Ninebyfour is a limited edition of 79 light fixtures, each made from a single piece of Stadshout, or "city wood": timber felled around Amsterdam’s public spaces and destined for the chipper, but saved here to be transformed into something new.
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The bright ball that hovers over Times Square on New Year’s Eve is special this year. Sure, it’s iconic and colorful and mesmerizing as it always is. This year, however, the ball will captivate us all with a brand new crystal coating. And, boy, is it pretty.
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Welcome to the end of another year, people! We made it, and not without a ton of brand new stuff to carry us into 2014 and beyond. We saw lots of beautiful, interesting, and just plain weird things, but here we’ve rounded up the items that stuck with us; not just because of what they are, but also because of how they were made, or the interaction they required, or—yes—the way they made us feel.
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A team of architects has updated and fleshed out its SkyCycle plan—a bizarre concept that would use the empty channels above some train lines to build floating, bike-only cycle superhighways.
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The tallest skyscraper. The deepest tunnel. The largest building. 2013 was a year of extremes for the construction industry, with new buildings, bridges, tunnels, and even the odd steel sarcophagus reaching completion all over the world.
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These lock pick earrings are perfect for the cat burglar in your life. Catwoman certainly wouldn’t be caught without a pair. This is one accessory that can get you out of tight spots and into some others.
These acid etched stainless steel earrings are lightweight and fashionable. Plus you get a selection of picks, rakes, and even a tension bar. They have silver plated rings and ear hooks too. You get:
They are only $34.99(USD) from Etsy seller GiantEye. They really work and have been tested on various locks, so don’t get yourself into too much trouble with them.
[via Boing Boing]
Bad news for New York Times readers, great news for anyone who’s sick of rolling their eyes at Apple’s unbearably twee ad campaigns: Arem Duplessis, the Design Director at the NYT Magazine, is leaving his post to become Creative Director at Apple.
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There’s nothing quite like roasting a meal you just caught while you’re braving the great outdoors. It’s an experience made all the better with a campfire grill that doesn’t feel like a sack of bricks in your backpack. And while designer Roee Magdassi’s Stakes grill doesn’t exist just yet, we’re hoping at least one manufacturer sees the brilliance of this design.
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The looming affordable housing crisis will likely be the biggest issue facing our cities in 2014. A convergence of cataclysmic real estate prices, a development slowdown, and a weak job market are squeezing low-income residents out of urban areas. But all is not dire: I found seven new projects that are bright spots in the U.S.’s affordable housing future.
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The latest TokyoFlash concept watch from UK designer Peter Fletcher is one of his coolest yet. The Hayabusa LED watch features a case inspired by the Spartan armor of the same name from Halo.
The helmet-shaped case has an EL-backlit LCD that looks like the helmet’s visor, while watch is covered in a finish that looks like armor. Though I have to say it looks more like Mjolnir armor to be as it’s not pointy like the Hayabusa armor in the game. Still, it’s totally cool.
What I really love about the design of this watch is that the display is surprisingly easy to read. Twevle dots in the middle indicate hours, while the shapes that flank each side are just distorted digits for the minutes.
While those not in the know will have no clue as to what time it is, you’ll be able to tell time at a glance – hopefully before some Elite tags you with a sticky grenade.
Halo fans, If you like what you see, head on over to the TokyoFlash design blog and show your support for the Hayabusa watch. With enough votes, TokyoFlash could very well put the design into production.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
