cousins

Here is Ian with cousin Michel on a nature walk near my brothers house.

Forest Gump

Also by Alessi, this is a salt and pepper shaker with a toothpick dispenser. They are all held in position on a magentic base. Although these are well styled, expertly colored and engagingly detailed I think that our good friends at Alessi have to be seeing that this characterized trend is dead. They should feel lucky that they held the high-end and high price point for over a decade with this twist on a classically low-end position and move along.

Coke Rewards

I am not exactly sure why, but this is what I am saving up for on Coke rewards. I need about 1700 point (3 points per cap). Please feel free to send me your caps if you are not also saving them up.

school desk

Hey Mike, Doesn't this look like our chess table? I think that prick Starck might have ripped us off...oh wait it was done in 2003. Maybe we should say ours is an homage?

controlled color

Good example of controlled color palette (bad example of Urban Vinyl). As we were talking about earlier although the control and the Hue selection is visually appealing it is not an appropriate strategy for communicating learning and content because it connotes stifled as opposed to free or open ended. The addition of a complementary color like (PMS 137) would help as would the use of a purple or magenta.

Mr Chin

Design by Stefano Giovannoni for Alessi (I think) this line of Mr and Mrs Chin timers and tabletop accessories includes some great colors, and finishes. The only disappointment is how cheap they feel in real life. Especially given the pricepoint ( The timer is $50). Also, although I know that the naming was done in conjunction with Taiwan's Palace Museum the characiture style and naming seems a little dated.

Labor Day

The occasional writing that I have been doing for sustainablog has had me reading a bunch of different opinions on sustainable design efforts and several times I have come across stories on Phillipe Starck's "bold initiative" to bring cheap well designed wind power to the masses. Apparently he is partnering with or being hired by a european company called Pramac that already manufacturers generators. It is difficult to find images on the project or real details...this is the picture that keeps coming up. There is however a great article on the topic in the Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/garden/07starck.html