Feb 23
Around the Design World in 180 Words: Crowdsourcing Edition
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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Feb 23
QuaDror, a New Structural Joint to Build On
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Core77 had the opportunity to be invited into Dror Benshetrit’s Studios to take a glimpse at QuaDror, his new structural joint. QuaDror is a lap joint construction that provides for limited freedom of movement without the use of a traditional pin. The design is elegant enough to prompt wonderment that it hasn’t already been built in the world, even as forgotten carpentry. By superimposing two lap joint frames with miter cuts, Dror makes the formation of a collapsible structure possible. Once a load is applied to the top of the two frames, it spreads out to an optimal angle for load distribution. Dror said that the finished structure could attain the strength of a correspondingly wide concrete or steel structure while using only 20% of the material.
Just unveiled at the Design Indaba conference in Cape Town South Africa, Dror sees a future where his joint could be used in everything from modular housing to wind absorbing highway barriers. As is appropriate for the Indaba conference, QuaDror can also easily be deployed as the basis for emergency housing. Using only the “knuckle” of his joint as a jig allows the fabrication of a strong foundation upon which local sustainable materials (bamboo, wood, etc.) could be used as trusses. Manufacturing the precision high load “knuckles” in steel would make emergency shipping extremely manageable. Further, due to the weight efficiency of his product, even QuaDror made of steel I-beams on a housing scale can be lifted by a few human beings without the need for additional equipment.
Dror plans to release the joint as a shareware license for distressed areas while the aestheticly oriented (and correspondingly wealthier) developed world would need to pay to see it in deployed in contract furniture, or as rapid prototyped shells for lighting. We look forward to QuaDror being unleashed into the world. Check out the below Quadror Video.
Feb 23
iPong
Posted in: automated, pingpong, recreation Ping pong robot offers superb versatility to improve your game
Playing with yourself isn’t always socially acceptable but the new and improved iPong from Joola is a great way to practice your ping pong even when you don’t have a partner. The cylindrical ping pong robot has a super slim design and a simple mechanism, allowing setup in under a minute so you can start practicing right away.
Perfect for anyone wanting to hone their skills or just enjoy a challenging solo game, the iPong is capable of holding 110 balls and delivering up to 70 balls per minute. It has three different adjustable spin types as well controllable speed and frequency settings. Design for use by beginners or pros, this pong machine will help you keep your wrists in shape with true and consistent shots.
The iPong fits all standard table tennis tables and is available on Amazon for $149.95.
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Feb 23
Unitasker Wednesday: Mascara Protector
Posted in: UncategorizedAll Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy!
When reader Emily sent me information about this week’s unitasker, I had to do some research. I didn’t understand what the device did or why someone might want to use it.
After reading the product description, I learned that the item, the Tweezerman Mascara Protector, is supposed to protect your face from getting mascara on it when you’re applying mascara. I just wipe the errant mascara off with my finger or a damp cloth, so I didn’t realize my cheeks needed protection. However, the people at Tweezerman thought otherwise:
Apparently, those who did purchase the product, didn’t really love it. (That might be the understatement of the year.) The Tweezerman Mascara Protector has such “positive” reviews on Amazon as:
“This thing works fine I suppose.”
and
“works okay. kinda a pain to use and not really worth it in the end. but hey it works.”
The competing product, the Myrabelle Mascara Shield, has reviews such as “i dont use it at all … if youre trying to save money, dont buy it” and “Don’t waste your money. If zero stars had been a choice that’s what I would have chosen.”
There are even comments suggesting that it’s easy to poke into your eye if you don’t have a steady hand. In case the mascara wand wasn’t dangerous enough, you can get a second chance to poke your eye with the protector! Three cheers for temporary blindness! Commenters also note that it’s very difficult to hold with one hand while applying mascara with the other, because those of us who wear mascara needed the process to be harder. Lovely.
At the end of the day, I’ll be saving my money and continuing to use my finger to wipe off any unruly mascara — the finger that is free and already attached to my body.
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Feb 23
Future Vehicles Will All Be Electric, Right? Well, Not So Fast.
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When describing something that is gaining momentum, we still use the expression “gaining steam,” a throwback to the era of steam power. And if it seems ridiculous to refer to a technology that old, consider that we’re still driving around in cars using internal combustion engines, which first started to “gain steam” over 100 years ago.
Most people believe the future of automobiles is in battery-powered electric engines, which would influence the design of the vehicles themselves; the concept of having small separate engines for each wheel, in particular, opens up some exciting possibilities for transportation designers. But there’s still a chance things won’t go that way, as there are still companies tinkering around with the internal combustion engine and actually making breakthroughs.
Most recently, two companies called Navistar and EcoMotors are collaborating to commercialize the latter’s OPOC motor technology. OPOC stands for Opposing Piston/Opposing Cylinder, and in a nutshell the design uses two pistons crammed into one cylinder. Mated with EcoMotors’ Electrically Controlled Clutch, this is a bit of a gamechanger in internal combustion.
