Rob Beschizza

Joey Roth's Ceramic Speakers

Joey Roth, designer of the wonderful Sorapot, has a new creation: Ceramic Speakers.

As you can see, it's a speaker system made from porcelain, cork, and maple wood. I wanted to reduce the speaker system to its most simple form, using raw materials that show their natural beauty and aren't usually associated with electronics.

Gorgeous, but quite beyond my price range! Roth is soliciting pre-orders for the first run, which is of just 200 pairs. They are $495 a set. Specs.

Rob Beschizza

Energy Clock

Sweden's Energy Aware Clock hangs on the wall and depicts a permanent visualization of your energy use. Every hour, it chimes to remind you to feel guilty about the size of your residence. [Geek]

Lisa Katayama

Light bulb art shows wasted electricity

Artist Chris Jordan wanted to point out how much electricity is wasted in the US, so he made a photo collage representing 320,000 lightbulbs, which amount to the number of kilowatt hours we don't really need to be spending.

[via Moco Loco]

Lisa Katayama

Solar trees forecast a future where gadgets are charged on beaches

If our gadget dependency continues to worsen, this could be what our beaches will look like.

[via Yanko Design]

Lisa Katayama

Pretty designer juicer with integrated seed-stopper

Not only does this lemon squeezer look good, it also has a little scoop that catches seeds and prevents them from falling into the juice.

[Joseph Joseph via Dezeen]

Lisa Katayama

Birdhouses made from modded roof tiles

These birdhouses were made by combining reclaimed terracotta roof tiles cut by water-jet and laser with wooden boards etched with Victorian facades. Usually, roof tiles aren't recycled, but a team of artists led by Japan's Tomoko Azumi wanted to change that.

[via Designboom]

Steven Leckart

Full Moon Credenza Glows In The Dark

Designer Sotirios Papadopoulos developed "ELI" (Eco Light Inside) a material that glows in the dark and, previously, was used on this illuminating mirror.

Beats using a night light. Maybe.

[via Generate]

Steven Leckart

Power On Self Test: Spooky Lamps

Lisa Katayama

Portable iPod speaker looks like a cute bag

Artist Yoshihiko Satoh designed this cute little iPod speaker, which looks and functions as a small tote bag. It's the modern, minimalist equivalent of carrying a boombox around.

[Product page via Spoon & Tamago]

Steven Leckart

Blockhead Stem: Cycling Do Or Don't?

The Blockhead Stem from cw&t costs $89, which seems pretty reasonable considering it's machined from 7075 aluminum.

Of course, you may be saying why on Earth would you want to put something so un-aerodynamic — with sharp edges — on the front of your bike.

Designer Che-Wei Wang explained to BBG:

The sharp edges are for aesthetic reasons. All the bike parts our there seem to focus on aerodynamics and weight, so we wanted to make something different. We [Wang and partner Taylor Levy] wanted to reveal the purest function of the stem, which is essentially a chunk of metal that has two holes in it. It's minimal and its fabrication is also simple. Starting with a solid block of aluminum the machine time required to mill the stem is low, cutting only what is needed to make it functional.

OK, maybe you're still not sold on the look. But certainly you can get behind their IP philosophy:

Blockhead Stem is licensed under a Creative Commons license. Take our design, modify it, make one for yourself. But please don't sell them because we need money to buy and eat dumplings. Give credit where it's due. We actually want you to go find your machinist buddy and see if he or she can make it for super cheap. We spent about a month searching for a quality machinist that can produce them on demand. If you find a better machinist please share.

Of course, this isn't full-on open source hardware because of the restrictions on selling modified versions of their design, but it's still close enough to make me smile.

Steven Leckart

New Sport: Stand-Up Paddle Skiing

Stand-up paddle boarding, for those who don't know, involves balancing upright on a thick, buoyant surfboard while using a one-sided paddle to propel yourself through the water, and even catch waves. "SUP" has been around for years, but is getting more and more popular, as evident by Laird Hamilton's championing the sport over at Gizmodo.

Looking to push the sport even further, Jason Starr of Colchester, Vermont spent the last five years working and refining his design for stand-up paddle skiing, which is exactly as it sounds and looks in the pic above: riding atop two skis while using a double-sided, kayak-style paddle.

Jason's even patented the idea. And not just the apparatus and design for the skis, but even the "method" itself, including — wait for it — the use of a jet ski to tow into surf on the skis.

Should any adventurous surfer gets sued for attempting to hang 10 on skis it'll be a total bummer.

[via InventVermont via Post Surf]

Lisa Katayama

Frankie Flood's pizza cutter designs

I love these custom pizza cutters designed by Frankie Flood. He has over half a dozen different designs, each with a different theme. This one is called the Gold Knuckle.

