Assignment 2: Shakespeare in 5-7 seconds

This is the final product, albeit a little grainier online.

HP rises to Walmart Design Challenge with packaging-reducing idea

Article link: HP rises to Walmart Design Challenge with packaging-reducing idea

This article is about how HP is coming up with an idea to sell laptops in laptop bags instead of a box (or other packaging), in response to Walmart's Design Challenge.

I do love this idea, because when I was shipped to me, it was 40% packaging, 10% paperwork, and only half of it was actually the laptop. However, I think that customers would need to be able to choose the laptop and the bag, because variety is everything these days.

Sparkle and Glow

Article link: Sparkle and Glow

This article is about a brother and sister, named Eric Cohler and Jennifer Cohler Mason, who went shopping for a show called Holiday House, which promotes breast cancer awareness and research.

That shopping trip they went on sounds like a blast! I would love to visit Holiday House, it sounds like a really festive, happy place.

Saint-Etienne Design Biennale 2008: Citrus Clock, by Anna Gram'

Article link: Saint-Etienne Design Biennale 2008: Citrus Clock, by Anna Gram'

This article is about a lemon powered clock.

I thought the idea was great; spending money on lemons has got to be less than batteries or electricity. I wonder, though, if the lemons run out of juice and you have to put another lemon on there, do you have to set the clock all over again? Because that would be such a hassle.

Core77 Video Drive-by: Reservoir Dog by Charles Maze, Saint-Etienne Design Biennale 2008

Article link: Core77 Video Drive-by: Reservoir Dog by Charles Maze, Saint-Etienne Design Biennale 2008



This video is about art made by a little plastic toy dog. I thought this was rather silly, but the end result looked cool enough. I'm also not sure how the dog works since, in the video, even though he was loud, he was more or less stationary.

My Home, My Self: Photography as Art Project

Article link: My Home, My Self: Photography as Art Project

This article is about a photographer named Todd Selby who takes pictures of people in their homes. He says it's "because of his curiosity about the ways personal space reflects personality." The article also talks about the people whose pictures were taken, and describe how and why they decorated their homes.

I think it's a really interesting subject that Todd Selby has come up with. I love relating people to the things around them, like their bed, their pets, and their friends, so this project really appeals to me.

Design Tide Tokyo 2008: Video Drive-By: Ben Sato

Article link: Design Tide Tokyo 2008: Video Drive-By: Ben Sato



This video shows artist Ben Sato and his design of a chair with four different setups. I think this is the coolest idea! I love multi-functional objects.

Three new jobs you might want to consider

Article link: Three new jobs you might want to consider

Here's a copy of the article, since it's rather short:

Every company that works online today ought to consider hiring three amazing people to lead these projects:

COMMUNITY ORGANIZER. Find and connect and lead a tribe of dedicated users that contribute to and benefit from the work you do.
STATS FIEND. Measure everything that can be measured. Do it efficiently and consistently. Find out what metrics are important and cycle until they improve.
MANAGER OF FREELANCERS. Find and hire and manage the best outside talent in the world. If it can be defined as a project, and if great work defeats good, seriously consider having the MOF get it done.
With three superstars doing these jobs, it's possible you can create almost anything.

I think that last idea, Manager of Freelancers, sounds really interesting, like, an agent for freelancing designers and artists!

FLOTspotting : Light Wire Chair Installation by Sang Hoon Kim

Article link: FLOTspotting : Light Wire Chair Installation by Sang Hoon Kim

This article is showing off a chair made entirely of wires.

I think this is a fabulous project to see. It looks really amazing, and it's functional!

I also really liked the "surprise," which was a project called "Light Movement":

Rough Draft: Joshua Davis

Joshua Davis, known for creating a new type of art called generative-art known dynamic abstraction, started out in Littleton, Colorado. He was always interested in art, but didn't really do much with it while in school.
At the end of 1992, he moved to New York and eventually attended Pratt Institute where he worked on Design and Illustration. His classmates got him into working on the web in 1995 using Netscape 1.1, but didn't get serious about it until Netscape 2 came out in early 1996. By the end of 1996, when Netscape 3 came out, he was already teaching himself HTML, Javascript, PERL, DHTML and CSS.
Also while in Pratt, he played around early versions of Flash including Futuresplash, the program that came before Flash. However, it wasn't until Macromedia came out with Flash 4, which introduced ActionScript, that Davis really got into the program.


