2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

Dharma Initiative Food... for you

If you are fan of Lost, like me, you probably know well these labels.   These are not very cute, sure we will find best packaging examples in the supermarket, but something we can not deny is that, these labels are mysterious, just like the TV serial.

So... how to get all this Dharma food products? Easy.  You don't have to buy it.   Just need to download the labels on this site, and put on your own food.  You will notice that they are many alternatives avaliable.

I can't wait to invite my friends to dinner and say: Oh, do you know these packaging too? I always thought that only Dharma members knew about it.  I have recently returned to the island, just to share with you a sample of our food.  Hahahaa... Enjoy this design's joke at home!

Via Compradiccion.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

2009 will certainly go down as a very memorable one, to say the least. I think there will be a lot of reflection on what exactly transpired over this past year. There is no need to rehash it all, the Media does a great job at keeping us up to date with every detail possible.

I guess the one thing that I can decipher from all of this is this...if you are in a position of power, and your decisions impact several people, then make sure that you are acting with other people's best interest in mind. Make sure that your integrity is in check and that you are as concerned with other people's well-being as your own.

CEO's, Politicians, Hedge Fund Managers (Ponzi Scheme Operators), Teachers, Parents, etc...we all inherently know right from wrong. We all know when we are looking to 'just get ours', regardless of the end result of our actions on others.

I am sure I am preaching to the choir...as most of the people that are the root cause of some of these current global concerns will likely never read this, let alone have it sink in. Maybe if we start giving more attention to the people that are doing good things for people, doing the right or selfless thing when no one is even watching, then things will start to change in a positive direction. I hope that good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior isn't in 2009. That is my wish.

I sincerely hope that all of you out there have a very Happy, Healthy (and Conscious) New Year!

Greg

Stunning images from the 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony

For all who had the fortune to watch the great opening show from the Beijing Olimpics, last week, I´m sure you will enjoy this memorable images.  And for all who miss the opportunity of watch it... this advise: Try to find a HD video and don´t loose your time, because this show was the most spectacular opening that you probably know about.  See all the picture collection at big size here.

China did it perfectly, nothing to say, but... poor next Olympic country, the whole world will have amazing expectations about the opening.  Good luck!

Via Computerlove.

CCTV-TV Station and Headquarters, China, Beijing-Nearing Finish.

Architect Rem Koolhaus and his firm the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (Rotterdam) won the competition (in 2002) set for the design and construction of a new complex for the CCTV's new headquarters to be completed in time for the Beijing Olympics.  The design was/is so spectacular that the Museum of Modern Art in New York created an exhibit around it in 2006, already a phenomenon in architectural circles, to address the preconceived notions surrounding the building of a tower with the magnitude this has.  “It’s a fiendishly complex building in terms of program and structure,” Mr. Koolhaas said in a quote from a 2006 New York Times article about the exhibit.

Construction began in 2004 and the famous right angle cantilever at the top of the building was joined in December of 2007.  Reaching their goal of finishing by the time of the scheduled Olympics in Beijing began to look not only possible but plausible.

Several flickr accounts have begun taking images with regularity to keep us updated as to the construction's progress.  Then on May 31st, Nike got the jump on the Olympics when it projected the introduction of China's Golden Athletes Olympic suits  against 4 of the building's columns giving us a small glimpse of what is soon to come at the same time realizing the imaginations of those who created  the sci-fi worlds of Blade Runner and the Fifth Element.  For more stills and to see Nike's eerie video go here. 

Meantime the 5 million square foot complex is more than an astral projection....

The CCTV project also includes a second  building that will house a five-star hotel (bldg left of CCTV) with 300 rooms, restaurants and spas, recording studios and a 1,500-seat theater.  This structure, the Television Cultural Center or TVCC is, as described by the architects, the public component of the project and was to open ahead of the larger headquarters in 2007.

Also as reported by the New York Times, China’s television network  will be capable of broadcasting 250 channels when the headquarters is completed. CCTV currently produces and broadcasts just 16 channels.  For more information about the building and interior drawings visit OMA's official website.

Breathing: Art as Memorial

The Breathing, a memorial to all the journalists, cameramen and crew killed while reporting the news has become the latest addition to the skyline of London, England. The BBC commissioned Spanish artist Jaume Plensa to design the 30ft high, inverted steel and glass cone, which together with BBC radio mast and the spire of All Souls Church, forms a trinity of spires. The words engraved around the sculpture, which is shaped like a listening glass, evoke the themes of speech and silence, life and death: Life turns and turns on the crystal glass, silence is a voice, our voice.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon unveiled the sculpture, which sits on top of the new wing of Broadcasting House, today. The sculpture will be illuminated for 30 minutes each evening by a beacon that shines half a mile into the sky.
Along with the Breathing sculpture the BBC commissioned poet and ex-war correspondent James Fenton to write a Memorial Poem

We spoke, we chose to speak of war and strife –
a task a fine ambition sought –
and some might say, who shared our work, our life:
that praise was dearly bought.

Drivers, interpreters, these were our friends.
These we loved. These we were trusted by.
The shocked hand wipes the blood across the lens.
The lens looks to the sky.

Most died by mischance. Some seemed honour-bound
to take the lonely, peerless track
conceiving danger as a testing ground
to which they must go back

till the tongue fell silent and they crossed
beyond the realm of time and fear.
Death waved them through the checkpoint. They were lost.
All have their story here.

