Graham Hicks AboutArchivesElsewhere
102003
How's this for adaptive design? Instead of buying clothing, just get some felt and velcro squares and build your own clothing (or whatever else).

Actually, now that I think about it, it's more adaptable design than it is adaptive.  
10/06/03   Comments [0]
It looks as though Naoto Fukasawa's latest collaboration with the Diamond, Inc. is the creation of a company called ±0 (Plus Minus Zero). Their aim is to create household items with a "spirit of fun" in much the same way that the Without Though series has (Without Thought 4, Without Thought e-Fashion, Without Thought 2?). I love Fukasawa's description of some of the reasoning behind the designs:
Rounded edges (R) are artificial creations. Squaring off the rounded edges of a piece of timber is something that we do even though we know that the edges will become rounded, either through human hands or through the process of weathering. We entrust this rounding of the edges to nature. We decided on the adoption of R2.5 – which is similar to the rounding of edges (R) that occurs naturally – as the ±0 design range’s base language because it is close to the natural R created by human hands. Your fingers automatically reach out to rub over the rounded edges of the warm, unpainted pale wood.
Product Art, their first set of products, should go on sale before the end of the year.  
10/05/03   Comments [0]
Back in 2001 German art collective Fursr (creators of the PainStation) developed a "board game" called His Master's Voice. The game has no rules of it's own, but players can control small spheres on the game board by singing or whistling. Each ball will listen for a specific pitch, and rolls around when it's pitch is sung. Watch the video of some people trying it out.   10/04/03   Comments [0]
I've always found it kind of entertaining when I'm in the office and two people's desk phones ring at the same time.It ends up sounding a bit like two birds calling out to each other back and forth across the studio.

It would actually be kind of fun if everyone's ring actually was a recording of a bird so that you could associate a certain bird call to your phone. It might even be a little less distracting in an open plan studio than the electronic rings that comes with the phones.

I was thinking about doing this with my cell phone, but due to Danger and T-Mobile crippling their own product, I can't use my own audio as a ring-tone.  
10/04/03   Comments [1]