Frankie Flood main page via Neatorama

Lisa Katayama

Naoto Fukazawa's colorful Samsung netbooks

I'd seen the Samsung N310 netbook before, but I didn't know until now that it was designed by famed Japanese designer Naoto Fukazawa. It comes in four colors, has a rubberized back, weighs less than 3 lbs, and costs less than $500. I almost want it except I don't like the giant Samsung logo on the back.

[Naoto Fukazawa Design via Designboom]

Steven Leckart

"Home... is where I want to be, But I guess I'm already there"*

Constructed by artist Kevin Cyr, this tiny trailer is a "functioning sculptural piece." Translation: heavy and impractical (I'm guessing).

Of course, if you hooked up a GreenWheel, it might actually be plausible... until you hit any big hills.

[via Designboom via Trackosaurus Rex]

*"This Must Be The Place"

Steven Leckart

More Video Games Should Look Like This.

Lisa Katayama

Headphones have two birds sticking out of them

Part of a series of objects by the Dutch art collective Idiots featuring stuffed dead animals. Taxidermy + found objects = creepy cool animal art.

[Idiots main page via Dezeen]

Steven Leckart

Tron-Watch '09: LED Handrails

A concept by Croatian designer Zoran Sunjic, these LED handrails could help light dark stairways to prevent commuter spills, tumbles, or muggings.

Should these handrails ever see the light of day (har), I trust they'll be available in teal or turquoise. From LED bikes to RAZR-like radar detectors, Tron-like aesthetics really are in full effect.

[Toxel via Design Launches via New Launches]

Lisa Katayama

Bluetooth speaker shaped like a bird cage

This wireless speaker system by Japanese design studio Nendo is shaped like a bird cage and plays music via Bluetooth from any computer or cell phone. It can hang from a ceiling or sit on a table.

Nendo's main page [via Dezeen]

Steven Leckart

"About as annoying to handle as a wet diaper"

Giant's latest folding bike, the Clip, is uniquely handsome. It has decent components. It folds relatively quickly/easily. It even rides smoothly. My one complaint?

From my full review over at Wired.com:

The little "D" above the fork seems like a natural carrying handle when the bike is folded. Right? Well, it is -- provided you've got the hands of an 11-year-old girl. Try as we might, we simply couldn't find any comfortable way to grasp the "D."

Not a deal breaker, but worth knowing before you spend $1000.

photo by Jonathan Snyder for Wired

Steven Leckart

As If Keeping Time Weren't Difficult Enough...

Everyone knows being a drummer kind of sucks. You sit in the back and watch the singer take all the credit. The guitar player's always stealing your lady (unless you're Mick Fleetwood). Your gear is HEAVY and, most importantly, no one ever wants to help you schlep it around.

Created by a Russian percussionist who was — I'm guessing — tired of setting up and taking down his kit at every gig, the "Moto Drum" is pure genius.

More photos at English Russia.

Lisa Katayama

Designer chair transforms from arm to rocking

This design-y armchair by Hungary's Peter Vardal not only looks cool, it transforms into a rocking chair in under 20 seconds. So really, it's like having two chairs in one. It has a carbon frame and an elastic body, and it's called the Fotel.

[via Yanko Design]

Steven Leckart

Tron-Watch '09: Blue-Green LEDS!

Behold, the Cobra XRS R10G radar detector. The design should look sort of familiar — it's copping Tron. Maybe not as much as this concept bike we spotted, but close enough, no?

[via Wired]

Lisa Katayama

"Ship of Fools" made from a giant map

New Zealand designer Fletcher Vaughan made this sculpture of a boat &mdash his modernized objectified version of the Ship of Fools allegory &mdash out of a giant map of the world. He folded it origami-style and placed it out by a waterfront, where it could be swept by wind into the sea or drenched and destroyed by rain. "The illusion of simple paper construction," he writes, "represents the fragility of our planet and its inhabitants in the present day."

Fletcher Systems main page

Lisa Katayama

Personal Rockin' Computer

This is really just another fancy design-y chair that hangs from the ceiling, but its creators have dubbed it "personal rocking' computer: the ultimate generation workstation." It may be because the position of the knees when sitting in this position create perfect thigh space to put a laptop on. I kinda wish I had one instead of two flat couches which often cause strain in my neck and my back.

Yours for just $4200 from a Swedish web site. And no, I don't think it comes with a sexy woman on top.

[Product page via Notcot]

Lisa Katayama

Gardening tool combines plant pot and watering can

NY product designer Deger Cengiz has invented a new gardening tool &mdash it's plant pot and watering can hybrid, designed so that whenever you tip it on its side the water directly hits the plant pot. He calls it "Selfish and Devoted" &mdash the plant pot is selfish because all it does is suck up water, and the watering can is devoted because its whole being is dedicated to feeding the plant.

