Conceptually, it makes sense. I've a total of 10+ cores on the various devices running my life. It would be wonderful if it was possible to just upgrade a central core set, which would in turn give a boost all my devices simultaneously. Nice.

Sleek, urgent, minimalist lines. Subtle curves. Utterly beautiful.

Vinnie does it right.

Good read if you want to cover some of the best pieces from Co.Design (if you can pardon their Apple-obsession, that is).

Love the aesthetic, but these bottles are horrible to clean.

And a year more sweet than bitter.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

These are stunning portraits by their own right. More stunning when you realise the extent of effort that went into it.

Yup. These pieces were sewn, not painted.

Serenading even unto parallel dimensions.

Venture in at your own peril.

Rams' ten principles to "good design"

Good design:

• Is innovative - Rams states that possibilities for innovation in design are unlikely to be exhausted since technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. He also highlights that innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology and can never be an end in and of itself.

• Makes a product useful - A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

• Is aesthetic - Only well-executed objects can be beautiful. The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products used every day have an effect on people and their well-being.

• Makes a product understandable - It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user's intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.

• Is unobtrusive - Products and their design should be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression. Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools and are neither decorative objects nor works of art.

• Is honest - Honest design should not attempt to make a product seem more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It should not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

• Is long-lasting - It should avoid being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even when the trend may be in favor for disposable products.

• Is thorough down to the last detail - Dieter Rams states that nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance in the design of a product since care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

• Is environmentally friendly - Good design should make an important contribution to the preservation of the environment by conserving resources and minimizing physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

• Is as little design as possible - Dieter Rams makes the distinction between the common "Less is more" and his strongly advised "Less, but better" highlighting the fact that this approach focuses on the essential aspects thus, the products are not burdened with non-essentials. The desirable result would then be purer and simpler.

Well, if you think about it, life should be:
- full of creative opportunities
- useful and purposeful
- beautiful, in that it's worth something to others (and a higher Power)
- easy to "get", even if you're complicated
- full of room to express yourself
- honest, to you and all around you
- unselfish and un-myopic - it's not all about you and your time on earth
- about the big things (priorities) and the small things (helping someone else with the door)
- caring about the stuff around around you
- less, but better

(thank you, for sending this over to me. It's hanging at my desk where I see it everyday.)

Frank Oz was Bert!

Stunningly beautiful and fascinating. Reminds me of Syberia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syberia).

(Note: Apologies, I can't seem to embed the video, but this is worth hitting the link for).

Don’t be fooled by the recent death of the Flip camera. Consumer-created video content is still thriving. In fact, it’s to the credit of modern smartphones’ built-in camcorders that Flip’s heyday was cut short. As such, a new crop of mobile apps is marrying the mobile video trend with the social functionality that digital audiences have come to expect.

Viddy

: The fact that a little company called Qualcomm recently contributed to Viddy’s first round of financing bodes well for the new mobile video sharing service, which allows users to share personal videos more selectively on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. (Tumblr and Foursquare are forthcoming reportedly.) Just as Twitter is defined by its 140-character limit, Viddy also forces its users to self-edit—in this case, down to 15-second clips. All video trimming can be done in an in-app virtual studio that also includes MTV-worthy “production packages” of music and transitions. For those who haven’t gone cross-eyed from 3-D overload, there’s even an effect for that.

Vlix

: Another entrant in the flood of “Instagram-for-video” mobile apps, Vlix allows users to share mobile video clips on blogs and social media platforms and within in its own community. Like a hybrid of Facebook and Twitter, Vlix members can “friend” and “follow” one another, allowing them to view videos in the feed format to which the digerati have grown accustomed. However, Vlix is not defined solely by its seamless sharing capabilities. The iPhone app, which was developed by video advertising startup SpotMixer, also flaunts impressive editing and effects features, including the types of filters and lenses that have made Hipstamatic and the like must-haves in Gen Y app libraries.

Socialcam

: There’s no shortage of lifestreaming sites that allow wannabe reality stars to broadcast their every move before a live online audience, but not everyone wants to make public video footage of themselves sitting on the toilet. Recognizing the opportunity for less exhibitionist video sharing, Justin.tv launched Socialcam, a free app for both iPhone and Android that may have the loudest buzz in the mobile video sharing category currently. What it lacks in the artsy editing faculties of Viddy and Vix, it makes up for in ease of use. And, in addition to the obvious platforms (namely, Twitter and Facebook), its sharing roster also includes more unlikely services like Posterous and Dropbox.

References to products and services in trendcentral do not imply our endorsement, but rather are intended to provide objective insights into emerging trends and examples of those trends. trendcentral is published by The Intelligence Group, a trend research and consumer insights company focusing on youth culture. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated Cassandra Report studies, please contact Alina Goncalves at agoncalves@intelg.com.

My bets are on socialcam, if only for the apps and integration with Posterous.

Another thing to add into my "stuff I must get before I die": a chair within a chair within a chair (and more).

I wonder if it gives a decent kick.

The original. One of my dad's favorites.
(Lyrics taken from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nessun_dorma)

Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle.. che tremano d'amore, e di speranza!

Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me; il nome mio nessun saprà! No, No! Sulla tua bocca lo dirò quando la luce splenderà!

Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio che ti fa mia!

"Il nome suo nessun saprà... E noi dovrem, ahimè, morir, morir!"

"Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!"

*shrugs*

At least it's orange.

And who says that origami can't make a statement (actually, credit goes to Guy proved that origami could make bold statements if you wished, with the Kawasaki Swallowtail).

It's an incredible work that makes us think about of how things are intimately and inextricably linked to each other, especially on our delicate planet—which is why the exhibition is called "Oritsunagumono", which means "things folded and connected".

I love origami. It's one of those things that are both simple and complicated at the same time. Like much of our lives.

And who says that origami can't make a statement (well, Guy proved that with the Kawasaki Swallowtail).

It's an incredible statement of how things are intimately and inextricably linked to each other, especially on our delicate Earth—which is why the exhibition is called "Oritsunagumono", which means "things folded and connected".

I love origami. It's one of those things that are both simple and complicated at the same time. Like much of our lives.

And who says that origami can't make a statement (well, Guy proved that with the Kawasaki Swallowtail).

It's an incredible statement of how things are intimately and inextricably linked to each other, especially on our delicate Earth—which is why the exhibition is called "Oritsunagumono", which means "things folded and connected".

I love origami. It's one of those things that are both simple and complicated at the same time. Like much of our lives.

Quantum mechanics makes it to main street. This is quite simply, brilliant.