Innovation

A brief look at how skateboard deck designs have gone from simple, to stylish and amazingly unique.

Baseball in Japan has evolved quite a lot since Horace Wilson first introduced the sport in 1872, yet foreigners still find many aspects of Japanese baseball confusing – not least the the odd names of the teams. Let's run down the dozen Nippon Professional Baseball league teams (without actually running them down) and clear up any misconceptions.

There are a few expected fixtures in a bathroom and one of them is a toilet... yes, even in the most luxurious bathrooms, people still need a place to "go." Toilets have been in need of modernizing forever, and it's about time to replace that same old "john" that looks like everyone else's. Here are 10 contemporary, cool-looking, luxury toilets, some with matching bidets, from my favorite bathroom designers.

Technology’s cold but very deft hand has once again provided a way to make our culinary jobs easier and more efficient. Read all about this cool, space-saving, stylish and smart new cooker created by industrial designer, Mathew Lau

When first introduced back in 2004, the Shelby Supercar (SSC) Ultimate Aero was built to be the fastest production car in the world. It took that title from the Bugatti Veyron in 2007, reaching an average top speed of 256.15mph. Last week, SSC unleashed their plans to achieve the same record, only this time it will be in the electric vehicle category.

Are you tired of looking for that one-of–a-kind gift for that weird, hard-to-please soul who has everything under the sun? Well, look no more. The Lobotomy Coaster Set from Nemesis Now has arrived.

Tokyo is plagued by crows. Not crowds (well, that's debatable) and definitely not cows, but crows. Noisy, aggressive flocks of crows have become such a huge problem that Tokyo city authorities have turned to nature in a desperate effort to combat the ravenous ravens – thousands of stinging bees!

Novelty Bavarian yodeling trousers are sort of sweeping the country. Read about their odd claim as one of the most absurdly hysterical products ever created.

It's the Slice Chair. Once you see it, you will never forget it.

Whoever heard of an infrared oven that keeps house cool? No one; that is, until now. Read more about this incredible kitchen appliance from Hearthware.

People who live alone and are too busy most of the time to plan healthy and/or gourmet meals will love this new compact cooker that does the job for them. Read on for more details.

A series of stark, black & white aprons and totes emblazoned with the Hakodate Juvenile Prison logo in both Japanese and English has proven so popular, inmates can't keep up with demand.

It's the Clothes Hanger Lamp. Yes, you read it right. It’s a lamp that uses clothing as a lampshade. Designed by Hector Serrano for the prolific Dutch design house Droog, the Clothes Hanger Lamp leaves a laundry list of opportunities to create new looks.

Remember those weird lava lamps from another psychedelic time and place? Well, they are sort of back, sort of. Read on for all the groovy details!

Is the world ready for the new Mohawk Drink Hat? I don’t know, but look out because…here it comes!

Need something on your bathroom door that says "bathroom" in a universal language? French designer Florence Doleac created a door handle that does just that. Poignée signalétique could be translated into "identifiable door handle" or an "identifiable handshake," as you wish. But let's not quibble about which translation to use; scatologic is universal.

MIT Scientists have taken solar powered energy and combined it with windows to make a new combination that might be greener than you think.

Adam Wallacavage is a brilliant photographer and sculptor who sculpts chandeliers - surrealistic octopus chandeliers, some with sinuous arms swept by the movements of the sea, others at rest, and still others showing off their prey. Here are a mere six octopus chandeliers to arouse your appetite for more!