Hasta La Ideas

pTwo places where I will never touch my cell phone: In a bathroom and at the edge of the subway platform. I’ve heard too many tales of people dropping their mobiles onto the tracks or into the toilet, and I’d rather wait until I’m well clear of either of those environments before checking voicemail or sending a text./p

pFor the bathroom-butterfingers among us, a Japanese company called JMC Risk Solutions has invented a “A HREF=”http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Frs.jmc.ne.jp%2Fservice%2Fsystemsolution%2Fdryerbox.htmlsl=jatl=enhl=ie=UTF-8″ Dryer Box/A” that will reportedly remove the moisture from a soaked phone, restoring it to life in about 30 minutes. The box is intended to be installed at electronics shops around Tokyo and available to use for roughly 12 dollars, though there’s no charge if the phone stays broken./p

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pFor those who’d rather DIY a wet phone, the general internet consensus seems to be that you need only place your phone in a container of dry rice, which will apparently absorb the moisture. (As an alternative you can also reportedly place your sopping phone in a container of those little Silica Gel packets, but I can never save enough of those as I always immediately eat them.) Check out IPopMech’s/I short “A HREF=”http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/tips/4269047″ How to Save your Wet Cell Phone/A” article for more info./p

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p[image credit: Popular Mechanics]/p

pvia A HREF=”http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/08/11/2010-08-11_one_cellular_sensation_can_save_wet_fones.html” ny daily news/Abr /
/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/solutions_for_saving_a_wet_cell_phone_the_dryer_box_machine_or_plain_ol_rice_17139.asp”(more…)/a
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pimg alt=”sdn.jpg” src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/sdn.jpg” width=”468″ height=”71″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p

p”Negotiating Futures – Design Fiction” is the theme for the a href=”http://www.sdn2010.ch/”6th Swiss Design Network Conference/a, taking place in Basel, Switzerland at the end of October. Sounds good, especially after the design-fictiony contributions to Core77 by a href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/significant_objects_sars_mask_helen_dewitt_story__16325.asp”Significant Objects/a, a href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/design_fancy_judi_alewife_thrift_store_queen__16967.asp”Matt Brown/a and a href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/design_at_the_end_of_the_world_by_ben_fullerton_16872.asp”Ben Fullerton/a./p

pIt doesn’t only sound good; the roster of speakers is impressive, with James Auger of the RCA and Julian Bleecker of the Near Future Laboratory heading up the list. If you’re a designer working with fiction-as-research you still have a chance to get involved; they’ve extended the workshop proposal deadline to a href=”http://www.sdn2010.ch/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=23Itemid=19″August 15th./a /pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/swiss_design_network_conference_seeks_proposals_for_workshops_about_design_fiction__17138.asp”(more…)/a
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Danish industrial design firm Kibisi launch these minimal headphones today.

The headphones are a collaboration with Danish electronics company AIAIAI who wanted a durable design.

TMA-1 is a name taken from an Stanley Kubrick’s science fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, where it describes a machine that was long lasting and reliable.

The headphones are finished in matte black rubber, nylon and plastic.

Here’s some more from the designers:

The TMA-1 by AIAIAI – The idea of a headphone

Danish headphone company AIAIAI, are just about to launch their unique new DJ headphone, the TMA-1, a lead-user-developed piece of audio equipment that looks set to renew the way that lifestyle technology is marketed. The design of TMA-1 is simple, and then some. It is stripped down to nothing more than the essentials. No ornaments, colors or other distractions. Only a very discrete and hidden logo indicates that these headphones come from an established brand.

This marks a new route in a terrain, that for the last couple of years have seen an endless array of products branded with extensive logos, and marketed by celebrities. The TMA-1 travels on a different road, and with it’s simple and iconic look, it is essentially nothing more, than the idea of the headphone.

The TMA-1 headphone has been tested and tweaked by the world’s most skilled and interesting DJ’s. In total 28 of the world’s most progressive DJ’s have been consulted through both the developmental and testing stages, in questions related to sound, form and durability. This process has given a valuable insight into the needs among touring musicians whose headphones are to endure 4-5 gigs a week, and a load of travelling on top of that.

This insight has brought into the design and choice of materials by the inimitable Danish design-firm KiBiSi. Others involved in the process have been the label Tartelet records, the producers, Mannhandle and the communication-agency, Thank You For Clapping. The entire process has given a valuable insight into the needs among touring musicians, whose headphones are to endure 4-5 gigs a week, and a load of travelling on top of that. The TMA-1 built for musicians, by musicians.

Launch and dates

TMA-1 is set to launch in early August and this new piece of irresistible gear that has been fittingly (it resembles the foreboding, black monolith) named the ‘Tycho Magnetic Anomaly’ after the mysterious phenomenon from Arthur C. Clarke’s groundbreaking novel ‘2001:A Space Odyssey’. Needless to say, this wink to originality has a lot to do with the impressive list of lead-user-testers of the TMA-1, such as Erol Alkan, Flying Lotus, Matthew Dear and Seth Troxler.

AIAIAI are sticking to outlets and boutiques that fully understand the aesthetics, concept and potential of the TMA-1: The product will therefore be available only at Apple Outlets and boutiques such Firmament, Colette, Bodega, Corso Como, Dijital Fix and insider record stores such as Phonica in London and Turn Table Lab in New York. The latest addition to this list of outlets, are the testers’ venerated record labels such as Ghostly International and this partnership looks promising to say the least. Get your TMA-1 at your nearest impeccable boutique, record store or label online shop.

The global launch dates are:

Berlin on the 11th of august
Tokyo on the 14th of august
New York on the 18th of august

See also:

.

KiBiSi by Kilo Design, BIG and Skibsted Ideation	Transition Roadable Aircraft by KiBiSi for Terrafugia	Tripart by KiBiSi for Quinze & Milan

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pA HREF=”http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/blog/index.cfm/2010/8/11/Lifestyle-Illustration-of-the-60s?utm_source=twitterfeedutm_medium=twitterutm_campaign=Feed%3A+DesignAddict_TheBlog+%28DesignAddict+-+The+Blog%29″ IDesign Addict/I recently posted/A about this book called IA HREF=”http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1906863040/ref=nosim/designaddict-20″ Lifestyle Illustration of the 60s/A,/I “a colossal survey of magazine artwork from the Swinging Sixties” that showcases the colors, fashions, and style lines of that era. In the backgrounds are the cars and jetliners that epitomized that period of time. /p

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pI’ll avoid making the umpteenth IMad Men/I reference and instead ask, can any of you ID’ers with illustration skills come up with modern-day drawings or renderings of this concept? In fifty years, what would people say epitomized the current era when they look back on it–iPhones, hybrid cars, cyber-bullying? If you can get something together, e-mail it to me at (rain) [at] core77 (dot) [com], subject line “2000s LIFESTYLE” and I’ll post the best of the best.br /
/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/attention_illustrators_can_you_come_up_with_a_series_of_lifestyle_illustration_of_the_2000s_17136.asp”(more…)/a
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All Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy!

For the past two years, I’ve been laughing about the Peanut Butter and Jelly Spreader. My laughs were elevated to a new level, however, when reader Adam sent me a link to this INGENIOUS piece of plastic — the Mayo Knife — Spreader:

I think my favorite part about this unitasker is how it mentions an alternative multitasking object that can do the job just as well in the product’s name. The name of the product reminds you about a knife! A knife you already own! A knife that makes this product completely unnecessary! And, my guess is that the word spreader even makes you think of a spatula made of rubber or silicone in your kitchen drawer that also does the exact same thing. I would have named this unitasker the Mayo Magic Wand because it uses magic to get you to spend money!

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