TAXI Daily News

Chupa Chups Creates Mouth-Operated Joystick

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:17:50 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

To promote Chupa Chups’ interactive Facebook game ‘Chupa Chucker’, BBH Singapore created a campaign.

The video ‘R4V3N: NEVER NOT WINNING’ portrays Karl Walraven as the undefeated champion of Chupa Chucker, and invites viewers to beat his high score and win his previous World Champion trophy.

But R4v3n has a “secret weapon”: the ‘N-Joystick’, “the world’s first mouth-operated joystick”, according to BBH Singapore.

The joystick is designed to deliver “a uniquely delicious playing experience”, as users slot a Chupa Chup into the shaft and use their mouth to control and play the game.

To play Chupa Chucker, users may go to nevernotwinning.com or chupachucker.com.

[via The Inspiration Room]

Soon, You’ll Be Able To Order McDonald’s Through Your Car’s GPS

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:12:05 +0000

As Japan Trends writes: “Fast food is about to become faster…”

In Japan, McDonald’s is testing out a new ordering system that allows hungry motorists to order food using their car navigation systems—en route to the drive-thru restaurant.

A group of 26 companies—such as McDonald’s Holdings Co (Japan) and Highway Indsutry Development Organization—have collaborated to test out the new service.

From 5-16 March 2012 in Ibaraki Prefecture, eight cars will be used to test the intelligent transport system (ITS) devices.

When the cars come into a certain distance of a restaurant, drivers will be able to browse menus, order food, and pay with their credit cards.

Users can also pick the nearest restaurants to pick up their food, which they will be guided to.

Japan’s ITS devices are already used to provide traffic information to drivers, according to Japan Trends.

The system hopes to reduce waiting times and attract customers who dislike waiting in lines.

[via Japan Trends, image via Tomasz Bidermann / Shutterstock.com and kaczor58 / Shutterstock.com]

A 'To Do List' Of The Things We Cherish In Animation

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:00:27 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Mexico City-based motion and graphic designer Yaniv Friedman has come up with a creative animation titled ‘To Do List’.

The sleek 2-min video illustrates “the things that we cherish and aspire to do in our everyday lives”.

Watch and get inspired.

[via Vimeo]

Google Maps Underwater 360-View Of ‘Great Barrier Reef’

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:40:45 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Soon, you’ll be able to ‘swim’ around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef from the comfort of your own home.

Google Street View is leaving land for a dive underwater to map the 360-degree view of the World Heritage Site, to a depth of 100 meters.

The project is done in collaboration with Catlin Seaview Survey and the Global Change Institute at The University of Queensland—to document and “reveal the composition and health of coral reefs”, according to the Daily Mail.

A special camera will be travel underwater to collect thousands of images that would be mapped together, to create over and upload 50,000 360-degree panoramic images.

Scientists hope that data collected would help them understand how climate and environmental changes are affecting the eco-systems.

“The Catlin Seaview Survey comprises a series of studies, which will reveal to public one of the last frontiers on Earth: the oceans,” Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, part of the Global Change Institute team, said.

For now, users may view the images collected on Catlin Seaview Survey’s website.

[via Daily Mail]

Intel Creates Flash Mobs To Demonstrate Lightness Of Ultrabook

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:08:33 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

New York and Tokyo-based creative lab Party has created flash mobs using synced Intel computers.

Armed with the new Ultrabook laptop in hand, some 60 people assembled upon unsuspecting crowds at various locations around Los Angeles to form human flashing billboards.

The movement, called the ‘Ultrabook Pop-Up Theatre’ was aimed at demonstrating the lightness and responsiveness of the Ultrabook.

[via Design Boom]

A Record Player That Plays Pieces Of Wood, Not Vinyl

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:03:02 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

German artist Bartholomäus Traubeck has developed a record player that spins slices of wood from a tree’s cross-section, instead of vinyl.

Called ‘Years’, Traubeck has modified a turntable’s needle by replacing it with a digital camera and light that scans the wood for thickness, growth rate, texture and overall color tone.

A computer then interprets the data and maps it into a musical scale, which is then played back using piano sounds.

What results are hauntingly beautiful melodies that differ based on the tree’s age.

According to Traubeck, his turntable serves as an “impulse for the recipient's imagination [as the listener] can speculate about things like the passing of time or natural phenomena, but it is never based on scientific facts that could be found in the music”.

[via Fubiz]

A Toaster, Teapot And Other Items For The Control Freak

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:21:46 +0000

London-based product and interaction designer Ivo Vos has created a set of kitchen products that celebrates the mundane.

Titled ‘The Brunch’, the set consists of five items such as a bread slicer that facilitaties uniform cuts and a toaster that anticipates the angle and force at which the bread will hit the place.

According to Vos, this project explores “post-functional products that address the desire for skill, struggle, rituals, perfection, preparation and anticipation—qualities lost when we indulge in the comforts of prozac technology” (i.e. technology that provides instant well-being, comfort and happiness without the effort or struggle).

A set of products that you probably don't need, but want anyway.

Tool for precise bread slicing

Sets angle and force of bread hitting your plate

Teapot records the height you are able to pour tea from

The holy grail of cutlery alignment

Measures the milk and sugar in your coffee accurately

[via BBLinks]

Burberry Creates Animated GIFs For Twitter

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:11:36 +0000

British fashion house Burberry has released product photography in the form of animated GIFs, for fans to more easily share on Twitter and Tumblr.

The animated GIFs were shared as ‘previews’ of the brand’s 2012 London Fashion Week show before the models hit the runways—and made more interesting than stills, without the weight of videos.

Burberry has once again used cutting-edge technology and taken social media in fashion to the next level.

The GIF collection can be viewed here.

[via Adverve]

Converse Releases New Gorillaz Track, Shoes

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:27:16 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

For its “Three Artists. One Song” collaboration, Converse has released Gorillaz latest song ‘DoYaThing’.

The track also features artists Andre 3000 of Outkast and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem; and is reported to be “a teaser for a 12-minute version that will appear on the Gorillaz website soon”, according to Fast Co. Create.

A classic Gorillaz video for the song would also be released on 29 February 2012.

Converse has also released a Gorillaz-theme shoe line, designed by Gorillaz member and artist/animator Jamie Hewlett.

Fans can download DoYaThing from Converse’s website, here

[via Fast Co. Create]

Honest Ads Reveal What Consumers Really Think

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:03:09 +0000

Writer Chelsea Fagan and art director Matt Stevenson have come up with a series of honest ads.

According to them, “these companies just come out and say what we were all thinking”.

[via My Modern Metropolis]

For Hopeless Romantics, Rings That Imprint Messages On Wearer’s Finger

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:26:19 +0000

Korean jewelry designer Jungyun Yoon created rings that leaves special messages on its wearers finger.

The ‘Inner Message Ring’ was inspired by a Korean singer’s song about a “sunburn mark that he found on his finger after he broke up with his girlfriend” when he removed the ring he was wearing for a long time, Yoon wrote.

Yoon’s ring has hidden letters on the inside, and when worn, leaves an impression on the finger.

“Imagine your lover giving you a ring that on its surface seems plain, but when you take the ring off later on, it says, ‘Marry me’.”

“Or imagine that even when you take off the ring to clean your hands, you are still wearing the impression of the words, ‘always’,” Yoon continued.

The ring for hopeless romantics comes in sterling silver or 14K gold, and costs from US$120 each. Custom messages are also available from US$450.

[via Laughing Squid]

Photographer Captures Superheroes’ Twist Of Fate In The Real World

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:13:00 +0000

Marseille-based photographer Bechet Benjamin has captured superheroes, Disney characters and other popular figures as if they exist in our real world in a series titled ‘I am Winnie the Pooh’.

However, instead of being glorified, these characters—among them Spiderman, Batman and Hello Kitty—have been sidelined, reduced to having overlooked jobs.

This twist, Benjamin explains, is to stimulate reflection about how society may define the ‘self’ by comparing one's job to another and to serve as a reminder that everyday heroes are present—even without costumes.

[via My Modern Metropolis]

Japanese Company To Build World's First Space Elevator

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:16:39 +0000

Japanese infrastructure company The Obayashi Corporation has announced its intention to send tourists to space by building a space elevator by 2050.

The company is planning to construct a spaceport on Earth which will be connected via a cable to another space spation 20, 000 miles above the planet’s surface.

