September, 2010

Edyeglass technology hasn't advance very much since the 19th century... until now.  TruFocals, soon to be re-branded Superfocus, are the coolest things in prescription eyeglasses since Benjamin Franklin made his own.  In fact, they are designed just like Franklin's glasses. 

In the 1980's when attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was first bandied about as a developmental disability, many college and university administrators and teachers thought it was just an excuse for poor grades and low test scores. Slowly though, it has become recognized in the educational community as an actual disorder and new educational methods, as well has drugs, have been developed to help treat it.  Now, scientists have found that there is a genetic link to ADHD.

One of the several segments of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) historical look at 20th century kitchens is its collection for Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen.  Here, we find designs for the kitchens of the future from the avant-guarde of the last century, which still have relevance and style for today's kitchens... But where are they?

The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), an international organization of 33 countries, recently released the latest figures on the obesity rates of all of its member countries.  Though the U.S. was just shy of coming in first, we still have a big fat influence on the world.

Though still in the development phase, electronics giant Nokia is developing a way to let users “feel” icons on their touch screen smartphones.

Twenty-one First Ladies, including Michelle Obama, have pushed healthy diets as their main projects. I guess they should have found different causes to get behind, because in spite of their efforts, the efforts of the medical community, the insurance industry, the health and fitness industry and many more sectors of the economy... we keep eating fewer and fewer of them.

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City has a special and vast exhibit of 20th Century kitchen designs happening now. In going through the complete online guide to the exhibit, which really just touches on some items in  the complete collection, what fascinated me most is one of the earliest kitchens in the MOMA show, that of architect Margarete Schutte-Lihotzky's Frankfort Kitchen, designed in 1926-27.

Celery brings your friends and family into the world of speedy connection.  With this machine they can communicate just as fast as the rest of us, and be more involved and in touch with the people they love.

Canadians have proven their usefulness once again, with students from the University of Toronto devising the world’s first continuously flying ornithopter.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating injuries that can occur.  It can affect muscle function, including respiration, transmission of messages to the brain, elimination function, heart health as well as other normal biological and physiological systems of the body and brain. This is why stem cell researchers have made spinal cord injury one of their first treatment goals.  And a small trial, led by neuroscientist Hans Keirstead at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), is about to begin.

Debuting at 100% Design in London this week is the clever patterned tablecloth that welcomes spills of any kind, even wine.  Created by Norwegian designer Kristine Bjaadal, the Underfull Tablecloth appears at first like any other tablecloth - beautiful white linen with a floral pattern.  But unlike other tablecloths, when you spill your gravy, your soup, or you drool your chocolate ice cream on it, you will be seen as a poet instead of a slob.

I discovered Giles Miller after spotting a very cool vase design he made out of glass, aluminum, and brass peelings, the latter being moldable into virtually any shape you want.  This vase naturally intrigued me, so I visited his website, where I found that most of Miller's designs have been carved from corrugated cardboard.  Jaw-dropping designs...

Every two years, The Trends & Innovations Observatory of SIAL, an international group of judges, awards the brand new products that are innovative and have the potential to become successful because of their uniqueness and quality.  These 15 mouth-watering foods and drinks from 6 countries have been announced. Nine of the 15 awards went to French companies.

You may not have paid much attention to your 'personality type,' those rubrics of A, B, and C, developed by psychologists in the 1950's.  A comprehensive study of Type D personality (a Type added to the group in the 1990's), its relationship to heart disease, and the findings will no doubt be disappointing to those in that group. This will make them really grumpy.

Most modern desk lamps, even those employing the newest lighting technologies, look pretty much alike - the way we expect them to look these days.  But the Needle Lamp - bright, shiny, iconic and minimalist - adds some pizazz to the formulaic desk lighting design, and it becomes a lamp that can easily be the center of attention (even if it's in a corner of your desk).

How would you like a peephole that really lets you see who's at your door?  This is one that assures that you will clearly see outside and the person outside will not see you or your shadow to make him aware that someone's peeping at him!  It's the Brinno Electronic PeepHole Viewer, and you don't even have to reach the PeepHole to see who's outside!

Stanford University scientists have developed a way for artificial skin to not only respond, but be just as sensitive as the real deal.

Have you ever been blown away by a wallpaper design?  Well, get ready!

Nobel Prize-winner, Robert Richardson, physicist at Cornell University suggests that party balloons should cost $100 each to reflect today's price of helium....

Thankfully, medical researchers are not only studying synthetic drugs, but the efficacy of vitamins in disease intervention and protection.  Yesterday's medical news was that vitamin D may be more effective than a flu shot in preventing both seasonal and swine flus.  But this week, another study was published about particular health effects of vitamin B.

Funded by the US Air Force, a new portable backpack laser system has been developed for mapping interior environments and also for being AWESOME.

California designers Willow Garage have created a robot for the masses - or at least the first generation of it. Enter the PR2, and start your Frankenstein Complex engines.