In an image series called If I Were President photographer Joseph Ford dreams of a world where city landscapes are defined by the distinctive curves of video game consoles. And if I were president, my lair would be exactly what you see above–the NES House. Check out a couple other designs in the gallery below.
Stethedphone, designed by Antrepo Design Industry.
They’re headphones in the shape of a stethoscope! They come with a remote and mic and features include listening to music, making/receiving phone calls, and accessing voice control. They’re “made from ultra light and flexible plastic” and comes in an assortment of colors and sizes. “Stethedphone” is a concept design, one that I can’t believe I didn’t come up with.
[Via Gizmodo; YankoDesign]
Tokyo Mode, designed by Prop Studio.
Prop Studio has submitted this proposed building design into an international architecture competition to be constructed at a fashion museum in Toyko’s Omotesando district.
The structure aspires to provide an introspective for visitors to contemplate how fashion has shaped humanity in the 21 century. The building is divided into rotary levels that sit over top of each in an undulating fashion. Each floor houses a thematic fashion collections from past eras ranging from the 1920s to our contemporary period. Complimented with a skybar, the open terrace overlooks a fashion runway on the level below it.
Sure it’s a site to behold, but just one construction error and everything comes toppling down. Check out more pictures of “Tokyo Mode” in the gallery below.
[Via DesignBoom; Gizmodo]
Solar City Tower, designed by Swiss architecture firm RAFAA.
Ever since Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was selected to host the 2016 Olympics, the International Architecture Competition has heated up with hundres of submissions from architecture firms. They are all vying to create a winning design that inspires people to visit Rio de Janeiro and conceptualizes Brazil’s “natural beauty and its commitment to a sustainable future.” The Solar City Tower is one of the most daring and tempting submissions that I hope takes top prize. The Tower is lined with solar panels; captured energy allows seawater to be pumped to its top and gravity forces the water back into the ocean. It’s a “green” waterfall! When the water falls it spins turbines that produces energy during the night. The designers call the waterfall effect “a symbol for the forces of nature.” The tower also proposes to house a amphitheater, auditorium, cafeteria, shops, and observation decks with bungee jumping. RAFAA on their design:
The aim of this project is to ask how the classic concept of a landmark can be reconsidered. It is less about an expressive, iconic architectural form; rather, it is a return to content and actual, real challenges for the imminent post-oil-era. This project represents a message of a society facing the future; thus, it is the representation of an inner attitude. Our project, standing in the tradition of “a building/city as a machine”, shall provide energy both to the city of Rio de Janeiro and its citizens while using natural resources.
[Via Likecool; DVICE; Treehugger]
Connected, by Kasey McMahon.
Connected is a life-size self portrait sculpture created by artist Kasey McMahon. It’s made entirely of CAT5 ethernet cables and other kinds of wire wrapped around a steel frame. This modern piece of art is thought-provoking, isn’t it? What do you think is the artist’s intent with it? A splintered identity wrapped in digital culture, perhaps. See the sculpture from different perspectives in the gallery below.
[Via AtypicalArt; Gizmodo]
…this is what a bunch of the characters would look like. Lost saturday morning cartoon spinoff, can I get a hell yeah!
[Via io9]
On Wednesday officials unveiled a new design for the $100 bill. Mr. Franklin joins pals Lincoln, Hamilton, Jackson, and Grant in the fight against counterfeiters. The new $100 note includes the following security enhancements: A 3D Security Ribbon that nearly cuts the bill in half at the center contains images of bells and 100s that move and change from one to the other as you tilt the note. The ribbon is woven into the paper, not printed on it. The Bell in the Inkwell, located on the front of the bill to the right of Franklin, changes color from copper to green when the note is tilted, an effect that makes it seem to appear and disappear within the copper inkwell. On the back there’s a new vignette of Independence Hall featuring the rear, rather than the front, of the building. The Franklin portrait and the vignette have been enlarged and the oval around them has been removed. Also on the back you’ll find a large gold 100; it helps those with visual impairments to distinguish the denomination. The bill retains several enhancements from the last update including the portrait watermark, the security thread, and the color-shifting 100. The new $100 notes will begin circulating on February 10, 2011. Look in the gallery below to learn more about the visual security enhancements; after the break there’s a short animation that highlights the bill. Welcome to the club, Franklin. Washington, where you at?
[Via NewMoney]
Bottleformball, designed by Heath Nash.
The colorful ball of chaos you see above is actually a chandelier made entirely of recycled PET bottles. They are bundled together by a supportive wire structre. South African designer Heath Nash is one of many that came together at the Misael Gallery in Milan to construct and exhibit “modern ecological designs” made from recyclable material. The designers “redream paradise by reusing industrial materials to recreate natural or organic objects.” Take a closer look at the “Bottleformball” in the gallery below.
