King of Pop
King of Pop is a Pepsi Can concept submitted to Dieline by a reader. This was created to honor the pop icon, Micheal Jackson. Fantastic idea!
According to the designer, “I am excited to share this idea with the folks at Pepsi as either an art piece to compliment their vast collection within the Pepsico headquarters or as a limited edition run of cans leading up to Michael Jackson’s funeral. Not as a money making idea but as a way of expressing the power of icons and the art of a big idea.”
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Typography Jewelry
Typography inspired jewelry from Etsy seller, Plastique. Made of acrylic and real silver. Available from US $20.
Do checkout Web2.0 necklaces.
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First manned solar plane unveiled in Switzerland
The first aircraft designed to run exclusively on solar power was introduced near Zurich, Switzerland after spending six years in stealthy development. Record-setting hot air ballooner Bertrand Piccard plans to take the plane, dubbed the Solar Impulse, on several test flights by the end of the year, demonstrating that air travel is not off limits when it comes to cleantech innovation.
The craft, made out of lightweight carbon fiber and shaped like a wasp with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet (207 feet), was built so that it can continue flying at night, even in the absence of the sun. If the Solar Impulse makes the first trek in the anticipated two days and one night without incident, the technology will be adapted for a second, slightly different solar plane to be completed and flown around the world in 2012.
Weighing less than a mid-size car (3,306 pounds), the Solar Impulse only seats one passenger. Sunlight is absorbed by about 12,000 solar cells distributed across its wings. It is then used to power four 10-horsepower compact electric motors — and what isn’t used immediately is stored in 882 pounds of batteries. This reserve energy is used to keep the plane aloft at night. If the plane performs correctly during an initial daytime flight, Piccard plans to take it on a continuous 36-hour flight to prove the efficacy of its battery systems. [via]
Remembering MJ t-shirts
From Zazzle for US $18.
From SupermarketHQ for US $28.
From Zazzle for US $19.
From Zazzle for US $20.
Design for disability
The work of 3 visionary designers who address the issues of mental and physical disability through smart, functional objects – from toys to crutches to chairs.
Checkout the complete list at brainpickings. [via]
Data Visualization: The Colors of Democracy
Spotted by brainpickings, the Colors of Democracy is a flyer distributed in Bulgaria, displaying voting results by party affiliation for Bulgarian Parliament elections since the fall of Communism.
Each dot represents the official color of a specific Bulgarian party — the visualization clearly shows the declining grip of the conservative party in (red)), the one most closely aligned with Communist ideology. More importantly, it shows the proliferation of alternative viewpoints and the diversification of the political landscape — a sign of hope in the dialogue on democracy. The back of the card reads, “Vote by conscience! Your vote is not for sale.”
Really cool visualization! [via]
It happens when nobody is watching
Amnesty International has installed a new anti-domestic-abuse ad fixture in Hamburg, Germany which is equal parts clever and shocking: when you look at the photo, it’s a smiling couple; when you look away, it’s a dude punchin’ a lady.
The billboard works by scanning its proximity with an eye-tracking camera, which triggers an image switch on the display panel when it senses someone looking at it. The change only occurs after a brief delay, so that observers understand what’s going on, and get the message.
Agency: Jung Von Matt Hamburg, Germany.
This campaign won the Cannes Lions 2009 Outdoor Silver award. It’s a fantastically effective concept, and a brilliant use of technology. [via]
USB Tube Audio
USB Tube Delight Audio is a portable PC sound card. Connecting to speakers/headphone and microphone. It is the best entertainment for games, DVD and music, etc. In addition, it looks like a transparent vacuum tube appearance. Buy for US $32.00.
Swimming pool illusion
This is an extraordinary and visually confounding installation by the Argentine artist Leandro Erlich.
Leandro is known for installations that seem to defy the basic laws of physics and befuddle the viewer, who is introduced into a sense of balance jarring environments that momentarily threaten or space.
Leandro Erlich constructed a full-size pool, complete with all its trappings, including a deck and a ladder.
When approached from the first floor, visitors are confronted with a surreal scene: people, fully clothed, can be seen standing, walking, and breathing beneath the surface of the water. It is only when visitors enter the Duplex gallery from the basement that they recognize that the pool is empty, its construction a visual trick fashioned by the artist. It is only when visitors enter the duplex gallery from the basement that they recognize that the pool is empty, its construction a visual trick fashioned by the artist. A large, continuous piece of acrylic spans the pool and suspends water above it, creating the illusion of a standard swimming pool that is both disorienting and humorous. A large, continuous piece of acrylic spans the pool and suspends water above it, creating the illusion of a standard swimming pool that is both disorienting and humorous. [ps1.org]
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