Unsuck-it.com is here to save us from terrible business jargon.
(via bblinks)
The Accidental News Explorer
The Accidental News Explorer is a new type of news app that celebrates chance encounters and serendipity. Start by searching for a subject. Once you’ve browsed the suggested articles taken from hundreds of news sources, tap the “related topics” button to discover connected topics, which in turn lead to more articles. Each article leads to new things; the more curious you are, the longer your journey will be.
Love the Lawrence Block quote on their site:
“One aspect of serendipity to bear in mind is that you have to be looking for something in order to find something else.” – Lawrence Block.
Objects by Donna Wilson
Donna Wilson’s creations make me smile. Take the Puddle Man for example. Not that I want to think about the cold days ahead of us already, but the Fox Scarf is pretty darn snazzy, no? And then there is the adorable Meg Plate. Donna Wilson, consider me a fan!
The Rise of Collaborative Consumption
“Goodbye Hyper-Consumption, hello ‘Collaborative Consumption’. In Rachel Botsman TEDxSydney talk, we learn how the internet is removing the middle man and making it possible to have a sustainable business plan selling peer-to-peer… Collaborative Consumption is a new socio-economic ‘big idea’ promising a revolution in the way we consume.” — ABC Big Ideas
Napkin Origami
Why fold a napkin into an ordinary square when it can become a swan, bread holder, or pirate’s ship? Napkin Origami: 25 Creative and Fun Ideas for Napkin Folding
Reusable Finger Spoon
Our 4 year old, Ella, has this thing about wanting to eat Greek Yoghurt with her fingers. No spoons allowed. I wonder if she would go for the Reusable Finger Spoon.
Call Phones From Gmail
Google just announced a new feature: Starting today, you can call any phone right from Gmail.
Calls to the U.S. and Canada will be free for at least the rest of the year and calls to other countries will be billed at our very low rates.
Dialing a phone number works just like a normal phone. Just click “Call phone” at the top of your chat list and dial a number or enter a contact’s name. If you have a Google Voice phone number, calls made from Gmail will display this number as the outbound caller ID.
For more information, visit gmail.com/call.
Brelli: Bamboo Umbrella
Dave and Fabian of Holstee fought the rain this morning and came to visit me at swissmiss studio. As they were walking in I noticed Dave’s supercool umbrella. Knowing how careful they select products they own, I wasn’t surprised to hear that this was a fully biodegradable umbrella. And yes, it’s available in their shop.
Anyone who’s been in NYC after a storm has seen it – the streets and trash cans are filled with the super cheap black umbrellas, destined to sit in our landfills for hundreds of years. This is the worlds first fully biodegradable umbrella. It is made of 3 materials bamboo, organic cotton and a patented biodegradable bio film. It’s great to look at, but don’t be fooled, it is designed to withstand winds up to 40 mph – common street umbrellas will barely make it past 12mph.
Brelli: Bamboo Umbrella
#wishlisted
Our Digital Crisis
“The Internet is causing mass homogenization of human identity, making us all look the same.
We use the same tools and social networks, fitting into the same templates, designed by companies to maximize page views and profits (with some notable exceptions like Craigslist).
Most online experiences are made, like fast food, to be cheap, easy, and addictive: appealing to our hunger for connection but rarely serving up nourishment. Shrink-wrapped junk food experiences are handed to us for free by social media companies, and we swallow them up eagerly, like kids given buckets of candy with ads on all the wrappers”.
Our Digital Crisis, by Jonathan Harris, Read Full Post
(via pforti)
Kids Sink
What a fantastic kid’s sink stool solution. Unfortunately there’s no image credit/link to the original source. Anyone know?
Jeffrey Milstein
I noticed this amazing airplane print over on Unhappy Hipster. It’s part of the Aircraft series by Jeffrey Milstein. Oh my, this is getting #wishlisted asap. Simply stunning.
For now, I’ll stick to the book: AirCraft: The Jet as Art.
I’ll get the ice-creams
A sketchy look at family life: Daddy’s on childcare duty while mummy gets the ice creams. As seen on www.bbc.co.uk/comedy.
(via minordetails)
Foodspotting
Foodspotting answers the question “What’s good around here?” by making finding and sharing food recommendations as easy as snapping a photo. I yet have to give this a try. The app really relies on people taking appetizing photos of what they’re eating. Interesting idea. Especially enticing for the visual crowd…
What is Foodspotting? from Foodspotting on Vimeo.
(Thank you Jessi)
Rain Level
This is one of these ‘why didn’t I think of this’ moments. These rain level boots are brilliant and put a huge smile on my face! Please make a kids version. I’d love to ask our little Ella how deep the puddle is she is about to jump into!
#wishlisted
(via zsymon)
Sewing Kit Wall Sticker
Our four year old Ella is all about scissor papercutting these days. This Wall Sticker would definitely mess with her head. I could see her look at this and go, ‘but mommy, how should I cut this?”
swissmiss on The Pipeline
Dan Benjamin, mastermind behind the fantastic interview show called The Pipeline, was so kind to ask me to be on his show. You can listen to our conversation on his site, here’s the direct link to the MP3, or if you prefer, in iTunes.
Dan, thank you so much for having me!
(Dan Benjamin was impressively persistent in trying to get me on his show. For some unknown reason, the concept of ‘recorded conversations’ makes me shiver, so I kept saying no at first. Dan kept at it and I am glad I agreed eventually. Dan has an amazing talent in making the person he is talking to feel comfortable. Hat tip to Dan’s interview skills.)
One Idea A day
Matteo Sangalli and Erika Zorzi, two young designers, are running a fun tumblr blog called 01 Mathery on which they showcase 1 IDEA A DAY. The idea is to design an object a day. Made me look and smile.
(via ignant)
Great Design
“Great design does not come from great processes; it comes from great designers.” – Fred Brooks
Read the Wired Article
(via @bb_mke)
♥ / iHolder – iPad Stand
A thank you to Pyramid Distribution for sponsoring this week’s RSS Feed. They are the distributor of the snazzy looking iHolder-iPad Stand: The iHolder by Green Figure is an iPad Stand like no other. It’s designed with sleek, modern lines and versatility in mind. So, whether you want a safe and interesting place to store your iPad when it’s not in use or whether you want the ability to just sit down and use it like an iMac, the iHolder can help.
The adjustable iHolder iPad Stand will make any iPad look and feel like an iMac, while holding it safe and secure. It can be set to several different viewing angles and it allows iPads to be viewed horizontally or vertically, too.
So, if you own an iPad or you know someone who does, you should look into getting an iHolder by Green Figure for home or office use. You can find them at Pyramid Distribution for $49.99. They would make a great gift for yourself or a friend.
(Interested in sponsoring a week on swissmiss? learn more)
WASARA Disposable Tableware
Single-use, biodegradable, compostable and simply beautiful looking Disposable Tableware by Japanese company, WASARA.
(via pitch design union)
Legacy of Letters
Fraktur writing for the Legacy of Letters italian tour, organize by Paul Shaw, NYC.
(via bmdesign)
The beauty of data visualization
David McCandless shows how design can make sense out of the overwhelming amount of information in today’s world. He turns complex data sets (like worldwide military spending, media buzz, Facebook status updates) into beautiful, simple diagrams that tease out unseen patterns and connections. Good design, he suggests, is the best way to navigate information glut — and it may just change the way we see the world.