Growing up as a fan of Transformers and Mask, this Toyota concept car really hits home. The colors and features stir my imagination. Slide-out seating, large screen monitors, bike rack, energy drink dispenser; everything screams overkill.
Small spaces can engender the best of designs. So many designs have been centered around tight quarters, but not like this. A company called Spiral Cellars has found a niche market servicing the wealthy wine aficionado.
Using a cut-out hole in the floor beneath common areas in the home, these guys create spiral staircases that lead to small depths; so small in fact, that you can do no more than grab a bottle of wine. A cool factor, indeed, to have such a cool hidden cellar, but at what cost? Plenty, I am sure.
Wow. These interactive portal shirts are really cool. Each shirt has a pinhole camera and a high resolution LCD TFT display screen with 2190mAh Lithium-Ion battery belt to power it. The pinhole camera sends the image wirelessly to the blue shirt for displaying and vice versa. Great for… well, I don’t know what. You can display these state of the art shirts yourself for a hefty $100 each. Removable parts make it washable and composite video inputs make it compatible with video games, too. I’m sure you could find a good use for one.
A perfect way to reuse a CD case.
Cashed in the clunker and need to rid the trunk of unused objects? Why not give your funnel a second life?
Wipe down mirrors, glass or electronic wires with a coffee filter. You can even divide stacked chinaware to avoid scratching.
Run an old toothbrush through the dishwasher then use it to clean the hair out of razor blades to extend the life of a razor.
Use baby wipe containers for markers, craft supplies, and sewing items.
See how to even transform a light bulb into a ship in a bottle. Anything can be reused if you take the time to be creative!
This video is a little dated, but the content is well presented. For those of you who enjoy watching old-school style marker rendering, this should be of interest. It explains why industrial designers render, and the techniques they use to do so.
Apples are at their prime this time of year, and there are countless ways to enjoy this delicious, healthy fruit. But preparing apples for snacking and baking can be a chore if your tools and utensils are outdated. Here are a few gadgets and tools to make it easier to prepare, store and enjoy the year’s best apples, whether picked fresh at a local orchard, neighborhood farmer’s market or corner grocery store.
This apple slicer adjusts to a variety of widths to get the most wedges from each of your apples for snacking, or to cut a few thick ones for baking a recipe.
Coring your apples can be a big task when baking; you might as well do it in style with this stainless steel version.
Thinly sliced, uniform twists make this spiral cutter unique for serving up fresh apples this Fall.
Some picky eaters have to remove the skin before they eat, and this hand-cranked countertop contraption will do the job (it also cores the apple simultaneously). The design is very industrial, implying a perfect peel every time.
For those of you who like overkill and all-in-one machines, I think this may be the one for you. Formerly marketed as the Spirooli, this shredder, slicer, chopper claims to maim any vegetable or fruit you can stuff into it.
Why not have your apples and eat them too? The design of the dehydrator is simple, and it makes storing foods for later use so easy to do.
I will argue with anyone who disclaims the validity of culinary creations as art. Having said that, here is a great way to prepare your fresh apples after you have cored, skinned and sliced them to enjoy.
Going back to school means a lot of people buying a whole lot of new things. Teachers, students, parents; we are all consumers. With so many designs keeping the environment in mind during planning and manufacture, it would be nice to see a few students sporting green with their back to school gear. Here are a few products to get you started.
Newton running shoes are more than just green. The shoes laces, webbing, insole top and outer sole rubber are made of recycled materials. And there is more; the package is made of the same post-consumer paper waste as egg cartons. And to get greener than green, the shoe is stuffed with a pair of new socks and a reusable bag to avoid useless tissue paper that would normally get tossed after opening.
Every new school year sees last year’s trends moved aside for the hottest new items. Well, try going green with this 100% recycled material backpack. The cost of the backpack even includes a donation to American Rainforests, so chances are you will be helping to add a tree or two for your money well spent.
Radiohead, noted to be one of the greenest bands out there has extended its line of apparel to raincoats. The nice thing about their designer coat (other than it is made for Radiohead) is that it took 15 recycled PETG bottles to create it. Look cool, feel cool and be cool with this post-consumer jacket this fall.
And speaking of rainy fall weather, if campus life has you traveling by foot from class to class, be sure to pack an umbrella. This umbrella has a canopy made of 100% recycled PETG bottles with a frame made of 70% recycled steel, aluminum and ABS plastics.
Pack up your pencils, pens and markers into this recycled supply pouch and feel good knowing that the world has one less tire in its landfills. And while you’re at it, stuff in the ruler made of, “read it together class: three plastic cups.”
Who goes to school without a notebook. If you are going to have to take notes, you might as well write onto something worth writing on. This recycled material notebook will have you daydreaming and doodling in no time, thanks to recycled juice cartons and plastic boxes.
Highlighters are a must for most note-takers and young scholars. Why not go green when you go yellow by using these Zebra-Eco highlighters made from 74% post-consumer waste. Go ahead, stuff it in that pouch you just read about.
Packing your lunch is a must for some students, by choice or necessity. Do it in style with this second-life juice pouch bag. This ECOutlet bag is made from materials once known as trash, but now known as green.
I would have to say the biggest complaint about going green, is all the green you spend in doing so. Although it can be costly to buy environmentally responsible products, sometimes I think it is worth it to do so, as with this computer. With an 80% smaller size, using 70% less energy and 75% less printed paperwork to go with it, this Dell desktop computer is definitely getting greener. You can even recycle 95% of the product after it becomes obsolete.
I can’t think of a better way to remind yourself to take off your shoes at the door than to have your slippers waiting for you when you get there. This slipper mat is a smart design, for sure.
I saw this collapsing door design a while back, but thought it was still worth sharing. Pay attention to the final seconds of the video, as the narrator talks about driving into the 21st Century with these hide-away doors. Every time I see this design I wonder why it never made it to a major automobile market.
These bathroom tiles are a wonderful way to marry form and function. A pull-out drawer and a towel hook built into the tile is a simple, clever and ingenious use of space. Hideaway spaces always seem to work well in smaller areas like the kitchen and bathroom.