The elevator can accommodate up to 30 passengers at one time into space at a speed of 125miles an hour, which would mean that the overall trip would take 8 days.

Living quarters, laboratories and zero gravity experience are also included in the proposal.

Carbon nanotubes are said to the primary material of the cable owing to their strength and lightweight nature.

With the cost of construction estimated to be $6 billion, one can only guess how expensive the ticket will be.

[via Inhabitat]

A Seesaw-Inspired Bathtub For The Physically Challenged

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:33:43 +0000

A team of Korean designers made up of Kim Jung Su, Yoon Ji Soo And Kim Dong has developed a bathtub for the physically challenged.

Called the ‘Flume Bathtub’, it allows wheelchair-bound users to slip into it effortlessly and then sit down comfortably to have a shower.

This thoughtful design, aimed at bringing more independence to the user, also works like a playground seesaw—it swings to the front and back to allow for a more relaxed lounging position.

Lastly, it is a recipient of the 2011 Red Dot design concept award.

[via Yanko]

Humorous Ads Celebrate The Ad Industry, Ad-Obsessed Individuals

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:41:11 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

For this year’s annual AAF Dallas ADDY awards, agency TM Advertising created ads that celebrate the ‘obsessive’ advertising professional.

In ‘The Mural’, ‘The Critique’, ‘The Tantrum’, ‘Special Order’, ‘Baby Casting’, ‘Production’, ‘The Sneeze’ and ‘The Shower’, the videos tread on familiar ground to advertising professionals, and humorously pokes fun at bad clients, designers, copywriters, processes and the industry.

“When you work in advertising, you’re obsessed with advertising. Luckily, obsession has its place at the 2012 Dallas ADDY’s,” the video desciptions wrote.

[via Fast Co. Create]

Robert Downey Jr. Portrayed As Pinup Girls

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:27:05 +0000

A tumblr called ‘Pinuprdj’ has curated some very funny images of Robert Downey Jr, as pinup girls.

The creator explains, “Vintage pinups are the pinnacle of art. Robert Downey Jr. is the pinnacle of sexy. It's not rocket science”.

We didn’t say it’s not, but surely these are a tad disturbing?

[via Neatorama]

For The Season Of Lent, The Pope Tweets

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:46:49 +0000

To reach out to the social media generation, and celebrate Lenten season this year, Pope Benedict XVI and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications have decided get on Twitter and tweet once a day.

For 40 days of Lent, starting from yesterday Ash Wednesday (the start of the season of Lent), themes from the Pope’s message will be posted on Twitter, @Pope2YouVatican.

One Papal tweet a day will be posted in English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and also Portuguese—these include Papal speeches and documents—in hope “to attract the media-savvy generation and entice them to find out more”, Vatican Television Center wrote.

Msgr Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications said that “many of the key Gospel ideas are readily rendered in just 140 characters”.

“This is not the only way the Church speaks but it’s an avenue that is open to us and it’s pithy, succinct and it’s one I think that we’re quite good at,” Tighe continued.

For the first tweet of Lent, @Pope2YouVatican wrote: “‘Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works’ (Heb 10:24) #Lent #Pope2You”.

[via Los Angeles Times, image via Selfiy / Shutterstock.com]

Photographer Captures Her Flying Baby

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:28:48 +0000

New York-based photographer Rachel Hulin has captured her infant son Henry ‘flying’ in a project titled ‘The Flying Series’.

“I never throw him, and I never move him into a place in the frame that he wasn’t in to begin with,“ Hulin told TIME of Henry’s unusual body positions.

“I like Henry to fly the way he feels like it, I never pose him in a specific way. Sometimes he’s graceful and sometimes he’s a little hunchback. I think telling you more would ruin it.”

Hulin has chosen not to divulge on her technique, which she says is “more subtraction than addition”.

However, in a recent interview with My Modern Metropolis, Hulin revealed that “it's really quite straightforward”.

“I'm not sure if telling you exactly makes it less magical, but yes, Photoshop is involved, but only slightly. He never gets tossed. The frame you see is very close to the original picture, Henry just has no assistance in the final shot,” she added.

[via PetaPixel]

Japanese Charcoal-Blended Toothbrush, To Use With Or Without Toothpaste?

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:01:11 +0000

Pennsylvania-based Japanese design company Morihata has created a toothbrush made with high-quality ‘Binchotan’ charcoal powder from Wakayama, Japan.

The ‘Binchotan Toothbrush’ is a polypropylene toothbrush that has nylon bristles blended with special charcoal powder.

The charcoal is said to naturally help eliminate plaque and bad breath, and prevent unhealthy bacteria from growing within the toothbrush’s fibers, according to Cool Hunting.

Each toothbrush costs about US$6.

So, with such effective charcoal bristles, do we get to save on the toothpaste?

[via Cool Hunting]

LEGO Unveils ‘Sydney Opera House’ Set

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:35:46 +0000

LEGO has just announced its latest release of the LEGO Architecture series featuring the iconic Sydney Opera House .

The model of Danish architect Jørn Utzon’s Australian landmark is the 12th project in the LEGO Architecture series.

The award-winning design has been described as one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century.

Other buildings that are in the series include Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, the ‘Burj Dubai, and Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House.

LEGO’s Architecture series was created to inspire aspiring architects, engineers, designers, as well as children of all ages.

The Sydney Opera House kit will be available in stores 1 March 2012 and retails at US$39.99.

[via Inhabitat]

A Minimalist Wall-Mounted Espresso Machine Made Of Porcelain

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:39:05 +0000

Product designer Arvid Häusser created a wall-mounted espresso machine made of porcelain.

When assembled, all parts of the ‘Seppl’ are completely visible for a less-complicated, minimalist approach—so coffee-preparation, and machine-cleaning, becomes more straightforward for users.

Porcelain is an ideal material, as it has qualities of “high thermal storage, neutrality in taste, and an antiseptic surface”, according to Häusser.

‘Seppl’ also attaches to the wall to keep workspace free.

[via NOTCOT]

Sunlight Now Comes In Pill Form

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:59:28 +0000

French design duo Quentin Vaulot and Goliath Dyèvre have come up with a conceptual sunlight pill called ‘BoraBora’.

The design concept was created as part of the exhibition by Gallery Tator for the 2011 Lyon Festival of lights.

The pills are said to “restore” skin’s vitality and fight off “moodiness, flaccid skin, looking dull [and] tendency to depression”—signs that a person is “in lack of sunshine”. (You mean, Vit D?)

The supplements also take on other island names such as the Maldives, Haiti and the Bahamas.

[via Laughing Squid]

Parade Your Plants With These Bike Planters

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:34:00 +0000

Atlanta-based artist and designer Colleen Jordan has created beautiful bike planters for you to bring your succulents on an adventure on the road.

The planter attaches firmly to the bike with an elastic nylon cord and comes in different colors available here.

Made with 3D printing, the planters are not just chic but also futuristic.

The product is first created digitally with a modeling software, and then 3D-printed out of nylon, before being hand-dyed and sealed.

Just be sure to avoid bumps and potholes!

[via Design Sponge]

The Biggest, Most Expensive Egg Hunt Ever

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:38:27 +0000

As Easter approaches, UK jeweller Fabergé has organized the biggest egg hunt ever—in attempt to break the record for most participants in a live egg hunt, and “most expensive chocolate egg ever sold” in ‘The Guinness Book of Records’.

In The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt, Londoners and tourists are able to join the competition to track down over 200 eggs hidden across 12 zones the city—throughout the period of Lent.

The eggs have all been specially hand-designed by artists and designers, such as Vivienne Westwood and Marc Quinn.

Participants can use the given maps with clues. The maps give the exact description of the eggs, but not the locations.

When an egg is located, hunters are encouraged to text the unique keyword found with the egg to “80001”.

Those who find an egg, and text the keyword, will be automatically entered into a competition—where they stand a chance to win a special Diamond Jubilee Egg worth $100,000 British pounds.

When the hunt is over on 20 March 2012, all eggs will be auctioned.

Money raised from the auctions will be given to charities, The Elephant Family and Action For Children.

If you are game to join the hunt, go to thebigegghunt.co.uk for more information of the eggs and locations.

[via Creative Review]

Batman Throws Tantrums Around Toronto

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:36:33 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Batman has been spotted. Not in Gotham City but in Toronto, Canada.

Producer and director Sean Ward first set out to film ‘Shit Batman Says’, but ended up with a hilarious video of Batman.

