Archive for April, 2007|Monthly archive page
Spatial Visualization Game
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I remember a few years ago, in the admission aptitude test for the industrial design course, there were questions that tested our spatial visualization abilities. A few 3D perspective views of some blocks were given, and we were supposed to construct the top, front and side views. I didn’t remember it being too much of a challenge then.
This game is slightly more difficult than that – instead of giving you the 3d perspective to construct the elevation views, it does the reverse – and requires you to construct the blocks in 3D instead, with an additional requirement in terms of the total number of cubes used (as little as possible).
There are a total of 10 puzzles (figuur 1 to 10). A green dot beside the puzzle name indicates that the 3 views are correct, but the number of cubes are not. The goal is to achieve the yellow dot. Try it!
[PS: if you want to make it more challenging, try not to use the "Fill up" button!]
Happy Egg-aster!
Happy Easter! Eggs and Easter have come to be associated over the years (which apparently is due to the ancient belief that Easter bunnies laid eggs in the fields). So, lots of eggs for you today as seen above – an amazing egg stacker!
Reality TV Editing
Reality TV caught the world by storm a few years ago, catapulting as a genre a few years ago with shows like Survivor that promised to capture the real life dramas that might be even juicier or more engaging than reel ones. While we all know that editing are necessary to condense hours upon hours of what amounts to surveillance footages into a decent, rating-pulling show, the extent where manipulation is possible – or perhaps more aptly, easy – might not be easily imaginable.
The clip above sharply illustrates just how easily it is to manipulate a set of footages to the desired outcome. Pretty much puts the whole reality-TV genre into the same band as say, wrestling matches, don’t you think?
Bowling Split Spare
For those of you who bowl, you’d know that when the pins are “Split” (i.e. after the first roll, two or more pins are left standing with a substantial gap between them, so it’s very difficult to knock them all down in the second roll). Now, what if the split is…across lanes?
It’s a bowling trickshot – not quite what you’d encounter in your normal alley outings – but it’s still quite cool to see! If you prefer the real deal, it looks something like this.
Trek Lime
Some time ago, Shimano and IDEO collaborated to find out why bicycle sales dropped significantly in the US between 2000 and 2005, even though industry profits were on the rise due to sale of high-end bicycles marketed to the elites. It turned out that while technological advancements such as lighter and stiffer frames, multi-speed gear shifts, carbon fiber etc. excites the experts, they may not appeal to the average Joe (who likely doesn’t know what a dérailleur is, and does not want to find out either). While pursuing high-tech advancement in technology, the bike industry had somewhat neglected the emotional connection with the average users and the amateurs:
The Shimano/IDEO design team conducted observation-based research, revealing a series of factors that influence casual cyclists’ interest and participation: 1) A better riding experience – many adults miss the easy, joyful feel of riding a bike as a kid; 2) Product platform – a new feature set was needed, with automatic shifting and less visible mechanics; 3) The purchasing experience – independent bicycle dealers need to learn to engage with a new customer base that may include more women, amateurs, and inexperienced bikers.
Enter Trek Lime (as seen above). I thought the design was a very good job that fit the target market they were aiming at. The first look brings about a sense of nostalgia – it has a classical look/profile, not much different perhaps from what your aunt may have passed to you when you were a kid. At the same time, it retains a modern and fun image, looks absolutely easy and familiar, and yet it was given some new technological innovations and twists.
It features automatic gear shifting – not unlike those found in automatic-gear cars; the mechanical parts are all concealed within, giving a cleaner and easier-to-maintain look. The saddle doubles up as a storage compartment for your little nifties – for those small stuff you don’t want to hold while you ride, for example. The tires are puncture resistant; at the center of the tires there are little colored plastic parts – “Peelz” is their marketing name – that can be interchanged for different colors (and possibly graphics in the future).
I’m not sure how successful this would be in lifting their mass-market sales – I hope it does well, as I do really like the execution of this whole program from the research to the end-product. From the insightful research that led to the key observations and design goals (IDEO, Shimano); to the bicycle’s design execution (Trek) in assembling the necessary technological innovation and parts to meet the user’s desire, as well as the styling that in my opinion nailed the brief; right up to the website itself – a clean, simple interface, with a casually-posed bicycle that invites you to explore it. They work hand-in-hand to remind and reinforce the idea of an easy, leisurely and fun bike.
Does it evoke the same in you?
B-buckles
Some time ago, being pregnant means giving up fashion and style, embracing loose maternity dresses instead. While that may still be a rite of passage that some moms-to-be would look forward to, the more fashion-conscious need not lose heart! B-buckles is basically a “waist-extension strip” that hooks onto your jean’s belt loops to accommodate the growing tummy.
