FutureConscious

Bringing it Back

2011-05-06T21:29:00.000+09:30

I'm bringing it back. Not sure just when or how but I'm bringing it back.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

2008-11-02T09:56:00.005+10:30

Dear reader(s?),
Future Conscious is now sleeping. I'll let you know if life begins to stir again but for now, goodnight and thanks for watching. Phil

NerdBots

2008-09-27T11:45:00.002+09:30

These are cool! Don't buy one though. Make it yourself. Visit NerdBots for inspiration.

The Designers Field Guide To Sustainability

2008-09-20T14:33:00.003+09:30

LUNAR Elements have designed this nice little Field Guide to Sustainability for designers, engineers, architects and just about anyone really - to assist with developing more sustainable products. You can download a pdf freebie from the Lunar site or via ecolect.

Horizontal Lines

2008-09-13T11:44:00.003+09:30

I feel the need to share this link to Smashing Magazine's post on Horizontal Lines. Noting the fall in the use of horizontal lines in web design (and maybe in print as well?), Smashing Magazine asked their readers to come up with some creative horizontal lines to be downloaded and used by everyone. You can now get a free zip file of hundreds of the entries for use as a vector (.ai) or photoshop file (.psd). Go to!

What colour are you?

2008-09-12T16:35:00.002+09:30

Thankyou kristy - according to this pantone colour matching birthday profiley thingemy, I'm a Cameo Green - compassionate, giving, able to do many things on an emotional and intellectual level and with a rare understanding of the human condition. I agree.

Cheap Wares in Oz.

2008-09-07T14:24:00.002+09:30

Fathers day brunch brings Fathers net connection. My sister just put me on to Matt Blatt, an online retailer hailing from Sydney and with showrooms in Melbourne and Brisbane. I think most of their furnishings are replicas of original designs and stem from production houses in China. I'd be really interested to see the details compared to the originals but at first glance they look pretty good. You can pick up this replica Jens Risom Sitting Stool for a lowly $185.00 (Aus), along with gems by Eames, Starck, Jacobsen and many more.

Still Operating.

2008-09-04T17:19:00.003+09:30

I'm still alive but unfortunatley have no home net connection so the possibilities and the joys of blogging are seriously defined right now. But I'll be back up soon. p

I like this.

2008-08-24T15:56:00.004+09:30

By Sam Winston.

Can anybody describe what's happening here?

2008-08-24T15:53:00.001+09:30

Countries as Brands.

2008-08-18T20:15:00.002+09:30

Click on the image for the best view. Via Cidade Dos Logos.

Smarticles.

2008-08-17T15:08:00.008+09:30

Craftiness by AndriconGirl.

Why Online Noise Is Good For You by ReadWriteWeb.

I've often wondered if blogging and the act of skimming blogs is damaging my health and my ability to remain attentive for long periods. This article will explain why that may not be the case.

Is Google Making Us Stupid? by The Atlantic.

But then again.... could reading on the web be re-wiring our brains? An interesting rebuttal.

Older Brain Really May Be a Wiser Brain by The New York Times.

The older brain may not be slower, just a more complete processor.

Moving House.

2008-08-15T19:05:00.015+09:30

I'm moving house tomorrow. So on the eve of my move, I thought I'd get inspired, do a little interiors searching online and post up the best of my finds here.

Via Inspace.

I want the plane especially. Via Inspace.

Rusticness. Via Maditi Likes.

Nice colours and sideboard. Via Room&Board.

This could be quite feasible for my place.

Nice colours. Simple. Eclectic. A loft space from MSM.

Just love the textures, age, light. Via Inspace.

I've often imagined living in a place with a big corner window.

I want a bookcase like that! Via ffffound.

Grey doesn't need to be drab.

Imagining The 10th Dimension.

2008-08-13T20:06:00.006+09:30

Anyone who's ever been influenced by mushies, acid or any other bevy of illicit food stuffs might know something about this. But for those who prefer to ponder; this simply crafted video explains all 10 dimensions at once. A lot more interesting 10th dimension-ey stuff can be found by clicking here.

Located via the flavoursome Kitsune Noir.

2008-08-11T17:28:00.004+09:30

The Ceremony.

2008-08-11T14:21:00.008+09:30

Via boston.com

Strange Maps.

2008-08-09T14:08:00.004+09:30

Strange Maps is full of quirky and largely unnavigable maps from around the globe. Like this - the earth as a tetrahedron.

Encyclopedia of Life.