In ‘Batman’s Night Out’, the superhero is seen roaming around and barking at (innocent) people, eating beef jerky, and storming into Starbucks.

We all know Batman has issues, but someone needs to give this Dark Knight a chillpill. And fast.

[via The Mary Sue]

Flowchart: Should You Send That Email… Even If It’s About Cats?

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:30:41 +0000

Online IT Degree created a flowchart with a humorous take on whether or not you should send that email at work, work-related or not.

“The Internet: a vast expanse of distractions, armed to the teeth and laying in wait to ambush unsuspecting employees with adorable kittens and kids falling over—many of which make their attack through email. To combat this obscenity, we made a flow chart to help guide you through the daily task of deciding whether or not to hit send,” the infographic writes.

‘Should I Send This Email?’ also gives factual reason why you should not send ‘spam’: “businesses lose $650 billion every year due to unnecessary emails;” “overall, office distractions (like email) cost companies more than $10,000 per employee yearly”;and a typical office worker “sends and receives 110 emails per day, resulting in 13 hours of emailing a week”.
With all these lost hours of work from emails, your boss will not be stoked.

The infographic also gives tips on writing emails: using “NNTR” (No Need To Respond); “EOM” (End of Message); and the “3 Sentence Rule” (keeping your emails short).

Click to view full flowchart

[via Bit Rebels]

Using LEGO Bricks, Photographer Builds Twin-Lens Reflex Camera

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:38:09 +0000

Norway-based photographer Carl-Frederic Salicath has built a Twin-Lens Reflex camera using LEGO bricks.

Salicath set out to create the fully-functional camera called ‘LEGOflex B1’—which uses 120 film—to demonstrate the simplicity of putting together your own camera.

While the body is made up of LEGO bricks, the camera’s lens came from an old pair of binoculars.

For the viewfinder, Salicath has used a mirror and a matte ground glass; as for the shutter and aperture, he built plates (single technic-pieces).

Lastly, Salicath employed brackets and rods from a technic kit to build the film chamber that also has a rewind mechanism.

Sounds complicated? Not according to Salicath who concluded: “Why can’t digital cameras be that simple?”

He has also provided a detailed description on how to go about building your own LEGO camera here.

Sample pictures taken using 'LEGOflex B1'

[via PetaPixel]

Nike Debuts The ‘Lightest Running Shoe’

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:00:49 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Nike has unveiled the lightest running shoe, to date.

The Nike Flyknit Racer—part of the company’s HTM Flyknit collection—is made of yarns and fabrics that are “featherweight”, according to Nike.

The shoe’s upper and tongue weigh 34 grams (1.2 ounces). For a size 9 shoe, the whole shoe weighs 160g (5.6 ounces)—almost as light as an iPhone 4S.

Nike’s Flyknit Racer is also environmentally friendly, as one-piece upper uses only one material.

According to Nike, it is “one of the lightest, best-fitting running shoes”.

The Flyknit Racer comes in neon yellow, and will be available in July 2012, just before the London Olympics

[via PSFK]

M&M Wins Best Super Bowl Commercial 2012

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:28:48 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

M&M’s ‘Just My Shell’ Super Bowl ad was voted the best commercial in Ad Blitz 2012 (Super Bowl XLVI).

In the spot, created by BBDO New York, Ms Brown makes her debut.

People think she’s naked when her shell is just brown, as if her “milk chocolate is showing”.

While Mr Red walks in, thinking it’s “that kind of” party, strips, and starts dancing around Ms Brown.

The runner ups include Chrysler’s ‘Halftime in America’, Bud Light’s ‘Rescue Dog’, Chevrolet’s ‘Chevy Silvarado 2012’, and Doritos’ ‘Man’s Best Friend’.

[via Fast Co. Create]

Korean Designer Reimagines Food Storage, Preservation, Without A Fridge

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:52:57 +0000

Korean designer Jihyum Ryou reimagines food storage without a fridge.

In his project ‘Save Food From The Fridge’ Ryou uses traditional word-of-mouth knowledge and everyday objects to preserve food in an eco-friendly way, without the use of a fridge to keep the food fresh.

“Observing the food and therefore changing the notion of food preservation, we could find the answer to current situations such as the overuse of energy and food wastage.” Ryou wrote on his website.

“My design is a tool to implement that knowledge in a tangible way and slowly it changes the bigger picture of society. I believe that once people are given a tool that triggers their minds and requires a mental effort to use it, new traditions and new rituals can be introduced into our culture.”

Symbiosis of Potato+Apple
Ryou keeps apples and potatoes together, as apples emit ethylene gas. Ethyene gas speeds up the ripening process of fruits and vegetables kept together with apples. With apples, the potatoes are prevented from sprouting.

Verticality of Root Vegetables
Ryou also noted that keeping roots in a vertical position allowed the organisms to save energy and remain fresh for a longer time. He made a shelf that had sand, to helps them stand easily. The sand also helps to keep proper humidity.

Humidity of Fruit Vegetables / Fruitbowl with Knowledge
Fruits and fruit vegetables, such as zucchini, aubergine and cucumber, were given a shelf or perforated dish, with a water tray at the bottom, to humidify them and keep them fresh.

Breathing Eggs
With a shelf, eggs can be stored outside the fridge—so that the eggs don’t absorb odour of other food in the fridge. To test the freshness of the eggs, Ryou also included a beaker full of water—the fresher the eggs, the further they sink.

Dryness of Spices
To keep spices dry and prevent them from forming lumps, Ryou created containers with rice of the cork—as rice absorbs humidity.

[via PSFK]

A Guide To Designing Modern Movie Posters

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:48:27 +0000

North Carolina-based illustrator Travis Pitts has come up with a handy guide to designing movie posters that draw on Hollywood clichés.

His series titled, ‘6 Rules of Modern Poster Design’ includes a breakdown of logo placement, texts (in some cases, cheesy ones) and also use of typical colors.

According to Pitt, his humorous yet rather accurate work is nothing more than an “annoyed rant” at the trends of movie posters today.

[via Under Consideration]

Using Shoes, Artist Creates Massive Drawings On Snow

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:01:21 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

San Francisco-based artist Sonja Hinrichsen has made her mark on freshly fallen snow through massive, beautiful snow drawings at Rabbit Ears Pass, Colorado.

Step by step, Hinrichsen and her team of five volunteers cut spiral designs into the snow using just their snow boots.

Thankfully, the ephemereal artwork—titled ‘Snow Drawings’—and process were captured on video with the help of a remote-controlled helicopter.

[via Colossal]

Infographic: Geeks VS Hipsters

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:48:31 +0000

We’ve seen the differences between geeks and nerds. This time, Become Career and Geeks Are Sexy have put together another infographic that looks at the differences between ‘geeks’ and ‘hipsters’.

According to ‘Geek VS Hipster’, geeks and hipster are “mortal enemies locked in an eternal struggle over irony versus earnestness”.

Because of hipsters, the geek culture is returning back to mainstream, but the two are still different.

Geeks are obsessive and their love is genuine, they also love franchises. Hipsters are dismissive, are ironic and thrive in their vintage lifestyles.

Hipsters never say they are hipsters, they are rebellious, act carefree, try to be environmentally-friendly, smoke cigarettes, drink beer, portray creative and artistic lifestyles, and live in the past.

Geeks have specific areas of interest, can be long-winded, and are fans of gadgets and all forms of technology.

The two have different interests: hipsters like art, blogs, thrift stores, photography, graphic design, and music; while geeks like video games, film collecting, computing, hacking/coding, techno music, and screen printing.

Fashion-sense wise, geeks are not trendy, while hipsters “appropriate other cultures for their own ‘ironic’ style”. Like, geeks wear glasses because they need them, hipsters wear glasses because they find it ironic or trendy.

They also like different kinds of movies: think artsy versus sci-fi.

So are you a geek, hipster, or a hybrid of the two—a geekster?

Click to view full infographic

[via Geeks Are Sexy]

How Much Would It Cost To Build A Real Star Wars ‘Death Star’?

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:30:04 +0000

Lehigh University students, who run an economics blog Centives, decided to find out how much it would cost, how long it would take, and how much materials would be needed, to build a real-life Death Star.

Students first observed how big the Death Star was and what material it was made of, 140km in diameter and steel—which meant that the Death Star required 1.08x(10 to the power of 15) tons of steel.

