Lung Ashtray

Need some help subtly encouraging someone to stop smoking? How about buying them this beautiful white porcelain ashtray? Designed by Finding Cheska, the ashtray is shaped like a set of lungs. As you ash in the tray the lungs turn from this lovely soft white to an ash heaped gray mess. You can't help but appreciate the simple but strong message.

Star Wars takes over the US Postal Service

Has anyone been to the US Postal Service website lately? It has been totally invaded by Star Wars, in celebration of the movie's 30th Anniversary. They have re-skinned the main site and added Star Wars content, including the Star Wars Challenge and downloadable Star Wars Wallpaper for your desktop. As of May 25th USPS will also be releasing Star Wars stamps. All 15 stamps, which are viewable on their website, will be available together as a stamp pane. You can vote for your favorite stamp and the one that gets the most votes will be made available for purchase independently of the others. I tried to vote but I couldn't decide on my favorite... I'm torn between the Millennium Falcon, the Stormtroopers, C-3PO, or Princess Leia and R2-D2.

Have you also seen the images of the mail boxes done up as R2-D2? I can't wait to see one of these on the street. I'm not sure if I would want to put my mail in them because they are so getting stolen!

Panda Cam Widget

Readers meet my pandas, pandas meet the One Floor Up readers. Ok, ok, so they are not my exactly my pandas, but close enough. I can watch them 24 hours on my Panada Cam Widget thanks to the web cams at the San Diego Zoo. You can also watch live feeds of polar bears, elephants and apes. The panda feed is the most exciting because the zoo is a panda research center so they have multiple cameras which are constantly being aimed at one panada or another. This image is an old, but very cute, screenshot from my panda cam. This widget can be downloaded from Apple.com or you can view the web cams directly from the San Diego Zoo site.

The Science behind the Hype

This post is for my dad because he always has such an amusing give-me-a-break approach to these types of medical claims. I'm sure he will be glad to know he is not the only sane person around, apparently Popular Science agrees with him. The latest issue of Pop Sci features an article on how to tell balanced science from mindless hype. Some featured headlines include: 'Chocolate's Better Than Broccoli', 'The Pub Is Better for You Than the Gym' and 'Cheers! Scientists Say Red Wine Stops You Growing Old'. (Happy Birthday Dad!)

Bodum Double Wall Glasses

These double walled glasses from Bodum are designed to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. Hot drinks hold their heat and don't burn your hands. Cold drinks stay cool and don't sweat on your table. They are made out of Borosilicate glass that is stronger and lighter than typical drinkware glass. Bodum makes about 6 different styles of the double walled glasses. All the drinks look so beautiful hovering inside of them.

They Rule(d)

They Rule was created by Josh On back in 2004. The information is a bit out of date but the idea behind it is still very relevant. The site is designed to provide a glimpse into the connections between the American ruling class. It allows you to create maps using the board members of the top 500 companies in the US. You can see who sits (sat) on what board and which other companies they are board members for. The more boards a person sits on the fatter their little icon is. You can create you own connection maps or view some of the saved maps (Apple vs Microsoft, Within 2 Phone Calls to Bush, If Women Ruled the World, and more).

Google Moon and Google Mars

So we have experienced Google Earth (love it), but have you been to Google Moon or Google Mars yet?

Google Moon is from a couple years ago. It is a map of the moon's surface made up of images provided by NASA. The map shows the landing sites of Apollo Missions 11-17. Be sure to zoom in all the way (clearly someone has a good sense of humor).

Google Mars was launched about a year ago. It is a bit more sophisticated than Google Moon. Maps of Mars are viewable in Elevation, Visible, and Infrared modes. The map is annotated with information about physical features and regions, as well as spacecraft landings and images. There are some plug-ins available to overlay the map of Mars onto Google Earth so that you can spin it but they require some fussing around with your Google Earth settings. Google says that they are planning to incorporate Mars into future versions of Google Earth.

Foldschool

In first year university we had do design a cardboard bookshelf that was to be judged, not only on aesthetics, but by how much weight it could hold compared to the amount of cardboard used. As a result, I have developed an ongoing fascination with furniture make out of cardboard.

