When brainstorming about blogging and what cool designs I could discuss next, I had an Oprah-esque “AHA!” moment. We don’t give The Earth/Mother Nature/Spiritual Higher Power enough credit for the natural designs found in the landscape of this planet we call home. So here’s a look at some of the absolutely fantastic designs that were naturally created.
Painted Cliffs, Tasmania
Garden of the Gods, Colorado, USA
Angel Falls, Venezuela
Taughannock Falls, Finger Lakes Region, New York
The Oregon Manifest held a contest in September of 2011 to find the “Ultimate Utility Bike for Modern Living”. They sought to find a bike that would meet the needs of Americans who want to live a healthier and more sustainable life.
The judges panel was made up of leaders in the bicycle industry including the President of the United Bicycle Institute and the VP of Innovation Design and Special Products at Nike. Tony Pereira of Pereira Cycles came up with a truly innovative, exciting, and winning design, and got a $3,000.00 prize for his effort!
Although this bike is impressive, I think the true winner has to be the ‘People’s Choice’ winners, IDEO and Rock Lobster Cycles. In a contest where you’re designing a product to be used by people, this award is a big deal. I have to agree with the voters, this bike is pretty cool.
Let me introduce you to Faraday…
It’s that time of year again where it feels like you need a New Years Eve Party Dress. Here are a few styles to help inspire your holiday wardrobe!
Platinum Paiette by Scala
Golden Samantha Sequin Dress by French Connection
Tried and Blue Dress by ModCloth
60′s Green Party Dress from La Vintage
Here’s a look at some houses and house designs that I would kill to have. See? I told you envy was deadly.
This over the top tree house looks like way more fun than the makeshift one we scraped together as children. Of course, I’ve always been told it’s the thought that counts.
I wonder what the inside looks like….
Should we take the speed boat or the cruiser into town today, dear?
The grass is always greener, the grass is always greener, the grass is always greener…
Just one day after releasing their newest product, Apple lost one of their co-founders and greatest minds. Steve Jobs was an irreplaceable member of the Apple team and will surely be missed by the company. His latest invention, the iPhone 4S is merely an extension of the groundbreaking iPhones, iPads, and iPods. As a tribute to Jobs, take a look at the greatest smart phone of all time and its evolution through the years.
The original iPhone was launched in 2007 to an exclusive network, AT&T.
This first iPhone had a rear, still-only camera. This iPhone had a rounder frame and was a little chunkier than the newer versions. It also had less capabilities, and could not store as much information.
With the arrival of a 3G network, came the iPhone 3. This phone was quite similar to the first model, but had more memory space, a better camera, and offered 3G coverage.
A year later, Jobs released the iPhone 4. This phone was a game changer. The iPhone 4 looked significantly different than the iPhone and iPhone 3G, but it also offered a better App store, a front and rear camera, video camera, ‘face time’, and could be owned by Verizon customers as well.
The iPhone 4S seems to be quite similar to the iPhone 4 although it does offer a better camera, improved voice recognition, and better service coverage. The iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are available in both black and white.
When looking for new office furniture the first place we go is too often big boxes like Office Depot or Staples. Well, we’re shopping in the wrong place. I recently re-discovered this masterpiece of computer age style and ergonomics: Feast your eyes upon the Aeron Chair by Herman Miller.
They say the best revenge is sitting well. (Upon whom the revenge is taken is up to you).
Ladies and gentlemen, a new age is upon us. The final installment of the Harry Potter series will be hitting theaters in mere weeks. What will we do without Harry, Hermione, and Ron? For the last ten years we have always had a new Harry Potter movie to look forward to, and before that we had a new book to pine after. Personally, I’ve always been into the Death Eaters and villains in Harry Potter. I was so anxious to see what Voldemort would look like on screen, outside of my imagination. I’ve gotta tip my hat to Jany Temime. Temime designed the costumes for all of the Potter movies including and after Prisoner of Azkaban. She brought our favorite characters to life, and created some seriously evil beings.
Voldemort is the obvious choice for scariest character in the movie. Not having a nose really makes a guy look threatening.
Snape is a guy that just gives you the creeps. His cape always seems to be billowing a little more frequently than the others. There’s something especially creepy about a guy who is constantly switching sides — you can hardly keep up with whose team he’s on!
But, my personal favorite Harry Potter villain… Bellatrix Lestrange. Fiona Weir did an outstanding job when she cast Helena Bonham Carter in the role. Lestrange is chilling, and at times puts Voldemort to shame.
12:01 A.M. on July 15th can not come soon enough for many adoring Harry Potter fans. I’ll see you there.
I found myself watching a rerun of the MTV Movie Awards in an effort to lull myself to sleep last night. Instead, I was enchanted by the shows elaborate and fantastical set this year. The Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California was transformed into a magical wonderland filled with butterflies, jewels, caves, moss, etc. The creative mind behind this transformation was MTV’s production designer, Leroy Bennett. The obvious front runners in any MTV race are Twilight and Harry Potter, and the set accurately reflected the themes of these movies. The set would have fit in perfectly in any werewolf, vampire, or wizard world. Eerie trees and billowing fog created a beautiful and picturesque backdrop for the evening’s events.
Here are a few shots of Bennett’s work.
Here 35 year old Reese Witherspoon accepts the MTV Generation Award for her body of work.
Introduce yourselves, friends, to the Vibram Five Finger Shoe.
Pretty awesome, right?
It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen such a startling and attractive shoe design. Specifically, this is a running and outdoor shoe – with each toe getting its own little pocket the wearer is going to get more balance, more grip, and more traction. And it’ll feel like you’re barefoot the whole time!
I know I’m gushing, but this is really quite a brilliant shoe. I tried a pair on up at Mountain Outfitters in Monteagle, TN, and I loved the way they felt as much as I love the way they look. Check out the Vibram Five Finger Shoe here.
A design team, Auger Loizeau, has come up with some pretty bizarre, end even unsettling, robot furniture. The furniture is conceptual as well as functional – it’s meant to make you think about the role of robots.
Now how does it do that? By making the robots (and therefore your furniture) carnivorous. Check it out:
This little contraption is a clock run on bio fuel; bio fuel provided by the flies it catches and then converts to energy. Next we have a lamp that attracts moths and other flying creatures, then converts them into fuel.
But her’s the real kicker: A coffee table that runs on mouse. That’s right, mouse. The iris in the middle of the table traps mice that climb on the surface through the special hole in the custom leg. It eats any crumbs you might have left, and then…
So you tell me: Fascinating, creepy, or downright wrong?
