Hasta La Ideas

Having achieved their goal of bringing instant analog film back into production, The Impossible Project‘s latest effort continues to revive and remaster the concept. Their limited-edition “First Flush” series introduces a silver-based monochrome film, currently available in two formats, 600 and SX-70. Though results may vary with each individual package depending on light, temperature, as well as possible early-batch defects, the overall effect lends a ghostly quality to snapshots.

The new format is an experimental exploration, upholding their mission of not simply reproducing Polaroid products. Rather, they use the defunct company’s equipment to develop advanced film that remains loyal to Polaroid’s timeless aesthetic. As the ongoing reinvention builds momentum, expect to see color film in the next few months.

Exclusively available for in-store purchase at the Photographer’s Gallery Bookshop in London, the film also sells for $21 via The Impossible Project’s online shop.

Designer Mac Funamizu’s clever prototype, the Funny USB Memory Stick #6, allows users to physically see the digital contents contained on a mini flash drive.

The clear glass device uses lights to indicate the amount and type of data stored. A fully lit stick means it’s at capacity with different colors representing file contents, like blue for images and green for documents.

As Core77 points out, the best improvement to this design (and all thumb drives) would be to make the stick narrow enough to fall flush with the size of the USB port, allowing more room for other plug-ins.

via Infomation Aesthetics

Today our second annual 99% Conference, in partnership with Behance, kicks off in NYC. With a line-up full of some of today’s most respected visionaries, an audience that has been sold out for months, and a few surprises, we’re all pretty excited. To get a taste of the event highlights, follow our tweets (and of course other attendees’) with the #99conf hashtag.

Providing consistently even heat throughout the entire cooking process, the Panasonic inverter microwave oven closely replicates the technology of a traditional oven resulting in better controlled cooking and tastier food.

While most microwaves repeatedly turn a high temperature on and off when reheating or cooking food at low temperatures, the Panasonic inverter delivers a constant flow of energy. This keeps from overcooking the edges and enables the simmering of stews or poaching foods such as fish or chicken.

The 1300-watt high powered microwave is equipped with a one-touch sensor button that intuitively calculates cooking time and adjusts the power levels automatically. Ensuring accurate cooking time helps with healthier cooking—foods like broccoli actually retain a higher amount of Vitamin C when cooked faster, compared to steaming or boiling.

CH recently put the Panasonic NN-SD688S to the test and found its unique technology really does provide a better cooking experience. This model ($180) along with other inverter microwaves sell online from Panasonic.

The most exciting new hardware launched by Apple since the iPhone, the iPad presents a brand new platform for consuming online content. To perfectly tailor our publication to the touch-screen medium, we developed the Cool Hunting application—a free app (downloadable now from iTunes).

Pulling off a project like this takes an amazing team. In our case we worked on the design with BBH and development with Front-Ended. None of this would have been possible without our launch sponsor Cadillac or our ad network Largetail.

Combining the strengths of the iPad with those of our recently re-designed site, in landscape mode you can scroll laterally through all of our stories or filter by category. With a simple two finger swipe, you can move from one story to the next, with images bordering the top and information displayed on the left hand side. Videos expand to consume the entire screen, taking advantage of the iPad’s gorgeously crisp display. While the horizontal view is more visual and immersive, the portrait view puts the focus on headlines, allowing you to quickly scan articles.

While many publications are taking a more literal approach to translating their content from print to pad (or web to pad), we chose to create an interface that best suits the user experience and creates new opportunities for our advertising partners. For Cadillac, the first brand to leverage our custom, single-sponsor approach, we worked with BBH to create a section that contains weekly updates of iPad-only Cool Hunting stories, advertorial and content specifically about the CTS-V Coupe.

Available for free from iTunes, we couldn’t be more excited about the application and the seemingly endless possibilities presented by the iPad.