FB users are taking me inside their homes

and soon I'll be able to even share their bedroom talk...ridiculousness!

Sneakerology

and to ensure that kids continue to purchase sneakers in copious quantities a store has changed it's interiors to resemble that of a museum...the Museum of Sneakerology. PJ

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664464/sneakerology-a-sneaker-store-where-kicks-get-museum-treatment?partner=co_newsletter

Up: Another tool for the self-obsessed?

The Up's sensors collect data about how much you've been sleeping and how much you've been moving. That data is then fed into a smartphone app, which also takes in information about your meals. (You enter meal data manually, in part by taking pictures of what you've eaten.) Based on all that information, the smartphone program provides "nudges" meant to help you live healthier, day by day. For example, if you haven't slept much, when you wake up the app might suggest a high-protein breakfast and an extra glass of water.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664486/jawbone-announces-up-a-wristband-to-track-health-fight-obesity?partner=co_newsletter

Do we not spend enough time navel-gazing? Enough time on FB, twitter telling the world what 'we' are constantly doing, as if anyone even asked...and maybe people don't respond enough, so now we need to design more 'me, myself and I' tools...PJ

another reason not to...

.. get iPhones. The map above shows tracking points of an individual user in a city - meaning the phone knows exactly where this user is located at any given time. This - in principle - is not new, but it is clear also that Apple, whether they may deny it or not, will eventually benefit even more from each owner of an iPhone.
They will get information on any W-Lan hotspot not yet on their list, get your location in real time and obviously can sell this info to any third party without your knowledge. If this is not invasion of privacy then I don't know what it is and 'Big brother' should be called 'Brother Steve' . There's no way I'll be contributing to their shadowy tactics. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/20/iphone-tracking-prompts-privacy-fears

Quick steps for making an action or horror movie!

I love these infographics that diagram the typical formulaic approach to B grade horror and actions films!

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663602/infographics-of-the-day-the-formulas-for-making-a-horror-action-or-porn-movie?partner=co_newsletter

the art of water

This is just...'wow' ! Not an object made of glass, but a picture taken of a water drop - colored water that is - at a camera shutter speed of 1/16000 per sec. Check out more works of German artist Markus Reugels
here : http://www.fotoblur.com/people/markusreugels/gallery

Why I just love this ...

I have yet to find out the designer and manufacturer of this, but what a cute and fun idea, simple and very iconic. Reminding me what real camp fires meant to me as a kid. Staring into the flames, smoke tearing my eyes and feeling the heat in my face while my dad was constantly eyeing the bucket of water in case I got sucked into the sizzle. AJ

This is a $ 100 million business today !

Picture copyright AP.
There was a time before Hello Kitty and Emoticons and this is a hommage to Harvey Ball, the creator of the original Smiley, the round yellow face with two dots and a curved line. Ball, owner of a small advertising agency in Worcester, designed this simple icon in 1963 for an isurance company that needed a quirky idea to motivate their staff. Sold for 45 bucks initially  it sold over 50 million times on buttons, cups, etc. within the first decade of its existence. The problem : Ball never secured a copyright of his design. The design was later
slightly amended by a French guy, with copyright, and is now licensend to 400 companies in over 100 countries netting the company close to 100 million a year. Such a sad story around such a fun idea. AJ

And it takes pictures too...

A fantastic piece of technology for professional photographers who can actually understand and use this thing. For me this is a good example why complexity would scare me away (clearly not belonging to the target user of this sophisticated product). However - I like to challenge whether all this buttons, controls and menues are needed - even for the professional. Or have they been added to make it look 'professional' and thus create a more premium product category for the sophisticated user, or those that like to consider themselfs as such ?  Does complexity enhance value and does the choice of more functions increase the experience ? I believe a lot of non-professional photographers think so even though they would only use half of the functions (if at all) while paying a premium price for the equipment. Being seen with a device that creates an aura of professionalism may mean more to such consumers than the real added value the more premium product can deliver. What I am trying to say with this : Complexity actually helps to sell more products in some categories. AJ

Reverse valuation ? Or should it be called ?

Oh well... just wrote about skin being used for everyday items when I found this - leather bags resembling the appearance of cheap plastic bags (by 'cast of voices' A&R store). The 'luxury-fication' of trash so to speak or rather the re-interpretation of items we are not conscious of. Came across quite few samples of such design approach lately with table ware being inspired by styrofoam lunch boxes, vases looking like crumbled paper (which is older) and lighting products assembled from DIY piping. Turning anonymous by-products of our consumerism into hero products and this give them a new meaning. (AJ)
http://aplusrstore.com/product.php?id=759

Transmedia Design

Not for those with a weak heart : Oliver Goulet is a French transmedia artist who explores humanity as a species in the progress of disappearance. He imagines the mutation of the human body, the painful journey from egocentric individualism towards an optimal collective identification and networking ('The relic of bionic man, 2001, above). His other works include 'human hunting trophies' and 'skin bags' made of synthetic skin.
Quite disturbing to look at it shows how we are being thrown off balance by such thought of (fake) 'human skin' as a medium being used for everyday items, while we can easily accept to be accessorized with items using (real) skin of fellow beings. Interesting concept nevertheless (AJ)
http://goulet.free.fr/

And more on Insane...

