Design posts

Hold your horses, guys – I don’t mean ‘as a company’. Apple is wonderful, we all love Apple. But where Apple is ‘sliding downhill’, truly, is in their interaction design. I used to be a guy who liked to use his iPod from his pocket. Ever since the Touch/iPhone, I can no longer do that due to lack of tactile feedback, and now Apple has filed a patent application to bring this non-tactile experience to the Macbook Pro’s aluminum casing, of all things, in the form of ‘invisible buttons’. …GHOST BUTTONS! Spooky. Yeah, it’s still really cool (especially what appears to be a phantom Click Wheel build into…

Chris Conte knows how to rock and roll. Or at least how to build machines that can assist in the task. Having been commissioned by Adam Gontier, lead singer of alt rock outfit Three Days Grace, Conte has whipped up a microphone stand reminiscent of the final scene of Terminator. The stainless steel beast took three months to build and is originally composed entirely of found objects. I guess that makes it green, or something. “I simply build the things I wish I had,” said Conte of the creation in an interview with Wired. “The work also expresses my fascination with advanced technology, specifically…

Remember old-school Polaroid cameras? They were big and clunky. After a picture was snapped, the film was greedily pulled from the device and held carefully until it was ready to shake and see your image appear. There were cork boards filled with snapshots, held on by thumbtacks. Since being largely popular in the 80′s and early 90′s, the interest in Polaroid cameras and pictures has dwindled. That was up until a few years ago, when the excitement over Polaroid came back and was stronger than ever. Dedicated fans begged, borrowed and stole, in order to get their hands on the coveted film which had…

Ever wondered exactly what it would look like, to be able to watch the growth of your favorite flower or plant? Well with this concept piece, you can do just that. Olga Kalugina, a designer hailing from Russia, has come up with this imaginative but highly useful tool called the, “Eye.” For hardcore gardeners, or even those who are interested in electronics, the Eye could be a really helpful way to learn about the growth of a plant of flower. It’s also just plain cool to be able to watch something grow, that you’ve planted with your own hands. The Eye is a see-through pot that monitors the light level, soil…

Watches have come a long way since they were first invented. Before all they could do was tell you the time but now they can pretty much do anything that you can think of. They are also not just a device that gives the time but also a fashion accessory. Here are a few watch designs of the future that do much more than just give the time. Tread 1 : Bulletproof Watch Devon Works designed the Tread 1:Bulletproof watch. The numbers move accurately across the belt while giving the watch a new take on an ordinary task of checking the time. The watch has a built-in battery that can be recharged wirelessly, and the…

Is this a new way to use your laptop? Nope, this is a lamptop. Designed by Ukrainian designerAlex Nesterenko, the Lamptop is a unique twist on the standard table lamp that lights up just like a laptop would. The Lamptop features built-in RAM and a monitor. The lamp can also be used as an electronic photo frame where you can upload your photos from your camera to share with friends and family. The Lamptop is easily controlled the same way a laptop is. It turns on by pressing the “power” button and turns off by pressing “ctrl+alt+del”. Source: Industrial Design…

You don’t see much stained glass outside your weekly (or slightly more occasional) trip to church, but how many of you would feel more spiritual in a church with Star Wars and video game themed art on the windows? This design treat features some of the holiest topics around – Luke Vs. Vader, Mr. T and Super Mario to name a few. If the geek thing isn’t your bag, there’s Elvis and Lady Gaga too. These less crashy kinds of Windows are the  work of RadianceArt, available on Etsy.com. The Mario Mushroom costs $175. Source: WebUrbanist…

Absolutely the coolest thing I’ve seen in weeks, the iRetrofone is exactly what it appears to be – an old skool phone that uses your iPhone rather than your phone line. That’s right, 1955 called, it wants its phone back. With this add-on you’ll be perfectly suited to take that call. The iRetrofone is hand made, lovingly cast one at a time in resin. It also allows you to connect via USB to your computer for syncing and charging. Available in black, pink and clear, the iRetrofone will set you back $195, a hefty sum over and above the ha’penny price tag one might expect for such an item. Oh well – no one ever said…

Everyone has used or seen the photos created by using the Photobooth software on any Mac computer. You sit there, and with the click of a button, your face is automatically distorted, warped, twirled and more. It’s definitely amusing for ten minutes or so. Designer, Mark Pernice of Brooklyn, decided he wanted to stretch that ten minutes of amusement and transform a photo into real life. He used the Photobooth software to capture a distorted photo of himself and made his captured face into a mask that incredibly matches the photo. (Some people just have way too much time on their hands). I wonder if…

Russian designer, Olga Kalugina, has come up with an innovative concept to finally battle the war of “breathing clean air” vs “ugly air purifiers”. Winning third place in the International Russian Design Competition, Olga has designed a modern looking table lamp that also doubles as an air ionizer. Her main goal was “to make ecological clear interior device, that can help person to relax after difficult day, and breath clear, full of ions air.” as stated on her profile page. The lamp, which is made mainly from mat glass, has a transparent center which illuminates an attractive glow. Finally,…