And since today’s cost of steel and rate of steel production (which is 1.3 billion tons per year), it would take 833,315 years and US$852,000,000,000,000,000 to produce enough steel to build the space station—about 13,000 times the worlds GDP, according to Centives.

Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader must’ve been filthy rich—being on The Dark Side isn’t so terrible after all.

[via Nerd Approved]

Shepard Fairey Releases iPhone, Laptop Case And Backpack Line

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:11:56 +0000

American graffiti artist Shepard Fairey, known for his Obama HOPE poster, has collaborated with California-based Incase design to bring a series of iPhone covers, laptop cases and backpacks.

The line heavily features the peace symbol while also carrying other elements from Fairey’s iconic ‘Obey Giant’ street art.

“The artworks that comprise my series for Incase all overtly or sublimely reflect the concept of peace,” says Fairey.

“Peace is a struggle, but whether the images are ornamental, hopeful, or cautionary, this series promotes harmony”.

According to Incase, "Fairey steeps his ideology and iconography in the self-empowerment of those who refuse to be manipulated by the machine of manufactured consent”.

The line is comprised of iPod touch case (30 USD) and iPhone 4 cover (40 USD); 11-inch canvas sleeve for Macbook air (79 USD); and 13 and 15 -inch canvas laptop sleeves (80 and 90 USD); as well as a 'Campus Pack' laptop backpack (150 USD).

[via Design Boom]

Cartoonist Draws Up Entire Batman Tale In Bruce Wayne’s Mansion

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:48:35 +0000

Click to enlarge

Oregon-based cartoonist and Batman-fan Les McClain drew up the entire Batman tale in Bruce Wayne’s mansion.

In ‘Mayhem At The Mansion’, McClain depicts the caped crusader taking down a gallery of villains, while running through his entire mansion.

The platoon of enemies feature characters, such as Penguin, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Bane, The Joker and Mr Freeze.

In the poster, Batman also gets the help of Robin, Catwoman, Batgirl, Alfred and Commissioner James Gordon.

[via Bit Rebels]

Google’s Zurich Office Boasts Playful Interiors

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:24:01 +0000

Tech companies like Facebook and Google are known to have playful, unusual workspaces thought to boost the creative process.

The latter’s Zurich headquarters in Switzerland manifests this in every way possible, combining work and play with thoughtful design (not to mention fun).

Spanning 12, 000 square meters, it was designed by Swiss firm Camenzind Evolution.

Nothing beats rolling down the slide and seating yourself down in a cable car cabin fashioned after NYC cabs for your meeting.

Feeling stressed out? Then treat yourself to a massage while being surrounded by aquariums.

Hopefully, employer productivity measures up to playtime.

[via Intralld]

‘Mad Men’ Season 5 Teaser Videos Are Out

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:48:38 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

After 17 months, AMC has released new teasers online, for the fifth season of its hit TV series ‘Mad Men’.

In the trailers, the cast of Mad Men—Don, Peggy, Joan, Roger and Betty—are back.

Unfortunately, the trailers don’t reveal much about the upcoming season, that would premier on Sunday, 25 March 2012—but it helps fans, of the multi-Emmy winning TV show, to get reacquainted with the series’ main characters.

[via Boston Herald]

Mattel To Sell Official Royal Wedding William, Kate Barbie Dolls

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:09:28 +0000

In time for the one-year anniversary of the Royal wedding, toy manufacturer Mattel will be creating officially licensed William and Kate replica Barbies to sell.

Prince William dolls have been customized to feature the Prince’s looks of receding hairline, prominent teeth and large nose—while Princess Kate dolls look like ordinary brunette-haired Barbie dolls, but the dolls come with a detailed replica of the Alexander McQueen designer gown.

The dolls are currently available for pre-order, and will be available for sale after 7 April 2012 at $99 British pounds on Amazon UK.

[via Incredible Things]

BrailleTouch App Allows Users To Text Without Looking At Screen

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:15:20 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

A team from Georgio Tech, led by Post Doctorate Fellow Mario Romero has developed a prototype app that allows the visually impaired to easily type on touchscreen mobile devices.

Called ‘BrailleTouch’, the technology features a six-key braille-based keyboard rather than the standard QWERTY 26-key keyboard.

Although it is designed for people who already know how to type Braille on a keyboard, the team says that it takes just mere hours to learn the skill.

Thus, the app also allows anyone to text “while walking, watching TV or socializing without taking their eyes off what they’re doing”.

However, Romero insists that BrailleTouch is not intended for texting while driving.

The free app will only be available for Android phones because the iPhone’s operating system doesn’t allow developers to mess with the keyboard function. Shame.

[via Mashable]

Fans Create Burning Man LEGO set

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:48:43 +0000

New York-based creative industry professionals Simon Pearce and Mary Elise Chavez have created their own Burning Man LEGO set.

The “instant theme camp in a box” features a mini version of the Spacecats’ Hammock Hangout Camp.

According to the duo, they were sad when they didn’t get any tickets to the festival last year so they “decided to create a mini-burn out of LEGOs! Then it got out of hand…”

The minifigs are not authentic LEGOs, yet still very detailed and true to the Burning Man spirit.

Pearce adds: “There's no easy way to say this. All those character names in that Burning Man LEGO set are real people!”

[via Laughing Squid]

Kengo Kuma Designs The World’s Most Peaceful Starbucks

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:12:39 +0000

Tokyo-based and world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma has designed a Starbucks store in Japan that draws on its peaceful surroundings and its proximity to a holy shrine.

The store is located in Fukuoka Perfecture, on the street leading straight to a shrine called Dazaifu Tenmagu, dedicated to a Japanese deity.

The shop’s design is, according to Kuma the “fusion of traditional and contemporary and is made up of natural materials both traditional and modern”.

The design of the interior is meant to resemble the natural surroundings of the Shinto shrine and its parks which Kuma hoped would be seen as respecting the sanctity of the grounds.

Starting from the back of the shop, small square wooden blocks were suspended and connected to form a 3D pattern that moves forward through the space like tree branches, reaching up to the wall and ceiling—to give the idea that the store is nestling a tree.

The shop floor area measures approximately 160 square metres, and can accommodate 45 people.

The design, which carries the influence of traditional Japanese carpentry, is unlike the manufactured interior style typically seen in Starbucks stores.

Despite this, the company’s brand identity still shines through, if not more.

[via NotCot]

In Non-Cliché University Ad, Snapping Of Fingers Goes Wrong

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:56:48 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Two aspiring filmmakers from Perth, Australia’s Central Institute of Technology, Henry Inglis and Aaron McCann, created a commercial to promote their school.

‘It’s A Snap’ features Aaron taking Henry on a magical tour around the school, teleporting every time he snaps his fingers.

But the cheesy commercial takes a twist for the unexpected, and ends up where teleportation goes wrong.

[via Encore Magazine]

Ideal For Geeks: Jeans With Sewn-On Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:32:18 +0000

Dutch design duo Nieuwe Heren have created a pair of jeans that are ideal for computer addicts.

The ‘Beauty and the Geek’ jeans are embedded with a keyboard, a wireless mouse and speakers, and connects to the computer with wireless bluetooth connection.

It makes it “possible to move freely behind your computer and still be in control”, Nieuwe Heren wrote on its website.

“It combines two totally different worlds, the world of fashion and the world of technology.”

[via Laughing Squid]

Ira Glass On Creativity Told In Kinetic Typography

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:29:58 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Singapore-based filmmaker David Shiyang Liu has come up with an animated video based on American host and producer Ira Glass’ views on creativity and storytelling.

The under 2-min video captures the essence of creativity and inspiration told beautifully through kinetic typography.

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” –Ira Glass

[via PetaPixel]

MIT Scientist Makes Solar Cells From Grass Clippings

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:11:44 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

MIT researcher Dr Andreas Mershin, from MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, has figured out a way to make electricity-generating solar cells from green grass.

Organic material—such as grass clippings or agricultural waste—is mixed with stabilizing peptide powder.

Protein—that is essential for photosynthesis—is extracted from the materials and stabilized, and continues to stay green.

The mixture is spread onto a glass or metal surface, and through photosynthesis, it continues to generate electricity.

Mershin says that by using agricultural waste and inexpensive material to create these solar panels, electricity could become affordable and more available to rural places and developing countries.

However, the current system that converts solar power to electricity needs to be first improved.

Currently, Mershin’s and his team’s system is only able to convert 0.1% of solar energy.