Swiss architect Nicola Enrico Staubli has designed a line of furniture based on folding cardboard. What is interesting about his approach is that he is not selling the furniture; in fact he is not actually selling anything. His designs are meant to be constructed by you (yes you). Printable templates are downloadable from his Foldschool website. Nicola says the thinking behind foldschool is "To restore design to one of its original missions: to provide a product at an affordable price through a smart manufacturing process" and presumably by smart manufacturing in this case he means elbow grease. (Thanks Ostrowski!)

Zipcars

Zipcar is a nice evolution of car rentals. They refer to themselves as a car sharing club and not a rental car company. How it works is zipcars are scattered around a few select cities (New York, Toronto, San Francisco and a few others) in conveniently located parking spots. Members can just reserve cars online and then go pick them up at the local parking spot using their membership card to open the doors. There are a few things that are really cool about this. The first is that you can rent by the day, the hour, or as part of a multi-use package depending on your needs and all the rates are pretty good. Secondly, the cost includes gas, insurance and parking, which is awesome. Also, they have some interesting cars to rent including Minis, BMWs and hybrids. Lastly, because the cars are just in parking spots, you can pick them up whenever you want, 24/7. This is a really great deal for people who live in cities like New York where you don't really need a car but it is nice to have one once in a while.

GPS Drawing

Sure GPS units are great to help you get from point A to point B, but did you know that they can also be used to draw pictures? The GPS drawing site is an amazing collection of images that people have drawn on land, air, or water, using a GPS unit. The above image was drawn on a 67.7 km bike ride through Brighton by Jeremy Wood. The images are drawn in all sorts of ways including by dogs in a park, guys with lawn mowers, someone putting down the chalk markings on a football pitch, walking on the beach, and many more. My favorite part about this is imagining how awesome some of these people must look walking in circles with a GPS unit in their hand!

Get the Glass

Today's FWA Site of the Day is Get the Glass. It is a very bandwidth intensive Flash site but it is worth the downloading time. The site is part of a Got Milk campaign. The main section of the site is an amazing 3D board game. The object is to help the Adachi family rescue a glass of milk before they get caught by the police. The game graphics are incredible. I particularly like the effect of rolling the dice. I'm not sure exactly who this game is aimed at. The concept is very basic but a lot of the activities along the way are challenging. I hope there is a lot of money in milk these days because this site must have cost them a fortune.

Petr Weigl

I'm inspired by British artist Petr Weigl's work. On one hand his work is very natural and raw, using heavy slabs of concrete and ceramic with details that look as if they have almost rotted away. On the other hand all of his pieces maintain a certain level of composure and elegance. The control of this juxtaposition is what makes these pieces so dynamic and interesting. (Thanks James)

Life Size Whale

The UK's Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society has put together this effective Flash site that allows you to experience a life size whale swimming by. Turn on your sound for full effect.

Carsten Holler slides at the Tate Modern

The spacious Turbine Hall at London's Tate Modern Museum has been home to many fascinating large scale exhibits. The current one, running October 2006-April 2007, is called Test Site designed by German artist Carsten Holler. The exhibit is a series of large slides running from various levels of the museum down to the ground floor. The project is called Test Site because the artist views the exhibit as a sort of large scale user test to study the how slides could be used in public spaces. Holler describes the experience of sliding as "a unique condition somewhere between delight and madness". His larger vision is to introduce slides across London and other large cities as part of our everyday architectural lives. What are the advantages of slides? Well, they are quick, inexpensive to construct, and energy efficient, but most importantly, fun.

Check out more images of the slides as well as timelapse video of their setup and live exhibit webcams on the Tate Modern's website.

Alessi Pasta Pot

Alessi is bringing out this new pasta pot, designed by Patrick Jouin, as part of their new Spring/Summer 2007 collection. The pot is designed around an old pasta cooking technique where the starches are absorbed back into the pasta instead of being poured off with the water.

