Design posts

If you ever wonder why some people do inexplicable things, don’t ask Jeffrey Stephenson. He’s won’t explain a damn thing. But, nevertheless, he shouldn’t have to. His work is jaw-dropping enough on its own. Jeff builds PCs based on classic radios. Now, I don’t know much about classic radios, or about Art Deco in general, but I do know that these are some truly sexy units, and Jeff has taken great pains to pay proper tribute to the devices upon which these are based. Seriously, these are all computers. Yes, even the microphone. Stephenson’s full portfolio is here. I don’t know if these are for sale,…

My entire life revolves around the internet. Between writing for Techi, interfacing with design clients, talking to friends, and gaming, there is almost not a moment of my life that doesn’t take place online. I have GOT to get me one of these. The Reconnect concept by Lars Rosengren is a genius little device. A diagnosed or suspected internet addict (read: you) can strap it onto his or her wrist, and the device helps monitor your social networking activities while periodically reminding you of your real-life priorities, and offering helpful suggestions. On the one hand, it’s sad that we as a people…

Netherlandic designers Edhv truly know everything’s been done before. Through the use of in-house software, Edhv has tracked the movement of insects to create artworks speaking to the concept of reactive identities. Seriously. That image above? Painted by insects. I know. Totally rad. Different patterns are the result of differences in species of insect, lighting and environmental conditions, environment structure, and even insect gender and size. But it doesn’t even stop there: they’ve even taken the concept to industrial design by getting ants to walk around inside a model of a chair,…

If it hasn’t already become apparent over the last several years, bamboo is totally the go-to green material of the future. It has a trillion uses: building material, food, weapon, kung fu fight scenery, torture device, death trap. The list just don’t stop. Hipster contemporary artists the Starn Brothers have erected ‘Big Bambú’ on top of the MOMA. Looking like a giant panda took a crap on building’s roof, Big Bambú is a deceptively-intricate interlace of stalks that resembles nothing if not an Amon Tobin album cover. “We’re also talking about Western civilization, the interconnected…

Warning: Don’t click ‘More’ if you’re unable to handle images a tad on the morbid side. Seriously. This is nothing if not controversial. That aside, this is possibly the most eye-opening ‘don’t talk and drive’ anti-cellphone campaigns I’ve ever seen, and I’m sure you’ll agree. The idea of this campaign, by the Bangalore Traffic Police, is that if you dare call a friend or relative while he/she is driving, their peril is just as much your fault as it is theirs. Talk about a guilt trip. Personally, I tend to disagree with the message this campaign is sending: If I order a hamburger at McDonald’s, I’m…

I’ll be honest – I don’t really have any witty remark for this right out of the gate. Hey, it’s early, alright? Give me a few minutes. I don’t wake up to a knife like this every morning. Flickr user and readily-apparent Lego enthusiast Robiwan Kenobi (oh, clever) has cannibalized his Bionicle collection to make this prorotype Swiss Army knife, featuring some of the most badassed accessories an aspiring woodsman could hope for. Of course, I say ‘prototype’ under the assumption Mr. Kenobi has every intention of lobbying this concept for actual production. You’re sitting on a gold mine, Robi. Don’t…

I’ve been using Adobe software for nearly as long as I’ve been using Apple computers, so I fancy myself as ideally positioned to comment on the Apple/Adobe brouhaha that reached new heights last week with Steve Jobs’ open letter about Flash. The thing is, I don’t really want to. To take sides in this debate will only label me as a fanboy or apologist one way or another. These are two companies whose primary goal is to make money – neither acts out of generosity or benevolence. The truth is I love Apple hardware and I use Adobe’s Creative Suite more frequently than any other software. No matter what you…

Geeks and coffee go hand in hand like Donald Trump and hairpieces, which is why I was so fascinated by this piece on concept coffee brewing machines. Like most nerds, I’ve spent my fair share of time hunched over a computer monitor in a dark room, desperately trying to figure out why the 378th line of code appears to render the previous 377 lines worthless. In my younger years, a large percentage of that time was spent with a cigarette in one hand. Now, having quit the evil weed, I’m reduced to grasping for a cup of coffee with that occasionally spare hand. I’m always ready to consider a quicker, more stylish…

Built in webcams have created a way to communicate with others while in the comfort of your own home while Skype has basically found a way to eliminate the costly long distance phone call. But, are we really having an intimate video chat with the person on the other end or does staring at the persons forehead take something away from it? You have a choice. Do you look directly into the webcam to give the illusion that you want to make eye contact or do you look at your monitor so you can see the other person? Coming out of The Netherlands, is a new product that solves all eye-contact video chatting problems….

Getting a virus on your computer can ruin your day, week and possibly make you spiral down like this guy. It’s a threat that will always be there and as new virus’ are created, so are new anti-virus technologies. The USB flash drive is becoming a more common way to transfer files and the virus problem can still exist as you drag and drop files on to your drive. Designer, Wu Jiang, has hopefully found a solution to this problem with this innovative and futuristic looking USB Device. The U+ has a built in virus scanner that will catch a corrupt file before it hits your flash drive. The “X” shaped design resembles…