My friends Burak, Yasmine, and Jonah mentioned an exhibition at the Moma that I checked online. I now plan a trip to New York to attend it. Among the many stimulating pieces, I selected this very funny set of electronic objects in the vein of Design Noir
The collection includes a Sheet Thief, which "winds the bedclothes up on the other side of the bed while you're sleeping". Other joys of sharing a bed are re-created with Cold feet and a Heavy Breather that breathes hot air down the user's neck. In the morning the Hair Alarm Clock swings hair across the user's face to wake him, while the steel finger of the Chest-Hair Curler gently swirls his chest hair in concentric circles. 
Accessories for lonely men by Noam Toran, photos Frank Thurston
Jonah's piece the WIFI-HOG is included in the show. The Wifi Hog is a tactical tool to liberate public WiFi Nodes!
"Wi-Fi Hog is personal system for a laptop or portable computer that enables people to gain complete control over a public access wireless network. The idea is presented as an alternative to the utopian vision of wireless networks being open, shared, and utilitarian for everyone. This project is a cautionary one, and comes as a reaction to the battle over free wireless spectrum where corporate pay-per-use and free community networks are fighting for signal dominance in public spaces. Wifi-Hog exists as a tactical media tool for controlling and subverting this claim of ownership and regulation over free spectrum, by allowing a means of control to come from a third-party."
Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition opens February 24th, 2008 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). 
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Accessories for lonely men
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Life-size dolls
London Life. Concept: Scarlet Projects and Matt Higgs
Laforet Museum presented a snapshot of London life as seen through the eyes of 10 of the brightest new stars on the London scene. A mixture of young designers, architects, club promoters, stylists, models and artists, came together to present their own particular style, and give us a glimpse into their personal and distinctive view of London life.
Each person was represented by a life-size doll, packaged like a Barbie Doll, and dressed by themselves in their own selected clothing. Their lifestyle was presented through the packaging – with accessories as well as personal information about them, detailing their favorite things and places. A tv monitor incorporated into the packaging played a personal video diary. 
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Sunday, February 24, 2008
Toys to sew
Recently I have started crafting objects, dolls, and sewing stuffed animals. My goal and challenge being to design like Anano.
The books that I pre-ordered are Sweet Needle Felts
Toys to Sew: Dozens of Patterns for Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories
Little Felted Animals
Fuzzy Felted Friends
I already received the book Softies : Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals. I don't regret it, the explanations are awesome, the illustrations beautiful and the patterns easy to follow.
I also bought Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!
If you are already into crochet, her other book Lacy Crochet
Finally, a magazine that keeps me going in crafting is CRAFT
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Originally posted on my toy blog: The Terminally Juvenile!
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Tenori On by Toshio Iwai
I saw it many times on the net, but never quite understood the genius of it until I saw this video. It is a "64" buttons interface, very simple, but the sound works so well for its type of interaction and the device fits instantaneously with your expectation. The rhythm you create invites for more exploration.
Toshio Iwai Launch of Tenori-On
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Saturday, February 23, 2008
Where's George?
So today I go to the Algiers Cafe place in Harvard Square where I have been given this one dollar bill. On it, I can see a red stamp that says: "See where I have been. Track where I go next!"
So I look it up online. The bill traveled 2 Yrs, 241 Days, 14 Hrs and done 881 miles! I will soon release it, for it to continue some adventures ...
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Friday, February 22, 2008
Bar code revolution
To answer the question Why Has the Barcode Never Changed? the team at Bar Code Revolution studied the Barcode technology standards and invented a process that allows a design element to be integrated into the barcode.
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Thursday, February 21, 2008
Data managment
Dialog 05 creates objects between analog and digital. USB is nowadays often used as a synonym for a universal connection. Originally only used by computer experts, this former high-tech standard has developed into an every-day item and low-tech symbol for universal connections.
Dialog 05 used the interface standard to envision scenario for data management. I selected my favorite ones as they seem to belong to a USB sub-culture!
plastic, steel and glass. where should the data go? an icon regains its physical form.
Eternal love
are we suited to one another? are we really compatible? how long will it last? it’s all about give and take – synchronize!
Memory box
a snapshot from summer
your favorite gig, your first time or your last flirtation. do you want to click through your memories or bury them?
Dialers and non dialers
for the non-dialling generation, it’s a trip into the past – for those born earlier, it’s a trip down memory lane.
no access for unauthorized persons.
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The explorers
The Explorers, 2005 - Archival ink jet
The explorers is part of Jennifer Zwick's constructed-narrative series of photographs. They focus on bizarrely adventurous young girls populating beautiful but uneasy worlds. To create these images, the artist draws from childhood fantasies and memories, then constructs life-sized environments. By pushing these scenarios to an extreme conclusion, the girls become metaphors for our hyper-real childhood selves, where remembered emotions become stronger through time.
The Explorers (detail), 2005
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The sense of smell in interaction design
I came across the concept of a Scentsory phone by Nokia on Gadgettastic. The phone uses the human senses of sight, sound, touch and even smell for an ultimate multi-sensory experience. It could detect, transmit and emit smells, as well as radiate colors, lighting, and temperature from the caller’s environment. Its electronic nose works with highly sophisticated (i.e. unknown) sensors. The nose samples the odor of the caller’s environment and transmits this to the recipient electronically. 
Nokia Scentory Phone
Smells' detection and re-creation is a fascinating topic today most probably because it is still very hard to achieve technically. Last year I started developing the Odora Storyteller, a smell collector. It encompasses the experience of the everyday collector and creates an associative memory of smells, places and objects. The prototype was conceived for children to collect samples from their environment. The children can reveal and create associative connection between smells, textures and visual components of elements that they gather. The collected elements are then used to create and recall stories. I also envisioned this for persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease. People with Alzheimer’s could benefit from associative memory between smell and souvenirs of places.
Apparently it could work due to "distinct genetic patterns that are associated with every odor, and it’s simply a matter of matching electrical harmonics with gene activity" sounds like the equipment involved in this affair would go beyond the portability of such device. Could the perception of a smell by electrical stimulation be technologically induced?
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Monday, February 18, 2008
Two in one: a doll and a wallet!
The concept behind Stereotype is to create metaphoric creatures in costumes that mimic well known identities we see on our streets and in our imagination
I selected this one, in which I immediately recognized the useful wallet & doll combo!
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