*notcot - 08.01.07 , 16:18 -

Anymails

anymails.jpg
Anymails - i can’t stop watching the videos of this incredible flash/processing project that visualizes your email boxes as its own little ecosystem of organisms - moving, and blobbing about… linking up in groups… changing in size, color, speed, hairiness - depending on read, unread, responded, type, newness. The program uses Apple Mail, and the code is available, although i have downloaded and been too chicken shit to run it yet, that “be careful if you have a large number of emails” thing has me a little weary.

The project was developed by Carolin Horn (Design & Concept) and Florian Jenett (Code) during the MFA thesis “Natural Metaphor For Information Visuzalization” at the Dynamic Media Intitute Boston in 2007. You can see more images, download the full thesis and code, and watch some incredible videos of it in action at their site. For the flash bits with the gorgeously pulsating creatures, see more below as well. (via Information Aesthetics)

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.30.07 , 16:04 -

Raving Rabbids 2

tdfrabbids2.jpg
There is little that is more amusing than the official Raving Rabbids videos… the first round was amazing with Rabbid Facts… and this time there is the Around the World campaign… so far with Bunnies at Tour de France, and Sumo wrestling! Check out the videos below, as well as the main trailer. Can’t wait till Raving Rabbids 2 finally comes out.

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.25.07 , 14:00 -

AudioCubes

audiocubes.jpg
New Gallery Tags! Have you noticed the new tags? On the left and right of NOTCOT.com? AudioCubes is sponsoring them this month, and showcasing some of their many fun and hard to find headphones, toys, accessories, and gadgets you didn’t even realize you’d needed. In fact they even just got the Audrey Kawasaki Gelaskins in (couldn’t resist tossing that one in the pic, after just posting the great new Audrey pieces below) - Dan (yes, co-founder and genius behind our tech) is quite the audiophile, and he swears by AudioCubes having ordered some headphones from them. Personally their robot section was my favorite on the site, as well as those tiny speakers that are so cute, tempted to get one for my ipod. You’ll also probably noticed quite a few products we’ve featured, like that video bulb that you just plug into your RCA and it becomes your tv screensaver? Anyhow, i’m in a giddy shopping kind of mood today!

*notcot - 07.24.07 , 13:44 -

Walk Score

walkscore.jpg
Odds are if you are reading this, you PROBABLY should check the Walk Score of your current location and get walking. I mean seriously, we spend a bit too much time at our computers… well me at least. Apparently my current walkscore is well in the green, at 88% - what is that, a B+? A-? Its been a long time since i’ve thought about grades. “70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.”

This is an interesting mashup - Walk Score uses a patent-pending algorithm to calculate the walkability of an address based on: The distance to walkable locations near an address, calculating a score for each of these locations, combining these scores into one easy to read Walk Score. More details below on how the calculate an areas walkability…

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.23.07 , 14:13 -

Belkin N1 Vision

belkinn1.jpg
One of the most interesting new products announced by Belkin in the last week is definitely their N1 Vision router, and i got a chance to play with it in person at the Belkin Press Event last week. Finally a router that you don’t need to hide beneath a desk, or behind your couch, that you only look at when your internet is down and you need to reset it. This one has a large digital display and one large button to navigate through its quick overview screens showing you everything from your speed, upload/download usage, devices connected, and even the date and time! (Yes your router just became your room clock). With its sleek and slim upright design, i can already see this replacing airports aesthetically (although no printing/wireless speaker hookups).

Also, while at the event, Belkin was kind enough to let me take a few snapshots of the gorgeous packaging for the N1 Vision, unfortunately the lighting in Vessel was terrible for photographing, but the images below should give you a good idea for now. Basically Belkin is really taking the user experience of its products very seriously, from the time you open the box, to every day usage. They have designed both the box and router to need minimal contact with the user… you unwrap, you open, and there is the router with an easy lift tab, and just below that lays two clearly labeled boxes for the power supply and network cable.

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.21.07 , 20:57 -

Jealous Computers

nokiaabusemain.jpg
Jealous Computers, apparently quite the outbreak is happening… well according to JealousComputers.com, the latest viral Nokia N95 campaign. Much like their Great Pockets campaign earlier, this one is a beautifully glossy website, complete with loads of youtube videos of “attacks” of laptops and pcs which are jealous of the new N95. Interesting twist, submit your own stories and videos for t-shirts… check out PSAs, attack videos, the shirts, their “how to deal with jealous computers at work” saftey poster, and even their N95 Disguise Mug below!

--> to more images

*notcot - , 12:24 -

Pinqy

pinqy.jpg
I’ve never actually craved a fire extinguisher before, and suddenly i find myself here wanting one for the car, desk, kitchen, friend’s house, sidewalk… everywhere basically, b/c as a design object even, this Pinqy extinguisher is ADORABLE. At a mere 14cm tall, apparently it can put out the starts of fires… turning every man, or even girl, into an “ordinary fire man” as the videos say. And this one is by far the best. This looks like what happens when you cross fire extinguisher, a grenade, and a designer. Saw this at Core77, and its been stuck in my head since.

*notcot - 07.19.07 , 19:09 -

Belkin @ Vessel

belkincooling.jpg
Belkin held their SF Press Event today at Vessel, and Linhchi and i stopped by to see their latest products up close and personal. It was (or is, since its on for another half hour) a dark underground lounge space that managed to feel dark when it was an extremely hot and sunny day above ground… and filled with open bar, appetizers, washable mice, more ipod and iphone cases than you knew what to do with, routers, laptop coolers, USB hubs galore, and more. So, honestly i don’t even know where to start… how about you jump below and you can get a feel for the event, what was there, what we liked… and everything in the Belkin gift bag too (which feels kind of like a back to school bag… go see, and it will make a bit more sense). And it was far too fun to play with the washable mouse in person!

