One of the most inspirational lectures from TED2007 is finally out for sharing!!! Stanford Professor Larry Lessig give his take on digital copyright and how laws are strangling creativity. (his books here)

Larry Lessig gets TEDsters to their feet, whooping and whistling, following this elegant presentation of “three stories and an argument.” The Net’s most adored lawyer brings together John Philip Sousa, celestial copyrights, and the “ASCAP cartel” to build a case for creative freedom. He pins down the key shortcomings of our dusty, pre-digital intellectual property laws, and reveals how bad laws beget bad code. Then, in an homage to cutting-edge artistry, he throws in some of the most hilarious remixes you’ve ever seen.”

Afterwards, watch some of my favorites from TED2006 here.

I posted this insane base jumping video previously but now have some food for thought for it. In the video, the base jumper mentions how they first tried to get as far away from walls as much as possible, but overtime they got bored, so now they play around, getting as close as possible to walls and roads, nearly touching the cliffs as they fall.

My point is, that sometimes in design, doing a total 360 180 from the norm can turn out better. The grass is always greener on the other side… i.e: everyone uses white so use black, everyone makes it thin so make yours thick, everyone adds features and you subtract features, everyone makes them organic looking so make yours industrial, etc. Happy disrupting!

Check this out. Some students get summer jobs holding up signs on street corners, they get bored, so they start competing against each other, flipping their signs like bartenders with bottles or pizza dough spinners. They start up their own advertising company, their acrobatic signage goes viral , and now they have a multi million dollar company with sign spinners across the country! via The Big Idea

Seriously, you can freshen up any dead business and make millions… very cool!
Watch the video above, their website, story, or other videos.

Pixels games sketches

Note of week: “Mystery is more important than knowledge.” JJ Abrahms. This might apply to all shakes in life but sometimes it’s just better not to know, in life or in TV shows.

Smart Strips, Power strips that actually stop using power when appliances are turned off.
– A new Plug In hybrid designed by BMW and Aston-Martin Designers. Will this compete with the Tesla and Aptera?.
Houses with a view! Breathtaking!
Sketches for games. Very cool! via NotCot.
– A visual interface comparison over time: Google vs Yahoo.
FOUND magazine. A magazine made up if things found… usually odd notes. good stuff.
Device Charger Holder. A cute useful stand for your phone and plug.
Targets NYC Grand Central Holographic Fall Fashion Show (Nov 6,7)

Fuerzabruta show

Woa! People crashing through dry walls, flying boxes, and debris while gliding through slimmers of water above you on a transparent surface, stomping furiously through rooms, pumping their arms and feet to music, under, over, and on all sides of you! Very cool! Check out their video above, hit up their website, and go get tickets for their brief NYC visit!

“Att: New Yorkers. Get your credit cards ready, and book your standing space at ‘Fuerzabruta’, one of the most unique shows you’ll ever see. ‘Fuerzabrutaâ’ is a celebration of pure physicality, where performers move seamlessly between three stages – ground , air and underwater – to a thumping score that’ll make you feel as if you’re in an experimental Paris nightclub. Sexy, exhilarating and breath-taking to say the least. “There are people who see the show that dance and stomp and get caught up in the physical parts, while some just watch with their mouths hanging open” says co-creator Diqui James. The audience is obliged to stand during the performance, but really, you’d be giving the same amount of standing ovations anyway. Fuerzabruta is on at the Daryl Roth Theatre until February 17. Tickets are $70 but a limited quantity of $25 rush tickets are made available at the box office 2 hours before show time (cash only)” via coolhunter

More pictures via Flickr
Youtube Videos.
www.fuerzabrutalondon.co.uk
NYC tickets at Daryl Roth Theater.

Design is the problem nathan shedroff

Design is a big part of the sustainability problems in the world. Design has been focused on creating meaningless (often), disposable (though not responsibly so), trend-laden fashion items—all design. Graphic design is particularly bad, though paper materials, at least, have a huge potential to fix this problem.”
Presentation given at IDSA Connection Congress, San Francisco 2007

Very interesting! Check out the PDF presentation and watch out for his upcoming book “Design is the Problem“.

via nathan.com
Design is the Problem PDF Presentation.

oboiler slot loading power

“A very simple modification to a standard electrical coverplate changes its function from one of consumption into conservation. A standard junction box behind the face plate catches your coins and saves them.”