[via Inhabitat]

Watch Your Food Travel On These Plates

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:52:46 +0000

Polish designer Boguslaw Sliwinski has cleverly created a series of plates on which food can be arranged to look as though they are being transported.

Titled ‘Transportation Plates’, the ceramic collection features various simple line drawings of trains, boats and helicopters.

If you have trouble getting your kids to eat their greens, this could the cure.

[via My Modern Metropolis]

A Dreamworld Made Entirely Out Of Cardboard

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:16:38 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

UK-based interactive designer Greg Hoyna and the team from Leith Records have created a dreamworld made entirely out of cardboard for Scottish songwriter Plum’s new music video titled ‘The Seed’.

According to the production team, “70 metres of cardboard, a few boxes of audio cables and a lot of patience” were used to create an eerie dreamworld, with a dark twist.

The stop-motion style video also meant it was a long process, with a whole day spent shooting just 10 seconds of material.

In all, the film took 2 weekends to build and shoot, 4 days to prepare and edit, and involved no post-processing.

The video starts with a mystery box delivered to Plum’s front door with equally mysterious instructions as to what to do with it.

What follows is an exploration of what will happen when the seed of an idea is planted.

“If we sleep on it, will it grow beyond our control? Once a box is open can the contents ever fully be put back inside?”

[via Pencil Rebel]

World’s First ‘Love’ Competition

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:15:13 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Neuroscientists at The Stanford Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging held The World’s First Love Competition to understand whether a person can experience love more deeply than another.

Seven contestants, between the ages of 10 to 75, were asked to spend five minutes in an fMRI machine to ‘love’ as hard as they can—by thinking deeply about love (or someone they love).

Brain regions involved in producing the neurochemical experience of love were measured, such as their dopamine, serotonin and ocytocin/vasopressin pathways.

And the contestant that generated the greatest level of activity in those areas won.

The film was made as part of McSweeney’s DVD Magazine, ‘Wholphin’, by California-based Brent Hoff.

[via Adverve]

Using Concrete Blocks, Architects Create A LEGO-Inspired Church

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:23:51 +0000

Dutch design firm LOOS.FM has constructed a 20-meter tall church-shaped pavilion out of large LEGO-inspired blocks titled ‘Abondantus Giganticus’.

The temporary structure—created for last year’s Grensweck Festival in The Netherlands—was built using Legioblocks, which are resusable, stackable, concrete construction blocks.

The grey and nondescript blocks are then painted to resemble LEGO blocks—of which they were named after.

According to the creators, the pavilion “makes a connection between something grand and overwhelming (the church and its size) and something playful, simple and comprehensible (LEGO)”.

[via Inhabitat]

Buenos Aires Transforms Into A Theme Park, With Flying Roller Coasters

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:38:50 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Argentina-based film director and visual effects artist, Fernando Livschitz of Black Sheep Films, creatively mixed reality with fiction to produce a short video as a personal project.

In ‘Inception Park’, Livschitz transformed the city of Buenos Aires into an amusement park—with trackless roller coasters flying above the streets and around buildings—as if a perfect tourist destination.

[via Adverblog]

An App That Actually Makes Your To-Do Lists Easier

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:02:10 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Although an app that manages to-do lists is not something new, most tend to add more clutter rather than reducing it.

But UK-based app firm RealMacSoftware has come up with ‘Clear’, an iPhone app that lets you keep track of your to-do things in a simple and intuitive way.

Devoid of complicated buttons and text buttons, Clear is as basic yet, functional as it can get.

[via Fast Company Design]

Video Maps Each Letter Of The Alphabet With Famous Movies

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:47:16 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Atlanta-based motionographer Evan Seitz has created a short motion graphics video titled ‘ABCinema’ mapping each letter of the alphabet to a famous film.

In his 58-second video, Seitz employs icons, opening titles as well as soundtracks from popular movies.

A good and fun way to test your movie trivia (scroll to the end of the page for the answers).

A – Amelie
B – The Big Lebowski
C – Citizen Kane
D – Dr. No
E – Edward Scissorhands
F – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
G – The Godfather
H – The Hobbit
I – Inception
J – Jurassic Park
K – The King’s Speech
L – Lawrence of Arabia
M – My Neighbor Totoro
N – Night of the Living Dead
O – Once Upon a Time in the West
P – Pulp Fiction
Q – The Quick and the Dead
R – Rocky
S – Star Wars
T – Titanic
U – Up
V – Vertigo
W – The Wizard Of Oz
X – X-Men: First Class
Y – Yojimbo
Z – Zodiac

[via Brain Pickings]

‘Angry Birds’ Team Up With NASA, Leave Earth For The Moon

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:48:51 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Finnish company Rovio has announced that its Angry Birds empire will be leaving earth for the moon in its new game, ‘Angry Birds Space’.

The game—which is set for release on 22 March 2012—will be an entirely new game, Rovio wrote on its blog, but there will still be familiar elements.

According to Los Angeles Times, as a challenge to players, there would be “zero-gravity conditions” in the game (like in space) and “slow-motion puzzles and light-speed destruction”.

Andrew Stalbow, general manager of Rovio North America, also told Yahoo News, that NASA and National Geographic are launch partners for the game, as “science and education are very important to us”, he said.

Rovio also plans to launch Angry Birds Space in mobile gaming, animation, retail and publishing on the same day.

More details would be available in early March.

[via Los Angeles Times]

A Color-Arranging Game For Design Nerds

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:00:44 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

App developer Add Subtract has created a iPhone and iPad app that tests its players ability to put colors in sequence.

The simple game, ColorShift challenges its players brains to put a set of color tiles in order.

The catch is that as the game level increases, the color values become increasingly similar, and the number of tiles increase.

According to AddSubtract, players would start seeing colors differently.

“Common color illusions will begin to make sense to you,” the company wrote.

The app is available on iTunes for US$0.99.

[via Fast Co. Create]

Artist Creates Portrait Out of Coffee Stains

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:49:04 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Following her last painting of Yao Ming using a basketball, Shanghai-based Malaysian artist Hong Yi has returned with another unusual creation.

This time, she has created a portrait of popular Taiwanese star Jay Chou with just coffee stains of a cup.

The 26-year-old artist nicknamed Red, spent 12 hours to complete the portrait in Shanghai on Valentine’s Day.

Hong Yi’s painting is meant to look like a sepia-toned old photograph to capture the essence of a Jay Chou’s song titled ‘Secret’ which moved her.

According to Hong Yi, the portrait is inspired by the song’s opening sentence, about lifting up a coffee cup off the saucer, and the ending of the song about autumn leaves and fragmented pieces.

“This is shown through the portrait as a whole—how it's formed by many individual rings, many of them broken and imperfect like fallen autumn leaves, forming Jay Chou's portrait,” she says.

Watch her at work below.

[via Fubiz]

Architect Transforms Obsolete Phone Booths Into Libraries

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:35:53 +0000

New York-based architect John Locke converts phone booths around the city into communal libraries where anyone can drop or pick up a book.

Part of his ‘Department of Urban Betterment’ interventionist project, Locke’s phonebooths, titled ‘Dub 002’, are installed with machine-cut, plywood shelves designed with indents into the interiors of the phone booths.

Moreover, the pay phone still remains accessible and functional.

“Even as they are rendered obsolete by the ubiquity of smartphones, I’m interested in pay phones because they are both anachronistic and quotidian. Relics, they’re dead technology perched on the edge of obsolescence,” says Locke.

“But they can also be a place of opportunity, something to reprogram and somewhere to come together and share a good book with your neighbors”.

[via Design Boom]

'Simphabets': An Alphabet Made Of ‘The Simpsons’ Characters

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:12:41 +0000

Designer Fabian Gonzalez created an alphabet out of 26 ‘The Simpsons’ characters.

In ‘Simphabets’, each letter represents the first letter of the character’s name.

M for Marge, B for Bart, H for Homer.

Can you identify all the characters?

[via Neatorama]

LEGO-Enthusiast Creates 'Blade Runner' Set

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:51:06 +0000

Flickr user Legohaulic, also known as Tyler, has commissioned a set of Blade Runner figurines.

The set features minifigs of the characters from the 1982 dystopian Sci-Fi epic, along with a miniature Spinner, Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford)’s vehicle.

[via Flavorwire]

U.S. Army Is Now On Pinterest

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:43:41 +0000

The U.S. Army has jumped on board the Pinterest bandwagon, reports Mashable.

