Recently in Design Category

Anyone Know The Artist Who Made These Teak Toys?

By
Steve Park
on March 16, 2009 10:23 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
hansBolling.jpg

My wife and I went for a walk this weekend and came across a tiny little antique store at the top of our street. We were immediately drawn to these simple and playful teak wooden toys. The shop owner didn't know the artist's name but he informed us that the toy was made in Denmark in the 50's or 60's. Regardless, we had to have them so we bought both and now we're trying to figure out who the artist was. After a few quick searches in Google we came across two names, Kay Bojesen and Hans Bolling (who's work seem to be the closest to our find). Hans uses teak, rope, fur, and the eyes are painted similar to that of the figures we bought. That said, I couldn't find images of these exact figures. If anyone out there can confirm or knows who made these please contact me!

Flickr Clock, Try Saying That Five Times Real Fast

By
Steve Park
on March 6, 2009 12:49 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
flickrClock.jpg

Flickr clock is an ongoing project. By joining the group, Flickstr's can then contribute their videos and display them on a timeline at the exact time they were taken. The theme here is to capture a "real moment" in time, so don't go uploading lol cats, movie trailers, or your latest slideshow animation, as those will be screened and removed. The more the merrier, so tell all your friends as they are hoping to grab a worldwide snapshot of specific moments in time....reminds me of the Van Halen track.

Facebook Redesigns Homepage

By
Steve Park
on March 5, 2009 10:01 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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Here's a sneak peak at the new homepage design which is scheduled to go live next week. In typical Facebook style, the design has not deviated too much with the exception of nice rounded corners on profile thumbnails. In terms of experience, there are some significant changes. Basically, they've simplified the publishing tool and have consolidated the system so you have one stream. And the best part, I think, is that you can now filter your streams based on groups. 

I Love Me a Good Home Theatre

By
Steve Park
on March 4, 2009 1:33 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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This is just ridiculous. A attic converted into a sick home theatre, with a drum set to boot. There is even a motorized sound proof door and James Bond poster to cover the equipment rack. [via Electronic House]

Microsoft's Vision of the Future

By
Steve Park
on March 2, 2009 11:25 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Microsoft's future montage video, named 2019, seems weak to me in terms of vision. According to this video the future consists of us be surrounded by touch screens and accessing content from multiple devices. The interface in typical MS style is cumbersome and seemingly slow (maybe it's the music). 

Don't we pretty much have most of these capabilities right now? I mean, outside of the pretty promotional design, glass screens, and digital paper. Most of these concepts and ideas were already floating around the MIT lab for years. As well, for a vision of what's to come in the next decade I would think they would reach a bit higher than what's shown here. Where is all the 3D, entertainment systems, voice navigation, organic interfaces, etc... How about showing us how our everyday lives will be improved, more efficient, and more green as a result of innovative thinking? Overall, not impressed...I would be impressed if Microsoft were even around in 2019. [via Boy Genius]

The Modernism of Julius Shulman

By
Steve Park
on March 2, 2009 10:38 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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An architects work is only as good as the photographer that showcases it. The documentary Visual Acoustics by Eric Bricker, explores the career of 98-year-old architectural photographer Julius Shulman, who "would become one of the artists responsible for establishing the cohesive "look" of 20th century modernist design." The film is narrated by Dustin Hoffman, and contains in depth interviews with architect Frank Gehry and designer Tom Ford, as well as many others.  

Transformable Spin Vehicle

By
Steve Park
on February 27, 2009 1:03 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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Okay, this has to be one of the most innovative concept designs that I've seen in personal transportation. Designed by Matias Conti, this transformable spin vehicle was configured to provide the rider with numerous options for driving positions. From simple big wheel style position to a more difficult luge style (note how scared the figure looks), the tranformation affects the sensation of the driving experience. This concept vehicle is rear-wheel driven and battery powered. Steering is controlled using body weight and joystick like controls. Dope! [via Gizmodo]

Baby Slippers

By
Steve Park
on February 24, 2009 12:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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So I can see how the idea of having baby slippers are pure awesomeness, but something went wrong in the execution here. It looks like this guys kicking both the babies in the privates?! Wouldn't it have made more sense to have the foot go in the back so it looks like the babies are crawling? [via Gizmodo] 