2008-08-09T13:42:00.005+09:30

Image via Sakura.

Encyclopedia of Life is an amazing online resource that is aiming to catalogue all of the known species of animal, vegetable and mineral(?) on the planet. It's still in its infancy but is rapidly evolving thanks to the contributions of a number of research partners.

My New Tissot!

2008-08-09T13:35:00.004+09:30

When I should be saving for my new place, other priorities prevail. My new purchase, this PRC100 Quartz Tissot came all boxed up in a cool little box with compartments and books and even a little pillow. This is a purchase that I will hopefully keep for life. From here.

DRUM TAO!

2008-08-03T15:23:00.004+09:30

If you ever get the chance, you must see Drum Tao!!! (I'd hope these guys are part of the next Adelaide Festival). I was lucky enough to get along to this with JP and have to say this was the best show I have seen in years! (If ever!?) Farking athletic, precise, focussed, highly sexual, meditative. It was all of that.

And my companion JP made me laugh when she mentioned how after seeing such tight, ripped bodies pounding drums for the last two hours, she became even more aware of her own flabby bits. I had to agree – I felt fatter and lazier the more I sat and watched. It was both inspiring and depressing all at the same time. Heck - these guys are banging massive drums with huge mallets overhead for what seems like forever, and I get tired just putting out the laundry.

But worth every penny, and given the great company, this was the best night I've had in a long time. .

Spaaaaaaace Lawyers from The Nonist.

2008-08-02T11:35:00.007+09:30

The Nonist and its off-shoot The Nonist Annex are both really fascinating, nay quirky sites put together by an unbelievably committed creative. From the Annex, this image is the writers comment on the first ever Space Law Certificate issued in the United States by the National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law (better get me one of those!)

Now please go see The Nonist for an example of blogging that churns!

Stunning Images from Belarus.

2008-08-02T10:57:00.004+09:30

Via boston.com

Waiting...

2008-08-01T19:47:00.003+09:30

England, 1940-41. "Battle of Britain. Children in an English bomb shelter." British Information Service/U.S. Office of War Information. Via Shorpy.

Treehouses for kids and adults too.

2008-08-01T19:38:00.002+09:30

German architecture firm Baumraum has some splendid treehouses worth keeping in mind for when the floods come. Which of course they will.

2008-08-01T19:32:00.004+09:30

Nice range of tees and pillows and things from enviro-friendly designers Service is Good.

Nano Photos Rival Modern Art.

2008-07-31T20:34:00.002+09:30

Every six months, the Materials Research Society celebrates the most eye-catching images found in the course of their researchers' studies – celebrating the serendipitous convergence of science and art...More Great Photos>>

Your very own meditator.

2008-07-31T20:27:00.003+09:30

For the man of the house. More of this design masterpiece via Modern Mechanix.

Philly's Wish List.

2008-07-27T19:36:00.027+09:30

One T-Shirt by the Apple loving geeks at Insanely Great Tees.

One Atomic Coffee Maker.

One spine. Or at least one that feels good to wear and has curves in all the right places.

One more T-Shirt by Insanely Great Tees. The leaves are made up from binary code (1's and O's). How uber geek is that?

One painting. The artist is not known to me yet but it's amazing.

One set of 9 hand-printed cards by Eliza Jane Curtis.

One set of pantone badges by Effektive (should they get printed).

One Wacom Drawing Tablet.

One Avanti Cadent 1.0.

One Thinking With Type by Ellen Lupton.

One Strength For Life by Shawn Phillips. Even better than Body For Life (Kristy)!

One i-phone. How can i-not?

One Peugeot 308.

One Illlusive.

One Karmann Ghia.

One A Smile in The Mind for witty references.

One Zoomer belt from Ted Baker.

One Blackhawk Army Chopper. Gawd I'd love to fly one of these.

One or more plates by Fornasetti.

One set of chairs from De De Ce Plus.

One pair of felt unisex slippers from Pia Wallen.

One set of deer heads from Vlaemsch. It's hunting without the mess.

One book on William Scott by Norbert Lynton.

Pictures from the archives.

2008-07-26T16:22:00.014+09:30

Live here I could. Via Lace and Flora.

The Science V Religion debate is nothing new, only the rise of atheists and their attack on religion seems to be gaining ground.

A clever combination of design, image and editorial. Pentagram via Creative Review.

To be trusted?

Not nearly as colourful as my own family. By elleevee.

Enough said. Via Kansieo.

