Archive for November, 2010
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 7: Nintendo (Again)
There are a few sight gags for those who are longtime gamers...
I made this one before the Nintendo futons, but then I thought - too childish. And then I reconsidered for a couple of reasons: no one has ever made a Game Boy themed blanket cover (at least that I can find) - though a company called Soft Machine makes these cool pillows. Also, why not make a few items for the kids? Or for the guys who will never grow up (and have very very patient girlfriends).
If you are so inclined, I’m sure you could get a blanket/duvet cover like this made - either through screen-printing or some serious quilting/patch work.
I’m sure you can recognize the bedside table. The lamp on the other hand….well I use to own one of those! Handhelds have come a long way.
Here is an uncluttered picture:
Ah memories.
1 comment November 30, 2010
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 6: Superman
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture is a series of design concepts made for geeks by a geek. These aren’t actual items for sale.
So far all the geeky IKEA designs I’ve shown revolved around video games. There are other geeky things to pay tribute to, not the least of which are comic books.
So here is the first Superhero entry, based on Superman’s Fortress of Solitude:
I think you’re looking at my next desk. Seriously. I’ve been needing a new desk since forever…may as well slap one together!
I’ll probably build a green Kryptonian Crystal lamp for this getup later - something along the lines of those green-shaded ones you find in libraries and banks, but modern and edgy.
This series has been a lot of fun to create. Look for more soon!
13 comments November 29, 2010
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 5: Tetris
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture is a series of design concepts made for geeks by a geek. These are not actual products for sale.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Ideally, you could also make a lamp shade with this.
Add comment November 28, 2010
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 4: Nintendo
Supposed to read "Pleather or Canvas". Ah well.
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture is a series of concept designs made for geeks by a geek. These aren’t actual items for sale.
The futon - a signature IKEA item. Why not make some Nintendo handheld covers for them? Fashioned in DS and GBA SP flavors no less.
IKEA likes to adorn their futons and chairs with pillows, so I made these game cartridge-inspired ones. They could probably be adorned with logos and game art, but I like the simple look.
I didn’t want to add game art to the actual futon covers - too cheesy! I thought it would be best to give the consumer the choice of what they’d like in the form of a blanket they can put on the futon. And like games, people can buy multiple styles to change things up.
For the sake of appeal, I made these futons leather-looking (pleather!), but I think the denim/canvas look can be used as well. I hope IKEA makes something like this one day!
12 comments November 28, 2010
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 3: Mega Man
Death never seemed more functional.
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture is a series of designs for geeks by a geek. These aren’t actual products for sale.
Okay I had to cheat a little and change the Mega Man death burst from 8 to 12. A necessary evil. I added a couple of hands for more specific time, but they can be removed, in my opinion.
3 comments November 27, 2010
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 2: Music Games
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture is a series showing concept furniture designed for geeks by a geek. These aren’t actual products for sale.
I originally though the 8-bit alligators from PitFall would make a great carpet - but someone else already thought of that! So I went with option 2, the frets from the Rock Band game.
I chose to show a Rock Band carpet, but a Guitar Hero look could also be swapped in too. I like the pattern art both games feature on the button frets, and figure it would look great on the floor.
Add comment November 27, 2010
If IKEA Made Geeky Furniture Part 1: Donkey Kong
If IKEA approached me and said “Dave, we need you to design some cool furniture for the many geeks out there!” I’d say heck yeah. About time the joystick generation got some props from the people that talk like borgy borgy borgy. Okay, the Swedes probably don’t sound like this guy, but I have a very weird outlook.
First up would be a shelving system inspired by the original Donkey Kong. Those girders would look great on a wall. Also, they can be configured in many different ways, so if you like to recreate a staggered level from DK, or maybe have a few flat levels, that’s up to you.
They have a cool industrial look to them as well, so they can be setup in the TV room or bedroom or garage.
The electronics depicted above is a shout-out to an old post, about the need for flat component electronics.
his could be complimented by a few items, like this Barrel-inspired vase here. Ladder-shaped bookends can also be employed.
Of course you could go all out and paint the wall black, and print up some Kong and Mario decals to recreate a Donkey Kong screenshot.
I’ll have a few more IKEA posts in the next few weeks, stay tuned.
7 comments November 27, 2010
Power To The People Part 5: Batteries That Last Longer
I read this fascinating article at Gizmodo recently that explained why batteries die. In short: the internal chemical process of consumption and charging creates a buildup that prevents ion flow and thus the battery’s functionality. Or something like that.
I already wrote up the benefits of having a reserve battery in a mobile device as a safeguard. So now I thought I’d look at how to prolong the life of the lone internal lithium battery, as well as your typical household battery:
Again, I’d like to state how surprised I am by the linear approach used by manufacturers of mobile devices. One device, one battery. Even more confusing, these batteries are powering devices with CPUs like cameras, MP3 players, and cell phones. You would think that like a car, these CPU’s can effectively monitor power consumption, allowing for numerous on-board power sources to switch to if necessary. A few ideas to help prolong the life of a battery:
1. The multi-cell approach.
Basically you start off with a battery that uses a portion of it’s total output to begin with. Once a few cells begin to lose their ability to output power and hold a charge, dormant cells are called into action. This is basically like having multiple batteries on board, though you never have to change anything. A CPU will dictate when the ‘reserve’ cells are called into action.