Basically, internal combustion engines in and of themselves are not bad, just inefficient. They produce a fair amount of stinky and ecologically-unfriendly waste compared to the amount of motion they generate. EcoMotors’ variant of the engine offers a heckuva lot more bang for the buck, so to speak, as their engine design is much smaller, uses less materials, and is more efficient. It can also be made to run on a variety of fuels, and the aforementioned clutch design can shut down cylinders not in use.
See the vid below for more details.
Interestingly enough, the concept of an OPOC engine was first advanced when internal combustion was still in its infancy, way back in 1907; it never caught on, for reasons far too complicated to go into here. But engine geeks interested in the tech can click here to check out fourteen other examples of OPOC engines devised over the years.
Feb 23
Bolon Artisan
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Bolon’s inspiration for this year’s collection is drawn from traditional crafts and state-of-the-art technology. Artisan combines the skills of ..
Feb 23
The Tote Bag Book
Posted in: UncategorizedAn extended collection of brilliantly designed tote bags compiled by artist Jitesh Patel
UK based designer Jitesh Patel started a blog based on his interest in tote bag artwork that has become a forum for the showcased artists. From there he turned the site into paperback form—his book “The Tote Bag” highlights striking and inventive designs including his own illustrations on the cover and the free canvas tote that accompanies the book.
In recent years the tote bag has become more widely used by the environmentally conscious as a simple way to cut down on the use of disposable bags. The question always asked is, “paper or plastic” but since the birth of the canvas tote bag, people can say neither and opt for their own bag. Besides cutting down your carbon footprint it’s a fun way to express your style.
Patel opened his Shoreditch, London studio in 2007 to be a base for his artistic talents. He is a brilliant illustrator and lends his talents in advertising, brand design and art direction. Patel’s interest in tote bags drew the attention of designers from all over who contributed their work to his book.
The Tote Bag book is available from various retailers for £19.
Feb 23
Dezeen podcast: in this recording for the Design Museum in London, design commentator and one of the founders of the museum Stephen Bayley talks about the Brit Insurance Design of the Year 2011, on show at the museum until 7 August.
Can’t see the play bar? Click here.
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In the podcast, Bayley talks about his role chairing the jury for the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year awards, founding the museum with Terence Conran in the 1980s and how to judge whether design matters.
Nearly 100 shortlisted designs across the fields of architecture, product, furniture, graphics, fashion, interactive and transport design will be on show at the museum until 7 August 2011.
The seven category winners are due to be announced on Monday 28 February and the overall winner will be announced at a ceremony on 15 March.
See the full shortlist in our earlier story.
See also:
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year winner 2010
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year winner 2009
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year winner 2008
Exhibition photographs are by Luke Hayes.
Here are some more details from the Design Museum:
Showcasing a year in design, the fourth annual Brit Insurance Design Awards features an international shortlist ranging from Yves Behar’s Swarovski Chandeliers to concrete Emergency Shelters designed in Wales. Nominations also include the Apple iPad as well as six different app’s including the popular Angry Birds game.
Industry experts have nominated innovative and engaging designs from around the world across seven categories: Architecture, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Interactive, Product and Transport. Stephen Bayley will chair the 2011 jury and will be joined by art and design curator Janice Blackburn OBE, graphic designer Mark Farrow, novelist Will Self, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Kingston University Penny Sparke and Simon Waterfall co-founder of digital agency Poke. We are pleased to announce that Bill Moggeridge, Director of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York will also join this year’s jury.
The nominations will be on show at the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year Exhibition at the Design Museum from 16 February – 7 August 2011. From this comprehensive list, the jury will select the seven category winners to be announced on 28 February 2011. The overall Brit Insurance Design of the Year will be announced at the Awards Dinner on 15 March 2011 and this year’s awards trophy will be exclusively designed by Ross Lovegrove.
Alex Newson, curator of the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year exhibition comments, “The sheer breadth of the shortlist reaffirms the importance of good design and how it can help improve daily lives or even refresh the familiar. Whether it is through ingenious temporary home solutions or a new cycle scheme for London, it is a fascinating list of nominees.”
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See also:
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| Winner 2010: Min-Kyu Choi | Winner 2009 Shepard Fairey | Winner 2008: Yves Béhar |
Feb 23
Beauty Pick Me Up – Backstage at Altuzarra
Posted in: Uncategorized  | At this past Fashion Week, our favorite Contributing Editor, Geri Hirsch of Because I’m Addicted, had the good luck to go backstage at Altuzarra and snap some first-hand beauty pics! We love the trends we saw and can’t wait to try them out! Here’s our three favorite style! Then click on the slideshow to see our fave products that will help you get the look!
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Feb 23
Goodbye Cow, Pirate, Cyclist
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Charming advertising characters are thin on the ground these days, so it is with some sadness that we discover Cravendale has decided to kill off the quirky group of housemates that has graced its ads for the last four years, in order to move its advertising in a new direction. Ad agency Wieden + Kennedy in London has created this amusing film to bid farewell to the cow, pirate and cyclist (and sheep on a skateboard)…
The ads were directed by Belgian directing duo Pic Pic Andre. To view more of their work, including a trailer for their film A Town Called Panic, visit Not To Scale’s website here.
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