“The brain is a category buster.”
-Elizabeth Phelps, American Cognitive Scientist,
2007
GRAVITY FREE is a truly unique multidiscipline design conference. Each year we pick a theme. Then we select 22 of the most passionate designers, design thinkers and innovators on the planet from 20 different design disciplines to help us explore the theme. The result: an experience like none other—a remarkable cross-fertilization of ideas and inspiration that only happens when such a remarkable variety of design influences interact.
GRAVITY FREE covers the waterfront of creative disciplines. Speakers come from architecture, retail display, storytelling, experiential environments, urban planning, customer experience, product design, information architecture, exhibit design, aerospace, interior design, theme environments, production design, illusion, molecular gastronomy, automotive design, technology and media, museum design, brand management… in fact, ANY area that offers something new and important. No break out sessions. Everyone has the same experience. (more…)
It’s been a week since Earth Hour 2008. So we looked around to see what happened then, and if
anything since…
A student told us Google went black! Good for them. This is how we envisioned a black Google.
The normal Chicago skyline at bottom.
This taken from the Chicagoist…
Earth Hour officials indicate last year there were 2.2 million who participated in a one-hour effort to bring awareness to energy conservation. Yesterday, they estimated that number was around 10 million. In Chicago, the Sears Tower, the John Hancock, the Wrigley Building, and the Tribune Tower dimmed decorative lights, while 500 McDonald’s throughout Chicagoland turned off their golden arches. In the theatre district, marquees went dark, and Elphaba, the witch from “Wicked” turned out the lights with a dramatic “spell”. Navy Pier’s iconic ferris wheel went dark and nearly every store on the Magnificent Mile turned out their lights. (more…)
The biennial Art Center Design Conference is a three-day international gathering of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and innovators from many fields and disciplines. The 2008 Conference, Serious Play, will explore the essential role of play in business, the arts, science, storytelling, technology, and more.
May 7-9, 2008 Art Center College of Design, South Campus, Pasedena, California, USA
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 it comes with a giant ON/OFF switch—that comes with a magnetic wall mount! As for why its good… two of the plugs are permanently on, where the rest of the plugs can be turned off with the giant switch to save energy.
Here is what Belkin says…
The new Belkin Conserve is an 8-outlet surge protector that makes it simple to eliminate wasteful standby power to your electronic devices, helping you reduce energy consumption, save money, and lower your overall impact on the environment. (more…)
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 of the Ecosol Powerstick, . . . the Powerstick is ultra-portable . . . monitoring the Powerstick’s energy status is a breeze.” Core 77 via Powerstick
Today at MoMA
February 24–May 12, 2008
The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art Exhibition Gallery, sixth floor.
In the past few decades, individuals have experienced dramatic changes in some of the most established dimensions of human life: time, space, matter, and individuality. Working across several time zones, traveling with relative ease between satellite maps and nanoscale images, gleefully drowning in information, acting fast in order to preserve some slow downtime, people cope daily with dozens of changes in scale. Minds adapt and acquire enough elasticity to be able to synthesize such abundance. One of design’s most fundamental tasks is to stand between revolutions and life, and to help people deal with change. (more…)
