Cool Hunting: Eschewing chemical-based fabrics for Japanese organic cotton and Italian linen, Paris-based designers Kaito Hori and Iku Furudate of Commuun believe that “environmental issues can not be ignored when considering the future of fashion and society as a whole.” Each collection is inspired by natural landscape and “the balance and tension in nature.” While the pieces are fastidiously crafted […]
Nature’s Design
Plastic Business
TriplePundit: NPR has a great little piece today about the destiny of the (cue Carl Sagan) billions and billions of plastic water bottles that we go though every year, the majority of which end up in a landfill. About 23% however, do wind up being recycled into various uses, typically carpeting or other downcycled products. Interestingly the majority of this […]
Energy Tent
Cool Hunting: If you don’t like to rough it, can’t do without the conveniences of home, or just need a base camp to recharge your camera or MP3 player after a day on the trail, the Eureka N!ergy tents have three 12-volt plugs to charge your accessories. A concealed wiring system strategically places glowing outlets throughout the tent for easy […]
Videopedia
Iconoculture: It’s not Wikipedia, it’s a videopedia. At 5min.com you can learn everything from how to make an origami barking dog (useful!) to how to spackle a wall (frivolous!) to how to pour beer (necessary!). 5min’s video player is specially made for the self-help medium — users can switch the player to slow-motion mode or even advance a how-to video […]
Green Track
Trendwatching: UK supermarket Tesco plans to introduce carbon footprint labels on all 70,000 products it sells to allow shoppers to compare carbon impacts. Implementation will take a while: the company is currently investigating how to develop a “universally accepted and commonly understood” measuring system. Last year, footwear manufacturer Timberland started placing a “nutritional label” on each shoe box, educating consumers […]
Rugged Laptop
Crave: Mobile computing can be a haphazard business, and new notebooks from General Dynamics and Panasonic give their owners permission to drop them (from a reasonable distance) as often as they like. General Dynamics’ GoBook MR-1 claims to be the smallest fully rugged ultramobile PC, and it may very well be. It weighs 2 pounds, and is about the size […]
Green Milk Bottles
Springwise: Designed and manufactured in Britain, Greenbottle is a biodegradable milk bottle that uses a smart two-part system to aid recycling. The bottles are composed of a cardboard outer manufactured from pulped, recycled cardboard, which is lined with an inner sleeve of biodegradable plastic made from corn starch. The plastic keeps the cardboard from becoming soggy, and the cardboard makes […]
Driving Ability
Iconoculture: Kids with disabilities who can’t maneuver joysticks don’t have to miss out on the fun of radio-control cars. Dream-Racer builds technology that enables kids to “drive” the cars using simple body movements instead of joysticks. The prototype baseball cap, built for a child paralyzed in an auto accident, helps him steer the car with his head. Gloves and shoes […]
Timeshare Canine
Iconoculture: Leased cars. Vacation condos. And now, timeshare dogs. FLEXPETZ lets dog lovers who don’t have the time or space to be full-time pet owners make playdates with dogs from breed-rescue shelters. FLEXPETZ members pay $40 a month, plus a daily fee, and can reserve their dog of choice online. But before part-time companions start tossing Frisbees to Fido, they […]
Providing a Thriving Office
Thriving Office: Want a successful and thriving business environment? Here’s the creative and innovative CD to enhance your working environment. Thriving Office is a CD, filled with office sounds, that home businesses play it in the background while they’re on the phone to sound more established. In addition to eliminating uncomfortable silence, it also masks domestic noises, such as kids […]