i-eclectica.org

Another haha.nu link [thanks!] - a very funny Delta Lloyd Insurance ad …

This is quite a good ad; it was run in Germany by Epuron, a wind energy provider.

[thanks to haha.nu]

This is another potentially useful gizmo found on Yanko Design.

Connext could be quite revolutionary: it is conceptually an all-in-one, flexible smart device that can morph its form to fit the application that it assumes - physically and virtually. Combining OLED touch-screen technology with E-paper flexibility, this device can switch to become a mobile phone, computer, multimedia player, watch, physical avatar etc. and probably more (I know it’s hard to read, but just check out the various application features on the second image below).

There also won’t be a the possibility anymore of ‘getting lost’ in software application interfaces: just pressing one of the six Mode Keys instantly brings the user to the specific device function. Applications like the badge and the necklace modes extend this device’s purpose beyond personal productivity, and opens up a new scenario of true physical interaction between individuals. If someone offers it one day, I’d line up to get it .

Designer: James Zhang

My nerdy friend Harry will be stuck this weekend on Hamilton Island with his partner Noether (the affectionate name he seems to haven given to his powerbook), who finally put her foot down and rebelled against being constantly used like a geek object. She swallowed an installation CD just before Harry took off to the airport and then decided to start an endless loop of pretending to begin to install some superflous mouse software - without ever getting there and without wanting to release the CD either. So I guess Harry, deprived of hacking (which normal people would see as the purpose of their holiday anyway), probably will drown his sorrow in some gallons of beer - especially since walking in nature is on top of the list of his least favourite occupations. He might also dream of a slightly voluptuous black beauty inviting him to share intoxicating cocktails, sipped intimately through fluorescent-coloured drinking straws from a huge pineapple, followed by such inebriating sexual ecstasy, that he will fall onto his knees begging her to marry him.

Fortunately though he hadn’t lost his sense of reality when he found this little gem just before the Hamilton adventure drew closer: an alarm clock to be worn as a ring on your finger. Yanko Design features the Alarming Ring, a vibrating alarm designed for people who hate the loud blaring sounds of a typical alarm. The charging cradle is where you set what time you want each ring to go off. The ring fits over the tip of your finger and when that opportune time arrives, it vibrates. Putting the ring back on the dock shuts off the alarm.

The benefits are two-fold. It’s perfect for couples who need to wake up at different times and whose early riser is gentle enough not to demand brekkie to be served. And, apparently, waking up seems to be a pleasure as well: no more rattling, screaming alarms reminding you of fire engines in your bedroom - it supposed to be discrete sensation that only you feel (also good for the hearing impaired I guess).

Great concept and nice looking design - I’m just not sure whether it will work for anyone who has the habit of indulging in anything else but a light sleep. And maybe I’m not a very trusting person when it comes to wearing elastic gadgets at night on your fingertips, but I do wonder how you might feel when you sleep in and, upon waking up late for your job interview, you realise that the ring is buried somewhere under your bedsheets and you were somewhat loathed the night before using that small blob of superglue. So, maybe a sensitive design for sensitive people - just the thing for me, if it would be available .

I found this just by chance … not great in term of insight or expression, but quite humourous in terms of correlation and maybe even interesting if the latter is true.