Using his skills of a programmer, he uses a combination of Illustrator and ActionScript in Flash to create pieces of art that Davis has described to be "Beautiful Accidents." First, he creates vector images in Illustrator and imports them into Flash, making them objects. Then, using code, he writes a program that picks random combinations of vectors from parameters set by Davis. The number of vectors, colors, and parameters are endless, and therefore, so are the combinations that Flash creates.
These "Accidents" have produced many pieces of art, including two websites: Once Upon a Forest and Praystation. Davis also has many clients, including companies such as BMW and Motorola, and musical artists such as Kanye West and MingDynasty. He has recently collaborated with Miquelrius, a stationary company, to produce notebooks featuring his illustrations on the covers.
Both Once Upon a Forest and PrayStation were websites put up by Davis to showcase his art. Once Upon a Forest features twenty-three different pictures to be scrolled by clicking on an arrow. All of these spectacular images capture your imagination and interest with different designs, patterns, and colors. Most of the images consist of one or two colors and their variations. PrayStation, on the other hand, has at least three different versions on the Internet, all of which have news, updates, and projects from Davis.

Davis usually relates his concepts with those of Jackson Pollock's. Pollock was a 20th century painter, who changed what the world thought about painting by using different techniques, such as splashing paint onto a canvas that was nailed to the floor. Davis said that "I’m [not] a particular fan of his visual style, but because he always identified himself as a painter, even though a lot of the time his brush never hit the canvas. There’s something in that disconnect - not using a brush or tool in traditional methods." This is similar to how Davis works, because he doesn't necessarily draw all his works, but instead uses Flash to generate the pieces of work and works with those generations until he gets an image he likes.

Stackable apartments. Um...what?

Article link: Stackable apartments. Um...what?

This article is about a Sky Village, whose "main concept is centered around a system of individual units that can be stacked in various configurations to maximize available space and allow for easy structural changes in response to market demand," and goes on to explain:

If a retailer wants more space or if the village needs more office or residential units, "pixels" can be easily added to reconfigure the structure. Each pixel is about 60 sq meters and they all are arranged around a central core. The inclusion of retail, restaurants, and offices in a residential development allows people the ability to live where they work and play, making this in a true village, albeit a vertical one.

Though the article is a bit skeptical about how this will work, I'm excited about the idea of it! It sounds very futuristic, and appealing. Even the renderings look like we're living in the future.

Killer design comp results from Local Motors: Cars for Hawaii and Manhattan

Article link: Killer design comp results from Local Motors: Cars for Hawaii and Manhattan

This article is about car designs based on Manhattan and Hawaii.

I think the NY taxi looks really cute, and the Hawaii car design with the tiki stones in the back looks really cool. And the blue one with the X looks very futuristic, though I'm not sure what city it's for. I wonder what other cities/states would look like?

Book Review: Imprint, by Daniel Eatock

Article link: Book Review: Imprint, by Daniel Eatock

This article is reviewing the book Imprint by Daniel Eatock.

I honestly have no idea what the review is trying to say, but after reading it, I'd like to at least check out what the book is about, because hearing about the pictures, and circles and projects has me wondering what the book is about.

Bombproof trash cans: Design goes antiterrorist

Article links: Bombproof trash cans: Design goes antiterrorist

This article is about a company in London who have come up with bomb proof garbage cans/rubbish bins. According to the article:

The new bin is designed to absorb the heat of explosives and prevent the spread of shrapnel using "blast intelligent technology".
And in its new guise the bin will not only protect and collect, it will also keep passers-by up to date. Each will be fitted with the latest electronic technology, providing a stream of news and travel information on LCD screens.

I think it's great that trash cans are being put back on the streets of London, because according to the article, "London has been removing trash cans since 1991 in response to IRA attacks." Hopefully, though, one day, we won't need to come up with ways to bomb proof things.

A way to give your stuff wireless IDs

Article link: A way to give your stuff wireless IDs



This article is about a Parisian company that is creating a product called Mir:ror, which is a device you can attach to your computer that can tag household items such as car keys and paperweights, and make them interactive.

I think this is a really interesting idea! It seems very cool, and convenient. However, I think it would even better if they could somehow locate my objects, like if I don't know where my keys are, or if I have misplaced my cellphone.

Does This Song Match My Sofa?

Article link: Does This Song Match My Sofa?

This article is about people hiring "musical stylists" pick their music, based on their furniture and past music likes.

Personally I think this is rather strange. Just because I might like a certain piece of furniture doesn't mean I'd like like what music that piece of furniture might be attributed to. Of course, if this were more of a formal occasion, like a business dinner or a date, that would make more sense. But I was alone, and I was reading or watching TV, I would want to put on anything I wanted to.

Designing America After The Election

Article link: Designing America After The Election



At Bruce Nussbaum's blog, he directed us to watch this video, which really opened my eyes to what might be possible in the near future.

Shapeways

Article link: Shapeways

This article is about a company or product (I'm not exactly sure) called Shapeways. It is an "open 3D printer," and basically you can submit your designs, or manipulate existing designs and Shapeways will print and ship it to you.

I think this is really great, especially if your skills only extend to designing. Shapeways allows your designs to be made into the physical world from your notepad. They look like really incredible gift ideas, especially those candle holders.