I'm not sure that I am sold on the revival of this ancient pasta cooking method but I do really like the detail of the spoon nesting in the pot handle. I never know what to do with the stirring spoon. Stove top spoon rests always seem like they belong in someone's grandmother's kitchen. I like this solution much better. (Found through MoCo Loco)

Little People

Little People are my new favorite street art (Sorry Banksy and Moose, you've got to make room for the little guys). They are tiny hand painted people placed around London and left to "fend for themselves". They are placed in contextually relevant situations, like the guy getting into his car with shopping bags outside of a grocery store or the hikers climbing through a plant in KEW gardens, adding to the illusion that they live along side us. Whereas most street art grabs your attention by being loud and controversial, these little guys are small and understated. To me, this adds to the effectiveness of their message because you have to be paying attention to see them, making the audience more exclusive, deserving and appreciative of their effect. (Found through Wooster Collective)

Russ Mills

I love the work of British illustrator Russ Mills. It's a nice mix of illustration techniques, combining real and digital media. Most of his latest work is head shots of people. There is something really captivating about his portraits. The subjects draw you in with their facial expressions and poses giving a sense of emotion and seduction.

My Kleenex

You can now make your own personalized Kleenex Oval boxes. Compose your box on the My Kleenex website. You get a ton of flexibility including many different back grounds, access to clip art, frames, the ability go upload photos (or any jpg or png), and add text (choosing from the many fonts and colors available). Your finished box is shown to you in rotating 3D. This site recently won and Adobe Site of the Day award.

I haven't come up with a good reason why I would want a photo on a Kleenex box but it's a fun idea. From the US it only cost $4.99/box plus shipping, which isn't that much of an increase over a regular box of tissue. I've always liked the personalized photo stamps but they are so much more expensive than regular stamps that I can't justify it.

Etsy

Etsy has been on my "to blog" list for quite some time. I love this site for two reasons; firstly, I have a huge amount of admiration for independent artists and designers who just do their own thing, and secondly, the site has some great interface and sorting features that make it really engaging to interact with.

The idea behind Etsy is that it is an online space for artists and designers to sell their own handmade goods. Each artist has their own "store" where you purchase from the artist directly but all the stores are searchable from the main site. There are tons of great handmade creations like jewelry, clothing, bags, artwork and furniture, most for surprisingly low prices.

The site itself is very intriguing. You can sort through the products in many different ways including by color, by geolocators (incase you want to support the locals), using time machines (to sort according to the date and time listed), or by recommendations (Showcase, Treasury or Connections).

Renault Dashboard Gadget Holder

Oh la la, check out this new dashboard insert being shown by Renault on their new Twingo concept cars. They are calling it the "Grass Mat". This idea is good because it is so universally useful. It creates an obvious place for all your bits and pieces (sunglasses, ipod, phone, etc) keeping them all together and stopping them from rolling around. (Found through Gizmodo)

Rembrandt Toothpaste

I like the new Rembrandt advertising campaign. They have clearly decided they are getting their butts kicked in the cavity fighting area so have gone for a different approach - Oral Beauty. It is very effective. Cavities are just something that happens to "other people", whereas everybody wants a beautiful mouth. They have redesigned their packaging and launched this new Calvin Klein style advertising campaign based around a kiss. It almost makes me want to switch to Rembrandt toothpaste.

300

I saw 300 this weekend (I had been counting down the days till March 9th). It was pretty amazing. I'm not sure if I would say I loved it but I did thoroughly enjoy it. There are so many absolutely gorgeous shots in the movie. It is so refreshing to see movie makers trying to do something new and exciting.

If you are not familiar, the film is based on the graphic novel, 300, by Frank Miller. The movie does an excellent job of capturing the composition of the comic book frames. The result is something that is much more like a moving work of art than a movie, which I really appreciated.

Almost ever backdrop in the film is computer generated. The sets that they filmed on were as minimal as possible. Check out the conceptual artwork and video journals in the "Making of 300" section on the 300 website.

The Shape of Song

This website visualizes the shape of songs by creating diagrams based on repeating musical elements. Translucent arches link identical passages. Longer passages create thicker arches. This method of diagramming allows you to easily see the overall structure and composition of a song and compare it to others.

The above image illustrates the shape of Norwegian Wood by the Beatles.

