Hopefully a future version will only kill the lights. That way, my kids will always remember to “bust a cap” into their lamp to turn it off when they leave a room. They’ll have to exert themselves a little more to turn the light on. [Gizmodo]
Kill The Lights With BANG! Lamps By bitplay INC.
February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
http://www.vimeo.com/35973598BANG! lamps: just another cool gadget or gat training for the energy-saving domestic commando? Created by bitplay INC. out of Taiwan, BANG! lamps are turned on/off and the lampshade tilts when it’s shot by the included pistol. It’s only available in Taiwan now but should be coming to the states soon.
picNYC Table Is Sod-Covered And Brings Outdoor Dining Inside
December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
| “a surreal experience of nature in the city that literally transforms dining.” |
| Haiko Cornelissen Architekten |
I had to rub my eyes the first time I saw this grass growing beauty from Haiko Cornelissen Architekten. According to HCA’s website, the picNYC table is a concept project and expands on the fast growing urban farming idea. Built out of aluminum, the picNYC table is constructed like a holding tray and is first covered with stones, followed by soil and is then layered with sod. It does require watering and how it performs depends on all the factors that affect a normal lawn. Once it’s filled in with grass, you’ve got a little indoor city picnic time.
I thought about the picNYC table and how fun it would be to have something like it in my house but then realized how quickly the green fuzzy feeling would leave me when one of my cats decides to use it as a litter box. Trust me, they would defile the picNYC table before the grass started growing. Then my cats would attempt to bury their post-digested gift and manage to spread dirt on everything but their business. And being creatures of habit, they would continue to drop loads on it until my eco-suavé table was taken out of the house.
Thankfully, the picNYC table is just a concept and hopefully it’ll stay that way. Of course the cats may feel differently. [Inhabitat]
“Let Them Eat Cake”…While I Watch A Movie In My Mercedes SUV Parked In My 10th Floor Heated Garage
December 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If you’re trying to find that fine line between excess and sustainable, this story makes it much easier. The condominiums at 200 Eleventh Avenue were designed to give that suburban feel to their owners by allowing them to park their vehicles just steps away from their upper floor units. Basically, drive your car into a jumbo sized elevator and when you hit your floor, drive off and park it in the heated 300 sq. ft. garage next to your condo. It’s estimated that the parking space with a Manhattan view alone would cost $800,000.
Jubbling could run wild with this story but we’ve opted not to. The story and the unsustainable idea that “if you can afford it, you can consume it” speaks for itself. [Treehugger and NYTimes]
RIP (Almost) Potted Living Christmas Tree 2004-2011. Is A Plastic Tree Next? Is That Jubbling?
December 5, 2011 By 1 Comment
The day finally arrived – after 7 years delivering a little holiday magic, we decided to retire our sparse but well-loved Potted Living Christmas Tree to give it a chance to recover. I dropped the ball this summer and didn’t water Potted Living Christmas Tree the 4 weeks we had sun. It’s now on life-support and has lost more than half of its pine needles due to missed waterings. Bringing it inside would probably be the last straw. My kids will miss the potted tree but the wife, not so much. Only being able to keep the Potted Living Christmas Tree inside for 2 weeks wasn’t enough (my next wife won’t mind) so she was also against getting a living replacement. Plastic tree? Isn’t that the anti-Jubbling? It doesn’t have to be.
There are many articles out there on what to buy and we posted one about our Potted Living Christmas Tree. I’ve read them and most recommend going with a real tree because it can be recycled. That’s when I realized that a plastic tree can be recycled too if you buy it used. So I packed up two of my kids and headed over to the local Goodwill.
At the front of the store, looking like the fraternity rejects in Animal House, we had a selection of used plastic trees to choose from. All priced $24.99 or less, we searched around and finally a $6.99 beauty caught my eye. So I asked the kids if they thought it would work and after a pause, they both said “sure, it would work.”
I was very proud of my $6.99 purchase and with lights and ornaments, the tree doesn’t look that bad. Even my first wife is happy. I had to tell anyone that would listen about my great deal and my mom was the first to hear about it. Her response: “I would’ve given you mine for free and you could’ve saved $6.99.” My next mom won’t say that.
Toshiba’s Regza 32BE3 32-inch LED Backlit Television Uses ZERO Power In Standby Mode
November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Electronics are notorious sippers of electricity even when you think they’re turned off. It’s called vampire draw or standby power and it accounts for 5-10% of the electricity we consume. Toshiba’s Regza 32BE3 32″ LED television is different and thanks to its Eco Chip, completely powers down when you turn it off; no need to unplug it (if you’re freakish like that). And when it’s on, the LED backlit Regza 32BE3 draws 27% less power than Toshiba’s previous 32″ model and includes settings to reduce the screen’s brightness to 50 – 75% based on the lighting levels in your room.
So if you are in the market for a new TV and power consumption is an important factor, be sure to check out the Toshiba Regza 32BE3 32″ LED TV. It’s due out in mid-December. And if you don’t own a TV and look down on everyone that does, good for you too. You get a star. [Wired.com]
Austrian Design Firm mischer’traxler Turns One Old Grandfather Clock Into Nine Usable Pieces Of Furniture
November 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
Founded in 2009 by Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler, Austrian design firm mischer’traxler’s works are described by them as:
Balancing between hand craft and technology, they envision whole systems, processes and new production methods that deal with contemporary themes and indicate sustainability and the relevance of nature.
What better way to show it than by dismantling a grandfather clock and turning it into nine separate pieces of furniture. [FastCompany.com and Novalis Fine Arts]
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