It’s beautiful, in color AND it opens and closes! I would assume it sounds good but, really, who cares?
Vestalife will be launching it at MacWorld this month. “Stay tuned.”

via MocoLoco

Public Art that’s gorgeous, AND with a purpose! “Green Energy Design” is an event hosted by Interni Magazine during Milan Design Week. “It focuses on the creative processes of a series of Italian and international design talents, through projects characterized by a highly experimental, multimedia approach, capable of transmitting design culture and expression to the city as a whole.”

The Solar Tree shown above is by Ross Lovegrove, with Artemide. “Solar Tree, doesn’t use energy but takes it from the sun, and is a sinuous tree made of steel tubes that support bubbles, each of them accommodating 38 sophisticated solar cells linked to a system of batteries and electronic devices hidden in the base. LED lighting. The bubbles light up at night thanks to the light accumulated by the solar panels by day.” Look at it! A beautiful and whimsical sculpture in an urban setting. YEA!

Ofigea, by Jacob Foggini, with Nice, is a giant centipede-like series of lit up discs. “It has a linear development of 55 m x 1.2 m dia (disc), 4 m high, and consists of hundreds of LED-lit discs in iridescent colours, made in methacrylate M-Cryl, a regenerated product, saving 70% of energy compared to a first-rate equivalent.” It symbolizes metamorphosis and regeneration…and it’s super cool.

See Interni Magazine for full details
Storry originally seen on MocoLoco.com

The first general meeting of SPARKcon got underway this week. This will be the third installment of working with a wide variety of people throughout the Triangle who want to help ignite the “Creative Hub of the South” with showcases and workshops. The focus is on local creative talent getting showcased through various venues (like a fashion show and breakdancing) and also giving people a chance to talk about community issues that converge for artists, technologists, independent business and those that focus on inclusivity.

With all the hoopla around the growing events, it was nice to look back at the original SPARKcon Comment on what’s important in developing a thriving creative scene. Put lots of creative people together in one room, give them a common mission, and the ideas fly fast and furiously. All told, the four workshops held in September of 2006 filled 60 big pages of flipchart paper. But in the end, some core ideas and common themes emerged as essential for the Triangle to earn the distinction “Creative Hub of the South.” This is some sort of a Triangle Manifesto. Here are the top 10 recommendations from our community on how to get there:

1. Foster a vibrant urban core featuring a diverse mix of interests, ethnicity, and ages
2. Increase focus on green spaces that allows people to enjoy the environment
3. Develop safer pedestrian and bicycle activity to encourage people to explore
4. Create dynamic public spaces where arts and technology can intermingle
5. Support collectives as incubators of creativity
6. Develop an information hub to publicly promote all creative activities from new patents to gallery shows
7. Encourage programs to foster emerging talent of all types—from small shops and restaurants to artists and inventors
8. Regularly exhibit and celebrate home grown talent of all kinds in public projects
9. Improve public transit infrastructure to bring people to public squares, urban cores, and green spaces
10. Promote tolerance and gain insight from our many different backgrounds

See more detailed workshop recommendation from our community on:

How do you make a thriving Art Scene?

How do you make a thriving Technology Scene?

How do you make a thriving scene of Inclusivity?

How do you make a scene that thrives with Independent Businesses?

or download the PDF of the SPARKcon Comment 2006 (3.5MB) as published in the Independent Weekly. More info at SPARKcon’s website.

Google Maps Street View has added Raleigh to the elite list of cities you can see from an eyeline perspective instead of the rooftop satellite view. Our entire office came to a grinding halt in productivity yesterday when we realized we could navigate the streets without getting out of our chairs. “Hey, go to my house!” Hey, my neighbors dogs are outside!” “Is Designbox on there?” It’s as if we were seeing our home town for the first time…and, although we were fascinated, we were also collectively creeped out. At least we didn’t see ourselves or anyone we know doing something embarrassing in the street… Anyway, it didn’t take long for our self-obsession to get old, so we virtually left Raleigh and started touring other lucky cities. I went to Manhattan to look for where my brother works, then to Brooklyn to check out where he lives. Then I went to Phoenix to see if I could see any adobe houses, and then to Salt Lake City to see the mountains

Matt, a friend and colleague in the Designbox space, ran into some bad Luck in the Raleigh Combat Zone (click here for earlier post defining the Combat Zone) yesterday. He left his beloved Nokia out on the patio for a second (maybe two), and it was promptly stolen! These days, a stolen mobile can be quite devastating, as all your important numbers, addresses, etc are bound to be there, and the last sync was, well, long enough ago so it is no longer helpful.

The phone robber undoubtedly knew this and, a few hours later, called Matt – from Matt’s own phone. He said he was holding it for ransom, and named the place for the exchange. Matt, deciding that it was a safe enough and public place to go without backup, set out to save his contact list. When he got there, the phone robber expressed his terms. “You buy me a Wendy’s triple cheeseburger, and I’ll give you back your phone.” Fortunately, Matt had come prepared with a $5 bill in his pocket. He bought the burger, got his phone back, and everyone was happy.

and check out this site by Ian Jenkins for in-depth coverage of the Wendy’s Baconator.