The Army’s official page on the rising social image-sharing site displays the most recent news stories, videos and photos pinned by the U.S. Army’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs.

With topics such as ‘Goodwill’, ‘Humanitarian Relief’, ‘Homecoming’ and even ‘DIY & Décor’, the boards are designed to show aspects of Army life as well as a way to connect with Army families.

According to Juanita Chang, director of the U.S. Army’s online and social media division, it is important for the Army to be on different platforms so it can reach people it can’t find anywhere else.

“We recognize that each social media platform has a different audience,” says Chang. “With the growing popularity of Pinterest, we determined that there was a unique audience that we may not have been reaching through other social media platforms.”

[via Mashable]

A Photographer’s Playful Game With The Moon

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:37:18 +0000

In his pet project titled ‘Moon Games’, French landscape astrophotographer Laurent Laveder has captured the moon as myriad objects in a playful manner.

Using merely simple props, Laveder has showed us that with a little imagination, the moon can be more than just what it is.

Laveder, whose work has appeared on NASA sites and astronomy magazines, has also published his collection in a small book.

[via Bored Panda]

‘Skin Type’: What Is Your Unique DNA Typeface?

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:17:56 +0000

Amsterdam-based Bryan Stewart created a typeface based on unique DNA.

‘Skin Type’ features the capital letters A to Z written in black ink on Stewart’s skin.

“Everyone has one. Any time you’ve written on your hand, you’ve created one,” he wrote about the typeface.

What does your skin type look like?

[via swissmiss]

World’s First Smart-Toothbrush, Connects To Your Smartphone

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:55:37 +0000

Beam Technologies has created a non-motorized toothbrush that has a built-in bluetooth to connect to your mobile devices.

The ‘Beam Toothbrush’ is a smart-toothbrush that helps its users to keep track of their brushing habits and monitor their oral hygiene habits.

According to Beam Technologies’ website, “the average person brushes their teeth for only 46 seconds, but is 50% more likely to brush their teeth for a full two minutes by using just a simple timer”.

With the Beam Toothbrush app, which users may purchase on iTunes, users can sync their brushing timings automatically every time they finish brushing.

The app can track up to four tooth brushes on one device, and would also display graphical analysis of its users brushing durations throughout the week, according to Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles Times also reported that Beam Toothbrush is expected to costs US$50, with each brush head at $3 each.

[via Los Angeles Times]

Transform Your Home Into A Fantasy Ocean With This Jellyfish Lamp

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:25:41 +0000

California-based design firm Roxy Russell has created a series of jellyfish-inspired lamps titled ‘The Medusae Collection’ made out of recyclable plastic.

Drawing inspiration from certain species of jellyfish that produce bioluminescence light from their bodies, these fluid designs features luminous tendrils hanging down from the lamp.

"Jellyfish are perhaps the best example of environmental adaptation in the ocean. They are composed of 95 percent water,” says Russel. “Unparalleled in diaphanous luminosity, they are also a natural inspiration for lighting elements”.

[via My Modern Metropolis]

Karl Lagerfeld Designs A Recyclable Hair Salon

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:22:47 +0000

German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld and German practice HPP Architects have collaborated to create the ‘Schwarzkopf Lightbox’, a reusable and recyclable pop-up hair salon.

The two-story structure, which sits in Düsseldorf, Germany, took only 4 weeks to be constructed.

The concept was first sketched by Lagerfeld and then architecturally planned and realized by the architects.

The store’s exterior features an interchangeable façade, made up of 60 lighting fields which display silhouettes of models and graphics from Lagerfeld’s Music Lovers photo exhibition.

The structure, which measures a total of 300 square meters, has also been awarded the iF communication design award 2012.

[via Design Boom]

Designer Creates Entirely-Wooden Shoes, Using Milling Machines

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:09:11 +0000

Designer Cat Potter has created a line of shoes made of entirely wood, using three-axis milling machines.

In ‘Pernilla’, Potter experimented with various traditional methods of design and construction, used alternative materials and technologies in the fabrication of shoes.

“I began this work using a material that was readily available and that had traditional roots in the fabrication of footwear,” Potter wrote.

“Using wood in conjunction with milling machines has allowed me to explore shape without being restricted by traditional shoe components like insole boards, shanks, or toe and heel puffs.”

Potter also used a 3D scanner to trace the silhouette form of the foot on the inside of the shoe (the parts that envelop the foot).

The silhouette of the foot becomes the profile of the outside of the shoe.

[via NOTCOT]

Chicago's Iconic 'Bean' Gets Trippy Makeover

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:02:38 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Chicago-based artists Sean Gallero and Petra Bachmaier who collaborate under the moniker ‘Luftwerk’ has transformed Anish Kapoor’s iconic ‘Cloud Gate’ (a.k.a. ‘The Bean’) into a psychedelic light and sound installation.

Titled ‘Luminous Field’, the work is a playground of sorts, created by mounting 10 projectors on truss towers that illuminate the area with shifting geometric shapes and colors, lending a very trippy effect to the structure.

“We like the combination of image and surface, and the surface can be a structure, an architectural space, or a material,” Bachmaier says. “What happens between those two is what really interests us.”

The public will be able to “follow and engage with light” from now till Feb. 20.

[via Fast Co Design]

Street Artists To Guest Star On ‘The Simpsons’

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:42:15 +0000

On 4 March 2012, street artists Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf and Robbie Conai will be guest starring on the iconic television series, ‘The Simpsons’.

The episode ‘Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart’ will be the 15th episode on the 23rd season of ‘The Simpsons’.

Each artist would be guest-voicing as their own animated character.

“Part of being on ‘The Simpsons’, is that you’re being honored as a reference point in culture,” Fairey told OBEY GIANT.

“But you also can’t be too sensitive about the part of culture being made fun of… There’s irony that comes with something outsider becoming insider. And they do a great job at examining that.”

[via Laughing Squid]

Remove Unwanted People From Your Photos With This App

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:49:37 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Swedish imaging technology firm Scalado has come up with an app called ‘Remove’ that allows users to easily erase unwanted moving objects or people from their photos.

The app works by taking multiple shots during each shutter click and using those frames to create a composite image in which only the stationary items are left.

Alternatively, users can erase intrusions manually just by touching each moving object—outlined in yellow— that they want removed.

For a quick demo, watch the video below.

[via PetaPixel]

Infographic: How The iPhone Is Revolutionizing Journalism

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:34:17 +0000

Frugal Dad has come up with a new infographic detailing how the iPhone is a changing the way we report news today.

Titled ‘The People’s Tech Makeover’, the infographic lays out how the smartphone has empowered people by providing them a tool to report news on the ground—or what is called as ‘citizen journalism’.

Frugal Dad explains how almost anyone can now tweet and post a photo relating to any kind of historical event—effectively bypassing the traditional form of journalism.

The infographic also highlights how the iPhone camera has surpassed the Canon Powershot as the is most popular point-and-shoot camera, in turn, revolutionizing and at the same time, threatening the art of photojournalism today.

To prove his point, Frugal Dad stated how CNN laid off 12 of its full-time photojournalists in mid-November 2011.

He went on to further cite how smartphones and social media were instrumental during the Arab Spring and Occupy movement as demonstrators took to Facebook to organize protests.

With the power of reporting now not only in the hands of the media, Frugal Dad then poses the question, “How will mass media and traditional photojournalists adapt and respond to this shift?”

Click to view full infographic

[via Frugal Dad]

Apple Unveils Mac OS X ‘Mountain Lion’

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:44:13 +0000

Apple has unveiled Mac OS X version 10.8 ‘Mountain Lion’ today—the ninth major release of OS X.

Mountain Lion operating system is inspired by the iPad and iPhone, and is expected to hit stores this summer.

The new features include:
Messages (iChat would be replaced by iMessages, and users may send messages to iPhone and iPad devices directly from their computer), iCloud, Reminders and Notes (for you to more easily track your to-do lists), Notification Center (a central repository for calendar reminders, incoming emails, new messages and more), Twitter (integrated through Moutain Lion, this feature lets you can automatically tweet through Safari browsers, Preview, Photo Booth and Quick Look), Game Center (Apple’s social gaming venue), AirPlay Mirroring (wireless streaming from your Mac screen to a high-definition TV connected to Apple TV), Gatekeeper (a security feature to prevent Malware from being installed).
For more details, go to Apple’s website.

