Archive for January, 2010
Fallen Empire: Dictator’s Destroyed & Recycled Palaces
[ By Delana in Abandoned Places,Architecture & Design,Urban Images. ]
It’s a surreal, otherworldly scene: ornate palaces with the finest appointments being used as temporary shelter for American soldiers. The detritus of their everyday lives mingles with the ornate columns, shiny marble floors and war rubble in the palaces built by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. After the dictator was forced from power and his property seized, the US Army moved their command headquarters into Al-Faw Palace in Camp Victory.
Photographer Richard Mosse traveled to Iraq to document this bizarre circumstance, this juxtaposition of supposed liberators dwelling in the very home of the dictator they vowed to depose. He called the resulting book Breach, a nod to the liberators stepping into the breach they created when Hussein was removed from power.
That’s not to say that Mosse’s work is sternly anti-war. He seeks to show extraordinary images of an unprecedented situation with a fair measure of neutrality. He didn’t resort to telling one side of the story or another; he simply made photographs that, regardless of how you feel about the war, are moving.
Al-Faw wasn’t the only palace occupied by US forces. Of the 81 palaces Hussein built for himself, Mosse was only able to visit three in his month in Iraq: Al-Faw in Baghdad, Al-Salam in Baghdad, and Saddam’s Birthday Palace in Tikrit.
Treehouse by Nicko Björn Elliott
Canadian designer Nicko Björn Elliott has completed a child’s play house wrapped around a tree in Toronto. (more…)
For When Earth’s on Mute
You know it happens sometimes. Someone gets a remote like in those sci-fi movies or Adam Sandler walks by and boom, you can’t hear a thing! It’s crap! So what do you do? You get ahold of Dan Carrillo. That guy will hook you up with a combo that cannot be beat for the sound-impared. The “Emmerse” system uses glasses, a wristband, and an itsy-bitsy clampable keyboard. Speak or see, type or view.
The glasses are where half of the magic happens. In them, you can see text of the person you’re conversing with, complete with tone (like if they’re totally pissed), and icons. The icons you see in the first picture below are these icons. Don’t get hit by a bus!
Then the keyboard: it’s like one of those click-bracelets that were hot fashion for kids in the 1990’s. On this you can type in what you’d like to say and it’ll be spoken aloud by the wristband in a voice derived from you, the user. Alternatively, the keyboard can display your text on it’s back, just incase you’re in the library.
I wish it also had sensors so I could target enemies and one extra accessory missile launcher that I could mount to the back of a truck.
Designer: Dan Carrillo
Yanko Claus: Win a BODUM BISTRO Flatbed Toaster
Our friends at BODUM are gifting their new BISTRO Flatbed Toaster. Believe when I say this thing is awesome. To enter, fan their Facebook Page. Let them know why you love Bodum and tell them you’re from Yanko Design. Then copy and paste what you wrote here. That’s it! You have until 11:59 PM PST tonight and remember, we’re gifting something almost everyday this month so check back!
Sponsor: BODUM
The BODUM BISTRO Flatbed Toaster features a flat heating surfacesimilar to a grillthat allows users to toast larger slices or loaves of bread, croissants, bagels and other baked goods. Simply place the bread on the grating above the heating surface to toast one side at a timeand, at any point during the toasting process, the user can remove the bread.
Mmm, can’t you taste the yummy things you’ll cook on it? Hurry and enter!
Minitecture: 15 Ultra-Modern Dollhouse Designs
Dollhouses have a long history, beginning in the 17th century. They were originally used to display interior designs, but eventually came to be used as children’s playthings. Today, they’re still loved by children, but there is also a growing global community of adult miniature collectors who value dollhouses for their style and quality. There is a huge variety to be found in the world of tiny houses, from the elaborate handmade houses to the mass-produced plastic ones. For many of us, the dollhouses we remember from childhood are the frilly Victorian type or the sterile Barbie’s Dream Houses. But there’s a whole world of sleek, stylish modern dollhouses out there, just waiting to instill a love of modern architecture in your little one.
(images via: Paris Renfroe)
These shipping container modules from Paris Renfroe Design are the ultimate in modern dollhouse architecture. Taking the wildly popular container homes trend and shrinking it to dollhouse size, Renfroe is bringing even more exposure to this particular architectural movement. Each unit is handmade by the artist and will run you $175-$250, depending on your desired finish. If you have some money to throw around, this might just be the perfect way to inspire your aspiring architect or interior designer.
(images via: Paris Renfroe)
Fabulous prefab dollhouse design is also from Paris Renfroe; in fact, it was his first foray into miniature home design. The modern, open home could easily be a real city dwelling, complete with small backyard pool and intimate second-floor patio.