Excellent. This needs to be put up at Woolies and Coles. And on my own fridge. By the talented Mr Ginga.

B is for Brilliant, Edward Gorey.

This is actually a New York Street Sign turned chair. I imagine your butt would get pretty hot. As is the $3'700US price tag. By Uncommon Goods.

What would the things in your life look like if they were laid out as art? By Hong Hao.

Krank Marcello Homey Stuff

2008-07-25T20:53:00.007+09:30

Krank Marcello

Six things in the next six months.

2008-07-20T20:10:00.014+09:30

I've been having a day in thought (not unusual) and attempting to see into the future, I've come up with six things I need to focus on in the next six months:

1. Travel.
Planning for a month long trip to Japan. I don't think it's going to happen this year, nor will any significant journey to South America. But Japan looks like the best option in about March of next year.

2. Health.
Getting my energy up and my weight back down to 72kgs by way of biking, running, cross-training and quality nutrition.

3. Profession.
Building a portfolio of quality design work and being more professional with my own design services.

4. Finances.
Consolidating my finances and eliminating debts.

5. Balancing.
Re-connecting with my spiritual life through meditation, integrative practices, finding a framework that works for me.

6. Getting out!
Outside of work, I'm bored shitless. I need to find something enjoyable, creative, educational and social. What that is I don't know but I'm trying hard to find it. Maybe Spanish lessons?Volunteering some non-practicing OT time? Pottery? Scrabble? Lawn Bowls? .....over 30's single clubs!?

Goddam - this looks like so much fun!

2008-07-20T18:11:00.000+09:30

The Box Doodle Project.

2008-07-20T17:52:00.006+09:30

Inspired by making the most of the least, David Hofmann wants you to submit your own Box Doodle.

All Hail The Ampersand.

2008-07-19T13:26:00.004+09:30

Along with the interrobang, the ampersand may well be my next favourite symbol employed in the English language. A quirky little note is that it derives from the ligature of the letters in et, which is latin for 'and.' Check out this blog that is dedicated to all things ampersand.

The Kaufmann House.

2008-07-19T13:06:00.004+09:30

More stunning images via The New York Times

Birds are cool again.

2008-07-17T21:36:00.004+09:30

Tired of seeing so many damned bird motifs, I ranted a little while back that the bird craze needed to end. However. You have to love these hand foiled plant labels from british artist Kim Jenkins. Sourced via Design Sponge, these can be bought from Modern Gardener.

Alternative Motivation Posters

2008-07-13T20:41:00.007+09:30

Sourced and bought at Right Brain Terrain.

Six Things

2008-07-12T17:45:00.005+09:30

It's been a while since I blogged (btw, I'm beginning to hate that term), as life choices have made sitting still in front of a computer in purely "personal time" somewhat hard. But Kristy has tagged me to write my six favourite things / things I like today so that's jolted me back into cyberbia.

So here they are:

1. Considering my two favourite coffee places are Cibo and the littler known Pranzo - noteably for their nearly always perfect coffee and the fact that they both use Rio Coffee - I give this award to the fine SA producers of Rio Coffee.

2. My nephew Oscar and the little tin car I gave him today that looks a bit like this:

3. Having the luxury of a roof, a bed, a warm room, parents, food, a vehicle, health and a job when others have none.

4. Country Road's move away from boat-shoe'd fantasies to what is now an emerging line of classic, fantastic and inexpenive clothing. Made even cheaper by the fact I'm entitled to a whopping 35% discount on everything.

5. The fluidity and the integrity of my Apple Mac, compared to this clunky windows driven, microsft loving pc I'm currently sitting at.

6. Hot, exotic women who are all over Adelaide now.

And here's a further Sicks Things. The things that make me feel ill today.

1. Bad ads.

2. The ever growing stomach flubber that feels uncomfortable inside my pants.

3. The smell of sewage outside the front door.

4. Intolerant, unlearned, unconscious and ungrateful wealthy people.

5. The current shite that is being offered on the rental market multiplied by the ridiculous weekly costs plus the real estate agents who couldn't care a less.

6. Big and unnecessary cars that ultimately complicate things for everyone.

BPA School.

2008-07-01T19:36:00.000+09:30

Suicide Prevention Ads

2008-07-01T19:35:00.000+09:30

One Flag Competition.

2008-06-24T19:20:00.002+09:30

Adbusters Magazine is hosting a competion to develop a flag that embodies the idea of global citizenship. The competition closes December 1 2008 and the winning design will be splashed across its magazine and developed into all sorts of other great paraphenalia. More details at Adbusters.

