German design student, Daniel A Becker, had created this great interpretation of a barcode reader. Barcode Plantage is a barcode visualizer, programmed using Processing. The program turns barcodes into coloured Bezier curves, complete with an auditory interpretation and definition of some of the number's meanings. Prints of the barcodes are available for $7 each.
This is my kind of gardening!
I found this image on Flickr, of a flower shop with a sign in the window reading "We're famous, find us on Google Maps". This is cheeky and brilliant marketing on the part of Google.co.uk. It's simple, comical, and works for any store.
Fun with photos. Create you own low tech Google Images sheet. Just print out a Google Images results page (with appropriate titles), cut out the images, and take a photo (of the appropriate subject) though the paper. (Found through Fubiz).
I know this might make you ice cream traditionalists twitch a little, but I like this ice cream scoop from Cuisipro. The scoop creates cylinders of ice cream, perfect for stacking.
I've newly discovered Great Britain's Daylesford Organic. It's an organic store that specializes in food and home products. Their website is drool-worthy gorgeous. It's branding at its best. Plus, they have some refreshing approaches to products, like this fresh organic milk packaged in environmentally friendly, biodegradable, fold-flat milk jugs (slash bags).
Happy Canada Day! Celebrate by obtaining some designer Canadian souvenirs, care of the fabulous Souvenir Shop. They have lots of great glimpses into the Canadian mind. My favorite is the Tent Peg Bottle Opener. Awesome Eh?
I've been enjoying these great superhero paintings by artist Anthony Lister. The subjects are fierce but the style is very lighthearted.
Unphotoghaphable is my favorite new photography blog. It doesn't have any photos. Instead, it is a collection missed photos. Descriptions of photos that should have been. There is something even more lovely in the description of the photos than the photos themselves would have been. UnPhotographable is written by Michael David Murphy. (Found through Digital Crushes).
Ha! This idea made me smile. It is instructions on how to entertain surveillance cameras by creating interactive robot invasions. (Found through Hyperexperience)
I received an email to my hotmail account last week about Microsoft's I'M Initiative. I was pretty impressed by the idea and immediately signed up. The concept is that if you sign up for the initiative, every time you IM or use Hotmail to send a message, a portion of the advertising revenue goes to one of ten charities (you can choose which one). There is not cost to you... all you have to do is chat. Microsoft has put no limit on the donations. In their words "the sky is the limit". To promote the initiative, Microsoft is starting a 30 day I'M talkathon, explained on this fake but humorous blog. So sign up and talk, talk, talk.
Some days it's a good idea to keep a rainbow in your pocket. Created by Masashi Kawamura.
a href="http://www.catarinahallzon.se" target="_blank">Catarina Hallzon created this extra large necklace as part of an experiment to explore the body's relationship to jewelry. Caterina describes her idea as "when we remember things we don’t only recall what a thing looked like, we remember the effect it had on the body. We remember how the body reacted. I’m interested in the thing that happens when reality no longer fit into the expected picture". This necklace is made out of electroformed, silver plated copperspheres. The overall effect is pretty impressive. I would totally wear this. (Found through Why Not).
Ha! I had a long day of personality tests today, so I have an extra appreciation for this 1:1000 fly swatter design. It appeals to my generous, compassionate side... Hey, I gave you a chance. Designed by Denis Belenko, Alexandr Brashenskiy.
Fallen Art is a fabulous short animated film by Tomek Baginski. The story itself is a little, uh, disturbing... but the animation and artwork is stunning and perfectly executed. The cinematographic aspects, the characters, and the dramatic story telling are all superb. It is the product of a disturbed mind, but well worth the watch. (Found through Yatzer).
I'm a huge fan of Chris Glass' website. He has a refreshing view of the world. That view is reflected in Chris' new t-shirt which reads Enjoy This Beautiful Day (in Helvetica, of course)!
This tableware from Foldedpigs may not do anything for your appetite, but it should make you smile. My favorite piece is this bowl with a picture of a brain and the saying, "I love you more than Zombies love brains". Awesome. The "Eat your heart out" plates come in a close second (I'm sure you can imagine the picture).
McCann Erickson has created a fabulous Flash website called Eco Zoo. It has a nice eco-friendly learning experience. The impressive part is the approach to the website. It's organized as a rotatable pop-up book. Very nice.
Josh Keyes paintings have a wonderful mix of scientific and artistic spirit behind them. The paintings play with the idea of the Earth's natural system and the link between the built world and the natural world. The paintings give a wonderful sense of how small the Earth is.
Whoa... there may be hope for me learning how to play the piano yet. University of Brighton graduate, Hoagy Houghton, is behind this crazy colored musical interpretation. The music sheets were created by converting pictures into music using a scale of colour. I'm not completely sure what that means but it's beautiful and artistic. This concept tickles my mind.
