Hasta La Ideas

With “Ferris Wheel,” North Carolina synth act Sylvan Esso (aka Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn) cement their return following last week’s minute-and-a-half teaser “What If”. The familiar chirps and compelling vocals punctuate and populate the catchy release. Directed by Supercollider and shot at an abandoned amusement park, the official music video acts an electric current of carnival shapes, colors and movements—all with a hazy veil. The track will appear on the electro-pop duo’s forthcoming studio album, Free Love (out 25 September).

High-quality tools are built out of durable materials, which are by necessity more expensive than cheap crap. It takes a significant amount of resources to produce good tools, and I’m all for them if they’re going to last a long time.

However, something nags at me about this set of Pufferfish Sand Castle Tools:

As you can see, they’re billed as strong, sturdy and high-quality sand castle building tools that are meant to be far superior to the flimsy crap that’s on the market. And they tout the fact that they’re made from upcycled fishing nets and recycled plastic, two things that typically left to rot in the ocean, so the materials choice is as sustainable as it is poetic.

However, what troubles me is that they do not list how much of each tool is made from the upcycled/recycled material. And the shovel handle is made of “high grade aluminum,” no recycling credentials mentioned there. (Aluminum products, as most of us know, are better for the planet if made from recycled and rather resource-intensive if made from virgin stock.)

The lack of transparency on the plastic is my sticking point. If these tools are 90% virgin plastic and 10% recycled, I’d say they’re not worth it. Sandcastle building tools are by definition disposable; your children will only be children for so long, and I’d say you’d be lucky to get ten seasons building castles at a beach with them before they move on to teenaged pursuits. And if the tool is going to be shelved or discarded in ten years’ time, I’d rather the developers designed disposability into the tool by using a natural, biodegradable and/or less resource-intensive material, bamboo for instance.

What are your thoughts? Should long-lived, high-quality tools be the end goal for all tools, or should the materials choices factor into the context of the tool?

My criticisms of these tools aside, Pufferfish is doing well on Kickstarter and has been successfully funded. If you’d like to support them, the all-in full kit starts for $67 and at press time there was still 25 days left to pledge.

There are not enough product designs that focus on the senior citizen demographic. As life around us speeds up, we incorporate gadgets that help us keep up. But for those who are much older, life is slowing down and they need gadgets that keep up with their pace to make life convenient for them. It is kind of like the fear of missing out if they don’t adapt to the faster tech, but that is the beauty of design – with products like Familia they don’t have to worry about missing out anymore!

Familia is a collection of smart objects that aim to restore dignity to seniors by making them feel less dependent and more confident. These are specifically created to appear like everyday objects with minimal aesthetics and simple UI to make sure it isn’t another thing they have to learn to operate. As people grow old they often tend to hide things that make them feel “old” and with a help of this smart clock, lamp/magnifying glass, and digital mirror, senior citizens can live without being stigmatized. Each object offers subtle functionalities that respond to challenges faced by the elderly ranging from memory loss and health issues to vision damage and isolation.

The smart clock performs all its expected functions and also features a reminder cuckoo bird that will pop out to deliver the medication which helps the user to not miss any dose. Medicines are not happy reminders and a small detail like the cuckoo bird adds playfulness that resonates with all ages. The mechanism is based on a 28-compartment wheel operated by a PCB which, by turning, pours the programmed dose of medication into the cuckoo cup that pops out at set times. Another object with a dual purpose is the lamp that doubles up as an illuminated magnifying glass that can also be used by any age group. It is a standing desk lamp that you can grab and turn around for reading because the luminous magnifying glass helps to see clearly. The final object is the mirror which is about looking at ourselves and at the same time at the ones we love – poetic and functional. “Because younger and older generations don’t use the same tools of communication, we designed an object that bridges this gap. On one side it is an app and on the other side, it becomes an automatically updated picture frame. The mirror is designed to facilitate the dialogue between family members and strengthen family ties,” said the designers.

