Summer is BBQ season! This 3 in 1 fork, knife, spatula is a swiss-army knife for barbeques:
It looks a bit clunky if you ask me with what looks like simply stamped Stainless Steel parts. I wonder how good it really works or if gunk will get stuck in the hinge from all the sauce and bbq juices…Another gimmick? Nonetheless you can give it a try for $24.95 at Solutions.com 
Wow! A cooling gel concept for Electrolux Design Lab 2010 that’s both visually and tactilely intriguing.
The Bio Robot Refrigerator is four times smaller than a conventional refrigerator and cools biopolymer gel through luminescence. Rather than shelves, the non sticky, odourless gel morphs around products to create a separate pod that suspends items for easy access.
Odorless, cooling, and customizable with all refrigerator contents in plain site. I’m liking the concept, but does being a quarter of the size of your typical fridge mean that we have less storage space? Or perhaps it’s a good way to force people to limit the amount of groceries we buy? To limit wastefulness? There seems to be a lot more beyond the ‘wow’ factor and some functional elements that have not been highlighted…
more info at Materia
All along I’m sure we all assumed that the costume for IronMan2 was a result of amazing costume design or CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), but the IronMan2 costume is evidence that shows just how far along technology and 3D printing has come. That’s right. The IronMan2 costume is a rapid 3D prototype, easily replicated and quickly produced! Sweet.
95% water and 2 grams of clay.
Elastic water, a new substance invented by researchers at Tokyo University, is a jelly-like substance made up of 95% water along with two grams of clay and a small amount of organic materials. As is, the all-natural substance is perfect for medical procedures, because it’s made of water, poses no harm to people and is perfect for mending tissue. And, if the research team can increase the density of this exciting new substance, it could be used in place of our current oil based plastics for a host of other things.
According to the researchers, the substance can be used to stick tissues together (human tissues, not Kleenex) and to produce clean plastic materials. It also has a high mechanical strength and self mends when damaged.
Wow!
via Inhabitat
Lovely!
To coincide with its 20th birthday, Compagnie de Provence has added a substantial 180g version of its iconic vegetable soaps to the ranks. Each bar, made according to Marseille tradition from local natural ingredients, comes with a tiny instruction card so that once undone, its wrapper can be transformed into an ocean-inspired piece of origami. With eight fragrances to choose from, there’s an entire menagerie waiting to be revealed, from swans to sea lions, and even a whale.
via Wallpaper
A bit of history is peeping up under the pavement. I’m not sure what this metal tube is/was used for though. At first glance it looks like a trolly line or something, but of course the tracks would not look like this. Some sort of casing for wires..? I have no clue! Somehow it’s lovely and makes me think that something under all the concrete is still natural, causing movement, and able to disturb the built environment… I’ll stop here before I start to ramble and think in the clouds
Here’s a way to do a little something different to surprise the guests at your next dinner party: Bling out your food with Korefe‘s edible Silver and Gold spray paint! Brilliant! 
via DesignVerb
Before I left Boston, I was at the ICA for the Damien Ortega exhibit. I totally loved the “120 days” coke bottles. The shapes, forms, details of manipulation in this collection were amazing to look at, not to mention the shadows cast from the clear glass. And so whimsical at the same time! Ortega’s experimentation transforms the coke bottle into a nearly unrecognizable icon. It took me a bit of investigation and looking at the details of the forms to actually realize that each of the shapes in the exhibit had came from the same original product.
It’s an interesting comparison and contrast to Coke’s own bottle transformation and evolution. Mass production and consistent manufacturing versus Ortega’s one-off, organic, unique shapes.
via theDieline
Yet again in the subway!
Not all that environmentally friendly when the Etsy seller StilNovoDesign imports reclaimed materials from France to manufacture furniture in California. Beautiful work, nonetheless.