toy – DesignApplause

Earth blocks: legos for grown-ups (or sustainably minded children).

Apr 1, 2012

click > enlarge

If you’ve visited the Guggenheim lately you may have seen Earth Blocks – no, not the ones used to build houses (though those are really cool, too). I’m talking about the kid’s version, Earth Toy Earth Blocks, which are like sustainable Legos. Made from a composite of cedar tree bark, compressed saw dust, coffee beans and green tea leaves, the blocks don’t come in shades of red, blue or yellow. In fact, you’d better hope your kid likes dark green and brown a lot.

They’re a lot softer than Legos, which means it won’t hurt as much when you accidentally step on one, but The Wall Street Journal points out that since they’re softer and don’t snap together as tightly as Legos, they’re “less than ideal for making lightsabers.” And since the blocks do actually smell like coffee and tea, they’re probably better suited for the big kids out there. I can’t be the only who never outgrew her Legos, right?

You buy them from the Guggenheim online, $30 for 50 blocks.

about perrin drumm

Bucky balls.

Apr 20, 2009

216 powerful rare earth magnets that can be shaped, molded, torn apart and snapped together in UNLIMITED WAYS.

Holy zoomdoggle!

[LINK]

Fiskar Karma. Ready to go plug-ins.

Mar 2, 2009

While we wait for “plug-in” Volt and Prius to arrive in 2010 there are two exotic automakers ready to go. Tesla ( $128,000 USD two-seater ) and Karma ( $87,900 USD ) Let’s look at Karma.

above: The Karma S — for Sunset — concept that debuted at the Detroit auto show shares its gas-electric drivetrain with the Karma sedan but wraps it in an even sleeker two-door body that could see production within two years.

above: A rooftop solar panel on the sedan comprised of 80 cells divided into four zones. Output is 130 watts, and it helps charge the battery and, when the car is parked, keep the interior cool.

“The Karma’s material philosophy balances sensuality and accountability,” Fisker says. “We have gone to great lengths to use only environmentally conscious, classic automotive materials that support a commitment to our eco initiatives.”

Under the skin, the 4-door and 2-door cars use the same gas-electric drivetrain, which Fisker calls Q-Drive, developed with help from Quantum Technologies. The Karma will work much like the Chevrolet Volt, delivering 50 miles of all-electric range before the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine kicks in to drive a generator that will recharge the 22.6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and provide juice to keep the car moving. A rooftop solar panel on the sedan comprised of 80 cells divided into four zones. Output is 130 watts, and it helps charge the battery and, when the car is parked, keep the interior cool. Toyota’s got something similar on the 2010 Prius it unveiled a few hours before the Karma S broke cover.

Beneath the car’s aluminum-and-composite body lies an aluminum spaceframe chassis that cradles two electric motors that together produce 300 kW (408 horsepower) and a stunning 959 foot-pounds of torque. Fisker claims the sedan, which weighs 4,650 pounds, will do zero to 60 in 5.8 seconds. Top speed is limited to 125 mph.

Although the Karma’s electric drivetrain is a proprietary system designed in conjunction with Quantum Technologies, the engine, air-conditioning system, steering column and other “bits and baubles” were pulled from the GM parts bin, says Fisker spokesman Russell Datz.

Fisker may be getting help from GM, but, like Tesla Motors, he’s bringing a new business model to the auto industry.

His company isn’t financed by stockholders or government loans, but by venture capitalists, including the powerhouse firm of Kleiner, Perkins Caufield & Byers. It is outsourcing much of the work to top-tier suppliers like Edag Engineering and Magna Intier, and the cars will be assembled by Valmet, the Finnish firm that builds cars for Porsche. Fisker Automotive bought a big share of Advanced Lithium Power, so it’s got a battery supplier lined up.

Still, Fisker still has to get its car certified by the feds — an arduous task that some industry insiders doubt it will complete before the end of the year, particularly since we haven’t seen running cars. It also has to establish a dealer network, but Fisker says 40 dealers will be up-and-running by year’s end. Some seasoned industry watchers say Fisker undoubtedly will get his cars built, but they aren’t betting he’ll do it by the end of the year.

The convertible added just 15 percent to the cost of building the sedan, which carries a retail price starting at $87,900. Another $18,599 gets you the “Eco-Chic” model, which has an interior free of all animal products, with woodwork made from submerged logs (no clearcutting required).

Fisker says he’s received orders for 1,300 vehicles, and he tells The New York Times his company would turn a profit if it sold 4,000 cars annually. The goal, he says, is to sell 15,000 worldwide each year.

Specification:
All electric with range extender (Q-Drive)
Dual mode option: power mode and stealth mode
0-60: under 6 seconds
Top speed: 125 mph
4-door
22 inch wheels

Producer: Karma by Fiskar

eames plywood elephant.

Mar 6, 2008

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, this piece requires complex fabrication methods. Only two prototypes were produced, both of which were subsequently displayed in an exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art. Today only one known model remains in the possession of the Eames Family.

Charles and Ray Eames were fascinated by elephants. Many images of these gentle giants are found in Charles’ photographic documentations of Indian culture and the circus world. The Plywood Elephant was designed as a toy for children, but also as a striking sculptural object that makes a statement in any environment with its vigorous curves and delightful character. There is a playful charm in the way that the Eameses used juvenile motifs to create a vibrant, cheerful idiom that appeals to adults as well as children.

June 17, 2007 marked the 100th birthday of Charles Eames. To commemorate this occasion, Vitra is producing a limited Anniversary Edition of the Eames Plywood Elephant. Designed in 1945, this piece attained legendary status in spite of the fact that it never went into production.

The 2007 Anniversary Edition of the Eames Plywood Elephant is strictly limited world-wide to 1000 pieces in each of two versions, natural maple and red stained maple. The serial number of each Plywood Elephant is engraved on a small aluminum plaque. DA is sorry this post is so late in coming. Check with Vitra to see if any are still available.