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April 29, 2006
International 2006 Mouse Trap Contest
I want to preface by saying I am a proponent of humane mouse evictions. Some of these contest entries straddle the funny and weird to the mean and insane. ENJOY!
via core77
A 3-Step Guide
Step 1: (Rodent Religion) Let them destroy themselves as they argue over who's God is better.
Step 2: (Mouse Media) Inundate them with ideal body imagery forcing them to succumb to a world of unobtainable body types. They become too ashamed of their body image, they refuse to mate and no more mice are born.
Step 3: (Birth Control) Flood the media with ads about birth control and the absolutely necessity for it. The mice have rampant sex but with condoms and birth control pills everywhere, no new mice are ever born.
Watch the animation here
Buried Alive
Lure them into a convenient box that goes from trap right to underground.
The Happy Place
Build a place where all mice can spend their hard earned money and booze up. Mouse morals and society collapse and anarchy prevails.
Let The Mouse Decide
Mice are just as susceptible to depression as we humans are. Flood their media with imagery and stories of hopelessness. Why bother going on if you're going to die anyways right?
Mouse Cannon
Perhaps inspired by the big tops, Mouse Cannon comes with cheese bait, gunpowder, and a parachute. As the mouse climbs in to fetch the cheese, the cannon fires, launching the mouse hundreds of yards away from your home. Fret not tho, the critter isn't killed. His parachute safely brings him back down.
Mouse Zapper
I think this is pretty self explanatory
Stapled To Death
Umm, yeah. This is pretty self explanatory too.
The Moral Mouse
The mouse is lured into a box complete with living room furniture. Once the way out slams shut, call Fed-ex for a pick up. The box is delivered to a mouse sanctuary where he/she can live out the rest of their natural life.
Mouse Propaganda
Brainwash them with propaganda. Have them destroy themselves or have them do your bidding.
Mouse Stargate
My favorite; send the mice to another world. Just be careful to not send too many because you run the risk of them running into some super advance alien that can teach them how to retaliate.
Posted by tranism at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
April 28, 2006
The Wall House
This is the Wall House designed by John Hejduk. The design emphasizes space flowing together without definitive boundaries. Another interesting theory is Hejduk's idea of walls being markers of time. He says in the daily routine of most people's lives the wall marks events in time; waking up, leaving for work, going to sleep, etc. This house forces you to eliminate these perceptions as its inhabitants have to pass the wall to get to every other section of the house.
The house is dedicated to art and serves a public and cultural function in Groningen, Holland. The inside feature four programs. The artist in residence, public access to the house, various special events and the knowledge development department.
Currently the walls are covered with 12 silk screen prints by a Javier Marchan.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by diverseawareness at 2:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 27, 2006
Turning Torso
Sweden is fast becoming a leader in renewable energy and a teacher on how to do it.
The new Turning Torso residential tower in Malmo is an organic morph of a "turning torso". However, unlike the Freedom Tower, there's futuristic tech here to really signal a new age in hi-rise design. The whole structure uses an LED lighting system with motion sensors. This is a real test of LEDs. They potentially last much much much longer, use very little energy, and exert barely any heat. By attaching the system to motion sensors, the hallways stay dimly lit until someone passes thru them, in which case they all light up in succession following the person(s). From the exterior, all you see is a pattern of shifting lights looking like an art installation.
The main objective is to keep service costs down while extending the life span of the equipment. On top of that, the Turning Torso is 100% powered by renewable energy.
America, I ask you where is our answer to buildings like this? Only building them to be bigger is quickly becoming obsolete. The rest of the world is moving forward. Why are we standing still?
Posted by tranism at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 24, 2006
Richard Sweeny Paper Arts
Spires of art made of paper; Richard Sweeny is a master at it. His beautiful creations meld origami and the science of math to form some of the most amazing shapes and structures. There is architectural beauty in every piece and one can only imagine what his mind must be like.
The only way to appreciate it is to check out his flickr page.
Posted by tranism at 9:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 16, 2006
Stack an Egg
If you're not into the whole drilling into eggs thing, make a nice art piece by stacking them. This amazing art structure was put together at a recent exhibit in China. Truly an amazing piece but what's up with the distressing Hello Kitty background!?
another picture after the jump
Posted by diverseawareness at 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
April 15, 2006
Drill an Egg
Faberge is nothing compared to this. Modern artist (there are just way too many subcategories now-a-days) Franc Grom creates and sells eggs that many consider the modern version of 19th century Easter bling.
Grom uses an electric boring tool to drill anywhere from 2,500 to 3,500 holes in an eggshell, forming some of those most intricate patterns. One's hand must be so steady in order to wield a vibrating device against something so delicate. It's just amazing to see the results.
