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Geeky Beds Part 4: Jurassic Park
It’s been awhile since I posted something related to Jurassic Park, fortunately this idea came to mind for the Geeky Bed series.
There are already quite a few bed frames out there (especially from IKEA) that look similar to this bed frame. Just need to slap on some silver paint and alternating lights to mimic the electrical fence from the first film.
While grownups and kids may get a kick out of this design, it just occurred to me it would look much better as a crib, or one of those safety gates you place to keep toddlers/pets at bay as well.
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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.
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View Askew Collection Blu-Ray Case
Just a basic slip cover design, but with a sign you can peg on top of the box to make it look like the Quick Stop and RST video store from Clerks when fully open (or just the Quick Stop).
The RST video portion would have a small “foot” so it could sit level with the Quick Stop. If I spent more time on this, I would plaster Jay and Silent Bob and the rest of the guys all over the sides of the box too.
This entire cover and sign could made in cardboard, and would be very inexpensive to produce. I might do this as a DIY project one day.
BONUS: Logos for the Quick Stop and RST Video. Internet let me down again. Click to enlarge:
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Aliens Quadrilogy Blu-Ray Case
(Note: Updated April 12, 2014) As part of my recent blog cleanup, I have condensed this post to one image and a shorter write-up) Basically this case design uses the Armored Transport vehicle from Aliens to store all the films. The turret would slide to the back of the vehicle (just like it actually does in the film), allowing access to the cases.
For fun I think it would be cool to include a few Alien figures, so you can run them over just like Ripley did.
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Dr. Who Tardis Blu-Ray Case
Update: Be sure to check out the new and improved design! Original post as follows:
A confession: I’ve never watched Dr. Who. It’s a bit daunting to check out a series that’s been running for several years (the current iteration). Maybe one day I’ll check it out, as I enjoy the Torchwood spinoff (weird I know).
But I don’t have to be a fan of the show to know that people love the Tardis, the doctor’s time machine. It is disguised to look like a police phone booth. The Wikipedia page on the Tardis is a fascinating read.
I’m a bit surprised BBC hasn’t used this boxy machine for DVD or Blu-Ray release yet, as it would be an ideal design. I’m guessing they were held up by the same issue I was - how to integrate standard-size jewel cases into the frame. Well you can’t, as I have learned. It’s best to use cases that are more CD-shaped, to maximize the volume and storage of the Tardis. Fortunately I made some cases of that nature for my Dark Knight Trilogy design from way back when.
Some LED lights at the top of the case would complete the look. I believe the light on top pulses. That would look awesome in your entertainment center.
If you made the jewel cases very thin, you could store many seasons in this Tardis. It also would be ideal to leave some room for future growth. With that room you could store the top light and pyramid fixture inside when packaging and shipping these cases, as I am a stickler for efficient volume use.
This design reminds of the NBA2K10 special edition design, where they shipped the game in a locker with room to store other games. That always stuck me as a very thoughtful design.
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Karate Kid Tournament Poster
UPDATE: You can purchase a more screen-accurate version here.
A replica of the poster seen in the Karate Kid, hanging in the Kobra Kai dojo. It’s a good thing it was on the wall, otherwise the plot would have been completely different. Read the rest of this entry
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Earbud Ideas
1. Built-in speakers. You can take off your earbuds and switch these speakers on. Handy for times when you want tunes, but cannot wear earbuds (like talking with your buds).
2. A built-in jack. This way you can plug your MP3 player directly into an AUX port, without having to switch to another cord entirely. This would flip out of one of the earbuds like a switchblade.
3. Visualizer. Okay this one is entirely cosmetic, but I always liked the idea of a visualizer on the earbuds or the MP3 player itself. Sure it’s a bit Lady Gaga, but it looks cool.
4. A spare jack port for sharing the audio feed. Sure it seldom ever happens, but this would be nice feature that would allow a friend to listen in. Handy for when you want to a share a film on a long flight. You could buy one of those splitters, but they are never around when you need one.
