David Lidsky's Blog, page 4771

Haiti Poster Project Bolsters Relief

Just days after the Haitian earthquake, a group of designers mobilized to create artwork about the devastation which could aid on-the-ground efforts. A few months and a few hundred designers later, the Haiti Poster Project launches today with over 300 pieces by artists and designers from all over the world, like Miki Iwasaki of mi-workshop in San Diego, California (above). These will be auctioned off, with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders.

Many posters, like that of Pentagram's...

The True Inconveniences of Designing Al Gore's Office

For a high-profile environmentalist such as Gore, politics sometimes interfere with making the right decision.

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It must suck being Al Gore. All he has to do is flip on the lights at
home, and every global-warming denialist this side of the equator picks up a
pitchfork. Never mind that he
has done more for the environment in the 21st century than, oh,
anyone else.

So you can imagine the ridiculous lengths he has to go to to prove
his eco bona fides, whether it's what
he piles onto his...

Marcel Wanders' Dining Table in Paradise, Set With Monster Chairs for Muses

[image error]You can count on Marcel Wanders to unveil something eye-popping at the Milan Furniture Fair each year. Last year saw his Can-Can lamp for Flos--a dome filled with a ruffled underskirt like a chorine in the Folies Bergere; in 2008, he fielded a shower stall paved with Bisazza tiles in which bikini-clad models cavorted under a shower head embedded in a Swarovski crystal chandelier.

This year, the Dutch design superstar seems to be obsessed with his own mortality. In advance of the show, which...

Facebook Whisperer Speaks About Why Facebook Threatened to Sue Him

Computer programmer Pete Warden speaks about the massive social network enlightenment that Facebook's datasets could herald--and why it all went off the rails.

Pete Warden's been called the "Facebook Whisperer," because of an unusual hobby he took up more than a year ago. Using simple Web crawling software, he assembled a database of 210 million Facebook public profiles: Names, "fan" pages, friend listings, and locations. He then used that data to find, for example, where "God" was the top...

Microsoft Dabbling With Cloud-Based "Midori" OS?

Hints in the code of Microsoft's .NET Framework have led some to draw a surprising conclusion: Microsoft may be developing a new OS, based on its "Midori" tech demonstrator, that is a radical departure from its OS history. Long derided for being complacent about planning for the future of computing tech, it seems that MS really does have action plans in place.

SD Times has gathered some opinions around the few facts we know so far. Midori is a product of Microsoft Research's Singularity...

Chair Porn: Bernhardt Unveils Sexy New Chair by Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance (Video)

If you have five minutes, and want to watch one of the most enchanting videos ever documenting the birth of a chair, then grab your earphones and click on this preview of the piece that American furniture manufacturer, Bernhardt Studio, will unveil in Milan next week. It's a mesmerizing look at what it takes to craft one of these things, and you'll never take a fine piece of furniture for granted again. I was on the edge of my seat, just waiting for one of those jig saws to skitter off the...

First Look: Front Finds Inspiration in Taxicab Seats

The Swedish design super-group references taxi-cab cushions in a new chair for Moroso.

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FRONT is the ABBA of the high-design world. They're all four very comely Swedish ladies, though, and they've exploded since the group's founding, just a couple years ago.

Their calling card? Extraordinarily high-tech, witty conceptualism--such as a chair that was designed with motion capture technology, while one of the ladies "drew" it in the air with a light; a soft seat made of fabric printed to be...

First Android TV Beta-Testing, Available in September

Swedish firm People of Lava has won the race to manufacture the first Android TV. The Scandinavia will be available in three sizes--a 42-incher when it becomes available in September, followed by 47- and 55-inch versions, and will cost between $2,000 and $2,500 for the smallest size.

The HD, LED screen will be browser-enabled, meaning you'll be able to surf the internet and stream stuff like YouTube, Facebook, and Hulu straight to the TV. There's also Google Maps, and the usual weather and...

The Upside of Cutting Saturday Mail Delivery

Is it so surprising that the U.S. Postal Service has decided to cut Saturday service considering the staggering drop in mail volume (a projected 30% decline in 2010 from 2007 levels) in recent years? And really, aside from Luddites and eager Netflix subscribers, who will care if Saturday becomes a mail-free day? In addition to potentially saving the USPS some much-needed cash, the move to slash Saturday delivery will have the side effect of drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

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Mitsubishi i-MiEV Aims to Undercut Nissan Leaf EV's Pricing

When Nissan announced last month that its upcoming all-electric Leaf will sell for $25,280 after federal subsidies, it was almost like a challenge to other automakers--we dare you, Nissan seemed to be saying, to sell a quality EV at such a low price. Think City recently rose to the challenge with its $30,000 EV, and now Mitsubishi is actively undercutting Nissan with the i-MiEV, set to hit U.S. streets in 2011.

The i-MiEV will cost approximately $22,500 after a $7,500 credit--that's cheaper...