For now, only the developer preview of Mountain Lion OS X is available to Mac Developer Program members for download.

[via USA Today]

Superheroes Inspired By ‘Cubism’

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:05:37 +0000

New Zealand-based photo retoucher James Reid has given pop culture icons and superheroes the ‘cubism’ treatment.

Titled ‘Polygon Heroes’, Reid’s series features comic icons like Batman, Wonder Woman and even newly crowned NBA star Jeremy Lin.

[via Boing Boing]

Watch Before You Step Into This Elevator

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:57:55 +0000

Artist Andrew Walker has managed to trick mall-goers at London’s Southside Shopping Centre by installing a 3D-poster of a giant hole at the floor of the elevator.

The illusion was created as part of a guerrilla advertising campaign by Alton Towers Resort to promote their new Nemesis Sub-Terra ride, which is an underground journey through a network of caves.

The lift has invited screams from shocked shoppers and the promoters are hoping to translate the same idea of having to ‘hang on to their lives’ into their ride.

"When creating the illusion inside the lift we considered some our most common fears including heights, darkness and claustrophobia that are also a core part of the new attraction," said spokeswoman Katherine Duckworth.

[via My Modern Metropolis]

Rules Of Everyday Eating In Stop-Motion

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:50:57 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Filmmakers Marija Jacimovic and Benoit Detalle have come up with a brilliant stop-motion video on Michael Pollan’s iconic Food Rules .

The duo used a variety of food products and spent more than three weeks working on the video that sets out the rules of everyday eating.

The video was entered into the competition held by UK-based Royal Society for the Encouragment of Arts (RSA) that called on budding filmmakers to bring their talks to life in creative ways.

It has been selected as one of the top 5 entries with the winner walking away with £2,000 cash prize. You can vote for them here or check out the other entries.

[via Brain Pickings]

Flowchart: To Eat, Or Not To Eat, Food You Dropped On The Floor?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:12:31 +0000

So, you dropped food on the floor—to eat or not to eat, that is the question?

Audrey Fukuman and Andy Wright of SFoodie created a flowchart—“The 30-Second Rule, A Decision Tree”—to guide you on whether or not you should eat what you dropped in 30-seconds, because sometimes the 5-second rule doesn’t apply.

First things first, did anyone see you drop the food you want to eat on the floor?

Click to view enlarged version

[via Huffington Post]

Fans Mash-Up Movie Posters With ‘David Bowie’

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:57:56 +0000

David Bowie fans at EmpireOnline.com got creative and mashed-up movie posters with the pop star’s face and lyrics.

[via Buzzfeed]

A Desk Accessory, For Antisocial Colleagues In An Open Environment

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:37:05 +0000

Design studio kawamura-ganjavian has created a desk accessory that’s sure to give you privacy in an open-space environment.

The ‘Deskshell’ is an individual enclosure made with sound-absorbing fabric—so that when placed on a desk, in front of you, you get your own comfortable and personal space to do work.

Also an ideal device if you’re feeling antisocial.

[via swissmiss]

World’s First Ever Laptop Made Out Of Paper

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:33:43 +0000

Taipei-based design consultancy firm PEGA Design & Engineering has developed the world’s first laptop made out of paper.

The laptop’s paper body uses a material called Paper PP Alloy—composed of paper and polypropylene—and said to be a “strong, sturdy, affordable and environmentally-friendly alternative” to plastics and metals.

Polypropylene is also recyclable which in theory, should mean that PEGA's laptop can be completely recyclable.

However, for this idea to take off completely, it is vital for manufacturing companies to produce polypropylene en masse—which is currently not the case—but PEGA believes it will happen soon.

This award-winning design is not just revolutionary, but may also offer a solution to growing concerns on the high amounts of e-waste generated today.

[via In Habitat]

Philippe Starck Reinvents The Bicycle, For The Future

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:22:19 +0000

French designer Philippe Starck has collaborated with car manufacturer Peugeot to produce the ‘Bike of the Future’—to replace the current bikes in the bike-sharing program of the city Bordeaux, France.

The new design will be a hybrid of a bicycle and scooter, will be durable, functional, and have lots of onboard storage.

It will have integrated foot-plates (standing platforms) in the center bottom of the frame, in front of the pedals, so that riders can more easily push start the bicycle.

According to Gizmag, the bike-scooter “will feature a lightweight aluminium frame… There’ll be brightly-colored wheels, hub-braking, and automatic, integrated LED lighting.”

In Bordeaux, 10% of the people’s daily trips are made on bike, according to Popsop.com, which is why “the city decided to further develop the eco-friendly vehicle”.

[via PSFK]

Photographer Captures Paint Coming Alive Through Music

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:17:52 +0000

Curious to discover what music looks like, Germany-based photographer Martin Klimas spent six months capturing the effect of music on paint.

Klimas first arranges paint above massive speakers before turning the sound up and photographing the paint being brought to life from vibrations caused by sound waves.

Dynamic music from the likes of Kraftwerk and Miles Davis were used along with 18.5 gallons of paint, resulting in these seemingly 3D Jackson Pollock paintings.

[via PetaPixel]

Finally, A Key Ring That Won’t Break Your Nails

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:16:43 +0000

Swedish designer Eric voin Schoultz has developed the 'Free Key', a key that opens simply by pressing.

The ring has three layers with the center one acting like a button and when pressed/pinched, cracks open for you to slips keys into it.

'Free Key' retails here for 8 euros (about $11).

[via Notcot]

Flowchart: The Many Ways To Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:01:52 +0000

Website builder Basekit created a flowchart to help couples and singles get through the romantic day, 14 February.

The flowchart ‘The Many Ways To Celebrate Valentine’s Day’ offers solutions to what to do, depending on how you’re feeling and your situation.

It starts from defining whether you’re in a relationship or not, and comes up with ideas on how to spend the night of Valentine’s Day, such as: a flaxseed smoothie, a candlelit dinner for two, your favorite takeaway and some vitamin C, a night of speed-dating, a city break, a package holiday, and with 8 friends and 14 KFC buckets.

[via Inspiration Feed]

For Seinfeld Fans, There's 'Seinfood'

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:35:04 +0000

San Francisco-based art director Rinee Shah has created a series of stylish illustrations titled ‘Seinfood’ inspired by the popular Seinfeld sitcom.

The illustrations feature allude to the sitcom’s many food-related story lines such as black and white cookie and junior mints.

“I’ve been watching Seinfeld since I was a kid. It never gets old or stops being funny to me, and when you look back at the canon of Seinfeld, so many episodes center around food in a hilarious way,” says Shah.

Her work will also be exhibited at San Francisco’s Pot + Pantry from Feb. 16 till Mar. 10.

[via Flavorwire]

Designer Turns Regular Nike Sneakers Into Artworks

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:56:27 +0000

UK-based sneaker designer Daniel Reese takes regular Nike sneakers and turns them into unique works of art.

His website BrassMonki.com features sneakers based on various categories, such as TV & Movies, Video Games, Technology, Comics, Sports, and Music—where you may find Spiderman, Batman, Angry Birds, Harry Potter, Pokémon, and Bugs Bunny-themed sneakers.

Each pair of shoes costs approximately $100 British pounds.

[via Inspiration Feed]

App Tracks Coffee Intake To Better Optimize Caffeine Effects

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:17:39 +0000

Researchers from Penn State University have come up with ‘Caffeine Zone 2’, an iPhone app that tracks a user’s daily caffeine intake.

The aim of the app is to help users optimize their coffee intake and prevent them from consuming excess caffeine which then diminishes caffeine’s effects such as to stimulate mental alertness.

Users enter their caffeine consumption and the app generates a line chart of predicted caffeine level for the next 24 hours.

The app also displays the positive and danger zones which users can tailor according to their own needs.

The free app will ultimately enable users to exercise more control over their caffeine intake as well as allowing them to better leverage on caffeine’s advantages.

[via PSFK]

A Prosthetic Arm Made Entirely Out Of LEGO

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:16:07 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Engineer Max Shepherd combines a childhood toy with available technology, to create a model prosthetic arm entirely out of LEGO.

The ‘LEGO Robotic Arm’ has 12 degrees of freedom to move, and its hand, wrist and elbow movements are powered by LEGO motors, and controlled by switches and joysticks.

“The main purpose of this project was to accurately mimic the full range of motion of a normal human arm and hand,” Shepherd wrote.