Check out this website which shows the insanity of the destruction. When you see what nature can do in one single swipe, you wonder, what the hell were we humans thinking off? That we control this planet and it's moods? PJ

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html

What if ?

all life was wiped off this planet by some giant galactic microwave tsunami (or something equally mindblowing destructive) ? Nothing left that contains DNA, cells, water, skin and bones, but dirt and the giant structures, machines we built, cars , iPhones and clothes remain. Would evolution happen all over again (which seems likely) and would it happen differently ? Or would our machines and our creations evolve into a lifeform of their own ? Could organic cells merge with micro components of devices left behind and 'control' them ? Thus creating some new form of hybrid organisms - half being, half machine. It would certainly not look like some walking electric shaver I imagine, but rather a complex structure that would spread like microfibers similar to the connected root system of mushrooms. Found this pic quite cool btw...expresses my theory of
new hybrid life after the abyss (Pic by Werner Bartsch). AJ

Computational architecture... huh ?

Too complex to understand for my small brain, but it looks amazing. The renderings above are the result of algorithms and computation to create architectural shapes and structures. As the creator, architect Michael Hansmeyer, explains on his website : 'This opens up a new role for algorithms as a design tool. As such, they provide the benefits of depth and breadth. On the one hand, their computational power can address processes with a scale and complexity that precludes a manual approach. On the other hand, algorithms can generate endless permutations of a scheme. A slight tweaking of either the input or the process leads to an instant adaptation of output. When combined with an evaluative function, they can be used to recursively optimize output on both a functional and aesthetic level.' (AJ)
Check out : http://www.michael-hansmeyer.com/
 

Insane !

back in town and need to admit that i am more than happy to be able again to access information and share my views without the 'you are not entitled to access this website' pop up. to follow up on the latest blog entries on fashion 'design' i am delighted to share this interesting abnormalty of human creativity. As if it is not enough that the human race has intervened in the evolution of so many species to create one that is superior to the other (some purely for entertainment) i am suprised to learn that there is yet another level as shown in this picture of the poor dog above. Dog shows are popular in the West to showcase the purity of race (or rarity of specialty 'creations'), but this example of the US (where else..) cuts the cake. What I find so disturbing is the entire disregard and respect of a fellow creature by using it as a canvass for some tasteless creation that is so utterly against the pure nature of that dog .The only thing missing here are the batteries (pic by Ren Netherland). AJ

Fashions' new luxury...go to Moscow!

The idea is to help the consumer get lost in the ambience and experience of the store that it's almost like they are buying that charactor's/ personas lifes tyle. Take Alice in Wonderland as one inspiration...

http://moodswings.ru/

has fashion design lost it's plot ?

I must admit that i do not really follow reports of fashion events and my awareness of the latest fashion trends or the hippest new look is rather rudimentary, but one recent event - London Fashion Week - stuck in my mind as pictures of one specific show, that of Charlie Le Mindu, where published in any possible web magazine (above). Models were nude or semi-nude, some covered in fake blood, others wearing gas masks, etc. I mean... REALLY ??!! I am sure this show was meant as a joke or sarcastic jibe at the mostly overrated and overexposed fashion industry, because no designer can seriously think of this as design. Besides the rather obvious shock 'value' (Yawn... so new..... NOT), I could not see any other value in this as much as I looked at it from different angles. But hey... in our superficial world even fashion butchers as this Mr. Le Mindu will have their minute of fame, talent or not. And I contributed.... sigh . AJ

design file : Pinky

ok .. i didn't ask SCMP for permission to add this pic (noted herewith), but this was the only pic I can find
of 'Pinky' the doll created for real Hong Kong girls, modelled after a real HK girl (according to the article I read in the SCMP.. shown here the creator, a Mrs. N. to the right and a Ms. Y, the inspiration). It was also noted by Mrs. N in that same article that girls in HK are very fashionable and trendy when it comes to clothing, not necessarily just looking for big name brands or running after the most expensive items. They can even be creative on a budget and are always well dressed and well groomed.
I am not challenging that statement, but what puzzled me in all this is the result - the doll. If Ms. Y was the inspiration (or representation) of HK girls, the same should be up in arms. Not only is the doll named 'Pinky',
which is not the first doll by that name, but .. well... looks pink, which seems to be the only color in the spectrum that can be associated with HK Chinese girls. If the observation and inspiration was that of fashionable and trendy females, then I don't understand why this doll is wearing a pink ball gown and hair looking like grandma's wig (including the flower). Looks to me someone has watched 'the world of suzie wong' a bit too often to be able to translate observations into tangible results. One of the many Pinkies... AJ

anatomy of a product

It is just mind boggeling looking at this pictures and amazing how many parts are needed to put products together (not even thinking about the machines needed to make them and the man hours to put all those together). Photographer Todd McLellan has captured beautifully the disassembly of average products on his website toddmclellan.com and created pieces of art, but there are also other such images to be found on the web as the one of the VW Golf. Thinking of a car and looking at all those parts it serves as a rude awakening that we focus too much on the environmental impact of the final product and its use, rather than the energy consumption of all machines and equipment needed (including shipping, etc.) to make the components. Calculating the combined energy consumption needed for production I wonder how that compares to the energy consumed using the final product. AJ
An interesting clip of the deconstruction of a Hyundai Genesis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HcFMWKThpg&feature=player_embedded

Disposable Tech.... or ?

