A Breakdown Of Time Spent Creating A Website

These are 'official figures', following a serious and extensive research campaign conducted by Marco van Hylckama Vlieg, and published on his blog 'The Web Is Dead'. Check out more ironic musing here.

Collapsing Tables

For those of you with €60,000 to burn and with space issues on your huge luxury boat here is the product that you have all been waiting for. Personally if I had that much free cash, I'd simply buy a bigger boat! The engineering being the table is pretty smart though. I can just imagine the people that own this must spend all day opening and closing it repeatedly just for fun. Could get you into some painful situations though on those hot sunny days - make sure you are safely contained within your trunks before using the table!

Check out more products by D B Fletcher here.

One Laptop Per Child - Update

This is an interesting update on the One Laptop Per child programme that aims to produce computers for developing countries for under $100. While currently at $170 per laptop (no mean feat either), the interesting thing about this new computer, is that it was completely rethought from scratch and introduces some energy saving concepts that should find their way into everyday computers.

This article by the BBC also incorporates embedded video content, which is part of a new trial for the BBC. Much better that the video viewer that has favored PC users over Mac's in the past. See below, an embed from the article.

little bird

The Little Bird project was initiated by Daniel Arendt and Christian Lindemann, graphic designers working in Germany, who asked illustrators worldwide to contribute an illustration of a 'little bird'. Apart from the weath of really cool submissions, the project's blog site of submissions is a great location to find cool illustration talent, especially as the subject matter means that the illustrators can easily be compared amongst each other.

The submissions can be seen online here. You can also by a poster containing all of the works, with a large cut of the profits going to UNICEF

I do not know if this project was run by the same guys as 'Bunny'. If you did not see the Bunny project, run on occassion of the Pictoplasma character design conference, Check this out. The same concept as 'Little Bird', but...yes you guessed it with rabbits!

Here are some of my favorite 'little birds'.



Marcos Zerene aka FormatBrain


Cecymeade


Sandra Schmalz


Eliane Mancera

Peaceful Protest!

I really love this video. While the ending is so inevitable, it is impossible to watch it through to the end. This is like art for YouTube. Will we see a growth in more 'artistic' video's made now for the web? I hope so!

The video is part of a series of protest videos against the legalisation of a new product, FUEL FOR LIFE. If you do not know what that is yet, you probably will do soon!

Christiaan Nagel

I really like the bold style of Christiaan Nagel's recent work - a mix of figurative but abstract paintings.

They are having their first solo UK exhibition. Working on framed masonite boards, which are spraid with 2k car paint. See some more glossy modern art online at Christiaan's site

The exhibition takes place:
Friday, August 24, 2007
6:00pm - 9:00pm

Coningsby Gallery
30 Tottenham street. (Get off at Goodge st.first left is Tottenham st.)
London

MAP

People Come Down The Virtual Aisle

Simultaneous Vows - "With This Click I Thee Wed" Online & Off (VIDEO)

(TrendHunter.com) You knew this was bound to happen! With the growing obsession of virtual worlds and online dating, it's no surprise that people are beginning to say their vows on the web. [More]

Dancing Robot - How To Save Dances

Japanese robotics engineers have created a robot that can with a fair degree of accuracy replicate a dancers movements. The dancing robot demonstrates how far bi-pedal robots have come in recent years, and the accuracy with which they can move in as similar a fashion to humans. It is no small feat to develop a robot that can shift its weight from one foot to another without falling over, let alone create one that can move with a great deal of grace and fluidity. Credited with being used to 'record' and then replay traditional dances that with time may otherwise be lost to history, this could become an interesting way to document spacial information, and then have it replayed back later. It could be applied not only to dance, but also to sport, saving the curling free kick of David Beckham, or the swing of Tiger Woods. Then the robot could beocme a teacher, complete with all the best moves in the industry. Not to be too distracted by the artisitic good intentions of its developers, the Guardian points out the often darker military reasons why such robots have been developed. So perhaps even if we are really not so far away from having humanoid robots on stage, it probably isn't long before they are patrolling the streets.

Interactive Wall

This flexible surface is computer controlled, so that it is in effect a 3D screen, capable of projecting three dimensional effects along it's length.

New Apple Products

So only a few hours from the next announcement from Apple.

This company has gotten so good at generating anticipation and exploiting the immediacy of the web in making it's announcements. So the rumors are all about the new iMac line, which seems the most likely. I am also going to shoot that there will be an annoucement about new iPhones, a revised iPod, but most importantly a new software that would bring more community and social networking aspects to iTunes and .Mac and the iLife line.

Here's waiting til later!!! Does any other brand have such salivation before product launches???

BBC iPlayer - BBC's webTV platform also available in YouTube

The BBC launched it's peer to peer TV software 'iPlayer' two days ago as part of a large scale beta test. Only currently available to UK residents using the PC platform, the software allows users to download programmes broadcast on the BB over the previous seven days. These programmes are stored on the users computer and can be watched within the next 30 days. Once watched the file cancels itself, so it is not clear if a programme can we rewatched once seen. Being based in Italy, I do not think that I will be able to see the service in action yet. The programmes on offer do not include all programmes broadcast by the BBC, but only ones that the BBC has the rights for. An interesting annoucenment from the BBC also claims that the service will also be integrated within YouTube - though it is not clear exactly how this will be done.

Personal Flying Saucers

Not the most practical or safest way to get to work, but looks like a lot of fun, and may be a good way to over come traffic jams!

Exercise Video's For Dogs

Yes there is hope for dogs with weight problems and eating disorders. Entering an new realm in the world of exercise videos, Mariko Takahashi's workout should leave your pooch in perfect shape. This deliciously surreal clip is actually a short film to promote Panasonic during the 2004 Olympics, and was one of ten short movies in the Capture The Motion series . Made by Japanese designer, commercials and short film director Nagi Noda this film will freak you out. This is one of my favorite shorts, I can't imagine how Nagi came up with the concept, that comes across in such a positive way, yet on another level does seem to allude to more serious issues about our obsession with exercise and it would also not really surprise me to hear that there really were dog exercise video's on the market either!

Judging THE FWA awards, 2007

I am really chuffed as I have been asked to join the 2007 judging panel for THE FWA (The Favorite Website Awards), which is really strong this year. This is a really great site that manages to turn up cool and innovative sites on a daily basis. It is a very useful tool for researching good design and and leading designers and agencies and has fast become one of 'THE' regular destinations for designers and online marketers. I shall be looking forward to the judging later in the year. The rest of the judges can be found THE FWA.

It has been a very busy period, with only a few recent postings, due to the amount of time I had been dedicating to the recent fashion show I had been working on. I am now back from my holiday and hope to be posting more frequently.

Diesel's Liquid Space Holographic Fashion Show

Just got back from Florence where I was a part of the team that put on this show. It was great fun! Enjoy!