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| Speed Bumps That Flatten for Slow Speeds Posted: 11 Dec 2008 02:16 AM PST Today my uncle and I were driving in his truck. We live in the USA, in Minnesota, where it’s currently snowing; his truck has a plow on the front. We were traveling at a modest 10 mph, and suddenly there’s a speed bump, we go over it, CRUNK goes the plow into the ground afterward, we almost flip the truck! We weren’t even going fast, and we were punished! What could be done! Designers Jae-yun Kim & Jong-Su Lee say it’s time to move on! No more of this silly giant bumps in the road when we could advance! So what do they do? They make a speed bump that’s based on retractors that open if the impact with them is small enough. These speed bumps can be configured so that if a car is going below 30km/h, the speed bump flattens; over 30km/h, the force causes the retractor to stay closed, keeping the speed bump active. What a lovely goal: “Encouraging drivers to retain a constant slow speed will reduce the amount of stops and starts made, and thus, the amount of exhaust waste from the car. It is hoped that this retractable speed hump would therefore have positive effects on energy consumption and pollution.” Designers: Jae-yun Kim & Jong-Su Lee
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| Posted: 11 Dec 2008 12:03 AM PST Bad meat. There’s nothing nastier. Though the area where I live has a pretty good hold on fresh food packaging and labeling, there’s always some stragglers. According to designer Naoki Hirota, mislabeled food is more than a tiny problem in some shops of the world. Thus, temporal labels are in order. Or are they? What this label does, as you can see, is change color over time. Once the meat (or other perishable product) is past it’s due, the label will have turned from white to blue, making the item unscannable. The label has one layer of info for the food with the barcode, and another on top with special ink reactive to ammonia. The ink is made of non-toxic, safe pigment of purple cabbages. A device for truly honest food store owners, but as a salvation for the problem of bad food being sold worldwide? Maybe not. Anyone have ideas for other uses for the label? Given recent (baby milk) problems of late, one might think that there is no true solution to such a situation. Designer: Naoki Hirota
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| Packs a Bassy Punch, Sonoro Cubo Elements Review Posted: 10 Dec 2008 08:45 AM PST Sonoro Audio Cubo Elements clock radio won a Red Dot award for best product design so we just had to review one to see what all the accolades were about. Right off the bat, this is no typical clock radio. In fact, my regular radio tucked its tail in and hid behind the lamp as soon as the Cubo Elements came prancing out of its packaging. Hit the jump for my review. Hands on this is the SHINIEST clock radio I have ever seen which ironically means you shouldn’t be too hands on because it’s a finger print magnet. This was made apparent by the lint free microfiber cleaning cloth and a pair of white gloves included with each unit. The only part you ever touch is the glowing metal control dial which eerily looks kinda like a precursor to HAL. Don’t worry tho, nothing about the Cubo Elements will take over your home in an attempt to kill you. This is much more user friendly. The ring sorta mimics the old iPod click wheels of yore. Everything from changing radio modes, audio inputs (yes it’ll connect to your MP3 player), and volume/player controls are accessed thru the ring and the center black button. Tho the outside is lacquered up, stereo sound and bass reflex are excellent thanks to its internal wood construction. I was pleasantly surprised how “thumpy and bassy” it was. Not quite powerful enough to fill an entire room but for your office desk or bedside table, it’s more than enough. The same mechanics also power the alarm(s) which is LOUD. If this doesn’t wake you up, nothing will. It has basic inputs for AM/FM antennas and an AUX IN jack for any external audio device. iPod users should know there’s an optional dock that’s just as shiny. There are actually two versions of the Cubo Elements. One has internet radio giving you access to over 10,000 streaming stations and a remote control. We had the standard version and couldn’t test those features. Price is still TBA but being that it was designed internally by Sonoro Audio, it’ll probably be much pricier than your typical clock radio. Good thing you’ll get what you pay for because like we said, the audio quality on this thing will most likely send your current clock radio on permanent vacation. What we liked:
What could be improved:
Designer: Sonoro Audio GmbH & Co.
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| Posted: 10 Dec 2008 07:56 AM PST Nothing like a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice to kick start the day. The Seed is product aimed to make that task easier without offending your minimalist aesthetic. It’s supposed to look like a seed pod of sorts, hence its name. Put an orange in and squeeze that clamshell shut time. Juice collects into a reservoir below. I won’t knock it but I’ve always thought juicing requires a twisting motion to be the most effective. Oh and about that cup of OJ in the morn; don’t drink it after you brush your teeth. Yuck! Designer: Gray Goh Szjin
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| Not Your Granddad’s Building Blocks Posted: 10 Dec 2008 07:48 AM PST Block & Blockele is a novel building block system of characters, figures and elements that interlock with each other in an unlimited number of ways. The idea is to construct toys (or anything you can imagine) by combining abstract three-dimensional elements with surface graphics that transform each element into a unique character or element. Check out several examples after the jump.
Designer: Daniel Goddemeyer
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| The Perfect Gift for the Historic Boat Builder Posted: 10 Dec 2008 07:32 AM PST If that special person in your life happens to be a New England lobsterman from the late 19th century, I know he would appreciate this chair based on the framework of historic “pea pod” boats. Designed by Palette Industries out of Canada, it comes from the same folks who brought us the Dhama Lounge. I can’t say it looks overly comfortable (having no back and all), but I’m willing to buy anything with that much visual appeal. Availability: none found Designer: Palette Industries
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