives Relief in More Ways than One

Taking your medicine with a spoonful of sugar might not be the best thing to do, especially if you’re a diabetic. But something that can definitely help the meds go down is Singapore design student Chan Min Yun’s Bloom.

Bloom MedicineIt’s based on the concept of flowering tea, which are pods that slowly bloom when they’re dropped in water to whip up a fragrant cup of tea.

Yun took this idea and packaged single doses of common medicines such as amoxicillin (an antibiotic for children), acetaminophen (menstrual pain relief), and paracetamol (pain and fever relief) into thin, water-resistant paper that subsequently bloom in water.

Bloom Medicine1

This definitely takes away some of the bitterness that comes with having to take medicine, not just physically, but also emotionally – by making it a more relaxing experience.

[via Pop Up City]


Makerbot-Forged Mixtape Is the Most Nostalgic Way to Spread Music Love [Video]

Before sharing a playlist of songs with a crush was as simple as a few clicks, the mixtape was a labor of love; a time-consuming project. Every song was carefully considered. That’s all gone now, of course, but this DIY MP3 player conjured up by MakerBot can help bring it back. More »

Building a House Around a Funnel Heading for the Center of the Earth Sounds Terrifying [Architecture]

Although I know there’s probably no danger involved with this house—which has a bonafide, funnel-shaped opening in the middle of it—there is something ominous about this Nobuhiro Tsukada-designed Earth House, which is connected directly to the terrain below it. More »

MakerBot Mixtape: 3D Print an MP3 Player

Using cassettes to create mixtapes was a fun time to spend an afternoon when you were a kid. There’s something oddly pleasing about this analog media format. Thankfully, if you’ve got a MakerBot in your shed, you can make a modern version of the mixtape, by 3D printing an MP3 player in the shape of a cassette.

makerbot mixtape 3d printed mp3 player

The MakerBot Mixtape looks like a cassette tape, but it’s actually a 3D-printed MP3 player with 2 GB of storage. It has buttons for play, pause, forward and backward. The charge lasts four hours and a USB cable is used to charge it up. Keep in mind that its the case that’s 3D printed, and the electronic circuitry inside is most definitely  not.

makerbot mixtape 3d printed mp3 player components

If you’ve got a MakerBot, you can print it in a number of different colors and designs. You can get a kit for $25 (USD). If you haven’t got a 3D printer, then you can buy one already made up for $39.

[via DVice]