HA! Cool shoes

Core77 presented me with this article that put a smile on my face. "Shoes that make everyone the same height" is about a party thrown by German designer, Hans Hermmet, where he measures everyones height and then they get blue foam heeled shoes so everyone is the same height so avoid awkward party socializing based on heights. It is pretty hilarious. Check out their sites to see what other fascinating stuff they do... with balloons and things.
I would love to attend a party where this was a requirment. It is very intersting in its meaning, plus it is really funny to look at and play with!

@

NYTimes wrote a really interesting article about the "@" sign. It is recently being noticed and held in high design esteem. The Museum of Modern Art in New York has deemed it to be such an important example of design that the @ has been officially admitted to its architecture and design collection. That’s as good as it gets in the design world, rather like bagging a Tony on Broadway or an Oscar in Hollywood.
No one knows when it first appeared. It's history: Whatever its origins, the @ appeared on the keyboard of the first typewriter, the American Underwood, in 1885 and was used, mostly in accounting documents, as shorthand for “at the rate of.” It remained an obscure keyboard character until 1971 when an American programmer, Raymond Tomlinson, added it to the address of the first e-mail message to be sent from one computer to another.
Timeliness matters to MoMA too, and the new @ is timely.
The design is pretty sweet!

iPhone bike mount

Another apple accessory! Coolhunting wrote about the BioLogic iPhone Bike Mount. This case is waterproof and is meant for cyclist who can't hold the phone or ipod while riding. It mounts to any handle bars and is very convenient. Dahon, a bike company, makes it. It also allows for tracking of speed, GPS, and distance. The silicon liner keeps the phone in place, while a hard outer shell protects it from bad weather. Buy it for $60 on their website.

iLuv

Coolhunting reported on the latest iphone/itouch accessory. It is the iLuv iMM190. An alarm clock, digital photo frame, portable movie display, and Skype station all in one, while charging! Buy it here for 90 bones.


I think this is better than the popular iHome because it looks better, it works with the iPhone and iTouch, and the design in sleek.

But, there is too much competition for apple accessories! We need to slow down just a nip.

Movies on Demand

Everything is going wireless, untangible, anything. Movies being rented from Blockbuster is a thing of the past. Netflix is the new hit. But now, Cable and Studios unite to make movies on demand the #1 choice accoring to the nyt.

Blockbuster is seriosuly declining. But Studios like Warner Bros don't want to upset retail partners like Walmart and Best Buy by promoting this new way to watch. "On-demand usage soared 20 percent last year. On-demand rentals are also more profitable for studios than traditional rental options. Blockbuster gives studios about 25 cents of every dollar spent on movie rentals; on-demand services deliver as much as 65 cents of every dollar to the studios."

Participating studios include Warner, 20th Century Fox, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Rogue, Sony Pictures, Summit Entertainment and Universal. Notably absent are Paramount and Walt Disney. Cable partners include Armstrong, BendBroadband, Brighthouse, the iO digital unit of Cablevision, Comcast, Cox, Insight and Time Warner.

Home Auto System

Thanks to coolhunting: A company called Savant created a new remote that organizes the many things that make a home--light, security, A/V, Internet, sprinklers, etc.

It's the only Apple-based netwroking program like it on the market. You can adjust these things through your iPhone.

They have a product called TrueImage Control--a wireless touch panel that makes it even easier.

"Other future-thinking features include the ability to turn any HD television into a portal for content stored on optional servers or anything (Hulu, YouTube, etc.) online. In addition to such high-tech convenience, Savant helps conserve energy by using motion sensors to switch off lights, closing blinds at midday, and regulating heating and cooling systems based on outdoor temperatures."

This amazing system starts at $5,000.

Protofarm

From Design Indaba, I saw this: Protofarm.

Protofarm 2050 is from Design Indaba. Farming is the primary source of our food supply and lately, it hasn't been treated that way. Large-scale corporate owned industrialized farming has caused concentration of power at various points in the food chain, making the individual helpless.

Over the next 40 years, a more environmentally friendly and efficient way to feed people must be developed to meet the needs of the 2050 world population, estimated to be 9.2-billion. Rising economies such as China and India will continue to place higher demands on lifestyle food choices such as meat and dairy, while the production of biofuels could reduce the amount of agricultural land dedicated to food. Climate changes also threaten to redistribute fertile and arid land, as well as put stress on the supply of fresh water.