Of course you might not like a 30-hour battery holding back and providing 15 hours on a charge, but you’ll get that consistency for a much longer time, rather than the battery life decline we’re all so familiar with.
2. Alternating system.
A couple of batteries (or a multi-cell battery), can be installed onboard, and the duties of charging or providing power can be alternated between them. With a CPU governing the rotation, all batteries will get a few breaks from active duty - effectively extending their lifespan.
3. The manual cut-off.
You could take your battery out to help prolong it’s life, though often that is not an option (take your iPod for instance). But one thing I notice with a lot of electronics that come with an internal battery, is this plastic ‘tab’ that is wedged in between the battery and the contact. This is installed to help preserve the battery life until it is ready for use. You pull out the tab, and the battery is now pressed into use.
So why not install a “reverse tab” in the form of a switch or dial or button that will interrupt the flow of power between the contact and battery? Or a lever that moves the contact(s) away from the battery?
I think for many electronics (cameras especially), having a lever that will cut-off battery consumption would be very convenient - more so than taking the batteries out.
4. A second “gatekeeper” battery.
If there is no manual way to remove or cut-off the battery from the contact, then maybe a secondary battery could be used to fire up and close down operations of the primary battery.
When you power-on your device, the smaller gatekeeper will then enable the contacts that drain the power from the primary. When you power off your device, the contacts are removed from the primary battery. This ensure when your device is not in use, neither is the primary battery.
5. Some by-product and secondary power assistance.
A bit of a stretch: Batteries often power devices that generate light and heat (heat actually helps kill batteries fyi). So why not capture some of that heat/light and put it to work? With the light, you could line the LCD screen with solar panel sensors (like a calculator) to capture incoming UV and a bit of the LED light. Also, if there was a way to convert that internal heat into a source of power (thermal energy perhaps?), that would help a battery with some of the workload.
Also, because a lot of these mobile devices are on the go and being wielded by the User, Kinetic energy could be employed to assist some of the power consumption.
Again, a bit out there.
Add comment November 25, 2010
2 Video Game Ideas To Help The Fledgling Racing And Music Genres
Not to be confused with the SNES Classic Rock N' Roll Racing
Currently, the Music and Racing genres are taking a tumble in sales and popularity. The music games have over-saturated the market with games and peripherals. Racing games haven’t been very innovative over the past decade. Today I will outline 2 game ideas for both genres.
Guitar Hero vs. Rock Band
I personally still like my idea for the Guitar I designed a while back. That said, all the instrument innovation in the world cannot seem to help these games, as the recent Rock Band 3 release can attest. Even the robust features and set list of the recent Guitar Hero game hasn’t drawn much interest.
So why not in a last-ditch effort have a big crossover with these games? It wouldn’t be so much about brand loyalty, but a combination of the two gameplay styles and peripherals to boot.
Over the years, there have been a few crossovers that became huge (Capcom Vs. SNK), and a few missed opportunities featuring franchises in their prime (Street Fighter Vs. Mortal Kombat). With Guitar Hero and Rock Band having already peaked, may as well merge them for a last hurrah.
All-Star Racing Showdown
I’m not a fan of Gran Turismo. It’s pretty, but boring and sterile. Other franchises like Project Gotham Racing and Burnout have captivated my attention when it comes to being a fun racing game. My racing preferences in a nutshell.
And over the past decade, there hasn’t been much in the way of innovation to push the Racing genre. ModNation Racers allowed Users to create custom race courses and cars, but it fell under the radar. The recent Blur tried to fuse Mario Kart and Need for Speed, but also didn’t find an audience. Seems today’s gamer isn’t as interested in tearing down roads at high speed compared to say, a mere five years ago.
So I’d like to take a page from music games and license a collection of iconic cars for people to race with. Not a license for actual brands like Lamborghini and Porsche - true All-Star cars. Like the Batmobile. James Bond’s Aston Martin. Speed Racer’s Mach 5. The Gadgetmobile. The Mystery Machine. The BttF DeLorean. The Spy Hunter car. Autobot Jazz. The Ecto 1. And dozens more.
Having this list of vehicles to drive would entice people to pick it up. It has the same appeal as when Rock Band and Guitar Hero were first starting out - the set lists featuring famous music appealed to people. Now it would just be famous cars hogging the spotlight.
I don’t see why a game can’t license all these supercars into one title, given what (the boring) Gran Turismo and the aforementioned music games have been able to assemble in their titles.
1 comment November 23, 2010
Power To The People Part 4: Pulling The Plug With A Switch
Dads everwhere have been clamoring for this.
Many appliances and electronics draw power when they are off or in an idle state. This is to allow for immediate power-on by the User. Some try to make this needless consumption appear necessary by tacking on useless features - like the clock on your stove or microwave. For the most part, this energy drain is not at all necessary.
Especially when some appliances garner infrequent use over the course of a week - like the washer/dryer and dishwasher. These should be denied their power consumption for the 95% of the time they are off. And moving the appliances from the wall to get at the plug is not an option!
So why not enable households with this “Super Power Strip”, which can cut off power to outlets and appliances when not in use. Sort of like a local fuse box terminal. A flick of the switch cuts off power at the outlet.
And the best way to deliver that sort of a control would be similar to a light switch. It’s very functional and practical. It may need a protective cover like a thermostat or my PowerBar switch design to prevent unintended switching.
In combination with one of those power consumption monitors, this tandem would be an effective tool for saving energy around the house.
Add comment November 21, 2010