World's First Transparent Phone - LG GD900

By
Steve Park
on February 21, 2009 2:46 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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The LG GD900 was unveiled at the 2009 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This new addition to LG's line of fashionable and stylish phones will be launched in Europe later this year, and hopefully it will make a North American debut shortly thereafter. The transparent glass-like design is the first of it's kind. A first glance it looks like a regular phone but once you slide open the phone it reveals the illuminating transparent keypad, which will certainly turn a few heads. The question is whether this will be the next trend or a short lived fad. Outside of it's sleek design, there hasn't been any information released on the specs and features of this phone.

For a close look, here's a video of the LG GD900...rave music and all...


The Crisis of Credit Visualized

By
Steve Park
on February 20, 2009 11:06 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)


Our economy is a mess, but most of us don't really have a great grasp of how the system meltdown occurred. If you want a really great explanation of how we got ourselves into this situation then watch this visualization of the credit crisis, created by Jonathan Jarvis. You can see more of Jonathan's work here.

Disposable Chat Rooms on Demand

By
Steve Park
on February 18, 2009 10:40 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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Let's face it, simple is always the best approach. TinyChat executes this concept perfectly. Finally a site that offers a useful service with no fee, no logins/passwords, and most importantly no worrying about privacy...create your username on the fly and all convo's get deleted when the chat is over. Reminds me of the 80's booze can scene...find a space, make a few calls and instant party. When the party's done you clean up and leave. No one would ever know it happened. That said, TinyChat is so simple and easy it needs to be careful it doesn't become a haven for criminals. [via TechCrunch]


N.A.S.A - The Spirit of Apollo

By
Steve Park
on February 17, 2009 11:40 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

David Byrne's new video "The People Tree" featuring Chali 2Na, Gift of Gab, and Z-Trip. This track is just one of many incredible collaborations off of the debut album by N.A.S.A called The Spirt of Apollo. Yah that's right people, get excited, cause N.A.S.A has brought together some mad peeps on this project. There is also a music documentary to be released as well. [via Boing Boing]

Kanye Gets Pwnd on Latest Video

By
Steve Park
on February 17, 2009 10:24 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)


You gotta love Kanye. He's had his share of meltdowns, inappropriate moments, and battles with the paparazzi. No Kanye isn't the most politcally correct but let's be real, he makes great music...videos' too. So you won't be surprised when you watch his latest video for "Welcome To Heartbreak". It looks like they've pioneered a new look using a pixelating layered effect that resembles my old Pentium 486 mmx when the video card was overheating. However, prior to the release of Kanye's video there was Chairlift's "Evident Utensil" directed by Ray Tintori which uses the exact same technique. I would pay to be a fly on Kayne's wall when he found out, or better yet, to be at this year's MTV awards if Chairlift wins! You lost the rat race but if it's any consolation I think both video's sucked, and so did my Pentium 486 mmx.

Smart Mounting Option for Your iPhone

By
Steve Park
on February 17, 2009 8:07 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
ped3.jpg

These guys must've read my mind. The PED3 is exactly the type of mount I've been looking for. If you own an iPhone/iPod, you know that holding it for a long period of time can give you claw hands. This is the best solution I've seen so far. The PED3 Auto comes with a suction cup mount so you can install it in your car as well. 

Picture This: What if Tokyo Were Paved in Grass?

By
Steve Park
on February 17, 2009 1:14 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
greenIsland.jpg

Creative director Tag (Ryo Taguchi), photo retoucher IMKW (Imakawa), and contemporary artist cum coder Immr (Yuichiro Imamura) are taking green seriously. They are the creators and collaborators in the Green Island project. With a series of photographs that transforms the streets of Tokyo into fields of green, these eco-artists are aiming to bring attention to the potential of existing developed areas in Tokyo. [via Gizmodo]

Urban Screen

By
Steve Park
on February 17, 2009 12:32 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)


