I’ve always questioned if technology and electronics would become nostalgic, where electronics, laptops, cell phones, mp3 players would be kept for longer than say two years. In todays society, electronics are thrown away not only because they are behind in technology, but for their looks.(little dings here and there) I was reminded of this question when I saw this post here, about how a scratched up Sony camera actually looked cool, how it had a splendid patina look. In this rare case, a dinged up electronic actually had a good emotional response from someone, much like a beat up leather jacket, worn out ripped jeans, overly wrinkled fashionable shirts, a used baseball glove, a wooden old ladder, a dirty but huggable teddy bear, etc. As Russell Davies says in his post, “One of the things I hate about the design of most things, especially most electronic things, and definitely most automotive things, is they’re all designed to be new. They’re all at their best when you buy them and they get worse the second you remove them from the packaging.”
So, what’s the solution to this, is there a need for nostalgic electronics, should electronics be made to have more meaning?… I’m not sure, it’s just a thought. I use to think soft materials would add this meaningful value but from what I know, the only integrated soft electronic is this sleek porsche like vertu ascent phone for $5,000. It’s strange how tons of people buy soft cases for their gadgets…. are consumers saying something companies are not realizing? 😉
inspiration
Here’s a pretty clever little ad to slap onto a door. It’s been a little minii trend to replace real objects with ads lately, but hey, it’s grabbed my attention for the better for now.
via frederiksamuel
For the first time ever, the exclusive invite-only TED conference experience, which I’ve posted about several times, is launching TEDtalks which is a free video and audio series of some of the best TED speakers for everyone in the world to see and hear. TED is a journey of some of the most mind-provoking idea gatherings in the world which is limited to 1,000 people each year but is now spreading some their love through this new chapter. I’m extremely happy that TED decided to add this feature as every time I return from the TED conference I ramble for endless enthusiastic months to my friends about it. Attending TED is like no other conference and a heaven of ideas for anyone to experience. Though the speakers talks are only a portion of the magical safari, TEDtalks is a first step in sharing the real magic of captivating, igniting, and making real world changes that keeps this community so compelling. Go check it out, get inspired, and start spreading the idea virus! (Sir Ken Robinson on creativity is a must watch video!)
via TEDblog
Have you ever wondered how to travel the entire world and get a company to pay for it all? Well, meet Matt Harding, a game developer that quit his job to travel the world for a bit of an adventure while filming himself doing a little dance in each location. Upon returning from his world safari, his video hit the infectious internet world and got in the hands of some corporate leaders who decided to pay and sponsor him to do it all over again and in different locations if not everywhere. If you have not seen this viral video see it here (2005), here (2006), or wherethehellismatt.com. Once you see this mesmerizing video you’ll understand why it’s hard not to watch Matt do his goofy dance in sooo many amazzzing locations. Matts dance reminds me of the Six Flags dancer which has been stuck in my head for some time.
This post is just a reminder that doing some of the darnest things on the net will score ya big much like this crazy christmas light house last year that got some crazy cash check for a Miller Lite commerical.
Martin Laksman has a great set of illustrations, icons, characters, graphics, and logos at his website Laksman.com.ar. My particular favorites: freaky flo, cosos, eggs, egressados, consumerway, letterface, and many more. If your looking for some lively, colorful, fun, and spunky graphics, check out his website and get inspired.
It’s amazing how technology has become an indispensable element in our everyday lives, but it’s also curious how it has introduced us to a series of gestures that are perhaps changing more than our intent. Pictured left is Private Public, a great series of objects that highlight the privacy we sacrifice when using mobile devices in public spaces, making visible a cone of privacy technology has brought to our public attention. Pictured right is a series of sculptures inspired by gestures formed by people using the PSP (Playstation Portable). Keyboards, mice, laptops, remotes, etc are all devices that have made us gesture in new ways. My favorite is probably the the awkward position designers plot their fingers on the keyboard at all times while using photoshop or illustrator. Another example is googles interface design. Anyhow, this is just a brief thought on how the things we design change and echo out past our intentions and expectations.
via WMMNAÂ
“Shoot me if you can” is a fun urban game inspired by first person shooting video games. A gun is replaced by a phone camera, players wear bright labels with their numbers on them, players track down opponents, snap pictures, and SMS the opposing teams when they are shot. First team with shots of all the other team members wins! Different rules exist for variations in the game.