Danish architect Christian Bay-Jorgensen wants to make it happen. Here’s the scoop: About two years ago the land that the famous Hollywood sign sits on went up for sale about two years ago. The non-profit Trust for Public Land is trying to save up enough money to buy the land and save it from being sold to real estate developers. I understand where the sign supporters are coming from; as Bay-Jorgensen puts it, “I know people are scared. I know they are afraid this idea will turn it into Disneyland.” However, it’s no secret that the Hollywood sign isn’t at all what it’s cracked up to be. It’s old, tiny, and has simply lost its shine since it was introduced in the 1920s. It’s time for a change, and turning the sign into a bigger and more expansive hotel is an intriguing possibility. If given the opportunity, Bay-Jorgensen would turn it into a boutique hotel, doubling the size of the sign. He explains: “…when tourists from other countries come to see the sign, they imagine a majestic structure. Instead, they see plywood and white paint. This area should be more public. I think this could be something that could improve the experience of the LA resident, to let them see the sign in a new way.” I couldn’t agree more.
The sign supporters have been given a 16 day extension to come up with $12.5 million to preserve the land. If the deadline comes around and they can’t cough up the money, it’s likely we might see Hollywood Sign 2.0, hotel edition sometime in the near future. Check out some conceptual images of the hotel in the gallery below.
Update: The Hollywood Sign has been “saved” according to the latest reports. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner donated $900,000 to the non-profit trust that just tried their darndest to keep the sign as it is. And with that huge chunk o’ money, the $12.5 million total was reached. And any dreams of a hotel have been crushed. [Via Stuff.co.nz]
[Via DailyNews; Slashfilm; LATimesBlog; Gizmodo]
The Page, designed by Jae Kim.
With all the buzz surrounding iPad this and iPad that, it’s nice to see someone else thinking outide the box when it comes to reinventing the way we read newspapers and other print media. Designer Jae Kim has conceptualized The Page, a foldable display that features a semi-transparent E-Ink screen that displays text and images. Screens that can bend into various shapes and sizes have been conceptually implemented in the past, so this certainly isn’t the first player to the game. However, it does feature a number of interesting UI enhancements, including automatic column formatting depending on its shape and interactive page navigation on a flat surface. Check it out in all its concept-y glory in the video above. There’s some stills waiting below, too.
[Via Designboom; Gizmodo]
Industrial designers Rahul Mahtani & Yofred Moik have imagined a new way to go about emailing. This is all conceptual thinking, mind you, but take a knee and listen here. Google Mail Envelopes is designed to be built into the Gmail service. When you’re ready to send off an email, you’ll be given two options: send email (as usual) or “send envelope.” When you click the new button, Google representatives are notified and they print out your email, package it into a Google Maps decorated envelope, and send it off to its destination via the United States Postal Service for a small fee. The envelope design is neat; the return address and destination labels are placed inside Maps bubbles and they each point to their respective locations on the map. The two locations are connected by a line, the same line that’s formed when you look for directions online at Google Maps. In other words, the mail’s exact route is labled on the map on the envelope. Although this concept is one that will likely never make it into reality (privacy concerns, Google employing letter senders), the idea is quite fascinating. Turning electronic mail into a physical letter is an option some people might find useful. It’d be a faster, more efficient way to send a letter–it would eliminate the need to shop for stamps, for one thing.
[Via YankoDesign]
The fellas at Gizmodo have got their hands on the fourth-generation iPhone, confirming Engadget’s initial report on the device being leaked into the wild. The new iPhone is thinner and a bit heavier than its 3GS predecessor (it measures 4.50 by 2.31 by 0.37 inches and weighs 140 grams, three more than the 3GS) and everything is more squared off. The aesthetics of the device go in a different direction with the new model. The back is entirely flat and is composed of either glass or ceramic. Also there’s an aluminium border that runs completely around the exterior. The silent switch, power, and volume buttons are placed in their familiar positions but are now metallic. Notice I said volume buttons; the single rocker has been replaced with two separate buttons for volume up and down. Giz theorizes that this will likely result in one of the two buttons being designated as a shutter button for the camera. The SIM slot is now a MicroSIM slot and its been moved from the bottom to the left side of the phone. There’s also a second mic located at the top next to the headphone port, likely for noise cancellation purposes. The display is slightly smaller than the 3GS’s, but its resolution is much greater. Though Giz cannot determine its exact resolution, they would not be surprised if it sported a 960×640 screen that’s been sitting in the rumor box. On the back there’s an upgraded camera with a larger lens plus flash. On the front next to the earport there’s a *front-facing camera*. Get ready for on-the-go video Skype calls! Some other nuggets of information: its got a 16% larger battery and the internal components have been miniturized.
This prototype model of the next iPhone unfortunately cannot boot up iPhone OS 4. That means there’s no way of finding out its storage capacity, how high-rez the screen actually is, and other secrets hidden within OS 4 built for this device (iChat, anyone?). Do you need proof that this is the real deal? Head over to Gizmodo and read their exhaustive breakdown for proof. Until the final model is (likely) revealed this June at WWDC, bask in the photos and video (after the break) Giz has provided with the world. iPhone HD, you are so close yet so far away…
[Via Gizmodo]
