Hasta La Ideas

Bay Area-based startup Cana recently raised $30 million dollars to create Cana One, a countertop device that can print thousands of beverages including coffee and cocktails. As the startup’s CEO Mat Mahar told The Hustle, all beverages are mostly made up of water with only around 1% containing compounds—like wine’s tartaric acid or coffee’s quinic acid—that give it flavor. Of those compounds, only 30 to 50 can be registered by humans. Thus, Cana One concentrates 150 compounds into a cartridge in order to produce different drinks. Not only does this device print tasty beverages, and allow for customization using additional sugar and neutral grain alcohol cartridges, but it’s also better for the environment. The soft drink industry is estimated to generate around 20 to 34 billion plastic bottles per year. Cana One’s cartridges, on the other hand, can make approximately 200 drinks before needing to be recycled. Learn more about this clever device at The Hustle.

Images courtesy of The Hustle

Years ago I learned two things about working at a Japanese corporation that Americans would find weird:

1. Upon being hired, it’s not unusual to start by being sent to a live-in corporate training facility for a year or more, where you’d live in a company dormitory.

2. After completing training and starting work, it’s not unusual that you’d be placed in a position completely different from your degree. For instance, if you were hired by a chemicals company as a chemical engineer, you might start off unloading trucks in the loading bay. You’d then be rotated through several departments (Marketing, Sales, Logistics, etc.) and eventually placed in one based on “fit;” in other words, you might wind up in the Accounting department, rather than Engineering!

This entry only has to do with #1 above (I included #2 because it still blows me away). Osaka-based Takenaka Corporation, one of Japan’s major general contracting firms, employs over 7,000 architects, construction managers and engineers. Regardless of which degree they hold, all start off by spending a year in Kobe at Takenaka’s live-in training facility, where corporate culture is inculcated.

In 2019 Takenaka redesigned their training-employee dormitory. While Takenaka architects themselves handled the architectural details, design consultancy Taiji Fujimori Atelier was hired to design the furniture for the common areas and the dorm rooms themselves.

This being Japan, where people are as comfortable sitting on the floor as at chair-height, the common areas feature a mixture:

Where it really gets interesting, though, is the dorm rooms themselves. First off, you can tell by the doorknobs that the doors are not typical:

Obviously that’s not a knob at all. The doors slide, rather than swing:

You’ll notice there’s a second sliding door above the first, well above head level:

This allows you to slide that upper door open to see what’s going on in the hallway, or get some fresh air, from the loft bed inside each room.

The “furniture” within each room is super minimal:

As Taiji Fujimori Atelier describes it:

“The furniture in the dormitory room is ‘room-like furniture,’ which is a combination of shelves, closet, bed and desk. This unit is made simply of steel pipes that look like a one-stroke line and horizontal MDF boards, and the shelf boards can function as the staircase to go up to the bed. While making a small room practical and functional, the unit still keeps the appearance as one piece of furniture.”

A unibody clip-on Bluetooth receiver that pairs with your wired earbuds or headphones to listen to with mobile devices or other gadgets that have ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack for good!

Going wireless with your mobile devices is a standard that most flagships are following. This all goes well for lifestyle products like Bluetooth earbuds, but if you are a hardcore audiophile, parting with your favorite pair of headphones or earbuds for listening to music or podcasts on a smartphone is painful. Especially if you own a phone that doesn’t come with the good old headphone jack.

Designer: Ugly Duckling

The Grampus clip-on Bluetooth audio receiver (the designer calls it a clip-on Bluetooth) comes to the rescue for any such users who don’t want to sacrifice the option of listening to the audio on their trusted wired earphones/headphones. Not only can this accessory be useful for listening with Bluetooth mobile devices but also for times when you don’t want to wake up others in the family while watching an action movie on the big screen from a distance, paired with your wired set of cans. The design is dominated by a killer whale-like shape, wherein, the clip isn’t a separate part of the body, rather, it is a part of the unibody design of the product.

The flexibility of use is the key with this concept design that has huge potential to turn into a real-life product. The volume up/down button, as well as the power button, are very prominent in the form factor – thereby aiding in quick input without even looking at them. If the actual product does come with the supplied pair of detachable earbuds, it would be the red cherry on top. That way, the Bluetooth accessory can be paired with the color-matching earbuds, or if you want to use them with your trusted earbuds/headphones, it’s also possible to do that.

Grampus Bluetooth audio receiver should get support for connectivity with at least two devices simultaneously to appeal to modern users who live in an ecosystem of wireless devices. The cool colors that the designer has rendered the product in look absolutely desirable, and for people who want exactly this kind of functionality, Grampus makes complete sense.

