Hasta La Ideas

A red, metal-clad building—the Bunhill 2 Energy Centre—in London’s Islington marks the center of Europe’s newest type of energy network. The building itself (by Cullinan Studio) acts as the central provider for heat and hot water for hundreds of homes and public offices within its proximity. A fan situated below ground, but above the Underground redirects heat from the Northern Line tunnel (which would otherwise escape or dissipate) and uses it to heat water that’s then funneled to consumers. Not only does this system drastically reduce carbon emissions, but it’s also an energy source founded upon resourcefulness and pragmatism. Read more at Dezeen.

For carbonating water at home, Aarke’s compact Carbonator II does the job in the most quality packaging option on the market, now available in a black chrome finish. The use of stainless steel instead of plastic sets the countertop device apart from competitors, promising a longer lifespan and delivering a more eye-pleasing look. With its lever-operated function, it’s also easier to use.

Christopher Barraja est un pur produit du Sud. Quand les cigales, l’eau cristalline et l’accent chantant lui manquent, il fait ses valises pour Nice. Loin de Paris, il peut enfin capturer les personnes et les paysages de sa ville natale. Ses photographies sont au carrefour du beau et du bizarre, tout ce que Christopher Barraja aime et chérit. 

Quand la photographie s’est imposée à vous comme le médium de création rêvé ?

Je crois que j’ai commencé à 14 ans, en photographiant des insectes…  J’ai toujours était attiré par les choses un peu bizarres. Puis, je suis passé à mes amis qui adoraient avoir de nouvelles photos de profil Facebook ! En réalité j’ai baigné dans la photo toute ma vie puisque mon père et mon grand-père en prenaient toujours énormément. J’ai pris le pli. Maintenant, je prépare mon diplôme à l’École Des Arts Décoratifs de Paris (EnsAD) et je collabore auprès de personnes aux idées géniales !

Vos photographies respirent l’air marin et le soleil brulant du Sud de la France. Qu’est-ce qui vous pousse à toujours revenir sur Nice ?  

Nice c’est la maison ! Pour fuir le stress parisien, j’essaye de m’y réfugier le plus souvent possible. Mis à part la famille et les amis de longue date, j’y vais pour voir l’horizon. À Paris, il n’y a que des immeubles. L’eau de la mer, le soleil, le rosé et toute l’ambiance qui va avec, créent un monde à part que j’essaye de retranscrire dans mes images. Tout devient comme le rêve d’un été éternel.

Les personnes et les détails, toujours avec une beauté étrange qui captive, sont les éléments que vous préférez photographier.

Ce duo m’a toujours fasciné. Les personnes pour leur posture devant l’appareil qui n’est jamais la même. Les détails qui semblent quelconques mais qui racontent d’une manière ou d’une autre, tellement de choses. Comme je disais, l’étrange m’a toujours parlé, et j’aime discuter avec lui (ou elle !). Il y a tellement de petits miracles partout, il suffit de les chercher et la photographie est mon moyen.

Vos photos jouent avec l’extrême précision, le flou d’un rêve ou les deux à la fois. Comment parvenez-vous à rendre vos photos sensibles et sensuelles ?

J’ai une attirance pour la forme et la matière des sujets que je prends en photo. J’aime jouer sur les oppositions, les contradictions, les conversations que les différents éléments peuvent provoquer entre eux et avec nous. Les matières prennent une place importante là dedans, puisqu’elles apparaissent à la surface des choses. Du moment qu’on est sensible à ça, la photo elle même l’est. J’essaye surtout de créer une atmosphère, à ma manière.

Steam may just seem like hot air to you (if you get the wordplay, you get the wordplay), but the gaseous form of water has literally changed our lives. Whether it’s steam-powered engines which still help parts of the world get from A to B, or the same steam you use to cleanse yourself in saunas, or even the very steam you use to cook dumplings, it’s a pretty useful state of water. STEAMIE harnesses that usefulness and creates a revolution in cooking and healthy eating, dressed in a beautiful design.

STEAMIE, designed and developed by award-winning Mindsailors Design Studio, reintroduces steam into mainstream cooking. Steam has a way of cooking food without diluting its flavor, giving you healthy food that’s rich in nutrients as well as packed with great taste. The tabletop appliance uses this power to help prepare food that’s both nutritious and tasty. The layered appliance houses a water bath below, and food (be it veggies or meat) placed in perforated trays above. STEAMIE then uses a unique turbo convection method to rapidly steam-cook the food. These pressurized jets of steam measure 125°C and instantly close external pores of meat, vegetables or seafood, locking the flavor within, while the heat from the steam helps cook the food. The fact that the food isn’t immersed in water (like with boiling) helps keep the food from tasting watery or ‘wet’.

STEAMIE was created by Mindsailors, a Europe-based holistic design studio that designed and engineered the appliance around the technology developed by STEAMIE Ltd. The appliance comes with its own in-built scale that helps you measure your food before you cook it, and even has a bamboo-wood lid that doubles up as a cutting board for food-prep. A frosted-acrylic food bowl helps you watch your meal be prepared, while an intuitive display on the front allows you to input and check preparation times, giving you unprecedented control over your food prep. STEAMIE ultimately brings healthy steam-based cooking back into the limelight, by making the process much more sophisticated and giving the user the kind of precise control and modernity they’d expect from an oven. The product’s usage of matte black and bamboo wood lends a certain bit of contemporary appeal to the kitchen too!

STEAMIE is but one of Mindsailors’ many design projects. The 4-time iF Design Award-winning studio has worked with clients across fields ranging from appliance and technology to even medical design and transportation design. With 14 years of experience, the design and engineering studio has seen as many as 160 projects till their execution. You can check out more of their work by visiting their website below.

Designer: Mindsailors

Click Here to Get in Touch: Mindsailors

STEAMIE – Modern Steam Cooking Device

STEAMIE is a new generation of steam cooking devices that uses steam to prepare meals. However, unlike other steamers out there, STEAMIE comes with innovative STEAM-UP technology, which significantly speeds up the time of food processing.

STEAMIE provides a more aromatic and rich in natural flavors dish. This is due to the use of unique turbo convection that causes rapid and consistent operation of superheated steam at elevated pressure. Combined with the very high temperature (around 107°C), the steam acts with great momentum on the food contained inside. This immediately closes the external pores of meat, vegetables or shrimps, thanks to which the taste of the ingredients are better preserved.

STEAMIE Details

The main goal established within this project was to create a new market segment for steam cooking devices, where the device won’t have to look unattractive.

STEAMIE can be used anywhere, even in the most exquisite restaurants, where speed and quality are crucial.

Mindsailors’ Design Thinking Process

Mindsailors “strongly believe that good design is far more than just a beautiful shape.” Since 2005, they have successfully executed a wide range of projects for clients around the world. Regardless of how bizarre your product ideas are, if you can imagine it, they can help you develop it.

Click Here to Get in Touch: Mindsailors

Today Logitech announced their new POWERED family of wireless chargers, the largest of which can apparently do what Apple couldn’t get their canceled AirPower charger to do: Charge three devices at once (an iPhone, AirPods and an Apple Watch) without overheating.

While it can be said that form follows function here, I put these in the category of objects that will puzzle archaeologists when they dig these up in a thousand years:

The objects make more sense when populated with their charges, so to speak:

Logitech says they’ll safely charge both Apple and Samsung devices at 7.5W and 9W, respectively.

The 3-in-1 unit runs $130, the stand-up phone charger is $60 and the flat pad is $40. However, would-be buyers should note that these are meant to plug into your wall, not your Macbook; the connectors are proprietary, not USB-C nor Micro USB.

Check ’em out here.