Pimp my Billy

This is a pretty smart idea. Pimp my Billy by Ding 3000 is a range of products to customize one of IKEA's top selling products, the Billy bookshelf. I mean, who out there doesn't have a Billy bookshelf in their house/apartment? Ding 3000 currently has 2 different inserts to help add some excitement to your Billy: The Billy Heidenreich (an oak rack with lectern), and the Billy Wilder (seen above). (Found through Swiss Miss)

Guests at the Toronto Zoo

I can't believe I'm saying this... Madagascar Cockroaches rock! Kudos to whichever advertising firm accepted the brief of making people want to come see cockroaches at the zoo. They did an amazing job. Check out this website to promote a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach exhibit at the Toronto Zoo March 9-18. It features a short movie of Jeb's trip to Canada (awesome), and this music video of 3 roaches singing "Hiss at you! Hiss at you! Hiss at you!" (love it).

Bloom Fresco Chair

Every young baby designer, or designer baby for that matter, should have one of the Fresco chairs from Bloom. Not only is it lovely to look at but it's stacked with functional details including a 360 degree swivel base with resister, a multi-position reclining micro-suede seat, enclosed caster wheels for easy 'lift and glide', and a pneumatic-assist easy-lift height adjustment. The chair is designed to grow with your child by changing from a sleeping pod, to a feeding chair, to a high chair.

Pulp Fiction in Typography

This video is the "What does Marsellus Wallace Look Like?" scene in Pulp Fiction illustrated through typography and motion graphics. This is a pretty effective example of the power of typography. (Found through Information Aesthetics)

This video involves strong language so please don't watch if you are offended by such things or if you are at work with your volume cranked.

Lunar Eclipse

Check out these gorgeous pictures of last weekend's lunar eclipse. They were taken by Hugh Denholm from his balcony in Jomtien, Thailand.

PROAESTHETICS

The Netherlands based designer, Damian O'Sullivan, has designed a range of medical aids aimed at giving the elderly back their dignity. Instead of the traditional gray function based products, which the designer points out, highlights their difficulties rather than celebrating their capabilities, these products are all about adding a little joy and personality to medical aids. The project includes 4 aids: a crutch, an arm cast, a neck-brace and an eye-patch. Each is made of porcelain. Damian chose porcelain because it's "fragile yet strong" encouraging the user to take care of their injury and "hygienic whilst elegant" fulfilling its medical nature while still remaining beautiful.

ProAestetics up for Index Award this year as well as featured on the cover of the March/April issue of I.D. Magazine.

Faerie's Aire And Death Waltz

This is pretty awesome. It's a purposely unplayable piece of sheet music written by composer John Stump. It is filled with little bits of entertainment including notations to light explosives now, moon-walk, and release the penguins. See the full composition here. (Thanks Eric)

Found Magazine

I've gotten a few comments this week on my post about the Post Secret website. This site is along the same lines. It is called Found Magazine. It is a website with daily postings of notes that people have found on the ground, on their windshields, on public transportation, and many other places. Each note is accompanied by an explanation of where and how it was found, which often adds to the amusement. This site offers a strange little glimpse into other people's lives. (Thanks Heckman)

77 Water St

One of my favorite things about New York City is all of its little hidden gems. This is one that I came across today. It is a full size sculpture of a World War I Sopwith Camel, designed by Rudolph de Harak and sculpted by William Tarr. The biplane sits on a green runway on the roof of 77 Water St in Manhattan's financial district. What I love about this is that when it was built in 1969 no one other than the people in the surrounding taller buildings could see it. Of course, now we can all see it care of Google Maps by searching for "77 water st, Manhattan, NY" and turning on the Satellite or Hybrid views. (Found through Wooster Collective)

Breath Palette

Breath Palette is an interesting take on dental care. It is a range of toothpaste and mouthwashes that come in 32 different crazy flavors including Kiwi, Green Tea, Pumpkin Pudding and Indian Curry. The mouthwash comes in single serving cups numbered 1 to 31 so that you can enjoy a different mouthwash adventure every day. (Found through NOTCOT).

RIDGID Lit Power Cords

This 7 1/4" wormdrive saw is just one of the many corded power tools by RIDGID to incorporate this nice design feature. The power cord lights up when plugged in and displays an icon of the tool. This shows that the tool has power to it and allows you to easily see which cord to unplug when you are finished.