materials

Non-newtonian fluid

Posted by _tango! on November 15, 2006
Posted in: design, fun, ideas, information, inspiration, materials, tech, thoughts, wacky. Leave a Comment

Wowzers! This is some crazy cool Non-newtonian Fluid(Cornstarch and Water)! Basically, it’s a liquid that hardens on impact and softens when idle! Run across a pool of it, or stand still and sink! A must watch video!

Reminds me of Liquid Armour(Shear Thickening Fluid), which stiffens upon impact as well. It also reminds me of Magneto-Rheological Fluid Technology, which doesn’t harden upon impact, but hardens when a magnetic field is present. They have a video on their site, and I’ve played around with this stuff which is pretty cool!

One last hardening type material is spyders soft futuristic and flexible d30 material clothing which instantly hardens like armour upon impact, protecting this years winter olympians. Check out their webiste for more! I want one!(d30, or spyder) This is such an awesome new material for kick-butt brain storms!

Sqwerts!

Posted by _tango! on November 13, 2006
Posted in: art, design, fun, inspiration, materials, style. Leave a Comment
sqwerts

OOoo. how cool, get a bunch of them, throw them around your office!

“Jamungo’s Sqwerts feature designs by Frank Kozik, Tara McPherson, TADIO, and the Jamungo guys: Ferg and Van Beater. Only 350 of each design (250 for the pink Van Beater design, my fave) were made, so get ‘em while they’re hot. via drawn.ca”

A grid image of a bunch of them after the jump!

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Paint Chip Card Holders!

Posted by _tango! on November 12, 2006
Posted in: art, design, experience, fun, green, ideas, information, inspiration, materials, me, style. 112 comments
paint chip card set of 3

A bunch of ya’ll that have met me have asked me about my card-holder. Well, here it is. I grabbed a few of those free paint chips ya find at paint stores (home depot), made a few bends here and there, and bahm, you have your very own colorful hand-made paint chip card holder. I made a DIY guide after the jump, though the template’s custom to my cards size (3.5″x1.9/16″). The the home depot chips I used can just barely fit a basic 3.5″x2.5″ card with some changes in the template. Lots of pics after the jump along with the DIY instructions.

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TOMS: Shoes for Tommorrow!

Posted by _tango! on November 11, 2006
Posted in: brand, design, experience, ideas, information, inspiration, materials, me, style, thoughts. 7 comments
toms shoes

You buy a pair of these comfy espadrilles inspired shoes, and TOMS matches every pair purchased with a donated pair to a child in need on your behalf in South America!

I love this idea! Not only are these stylish comfy slip-ons great, but they represent a great cause! Sure there are those brands that donate 5% of profits to some fund, but it’s a very different feeling when the very product you purchased is also the donated item! These shoes now represent a much more connected feeling and understanding of the cause. Founder, designer, and “Chief Shoe Giver” Blake Mycoskie has a great story and video you should watch!

Quick thoughts: Brands are becoming such a huge part of our future. They represent a lifestyle and status of life, but they are also icons in solving global issues. Sure there are the ones that do small stunts to satisfy the PR world, but most companies don’t care unless they can profit from it with money. Brands must now echo real global solutions, such as sustainability, poverty, disease, hunger, education, or even as simple as providing footwear to the needed. Losing some profits to gain a much stronger brand experience is not a need, but a must! Our informational society is in the know, and small things can really destroy a brands loyalty.

I’ve been influenced by Greenpeaces “guide to greener electronics“, the Corporate Fallout Detector project, a great deal by William McDonough & Michael Braungarts book Cradle to Cradle, the exhibit and book Massive Change, and the new must buy book WorldChanging!

via Springwise

A few more pics after the jump!

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Cardboard Characters!

Posted by _tango! on November 9, 2006
Posted in: art, fun, inspiration, materials. Leave a Comment
cardboard faces

Here’s a great set of characters drawn on cardboard sheets! I love cardboard…it’s one of those essential elements that you always have, use, and end up building halloween mazes, castles, mock-ups, storage bins, costumes, or as with many artists, the ultimate canvas. Hit up THIS Flicker Set for all the images and closeups, otherwise, I’ve posted an index of all of them after the jump.

