UP up and away goes our table

If you are looking out for an eye-catching coffee table, you might want to consider getting this soaring one. 

Inspired by the UP cartoon film by Disney/Pixar, the table looks like a glass slab being floated or soaring up via helium balloons underneath. I do believe the picture explains itself. It being a table, it won't really float up naturally, though you could always get helium balloons and a piece of styrofoam board to create a 'working prototype'.

It costs $3,800 USD, and only 20 has been handbuilt. I would think it is quite sturdy, though it does look a little weak, and there's a slight fear that the stem of any balloon will just break off. especially those at the four corners.

You can get more info here

Lampbrella

I came across this fantastic concept design by Mikhail Belyaev.

The umbrella is integrated with any street lamp, and once rain is detected, its canopy automatically opens to allows passer bys to seek shelter safely and swiftly. We all heard how dangerous it is to hide under trees during thunderstorms, but what if there's a downpour and no shelter in sight? This might actually be a rather useful solution to places where downpours are sudden and frequent (like Singapore).

I can actually find no flaw in this design, other than perhaps there could be a plastic sheet like a coat stretching downwards, so if strong winds blow, occupants can still be kept dry and fresh (unless someone farts).

This would probably be more appealing and cost-effective than building shelters from point to point. Whoever designs this could even market the inner canopy as advertising space. It would definitely be a prime spot for hot beverage companies. (Imagine being caught in the rain, and under the umbrella, you look up to see a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee.)

Who knows, maybe love might even blossom between singles who gather under the canopy?

More info here: http://www.yankodesign.com/2012/06/27/shade-under-the-lampbrella/

Pizza Vending Machine

Sometimes I marvel at how instant we have all become. We want it straight on the spot pronto. In fact, it is only a matter of time before we are queueing up at vending machines instead of counters, and one step in that direction is the Pizza Vending Machine.

My first thought was that the machine merely heated up pre-cooked pizzas. Guess what? I was wrong. The pizzas are made from scratch in 3 minutes. Not only does it allow you to choose your ingredients and toppings, the pizza will be dished out in a convenient takeaway cardboard box. Furthermore, there are actually small viewing windows for you to watch the creation of your pizza.

Can somebody just bring this over here right now? The possibilities are endless. You can have it at schools, offices, convenience stores, and even mount it on a van and set up a store at the beach (or election rallies).

You can find more info from the company behind it here.

Internet Explorer 7 Tax

Internet Explorer was never made for web designing. Thanks to its inclusion in the Windows OS, however, it was popular in terms of usage. Till other strong competitors like Firefox, Chome, Safari and Opera came along. 

If you have yet to sample or jump over to another browser, you might want to think about it now. Kohan, an electronics retailer based in Australia has imposed an extra 6.8% surcharge on any online transactions done using Internet Explorer 7. Why 6.8 you ask? It's 0.1% for each month IE7 has been on the market. 

Basing the charge on the amount of work their web designers need to ensure it is compatible, the easier workaround this is simply to either use a different browser or upgrade to IE 8 and above. 

The official blog post here. 

Music

What transcends through time and space,

and ascends to the highest of heavens 

descends through the depths of hell? 

That which is not limited through geographical boundaries

or by the differing languages of men,

That conjures up vivid images in the mind

of rolling stacks of hay down the countryside,

or the flush of rain across one's face. 

That which mythic gods feed upon

and their stories foretold

that whose ancestors speak of

and wonders behold. 

No scale exists to weigh your

impact 

no line exists to limit

your impact.

Made up on notes

compounded through chords

amplified through dynamics

and vibrated through resonance. 

Music, is something that we can all truly

never ever grasp the importance of. 

World Map Aquarium

Forget about glass bowls with a sprinkle of goldfish inside swimming round and round and round. Or huge rectangular tanks brimming with water, fish, and a thousand and one ornaments inside. Don't build the world for your fish. Let your fish live in the world.

This coffee table aquarium is made from glass cut and shaped like the world. The unique design and functionality achieved a TIFF Award for its designer Takuro Yamamoto. Definitely a conversation starter at parties or when you have socially-awkward friends over, I'm pretty sure this would keep the kids entertained too. (I hope the glass is shockproof).

I can just picture a dozen colorful small fish gliding around the world. If you do want to up the functional aspect, I would suggest maybe pasting an atlas underneath this, so your kid can learn math and geography at the same time.

More info here

Wear your Thong

Sometimes, creativity has its downside.

Like that. In the world of multitasking and multi-purposeful, we tend to lose sight of the aesthetics (pun intended). Douglas Hamilton came up with this design where your flip flop can be worn as a thong. 

Each thong has a super elastic strap that you can pull to stretch out and just stand right in it to be a thong. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be comfortable. Then again, I could just picture a brand name or logo plastered at the bottom of the flip flop being 'advertised' when converted to a thong.

I do think covered shoes would make a better, uhm, fit.

More info here.