New iPhone Camera Concept

We all love that our phones have a convenient camera operation on them, but sometimes the quality just doesn't meet our standards.  In addition, those who are interested in photography do not like point and shoot cameras; they will only use a camera with manual features so they have optimal control. Imagine if your iPhone gave you this capability...

Black Design Associates, LLC has just announced a concept for a hybrid iPhone/Leica. It's called the i9.

This is a fully functional iPhone, therefore has all the capabilities of the smart phone but attaches to the i9, which some view as a large protective case.  It attaches, turing the phone into a retooled Leica CMOS image sensor and lens.  Another feature that consumers will enjoy once this product is a reality, is the shared battery capability.

Distilling the Wisdom of CEOs - NY Times article

What does it take to lead an organization? This is a question which was studied by interviewing and getting details from those individuals in an organization who have the coveted "corner office." Luckily for us, the five essential tricks are ones that can be used and learned by anyone. These traits will help you stand out, improve multiple skills and in turn make you a better employee or manager.

Passionate Curiosity This is the urge to ask "big picture" questions. See how things work and recognize the potential in them so they can be improved.

Battle-hardened confidence Everybody has challenges in their life and job, the way to use this to your advantage is to embrace, relish and overcome it! Make yourself known for the challenges you have overcome, it will impress people more than you know.

Team Smarts Do not devalue how being a team player can improve your corporate life. It is very important to be an active part of a group.

A simple mind-set Be concise, get to the point and make it simple. Bosses are not into long-winded responses or lengthy PowerPoints; express yourself efficiently

Fearlessness Take risks, find comfort in uncomfortable situations, be able to face what others shy away from. This is a top quality looked for in job candidates; be bold! Question even what works.

"use your head, use your foot"

We have all been faced with the predicament of opening a dirty door with newly washed hands.  There are few logical solutions to this; for the most part we either stuck it out, opened the door with a paper towel in our hands, used our pinky or tried to maneuver our foot onto the door handle.





All of these solutions have their downfall:  germs, wasteful, difficult/dangerous.  Well, a group of University of Minnesota students have isolated the problem and come up with The Toepener.  With three easy steps of step, pull, walk, this invention makes it so it is comfortable for you to use your foot to open the door and never use your hands.



What an easy solution to a problem we all face but never thought there was another way.  The interesting thing is, these students are not designers, in fact they are business management students.  This is a great product to start their career.

Vertical Garden

Like to garden but just don't have the yard?  No worries!  Urbio Urban Vertical Garden is the perfect solution to you.  It is the perfect compromise between a full garden and limited space.

Urbio Urban Vertical Garden from Enlisted Design on Vimeo.

This wall-mounted magnetic gardening kit allows more people than ever to garden, especially for people living in the city:  "represents an interesting solution to the physical limits of the modern urban home."  In a sense this solution is similar to that of a sky scraper; build up because there is no out.  This idea a stylish and practical, good job Urbio.

Tomasz Sikorski

Tomasz Sikorski's presentation is aimed at tying art into social and political aesthetics.  He discussed that art with political ties are brought about when there is a need for change.  However with socially engaged art, there instills the awareness that something needs to be done.  Physiologically or intellectually, inspired art is more than just a beautiful picture; it engages us on multiple levels.

Engaged art can modify status quo, it has visible and invisible effects and there are cognitive reactions. One example that he showed was Bonfire of Freedom:  It shows a crowd surrounding a man standing on wood, encircled with Polish writing translating to "we should be free."  This is a strong image because it wakened people's senses.  It made them think about things they were not concerned about before.  These images, performances and demonstrations are representative of politically engaged art.

While every piece of art, every demonstration and every mural cannot be put in a museum it is very important that some of these get exhibited.  Some images or works are graphic or politically startling and normally would not be deemed appropriate to be shown on the "white walls" of a museum.  This is unfortunate and should be reconsidered.  These pieces, while I understand there is not room for every one, are important for the public to see and interpret.  They must be shared.

No more Dirty Bathrooms

When going to someone's house or while at a train station one of the most intimidating things to do is use the bathroom.  You never know if it will be clean or absolutely disgusting.  Yes I know that what we do in bathrooms is not the most glamorous thing but we do have standards as to were we do these functions.



The Scooba230 will save us from ever entering a dirty bathroom again!  It is a floor mopping robot designed specifically for bathrooms.  Its pretty small but unfortunately not small enough to fit in that small crevice between the toilet and the wall, but new prototypes are coming out and they are getting smaller and smaller.  Since it doesn't just go over an area once, it ensures that your bathroom is thoroughly sanatized.

Pad Cash

Don't you wish that you had enough money to throw away on package filler?  I know I would love to get a package delivered to me full of cash to keep the contents safe.  Designers Sherwood Forlee and Mihoko Ouchi in their latest project are having fun with the term "financial padding."

The project itself is to jab at the notion that wealth is a cushion.  Now looks are deceiving, this is NOT actual money but they sure did a good job replicating it.  I am not sure that this trend will pick up at all or actually be used to send packages but it is a bit of wishful thinking during the recession.