Posted by tranism at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
How To Sell A Castle
Having trouble unloading that 300 hundred year old castle? No problem, just put a hat on it.
video here
via core77
Posted by tranism at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 10, 2006
Fujitsu Flexible Design
The Japanese are getting tired of an American company (cough - Apple) constantly doing them one over when it comes to industrial design. If you remember, it was barely 10 years ago when almost all Japanese electronics made American electronics look like archaic blocky dinosaurs.
Now that the tables have turned, a number of Japanese manufacturers have gotten together to try and reinvent Japanese industrial design. 10 years ago, Japanese electronics looked very distinct, but with the rise of Apple and Korean rivals Samsung and LG and soon the Chinese, what are future incarnations of Japanese-ware to look like?
There's currently an exhibition called Japan Design that explores that question. The above image is designed by Fujitsu in its vision of a future computer/home media center; designed by Makoto Sawaguchi and Tomohiro Takizawa.
I have to say, its quite slick but the mesh speaker grill screams early 90's to me. Somehow the design feels forced; a struggle to be clean and slick like Apple while retaining the intricacies of iconic Japanese electronic design - very industrial and anime like.
more examples after the jump
Posted by tranism at 3:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
April 4, 2006
kattbank
Cats are such beautiful creatures. I've decided when I'm 32, I too shall be a cat owner. Until then, I'm here to show you everything cool about cat peripherals.
kattbank offers a simple solution to a problem all cat owners have and the end result is easy on the eyes. In fact, it may even improve your home decor. kattbank is a modern bench designed to conceal the litter box. The unique construction hides odors meanwhile providing ventilation and privacy when kitty needs to do his thing.
Then bench also doubles as additional seating for guests when entertaining and the manufacturers swear up and down, you smell nothing. Clean up is a snap and kitty will love you for it since he'll have his own private place.
The kattbank is built to order, comes in a variety of colors and materials. Just hit them up for details.
Posted by tranism at 2:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 2, 2006
LED Dining Table
I want this soooooo bad. It's a dining table with a frosted glass top lit by 448 LEDs that respond to input generated by motion above the table while you eat.
It will be demonstrated at the MakerFaire in April 2006. I can't wait to find out how to build one for myself since I am in the market for a new dining table.
check out video of it in action
Posted by tranism at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
To A Trap A Mouse
One of my FAVORITE bloggers Chris Glass posted a great way to trap Mickey without hurting him. It involves a used toiler paper roll, a cracker and some peanut butter. The idea is so simple and rest assured will not harm Mickey.
When I was a kid, I saw a mouse trapped on one of those super sticky pads. With half its face and eye glued in and both legs immobile, I started to cry. I started to cry because with the one free eye, it looked as if it was staring at me, telepathically telling me to help it. When my mother came to collect it, I screamed and begged her to let it go. Out of the kindness of her heart, she tried to release it but the glue was just too strong. There was nothing we could do.
So next time you have a Mickey of your own causing havoc, just think twice about using one of those hideous glue or snap traps. There are other ways and I'm sure your Karma rating will go up if you try them out. :)
Posted by tranism at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Turn Your Head
Such a novel idea and so cool. Immortalize yourself by turning your profile into a piece of art. TURN YOUR HEAD enables you to submit your profile shot and in a few weeks, you get a beautifully carved and spindled piece perfect for home decor.
Imagine if you had one done since you were a baby. It would be an awesome memoir of your ever-changing face!
Order one now before May 15th for a special Mother's Day price of $139.95 which includes shipping and handling. A steal considering the regular price is $250.
Posted by tranism at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
USB in Your Life
It can be anything, extend into any part of your life. USB - the little data port that could is universally seen as a way to get something from one thing to another. The current craze are USB flash storage devices sporting up to 1 gig or more of memory space.
So what about USB devices in your everyday life, in the most unexpected places. Whatever you attach USB to, it communicates an idea of what it's for. For example, we see a little lock with a USB port. Perhaps the information it stores is very secretive and private.
more examples after the jump
via hight3ch
What about USB on wedding bands. Each ring contains information about your partner. Maybe you've forgotten when your anniversary was. No problem, just plug it in and get that instant reminder. With USB, you can extend your dedication beyond the physical into the digital.
Got a presentation coming up? Do you only wear a tie once every full moon? Well why not put that ill-often used tie to good use by USB'ing it? Get your work information to and from with ease.
All doctors should have a USB enabled stethoscope. After placing that cold cold plate against my chest and back, it would be cool to see him/her plug it into a terminal and all my pertinent vital signs are downloaded into my file.
The ultimate image in security. A bra held together by USB. I wonder what sorts of information one would store on it. Better yet, I wonder what kinds of information it would yield.
Posted by tranism at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)