Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m still not sure why anyone outside of an educational setting would need to buy a standalone calculator these days. And even if you’re still in school, the odds are you need one with advanced scientific functions, not just basic arithmetic. I’m particularly perplexed why someone would also want a basic calculator that’s styled after a mobile phone.

While I can’t deny that it looks slick, even the lowest end of real mobile phones have a calculator already built-in. And most carriers are practically giving those away these days. In its defense though, the slim design of this model does allow it to be used single-handled. And it includes a 12 or 24 hour clock on the LCD display, a contoured ABS plastic housing and even comes with a black felt pouch.

You can get it from the MoMA Store for $28.

[ Mobile Calculator ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Here’s an easy (albeit expensive) way to class up your board game night. Just throw away that old cardboard Clue game and replace it with this Premier Edition. The gameboard is a wood-paneled box that features nine sunken three-dimensional rooms complete with decorations and even miniature furniture. Unfortunately all of those miniature rooms are off-limits since they’re covered by a non-removable piece of tempered glass. Also, I suspect that Colonel Mustard has been replaced with Colonel Grey Poupon, and instead of killing people with weapons, the characters all commit various levels of corporate crime. Now that’s classy!

Clue Premier Edition is available from Restoration Hardware for $149.

[ Clue Premier Edition ] VIA [ Uncrate ]

By Andrew Liszewski

A lot of animators will keep a mirror next to their drawing desk so they can use their own faces and expressions as inspiration for their work. Well here’s a product designer who also used themselves for inspiration. But instead of looking at his face, Alexander Lervik wanted to delve deeper into his head so he had an MR scan of his brain done at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. The image of his brain was then processed by a rapid prototyping 3D printer to create this bizarre looking lamp. It’s lit internally by a set of bright LEDs and apparently does throw off quite a bit of light, but I think he missed the opportunity to have a single illuminated lightbulb floating above his brain. Now that’s a good idea!

[ MYBrain Table Lamp ] VIA [ DeZona ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I never knew I needed or even wanted an RSS feed displaying shelf until I saw the WaSnake, but now I don’t know how I manage to live without one. The shelf features several segments made from wood and an elastomer material that allow it to be reconfigured to fit your wall space. The non-flexible segments also feature clusters of colored LEDs and optical fibers to form a screen that’s capable of displaying everything from RSS feed headlines like a stock ticker, to SMS messages sent to its ‘home’ address or even little animations using the widget based configuration software.

The WaSnake shelf was designed by Jean Louis Frechin and was recently shown at the International Milan Furniture Show which was probably the only chance any of us would have had of seeing it in person. In other words, if you haven’t already torn down the shelving in your living room like I did upon seeing this, I wouldn’t start making room for the WaSnake just yet.

[ Newlaunches.com - WaSnake a shelf that displays SMS and News ] VIA [ Digital Drops ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Normally when I hear about something being stashed inside a briefcase it’s either a bomb, a machine gun or even a miniature remote-control go-kart track. This time however it’s something considerably more practical. Using a standard hard-shell briefcase and a set of nylon straps, artists Joan Korbes and Denis Oudendijk designed this briefcase which can be attached to a rail or other sturdy object and used as a seat. The pillows seem a necessary addition for making the seat a comfortable place to sit, but they unfortunately also take away from how much other stuff you can carry inside. And while the Briefcase Seat isn’t available for sale, with a little bit of engineering know-how (you might want to reinforce those hinges) you can probably just make your own.

[ Briefcase Seat ] VIA [ MAKE: Blog ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m sure we’ve all seen our share of garish barbecues, and by that I mean those giant brick and mortar temples to meat that people erect in their backyards. But if you prefer to barbecue with a little more style, this stainless steel barrel model from Eva Solo is as cool a BBQ as you’re ever going to find. Designed by Claus Jensen and Henrik Holbaek, the barbecue’s stainless steel finish should make it last longer than other barbecues that are finished with enamel, chrome or nickel-plating. Stainless steel also just looks really cool which is why some people cover their entire kitchens with it. In fact you’ll probably be more inclined to leave this barbecue out on the patio when it’s not in use, just so you can look at it.

But like a lot of things that have been crafted by a talented designer, the Eva Solo Stainless Steel BBQ doesn’t come cheap. A 19.3-inch diameter version costs $680 while a 27-inch diameter version is $1,070. You can get them from Unica Home along with a similarly priced line of Eva Solo barbecue accessories.

[ Eva Solo Stainless Steel Barrel Barbecue ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ve always thought that clocks were such simple devices. Sure, their innards are somewhat complex, but they are quite simple to use. Just a quick glance usually tells you everything you need to know. Of course some people don’t like that they are simple to read, in fact, such people will go to great lengths to make you stare at a clock much longer than you should have to.

Take this Idea of a Clock II, which will make you read a full sentence in order to get the time. I think I’ll stick with my plain clock with roman numerals. Then again some people have a hard time reading those too.

[ Hans Tan Studio ] VIA [ Technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

With a set of Magnetique shelves at home, you can decide how the shelf looks and functions instead of being forced into organizational conformity by some Swedish IKEA designer. The shelves use a metal sheet that can be mounted horizontally or vertically on your wall, and a collection of magnetically backed boxes that can be attached in any position. Even if everyone on your block has a set of Magnetique shelves at home, you can still be unique since there’s almost an infinite number of ways you can arrange the boxes. While I’m still a bit cautious when it comes to mixing magnets and electronics, the shelves seem useful for holding books or non-magnetic based media. (Up to 6lbs.) So keep those VHS tapes, cassettes, reel-to-reels and floppy disks well away from it.

The Magnetique shelves come in a variety of sets that differ in the shapes and number of included boxes. They range in price from about $1,230 up to about $2,150.

[ Magnetique ] VIA [ Design Milk ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The Eclosion pump-up sofa is an interesting take on the whole futon/sofa-bed concept. One side features a hidden air bladder that can be pumped up, turning it from a relatively small bed, to a sofa that’s suitable for a couple of people. It was designed by Olivier Gregoire and while it may seem similar to the futon you slept on in college, I’m pretty sure the price (if it were available for sale) would ensure you’d never see it in a dorm room.

[ Eclosion ] VIA [ Design Milk ]

By Andrew Liszewski

These Moonlight Orbs illuminated spheres make for a unique way to light your home, your pool or your property. Made in Germany, the polyethylene spheres (and half spheres) range in size from 13 to 30 inches in diameter and operate on standard electrical wiring or rechargeable batteries. The battery powered versions are sealed and self-contained allowing them to safely float on water, and use a remote control to power them on or off. They can even be used with interchangeable color filters if you’re trying to match or set a specific mood.

Unfortunately though, the spheres remind me of the old 60’s show The Prisoner which I used to watch when I was far too young to be doing so. The show was pretty confusing (on purpose) but what really freaked me out were the large white balloons that would hunt down people trying to escape, and from what I recall, would essentially suffocate them. For those who’ve never seen the show it’s really hard to explain, but I’ve included a YouTube video after the jump where the spheres make an appearance. (Just past the 2 minute mark.)

I’d love to dig up some pricing info on the orb lights, but the Moonlight USA website is kind of an unusable flash disaster.

[ Moonlight USA Lighting ] VIA [ Home Improvement Ideas ]

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