We live in a culture obsessed with customization. A German creative collective, Urban Screen takes that idea to the next level by digitally painting buildings for their interactive installations and performance art. Using urban architecture and facades as their stage they draw big crowd with their lively and interactive art. [via Youtube]

Picture This: Lamborghini Stilettos

By
Steve Park
on February 12, 2009 5:37 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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Some people like Lamborghini's, others like Stiletto's. Why not have both? Don't all you Lambo-letto fans get too excited, because this is just a conceptual illustration by Tim Cooper. [via Like Cool]

Design: Athena Sofa PC

By
Steve Park
on February 11, 2009 9:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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I wanted to know more details about this sofa, but unfortunately they don't have an english version of their site. So, I don't really know much about this sofa or what kind of hardware is included. What I do know is that it's priced in the $15,000 range and it's beautifully designed with a his and her LCD (hopefully touch) screen built into either arm. That's pretty sweet! [via Gizmodo]

Tech: Digital R50 Universal Remote

By
Steve Park
on February 11, 2009 11:28 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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For most people, figuring out which remotes control which device can be quite frustrating. So the idea of having a universal remote is quite appealing. However, you quickly realize you have to figure out how to program that too?! Pressing sequences of buttons and counting blinking lights or going on a website to configure your remote can be a bit too labour intensive for the everyday person. The Digital R50 with it's LCD screen with setup wizard claims to have you up and running in no time with minimal fuss. It even has a macro feature that allows you to control several commands with one button.

It would be nice if someone could invent a universal remote that could also control web interfaces, my iPod/iPhone and Front Row on the Macbook as well. 

If anyone out there owns a R50, please email me your review on this product. [via Wired]

Trend: Wireless Speaker System

By
Steve Park
on February 10, 2009 6:44 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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The i24R3 wireless multi-room speaker system, despite it's name, looks anything but something related to r2d2. This audio system is pure designer goodness created by renowned industrial designer Michael Young.

Some of the features of this system is a motion sensor that read hand movements to operate functions, multiple inputs/outputs, two step wireless connection, wireless remote, and get this...wireless USB audio transmitter so that you can stream iTunes from your PC or laptop.  

The website states an early 2009 launch date. [via Design Milk]


So Bad it's So Good

By
Steve Park
on February 9, 2009 2:21 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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The one thing the internet has always been particularly useful for is documenting and archiving the rare and ridiculous. Unfortunately for some, they probably wish the internet never existed. Behold the 50 worst album covers. 

Share The Love This Valentine's Day

By
Steve Park
on February 9, 2009 2:07 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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Animoto has a great way to share the love with your special someone this coming Valentine's day. Save a tree and send him/her a video card. 

Shop: Amazon Releases Kindle 2

By
Steve Park
on February 9, 2009 11:20 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Kindle 2 was released today by Amazon. The Kindle is a wireless reading device that has 3G speed, 2Gig storage that holds up to 1,500 books and is said to be thinner than an iPhone. This device is sure to clean up the old book shelves. Check out the full hands on review at Gizmodo.

Design: Fornasetti Face Animations

By
Steve Park
on February 5, 2009 2:13 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)
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If you're looking for visuals for your next fungi inspired party, forget about Baraka or Koyaanisqatsi, order this DVD available in Blu-Ray from Itallian designer Piero Fornasetti. You will trip out to the hi-def visuals of what he calls ambient wall art animations. It's not a small purchase at $175, but if you remember this is original art with over 500 images, it's actually quite a steal. [via Design-Milk]

Design: Biomimicry

By
Steve Park
on February 5, 2009 1:39 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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It's nice to see that mother nature intelligence is inspiring the world that we create around us. [Business Week]

Your Children are Smarter Than You

By
Steve Park
on February 5, 2009 1:08 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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Great article today in the Globe and Mail about a nine-year-old from Singapore who wrote his own iPhone app. Unlike the typical forth graders who doodles with crayons, Lim Ding Wen writes code that allows you to doodle on an iPhone. His creation is called Doodle Kids and you can download the free app on iTunes. [via Globe and Mail]


Interact: I Want My Social TV

By
Steve Park
on February 5, 2009 12:27 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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The trend towards "connected tv's" and devices is a sign that people more and more want to enjoy the convenience of being connected without being chained to a desk. Laptops are becoming the norm as prices fall, next-gen kids are growing up not even having used a desktop computer, and smartphones are becoming more accessible and user friendly. So what does all this mean? Well, I hope it means that we've reached the stage where technology is finally adapting to us and not only facilitating but simplifying our connected lifestyle.

