Refinery29 uncovered some exceptional footwear styles for guys that use fabric and water-proof treatments in a modern, fashionable way. ( above, from left ) Acne for Tretorn Stroll High Sneakers (rubber galosh sole, water-resistant upper), $240; ( above, from left )Gram 383g Softshell Sneakers (rubber sole, waterproof upper, micro fleece lining), $130. To see all [...]

MINI announced that they’ll be giving up to 500 test drivers the opportunity to test drive the new no-carbon footprint electric MINI E before it’s released. The diminutive 3-door MINI E is powered by a 100% electric motor (hybrids are for wusses), and still manages to go from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in [...]

Industrial. Creative. A sculpture? Quite fresh and unpredictable. An emergency laundry drier. Maybe a wall-hook for designer oven mitts? The Ciussai Radiator from Adhoc.

Designer: Stefano Ragaini and Giorgio Di Tullio
Producer: Adhoc

Whether or not you must throw your trash on the street, what about pink and white polka dot designer trash bags? Or Anycoloryoulike? Each bag is biodegradable and treated with repellent for even rodents of unusual size. Though this is a New York City art intervention initiative, you can splashy trash in your town too. [...]

For many of our readers, winter is just around the corner. And that may mean it’s time to trade the A/C unit for a humidifier. Here is a cute one. Designed by Takashi Hiroshi Tsuboi, the tear-drop shaped humidifier is ultrasonic and can produce moisture for up to ten consecutive hours. If you speak Japanese [...]

New! ABUS – as the inventor of the U-shackle lock – has once again launched an innovation for bicycle locks: the foldable locks. above: granit X-plus above: granit X-plus above: granit X-plus above: granit X-plus Application: The innovation for all cyclists, whether hobby cyclists or pros. Protection of two-wheels with a high theft risk Operation: [...]

New York City announced the ten finalists in their bike rack competition. One of these 10 finalists will become the official city bike rack design. Winner’s were to be announced October 24. Who won? Top row, left to right: Next Phase Studios of Boston; Andrew Lang and Henry Dobbs of London; Federico Otero of Lima, [...]

How much brainpower does it take to blog? I know! Let’s ask a plant! Well, it seems that’s possible in Japan where a plant has been wired wired with sensors that pick up bio-electrical signals and converts the signals into data that’s then translated into Japanese. Are you following this? A typical entry? “It was [...]

Five more days to vote. Did you know Crayola’s evolution? A corporate ethos, marketing statement. via pearweed DA editor responds to comment… Artist: cane toad Artist: diem chau Overheard: the crayon was mightier than the sword. artist: todd peterson Share

Check out twenty-five crafty carvings. oh, yes, the obligatory political pumpkins … via designobserver Share

Making the Monopoly board more palatable to designers. via designobserver surfstation Share

The All-New mophie ‘Juice Pack 3G’ is designed to more than double the time you can rock, talk, surf and send with your iPhone 3G This is the first Apple certified ”Works With iPhone” attached battery in the world! The Juice Pack is a rechargeable lithium polymer battery in the form of a non-slip, soft [...]

Creativity at work again: turning a negative into a positive. Yes, they’re a green product, 100% biodegradable. Producer: Jungeschatel Designer: Jungeschatel via thedieline.com Want to make a 100% biodegradable political message? dogs for democrats Share

Many people are trying to decipher the latest comments by Steve Jobs. The rumor out there now is a new product. Think MacBook Nano or iPhone Slate? Or is it the coming of the NetBook? Remember, the iPhone was spotted online in Web traffic blogs. So many this is going to be the real deal. [...]

Another USA financial crisis casualty. This bit of news not about Joe the plumber. On the contrary, it’s an example of the very wealthy feeling it. Make you feel better? Probably not. Architect Santiago Calatrava is in the news suing the developer of the Chicago Spire. Mary Ellen Podmolik and Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune reporters [...]

The premium T@B for epicures has meanwhile taken over the editors of the first league: Auto, Motor and Sport. ( below ) The T@b. You are an individual and a non-conformist.
 You don’t drive on holidays.
 You drive into life. You don’t stand at the ocean shore, look out at the blue and say: “It’s [...]

New eco-company Kayu handcrafts sunglasses from pesticide-free bamboo. The shades are oversized in a retro-stylish way (think Jackie O. goes green), but the best part is what’s behind the lenses: for every pair purchased, Kayu donates enough funds to cover one sight-restoring surgery in the developing world. So the shades are not only green, they [...]