The post This clip-on audio receiver turns any wired earbuds/headphones into wireless ones first appeared on Yanko Design.

Parfois, en levant les yeux au ciel et avec un peu d’imagination, on peut imaginer des formes dans les nuages. Une sorte de jeu qui parle à tous et qui aide à apprécier la beauté de ce qui nous entoure. Dans un autre genre, ce sont les ombres que Vincent Bal interprète. L’artiste utilise en effet les ombres que projettent différents objets ou encore aliments sur un support blanc, puis dessine par-dessus afin de leur donner vie. Le résultat de ce processus offre une œuvre où le détournement de l’ombre paraît être ici une évidence.

Pour en découvrir plus, rendez-vous sur son compte Instagram.

To be mindful means to be more aware of your thoughts. It’s about being aware of your feelings and thoughts in response to the environment where you are at the moment. Life is about making the right choices, and they ought to be the best.

We’re not just talking about choices in fashion, consumer electronics, and mobile devices. Choices in life must be correct as they affect your happiness and wellbeing. But of course, the easiest way to show such characteristics is in the things that we use every day like clothes and footwear. So it’s not really just being stylish or fashionable but choosing items that are mindful of the person and his surroundings.

Designers: District Vision and New Balance

Sustainable fashion is already a known movement. From being eco-friendly, we now move to being mentally healthy which is a state that isn’t exactly easy to maintain. District Vision and New Balance have teamed up to push a unique partnership that will bring awareness and build a more mindful environment in the area of sports. Another goal is to educate people about mindfulness and explore the importance of movement and meditation.

The two brands’ first collaboration brings two brand-new DV + NB sneakers. Officially called District Vision X New Balance FuelCell RC Elite v2, this silhouette is available in two colors: White and Black. District Vision is a relatively new company that is more of a running brand and wellness collective. It has released a line of eyewear that became popular. It’s now trying its luck in the footwear and apparel game, and the DV + NB FuelCell RC Elite v2 is one of the first releases.

District Vision has already teamed up with other sports brands, but this partnership with New Balance brings to light both brands’ commitment to sports, health, and fitness. The FuelCell RC Elite v2 is one of New Balance’s most popular silhouettes. The pair can inspire people to run, move, and finally get moving. With mindfulness being added to the equation, we see a collaboration that genuinely cares for people.

District Vision and New Balance are all about the empowerment of the people. Health is not just about physical movement but also mental well-being. When you want to run, you can be mindful by thinking that such activity isn’t just a temporary escape and can be part of your life.

As for the other products part of the collaboration, the collection includes lightweight activewear and apparel with designs hand-drawn by Filip Pagowski. The shoes are also available in contrasting colors, giving the two different looks and feel. The design is sleek and appears to be lightweight, perfect for road runners. Thanks to the full-length carbon fiber plate, the pair is also comfortable, which can increase energy return. The outsole rubber is also lightweight together with a mid-foot cut out, resulting in reduced weight.

Running does good for your mental health and wellness. This pair can probably inspire you to get running and then eventually learn to be more mindful. You may not be able to offer all-out performance initially, but the two brands’ collaborative effort will empower you.

The District Vision New Balance FuelCell RC Elite V2 running sneaker is now available. In addition, the collaboration includes other items like Anti-Fog Glass, Balaclava, Singlet, Men’s Long Sleeve, Sherpa Pullover, Sherpa Pants, Pack Jacket, and Split Shorts. The clothing offers are now listed for pre-order and will soon be out in key markets.

District Vision and New Balance also offer micro-courses that will help educate and increase mental health through running. You can learn mindfulness when you hear from the providers and teachers. You will discover inner peace, mindfulness, and the benefits of motion through sports as promised by District Vision.

District Vision does research and development for mindful athletes. As a result, the brand comes up with products that can enhance performance and are functional. DV believes athleticism and mental wellbeing are connected, so the approach is holistic. It has proven successful when it comes to sports eyewear for runners and is now extending the same effort to footwear and apparel. For footwear, it has teamed up with New Balance to deliver a pair that helps enhance running performance.

District Vision and New Balance aim to celebrate mindfulness in motion. The partnership goes beyond the products as there’s mental health involved. We’ll get to know about DV Tapes courses and the mindful athlete uniforms the combined forces are working on in the near future.

The post District Vision and New Balance team up to teach mindfulness, enhance running performance first appeared on Yanko Design.