“The secondary goal was to maximize speed and power, yet maintain a consistent ratio between the two for demonstration purposes. It is important to note that it was designed as an above-elbow prosthesis, and the yellow shoulder is only meant to act as a static model.”

The Robotic Arm, however, can only lift a weight that’s limited to the shape of the object and orientation of the wrist and elbow—but not more than a few pounds.

[via The Next Web]

LEGO Reveals New ‘Star Wars’, ‘Disney Princesses’ Sets

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:28:45 +0000

LEGO has reveal twenty new sets for its Star Wars line, along with three ‘Disney Princesses’ sets, at this year’s Toy Fair.

The Star Wars collections feature new sets and aircrafts that you can build from scratch—even Jabba the Hutt’s Palace—and minifigs.

These includes: TIE Fighters, X-Wing Starfighers, and new ‘LEGO-fied’ characters such, Luke Skywalker, Queen Amidala, R2D2, C3PO, Boba Fett, Battle Droids, and Obi-wan Kenobi.

For Disney Princess, LEGO has revealed the sets of Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, along with their main princesses.

Some of the sets are available for purchase, while the rest roll out in August later this year.

Lucas Arts and LEGO have also announced that the licence agreement between the two companies have been extended for another ten years.

[via CoolThings.com]

Cozy Up With This ‘Snuggle Sutra’ Card Game

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:52:12 +0000

In line with Valentine’s Day, Usdish.com has come up with limited-edition ‘Snuggle Sutra’ cards for lovers to spice up their nights.

The cards illustrate various sleeping positions along with humorous phrases at the bottom of each card.

Classic positions like the ‘Spoon’ and ‘Santa’s Helper’ are featured and for the more adventurous ones, they might want to take a hit at ‘Superman’ and ‘Costanza’.

With a scoring system called ‘Cuddle Points’ and a difficulty level—we’re guessing this game will lead to a win-win result no matter.

[via Trendhunter]

Using Only Tape, Street Artist Creates Portraits

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:26:46 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Dutch street artist Max Zorn has revolutionized the way we usually use duct tape by creating portraits out of them.

Using layers of translucent duct tapes, Zorn creates stunning portraits of pop culture figures like the Beatles and also classic artworks such as Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’.

Zorn’s fascinating works have appeared on buildings, windows as well as street lamps all over Europe.

[via The Daily Beast]

Free App Translates Your Facial Expression Into An Emoticon

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:32:39 +0000

If you find it difficult to convey your feelings into emoticons for emails, tweets or messages, developer Takuto Onishi has created an app to help you.

The app ‘twika^o^’ translates your facial expressions from photos, into a ‘kaomoji’ (‘emoticon’ in Japanese).

Users can take pictures of their own or their friend’s face, which would be read by the app, and a ‘kaomoji’ that reflects their feelings would be generated.

Users may also link up their twitter account to send their ‘facial expressions’ whenever they feel like.

twika^o^ is available on iTunes for free.

[via Japan Trends]

Absolut Launches Limited Edition, London-Themed Bottle

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:54:02 +0000

Absolut has collaborated with artist Jamie Hewlett—who gained fame with his distinctive work with the band Gorillaz— and launched a limited special edition, London-themed bottle.

‘Absolut London’ celebrates the capital in 2012, and takes on the style and fashion of London, over the past 200 years.

The illustration isset against the backdrop of the capital’s most famous landmarks—such as, the iconic buildings of St Paul’s Cathedral and Gherkin—and features seven characters representing the styles from the city.

The styles of the ‘London look’ include: the 18th century dandy, the Dickensian, the Pinstripe Gent, the 60s Chick, SKA, Punk, and 80s casual.

Absolut London will be on sale exclusively at Selfridges and Harvey Nichols in London, from 1 March 2012—before its general release in April—and will retail at $20.99 British pounds.

[via Creative Review]

Using An Infographic, Man Proposes To Woman

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:29:20 +0000

Using an infographic, associate editor of D: AllThingsDigital Drake Martinet proposed to Mashable’s vice president of marketing and communications Stacy Green.

To prove that they are “soulmates”, Martinet uses calculated data to get to the core of the possibilities that they were meant to be together.

“I didn’t realize how rare that fit actually is—not until I ran the numbers, at least. Some of the infographic math is super-factual, some just good fun, but the truth underneath stands out just fine,” Martinet wrote.

According to the infographic, he could’ve met a total of 1,340,000 women, talked to them, and fallen in love with them in his lifetime.

But only 3% of people could keep him laughing, 2% are gorgeous on the inside and out, 6% love a huge geek, and 1% bring total joy to his life—which makes 0.48 women on earth as perfect as Green.

Martinet writes: “Stacy, you always say we are soulmates… the perfect match for each other. I always give some very unromantic response having to do with how many people there are on earth, and that it’s unlikely that we’d find better matches. I decided to have a deeper look at just how incredible my luck is for having you in my life.”

At the end of the infographic, he says, “Stacy, Your perfection is a statistical impossibility, and you’ve made this very logical man admit that miracles do happen. They must, and you are the only evidence I’ll ever need. I love you. Which leads me to my final logical query: Stacy will you marry me?”

According to Mashable, she did say “yes”.

Click to view full infographic

[via Mashable]

E-Home Concepts Bring Nature Into Your House

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:28:44 +0000

South Korean designers Jeiyong Chun and Hyunjune Yang of Samsung Art & Design Institute (SADI) have created a two-part E Home concept that aims to bring nature into homes.

The first concept by Jeiyong Chun called ‘Home,Green Home’ calls for a collection of planters, vegetative tiles and a green wall to be placed around the house. A Smart Digital Plant Care System tends to the plants automatically.

The other by Hyunjune Yang called ‘D’Nature’ is a modular chamber that creates a stimulated ‘garden’ in the house.

Using technology, both concepts integrates greenery with modern domestic space, enabling homeowners to better connect with nature—a novelty much eroded with rapid urbanization.

[via Yanko]

Rube Goldberg Machine For Your Date Night, Unclasps Woman’s Bra

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:28:30 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

To help guys on their ‘big night’, Canadian studio 2D House came up with an idea for a home-made Rube Goldberg for Valentine’s Day.

The ‘Date Night Rube’ pours wine, turns on good music, gives you a breath mint spray, and unclasps your significant other’s bra—which all starts right after you hang your coat.

“We’ve discovered the perfect way for alpha geeks to get their romantic partners in the mood, and it’s all about the Rube Goldberg, baby,” the team wrote on their blog.

[via DVICE]

Movie Posters Get The ‘Disney’ Effect

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:03:50 +0000

Old Red Jalopy and Next Movie have re-imagined how movie posters would look like if they were made by Disney.

In the poster series, movies—ranging from Twilight to 007: Casino Royale—get ‘Disneyfied’.

[via Bit Rebels]

World's First Ever Edible Helium Balloon

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:29:21 +0000

[Click here to view the video in this article]

Chefs at Chicago’s Alinea Restaurant have put a new and interesting dish on the menu—edible helium balloons.

Sugar is used to shape the balloons, which are then inflated with helium.

The green apple flavored-one also comes with an edible green-apple flavored string.

So how does one eat it? By putting their lips on the balloon and inhaling the helium.

Of course, you’ll be having Chipmunk voice after—which just makes it even more fun.

[via Neatorama]

For Mobile Devices, A Wireless Retro-Styled Game Controller

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:57:47 +0000

ThinkGeek has created a retro-styled game controller that lets you play apps on your iPad, iPhone and Android devices.

The iCade 8-Bitty is a wireless 8-button controller, with two shoulder buttons (start and select).

Users may play old-school games from the ‘Atari Greatest Hits’ app—such as Pac-Man, Super Mega Worm, Space Invasion, and Temple Run—along with other apps that can as the controller uses an open-interface system.

The iCade is retailing at US$24.99, and will soon be released later this year.

[via Nerd Approved]

Humorous Valentine’s Day Cards To Creep Out Your Crush

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:34:19 +0000

For Valentine’s Day, illustrator Anna Strain created a humorous series of cards that lets you creep out your crush.

In ‘Bad Valentines’, the cards feature crude drawings accompanied with ridiculous text, such as: “I took your cat, tell me you love me”, “You’d be prettier, if you lost some weight”, “Wish you were a virgin, Valentine” and “I already stole your hair, please give me your heart”.

[via Incredible Things]