It’s a toaster from Siemens and Porsche and it means serious toasting business. The TT911P2 2-Slice automatically adjusts itself to the thickness of the bread, has an LED display that counts down until the toast is ready, has 11 different degrees of browning, and it can remember which one was used last. The quartz heating [...]

We’ve seen the splendor of China’s Bird’s Nest, now check out a new contender for the prize of most unique stadium. The stadium design by MZ & Partners Architects has already earned the nickname “The Laptop.” The main stand is upright with most of its height coming from the underground field. All lights will be [...]

Known for his red-soled stilettos, Christian Louboutin doesn’t disappoint his devotees with a new season favorite, the Layered Leather Hobo. Created with armor-inspired, scalloped design of carefully stitched calfskin this hobo sports a trough in the middle enhancing the carrier’s comfort. Available in signature black with red accents on the outer rings and inner, jacquard [...]

Paris council has unveiled plans for a 50-story glass pyramid after voting to drop a ban on high-rise buildings. Proposals for the Project Triangle, designed by Swiss architecture practice Herzog & de Meuron who designed the Olympic stadium in Beijing. The tower will have offices, a conference center, 400-bedroom hotel and restaurants and cafes. It [...]

With cold weather just around the corner, tea anyone? Gems Teastick The Teastick GEMS bring new light to your cup of tea. Now with two brilliant colors so sparkling clear you can see the steeping tea bloom. With classic “scoop it, slide it, steep it” functionality The Teastick GEMS are as useful as they are [...]

This cool coffee maker offers up a smart industrial design which cleanly integrates a ceramic mug in place of a carafe. The WMF1 Coffee Pad takes a single portioned coffee filter and can brew up a fresh cup of Java in about 1 minute. The compact coffee maker features a clean white design, with a [...]

What is this? An electric toothbrush on a stand? Darn, the title gives this product away. It is the Dyno outdoor shower by MyYour. The Dyno designer shower is totally waterproof and UV-ray resistant and will stay looking new for years. It’s made from self-colored polyethylene, which is strengthened inside, and Dyno is available in [...]

Anyone wondering what gasoline will cost in 2010? Here is a car from the Sexy Green Car Show you should keep abreast of. It’s a four seater eco car built from lightweight materials and should be on the market by 2010. The British-designed Axon uses a tiny 500cc engine to give a fantastic 100 miles [...]

This running feature began in 2008 to develop a story on the state of wind
turbine design.

Chicago developer hits design button to bolster condo sales. The contemporary condos are in not-yet-arrived Edgewater. Units range from 1200 to 1538 square feet priced at $350K to $452K. Yes, this is a design blog but we have a national election coming up in a few days featuring an economy button. Let’s continue. Recently, Donald [...]

poster power. it’s real.

Have been sitting on this post awhile getting into the mood for collapsable concepts and product. Though the “Jackknife” was created in 2006 it was worth posting as the styling and design was noteworthy. The concept was designed by Philippe Holthuizen and Rodrigo Clavel for a contest sponsored by Cannondale Europe. Both are graduate students [...]

Google offers up a new vision of computing and it isn’t about desktops or laptops. It’s mobile. The Google phone has arrived. The phone shots are T-Mobile’s G1. But this is a design resource and the phone is not our focus. It is the software named Android. What is Android if you already haven’t heard? [...]

Like sophisticated Transformers, these products fold to save space and to reveal a new function. The Flatterware cup body is molded out of a single piece of flexible plastic, with a helical structure allowing it to spring open and close with ease. Just give it a simple twist, the bright plastic disc turns into an [...]

This summer something caught my eye on top of a neighbor’s SUV. It looked like a lighter – than – air aircraft wing but found out it was a collapsable boat. It looks much better in vitro than in these photos. Adding collapsability into the design criteria can be a bit of a challenge. Here [...]

The Mies Van Der Rohe’s Farnsworth House sets on five – foot – high risers. On 9/14 it was under water. The Fox River near Chicago has risen two feet above that. The director of the historic site says “It’s gut – wrenching. You have to come to terms with the fact that Mother Nature [...]

As with many of the concepts shown this year of the Renault Megane Coupe foreshadows a production version that’s set to be released at a later date. Of course, don’t expect the gullwing doors or the futuristic interior to find their way into production, but you can get a general idea of what Renault has [...]