I love it when creative uses in technology allow people to return to the physical landscape, though, anyone playing this game may seem like a krazy James Bond nut on the street with a bright barcode on their shirt. This game brings awareness to the mind-boggling abundance of cameras throughout our culture everywhere we go. Whichever the case, I’d be curious to give this game a go if I can convince a dozen of my local friends to give it a run. Check out their webpage for more info!
“Already beautiful, already essential, Doublewide legitimizes the elegance that already exists within the simple steel folding chair. A subtle change in proportion alters its character, subtly shifting typologies. It is now slightly more formal, more intimate. It moves from the meeting hall to the living room. What was a public banality to accomodate a singular person is grown to accept a couple in a more private setting.”
via designboom
Having read Cradle to Cradle, listened to Jack Johnsons Curious George CD (3 r’s, reduce, reuse, recycle), and watched Inconvenient Truth, I’ve noticed a rebirth in more products based on reused or broken materials which is awesome! Recycled materials was a mini trend some years ago, which is actually somewhat bad for the earth, but reusing is another option which I hope stays a trend. Posted are three products that fit the “reuse” part of things. First off, is the beautiful Transglass Carafes+Tumblers, made from perhaps broken or thrown away bottles. Next is a “open tote bag” from Shawn Parks made from “safety fence plastic” that pretty much all construction sites use then discard. (Shawns a RISD alum, wohhooo!) Third is a is a clever use of a broken ceramic cat, sold to be a 3D puzzle.
I recently had a conversation with a friend about the digital gap and how things seemed more authentic in the past. One such topic was e-mail. E-mails are easy to delete, easy to read, and easily copied, but real physical mail has a personal feel, an authentic touch, a ritualistic process, and at times a more meaningful if not more emotional experience. This can be due to simple crinkles in the paper, ones handwriting, a few scribbled out words, the stamps they used, color of paper, a coffee spill, or something that the digital world has not yet captured. An example I brought up was Fuzzmail, a great email tool that records the act of you writing and let’s you send it as an e-mail. You hit record, start typing, deleting, re-spelling, thinking, etc and finish recording. When your friend receives the fuzzmail, the message is played back as you wrote it, including your spelling errors, backspaces, and pauses. Now, I know this isn’t great for the fast paced digital revolution, but it is a bridge between the authentic years and the fast paced digital years. You really have to try it out to understand how it works. Rather than reading the email, the email reads to you. It’s almost like an IM conversation without the interactivity.
Fuzzmail was created by Hayes Raffle and Dan Maynes-Aminzade at the MIT Media Lab.
For an example fuzzmail, click here! Enjoy;)
JetBlue is already one of the coolest airlines to experience with great service, prices, DirecTV in every seat, some yummy snacks, their shut-eye package, and their recently won wireless license, yipeee! So, what’s left you may ask..well, enhancing not only the on-flight experience, but also the off-flight experience by hiring design guru David Rockwell to design their busy interior terminal environment. In Mr. Rockwells well known odd collaborations, he hired Broadway colleague and dance choreographer Jerry Mitchell for the job. For some this may seem odd, but in truth, I love it when projects bring in new disciplines to solve problems. This collaboration uses movement, like in a dance, throughout the terminal as a central means to differentiate the user experience for arrival and departing customers. This interplay between architecture and choreography for a public space is brilliant. The terminal is not scheduled to be finished until 2008 at the Kennedy International Airport(which needs a GUI re-design), but I’m looking forward to checking it out then.
Read more via nytimes article.
Project PDF (more pictures)
Here’s a pretty sweet stylish candle. To turn it on, you touch a large match to it, and to turn it off, you simply blow it out. Personally I love real candles/fire, the ones that can burn you, but seeing how everything is becoming electronic, it doesn’t hurt to add a bit of nostalgia into them.