Note to self.

2008-06-24T16:48:00.002+09:30

Must start launching original content into the blogosphere. Ideas in motion are:

photo essays
photo/typo/vector posters for free download
free icon sets
personal thoughts on design/science/
personal thoughts on healing
discovering the true meanings of things
new thoughts, new things
philosophical musings
advertising awareness
personal drawings, vector art
connections between things
focus more on unity of art, science, health, design

Design Source.

2008-06-20T13:09:00.012+09:30

Mud Australia in Sydney does some really great homewares.

They also distribute Chilewich Vinyl wares including these floor mats which I know will come in handy someday, somehow.

As well as these universal shelves by Vitsoe that can be added to and subtracted from, forever and ever.

Amen.

Artists I'm liking right now.

2008-06-16T21:17:00.007+09:30

The amazing Vania Zouravliov. More pics here though I'm not sure where his site has gone!

Tommy Moorman at Albedo Design.

Max Ernst.

Antony Gormley.

Going Green: Extracts from Getty's MAP Report 2.

2008-06-16T19:20:00.004+09:30

Image by Tommy Stockel

_Extract 1 PDF

_Extract 2 PDF

Just released, the above links will take you to these quick downloadable PDF's of Getty's MAP Report into environmental awareness and its impact on marketing now and in the future. You have to pay big bags of money for the full report but the extracts are interesting in themselves - for both up to date information and some quality graphics.

Fan Video - Right from the Book of Right On.

2008-06-15T20:07:00.005+09:30

Joanna Newsom - The Book of Right-On from Benjamin & Stefan Ramirez Perez on Vimeo.

Heaven.

2008-06-15T19:42:00.004+09:30

Fan made video to Health's Heaven with film cuts from Werner Herzog's 1974 documentary The Great Ecstasy of the Woodcarver Steiner.

Little Forest.

2008-06-15T19:30:00.006+09:30

Little Forest from Rinee Shah on Vimeo.

A.

2008-06-14T11:24:00.003+09:30

Via Wikipedia.

Wear this.

2008-06-13T20:12:00.001+09:30

Via Grandburo.

What's with Vitaminwater?

2008-06-11T20:42:00.008+09:30

Image via HowStuffWorks

When I first came across Vitaminwater (VW) I believed it must have actually been a healthy product. This was good old fashioned water but better. Ot alternatively, a better choice over Soft Drinks. Why it's just Water. And it's got Vitamins in it. It MUST be good. But has anyone noticed how VW is absolutely everywhere now? It's all over the 'ends' of supermarket aisles - places usually reserved for such specialties as Cadbury's chocolate and Toilet Paper. So it's piqued my interest. Apart from the tell tale toxic colourings, is VW actually good for you?

Ones suspicions should be raised by this product on discovering that the producers of VW, Glaceau are actually owned by none other than Coca Cola. So, this likely explains how so much product gets pushed on to shelves, at the end of aisles and directly into your face.

But what's in Vitaminwater?

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 50
Total fat: 0g
Sodium: 0mg
Potassium: 60mg
Total carbohydrates: 13g
Sugar: 13g
Protein: 0g
Vitamin C: 40%, Vitamin B3: 20%, Vitamin B6: 20%, Vitamin B12: 20%, Vitamin B5: 20% Potassium: 150mg per bottle

Ingredients: vapor distilled/deionized water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), natural flavor, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E acetate, magnesium lactate (elecrolyte), calcium lactate (electrolyte), zinc picolinate, monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), cyanocobalamine (B12)

Alright. So far the stats look pretty good to me. But on closer inspection, one would notice that the quantities listed are actually per serving and VW lists one bottle as containing 2.5 serves! Wouldn't we typically drink the whole bottle straight up? Clever marketing and buyer foolery indeed! And the instant smash in the head to the health conscious is that suddenly, our sugar quantities are looking pretty severe. A can of coke has 140 calories in it - not far from the 125 calories in VW. Really, VW is just a prettied up Soft Drink.

And as for vitamins? Well, how much more do we need outside of a proper diet? And are we going to let a bottle of soft drink give it to us anyway?

Pictures That Make Me Think.

2008-06-11T19:46:00.005+09:30

Ahhh. The warmth AND the horror of a mothers love!

Smart, looks good and it's easy on the urbanity.

Does technology drain or replenish?

I like nice lettering.

Let's invent a new word and end the loneliness.

