Besides the crazy busy month in work and odd distractions, I’ll be catching up to many of the suggestions sent in and posting again soon. Or as I’d like to think, I leaned back briefly, just like President Obama did in this awesome picture in the White House.
Designer Vadim Kibardin’s very neat OLED Clock concept. When it’s dark, the digits light up. When it’s dark, they are black. I’m not exactly sure how they turn black, or what the material would be, but I can see a version using e-ink to make the white surface black (same stuff that’s on a Kindle). Maybe I’ll just go get some phospher watches and mash into my wall so the clock seems embedded into the paint! buhyah!
I think I’m going to require any cool space to have Super Sized Stuffed Animal Dolls by Florentijn Hofman from now on, which is on exhibit at Galerie West in The Hague (The Netherlands).
About the show:
“Dushi: A solo show inspired by the toys and (cuddle)sculptures of children, where the change of scale completely changes their function and feeling. ”
Whenever I see a large room with space to fill, I’m going to think it needs a super sized stuffed animal to jump onto.
I’m one of those crafty types that fold the paper sleeve you get with chopsticks in a restaurant to make a neat little stand to rest the sticks on, though usually I’ll get lazy and just fold the sleeve a few times. We’ll, if your one that likes disposable chopsticks, but want something a bit more clever, simple, and fun, check out these Bambu SnapStix which add an extra cut on the back end of the chopsticks which snap off to become a stand. sweet!
Moq7 introduces the world to some pretty clever projects such as the Brush and Rinse fountain toothbrush before they become real. The idea is to expose great ideas to the world and let them decide if it’ll ever make it out to the real market by reaching an MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity). An MOQ is needed before a manufacture will actually produce that specific product for a given cost. The more (thousands) orders, the lower the cost.
The benefit to Moq7 is that early purchasers act like supporters, where an early order will get you the real product for a great price, but also help reach the MOQ minimum allowing them to hopefully manufacture many more to retailers around the world.
Give Moq7 a look, check out some cool concepts, and submit any ideas you have. It’s very similar to Threadless in the sense that people submit ideas, people place orders, and once a certain order amount is made by the thousands of other people in the world, it becomes real, and people are happy.
“Moq7 is the world’s first discount pre-seller of next generation products.
We help manufacturers meet their concept product MOQ’s by offering consumers the opportunity to pre-order next generation goods at closeout prices in a concerted effort to boost innovation and create jobs.
MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is the number of units that must be manufactured in order for a product to be produced and sold at a reasonable price – high volume / low cost. We pre-sell items prior to production to help manufacturers raise the start-up capital they need to produce the item. The sale price is further reduced for our buyers to reward them for placing orders prior to production.
All money is refunded should we fail to meet the manufacturer’s MOQ. The numbers of units sold and the respective MOQ’s are listed with each concept product on this website.”
A classic foundation project that occurs at RISD during one’s freshmen year is making a chair with no glue or cuts with only folds using 1 large sheet of corrugated cardboard, and bonus points for including a table of some sort.
The above video is a result of Danny Kim’s quick exploration on this project. There are a few more online if you dig around, but I’ve always wondered why such great projects like his never make it to market even if using a different material? Cost, manufacturing, longevity, uniqueness, business, too creative, market. Maybe I’ll just make a few for my house.
Awesome. I’ve heard about this material for years, but I’ve never actually seen it in pictures. Bendable concrete that also heals itself with a bit of rainwater!
Full article after the jump. (via National Geographic)
I was introduced to VerTerra’s intriguing dinnerware products during this years GEL conference. At first sight these unique plates seemed like raw sheets of veneer pressed into structural shapes, but then the founder gave a quick overview of the project. Simply put:
“Our environmentally-friendly plates, bowls and serving dishes are made only from two products: fallen leaves and water. They’re non-toxic, biodegradable, compostable, durable, lightweight, convenient and downright stylish.”
I love it! Collect fallen leaves, steam press them to shape, then deliver it. The plates will run you about a dollar for a pair, but once they get into Wholefoods later this month, I’m hoping Verterra will be affordable enough to be a abundant in everyday gatherings.
I wished I grabbed a few samples when I had the chance, but I’ll just have to wait for the next gathering to get some…unles someone from Verterra can send me some for my next party
If your seeking an alternative, check out Wasura paper plates, which will cost you a bit more, but just as cool looking.
Some pictures from VerTerra’s website after the jump.
I’m one of those crafty types that fold the paper sleeve you get with chopsticks in a restaurant to make a neat little stand to rest the sticks on, though usually I’ll get lazy and just fold the sleeve a few times. We’ll, if your one that likes disposable chopsticks, but want something a bit more clever, simple, and fun, check out these 
“Maps are useful but never neutral”