(image via: My Modern Mini)
The Mini House 1 is another take on the modern modular dollhouse design. The upper and lower units can be purchased separately or together so you can come up with your own unique home design. The sleek lines and glass fronts offer an unquestionably modern alternative to those character-less plastic dollhouses many of us grew up with.
(images via: Minimii)
Magical things happen in dollhouses. Miniature lives are lived while children develop their social skills and imaginations. This gorgeous modern dollhouse from Minimii encourages that learning and playing with a design that even grownups will love. This house is an exact 1:14 replica of famed architect Arne Jacobsen’s beloved home. The company even offers modern furniture to outfit the crisp modern rooms.
(images via: A Touch of the Past)
Why let the people who make the dollhouses have all the fun? This Ultra Modern Doll House comes ready to finish, so you can apply your creativity to each and every room. The high ceilings, interesting entryway, garage-top terrace and huge, modern windows make this a truly unique dollhouse.
(images via: Inhabitots)
For all of the minuscule minimalist modernists out there, this A-frame dollhouse is based on Andrew Geller’s similarly-shaped teepee home from the 1950s. The unusual shape lends itself well to imaginative play, while the design itself is visually interesting enough that you’ll want to keep it out on the table rather than hide it away with the rest of the toys.
Green Goes Gigantic: Huge Public Gardens & Eco-Museums
[ Filed under Nature & Ecosystems or in the Geography & Travel category ]
Where can you go to learn about naturein both academic environments, and face-to-facein a big way? Some of the worlds largest public gardens and eco-museums contain dazzling arrays of both live and preserved plant specimens, as well as opportunities to get more familiar with our planets natural history. But thats only the beginning. If some of the following as-yet-unbuilt concepts come to pass, in the future well have even bigger indoor gardens, zoos and aquariums.
Sietch Nevada Underground Garden City Concept
(image via: Matsys Design)
In 1965, hidden underground oases of the worlds last remaining freshwater were merely science fiction. But those sietch described in Frank Herberts famous novel Dune are seeming more realistic as the American Southwest struggles with dwindling water supplies. A project called Sietch Nevada envisions turning Herberts vision into reality, storing water in vast underground communities that hum with lifeboth human and plant – far below the dusty surface of the earth.
Keukenhof Flower Garden, Netherlands
(image via: Wikipedia)
No matter where you go in the world, youll never find a bigger flower garden than the one at Keukenhof, located near Lisse, Netherlands. Known as the Garden of Europe, Keukenhof is home to more than 7 million flower bulbsmostly iconic Dutch tulips in a rainbow of colors.
Botanischer Garten, Berlin, Germany
(image via: visitberlin.de)
Among the biggest botanical gardens on Earth, Berlins Botanisher Garten is also considered one of the worlds most important. Encompassing an area that measures nearly 430,000 square miles, the garden contains about 22,000 species of plants and consists of a Botanical Museum, a large herbarium, a scientific library and a number of glass houses. One of them, the Great Pavilion, is the largest glass house in the world.
Dochodo Island Zoo Concept, South Korea
(image via: Inhabitat)
Once its built, the Dochodo Island Zoo in South Korea would not only be the biggest, tallest zoo everbut also the most unusual (in shape at least). All transportation, energy sources and building systems would be contained within giant polygonal structures reaching 20 meters into the sky. This so-called infrastructural green belt would make as little an impact on the land itself as possible.
National Botanic Garden, Belgium
(image via: Maribelle71)
Few man-made places can claim that they contain 6% of all the known plant species in the world, but the National Botanic Garden in Belgium is one of the worlds largest botanical gardens and 18,000 plant species call it home. Half can be seen in the greenhouses, while the rest grow outdoors. Also on its grounds is the 12th century Boechout Castle, used for conferences and exhibitions.
Bay South Garden, Singapore
(image via: Inhabitat)
18 Clever Christmas Trees Created With Recycled Materials
[ See more under Home & Garden or in the Art & Design category ]
Forward thinkers were some of the first environmentalists. Nowadays, most of us recycle. As always, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Some people are just more creative than others, while some folks are a bit bizarre. Before tossing out your trash, take a look at these 18 creative and clever Christmas trees made with recycled materials.
Christmas Trees Made of Recycled Bottles in Portugal
(image credits:all2 pics)
It’s a reoccurring theme to see trees made from recycled plastic bottles. In Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, these Christmas trees were created with discarded trash. The lights were strung as well as tinsel made from the bottle caps. Then these trees were proudly on display within the city.
Mt. Dew Tree
(image credits:Mt. Dew Tree)
Curious what else you can do with approximately 400 Mountain Dew cans? Well the creator of this tree saved three months of soda drinking cans and spent four days constructing this Christmas tree. He used PVC pipe for the trunk, construction markers for the branches and drilled the pipe to fit the construction flags. The end result is quite striking.