I may well know a thing or two about tape splicing but would I really want to go back to that now?

This weapon killed a lot of rebels in my jedi-fighting youth.

Baby Brand.

2008-06-09T20:37:00.004+09:30

Via ffffound>>

Children are such an untapped market. What a scarey thought.

Photo Albums Most Worthy of a Flicking Through.

2008-06-09T19:28:00.013+09:30

Vietnam 1967-1968

A set of 45 photos on flickr with an interesting back story to the photographers origins.

Magnum Photos

Owned by a co-operative of worldwide photographers, this fantastic site houses some 400'000+ images chronicling the people, events, issues and personalities that make up our planet. While the images are for sale, the site also hosts some great exhibitions, video essays, a blog and a whole lot more photographic goodness.

Abduzeedo

Awesome light graffiti projects. It's graffiti without the mess.

SquareAmerica

This is a tremendous gallery of "vintage snapshots and vernacular photography." Be sure to check out the photo's from the series The Booth as well as The Faces - which is a pretty strange compilation of profile shots of young teenage women and one young man undergoing some kind of bizarre experiment.

Sighmons Photostream

There's a lot of graffiti on here from a fellow Adelaide chap. But of real note is the photo set from an abandoned building of the Julia Farr Centre. These shots really make me want to go explore some of Adelaide's eerie haunts.

Foundphotoslj's Photostream
There's a whole lot of vintage photo's here in different sets - from The Man Who Smiles A Lot to a bunch of pimply teen's from the 50's.

- I've gotta say that looking through these sets of photo's (many of which were found discarded and later secured by caring people) has made me feel a little melancholic. Be warned if you're prone to similar states.

Nanas home baked cookies.

2008-06-09T19:20:00.002+09:30

Iconic little things.

2008-06-08T11:43:00.002+09:30

Funny little icons and a whole swag bag of design gems can be seen in a curious and fresh little site hailing from Stockholm, Sweden by Paul and Eva: Fellow Designers.

Make Some Noise.

2008-06-08T11:40:00.003+09:30

The future of family dinners looks bleak.

2008-06-08T11:38:00.000+09:30

Future Conscious is...

2008-06-07T18:30:00.002+09:30

I've been collecting a library of images for a while now. Inspired by The Game, I wondered whether I could come up with some images that would capture what it is that I'm trying to create on this here blog. Sometimes I wonder what I'm trying to represent here at all. Whose values is this blog trying to uphold? Does it really matter what this blog is about at all and who really cares anyway? Barring about three people, is anybody else reading it? Are all bloggers too busy blogging on their own blogs to be reading anyone else's? There's so much good stuff out there, it's not possible to read it all - to be abreast of everything and still function in your own life!

For myself anyway, I think putting this blog together has actually helped me to become more aware of what's on the net that is actually positive, and not pornitive. A lot of the content thus far has not been overly original on my part, but at the very least, I feel it has helped me to keep focussed on what is life supporting and what is out there that can potentially offer us a more fulfilling and ultimately sustainable life. So, here's what Future Conscious IS, in a handful of random pictures:

Seeing the light with your feet in the dark.

Getting out of the box, getting back to nature.

An open mind.

A recognition that brands are not impermeable to people.

The joy in simple things.

A focus on substance, quality, effort, authenticity....

Seeing order in the chaos and harmony in all things.

Reaching out to others.

Loving the beauty in the decay.

Technology AND Nature. Together.

Looking at things from a higher perspective.

The security of place.

Sugar Sweet Fontage.

2008-06-06T22:50:00.000+09:30

Sugar Typography by Marian Bantjes.

Five Smarticles.

2008-06-05T16:15:00.011+09:30

1) Headless Corpses Found All Over London! By "The Decapitator." >>

2) Oliver Sacks, pioneering neurosurgeon and author of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" comments on his own loss of vision. >>

3) Photographing a Wedding and then an Earthquake. A telling series of photo's from China's recent earthquake. >>

4) 10 Things Christians and Atheists Can (And Must) Agree On (A cracked.com article). >>

5) Sexy, Bold & Experimental Typography at Smashing Magazine. >>

Warning: Free Roaming Nudity Ahead.

2008-06-04T16:31:00.005+09:30

Sigur Ros have just released a new single and accompanying video for the song Gobbledigook - soon to be part of an upcoming album. The song's maybe a little upbeat for my current temperament but the video is a nice mix of raw people and raw nature and is inspired by the photographer Ryan McGinley (the yellow pic above is an example). There's plenty of willies and tits in it so don't be watching this at work - if you dare.