Electric/pedal power hybrid bicycles make a lot of sense as commuters. With a small amount of battery power to augment your pedaling efforts, you can achieve extra speed and distance while leaving a minimal environmental footprint and paying next to nothing per kilometer. The Electrobike Pi is a fine example of the state of the [...]

source = http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/469/top-10-2008-hybrids (show cars.com though!!) Hybrid rankings have often been simplistic: Most are little more than lists of the highest-mileage models on the market. Here, we ranked hybrids based on how much fuel savings they get when compared to their non-hybrid version, as well as how much all that saved gas is going to [...]

Robots. A very interesting topic. DA recently showcased a sewer inspector, the world’s most powerful per the manufacturer, a very practical solution. But what about robotics that inspire art? An example: Christopher Conte. By day posing as a designer of prosthetics and making artificial limbs for amputees in New York. At night and on weekends(?) [...]

On May 2, 2008, Nau announced that it was closing shop. The reason? They could not get financing to continue operations. If you don’t know who Nau is, they’re a uniquely new business—selling eco-friendly clothes with a unique business model: brick and mortar stores that displayed examples of their product but the purchases were online. [...]

We are alerted: World Animal Day is October 4. This post celebrates environment, design, fashion, and animals used in marketing efforts. Here we feature a collaboration between Puma and Atmos NY, which consists of three pairs of Puma models inspired by three endangered polar animals: the Harp Seal, Macaroni Penguin and Polar Bear. Each sneaker [...]

“A sewer worker is like a brain surgeon. We’re both specialists.” —Ed Norton, The Honeymooners. Ed’s fingernails would be a lot cleaner if this robotic sewer “crawler” existed. Though not an object of beauty this robot is designed to go where you would rather not. It’s estimated that 850 billion gallons of sewer and storm [...]

Phillipe Starck’s latest — a plastic chair — earned it’s name on the first sketch. Mr. Impossible. The designer said it couldn’t be made. The challenge being the weld. Using existing methods to weld the seat and the legs would create an unsightly seam. Kartell’s engineers had to go the blue water route. The key, [...]

This Spring PUMA® introduces the PUMA GLOW RIDER, the third edition of the PUMA bike. Possessing the quintessential PUMA characteristics of fun and functionality, the new model distinguishes itself through the unique glow in the dark frame. The bike is part of PUMA Urban Mobility, a collection created with the needs of a city dweller [...]

Less about breaking news and more about affirmation: The Zeppelin iPod dock from Bowers and Wilkins not only looks good from across the room and CU, but the music is consistent with the manufacturer’s reputable sound. First seen almost a year ago but did not mess with it until killing time in an Apple store [...]

It’s summer in our hemisphere. Long days. Warm weather. Spending more time outdoors. Here is a innovative product that you make yourself at the beach or on a picnic — the cutlery! What fun! The cutlery (Do!) and an extension cord (Thrush-In) that stores nicely in its own felt container is designed by Arihiro Miyake. [...]

The world’s first eco car show opened at the Eden Project in the UK last week. Let’s discover which type of green motor we’re most likely to be driving in the future. Love them or hate them, cars are not going away. But road transport accounts for a fifth of our carbon dioxide emissions in [...]

In a highly extraordinary example of creativity and high-design, the iPhone captures the 2008 Creativity Awards Grand Prize Winner. Why so unusual? This event is judged by the advertising community where ad campaigns and 30-second spots typically rule. A POV from one of the judges: “The iPhone. Iconic design or iconic brand? Simply put Apple [...]

A home that makes the Smart car, standing side-by-side, look like a SUV. No, an 18-wheeler. “Micro-Compact Home” [m-ch] was inspired by Japanese tea houses, yes, the Smart car and first class air travel. They are lightweight, modular, mobile and very minimal 2.65m (roughly 77 sq ft). That equates into a 266 x 266 x [...]

High-design. Electric. 50-state approved (USA). After quite a bit of tweaks, good and bad press the FDA finally blessed the Tesla in January 2008 and this red (green) car can go on sale. The car won’t solve the world problems, at least not this particular car — $100K — but it is a start. Tesla [...]

Eton makes serious radios. Sound 140 Concerto (top) is a loaded clock radio with amazing audio that was specially crafted for your iPod. Martha Stewart would say put one in each room, being cheaper than wiring the mansion for sound. FR1000-VoiceLink (bottom) belongs in your survivor kit. AM-FM, emergency-band, cell-phone charger, walkie-talkie, with a nearly [...]