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Soft Cork Ring!

Posted by _tango! on November 2, 2006
Posted in: art, design, fun, materials, me, style. 5 comments
cork ring

A bunch of you have asked me about this ring which I wear every so often. Well, I was playing around with some cork for a side project, and decided to make something from the leftovers, and bahm, a ring made from cork, then squished into a rectangle shape, then hardened with epoxy, though I’m testing out other elements such polyurethanes, glues, starches, and other such compounds. I’m still playing around with mixing cork with other materials such as leather, silver, or wood…hopefully I’ll have more to show soon.

I’ve added it to the sidebar “Stuff I rock” section, or you can get a larger glimpse of it here.

3D Sketching!

Posted by _tango! on October 30, 2006
Posted in: art, design, ideas, information, inspiration, materials, tech, thoughts. 1 comment
3d sketch furniture

I’ve always wanted to sketch in 3D with a pen that dispensed ink that solidified into wires upon contact with air, but that dream is yet to come true, but for now, lighting tricks will work. I’ve seen this lighting trick many times in the past, but I’ve never seen people use that data and transform it into a physical object until now. Pretty cool, even though the end results seem more like blobjects or objects made from cans of shaving cream. Watch the video above, or go to the YouTube of it here.

More pics here! via blogs.pcnews.co

Pop!Tech2006: extras

Posted by _tango! on October 26, 2006
Posted in: design, entertainment, experience, food, fun, ideas, information, inspiration, materials, me, Poptech, tech, thoughts. 10 comments
poptech2006

Pop!Tech 2006 was an amazing brain safari filled with big ideas, great conversations, and a gathering of curious open minded people from all disciplines and places. I’d usually post tons of pics and detailed descriptions, but other guru bloggers have done this timing favor, a very detailed textual blog by Ethan Zukerman, or a more visual dose by core77. Hopefully they’ll post all of the webcast lecture online much like TEDtalks soon. Pictured above is Rodrigo and Gabriela rockin out the house!!!

Read those blogs for the full details, and hit up Flickr for some images, otherwise, I’m going to post my experience outside of all the great lectures after the jump with a bunch of pics:
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SmarinaDesign: Living Stone Collection

Posted by _tango! on October 23, 2006
Posted in: design, fun, inspiration, materials, style, thoughts. Leave a Comment
living stones

How freaking awesome are these! SmarinDesigns Living Stone collection lets ya dive into these ultra-cool soft pillows, making ya feel like your a kid again or zapped by that laser in “Honey, I shrunk the Kids” movie! Very much like MoloDesigns Felt Rocks, these larger pebble like sibling comes in various sizes, colors, and textures to bring that kid out in you again even in your fancy living room space giving it a fun playful vibe to get inspired by.

Personally, I think all offices spaces or even grown up spaces need these along with fun slides, sushi pillows, an Isle lounge chair, carpet poofs, and maybe a robocoaster if you have a nice backyard and like jolts of energy!

Tons more pics after the jump!

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World Changing: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century

Posted by _tango! on October 23, 2006
Posted in: design, experience, green, ideas, information, inspiration, materials, me, tech, thoughts. Leave a Comment
world changing book

World Initiatives, Huge Ideas, Global Problems, Collective Solutions, a life changing book no matter what field your in!

A must buy and read book I picked up at PopTech this past weekend filled with an immense amount of inspiring, resourceful, and mind-blowing chapters of information on green sustainability in all aspects with write ups from over 60 authors and a collection of provoking and inspirational images. As Alex Steffen from WorldChanging quotes:

“The debate [over climate change] is over: You’re either on board, or you’re just wrong.”

Go buy this book(book tour), spread the knowledge, and become part of this global transformation. More here.

update: A nice interview with this books famous designer Stefan Sagmeister.