Category Archives: Appliances
Moon And Sun Light Fixture
There are plenty of ‘moon lamps‘ available out there. But what I have in mind is a normal light fixture that has a moon image that will glow-in-the-dark. So when the light is on it looks like the sun, and off looks like the moon.
This was inspired by those neat Dinosaur coins the Canadian Mint is releasing.
This would be great for a kids room or the grownup stargazers among us. Would compliment a ceiling populated with glow-in-the-dark stars nicely.
I’m not entirely sure if this is possible – would the heat from the bulbs damage the glowing properties of the moon image? Can the moon image be opaque enough for the light to pass through? Maybe someone out there smarter than me can provide insight.
Super Mario Curtains
shower curtains depicted
You could probably accuse me of phoning this idea in, as it is merely a screenshot of curtains imposed onto an actual curtain (there’s an Inception joke in there somewhere). But what I am trying to do here is make this an actual product.
I’ve found a few Etsy people who specialize in sublimated bedding and curtains, and I believe this design would make for a good candidate. As for bedding, I’m hoping for something along the lines of the duvet cover pictured here. With matching cartridge pillow case!
This design is ideal for the shower curtain, especially if you have black and white checkered tiling present. It could also be employed for windows too.
Other articles: Super Mario Toaster, Super Mario Alarm Clock, Super Mario Maps, Donkey Kong Jeans, (deep breath) package concept, and Super Mario case.
Product Remix: Bender Mini Cooler
I saw this mini cooler and I thought, neat – it’s shaped like a Coke can. Its cylinder shape and door however reminded me of Futurama’s Bender. The foul-mouthed robot uses that compartment for millions of different things, but mostly beer.
While not the perfect shape, this Coke cooler is about 90% ideal for Bender’s torso. The drawbacks being that the door opens the opposite way, and the top of the can has that lip shape (might be able to remove it though).
This would make for a great DIY project. Paint the cooler and affix robot limbs and head. I wouldn’t know where to begin to build Bender’s parts, but the legs would need to support a level platform for the cooler to sit on. Bender would stand roughly 3-feet tall, which is not life-size, but not small either.
If this were to become an actual product, it would likely be purposed for sodie-pop (as Bender would say), as a show like Futurama would not likely align itself with booze. At least, I think so. People would put beer in it regardless.
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 16: Battlestar Galactica Wardrobe
I believe there is a huge market for selling pro sports-style lockers for home use, either for jocks or the armchair quarterbacks. These would be wardrobes that look just like the locker stalls you’d find in the NHL, NBA, NFL, etc. The wardrobe would be painted in team colors and feature name plaques with logos. This could be placed in the bathroom, TV den, by the front door, etc. Wherever you get ready for the day. Or wherever you want to display your favorite team gear.
And this goes beyond team sports. You could make these in the style of Battlestar Galactica, Mass Effect, or Starship Troopers as they carry a military aesthetic. Men in Black is another fun approach. Maybe the employee lockers for the Krusty Krab or Ghostbusters.
The point being that you could have a fun wardrobe that exhibits your favorite team, TV show, film, or video game. This themed wardrobe would enable you to feel like a badass when you’re accessing it.
One major change is I don’t foresee these being made of heavy materials (such as steel) like the actual locker stalls. Probably wood construction complimented by plastic or rubber fixtures (for the grates).
Other possible accessories: A bench or a rug with the team logo.
Anti-Theft Newspaper Vending Box
Well this idea might have been helpful in the early 90′s or sooner. Better late than never!
How it works: A stack of newspapers are sitting on a spring-loaded platform (A), which is raised as the box is emptied. The newspapers are pushed against the top, where a series of rollers (B) are located. These rollers help in gliding the newspaper out of a small door opening (C). Another large door is on the front of the box (D), which holds a single display paper. This door unlocks at the same time as the small door, but it cannot be opened until the platform is all the way at the top of the box (platform is gripping the door shut). The newspapers are loaded at the side or back of the box.
Alternate design: No platform, instead there is a small door at the bottom of the box to grab the paper (rollers are also at the bottom), so gravity is doing all the work. There would be no large front door, instead a slot to display a single page to showcase the paper. Because the door to grab the paper is located at the bottom, the box would need to be raised for easier access.
Geeky Media Centers Part 1: Theater Marquee
As I much as I enjoy designing Blu-Ray cases, the reality is physical media is on its last legs. Soon everyone will have a Media Center beside (or within) their TVs that will contain all their movies, TV shows, books, and music.
Currently PVRs, TiVos, and Web Media Centers (like Boxee and Apple TV) are becoming more and more commonplace. And while these are all well and good, I believe a new trend will succeed them in the not-too-distant future: Designer Media Centers.
These Designer models would be available in a wide range of styles to reflect many different personal tastes, and packed to the brim with bells and whistles. They will become the centerpiece of the entertainment center, possibly the entire household. In many ways, this will be like placing a jukebox in every living room – a showy piece of hardware that contains all of your media.
I base this prediction on this: currently people surround themselves with physical media, usually arranged in a proud display. Books, music, video games, and films help define our individuality. We like to see our personal tastes and lifestyle manifest in all this media. It says who we are and what we love – both past and present. Simply put – we like to show-off our physical media.
So with physical media on the decline, it will eventually fall on the Media Center to make a personal statement about who we are and what we like. And because we like so many different things, these Designer Media Centers will be grandiose in their appearance and operation. Make no mistake, they will be expensive – a carefully measured investment for many – but they will cost nowhere near as much as assembling large libraries of physical media as we do now. Somewhere along the lines of buying two game consoles, methinks.
A few examples of Designer Media Centers: a Harryhausen fan will buy a Media Center that is adorned with several sculptures reenacting a scene from Jason and the Argonauts. A Disney fan will grab a Media Center in the shape of the Cinderella castle from Disneyland. A U2 fan will grab a Media Center that looks like one of their tour stages, with the band included (lights and pyrotechnics as well -maybe).
The logistics of these DMC’s could take the form of many scenarios: they could be aligned to a few platforms (Google TV, Windows TV), could have upgradeable/interchangeable hardware, or the external cases could be partitioned from the hardware – meaning you buy the media center and the designer exterior case separately.
I will be designing many geeky/fancy Media Centers going forward. How about I finally talk about the one shown above?
This Media Center is for film buffs, and is a small scale movie theater. As you can see it features a detailed marquee with many LED lights. The sign board is customizable, and there are few poster frames to place your favorite movie posters (you print them out yourself). It could also feature swiveling spot lights for a more authentic look. The light show is entirely on-demand.
This would go nicely with this IKEA entertainment unit I designed. If you like this concept check out this Talisman media center from a while back.
Star Wars Weigh Scale
What is thy bidding, master?
Darth Vader kneels humbly on this pad when he is chatting with the Emperor, which I’m guessing is some sort of holograph phone thingy. It lights up when he steps on it.
With a scale like this, you too would be reduced to humility and a feeling of complete powerlessness every time you step on it.
A design like this would probably need to be plugged-in, with all the lights it has. Maybe a light-less one would be fine – chances are your bathroom is well-lit anyways.
The transporter pad from Star Trek could also be employed in a similar fashion. Same goes for the pink hoverboard from BTTF, whatever pad they used in Galaxy Quest, and the soapbox from South Park. That last one was a joke.
If you like this check out my folding scale idea.
