While in Hong Kong I was told about some Coca-Cola soda bottle that created ice just by shaking it. These soda bottles are stored in a special vending machine throughout Hong Kong. When you open it, then shake it a bit, the inside liquid creates ice! I didn’t have the time to fetch one of these bottles, but I found a few video clips (here, here, and the above video) .

From my knowledge, the soda is the same as regular soda, but the temperature is a bit more chilly. When you shake the soda after opening it, carbon throughout the bottle fizzes up, creating ice crystals, hence making ice. It’s just the right temperature to turn some of the of the liquid to slush, but not freeze the whole bottle.  I’m making a guess about how this all works based on this “Beer magic trick video” though it seems to also work with plain water. I’m going to have to give this trick a try.

more videos after jump.
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Awesome experiment!

“Blue Dot Studio put 25 of their chairs on the streets of Manhanttan, and then followed the chairs through a combination of GPS and video surveillance as people picked them up and took them home–which, by the way, the public could follow in real time on Twitter. Then they interviewed the chair-collectors. This is the film.I love the friendly use of hacked mobile and surveillance technologies to enhance the shared nature of urban experience, and the exploration of how today’s brick-and-mortar cities are fused with real-time electronic interactions. I love the way these people talk about how the chairs intersect with their lives, and the passionate way they speak of “curb-mining” and upcycling the things they find on the city streets.”

Blu Dot Real Good Experiment

vimeo video

via boingboing

Happy Holiday to everyone. I’ll be out in Hong Kong for the break and will be back with some goodies to post most likely dealing with food, shopping, and culture.

If you have not already, please join the Facebook Fan page here which I post to often but write less and it’s open for fans to post to as well. I’ll post a few goodies I shared on the fan page below recently for the holiday break:

- Tadpole like sleeping bag (pictured above) Reminds me of Selk bag.
- Newspaper laptop sleeve holder. I’ve gotta get this!
- TED launches Best of Web.
- Cool jacket..I like asymmetric clothing which is hard to come by for guys.
- LED lights save energy, but don’t melt snow
- Ping Pong office convertible table
- Awesome silloutte clock!
- xylophone table

JOIN THE DESIGNVERB FACEBOOK FAN PAGE HERE!

This weekend (thanks vimeo) I’ve been enjoying the TV series Design for Life (mentioned before) featuring design guru Phillipe Starck.
Unlike many other design reality shows that I’ve seen, Design for Life dives into the reality in design thinking. Most people outside of the design community generally perceive design as purely aesthetics which in some industries is true, but in a majority of the ones I know, aesthetics is perhaps the last 10% in design.

Design is a method, a process, a way of life, a means to adapt. One breaths every aspect in design while eating, walking around, watching people, sleeping, or typing as I am now. There is a intricate pathway in researching, understanding, inventing, presenting, developing, trying, and broadcasting before one even touches how an project finally looks. Designers want to encapsulate an experience from A to Z and not just elements of a product. One must understand how to observe and learn about a project, then have the ability to influence and push forward a direction upon these observations. Then the deep dive into sketching, communicating, collaborating, interacting, and executing several steps within design. A large understanding in manufacturing techniques, engineering, material properties, transportation limitations, cost, client definitions, brand awareness, business, marketing, users, and trends are all aspects which all designers should be knowledgeable of.

Design for Life is an entertaining glimpse into Starcks personality and philosophies while watching his team educate young individuals into their process. It would be nice to see more shows like this.  Watch the 6 episodes after the jump via Vimeo…. which does not include commercials =) ( a better user experience)
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Pretty neat Info Graphic by Curtiss Spontelli in  The Evolution of Storage.(Flickr image)

Check out Newser, where you read less, but know more! Catch a glimpse of the world at a glance. Reminds me a bit of DiggLabs, NewsMap, and popurls to some extent.

via bookofjoe

The Opposite May Be True.. watch the video above to find out why the opposite may be true as well.

Milton Glaser on drawing and thinking

via boingboing

via boingboing

“Michael Wolf took 100 photos of people living in Hong Kong’s oldest public housing estate. Each flat is 100 square feet. Almost every room has the same kind of metal bunk bed. They almost all have a TV, electric fan, and rice cooker.

I looked at all 100 photos. Here’s the creepiest room. Here’s the most cluttered room. Here’s the tidiest room. Here’s the most spartan room.

Michael Wolf 100 x 100 (Thanks, Lookforthewoman!)”

I’ll post a few after the jump.
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““Every year, global design and merchandising company Felissimo produces a series of charitable plates that traditionally feature the illustrations of present-day icons. This year, as part of Felissimo’s mission to promote better design for the greater good, the company extended the project to designers across the globe by hosting Happiness: The Tribute 21 Plate Challenge on DESIGN 21: Social Design Network. Felissimo is now proud to unveil its selection of winning plates, whose designs communicate a wish, inspiration or message for children and future generations about seeking happiness in harmony with our surroundings. A portion of the proceeds from plate sales will benefit the UNESCO/Tribute 21 DREAM Center Fund, which provides arts programs to children in post-conflict regions.

Giving designers a chance to share their work with the world, DESIGN 21 posted all submissions for the Tribute 21 Plate Challenge to the competition site. After reviewing 732 entries, based on originality, relevance, aesthetics, and ranking in an online public voting poll, representatives at Felissimo headquarters in Japan have chosen seven winners. According to DESIGN 21 Founder Haruko Smith, “Whether symbolic, literal or euphoric, all of the designs represent hope for a better future.”

The “Reminiscent Innocence” plate by U.S. designer Jody Boyce was selected as the “Most Popular” design as well as a DESIGN 21 “Judges’ Pick.” According to Boyce, “My goal was to try to capture those feelings we all felt as children; the innocent, naïve and green ideas we had about the world before we were thrown into it head first.”
The other six top designs chosen as “Judges’ Picks” include: Giorgio Cattano (Netherlands) for “Happy Forest”; Eugene Gu (China) for “TRUELOVE”; Arlene Birt (U.S.) for “Water Cycle: For Life”; Jeong Seok Oh (South Korea) for “Public Bath”; Alexandre Esteves Neves (Brazil) for “Soap Bubbles of Happiness”; and nen (Spain) for “How to be happy without.” Honorable mentions were also given to Ji Yeon Yoo (South Korea) for “The Blooming Happiness” and Bonnie Jordan (U.S.) for “Happy Harmony.”

all the winning artwork after the jump.
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Pretty cool idea for a bookshelf by furniture design guru Ron Arad. A bookshelf shaped like the United States with each state having their own space.  So now when someone asks me where a specific book is, I can say it’s somewhere between Kansas and California. Ha, not for sale, but I’m sure someone can make one pretty easily.

via DesignMilk

Cool!
“A project of Audiochmura (Audiocloud) was inspired by the concept of Audioarchitektura (Sonicarchitecture) – brainchild of artist Piotr Adamski and mode:lina. It is a sonic installation using corrugated pipes as amplifiers emitting sounds gathered around its actual position. The shape of a cloud relates to something ephemeral, almost non-existent and likely to move.”

via modelina-architekci