While the objects are meant for the elderly, inclusivity is key and all of these can be used by children and young adults as well which helps to reduce stigmas around the challenges faced by the older generation – it is not a weakness if everyone has it and overcomes it with objects they cherish!

Designer: Studio Fantasio

This article was sent to us using the ‘Submit A Design’ feature.
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The brand’s co-founder explains advancements in production methods, flavor profiles and dosage levels

In the gold rush around CBD, products are plentiful but facts can be scarce. Two components of radical transparency set New York-based oHHo apart. First, the brand employs the cleanest components available (using only hemp extract and MCT oil), unlike peers that continue to ramp up to industrial levels. Second, they craft three full-spectrum CBD tinctures that each utilize extract from one specific growing region (be that New York, Colorado or Oregon) and, in doing so, they embrace the flavor profile of each location.

“New York,” composed of single-origin and sustainably sourced CBD from the Hudson Valley, tastes woodsy and dank. It’s a personal favorite. “Colorado,” gathered from the Rockies, intones more spice and cracked pepper. The hoppiest, “Oregon,” is composed of hand-harvested hemp with the oil drawn out using hydrocarbon extraction. Each is recommended for specific intended benefits—from rest to clarity and mental wellbeing. Nicola Stephenson, the brand’s co-founder, took time to explain the differences of their method and how it impacts the final products.

What sort of education did you all need to undergo to understand CBD, its effects and even the market before launching oHHo?

Tim [a co-founder], in particular, went through a full immersion! Years of observing from the outside, seeing the development of both research and social acceptance of cannabis. One year of travel research predominantly across the US as well as the UK and Europe meeting entrepreneurs, farmers, doctors and scientists, corporates, independents, advocacy groups, dispensaries, patients and consumers. Reading voraciously about cannabis medicine, clinical research and completing medical professional courses provided by The Academy of Medical Cannabis—consolidating our knowledge through our partnerships with UCL and John Moores Universities in Liverpool, England. The unregulated and nascent aspects of the market enabled a raft of terrible brands, products and a tremendous amount of confusion. This actually made it very easy to know how we could provide exceptional products with integrity.

Can you talk about what sets you apart in the market and how people can shuffle through all of the brands to find one that works for them?

I think most of all we have sourced components that actually work. We think about CBD in terms of the ‘entourage effect’ which is the entire plant working together and then being extracted cleanly. We noticed that different plants from different terroirs produced different taste profiles and effects and so we think about our oils like wine or cheese. We try to guide our consumers through a journey of taste (lots of CBD products taste pretty awful) and then need state—so the strength of the products depending on what your needs are—our number one selling oil, oHHo New York, we are told really helps with sleep and then oHHo Colorado is great for daytime use. We have seen that the local stories resonate with people if it’s also where they are from—so Oregon for example has been a big hit with the West Coast contingent.

As a consumer, you should pay attention to the transparency of the products. Does it have a certificate of analysis, for example? How much CBD is actually in it? A good benchmark is 1500mg per 30ml as a minimum. There are products on the market right now that are grossly overpriced so knowing your way around the content metrics is really important.

You’ve mentioned before that CBD almost got famous before people had established what it was used for/best for. Now that more data has come in—and experiences attest to it, too—what do you say to skeptics? And how are you educating consumers?

Although we are bound not to make medical claims, the body of research confirms the efficacy of full-spectrum CBD for a wide variety of targets. The high science and clinical data is there and this has been backed up for decades by the anecdotal experience of consumers. We don’t want to dictate but we do want to help set people off in the right direction. We aim to strip down the detail through our dosing guide, FAQs, interviews and articles. It’s all about providing credible education so that people can really understand how to use these products and why.

Can you speak to how the brand sought to develop the three products it offers, with regard to flavor profile and desired effect?