The column of light is a reminder that more than 200 reporters across the world have lost their lives since the start of 2007 through kidnapping, acts of war and terrorism .

The Uncommon Modern Television

The television set was a symbol of the modern age. It was one of those items that when it first arrived, was a luxury item for only the rich. Well, years later it is practically in the same category of essential needs as food, clothing, shelter...and television! During the history of TV they have always fluctuated in size, beginning in large wood cabinets, becoming smaller for convenience, and more recently becoming thinner in depth at the same time as the screens became larger.

 

However, if you desire a smaller-size television for your kitchen, studio, or a combination den and child's playroom; they are out there in some very creative packages.

 

A few years ago I saw this beauty, the HANNS A.Red, that resembles a glossy ripe red apple. I would love to have this, if it wasn't $400 for a tiny 10" inch screen. 
 

This same company, Hannspree, offers another set resembling something organic; it looks like it was made of wood.
          HANNSwood

Then there is the Micro TV, a concept television from Sony. I have no idea if or when it will be produced or how expensive it will be, however, it will be available in white and fuchsia. I know it is cute, but a bright pink TV, really?

For your child or the child in you, the norm seems to be Disney promo products or anthromorphized animals of all sorts. You can own a Disney Princess TV, a Disney car, this one, or one like this; again by Hannspree, that actually places a television monitor into the tummy of a cloth plush toy.

      HANNSz.elephant

 

Then, of course, you could try going back to the beginning and purchase a reproduction of a groovy vintage design like this one.

from Predicta

MODERN FURNITURE - COOL SWIVEL CHAIRS

Thanks to my dear furniture fashionister for a great furniture find today ... a little on the  bubbly round but worth sharing ... 
Luxy italy | big jim
"This is deliciously retro modern design at its finest. Seen most recently on the UK show famous for uttering the line "fashion has no mercy", this chair makes a statement no matter where it is. Used in applications such as airport terminals and hotels, the chair's completely synthetic shell makes it impervious to wear and tear from high traffic usage. Constructed using a single polyethylene shell in black, white, or grey, with base in epoxy coated aluminum or polished aluminum. Available in fixed version or with swivel/auto return."
31.5" wide x 32.28" high, seat height: 16.53"
for version with swivel auto return and polished aluminum base ($1,525.00)
for version with fixed column and polished aluminum base ($1,425.00)
for optional transparent gel seat cushion ($273.00)

To see more of my favorite products from Luxy check out my image library on Flickr or check out my GAILE GUEVARA modern.design.source blog for some modern inspiration.

Dwell.com Interview

Dwell Magazine has launched a new talkshow:
The Apartment Dinner Series

2Modern interviews Michael Cannell, the editor of Dwell.com about the series. How did the idea come to life? How were the guests chosen? Were there food fights? What is next for the series?

Click HERE to listen to the interview.

Enjoy!

Sounds Good

Speakers and audio systems are usually not the aesthetic choice to accent any room, but that is quickly changing. New speakers that either hide themselves altogether, usually with some minor construction work, or speakers that look like a work of art can now be found easily, like these Martin Logan Vista's. We recently purchased these, with the help of Tweeters' close-out discounts (CA stores only). Not only do these speakers look hip all by themselves, they sing! The metal screen uses electro-static waves to vibrate sound up and down the entire length of the screen; even though it appears that only the first foot is actual speaker, the 57 inches of screen act as one giant speaker.



Combine two of those Vista's with a Martin Logan Cinema i center speaker, and you'll never need to go to the movie theater again (unless it's for a midnight showing of Spiderman 3, like tonight!). Again with the help of Tweeter closing their doors, we grabbed this baby and mounted it above the TV. The Vistas sound incredible by themselves, but with the center, its amazing! But my favorite part still has to be the seemless integration of these huge speakers into our home, they don't look like an ugly footprint on an otherwise good looking living room. They make the living room complete, they are just good looking speakers, even if they didn't make a sound. And they are usually the first things in our home to get complemented on by any visitors, my paintings being a close second!

Here is a picture of our set up now, of course wires still need to be hidden...somehow.....

No Explanation Neccessary

The fist commercials for Apple's new iPhone started airing last Sunday night during the Academy Awards. You probably already know about the iPhone, most people have at least heard the name. And that's what Apple seems to be banking on with this new campaign; no description, no explanation, no list of features, nothing but a look at the phone. In case you haven't seem the commercial, it's on Apple's homepage at Apple.com. Apple, and a lot of other companies have been doing this lately, in what seems to be an effort to tell as little about the product in a commercial as possible. In Apple's case, it's probably best for now, since it's not due out till June at the earliest. But in their best know commercials, the iPod + iTunes commercials, it's only people dancing; no mention of what the iPod is exactly, or what iTunes does. The audience is just supposed to know, or be so intrigued that they go and look it up afterwards; perhaps Apple and Google are in bed together.

Not that I'm complaining, I love Apple commercials, which are usually a hefty cut above the rest. But a lot of the other companies that do this, with less success, probably should tell a little more about their product. Commercials that introduce new drugs and pills, "solutions" to common problems with getting old. "Just go ask your doctor" they claim, as if too lazy to tell you themselves. Some commercials in which you no idea what they are selling, where your just about to ask yourself, "are they selling sex?", it turns out to be a car. Making the car look like something you should have sex with does not necessarily make me want to buy it; but perhaps the "sexy" cars are just another "solution" to problems with getting old. But I digress.

I guess what I'm saying is this new method of non-descriptive commercials works for brand new products which don't come out for another three months.