Author Archives: David

Rob Zinn: Expansion Wall Sconce

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This wall-lighting looks just like any other at first glance; in fact, the thing that first drew me to it was the realization that this type of fixture is known as a “sconce”. Upon closer examination, I came to realize that it is clever in a subtle and specific way.

A standard, more straight-forward way to design this would be to use various colored panels to create the layered-lighting effect. In this one, a bit more thought was invested in the design process. Instead of simply using colored plastics, this sconce consists of 5 white plastic panels – it’s only the reverse side that is printed with vivid colors.  When the white light is shone from the central axis, colored lights are reflected onto preceding planes, making it seem like the planes are colored.

Thus, when switched off, it is a subtle, subdued piece of sculptural whiteness; when switched on, it becomes a retro-sh and brightly-colored focal point in the room, giving a more layered character to a simple object. Well done, Rob Zinn (the designer)!

[Found this product on 2modern.]

Scott Wade – Drawing in Dust

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Dust on cars have always been an invitation for passer-by to vandalize: whether it’s some expletives or more well-meaning “Wash your car now!”, it’s always a canvas for creative expression. And that is exactly what Scott Wade did using dirty cars to create some rather detailed art.

Though I still wonder, exactly how do you accumulate that much dust on a car?

More pictures at his site.

Fitzsu Grand Prix

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The Fitszu Society, a home accessories store, took their iconic PLAYSAM car and invited many designers across the world to give their interpretation/design of the original toy car, including Karim Rashid, Syd Mead, Yves Behar and Richard Meier. It’s certainly interesting to see each person impart their design characters into the toys, which will then be auctioned off for charity.

Now now, why can I instantly guess that Michael Graves was one of them?

Visit Fitzsu for the full collection.

[via NOTCOT]

One Man Builds the Modern Stonehenge

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The Stonehenge was estimated to have been built more than four thounsand years ago, and it has thus aroused curiosity and conspiracy theories alike as to how it was built. Some attributed the effort to aliens, considering the physical impossibility of humans in moving, erecting and constructing those stones that weigh more than 20 tonnes each.

One man decided to see if he could build the Stonehenge without employing any modern technology – and to build it by himself. He proved that with some clever method and a lot of perseverance, it is possible to emulate the effort. See how one man lifts and moves tons of stone in the quest for the Stonehenge.

“Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” – Archimedes

Nobumasa – Japanese Graffiti

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While there are some artist who’d meticulously plan the layout of their drawings, Nobumasa is not one of them when he works on the Japanese Graffiti project at Space Force, Japan. He allows his drawing to crawl and sprawl across the wall as his imagination takes him. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese Sumie drawings, his work is testament to a wealth of fascinating and sometimes absurd imagination.  Drawings that do not need to follow logic – spacemen, candies, machines, buildings, superheroes all mingle among one another as if they were already in their most natural habitats. The public is sometimes invited to contribute ideas of what they want drawn on the wall too.

John Carpenter, my idol

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JohnCarpenterWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire

Click on picture to see final the question. 

If all my trivia-gathering and Internet-trolling could lead to one good thing, this would be the dream. A contestant on the Who Wants to be a Millionaire show, John Carpenter was in the hot seat, ready to answer the final question. How will he fare? Watch it!

 

Dove – Distorted Perception of Beauty

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DoveDistortedBeauty

Click on the picture to see the transformation.

 

Of course, we intellectually know that models that appears on our magazines and billboards have been enhanced. But quite often we still assume that a celebrity/model looks just like how they appear on these flashy pages too.  Dove, in its Campaign for Real Beauty, hit a gem in this commercial spot that illustrates just exactly how the whole mechanism works – the lighting, the make-up, and the digital touch ups.

And yes, no wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.

Real Life Dilbert Quotes

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I received this through the mail, and perhaps it’s been floating around for quite some time. Apparently a magazine ran a ‘Dilbert Quotes’ contest, looking for people to submit quotes from their real life Dilbert-type managers. Ten of my favourite submissions:

  1. As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks. (This was the winning entry, from Fred Dales at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, WA)
  2. What I need is a list of specific unknown problems we will encounter. (Lykes Lines Shipping)
  3. E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business. (Accounting Mgr., Electric Boat Company)
  4. This project is so important, we can’t let things that are more important interfere with it. (Advertising/Mktg. Mgr., UPS)
  5. Quote from the boss: “Teamwork is a lot of people doing what ‘I’ say.” (Mktg. executive, Citrix Corporation)
  6. We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees. (AT&T Long Lines Division)
  7. We recently received a memo from senior management saying, “This is to inform you that a memo will be issued today regarding the subject mentioned above.” (Microsoft, Legal Affairs Division)
  8. One day my boss asked me to submit a status report to him concerning a project I was working on. I asked him if tomorrow would be soon enough. He said, “If I wanted it tomorrow, I would have waited until tomorrow to ask for it!” (New Business Mgr., Hallmark Cards)
  9. This gem is the closing paragraph of a nationally-circulated memo from a large communications company: “Lucent Technologies is determined to promote constant attention on current procedures of transacting business focusing emphasis on innovative ways to better, if not supercede, the expectations of quality!”
  10. No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We’ve been working on it for months. Now, go act busy for a few weeks and I’ll let you know when it’s time to tell them. (R&D Supervisor, Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing /3M Corp.)

Classic stuff!