Elephants.

2008-06-03T20:08:00.001+09:30

Elephants are my favourite of the beasts. Here's a nice pic from an assignment by TIME Magazine's photo essays archive.

QiGong with John Chang.

2008-06-03T19:58:00.004+09:30

I must study under him.

The Game

2008-06-03T19:47:00.003+09:30

I always have to do these sorts of things when I see them. Not sure what it says about me, if anything, but thanks flickr person and via K.

Answers & images:

1. What is your first name? phil
2. What is your favorite food? pizza
3. What high school did you go to? concordia
4. What is your favorite color? green
5. Who is your celebrity crush? jessica alba
6. Favorite drink? coffee
7. Dream vacation? south america
8. Favorite dessert? chocolate pudding
9. What you want to be when you grow up? content
10. What do you love most in life? cool breeze
11. One word to describe you? lonely
12. Your flickr name? claypots

Holy Fuck!

2008-05-31T22:35:00.014+09:30

Drop everything, forget everything and watch Zeitgeist The Movie!

No Smoking (please).

2008-05-31T13:52:00.009+09:30

Image via ffffound

Artist Daniel Eatock has an art and social exercise going on where he's asked readers to submit their own vectorized take on the No Smoking logo (usually a cigarette crossed out by a red circle and stripe). All designs can be downloaded now and used wherever you like and when he reaches 100 designs (he's not far off), he's going to make a poster. You may even see a couple designs done by my good self.

Incredible!

2008-05-31T13:28:00.004+09:30

The mysterious people of the Envira region of the Brazilian-Peruvian frontier. They're thought to have NEVER made contact with civilization as we know it and to them, the strange craft hovering above could well be an Evil Spirit. More from Mail Online>>

Horror Frog.

2008-05-31T13:18:00.005+09:30

I may have a sore neck and painful face from the stress of living but I can't break my own bones and puncture my own skin in order to defend myself. But this hairy and scary frog can! When under the risk of attack, the Trichobatrachus Robustus has the ability to go all X-Men on itself as a last ditch effort to stay alive. More here>>

Bottle-Ooooh.

2008-05-30T20:04:00.009+09:30

I've been trying to locate this recycled bottle ceiling in downtown Rundle Mall over the last couple days, but without luck. However, thanks to this article I just discovered on Coolhunter, I'll at last be able to find it in the new Aesop store.

Bob Staake - Illustrator.

2008-05-28T19:41:00.004+09:30

Bob Staake's site is worth taking a look at if you're into illustration and children's art. Bob's been in the game for a while - evidenced by his completion of some 42 books! And a little gem Bob has on his How Magazine rated site, and that appears to be expanding, are these little crops of some nice retro art. This is just a snippet of some favourites.

Smarticles: A new theme post.

2008-05-28T19:10:00.013+09:30

Image via RTW

Ten Reasons Gen Xers Are Unhappy at Work.
Corporations really need folks in their 30s to early 40s, but there is a tentative relationship at best between that cohort and Corporate America. View Article >>

1960's Braun Products Hold the Secrets to Apple's Future.
The year 2008 marks the 10th Anniversary of the iMac, the computer that changed everything at Apple, hailing a new design era spearheaded by design genius Jonathan Ive. What most people don't know is that there's another man whose products are at the heart of Ive's design philosophy, an influence that permeates every single product at Apple, from hardware to user-interface design. View Article>>

He Took a Polaroid Every Day, Until the Day He Died.
Yesterday I came across a slightly mysterious website — a collection of Polaroids, one per day, from March 31, 1979 through October 25, 1997. There’s no author listed, no contact info, and no other indication as to where these came from. So, naturally, I started looking through the photos. I was stunned by what I found. View Article>>

Some really great sites...

2008-05-23T22:00:00.055+09:30

This is a list of Blogs and Sites that I will be adding to over the course of time. I'll be checking each of these from time to time so all links should be current. The pages that make it to this list have been placed here with due consideration for their quality of content, their selection of images or the good in their intent.

Graphic Design:
37 Signals
A List Apart
A Brief Message
Airbag Industries
Bad Banana Blog
Barry Blog
Big Active
Candy Chang
Change The Thought
Computer Love
Coudal Partners
Creative Bits
Creative Review
Creative Review Blog
Daring Fire Ball
Design Boner
Design Observer
Design Sponge
Dezeen
Emma's Blog
Everyone Forever

FamFamFam
Fita Cola
Form Fifty Five

Good is Dead
Graphic Design Bar
Hello Bauldoff
How
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Film Stills on Live Journal

Pictures That Make Me Think.

