Sure, this was all over the interwebs a few weeks ago but it has taken me time to re-post because I needed to process it a bit. There are some obvious limitations, first of which being the large scale required in order to make this effective, secondly the battery life in order to make it feasible for long enough to create discernible formations, and third, environmental variables such as wind complicate things. Computing power (insert cloud pun here) wouldn’t really be an issue since the signals would include not much more than: x/y/z coordinates, light intensity/color, battery life, and motor strength/speed.
http://www.vimeo.com/9681874So what about the Flyfire project bothers me? It’s the limitations, at least in the near future, for this display system to be used for anything other than entertainment purposes. Each LED enabled helicopter acting as an independent pixel is remarkable, although it requires precision and synchronization. I did see the perfect application in the next 3-5 years; fireworks which require little precision and can be viewed at a distance which allows the helicopters to be much larger in size which affords greater control. Still a sweet little concept project from SENSEable City Laboratory, as seen on various sites including Giz and Cpluv.
I want a set of these without having to make the trip to Japan. Why does this happen to me for products like once a month? IIDA, please find a state-side vendor already!
I want one, but want to build one myself even more. These hand made beaties are crafted from 5/8” beech wood casing, and old-school red LED clock smoked acrylic faces . Love the faux speaker pattern. From a components and wiring standpoint these really don’t seem all that difficult to be honest. If you prefer to pay for that DIY look all seem to be around the $100 range, you can get them here.
Cannondale decided that it was time to cash in on the whole fixie movement (in appearance only) with it’s OnBike. The frame welds are typically clean, as one would expect from the company but the upcharge is in the details–some impressive hardware upgrades. Most prominent is the “System Integrated Chain Case Technology”, a single-sided, fully enclosed chain case that is a structural part of the bike frame. Designed to be a maintenance free, clean and efficient drive system it has 9 internal gears. It also rolls around with disc brakes and internal cable routing. Love the way the sidearm is cantilevered, enabling this to leapfrog the Bowery ‘84. Via UnCrate.
Oh, if only you could apply ellipses and draw items like they were vector art…then you would have ‘Rhino Lite,‘ which isn’t such a bad idea with all the underpowered tablets that will be on the market this time next year. Via Zockey’s Twitter Feed.
No, this isn’t an obscure Hawaiian shout out. It’s a limited run series of miniature vinyl toys for watch manufacturer, Nooka. When it comes to adorable, yet inexplicable mascotts it looks like Domo might get a run for his money from a similarly fuzzy bizarre competitor. Either way, this thing is pretty rad at 3.5 inches tall for $25 if you ask me. Apparently there are 8.5 inch versions for $40, but thats a lot of love for my budget.
George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames and Jens Risom’s egos all fit into one room for a Playboy Magazine, July 1961 photo shoot. I wonder if you could do the same with today’s ‘brand name’ design crew–or who they might be, for that matter. Via theselvedgeyard
I hate it when something like this rolls out in Europe and I’m not able to get my hands on anything state-side. In this case it’s as simple as cable jackets, but since the connector types and US standards are different it’s hopeless. In the old days of electrical service ‘Rod and Tube‘ were the only option, as there was no plastic outermold for wiring. Which, by the way is a much safer option. The previous approach was to place a textile jacket, a woven material over the outside of the wires to insulate them.
From an aesthetic standpoint this is much more friendly than the sterile white, beige, or black cables we have now grown accostomed to. It would seem that this is seeing a resurgence within the design community in an effort to take something mundane/obtrusive and make it a decorative element. If you can’t hide it then flaunt it? Three patterns in 37 colors is a nice start to show versatility. Perfect solution if you ask me, but I want it nowish. Check out the NUD site for more details. Via FrogDesign’s blog.
When two companies collaborate it often results in something that is too expensive for the intended space (often due to luxe materials), or seems to be a stretch of imagination without a target user (too blue sky). In this case we have neither, and the output is something I would love to own. Belgian design brand Quinze & Milan will present their sofa covered in pockets for backpack company Eastpak at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan next month. When two dissimilar entities get together it really does usually end up in a mismatch that rarely makes it to market, and when it does it’s some sort of ill-conceived limited edition. I have to admit I wouldn’t have ever dreamt of pairing these two up with each other but it goes to show that true disruptors come from outside thinking and non-adjacent industries. Via Dezeen.
I love the fact that to people in product development and marketing this is what an ‘unboxing’ should be like. Sadly, this isn’t the case for any manufacturer other than Apple. Awesome ad work for a somewhat ‘uninspiring’ client.
From an aesthetic standpoint this is much more friendly than the sterile white, beige, or black cables we have now grown accostomed to. It would seem that this is seeing a resurgence within the design community in an effort to take something mundane/obtrusive and make it a decorative element. If you can’t hide it then flaunt it? Three patterns in 37 colors is a nice start to show versatility. Perfect solution if you ask me, but I want it nowish. Check out the 