Neat! I’d probably need a cash or credit card slot, but I like the concept. I wonder if there are any electrical metering attachments, somewhat like the iSave water meter concept. This almost makes me want to make a piggy bank for the green, sustainability, aids, foundations etc…take all that pocket change that pile high monthly and donate it. A Donation Piggy bank.

via oboiler

Clemson Clay Nest Natural Architecture 2005
Clemson Clay Nest , 2005

The natural environment still manages to fill us with a sense of awe and amazement. despite the amount of scientific knowledge mankind has gathered, nature still holds great mysteries that we may never be able to unravel. This complexity has continually daunted man. In frustration, we try to control nature by enforcing order. as a result, we have distanced ourselves from the earth, even though our survival is completely dependent on it. We are now trying to regain our close connection to nature.There is an emerging art movement that is exploring mankind’s desire to reconnect to the earth, through the built environment. Referred to as ‘natural architecture’, it aims to create a new, more harmonious, relationship between man and nature by exploring what it means to design with nature in mind.” (via Designboom)

Very cool! I’ve always been a fan of art/architecture created using natural resources in their raw format. Reminds me of one of my all time favorite artist Andy Goldsworthy (books/Wiki) who makes some incredible art using natural resources.

Buy the book “Natural Architecture” here (Due out November 2007)

(DesignBoom has more page excerpts)

Oleana restaurant

I just experienced one of the most unbelievable meals at Oleana in Cambridge MA run by chef and owner Ann Sortun who also has a book “Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean“. Rustic, warming, vibrant, calming, and damn tasty down to the minuscule details. Chef Sortun’s creations are inspired from her travels and experiences from France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey for an Arabic-Mediterranean intersection of surprising flavors along with their superb personal staff in a very charming space!

Oleana is located in a quiet residential street side in Inman square with an outdoor porch space many have raved about though my first experience was inside. At first I expected an overly lavish pristine space based on all the reviews and consistency in most high end restaurants in Boston which I personally do not like as much, but Oleana’s was my exact cup of tea. Very casual, a humble friendly staff, and a tiled warming environment in a comfy space as if walking into a village side restaurant bustling full of conversations during a sunset somewhere far away from all the chaos most of us are use to.

The staff initiated the Oleana experience, servicing a few tables while greeting customers with smiles and stories while never seeming to be rushed allowing me to pester them with curious questions about their ingredients and unique flavor combinations (I’ll blame my questions on the cheerful bottle of wine). The menu changes often and the wine list is as diverse as their dishes. Plates were fantastic while the attention to details in sauces, blends, and accents on the sides delighted me the most. I’d usually keep finds like this a secret, but the experience was wonderful and one surely to share with others. I’ll post a pictures of the dishes I tried after the jump. If your in the area, seeking a sensational meal and experience, I say go to Oleana!

More Oleana dish pics at BostonChefs.com

Oleana website

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airtight interactive simple viewere tilt viewer

Airtight Interactive bring to us Tilt Viewer, a new way to browse Flickr photos in a 3D space (instructions here). Also check out their other product SimpleViewer which I use for my photos (has not been updated lately).

I’m all for cool interfaces, but sometimes fun interfaces overwhelm the users experience being too complex and taking too much time hence not getting the user adoption needed. The thing I really like about Airtight Interactive is that they put just enough freshness into their products without over doing. Keep it rocking!

silhouette wine glass

I swear, this ideas been sitting in my sketchbook for the last 6 years, but again, someone beats me to the market (my design is still a bit slicker I think). Anyhoots, yeah, check out these Silhouette Wine glasses with a voided space allowing ya to drink wine without the need to tilt your head all the way back. The voided space also lets ya dig your sniffling nose right down to the wine as well as creates a keyed position for the wine head to sit on when poured. I’m not sure if I’d cough up the $54 price tag for each glass, but it’s cool to see this idea in the market.

via Gizmodo
Source: GreatWineGlass.com (with semi cheesy sales video, but cool manufacturing video)