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Tech NewsDesign$12,600 Labyrinth Maze Watch Doesn’t Even Tell the Time
Being able to play games on your wrist is no longer a feature that only smartwatches can boast. Swiss watchmaker Hautlence has just revealed a peculiar piece called the Playground Labyrinth featuring a tiny 18k gold ball that can be navigated around a complicated maze just by moving your wrist. When you get the ball … Continued
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Tech NewsDesignMarimekko Is Bringing Its Colorful, Cult-Favorite Textiles to Target
It was really only a matter of time before the Finnish brand known for popularizing playful, accessible, well-designed products for good living made its way into the American retailer that epitomizes those values. Over 200 Marimekko for Target products will be in US stores next month and include summer-centric goods like swimwear, beach gear, and … Continued
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Tech NewsDesignChina’s Ban on ‘Weird’ Architecture Is a Damn Shame
China’s become known for some of the zaniest, prettiest, most daring architecture of the 21st century. Sadly, that’s all coming to a halt, as the government is now banning any new buildings that are dubbed “oversized,” “xenocentric,” or “weird.” The government’s State Council made the announcement on Sunday. From here on out, it wants cityscapes … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Tech NewsDesign
The World’s Most Slender Tower Is 13 Feet Wide But 531 Feet Tall
You can keep your super-tall towers: How about the physical challenge of building the world’s most slender instead? That’s what engineers have done in Brighton, UK, with the i360 tower. The new construction—a sea-front observation tower—is just less than 13 feet in diameter yet 531 feet tall. It’s just be crowned the “most slender tower” … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
How Long Before Dubai’s New Observation Tower Is Engulfed in Flames?
A new observation tower will be built in Dubai, and it’s already being billed as an “architectural wonder that will be as great as Burj Khalifa and Eiffel Tower.” That’s great, but what I really want to know is this: Will it catch on fire? The new tower’s design, a contemporary take on traditional Islamic … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
Instead of Pixels, Crayola’s New Kids’ Tablet Is Filled With Sand
If you’ve ever scribbled your name in the sand on the beach with a stick, you’ll understand where Crayola found the inspiration for its new drawing tablet for kids. The biggest advantage of the Sand Scribbler, though, is that there’s no risk of a drawing or doodle being erased by the incoming tide. To prevent … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
This Collection of Bad Transit Maps Will Get You Very Lost Very Quickly
A well-designed public transit map is a wonderful thing: clean, clear, simple and intuitive. A bad one, however, will serve to confuse you until you no longer know in which direction you’re headed. Designer Cameron Booth has put together Transit Maps, which rounds up awful public transit maps from around the world. Some make complex … Continued
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Tech NewsDesignThis Impossibly Complicated Mechanical Clock Re-Writes the Time Every Minute
A cheap digital watch can keep far better time than even the most complicated of Swiss watches. But there’s still something undeniably appealing about watching all those gears, springs, and cogs spinning about—and this incredibly complicated clock that writes out the time has them in abundance. Designed, engineered, and built by students at the Tohoku … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
We’re Entering a Golden Age of Space Tourism Propaganda [Updated]
Whether they’re selling tickets to orbit or making sure the science funding keeps flowing, rocket companies and space agencies alike have a vested interest in getting the public jazzed about the cosmic beyond. So it’s no surprise that we’re now entering a golden age of space tourism propaganda—one that’s bringing back the beloved, classic design … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech NewsDesign
A New Kid-Safe Version of the 3Doodler Melts Plastic Without Burning Fingers
Kids love to doodle, be it with markers, crayons, finger paints, even food. That’s why the 3Doodler seemed like the perfect kids’ toy—except the heat needed to melt the 3D printing filament meant it was adults only. So the company has created a new version, designed specifically for kids, with new filament that melts with … Continued
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Tech NewsDesignThis Twisting Manhattan Tower Will Have a Park on Every Floor
When you think of supertalls you probably think of pricey real estate—not leafy parks in the sky. A new 1000-foot tower going up in Manhattan provides a more interesting take: Hanging gardens that twirl down the exterior of the building like a giant green exclamation point marking the end of the High Line. The 65-story … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
These Gorgeous Buildings Showcase the Surprisingly Innovative Future of Wood
Wood is the future. That’s the feeling you get after looking through the 2016 award winners named by WoodWorks, the United States wood building council. All of these structures are made from wood, but not the traditional two-by-fours you’re thinking of. These buildings make use of innovative new materials like glued-laminated timber (glulam) and cross-laminate … Continued
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Tech NewsDesignDesigners Will Knit a Neon Rope Canopy Over MoMA’s Concrete Courtyard This Summer
Each summer the Museum of Modern Art’s Queens outpost, PS1, chooses an up-and-coming designer to create a temporary installation in its courtyard. These have ranged from a fortress of used skateboards to towers of bricks grown from fungus. This year, it’s a colorful crocheted net. Mexico City-based Escobedo Solíz Studio have been selected as the … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
You’ll Have to Burn This Piggy Bank Candle to Access Your Savings
There’s a lot of good reasons to distrust banks these days, which means it’s boon time for companies who make piggy banks. But instead of smashing this bank on the floor when you want to make a withdrawal, you light its tail and watch it melt away because it’s actually a wax candle. Made by … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
This Is What Happens When You Let a Neural Network Design Fonts
Neural networks are increasingly taking on jobs that used to be the preserve of the human brain. So Erik Bernhardsson decided to see what would happen if he threw 50,000 fonts at a neural network and left it to chew at them. The results, it turns out, are pretty interesting. To feed the fonts to … Continued
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Tech NewsDesignPortable Bathtub Packs Flatter Than a Stolen Hotel Bathrobe
You can read every last online review, but you really have no idea what a hotel room is going to be like until you arrive. And if you’re the type who likes to travel with their own sheets and towels, you’re probably also the type who would be interested in a portable pack-flat bath tub … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
According to IKEA, We’ve Hit “Peak Home Furnishings”
IKEA’s head of sustainability reckons that western consumers are at the limit in terms of stuff they can actually buy, a situation he’s referred to as “peak home furnishings.” Speaking at a conference organized by The Guardian, Steve Howard from IKEA explained: “If we look on a global basis, in the west we have probably … Continued
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Tech NewsDesignHere’s Your Best Look at the World’s Largest Dinosaur Skeleton
Meet the titanosaur. It’s the newest exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, and it’s a dinosaur cast so large it doesn’t even fit into a single room. The exhibit, which opens today, features a full replica of a 70-ton titanosaur’s bones, which were uncovered in 2012 as part of a massive dig in … Continued
By Ria Misra -
Tech NewsDesignArchitecture’s Top Prize Went to an Incredible Chilean Architect You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
The Pritzker Prize was announced this morning, an award many consider the highest honor for design. This year’s prize went to Alejandro Aravena, a Chilean architect you may not know—but definitely should. The Santiago-based architect is young as far as Pritzker laureates go (48), and he might not have a famous fire-igniting skyscraper to his … Continued
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Tech NewsDesign
The World Metro Map Combines 214 Subway Systems Into One Glorious Mess
What happens if you try to combine 214 different subway networks—including 791 routes and 11,924 stations—into a single map? This beautiful tangle of color and lines is what. Created by New York-based ArtCodeData and Open Access, the map—called, aptly, The World Metro Map—includes subway systems from Istanbul to Seoul, New York to Moscow, Mexico to … Continued