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RAD AND HUNGRY: The Something Mighty Collection

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There is something so niche, so obsessive, so old school about The Something Mighty Collection from Seattle-based RAD AND HUNGRY. Launched late last year, this monthly series includes a carefully curated and packaged group of travel-inspired, locally sourced stationary items found by RAD AND HUNGRY founders (and unabashed consumerists) Sam Alston and Hen Chung. According to the team, “We’re taken by the concept that simple, daily items are given new meaning through travel. It transforms the mundane into something inspired.”

Each new supply kit is based on a different country and includes a writing instrument, paper good, mystery item, and other surprises. Previous kits have included treats such as Mexican pencils, Korean white out tape, and German paperclips. Starting this month, the Panama Kit comes with a colorful Cuaderno Balboa (notebook), two Facela triangular pencils, and an eraser protector, wrapped up with obvious care in brown kraft paper. Kits are $16.00 a pop, or you can set up a quarterly or yearly subscription. You aren’t just paying for the goods themselves, as fun as they may be. It’s the whole experience; the packaging, the element of surprise, and the opportunity to be a member of a club of other like-minded geeks that get excited by pencils from foreign countries. I can’t wait to see what the RAD AND HUNGRY gals dig up next.

Mr Jones Watches

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With clocks displayed on our cell phones, computers, and even on screens in the subway, no one really needs a wristwatch anymore. This doesn’t bother London-based artist/designer Crispin Jones however. His line, Mr Jones Watches, is about the concept of time. More than just another pretty line of jewelry, these pieces remind you that time is fleeting, help you to make split decisions, and give new meaning to the hours that make up our lives.

In the ancient tradition of the memento mori (items intended to remind us of our mortality), Jones collaborated with comedian William Andrews to create The Last Laugh, a smiling skull where the time is displayed on the teeth (the gold teeth give it a bit of a Live and Let Die vibe).  The Accurate watch literally reminds you to “remember” (on the hour hand) that “you will die” (on the minute hand). Morbid? For some perhaps. But for those that always catch themselves getting too worked up over the small stuff, this is a fantastic way to remember to keep your priorities straight. You are going to die, so why not wear a fantastic watch while you can?

Other pieces in the collection include Cyclops, in which a black circle floats around giving you a general idea of what time it is (basically, it’s telling the time strictly based on where you find the hour hand.) The Decider is like a little guardian angel guiding you to make the right (or the self-indulgently wrong) decision based on what exact second you look at it (it changes between “no” and “yes” with each tick). Not sure if you want to buy that watch? If you owned it, you’d already know. For a list of stockists, check out the Mr Jones Watches site.

All images © Crispin Jones

Pleasure to the People from Jimmyjane

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Dear Penthouse Forum,

I never thought this could happen to me. I am a design blogger and I want to write about an award-winning product line by one of the world’s top industrial designers. The only problem is that it’s a line of vibrators and the subject is a bit … awkward. What should I do? I’ve included a few photos. – designythings

Dear designythings,

First of all, great blog! You wouldn’t happen to be talking about the Jimmyjane Pleasure to the People line designed by Yves Béhar and Jimmyjane founder Ethan Imboden? That is one classy group of sex toys. Did you know that the Form 4 vibrator introduced in April is the latest of the three products in the line (doesn’t Form 2 remind you of the Starship Enterprise?? I’m just saying.) I see why you find it appealing to write about the collection, and how confused you must be feeling. Is it the fact they are rechargeable and waterproof (even bath safe!) that impresses you? Or the soft medical grade silicone and flexible shapes that adapt to the contours of the body that peaked your interest? I think you have to ask yourself these questions before you make your decision. Good luck. –Penthouse Forum

P.S.  If you do write about it, make sure to mention that their semi-annual sale is on until midnight on August 3rd, with up to 40% off. But now that I think about it, you should probably avoid the topic altogether and write about something else.

Pure Water Bottle

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Bad water can be as deadly as no water at all, and scientists and designers alike are searching for portable, affordable, and sustainable methods of converting dirty water from a lake, stream, or puddle into something potable. While traveling in Zambia, designer Timothy Whitehead was inspired to develop a simpler and faster way of sterilizing water than the traditional method of waiting 30 minutes for a chlorine or iodine tablet to work. The result of Whitehead’s research is Pure, a water bottle that provides clean drinking water in just two minutes using a wind-up, ultraviolet light to sterilize the water quickly without any distortion to taste common with the use of chlorine or iodine tablets. While ideal for third world countries, the bottle could also be used by hikers, the military, or anytime someone is in a remote location.

To get clean water, the user first fills the bottle’s outer chamber with dirty water, which is then plunged (much like a coffee press) and filtered. The clear water is then sterilized for 90 seconds using a wind-up ultraviolet light bulb. Pure recently won a Silver 2011 IDEA award in the Student Designs category, and it is also a finalist in this year’s INDEX: Awards.

 

The Dreamball Project

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Sports help to keep kids out of trouble, while giving them the opportunity to exercize and socialize in a positive setting. Football (the soccer kind, not the American kind) in particular has international appeal — anywhere in the world, kids know the game and the names of the top-tier teams and players. Designed by Kyungchan Hwang, Songkyou Jin, Haksu Lee, Minhyun Han, and Jin Jun, of the Korean design firm Unplug Design, the Dream Ball is a football made of recycled relief boxes. One of the finalists for this year’s INDEX: Award, the project team has redesigned relief packaging with a pattern so that it can be turned into different types of balls depending on the size of the box. Instructions inside of the box guide relief workers who create the origami-like balls. The rest is child’s play.

The New English China

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Anatomica plate by Lisa Turner for The New English.

Although it’s from the land of Wedgwood and Royal Doulton, The New English is not your grandmother’s china. With designs featuring anatomical drawings, skulls, and insect montages, it might not be yours either, but I find them really striking. So many china patterns are exactly the same, why not have one that no one will ever forget, even if it sparks a nightmare or two? Available in the U.S. at Inheritance Shop in Los Angeles.