For those of you into the fascinating world of materials comes and update to my list of favorite material books, Transmaterial 2. Author, architect, and material guru Blaine Brownell has published his second book which will be available in March this year…so go and order it cause I am!
Transmaterial 2
List of favorite material books.
Transmaterial blog
Naomi Yotsumoto is a professional Japanese table tennis player that styles in a variety of colorful, whimsical, and self designed outfits during her matches. Disruption is good! She’s received a great deal of media attention much like Kournikova, Venus Williams, or Andre Agassi! What a trend setter!
Rock on! Who says ya can’t be stylish in a kick-butt geeky sport! (I like ping-pong)
A video of her blasting away at doubles after the jump! and a few others.
Who says ya can’t make something cool with translucent brown tape. Mixed media artist Mark Khaisman layers several pieces of tape on Plexiglas panels to create these mesmerizing rustic illuminations with textures much like a knife painting with broad wide strokes. Very cool, time lapse like retro, and mysterious… I’ll have to make some myself. (I love tape).
I’ll post a bunch of his pieces after the jump.
Mark Khaisman webpage
via spluch
The pixelated “Icon Watch” that I posted about almost 2 years ago has found it’s way into production. Congrats. Buy it here! ($82ish)
update: MoMa Store picked it up, so you can buy it for $75.(I’m buying it next trip down)
Quote: “Pablo Picasso: Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up“.
Makes me think about creativity as well..so, stay young, take risks and chances, be curious…and of course watch the “must watch” lecture by Sir Ken Robinson on creativity!
– Neat: Engagement Ring.
– Funny: Gizmodo Pranks CES, funny and mean.
– Woa: A monstrous wooden mechanical creation.
– Space: Shigeru Bans very cool Shutter house project.
– Cool: Shadow Blocks.
– Weird: Tree that bears 11 fruits.
– Inspiring: The 61 yr old farmer that won the worlds toughest race!
– Video: Hilarious, Plunger Dart throwing.
– Video: Very cool spinning egg+cut trick!
A ceramic radiator cup… keeping your hands cool, and your drink hot! I want!
Or you can always go for the Bodum double walled glasses which work just as good but are pretty fragile.
Stephen Reed webpage
Buy(pre-order) Charles&Marie
Johnny Chung Lee is one awesome creator. Over the past few months he’s been banging out some sweet Wii-mote mods for a “Minority Report” like interface, a low cost “Multi-touch white board”, and most recently a sweeeet “VR Headtracking” concept that will make any Wii fanatic jealous. Nintendo’s gotta hire this guy for R+D. He just plain rocks!
I’ll post a 3 of his whimsical tutorial videos after the jump, otherwise, hit up his web page for some other sweet tricks up his sleeve.
Hahaha, this made me smile in an odd happy nodding my head sideways kinda way. Derrick Wang brings to us a delicate white piggy bank that has a hidden little agenda… when ya bust it open to collect your sweet savings, it spills out the pigs red guts with it! yikes! Yeah, I know kinda disgusting but kinda cool!
It does make me question how did the piggy bank start and why a pig…ahhh, here it is!
This comes to show that if you treat certain ritualistic objects with a bit more reality(humor) it makes ya smile and buy stuff!(though I’m not a huge advocate of Consumerism)
via YankoDesign
The 2008 TED Conference schedule of speakers has just been announced! This years event will take place in sunny Monterey CA as well as a new simulcast lounge in snowy Aspen CO for some lucky individuals!(major party!)
Lots of big questions, unknown exciting speakers, and ideas to numb your brain!…this should be good!
If you have not heard of the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference, catch up to their videos on TEDtalks , my 2007 TED recap, or some of my favorites.
I love it when designers recreate an experience in a product. In Takeshi Ishiguro case, he turns the experience of turning a lamp “on and off” to “opening and closing”.
Buy it here ($92)
I love it when artist question definitions.
Artist Michel de Broin guts out a 4 person car and adds pedals to it rendering it a 4 person bike to some extent with a skin like a car. Is it a bike or a car? Car’s need a license plate, bikes do not.
The trekkers ride it onto the streets and get stopped by cops eventually. The best part is that during their stop a fleet of police bikes pass by.
Rules and definitions are meant to be broken, questioned, redefined. I love it when these instances are documented!
via Glumbert
I’m not one to dive into the political world too often but this years round of familiar candidates has really captured my attention in that it is one of the most diverse round ups buzzing in all media formats traditional and modern on and off-line.
One particular politician that has captured my attention since 2004 is Barack Obama. His poetic speeches are powerful, his personality embraces leadership, his background is diverse, and his beliefs and actions are well supported by reason while embracing listeners to inspire, seek change, believe, and take action.
Besides the fact that this is probably the first time I’ve been excited about a presidential election, Obama is pretty geeky cool in the way that he’s all over the net, on MySpace, Facebook, has his own YouTube Channel, a blog, and even a Twitter feed. An extra highlight being a designer are some sweet icons www.008TheMovement.org has created which I received over the holidays!(thanks Bim)
No matter what the results are for Obama I praise him for being an incredible inspiration, a motivator for change, and a disruptor for the better! Obama just won the Iowa Caucuses and follows up with an amazing speech. Rock on Obama!