style

adidas green screen shoesI’m not sure how useful this is but it’s a definite step in trying on products virtually.

“A new technology puts an end to the tedious business of buying shoes: Customers can now try on a variety of models in front of a virtual mirror without changing their shoes. They can navigate through the collection by simply pointing at products on a computer screen.

A Paris shop has put an end to the tiresome procedure of putting on and taking off shoes: Instead of trying on dozens of pairs, the customer simply stands in front of a virtual mirror. On his foot, he can see his favorite model with the red stripes, he then selects the gold leather alternative for comparison. ”

I’m not sure when I’d actually use this type of tech as a deciding factor since I’m the tangible type that’s got to get the product in my hands, but then again, I buy stuff online now without touching them, sometimes hating what I receive, then getting too lazy to return anything. Virtual haircuts, makeup sessions, workouts, cloths, jewelry, watches, shoes, socks, etc… who knows.. this kind of tech reminds me of that Epcot center ride that projects an interactive ghost next to you towards the end of the ride and you kind of freak out since nothing appears next to you physically but in the mirror exists some weirdo pricking your hair and scratching your head.

Read the rest of the article via physorg

faceted curtains

Woa, cool…faceted curatins by Hannah Allijn ….I love the untraditional especially in fabrics! Reminds me of an incredible faceted purse a friend owned by master fashion designer Issey Miyake. ( I cant find a pic online of it, but it rocked…the triangulated black leather mesh cradled to any surface while flickering reflections in all directions just like a diamond)(made me very jealous but then again, anything from Miyake would make a designer drool)

via designsponge
update: This Faceted Gas Station oddly reminds me of these curtains. I prefer the curtains though…

laser tag graffiti research lab
Here’s another amazing project and video by the beloved urban communicators “Graffiti Research Lab” making a slick and beautiful interaction between a user, a simple green laser pointer, a projector, and some code! This is projected graffiti at it’s best! Here’s a nice Flickr collection from the project. I’m all for making art on buildings with projectors since there’s no damage done though I’m sure a huge flicker of light into your office space can be crazy annoying when your panicking to finish up a deadline without distrations…oh well. Keep it rock’n ya’ll!

Thomas Raschke - wire frames

Thomas Raschke brings to us his wonderful series of “wire frame” artwork pieces ranging from full sized rooms, teddy bears, radios, power tools, and various other objects made from wire steel…yup I said wire steel (the above image is not from a computer). Most 3D designers are use to seeing wireframe on the computer screen, but having a wireframe table, house, or space would actually be pretty cool. I’ll post a few of his images after the jump.

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nokia future communications vision youtube videos

“Nokia has released a number of short videos on YouTube that explore how mobile phone design may change in the next three or four years.

There is a video for each of the four categories, or put more simply different lifestyles, that Nokia focuses on.

The videos are not showing prototypes of actual phones or devices that Nokia is currently working on or plans to launch. They are exploring futuristic concepts and potential new ideas that may or may not be produced in years to come. They are designed to inspire and stimulate discussion around how the mobile device of the future might look and function in our lives.”

via experientia

videos and summaries after the jump!
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iriver s10 mp3 watch

I don’t generally post on gadgets even though I love’m all, but during CES, one gadget that caught my attention was this slick iRiver music USB watch with bluetooth. I’m posting about it because it’s the first mp3 watch that I’ve seen thats pretty cool looking, especially with the USB locking portion(It also reminds me of the kick-butt ODM watch).
iRiver S10 images

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diy chalkboard wall calendarHere’s a simple DIY guide in making your very own Chalkboard Wall Calendar to add a bit of personailty and jazz to your space. As messy as it might be and as unoften as you might actually use it, a chalkboard will always add that nostalgic spunk into any space. In fact, go get a few cans and go crazy with it. I’ve seen some great chalkboard tables (or here), vases, globes, shirts, wine bottles, and now this wall.

The DIY guide and other chalk product pics after the jump.

via marthastewart

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How crazy cool, scary, mysterious, and inspirational is this! I love it when people take ordinary objects and make them extraordinary. In this case, lots of old newspaper transformed into an alien like monster that’s somewhat cute, yet scary to guard your entrance. I’m making one over the holiday break!
via MyHumanComputer
More pics after the jump.
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crit bunsDo you go to art school, or sit through tons of crits(critiques)? Perhaps your in a space with tons of stools with missing or worn out foam pads. Well, if so, your butts probably craving one of these soft “crit buns” to sit on! “Crit Buns” were created by designers from my school RISD. I first spotted these colorful and graphically packaged buns during the RISD alumni sale and thought, duh…we all need one…then again, I just sat on my hands back when I was there even though the dirty pants from the charcoaled up floors were somewhat proud war marks for the RISD-oids.(mainly freshmen students since they have drawing studios which are famous for using bricks of charcoal a day which most kids end up sneezing out towards the end of the day…ooo, those were the days.) Go get a crit bun and make your buns smile!!!

At first glance, I was captured by this cool baby pong picture! I clicked ahead, watched the demo video by Stokke, and figured out, dang, these Xplory strollers are pretty sweet! Just because your a baby, doesn’t mean you have view life at that height, hence, this stroller props up the seat to give the baby a higher viewpoint. Besides the viewpoint, the video also points out how a higher seat puts less stress on a parents back since you don’t have to bend over as far. Otherwise, the higher seat idea reminds me of Dean Kamens invention the iBot, which gives people in wheelchairs the opportunity to be at eye level with humans again(also has tons of other amazingly innovative features, including the gyroscope that helped launch the Segway)

via thecoolhunter

day named shirts

Does each day of the week have its own colour? This question has long intrigued the designer Johanna Balušíková, culminating in the Colour Of The Day project: an investigation into colour associations and their relationships to specific days of the week. A survey was conducted where the following question was posed to 75 creative field workers from 20 different countries: what colour do you associate with each day of the week? The result is a series of t-shirts, one for each day of the week, the colour of each having been selected by majority vote. The shirts could either be worn according to the calendar days, or more intuitively, according to the actual mood of the wearer.

How Cool!!!
via typotheque (has more pictures and ordering info)

Reminds me of Barry Scwartz book “The Paradox of Choice”. I use to own a few pairs of shoes and wore the same one all the time, but after getting a bunch from my shoe design friends, I actually have to think about which shoe to wear now, which is both great and a pain.