The Art of Experimental Interaction Design

The art of experimental interaction design is a great book to have if you want to see some of the best interaction projects that merge and question the physical, interactive, and interface world together. The book contains projects by ideo, antenna design, daniel rozin, golan levin, and many others. It also includes a CD documenting several of the books projects. I've had a hard time finding great books dealing with the physicality in interaction design and electronics, but here it is. Most interaction books only cover interfaces and rarely bridge back to the physical world. I've had this book for about a year, and it's been an everlasting source of inspiration.

LeeAnn Herreid

I attended the RISD alumni sale recently and came across some great fun jewelry by LeeAnn Herreid. Her moto is, "Jewelry that works". She has a wonderful collection of work using compasses, thermometers, rulers, bubble levelers, dust, bolts, and other small elements we all encounter in our curious lives. The bubble level pieces are awesome!

Button Watch

Bertendennis brings to us the cute button watch which you can pin onto anything your heart desires. Reminds me of the tempo time clip by vessel.

Preservation Ads

Young&Rubicam has created some beautiful blueprint poster ads for preserving our national parks. Taking a glimpse at these ads make me cringe at the idea of nature becoming manufactured mechanically. I know lots of things are getting teched up these days, but I'd rather not see nature go in this direction. There are three pdf posters in this series: Delicate Arch, Yosemite Falls , and Giant Sequoia.
Also reminds me of the Climate Crisis movie that everyone should watch "An Inconvenient Truth".

via bldgblog
An Inconvenient Truth preview

Ugly Dolls, gone big!

The cute "ugly dolls" that I love so much are now available in larger 2 foot sizes, mini 7 inchers, the original 12 inch sizes, and itsy bitsy keychains sizes,. They also have a few other goodies based on their popular series. Their great dolls to have in your studio space...nothin like a goofy, ugly, cute, doll to have around to keep ya inspired!

Original Uprock!!!

Call this dance clip old, call this new, but it's nothing short of fresh!

Campfire Music weekend!

If your in the Boston/Cambridge area this memorial weekend, swing by Club Passim and check out their Campfire music series weekend of jazzin bluegrass, folk, and plain rockin great acoustic music. While chillin to some great music, enjoy some awesome vegan food at Veggie Planet. I'm no vegan, but their dishes are sensational.

Styrobots

Here's some freakin kick-butt robots made out of styrofoam!!!

Via NotCot Gallery (more images)
Artist: Michael Salter

LA Dunny Series

I'm a bit late on this one, but KidRobot released an aweseome new LA Dunny Series a few months back, and of course, they are sold out. I own a few from the first series and they rock out my lil work space! Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on some of these somewhere, cause they rock!

English Study Toilet Rolls!

I think I've seen it all now. News rolls, black rolls, and now english lessons on toilet paper rolls. Toilet paper is due for some creative innovation in todays tech world, and would be a great brainstorm exercise to start off a day. It's a funny idea for disposable literature though. Start your engines and send in some ideas!
Update: another great mix that will leave ya stunned..learning english and exercising here!

Press'n Seal

I've been playing around with Glad's innovative product "Press'n Seal" which is a super easy to use plastic wrap for food or pretty much anything. As it's called, you simply press around the edges, and a seal is formed on any surface, even holding water or pressed air. I've played around with the material a bit have to say it's hard to let go of. Once you start playing with it, you'll start to get ideas for other applications for this post-it note like flexible material. Go buy a roll, cut it up, blow air into it, and think up another million dollar idea.

SmacBook Pro!

Here's a pretty intuitive way to switch back and forth from OS systems, programs, or windows...yah smac it!

Watch video

update: heres the code/hack to do it on your own!

Water as Fuel..Woa!

A must watch video!
Another video to follow from 1998, Water Power Car.

