ThingsAmongMany

Fellow POKEr Charles Gallant, who’s name you may recognize from Robot Designs For Tomorrow, recently took a huge step toward acheiving a long standing project goal. An avid guitarist as well as technology afficianado, Charles took the game we all know and love - Guitar Hero - and turned it on its head.

By connecting a bunch of gizmos and gadgets to his guitar, Charles has created a real-time visualization engine that reacts to the notes he’s playing on the instrument. Still in the early stages of development, the project is sure to continue moving forward, time permitting, of course. Check out the vid of the first test-run:

Guitar Animation Project from Charles Gallant on Vimeo.

You can also read more on his blog here.

I got an email this morning from a reader, Danielle, who runs a boutique/gallery in Brooklyn called Fact & Fancy. A quick glance at her site reveals that her shop is likely well-worth a stop. I immediately recognized a couple of the designs that she’s featuring from my previous hunting. A couple of jewelry designers stood out in particular; the ZipTie ring from MetalNat made the rounds a while ago, and the pieces from Metalicious caught my eye recently when I stumbled onto their Supermarket shop.

And, to help you get through those last-minute holiday gifts, Fact & Fancy is holding a series of trunk shows with a variety of artists through next tuesday. Here’s the schedule:

RSVP to one or more of these shows by emailing
factandfancybrooklyn at gmail.com
and get a free gift!

jewelry by danielle maveal
friday dec.19th 6pm-8pm

fine art and ceramics by louche lab
saturday dec.20th 3pm-5pm

housewares by cakehouse
sunday dec.21st 3pm-5pm

felt & knit accessories by nguyen le
monday dec. 22nd 6pm-8pm

bags and wallets by callieco
tuesday dec.23rd 6pm-8pm

Anyone else noticed the recent resurgence of the clothespin across the design world? This arguably outdated little home appliance doesn’t have much of a place in most homes these days - though there is something to be said for clothes dried outside on a line rather than in a dryer with chemical softeners. But over the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed a nostalgic comeback for this underdog.

After a bit of research, it appears that we can thank the Polish design team POOR for bringing to life this otherwise forgotten friend. By integrating a variety of useful everyday objects into a standard clothespin, the crew at POOR has created a line of go-anywhere pieces: a USB thumbdrive, a knife for spreading, and even an MP3 player.

Of course, their designs aren’t limited to clothespin designs. I was also quite taken by their 3D cross side-table. And there’s plenty more on the POOR site to explore. Have a look, it’ll be well-worth your time!

Despite the argument that Design Within Reach has lost touch with the “Within Reach” part of their moniker, it’s tough to challenge their ability to make some really iconic pieces readily available (to those who can afford the prices). And to cement their standing, the crew over at DWR recently started an item-per-day sale of some very limited edition piece.

According to a post over on Apartment Therapy, Chris and Kari (the brains behind the DWR Tools For Living idea) recently returned from a trip around the world where they spent their days gathering up as many rare, vintage, and one-off pieces as they could find. Those pieces are now being sold on DWR’s site in a limited edition run of awesomeness. Some pieces are available for purchase on the DWR site, while others are being auctioned off - like an original Eames designed leg splint, or #1 of 500 of the new Gehry Superlight chair. Of course, I’ve got a pretty serious hankering for the Venti Fan they’re showing off (ironically, one of the more “reasonably” priced items at a modest $600).

They’re revealing a piece per day for about another two weeks. You can keep track of the items on their Limited Edition Page, or sign up for their mailing list to get the info via email.

A few weeks ago Danny wrote about Wall Blank, the get cheap art and fill your walls website. And this made me remember another site. Jen Bekman’s 20×200.
The idea is simple:

(limited editions × low prices) + the internet
= art for everyone

Each week the site posts two new pieces, a photograph and a work on paper:

Each image is available in three sizes.

* A small size – an edition of 200 for $20.
* A medium - sized edition of 20 for $200.
* A large - sized edition of 2 generally for $2000

Every piece of art is delivered with certificate of authenticity and numbered by the artist.   There is even the opportunity to purchase the original from the artist.

So how did this all get started?
Jen Bekman opened an apparently tiny gallery 5 years ago on the Lower East Side. Her mission was to support emerging artists and collectors.  20×200 takes her mission further and redefines what it means to be an art collector.  And of course, like any good art lover, all profits are donated — in this case to the Public Design Center.

What I like most about this site is the art. Its’ gorgeous — thought was obviously put in selecting the pieces. I will admit I get super frustrated when I see something I need-want-and-can’t-live-without and then click to find out the only print left is at the $2000 level — but hey, all the reason to visit 20×200 more often.