"Yet, by reviewing the notion of farming as primarily for food and sustenance, and adding environmental and energy resources into the equation, farming can form the basis of a sustainable globe. Instead of large-scale carbon emitting farms, small and medium-sized farms can be designed as self-sufficient, off-the-grid ecosystems. With organic methods, biochar activities and other farming techniques deployed, farms could in fact become carbon sinks rather than emitters. For instance, returning to the practice of feeding livestock on grass, reduces the methane output and allows for the manure to be used as fertiliser. More distributed and integrated farms would also increase food accessibility, while intra-urban farming areas would reduce food miles and offset urban environmental issues such as heat islands.

Covering this highly topical pasture of food, energy and resource security, Protofarm 2050 features five designers looking beyond the possibilities and predictions currently in the public domain. Based on a 2050 of increased urbanisation and population, limited natural resources, climate challenges and digital-biological integration, these unique design scenarios envision the sustainable cultivation of renewable resources."

South African Design

Snooping around coolhunting lead me to this article.
It's a post about a feature at the Design Indaba Expo.
It is a collection by Snapp.
Founded by industrial designer Jonathan Fundudis and mechanical engineer Renko Nieman, the Johannesburg-based firm aspires to lead the field in contemporary South African product design and manufacturing. The brand fabricated their inaugural collection entirely from Corian, which they selected for its ability to be machined, thermoformed, laminated and finished using both new technology and traditional production techniques.
Since Corian is a notoriously expensive material, producing these pieces in small batches could be quite costly.

Check it out for yourself since the pictures won't load on here.

Art + Video

I'm taking two art histories: renaissance and contemporary. Professor Price has showed us many pieces from DaVinci to Matisse. This video by Hold your Horses! depicts many popular art paintings that come to life. I have to share because it is so well done and it shows how good it is to know art and history and feel cultured!

Neat Vid!

The latest youtube sensation is OK GO's "This too shall pass."


The video is a giant "Rube Goldberg." The masters of this are Fischli and Weiss, check out this 1987 video made by them.

OK GO's video took over 60 tries, 2 months, and 30 people to get done. It is absolutely amazing.

Light II

I guess I'm really into light today. Another post having to do with light by coolhunting caught my eye. It is an interactive installation called "Night Lights" where hands, bodies, and cell phones bring the light to life. It is at the Ferry Building in New Zealand for Telecom New Zealand. The software they use is called openFrameworks by YesYesNo and the scene changes every hour (6 images total) for five days.

YesYesNo (company making interactive projects) is very interesting and worth a look:

This is another project they did called "Lights On!"

Let there be light!

Weheart posted about Roso, a design studio, and their latest work. It is an installation at Clark's Somerset headquarters. (Clark the shoe company.)

This light installation is a bunch of discs that cast reflective light, hung by thin suspended wire, and it goes from one side of a building, through the courtyard, and back to another side of the building. It is magnificent in sight and the light it casts gives a unique look at the everyday objects around.

Assignment 2 NOTES

Not all artists are starving

I attended the "Not all artists are starving" event on Tuesday.
It was at the university club, with 7 or 8 speakers in the art world, most Hofstra alumni. I was really excited to hear what artists today had to say about getting jobs, graduating Hofstra.
They all spoke about the last 5-10 years of their life and it was very scary, but inspiring. They all have about the same message: don't give up on your dreams, stay determined, take the unexpected opportunities because you never know where they may take you.
I got to meet and speak to the two Amy's that attended. Amy, Rick's wife (I forgot her last name) but she works for getty images and studied photography at Hofstra. She deals with getting the advertiser and the artist together to get a great ad or image. Her job sounds like something I'd like to do. Amy Dresser, who is now in LA, is an amazing photo retoucher and is very popular and talented. She was really cool and down to earth, and a pleasure to meet.
I look forward to the next decade of my life because of all the crazy, unpredictable things that will happen to me as an artist.

Overall, the event was a hit. More of these things should take place at Hofstra.
Thanks Emily!
Newsday posted an article

Facepainting

This is a new line of artistry I stumbled upon on youtube this morning.
James Kuhn is a facepainter. And a darn good one.
He paints his face into elaborate paintings that resemble a cartoon or something and moves his face muscles to make the image move. It is crazy and unbelievable but very very neat.
Check out his many youtube videos.

Sounds

We humans are filled with memories. Memories can and most likely are triggered by a sense--a scent, a taste, A SOUND.
FastCompany did a survey of the 10 most addictive sounds--branded and not.

Some examples are Intel, T-Mobile, and McDonald's. Check it out to see the top spots, and if you actually recognize them.