I'm a huge advocate for greener cars but my question is where are they? These videos are 8 years old. I'd pay well over 100k for a car now that just needed water as fuel. Hopefully I'll see them soon, cause we need them. If your not motivated, you should watch the movie "An Inconvenient Truth".

z-coil shoes

Check out these z-coil shoes, loaded with a massive spring coil under your heel. The z-coil technology is suppose to reduce impact and reduce pain. I kinda dig how you can rotate the spring heel, kinda like a wheel. Not sure if I'd be sportin these anytime soon, but perhaps a worthy try.

z-coil video

NotCot.org

NotCot just launched NotCot.org which is a visually rich library of inspiring products! Part of their collection is a somewhat eerie but cool project by StudioJSPR. (I'd be buying the white version). These cover tiles are customized in such a way to make them visible but still covered.(kinda makes me think pressed elastic or rubber) Anyhow, check out their site, get inspired, and return to designverb!

Google Eats!

I first experienced Googles awesome snack bar at TED2006, though the one at TED was twice as big as this image. Anyhow, that leads me to another reminder of how great Google is (Google life video). Besides their free laundry, shuttles, services, snacks, and fun environment is their cafeteria food. Yeah I know, cafeteria food can be pretty bad, especially at large companies but take a look at this google food blog and start to get jealous. (nothing fancy, but for a cafeteria, it seems like a visit to Wholefoods daily)

Force Flex, the Mercedes of trash bags!

Give it up to Glad for coming out with a new trashbag (ForceFlex) that doesn't get punctured easily. The new bag is made of a "proprietary plastic technology known as SELFING (Structurally Elastic-Like Film.) The plastic is deeply embossed with a diamond-like pattern that gives the material unique elasticity. Pressure is diverted away from the point of impact so that the trash bag will absorb force and stretch instead of breaking."
The nytimes calls this bag "the Mercedes of trash bags". Anyhow, the material in all is pretty sweet but makes me think of spidermans outfit for some odd reason.
A funny commercial review

Apple underground nyc.

Apples mysterious nyc store is finally opening with word that it'll be open 24 hours!!! Yes, 24 hrs of free WiFi and service. Reminds me of Seths Godins book the purple cow and how companies need to stop teasing customers and just go all out out like Ben and Jerrys Ice cream. Instead of having the yearly 30-40% sale, they said what the hell, lets have a free ice cream day!
Anyhow, I can't wait to check out the store at 4am and see all the Wi-Fi junkies chillin up above their platform.
More pics via Gothamist

JetBlue Experience

JetBlue has done it again, changing the in-flight experience into a more desirable experience for everyone. You know all those "red-eye" flights, we'll jet-blue just started renaming that experience into the "shut-eye" experience which comes along with a little goody kit by Bliss which most passengers have not experienced unless flying international. Go Go JetBlue!

Artist: Moon

Here's an awesome array of graphics, videos, drawings, and just plain cool visuals by artist Moon. I'd put this work in the layered, energetic, cultural, urban, graphic field.

via Ektopia
Moon

Ian Hundley

Ian Hundley creates some awesome quilts inspired by maps! Yes maps... He was introduced to the sewing machine at a young age, got hooked, and eventually blended his fascination with maps with has passion to sew, creating these incredible quilts.

via coolhunting
video interview
Ian Hundley

Black Toilet Paper!?

I’m not sure about black toilet paper for the trendy and stylish. From my design knowledge, people like to know, know how dirty they are. Admit it, you look!!..There’s a reason why toilet paper, towels, and tissue paper are white. You sneeze, and you look…you wipe and you look! Dyson revolutionized the vacuum by letting us know and see how much stuff we picked up. People enjoy the fact that they just vacuumed up a big ball of dirt.

via thecoolhunter

Making Fire Using a Balloon(condom)

Here's a survival tip I'd never think up! Starting a fire with a balloon, ice ball, or condom.

link

Master of His Domain: Karim Rashid

Here's an interesting interview with Karim Rashid. One portion that caught my thoughts:

How do you see history?
"I think tradition is what holds us back. You know, if I'm a Muslim or a Jew, I don't eat pork. That's absurd. The reason we didn't eat pork at one time is that it was full of worms because we didn't have refrigerators, right? We're hanging on to ideas and values and ways to live that are six, seven thousand years old."