Plastic Fork Tree
(image credits:sparklette)
This tree was made from plastic forks. Even the star on top is made from pointy plastic utensils. Keep this in mind before you throw out those disposable forks and spoons. Finally, there may be something worthwhile to do with your sporks.
Postcard, Magazine, Book and Shredded Paper Trees
(image credits: sparklette, MetalRiot)
These Christmas trees have been created from postcards, magazines, books and even shredded paper. The top gift tree was created by cutting and folding postcards into gift boxes and then layered to form a tree. Too many magazines on your hands? The middle tree was constructed from hundreds of magazine face cutouts, folded and then arranged in a tree shape. If you like white Christmas trees, make use of your shredded papers. Another way to use magazines and books when you are done is to fold them into Christmas tree shapes like on the bottom right.
Aluminum Can Christmas Tree
(image credits:sparklette)
The aluminum can has long been a recycled item. If you like shiny trees, however, consider chopping up those cans. This Christmas tree was constructed from sliced tops and bottoms of many cans.
Glass Bottle Trees
Another Impostor
A few posts ago we discussed how ID guys like to serenade one thing for the other, maybe its their kick for getting things intriguing. Why else would you want hand grenades fashioned as Salt & Pepper Shakers, but for their Taste Explosion?
Designer: Thabto [ Buy it Hereavailable for $16 at the YD Store ]
Taste Explosion Salt & Pepper Shakers is available for $16 at the YD Store
*Order by Dec 15 for US delivery by Dec 25.
Biological Photography: Magnificent Microscopic & Ultraminiature Photos
[ Filed under Art & Design or in the Animals & Habitats category ]
Ever wonder what a taste bud on your tongue looks like up close? How about the proboscis of a moth, the scales of a butterfly wing or the contents of a drop of pond water? Seen through a microscope and photographed, biological subjects from human, plant and animal sources reveal stunning colors and patterns, and a depth of detail you may not have imagined possible.
Human Sweat Gland
(image via: The Telegraph)
What do you see in this imagea head of lettuce? The inside of a rose? The reality is far less romantic, but that makes it all the more fascinating. Its a SEM (Scanning Electron Micrograph) of a human sweat pore, opening onto the surface of human skin.
Aquatic Fly Larvae
(image via: Fabrice Parais/ Nikon Small World Photo Micrography Competition)
It might look like some kind of bizarre horned creature, but this image actually shows the tail end of an Atherix ibis larvae. This aquatic fly, known colloquially as the watersnipe, lays its eggs in freshwater and looks decidedly less interesting as an adult.
Human Tongue Taste Bud
(image via: David Gregory & Debbie Marshall, Wellcome Images)
Tongues arent pretty, and taste buds are even less so. But all the same, its amazing to see these tiny receptors for the various flavorssalty, sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and savoryso close up. Butthese ugly biological wonders while you can if youre prone to male pattern baldness, because curiously, they tend to go bald as well, leading to loss of taste sensations.
Monarch Butterfly Wing
(image via: Micro.Magnet.FSU.edu)
Images in various scales of magnification show the vivid, iconic black, orange and white coloration of the Monarch butterflys wings. While most other butterfly species have scales that are jagged and heavily ridged, those of the Monarch are smooth and rounded.
Split End of Human Hair
(image via: Liz Hirst, Wellcome Images)
Seeing how gnarly a split end of human hair looks when magnified many times over may just encourage people to trim their hair more often.
Anglerfish Ovary
(image via: James Hayden)
Creativity In Smell Can Reward Handsomely
Home remedies of using baking soda or vinegar for getting rid of domestic odors are good to learn in grade school. In the real world we need more sophisticated methods to do away with sickening smells. So if I were to ask you, whats your brightest idea for preventing domestic smell, would you have one for me? I wouldnt reward you tho, however if you presented it to the Swirl Smell Fighters Innovation Contest, you could win handsome prizes!
Participating in the Swirl Smell Fighters Innovation Contest is easy, you register your account, submit your ideas and solutions on how to prevent domestic smell or contribute challenges for the community which describe problems and specific needs. Discuss and evaluate the proposals and win great prizes for the ideas and for being the most active contest member!
Some Important Notes:
It is important, that you focus your ideas and thoughts on the prohibition of domestic smells and not on covering them. Deadline for submission of ideas challenges is January 11th, 2010 Announcement of winners: February 5th, 2010
Prizes:
1st prize: 2.000 2nd prize: 1.000 3rd prize: 500
Details for the contest can be found here, and if you want to see what others are up to, hit this link.
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