Archives

All posts for the month April, 2009


As a designer, we rethink how everyday objects should change for improvement, but on the flip side, we also think about how people should reinvent how to use the products that are created for us.

Check out the video above during a game show in Japan about how to undress, cook breakfast, eat, brush up, and dress up all really fast in under 5 minutes. I’ll admit, I’ve used some of these tricks myself, but the undressing, pants on, and tie are a bit new for me!

Topobo’s kinetic memory toys which I’ve known about since 2004 is finally available for a limited production purchaseCheck out the video above or website to learn more.  I played around with them while at the MIT medialab in 2004-5, and must say, they are addictive! Congrats Hayes and Amanda for inventing, sharing, and bringing this idea to life!

How incredibly cute! Who could say no to a little chubby cardboard robot with a flag asking people for help! Watch the video above!

“Kacie Kinzer: I wondered: could a human-like object traverse sidewalks and streets along with us, and in so doing, create a narrative about our relationship to space and our willingness to interact with what we find in it? More importantly, how could our actions be seen within a larger context of human connection that emerges from the complexity of the city itself? To answer these questions, I built robots.”

see the whole project at Tweenbots!!!


RISD’s
first “What We Do” Event is going on today, April 11th. Head on down.. I’ll be there!

What We Do is a new, student-run, RISD event designed to bridge departmental gaps and create new connections through the sharing of ideas.

On Saturday, April 11th, 100 members of the RISD community (students, faculty, staff, and alums) will share something that they do with the rest of the RISD community and the larger surrounding community of Providence.

Leading up to the day of the event, 8 site-specific “spaces” will be created by members of every department at RISD; majors paired up to encourage cross-departmental collaboration. The spaces that they build will house the day’s events creating a street-fair environment for the open sharing of how people at RISD spend their time and energy. ”

update: some pics of the event after the jump.
Continue Reading


Behance
and Coolhunting bring to us their very first conference “99%” which “focuses less on inspiration, and more on how idea generation and organization come together to make ideas happen.” It all takes place next week at the The Times Center building  NYC, April 16-17, 2009… I’ll be there, so get your tickets here while they last!

A few of the speakers:
Michael Bierut of Pentagram
Cheryl Dorsey at Echoing Green
Seth Godin of  Squidoo, and several Books (purple cow, tribes, marketers are liars)
Ji Lee of Google and Bubble Project
Jeffrey Kalmikoff and Jake Nickell at Threadless
Scott Thomas of Obama for America
– full list here.

A pretty nifty door designed by Slam Doors. Built for a toddler, kid, and adult to size in 1 door.

Reminds me of a project I did (porsche door) at RISD back in 2002, except my door was designed for a dog, person, Porsche, and window fence when a package was delivered or you just wanted a large opening without anyone walking in .

via interiordesignroom
Slam Doors

“BMW’s MINI division will debut its first color-morphing car in Singapore in June. Called the MINI Chameleon, the car changes color according to weather conditions.

For example, on a rainy day, the car’s paint brightens to improve visibility while on a sunny day, it lightens to reflect heat and cool down the vehicle.

The color-morphing technology was made possible due to a special treatment called FeintPaint by Spanish company Payola Forlids.

Cars treated with FeintPaint comprises tiny magnetic iron oxide particles which can interact with a low grade magnetic field to change the spacing of the particles, and hence its ability to reflect light and change color.

The color changes take effect in seconds, and should be quite a sight to behold! Unless of course, you’re the owner, and you’ve no idea where you last parked your car in a multi-story car park. ”

It’s about time someone did this! Wished this color technology could be applied to the interior leather as well…nothing like black leather during the winter, but oh my is it toasty to the touch in the summer! Would also be cool if the cars color changed as you sped up on the highway, from a cool blue to a hot red the faster you went.

via luxury insider