[Deger Cengiz's web site via Dezeen]

Lisa Katayama

Rocking chair looks like a purple hot dog

This piece of furniture designed by Jamie Hayon is called The Rockin' Hot Dog.

[Hayon Studio via Dezeen]

Lisa Katayama

Metal coat rack inspired by a ribbon

I'm really digging this metal coat rack inspired by a ribbon. It was designed by Hemal Patel of London.

[Headsprung via Dezeen]

Steven Leckart

Tron Turquoise Is The New Black

With Tron Legacy set to debut in 2010, don't be surprised if turquoise and, more specifically, turquoise LED strips get slapped onto anything and everything.

Exhibit A: The Pulse, a concept fixed-gear with electric turn signals and a luminescent frame...

Personally, I'm into it — as you can probably tell from my use of the color on BBG posts.

[via Core77]

Lisa Katayama

Bangkok's tallest building will add "pixels" to the cityscape

Construction on Bangkok's tallest high-rise begins this fall, with completion slated for 2012. As you can see in the mock-up above, the building will have "pixels" &mdash imperfections in its otherwise glossy facade that are actually staggered windows and terraces belonging to the Ritz Carlton Residences and other fancy occupants of the 77-story, 1,017-foot tall building.

[via OMA]

Images: Office of Metropolitan Architecture

Steven Leckart

Artificial Climbing Walls 101: More Mountain Than Mountain?

Unlike running or cycling, rock climbing is a sport that can't be easily simulated. In the old days, you'd get in your car and drive to a mountain to "practice." These days, more and more options abound. Eurpeans are starting to experiment with "rockmills," giant vertical treadmills that provide various hand- and footholds as you move (hat tip: TJ S).

Of course, indoor climbing facilities are popping up all over the world. And, most interesting to me, regular gyms are also starting to get in on the action. But how do you squeeze a mountain into a gym that's already been constructed? Easy. You convert the racquetball court.

While the dimensions (i.e. height) aren't ideal, according to Cort Gariepy of climbing wall manufacturer Rockwerx, the racquetball-climbing wall is becoming a popular option among gyms trying to compete with the growing number of climbing-specific facilities that might charge around $25 per session.

However, not all rock walls are created equal. Duh.

As the CEO of Rockwerx, Gariepy has spent the last 16 years constructing about 1 million square feet of climbing space (100,000 sq. ft. every year). We asked him to walk us through the three main options for wall-building.

Modular Panels
What it is: 4'x8' pieces of plywood mounted to a 2D wall. Each panel is coated with different substances, including 1) a thin, textured paint that's cheap and feels lightly sanded like a tennis court; 2) liquid acrylic which provides more texture, friction; 3) 3D which is also acrylic, but with much more texture, "in-cut cracks" and bulging shapes (it's also pricier). Note: modular panels are also available in Gym Rock (pictured at top, described below) and Summit Rock (a blend of acrylic and fiberglass).
Benefits: Quick, easy to install; might only take a few hours to bolt in and can be handled by a local contractor or maintenance staff, not a hardcore rock wall builder; relatively cheap ($375 - $1,295 per panel, depending on material); great for rooms that don't have exceptionally high ceilings (above, left), because panels can be arranged horizontally to maximize climbing space; thus, great for kids/beginners.
Drawbacks: Doesn't come close to the real thing, unless you go with a higher-end panel material like Gym Rock; tends to look like a jungle gym or childrens' playground, not a serious mountain.
Price: $

Gym Rock
What it is: A free-standing, steel-framed geodesic structure covered in ¾-inch CDX plywood panels coated with a combination of blended polymers and cement textured to look and feel like Yosemite granite. The structure itself creates various "natural" formations like arches, caves, spires and stalactites (this is also true of Natural Rock).
Benefits: Realistic look and feel, but still relatively lightweight, especially compared to Natural Rock; also half as expensive as Natural Rock (below). Provides more traction than cheaper modular panels.
Drawbacks: Takes 2-3 weeks install, depending on the dimensions/specs.
Price: $$ (cost of racquetball conversion: ~$100,000)

Natural Rock
What it is: A similar steel-framed, free-standing structure covered in panels covered in glass-reinforced concrete molded from actual rock; like free-standing Gym Rock, very easy to replicate "natural" formations, described above.
Benefits: Incredibly realistic look and feel; very durable and rigid; no seems between panels, giving wall a more natural, sculptural appearance.
Drawbacks: Heavier than a Slayer concert; more expensive than front row tickets to a Metallica concert (five of them). Also takes 2-3 weeks install, depending on the dimensions/specs.
Price: $$$$ (cost of racquetball conversion: ~$200,000)