2008-05-23T18:19:00.011+09:30

Maybe good for when you need to eat at your office but what's wrong with normal cutlery? Pen's go missing too.

Breathe. Period.

I think I'd like to be buried in a bookshelf.

Let Go. Period. And appropriate considering I'm listening to Frou Frou.

Garbage in. Garbage out.

Oh Speed!

Resourceful :)

Free Food!

2008-05-22T21:40:00.005+09:30

Check out this great list of 40 FREE ICON SETS for the web, from Smashing Magazine. And if you look at the comments section, you'll see FAMFAMFAM is a pretty popular spot too!

Conscious Evolution.

2008-05-21T20:22:00.006+09:30

Like a subtle fluid, space-time, having drowned our bodies, penetrates our soul. It fills it and impregnates it. It mingles with its powers, until the soul soon no longer knows how to distinguish space-time from its own thoughts. Nothing can escape this flux any longer, for those who know how to see....The human discovers that, in the striking words of Julian Huxley, we are nothing else than evolution become conscious of itself....Not only do we read the secret of its movement in our slightest acts, but to a fundamental extent we hold it in our own hands: responsible for its past and its future.

- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Philosopher and author of The Human Phenomenon

Rotating Sphere Lounger.

2008-05-21T18:42:00.007+09:30

This garden structure from Ornate Garden would be perfect for games, drinks, parties, reading a book and sex. At a cool price of £6'700 why wouldn't you?

The Star.

2008-05-21T18:25:00.006+09:30

Twenty days. Twenty thousand still images. A single message. Toronto Star photographer Lucas Oleniuk captures the issue of global warming in a video created entirely by using still images. Click here to see the film >>

Any suggestions?

2008-05-17T14:56:00.006+09:30

I'm wanting to simplify this page and thus cull the number of website links shown in the Left and Right columns on this page, but still have the links accessible to others and update-able. Can anybody suggest a way of making the links invisible on the front page but still easily accessible? My thoughts are to offer specific lists of links within a handful of posts, and then make the link to these posts accessible via the Right column. ie. click on Design Sites in the Right column and it will take you to a post full of design links. Is this going to work? What would be the most efficient way do you think? Thanking you...

2008-05-16T20:03:00.001+09:30

Via theworksteady

By Dan Hillier (Click me!)

2008-05-16T19:47:00.005+09:30

By Koichiro Doi (Click me!)

2008-05-16T19:40:00.006+09:30

Oh, it's all too true!

2008-05-15T15:18:00.001+09:30

I query the source but if anyone knows, please let me know too.

On design.

2008-05-15T15:14:00.002+09:30

Via ffffound>>

Oh yes, I know all about this.

2008-05-15T15:12:00.001+09:30

Busting Ads.

2008-05-15T14:43:00.011+09:30

A year ago, I saw my first Adbusters Magazine and I really had no idea what it was all about. I consider myself pretty socially aware but for some reason, Adbusters confused me and it actually bored me. I wonder whether I had been so indoctrinated by media advertising that to pick up a magazine that opposes it and has no advertising in it whatsoever was somehow so completely foreign that it actually shook me out of my indoctrinated state and into a new but strange state of awareness? Or maybe the guys at Adbusters have simply managed to sharpen up their message and make things clearer now? Anyway, I'm just reading the latest addition now and it all makes perfect sense. I recommend this magazine to anyone interested in beating down socially irresponsible and environmentally polluting advertising. And as a designer, I'm trying to become more aware of how I can have a positive impact through design and not put myself in a position where I'm part of the destructive force of the media either. Interestingly, the Adbusters crew are also starting their own Blackspot Coffee Shop, set to rival Starbucks but rooted in authentic, local culture.

Hubba Bubba!

2008-05-13T19:32:00.006+09:30

Tissue Regeneration - a fingers tip away.

2008-05-11T15:50:00.019+09:30

I think that within ten years we will have strategies that will re-grow the bones, and promote the growth of functional tissue around those bones.

Dr Stephen Badylak - University of Pittsburgh.