We look at our CBD in a similar way to considering wine or coffee. The craft/connoisseur marijuana market has also influenced our approach. Just as different marijuana strains, coffee blends or grape varieties are a matter of personal taste, we recognize that our individual biology will respond differently to CBD products. Variation in plant profiles enables us to create a portfolio of options with regard to taste and desired effect: rest, comfort and recovery.

For every oil we have, 50 were rejected

We spent two years building our relationships with small-batch, independent organic farmers, traveling the country, sampling products, recognizing distinction and difference. For every oil we have, 50 were rejected. We want to showcase the exceptional in terms of cultivation, purity and taste as well as supporting family-run farms and local economies.

Each oil has been produced from a specific strain cultivated and nurtured in a unique appellation. Focusing solely on full-spectrum products, we were able to find variety in the taste profiles of the plants, predominantly influenced by the terpene range as well as the cannabinoid content and also depending on the extraction method used. Efficacy in our products is fundamental, but we also knew that taste mattered. A lot of the CBD in Europe is made from industrial hemp and often has a very unpleasant, bitter taste. Our oils are made from CBD-rich hemp, high yielding and as beautiful as any marijuana plant, abundant in CBD rather than THC.

Can you talk about dosage—and the sublingual system. What are the benefits of taking oHHo that way?

Another principle has been ensuring our oils provide maximum efficacy of dosage. Basing a moderate dose at 20-25mg we knew we wanted to go large with the quantity of CBD. We also didn’t want to add to the confusion surrounding what strength to buy, which is why the strength of each distinct oil is the same in both sizes of bottle.

The sublingual—under the tongue for 90 seconds—method is really effective for enabling the CBD to be absorbed into your body quickly. We feel that the onset and duration of this method offers the consumer the best experience with an onset time of around 20 minutes and a duration of up to seven hours. Actually, we also advise just dropping our oil on your tongue for an oHHo moment and then swallowing rather than holding under your tongue. Your liver will metabolize the CBD although the onset time may vary by five or 10 minutes.

Images courtesy of oHHo

US studio SHoP Architects and local studio Nutall Smith have released a set of photos showing their innovation hub and HIV research laboratory almost complete in Gaborone, Botswana.

Being built on the outskirts of the Botswanan capital city near the Kalahari Desert, the three-fingered block will house offices and laboratories for several government departments as well as space for international and local technology companies.

SHoP Architects and Nutall Smith divided the building into three long blocks that are connected by connecting arms that create a series of courtyard spaces.

The central, tallest block, which reaches four stories and is stepped down to two, will contain the majority of the innovation hub’s shared amenities, including a 250-seat auditorium and bar.

Connected to the central block by two curving arms, the two-storey northern block will primarily contain laboratory space for the government and start-up businesses.

The main occupant will be the country’s Ministry of Health, which will create a 4,650-square-metre HIV research lab in collaboration with US universities Baylor, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The two-storey southern block will contain offices along with a business school.

SHoP Architects and Nutall Smith designed the Botswana Innovation Hub to function within the desert’s demanding heat. Its roof will have large overhangs to passively shade the building and these overhands are repeated in the facade’s deep articulation to maximise shading on the building’s lower levels.

The roof will contain a combination of vegetated areas, which are planted with local and drought-tolerant species so should need no watering, photovoltaic panels and rainwater harvesting systems.

According to the studio, these systems will offset around half of the building’s operational energy costs.

The overall design of the building was also a nod towards the sand dunes of Botswana.

“The cultural significance of the dune and delta to Botswana have been embraced in the design of the building,” said the Botswana Innovation Hub.

“These have been the conceptual driver since the inception of the project. The embodied characteristics of these landscape features have remained visible and prominent in the form of the project, most notably with the building massing, the facade expression and the landscape planning.”

The innovation centre is the first stage of the development of a 57-hectare business park near the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport that will include offices, industrial units and hotels.

New York-based SHoP Architects was founded in 1996. The studio recently revealed its design for world’s tallest hybrid timber tower in Sydney and an irregularly stacked building for the US Embassy in Bangkok.

Photography courtesy of SHoP.

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