ABI Research released a study which included over 1,000 households, and found that the younger consumers want to interact with their friends online and watch tv simultaneously. Yahoo! is on top of this movement with their tv widgets, and have partnered with some of the larger electronics company to stream flikr, news, and weather to your livingroom via the internet.  So can we expect channels/widgets for Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter in the near future? I don't know about you but I already use my TV for online content, listening to Last.fm and Twittering. So I welcome a more user friendly interface so I can continue to do these things but on the comfort of my couch and a remote control. [via cnet news]

Design: Hopside Down...Even the Name is Confusing

By
Steve Park
on February 5, 2009 11:17 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
hopsideDown.jpg

A beer glass with an upside down beer bottle inside it. This is surely bound to cause some incidents after you've had a few. [via Gizmodo]

Movies: Superheroes, Comics, and Sci-Fi

By
Steve Park
on February 3, 2009 12:54 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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There is no doubt that modern day advances in computing has enabled hollywood to not only bring to life some amazing characters in the superhero, comic book, and sci-fi genre, but also cash in on them too. The blockbuster success of X-MEN, Batman and the Spiderman franchises have really opened the floodgates in this genre. Look out for huge budget, big action, mind blowing effects on the big screen in 2009.

Star Trek

Push

Street Fighter: the Legend of Chun Li

Watchmen

X-MEN

Astro Boy

Transformers

Terminator

G.I. Joe


Devices: Wireless Flash Drives

By
Steve Park
on January 30, 2009 11:33 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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In terms of personal tech devices I have to say the 16GB wireless flash drive by Leyio definitely has potential. I can definitely see the need for this, especially amongst students but also for general personal and professional use. One thing to keep in mind is that this device is wireless, not to be confused or compatible with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enabled devices. This product uses ultrawide-band radio which means it needs it's own dongle. That said, it can freely connect and transfer files to nearby Leyio flash drives. The real selling feature for me is that this product offers a USB port so you can connect other flash drives giving this product scaleability.

Definitely a great purchase if you like sharing photos, music, and videos with your friends.

Lifestyle: Interactive Voice Response

By
Steve Park
on January 26, 2009 9:24 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
helloMoshi.jpg

I finally purchased a new alarm clock this weekend to replace an old $10 Radio Shack no-named brand I've tolerated for the past 20 yrs. Now an alarm clock isn't necessarily something people think about all the time but I've actually put quite a bit of time and effort looking out for the perfect one. When you've put up with an AM/FM alarm clock that played neither AM or FM but rather a static ridden high pitched steady tone, well, you want the next one to be something really special. 

So I picked up a Moshi - IVR (Interactive Voice Response) Alarm Clock. It's a talking command-driven alarm clock that has a clean Apple-esque design (minus the ipod dock). Though an ipod dock would've been nice, it's actually refreshing that it doesn't offer one. Rather, there are some other unique features that will entertain you such as a night light which cycles mood colours and soothing sleep sounds like birds chirping and water falls. One feature I'd like to see in the next generation of this product is a wifi an the ability to pull in feeds such as my Last.fm playlist, local news, and weather...now that would be great!

With this technology greatly improving over the last couple of years and continuing to improve in our hands-free culture, I'm hoping to see alot more IVR and web enabled tech being integrated into household appliances and lifestyle devices in the near future.

Multi-Touch Interface Design

By
Steve Park
on January 23, 2009 1:00 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I stumbled across this archived presentation by Jeff Han (a human-computer interface designer) at the 2006 TED conference. It's quite inspiring when he talks about how computers should conform to us and not the other way around. Multi-touch isn't necessarily a new technology, but it is one that is evolving and will eventually be accessible to the masses as the costs of touch screen monitors come down, like HDTV's. With the introduction and popularity Apple's iPhone and the intelligence in it's design of the touch interface, electronic companies worldwide are racing to get more touch screen gadgets to market as soon as possible. 