In every town in every part of this sprawling country you can find a faceless sprawling strip mall in which to do the shopping. Rarely though would you expect to find a medical miracle working behind the counter of the mall's hobby shop. That however is what Lee Spievak considers himself to be. "I put my finger in," Mr Spievak says, pointing towards the propeller of a model aeroplane, "and that's when I sliced my finger off." It took the end right off, down to the bone, about half an inch. "We don't know where the piece went." The photos of his severed finger tip are pretty graphic. You can understand why doctors said he'd lost it for good. Today though, you wouldn't know it. Mr Spievak, who is 69 years old, shows off his finger, and it's all there, tissue, nerves, nail, skin, even his finger print. View article and film here >>

Perverted Powers of Ten.

2008-05-11T15:28:00.003+09:30

A couple of years back I was in melbourne and happened to get to see the Eames exhibition. As part of this exhibition they showcased an interesting photo gallery and film by Charles and Ray Eames called Powers of Ten. Here is the film in its original format:

And here is a somewhat disturbing parody by John Cheese:

More pictures that make me think.

2008-05-07T20:40:00.014+09:30

Is a good brand a comfort or a curse?

Somebody had a sense of humour. Or great foresight!

WWF - Providing a platform for the animals to fight back!

Everybody needs wheatgrass.

If only trees and technology COULD exist in harmony.

They just make me feel good. That's all.

D.I.Y Furniture.

How can concrete be both warming AND sterile?

Colours have feelings too.

Images sourced via ffffound>>

Inflation Bubbles.

2008-05-06T17:01:00.004+09:30

I had this weird dream last night where petrol was about $1.80 a litre and milk was no longer being produced anymore because of high costs to the land as well as the cattle owner. And today I came across a nice little interactive graph that shows average consumer spending in America Vs changes in prices and it conveys this pretty well. I'd like to see one for Australia too please! View the online interactivity here>>

This is Steampunk!

2008-05-06T16:06:00.012+09:30

I've loved this type of stuff since I can remember but I never really knew that it had a name - Steampunk. Steampunk basically depicts a different age, perhaps sci-fi or fantasy or even an alternate history where steam power (and not electricity) prevails. It's often set in Victorian England or in worlds that might reference Victorian elements. As a genre, Steampunk started some time in the 80's. But as our global interest in alternate energy sources and different ways of being in the world grows, so too is the rise of interest in Steampunk. Here's a few more examples of Steampunk you may or may not have seen. Beautiful stuff.

Steampunk - an anthology of Steampunk fiction.

A PC all blinged out in Steamy Punkness

.
This cover from the comic strip but also made into a not-too-high rating film.

The Film - The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morrello

Steamboy - a Japanese animated film by the director of Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo.

Steampunk Star Wars figures by Sillof, makers of all things steampunk. Chewy looks completely bitchin'.

Good clean branding.

2008-05-05T21:28:00.003+09:30

Rich, delicious chocolatey thing.

2008-05-05T20:35:00.001+09:30

Is this the best identity ever?

2008-05-05T20:34:00.002+09:30

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

2008-05-05T20:32:00.004+09:30

OVVLvverk.

2008-05-03T23:08:00.005+09:30

Here's a great website, ad free and all about imagery as it pertains to the owl, one of my favourite birds. Visit OVVLvverk and you can also get a FREE AD FREE BLOG Picci like the one above to show your commitment to add free blogging.

Top 10 Email Productivity Boosters.

2008-05-03T23:02:00.003+09:30

The first message one could consider email was sent more than 30 years ago, and that's probably when people began associating angst and uncertainty with the words "Inbox" and "unread messages." The tools available to read and send emails have advanced considerably since then, but what you actually do with all that chatter, without eating up entire days of work time, is up to you. More>>

The human brain appears hard-wired for hierarchy.

2008-05-03T22:35:00.005+09:30

Human imaging studies have for the first time identified brain circuitry associated with social status, according to researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health. They found that different brain areas are activated when a person moves up or down in a pecking order – or simply views perceived social superiors or inferiors. Circuitry activated by important events responded to a potential change in hierarchical status as much as it did to winning money. More>>

Lovely.

2008-04-30T16:47:00.004+09:30

I discovered this image somewhere (again, I don't know were from) but I love it. And I'm not really sure why. It's reminiscent of something from some time and some other place but I don't know when or where. The misty pallette reminds me of a moonlit scene from a Disney Feature Film but all I know of this is it was done quite recently and not by Disney. Maybe it's the still blue colours, or the primal security of shelter. Or maybe the pathway leads the viewer to imagine something unseen? At once I am comforted by this image but also frightened. It instills a familiar sense of childhood, or of a lonely anxiety when waking up in twilight hours after an afternoon nap.