In our inconsiderate 'trash-and-replace' culture it does not come as a surprise to be able to purchase 'disposable' USB sticks (Art.Lebedev) or mobile phones (BIC). However, detaching ourself from the aspect of 'disposing' this two items are actually quite ingenious. A USB stick encased in cardboard appears to be more environmental concious than the ones in a plastic shell or metal. I liked the snap-off and little space to write notes on it. Can easily be mailed and reused by the receiver.
At first glance the phone seemed like a bad idea to reduce our mounts of waste, but let's put it this way : Being able to purchase a pre-charged phone with 60 minutes free at any 7/11 can be an extremely useful thing under certain circumstances. Priced at close to 50 Euros it is not necessarily cheap, but a small price to pay when really in need. Of course this can never be considered a cheaper alternative to the real thing and - let's be honest - at the end of the day will still be thrown away. AJ

spy in the sky

 not sure what to make of this 'Nano Air Vehicle' by AeroVironment developed over the past 5 years for millions $$$  to look and function like a humming bird. From a technology perspective its quite cool, while the intended purpose for this device seems rather rediculous (check out clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R9LtsdMz90&NR=1) While I give credit to the developers I also do imagine quite some handy civilian applications (checking out the neighbours' bedroom actions without them noticing for instance.. just for scientific purposes), but i still don't understand why they don't just strap cameras on real birds... oh, they can not be remote-controlled. I'll be laughing seeing all this robo-birds being attacked by real falcons and being picked to pieces. AJ

the new cool of drilling holes

ever wondered why all modern handheld power drills no longer look like this dull, grey (green or blue) boring machines as they used to ? Because DIY ,my friends, is fun and drilling a few holes to put that damn painting up is a serious exercise for some couch potato. Others may even consider is a sport, which is why some of this tools look like gym equipment. Having designed such products many years ago my boss would have killed me suggesting a white drill driver ('ex boss... ahm, perhaps they don't leak motor oil as much as they used to..?'). But I especially liked the B&D drill. AJ

ever heard of...

... 'steam punk' ?  Well, I didn't until today when i found the work of Belgian artist Stephane Halleux on the web (the two bottom pics are examples). Steam punk is not just some cyber gothic mod movement, but is in fact some quasi victorian interpretation of Jules Verne-style sci-fi translated into robotic technology. Quite some amazing stuff. Check link.

Big Bang

Just recently NASA has discovered and made visible a galaxy that is the furthest away from earth at about 400 million years. ' No big deal' one thinks, but then i started to wonder what this means. Our universe apparently started with a 'big bang' about 15 billion years ago (may be a few minutes more or less..) and formed the star and galaxy structure as we know it 1 billion years ago. Meaning before that was absolutely nothing, just endless blackness which has been appropriately named the 'dark ages'.
It just blows my mind to think how big the whole universe is and to think that it is infinitive any reference of measurement is actually useless. Does it end somewhere and we just don't know about it yet ? Creepy to think that perhaps our universe fits on a particle of dust of some parallel dimension. AJ

LCD addiction

perhaps the old fashioned way to be 'glued' to a computer screen, but a good metaphore of what is happening around us. I have just calculated that, on an average work day, I spend about 8 hours staring
at some LCD or OLED display. From smart phone (4.5"), laptop at work (15.6"), iPad at home (10")
to TV (32"). It's almost as if humans have evolved into a display-centric life form being constantly connected and visually stimulated by digital information displayed on a screen. As we evolve further perhaps our eyes
will grow larger and we will develop 3D vision, thus avoiding wearing this stupid 3D glasses. Our capability of speech and verbal communication will be reduced to something comparable to sms-slang. rdy 4 lnch.c u ltr. dmn cmptr. AJ

KNokia-ed Out!

Android and iPhone suck up Nokias meal...I still argue that this is thinking coming from the mindset of the western world where tech use serves a huge social and business purpose. In the economically developing world on the other hand it's still serving to connect people in the most basic way, "hello"...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12403466

How tech will change our lives 2050-2075

Pretty cool video though a little long but quite inspiring how they have visualized a lot of the things we usually talk about will change our daily interactions due to cloud computing, integrated tech and such. Interesting to note though, apparently our clothes will remain the same ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuFN9CurHqA