So I’m going to try something a little new here. For the last few months, I’ve been populating a bookmark folder simply titled “Wants”. It’s the dumping ground of bookmarks for things that I stumble across that I…well, want. Those things - little and big - that I stumble upon in my journies across the webiverse and for one reason or another would love to add to my consumption collection. Since most of it will never actually find its way into my home, I figure it should at least find its way onto the blog.

The first in this ongoing collection is this Enamel First Aid Storage Box from Urchin. I originally saw it over on SwissMiss, and I believe it was the first item to encourage the creation of the “Wants” folder.

For the last four years, I’ve been using a standard travel kit for my bathroom accountrements. Figuring it was about time to find a more permanent storage container, I was all set to order this box to toss my toothbrush, etc. in while it was on the shelf. Unfortunately, a quick email to Urchin revealed that the shipping costs from the UK to NYC would run at least as much as the box itself. Somehow I wasn’t quite willing to shell out $60+ for a toothbrush/soap box.

Of course, if anyone happens across a similar storage container - even without the emblazoned cross - please give me a shout. Adding the decoration after-the-fact would be easy enough! And please, drop us a comment with some of your personal “Wants”. If this takes off, it would be a great way to continue sharing those little design bits that have caught your eye (and ours).

It’s always impressive when design is used to solve an everyday problem. I tweeted one instance here, when I noticed new, more ergonomic shopping baskets at my local grocery store. (Speaking of which, if you’re not already following *AmongMany on Twitter, jump on the bandwagon! We’ve already had a ton of new followers this week!)

I found another excellent example of a design solution to a common problem today: how often do you find yourself cramped under a desk or jiggling a plug back and forth to try and release it from a powerstrip with just one hand? I know for me, it’s more often than I’d like. Industrial designer Evan Ryan came up with a simple solution to alleviate the problem. His Eject Powerstrip allows the user to pop a plug from the strip one-handed by simply squeezing on either side of the plug:

One of, if not the most difficult aspect of a power strip is unplugging the power cords, especially if the power strip is under a desk or behind an object. When you squeeze the eject power strip, the plug “pops” right out eliminating the need to use two hands.

Simple. Useful. Elegant. Just what good design should be!

NY-based designer Jeff Domke has just released yet another Obama-related design piece: Obamabats. A humorous adaptation of the popular “dingbats” font, Obamabats is a collection of 24 vector-ready Obama-esque images and design elements ready to be adapted for your next presidential project.

The download is free from Jeff’s site. Make sure to show us - and Jeff - what you use them for!

So after yesterday’s post about Wall Blank, I got a very nice email from Shawn Kelley, the man behind the scenes and founder of the newly formed company. He was thrilled to see our post and had some really exciting thoughts about the upcoming artists who will be featured on Wall Blank.

And, to top it off, Shawn was gracious enough to offer us two coupons that will cover the cost of a poster or two. And, as much as I need some wall-coverings of my own, I’m more excited to see what the readers around here are are in need of. So we’re going to give them away!

Here’s the deal:
Submit a comment on this post with a photo (or link to a photo) of the space you need to spruce up, along with a concise and compelling explanation of what you’re thinking about doing with it and why a fresh new poster would help. No novels, just a quick thought on what you’re excited to do with your space.

A week from today, on Wednesday the 12th, we’ll dig through the submissions and select our two faves to receive the coupons. Just be prepared to report back with fresh photos once your new posters are on the walls!

And thanks again to Shawn - I’m sure he’ll be interested to see the results as well!

Jenn, from a company I hadn’t heard of called Wall Blank, commented on a recent post. Curiosity got the best of me and I took a look at their site, only to find myself pleasantly surprised by the setup they’re using to sell posters:

A new piece of art will be posted for sale every weekday, available for one week or until it sells out, whichever comes first. Once an edition is sold out, it will never be available again.

Admittedly, some of their prints leave a bit to be desired right now, but I’m hoping that as they pick up, the designs will as well. (Come on guys, if it’s created in Wordle, I don’t really want to pay you for it, even if it is screenprinted.)

They’ve also got a non-profit initiative that happens every Friday:

Every Friday, the artist chooses a non-profit cause for all the proceeds to be donated to. That artist foregoes any payment, Wall Blank pays for printing costs out of pocket and other than shipping costs, every single penny received goes straight to the selected cause.

Keep an eye on these guys, hopefully we’ll see some good things from them in the future!