Ondo

The "Ondo" sofa is by Artifort, I think. They say "It exhibits organic form with a touch of European ergonomics that lend it a sophisticated and comfortable feel. A sparse suporting frame allows the seat and back to float like a wave. With its poweful interplay of lines, this sofa will continue to excite emotions." Especially in this color it appears to me to reference electronics and architecture percision more than organic waves and emotions, especially given the cushion mass vs. the leg size. Still, it is cool.

Alessi

The corkscrew below is part of this same line by Alessi. The new line is part of an ongoing collaboration with the national palace museum in taiwan and Stefano Giovannoni, which began the line called “chin family”.

According to Alessi " this interpretation is keeping with the playful style of which our designer is an acknowledged master. a characteristic that, in the designs presented today, takes a very new form. just like the objects in the “chin family”, each piece performs the roles of domestic household objects and is, in part, hand-decorated. the magic of giovannoni’s design lies in the fact that these objects recall the grace of 18th century ceramic trinkets, while continuing to be utterly contemporary." They are a real statement for sure...but the prices are whacked.

Also a corkscrew

Another corkscrew

I am not sure how it works but the form is certainly working.

Screw

Really nice looking corkscrew. I think it is made by Tupperware. Amazing what the texture and color work can do for a pretty basic form.

Iceland waterfalls

There are a huge variety of glacial waterfalls to see as you drive around Iceland's coastal ring road. This one in Gulfoss is one of the most visited and was crowded on the day we were there even though it was 50º and raining. Although Gulfoss is smaller than Niagra, the weird angles and surrounding gorge made it even more impressive to me.

Hotel 101

The hotel 101 in downtown Reykjavik is really nice and has excellent service. With their currency at a 3 year low it is pretty affordable too. They also have great food at the hotel restaurant...although the service is a little cold.

Leif Erickson

This is a close up of the statue. Seems like a nice but strange gift for us to give Iceland.

Reykjavik

This is probably the most visited architectural feature in the city. It is very interesting in person. The statue in the front area is of Leif Erickson. It was given to Iceland in the 30's by the United States. The city area is also really interesting with lots of corrugated siding and aluminum. The streets were usually crowded but very clean and quiet. The temperature was perfect, about 60 every day.

Blue Lagoon

This is the Blue Lagoon hot spring in Iceland. It is huge and a little odd since it is located in the middle of a huge lava-rock field. It is almost a moonscape sort of a feel although the minerals in the water create a smooth surface on all the gritty lava. The architecture of the changing rooms and restaurant is really interesting but a little disjointed. The water is spill over from the nearby geothermal power plant and it is nice and warm...but also really dehydrating.

puff-ball

Ian wants another dog besides porkchop and this is the kind he likes best.

student project

This really makes me feel badly about the wooden toy I did sophomore year at CCAD.

Moolka.com

One of the cool things about Moolka.com is that you can search by product color...in case you are looking for something to go with a certain decor. Seeing this also reminds me of the wood toy project that we did during sophomore year at CCAD. I made a bulldozer that wasn't half as cool or creative as this.

Paperstone

This is currently being made in wood and resin but I think the concept is perfect for the more sustainable paper-stone sheets. The minimal footprint seems like it could be useful in a lot of small kitchens.

Sirch Toys

Paolo Zani

I think that this new task chair designed by Paolo Zani is really working to nicely balance a contemporary slabby look and a retro graphical look. I bet the structure is even more prominent in leather. Still, as cool as it is $1300 seems a little crazy.

fashion

I am sure that this double walled trend is going to get old soon...but not yet.

Garlic Chopper

I saw this rolling Garlic chopper made by Chef N' a Target. It looked like it was selling and it looked like it would work really well but be a pain to clean. Still, it is a really interesting mechanism. They just need to look at making it less like a toy and it might be time for them to evolve their green color.

No Impact Man

Colin (aka: No Impact Man) has a movie out now. I have not seen it but it appears to be a documentary of his attempt to live a more sustainable lifestyle. I met Colin in Natalie Jeremijenko's class many months ago. It is great to see that he has managed to bring his message to a larger stage but it is also a little depressing since much of his message seemed to be about provocation and pessimism. My hope is that maybe the movie is different.

modern shed

These guys also have several great options but the details seem to to be slightly less than the previous. www.modern-shed.com/

more space

We are talking about more space at Evo. There is a lot of junk out there and also a couple of cool options.

Hall of Fame Game

With Ralph Wilson and Bruce Smith going into the HOF this weekend it was nice the Bills in the Sunday night season opener but man they looked bad in every possible way. I know it is preseason and I know that the Titans are very deep and quite good...but still it was hard to watch. Could it be another long year for Bills fans?

Moolka.com

Check these out at Moolka.

Evo

"In June the UK Evo Design will debut its high-performance electric superbike, the EV0 RR, at the zero-emissions grand prix on the Isle of Man. Evo collaborated with motorcycle design house Xenophya on the motorcycle, which features a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque chassis, forkless single-sided front suspension and twin electric battery-powered engines from Green Motorsport that will deliver serious speed. So far Evo is keeping performance specs under wraps and has not revealed production plans, but TTXGP race rules require that competing bikes be offered for sale at its conclusion for no more than $30,000."

Aperion Audio

It took me a while but I finally got around to hooking up my Aperion Audio Subwoofer and the thing really rocks. It sounds so good that I wish I had more rooms to put speakers. Music, movies and video games are all ridiculously vibrant sounding. The only down side is that Ian keeps playing "Another one bites the dust". Its a classic for sure but maybe not 5 times a day. The service also came through once again, Aperion suggestion Zip installers and they came out and tuned the thing in less than in hour.

platemat

Cool placemat/plate combination by our friends at Skip hop. I especially like the soft flow from plate to mat and the texture change. It also does a good job of looking like it would be very easy to clean.

SHO

I am not sure that I would want to own one but the new SHO is a huge improvement. Even the colors are better. I am not sure how well Ford has done at improving reliability but they have certainly improved the design a lot. This is interesting info from WIki "In the US, it takes about 30 hours total, for the body, engine, transmission, assembly, paint, etc. doesn't include things like outsourced parts and mining the ore (or recycling old cars). The labor costs from $55-$70 per hour including benefits so about $2100 per car, or roughly 8% the cost of the average car. Doesn't sound that high until you compare the tata nano, which costs $2500 TOTAL."

Perhaps a good reason to invest in Tata motors. Coming soon the US and posting decent dividends.