One of the big hits at this years CES was Samsung's 50-inch multitouch TV. The idea that we can free ourselves from the remote control and have a more intuitive and connected user experience is very appealing.  The idea that the keyboards and the mouse will eventually become extinct as computers and household appliances become touch enabled. Microsoft has been working on Surface and I'm told that a company called Troll Touch can integrate a touch system into your Apple cinema display.   

Going back to Jeff Han, who's presentation in 2006 went viral on youtube which prompted him to launch his startup Perceptive Pixel which aims to develop and market the most advanced multi-touch systems in the world. Check out the demo he has on the homepage just one year later in 2007. Pure dopeness!

Objectified: A Documentary About Industrial Design

By
Steve Park
on January 22, 2009 2:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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Documentary filmmaker Gary Hustwit whose last film about a font face, Helvetica, got rave reviews and a ton of media attention in the 2007 festival circuit. His latest project explores the world of industrial design and the people who create the  objects that we surround ourselves with daily. Objectified is scheduled to premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in the springtime. You can view the trailer for Objectified here.

Boxee.TV - Change is Here

By
Steve Park
on January 17, 2009 12:35 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
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After reading an article about Boxee in The New York Times this past weekend, I decided to download the software and try it out for myself. Wow, was I ever pleasantly surprised, in fact I spent the majority of the weekend streaming videos and music on my TV. I've had my Mac mini  connected to my 40" LCD TV for a while now but using a wireless mouse and keyboard just doesn't allow for a smooth experience. Boxee does away with browsers and makes accessing media from the internet seamless.

Boxee is a startup trying to break new ground in the way you will consume digital media. I think they are definitely on the right path. Once you install the software (50mb download), currently only available for Mac, Linux, and Apple TV (though a PC version is being tested), it allows you to access, as well as stream media from multiple sources, such as your computer, LAN, and the internet (Hulu, Youtube, Netflix, CBS, Last.FM, Flikr, etc).

What makes Boxee great and stand out from the rest is that you can navigate through this media center using the apple remote control that comes with your Macbook. The interface is so easy and well thought out. Within minutes I was a pro user. 
 
I've never been more excited about an application. Go download this NOW! 

By the way, for those of you that want to set up your own internet TV but don't know how I will be posting a video tutorial in the coming weeks.

Watch It: Animated Music Video Channel

By
Steve Park
on January 17, 2009 12:27 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)


My favourite new discovery is the streaming "Animated Music Video" channel on Crackle.com. Sony Picture's next-gen entertainment site. Crackle also offers lots of other great original content as well which I will cover in a future post, so enjoy this for now.


Samsung's Next-Gen Thinking

By
Steve Park
on January 16, 2009 1:18 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Samsung's is kicking it up a notch with their latest line of TV and devices. 

1. The 50" Plasma FP-T5094 wireless TV. With the exception of the power cord, all your home entertainment devices plug into a seperate box which delivers wireless communication to your television. 


2. Samsung will also be releasing an internet enabled television which they are calling "Connected TV". With partners like Yahoo! Widgets and Netflicks, this should be an interesting jump to the next level.



3. The latest must have for the new media crowd is Samsung's Pico projector phone...that's right folks a phone with a 5mp camera that also has a DLP projector. Check this...

 

Move over Apple, I think Samsung's gunning for top spot over the next few years.
 

Is That A Projector In Your Pocket?

By
Steve Park
on December 17, 2008 11:56 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
picoProjector.jpg

The latest new gadget on the market is the pocket projector, although there are a few models out there the Optoma Pico Projector claims to be the smallest in the world...at least for the time being. I must admit when I first read about this "From the desk of David Pogue" I was very excited about how this gadget could make a significant cultural impact. The ability to capture stills and video on your mobile/portable devices and have the freedom to display them just as quickly in the privacy of your home or in public spaces is exciting. Yet another technology that allows Next Gen'ers to fill their insatiable need for immediacy. I can't wait to get one!  

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