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.18.07 , 23:22 -

PSP Passport to…

psppassport.jpg
Lonely Planet and PSP teamed up last year to create this PSP Passport to… series of digital guides, and they were only released in Europe/Australia, and cover 6 European cities: Amsterdam, Prague, Rome, London, Paris, and Barcelona. Yes, i know i’m a year late on this one, but i only just stumbled upon them, and two things struck me: 1. Gorgeous covers (although strangely Katamari reminiscent… perhaps the crammed city highlights and the color/style of the illustrations) and 2. conceptually this is an interesting combination of gaming/digital entertainment handheld and lonely planet guide (both of which you are probably carrying while running around traveling), and far more navigable than an ipod guide… although this does make me wonder when the mini iPhone friendly pages will be popping up for travel guides, and for mapping, thanks to google maps on my phone, that part is now taken care of wherever i end up. Anyhow, check out the rest of the covers below, a youtube of the “game” in action, and some screenshots. Conclusion from what i read around the internets is that cool idea that fell short in execution. Also, although 39$ at Lonely Planet… these are all 7 pounds at Amazon UK.

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.17.07 , 10:35 -

iTrapped

itrapped.jpg
iTrapped, yes this came up on .org yesterday (#5182) linking to Photojojo who then got dugg to the point where they were down and no one could view it. Well… checking out google blogsearch, i saw that one of the guys (Joshua Blankenship) that got iTrapped in the iPhonez actually noticed it on our site, and i agree with him, iTrapped is MUCH better than “Smooshtacts”… he says “It’s weird to open up my daily tabs and find my face on NOTCOT. (Oh, and calling it “Smooshtacts?” Honestly, Photojojo… worst name ever. It’s iTrapped, people.)” Hehe, it made me laugh in my half awake state, and i just loved the iTrapped name and this great image he had up, and am now imagining people starting the trend of photobooths where they are pressing against a glass pane for this effect with a black backdrop… oh the drunken scenarios waiting to happen.

*notcot - 07.16.07 , 23:44 -

Meet Psy

mimohunt.jpg
There’s a scavenger hunt afoot on the web and you’ve just found a piece of the puzzle. Ok, confused? Well read about the details at Mimoco. With SD Comic Con coming up next week, Mimoco will be launching its nine new Core Series 2 Mimobot Art Toy USB Flash Drives, and i’m proud to announce the first one below - so, meet Psy! This adorable cyclops of a flash drive has an adorable reptilian (or dino?) like look that will definitely keep your data safe. So there are 4 Psy Mimobots for you to win… one through the scavenger hunt (more details below), and three from NOTCOT! If you’d like to win one of our three, leave a comment with your idea for a great new USB device/toy/creature, and i’ll pick three winners on July 25th (which is the end of the scavenger hunt, and the release of all 9 new Mimobots!)

--> to more images

*notcot - , 23:08 -

Paul Smith & Triumph

psbikermain.jpg
Initially Paul Smith was collaborating with classic motorcycle line Triumph on “Triumph by Paul Smith”, a modern collection of accessories and jeans wear inspired by the bikes… and somewhere along the way they got inspired and created nine Bonnevile T100’s customized with individual paint schemes designed by Paul Smith to complement the clothing line… and after so much interest in those 9 bikes, there are now two original Bonneville T100’s for retail. See more of the line and the story here.

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.12.07 , 15:54 -

Logitech MX Air Mouse

airmouse.jpg
Apparently the latest drool worthy design gadget from Logitech is the MX Air Mouse, which Engadget describes as their “attempt to bridge the gap between mouse and remote control with a touch-sensitive scroll-panel (instead of a scroll wheel) and a dedicated pause/play and volume control.” You can apparently push the volume button and then flick the mouse to t he left or right to increase and decrease volume! So gorgeous, dying to play with one! This RF goodie is set to retail around $150 in August.

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.09.07 , 18:54 -

Limited Ed Email

iphoneemail.jpg
On strange cryptic emails, here’s a new one. Apparently i was *lucky* enough to receive number 442/500 (yay i made the top 500 of some list?) of Limited Edition Emails from Multi@MultiPolarProjects.com. Being lazy and confused by all of this, instead of following the precise framing descriptions, lets visualize and pretend the iphone is my shadowbox… This thing came with an invoice email as well… (read it below)… and thank goodness mine came “PAID (Compliments of the artist)” because this “Media: Variable depending on the buyer” goes for a whopping $1,000 USD - but luckily they say: “We will verify Edition Number & Purchaser for ebay and auction house sales.” I hope i didn’t destroy its value by spreading the sarcasm to all of you! Since, “You may only print out ONE copy. If you make multiple prints, your edition will then be revoked.”

Also, i’d like to take this chance to say… this email is awesome because it gave me something fun to do with my iPhone before i go return it tomorrow or weds. I may try again once updates come out, and things become a bit more useable for my day to day life. But don’t get me wrong its a great ipod with fancy email and web browsing, and zooming in and out is far too fun (as is wasting more time watching youtubes than i ever did on a computer).

--> to more images

*notcot - 07.06.07 , 12:47 -

Video Bulb

videobulbmain.jpg
Video Bulb - it’s described like a lipstick tube that you plug into your RCA jack on your tv… and along runs this black and white pixel movie of BITMAN! Apparently great for parties, and a fun screensaver for your plasma? Relatively simple, just a really cute idea, and although CoolHunting had it back in ‘05 ~ i just rediscovered it and love the packaging (see below) and also found a youtube of what you’d get on it (also below!).

--> to more images

Copyright NOTCOT INC 2005-2019 - Privacy Policy - Work In Progress! Please be nice!
Advertisement