Tradition or definitions are good at times, but sometimes definitions should only be defined by restrictions. This is something I think about a great deal in the design world!

Article

Google Trends!

Trends by Google. It’s about time this came out! Instant knowledge of whats hot in the Google search world instantly. I’m assuming it’s dynamic with a bit of a lag for processing, but either way, it rocks and is a killer for marketing researchers!

Google Trends

VW's New Car Experience!!!

How freakin cool is this! It's about time the experience in buying a car gets a facelift. Ya buy a car, a huge tower like vendor arm reaches up for your car, grabs its, and delivers it to you behind two glass doors. How sweet!

via coolhunter
autostadt

Print Ads you can wear!

Some more smart and tactful ads for products you can try on straight from the magazine! Be fun if they actually popped out. Hip and wearable print ads... oooo.

via frederiksamuel

Solor LED Bottle

Here's another clever combo of products. A waterbottle, solor panel, and LED. If your a camper of any sort, you'll find this Sollight useful. Walk around during the day, let the solar panel charge, and light up the LED for 8-10 hours once you hit up camp. I'm not sure how bright it is, but I've seen some blazing bright leds lamps recently.

Sollight
via gizmodo

Adjustable Temp Cap!

Here's a rather ingenious little invention! An adjustable cap on hot sauce! I'd somewhat wonder how great this works compared to 2-3 separate bottles, but it's good food for thought in the ever clustered world of options. Reminds me of Barry Schwartz and his book "Paradox of Choice", where he explains, more choice or excessive choice can be bad!

duluthtrading product page
via bookofjoe

Jennifer Lin on Oprah

If you missed Jennifer Lin rockin out her beautiful and inspiring piano skills at TED2004 then here's your chance again to see and be amazed on her brief performance on Oprah!

via TEDblog

David Blaine, water stunt

While at GEL this past week, I ventured down to Lincoln center to say hello to David Blaine who is living in a tank of water for a week, then holding his breath under water for 9+ minutes monday night while escaping a set of chains. The tank is beautiful, his fingers are pruned like crazy, and the public is lovin it! The nytimes has a great article on the event.

Instant Snow!

This is an old fun material, but I just saw a demo of it again which reminded me how freakin cooooool it is. Ya add some powder to a cup of water, and va va voooom....it bubbles up into instant snow, or moreso some expanded pellets that look like snow. Check out the video and you'll see the magic unfold right before your eyes!

love/hate shirt!

love/hate shirt!! how cool is that!!!
buy it!

It's GEL time!

I'm off to the wonderful GEL conference (good experience live) in nyc... I'll be back in a few days!!!

update: highlights from GEL
- Google exit party, meeting people!
- Seth Godin, love the tie man.
- a chocolate high tour (sweet riots)
- exchanging BIG ideas with people
- seeing everyone from last year again!

Get a Mac Ad!

Apples branding/marketing crews at it again with some fantastic work in their new "get a mac" ad series! I recently had a discussion questioning why apple was sucessful and why macs are not marketed as PC's. The word "computer" was a bad word people did not want to affiliate with. Anyhow, I could go on and on about this, but apple was ahead of our thinking and explains all in this new promotion.

getamac ad videos

Hip Hop Hair Ad!

I've been running into a bunch of cool ads this week! Heres another one that adds a hunk of retro hair to any waiting passerbys. Be cool to see this on side bus windows! Hop onto the hair bus!

via coloribus

viral video

I recently had a discussion with some friends about contagious, infectious, or viral designs, products that get sneezed around. Anyhow, it reminded me of this video I ran into. Nothing about design, but a sure viral video.

boardroom video