2011 by Paul Octavious
Typo Basel
Here’s a post for my Swiss readers:
Are you into Typography and live near Basel? Then don’t miss the first installment of Typo Stammtisch Basel – a recurring, informal event to bring together makers, users, and lovers of type. This first Typo Stammtisch will take place January 22, 7pm, at Stellwerk Basel, Vogesenplatz 1 (directly at Bahnhof St. Johann).
Yes, I wish I could go.
ps: Stammtisch is one of my alltime favorite German expressions.
(via Roland Stieger)
Order of Mug
Do you like surprises and believe in the uniqueness of vintage mugs? Then you’ll love OrderOfMug.com.
Request a mug, send them $20 and they’ll send you a unique, MUG, certified and all. Check out the archives!
The MUG USERS GUILD advocates the glorified wielding of reusable beverage receptacles, shunning the feckless use of disposable cups. MUG also encourages coffee establishments globally to adopt a responsible code of conduct to discontinue the mass distribution of wasteful to-go cups, offering reusable mugs as the only option to thirsty patrons.
Illegal Rainbows
Gasp-for-air-fantastic: Illegal Rainbow. (No, don’t do this at home!)
(Thank you Liz)
George Sand on Happiness
“One is happy as a result of one’s own efforts, once one knows of the necessary ingredients of happiness — simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self-denial to a point, love of work, and, above all, a clear conscience. Happiness is no vague dream, of that I now feel certain.”
— George Sand
(via the Happiness Project Newsletter)
A better Post-It
Architects Jun Inokuma and Yuri Naruse took the Post-It note idea and made it better. They take wood waste from houses and turn that into paper which then is formed into a stack of Post-It-like sticky notes shaped like little houses. (They’re called IE-TAGs as “ie” is Japanese for “house.”) Smart and beautiful on every level. Hat tip!
More over at Core77.
Update: Looks like Spoon Tagamo deserves credit for finding this first.
#wishlisted
The Man-Made Rainbow Machine
College professor and artist Michael Jones McKean made a machine that generates two-story rainbows with the flip of a switch. His rainbow machine is comprised of commercial jet pumps and custom-designed nozzles that spray a dense wall of water into the sky—it’s the same as how you can get a rainbow from the sprinkler in your backyard, just on a much more impressive scale.
(via gizmodo)
Progress Bar Illusion
Did you know that simple optical illusions can make it seem like the progress bars on your file downloads are moving faster than they actually are? This video over on Gizmodo shows us how it works.
(via @dougjaeger)
Amazon patents system to stop bad gifts
Amazon.com has been awarded a patent for an online system that would give users the ability to exchange unwanted gifts before receiving them.
The technology could prevent the shipment of thousands of superfluous ties to fathers, ugly sweaters to grandchildren and various other lackluster presents that are currently being bought and shipped through the online retail giant.
(via @eugenephoto)
Fixers Collective
The Fixers Collective is a Brooklyn based group that gets together and helps people to fix whatever it is they need fixed.
This is fantastic! Will you join me and help them meet their goal of raising $3,000 over on Kickstarter?
(How much do I love Kickstarter?)
The Juice Box Camera
Here’s a refreshing take on lunch breaks: The Juice Box Camera! It’s a 35mm camera disguised as a your fave childhood beverage. (A film camera! How beautifully analog! Yay!)
Time Rings Puzzle
Time Rings is designed and handmade by Manu Rapoport and Martin Sabattini. Therefore each piece is unique and numbered, and there are 2 levels available: Easy and Difficult. Both the designers and thus the product are part Designo Patagonia.
Pack Rack
How cool would this packrack necklace/key rack look like in a kids room? Designed by Steph Mantis.
Chop Round Knife
Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere wanted a usable knife in a simple design that sits well in the hand and which has an amusing and aesthetically stylish form. So, here it is, their design, the Chop Round Knife. With one hand, easily chop chocolate, herbs, charcuterie, veggies. Totally wishlisted!
2011 diary
If you’re into paper timers, you should consider this playful 2011 diary by Swiss Julie Joliat with more than 50 connect-the-dots puzzles. But that’s not all, it also contains a lot of useful information, like maps, popular holidays, wine chart, monthly and weekly plannings. (It’s currently sold out but more should arrive early January!)
ruckXbob
RuckXbob is a combination of backpack and bobsled. The below video is a bit long/slow, but at 3:13 you can see the ruckXbob in action. What I find impressive is that it seems to work perfectly fine in powder. Looks like so much fun! Wheeeee!
It’s a new Swiss product and their site is currently in German only. But I am sure, if you email them, they’ll respond.
PlusMinusZero Humidifier
It’s the time of the year again where I wake up at 2am and a gulp down a bottle of water as our bedroom air is as dry as a desert. Here goes another winter where I am dreaming of owning this beauty of a humidifier by PlusMinusZero. It is called Humidifier Ver 3, designed by Naoto Fukasawa. Given the pricetag of nearly $400, I am more likely going to buy this one, over at Target.
The secret of “Doing”
Attending the Do Lectures Conference is on the very top of my ‘things I want to do one day!” Every time I watch one of their talks I can’t stop grinning at their lovely logo and animation at the beginning. The Do Lectures won my heart.
Their idea is a simple: People who Do things, can inspire the rest of us to go and Do things too. (Besides my blog being a personal visual archive, inspiring others ‘to go do things’, is right up there in the list of reason why I blog!)
In her latest blog post my friend Liz (of Bobulate fame) is pointing us to The Do Lectures “The Path of a Doer,” a pocket guide to helping you to achieve more, to help you understand the ebb and flow of making something happen.
Each of us is given the same number of hours every day, but some people make more things happen in the same time. Why is that? Well, they have learnt an important, and yet mostly untaught, life skill. They have learnt how to go from “talk” to “action.” They have discovered the secret of “Doing.” And yet, becoming a Doer is simple enough. It is a habit that we can all acquire.
Flip through the preview PDF, or order a copy on Amazon.
Wogg 49 built-in cupboard
I am a WOGG fan as it is. This Built-In Cupboard just pushed me over the edge. Yes, please!
iPhone Amplifier
My friend Keren sent me a link to this iPhone Amplifier. It totally made me laugh. No, I would never buy it, but it shows how inventive people are when it comes to iPhone Accessories. I then Google-Image-Searched the word ‘iPhone Amplifier’ and found some other interesting designs and hacks:
The Phonofone III looks like a gramophone from the future.
or take this super-low-tech iPhone Amplifier. All you need is a toilet roll. (via DIY Life)
pixel sleeping eye mask
This Pixel Sleeping Eye Mask is ingenious. We here at studiomates should all have one of these for when we want to take a quick powernap on the couch. Yes, totally made me smile.