Vanity hat stand ...for motorcyclists?

This hat stand by Romanian designer Elena Matyas was created from parts of Triumph Motorcycles (specifically side mirrors and the front wheel hub) as part of a collaboration between Triumph Motorcycles and the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design.  More designs from the collaboration, including a corkscrew, record player and coffee table, can be found here.

The "iTable"?

The iPad not big enough for you?  How would a 58 inch multitouch surface suit you?  It hooks up to your iPhone through a 30-pin dock connector.  Just be careful where you put that cup of coffee down!  Is this one of the first steps in PCs becoming handheld devices and screens becoming even more massive?

Does it "wow" you?

FiveFingered Shoes?

A company called Vibram makes shoes with individual spaces for each of your toes.  They're called "FiveFingers" or "glove shoes".  They strike me as being rather cheerful.  What do you think?


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Melted Staircase

This "melted staircase" in the Longchamp Store, NYC, USA is mindboggling.  Not least how it could be constructed for use without becoming a major health&safety problem.  If it wasn't for the railings you'd think it was a painting.

What do you think? Would you walk up it? Does it "wow" you?

Stop 'n' Grow

This ad for Stop 'n' Grow makes me cringe, but it's certainly eyecatching.

Wow?

Typewriter Animals

This octopus and this deer by Jeremy Mayer are made entirely from the parts of typewriters that he has disassembled and then reassembled into sculptures without soldering, welding or gluing.  I'm lost for words.

Do they "wow" you?

Gold Nanoparticles Make Trees Glow

Research by Taiwanese scientists has revealed that adding gold nanoparticles to plants can induce luminescence in leaves.  Dr Yen Hsun Su and his colleagues are imagining a future where streetlights are replaced by trees, reducing the pollution of cities in two ways: a) no electricity is used to create the light, and b) trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen as a waste product.  It sounds like a fantastic idea, although I'm slightly skeptical about the practicalities.

Does the thought of walking down a leaf-lit street at night (or seeing it from above) "wow" you?

How else could this technology be used? Glowing Christmas trees? Potted night-lights for young children?


Photo © Paul Dex

A Rainbow in Your Hands

This flipbook by Masashi Kawamura is one of my favourites, a sophisticated version of the stick figure flipbooks that I was encouraged to draw as a child.  I love the mistiness created by the white page edges - it gives it a realistic drizzly look.

Does it "wow" you?