Worried about space? The Dyson DP24 is for you. This version of the top-shelf Ball, measures only 29.6 inches tall and weighs 11.6 pounds. And its sucks the color off the carpet. Visit Dyson DP24 Home Depot was surprised by the fire-safety statistics. Their new design lab creates Home Hero. The goal was to create [...]

The bad news: $77,000 USD and Peraves will only make 100 units a year. The good news: This unusual vehicle is manufactured by the Swiss company Peraves. The Ecomobile is essentially an enclosed motorcycle. The power for the Ecomobile originates from a rear mounted liquid cooled 4 cylinder BMW K series motorcycle engine. When in [...]

Value item: Tata Nano. A car christened “the peoples car” debuted in 2007 amid a lot of controversy. Its an unremarkable car if you don’t take into account that it’s sticker price is $2,500 USD. The negative is it is manufactured in India as an easy-entry into owning an automobile. Many feel that India’s densely [...]

When does form and function equal art? Here is an example. A recent reviewer said “If Apple did housewares, this might be the iPot.

Here’s one electric vehicle where limited range no longer seems unpalatable. Designed and built in China by a company called Axle Corporation, the EV-X7 is driven by an electric wheel hub motor and has a top speed of 93 mph. This, of course, is a snail’s pace compared to modern motorcycles, but then again, this [...]

Here is a product to help your house go green. As you know, even when your giant plasma screen is dark it is not turned off. It’s never off but on standby silently sucking energy. Many other products to the same: the phone, phone charger, the stereo. A neat feature with this surge protector is [...]

Simple idea that seems so obvious after it becomes available. A portable power source for your mobile devices. Charge the Powerstick from any USB port anywhere, anytime; free yourself from wall sockets, converters, adapters and chargers. Travel overseas without converters or need for a power outlet. Handy handy handy! “Simplicity drives the purpose and form [...]

Just about the time we should be thinking about 86ing our plastic bottled water habits we have a bottle story. We came across this art and artist via trespluscool The artist is Martine Camillieri, a french artist who works with colorful plastics. Trying to think of an adequate bumper sticker here. —No to trash. Make [...]

If you like Eames, a collectors item, a childs toy resurfaces. During the early 1940s Charles and Ray Eames developed a successful technique for molding plywood into three-dimensional shapes, which led to the creation of a variety of furnishings and sculptures. The Plywood Elephant, in particular, has attained legendary status among collectors. Designed in 1945, [...]

All you need is water, money, a Darth Vadar fetish. One you burn calories. One you burn 951 gallons an hour. Both burn holes in pockets. There is little info on the Tu-fin save a link to their site. “TU_FiN Walking on Water—das Fun und Fitnessboot.” But here is a story on Wally… Share

stairs are both clever and beautiful.

What do these two bikes have in common? Two wheels? We can feel the love. Designer Roland Kaufmann has gone and built a bicycle out of wood. He calls this cycle Jano, and says it’s a dual bike, equally at home trekking cross-country or taking its rider to and from work every day. This project [...]

Much like a canteen for campers, this simple design is a compact carrier for your pet’s food and water. Made of two halves, the Charlybox includes a two-liter canteen for fresh water, and two bowls for water and kibble. Great gift for a pet owner. Or treat yourself if you are an outdoors type person. [...]

Italdesign Ggiugiao Quaranta concept powered by Toyota Hybrid Synergy drive Uncompromising innovation in Giugiaro tradition An ‘extreme’, clean-technology project embodying 40 years of styling research and engineering celebrated by Italdesign Giugiaro in Geneva The ‘Quaranta’ project is a concept car designed to celebrate Italdesign Giugiaro’s forty years of business in styling and technological research at [...]

Apparently, the Macbook Air is selling well enough to be unavailable in many stores and require a 5-7 day wait for online orders. Despite the high price, the super-thin laptop is often selling out the day a shipment arrives at an Apple Store according to research done by Ars Technica. Of course, without knowing just [...]

Simplehuman’s handsome new Steel Frame Dishrack makes years of mildew-prone materials and leaky drip trays a thing of the past: It features a bamboo knife block, an under-the-drip-tray spout that pivots to drain excess water into the sink, and a fingerprint-proof coating that will keep the thing as pristine as the stainless-steel appliances it’s meant [...]