Hasta La Ideas

Halfway between picnicware and a dog toy you’ll find something sonically surprising. Ssssspeaker is brought to us by the creative minds of Kiev-based Aiia—not to be confused with Danish headphone company AIAIAI or Icelandic band Amiina—whose adorable website gives me an interactive headache. (They helpfully point out that listening to music can reduce headaches by 20%. Coincidence? You decide.) The Ssssspeaker harnesses the power of the ol’ iPhone-in-a-cup trick and ramps it up with a backlit 3W speaker and malleable silicone horn. It’s even got a tab to help open and close that doubles as an anti-roll kickstand.

This cute little speaker is Red Dot-nominated and looks fairly practical. Given that silicone and amplification aren’t an obvious pair, I’m going to assume that its greatest strength comes from the design’s flexibility and mobility. Suggested uses include impromptu office parties and depression alleviation. I also propose: beach party, car camping, covert library sing-a-long, and backup tracks for dramatic romantic serenades—I bet it would be much easier to hold over your head for three minutes than a boombox.

“Let a magic sound fill the room!”

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For the multitasking man, Bfofo’s premiere product, the Note:Wallet, was designed so that you never again leave home without the simple necessities: cash, cards, paper and pen. Now you can jot down that lyric that’s been in your head, leave your number for that cute waitress, or simply keep your grocery list handy! Minimal yet highly functional, the wallet’s unique composition of stainless steel, leather, aluminum and cast rubber maintain a slim silhouette despite the extra features. Catch the vid!

Designer: Bfofo Designs Inc.

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(For the Note Taker, Money Maker was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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1. Sticky-Note Apocalyptic
2. My Pet Espresso Maker
3. Ensombra: Shadow Maker

Last week Portland got hit by what the locals fearfully called a “snowpocalypse” and which was in fact eight inches of snow and a day of freezing sleet. In solidarity with places plagued by real winter or surprising bouts of icy climate change, I present an excellent solution to your outdoor woes: DIY crampons.

Crampons, for those of you too urbane to scale mountains in your free time, are the pronged device strapped to your feet to provide traction over ice or difficult ground. It’s what you wish you had every time you accidentally skate down the sidewalk while your life flashes before your eyes. They’ve been used in some form since ye old Roman days, and really picked up steam in the 18th century when the idea of climbing dangerous ice covered peaks caught on as an enjoyable hobby for bored aristocrats.

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Headquartered in the ironic flannel capital of the world and sourced from the beautiful shrinking forests of the Northwest, Campfire Cologne offers big smell in a little box. For the urban-dwelling tree-lover, this distinctive scent might just unlock memories of faraway mountains with a certain Promethean je ne sais quoi. The two-part formula is not for the weak of heart: add one part Campfire Cologne and one part flame, and let mother nature imbue the wearer with all-natural ruggedness. Now available in a dual-branded Poler edition.

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One great thing about smartphones is that they present a readily-accessible map and GPS for directions. As long as you have access to a network, it’s much harder to get lost while wandering around a new city or an unfamiliar part of your town. But that’s also a downside: Smartphones are screen-based creations, and even though new smartphone maps applications feature voice directions, those don’t make as much sense on a bicycle.

The Hammerhead, an attachable device for you bike handles, addresses this problem by providing directions not with sound or direct visuals but simple flashes of light in your peripheral vision. With $51,000 raised on Dragon Innovation, the Hammerhead device works with an app of crowdsourced biking directions. This latter part will be good news for cyclists out there looking for the optimal route from point A to point B, which isn’t always the same as when you’re driving or walking. Data is communicated from your phone to the device via Bluetooth.

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