design

Design Your Dream Bespoke Man-Pad

Audio/Video, Home Theater / By Jason Slater / June 28, 2013

When planning your ultimate man-pad you probably have some idea of your dream requirements. Widescreen or Projected TV? Check. Xbox or PlayStation? Check. Surround Sound System. Check. Pool Table. Check. Universal Control from an iPad? Check. Room design like something out of Alien? Double Check.

Perhaps the reality may end-up being something a little more budget conscious for most of us but for those who can dream big UK-based bespoke home automation company “The Private Cinema Company” are ready to turn those dreams into a reality.

One of the latest installation designs for the company has been an Alien themed cinema room complete with alien eggs, shadowy lighting, leather seats, surround sound, movie projection, and all the dramatic intensity of the movie the room is based upon.

The images are pretty impressive and really capture the essence of a bespoke installation. We’re big fans of science fiction movies so this design really gets us wanting to fetch the cat and load in the Blu-ray Alien Anthology set. For those for whom Alien holds little appeal the company say installations are not just limited to the man-pad as home automation can be styled into the lounge, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and even the swimming pool if you have one.

For us, it’s grab the snacks, lights out, start the movie, and make sure there is someone to cling tightly onto. I’ll bring the popcorn, you bring the Xenomorph.

To learn more head over to the The Private Cinema Company website.

Shapeways 3D prints models you design

Gizmo of the Day, Miscellaneous / By Khalid Hosein / February 10, 2010

Although 3D printing technology has been around for some time now, it is still many years away from home consumption as the printers are much too expensive. However, there are companies like Shapeways that offer this an outsourced service for consumers.

Head over to Shapeways.com to design and order your very own full-color high resolution 3D models. There are different types of materials that you can use. Pricing for models can go anywhere from $1 to over $1000, although most models fall into the $50 to $150 range [FAQ].

Designers can upload their designs in industry standard file formats VRML and X3D. The model bunny in the photo is an example of the items that can be ‘printed’.

The Switchital Clock’s Digits Morph With Each Time Change

Miscellaneous / By Khalid Hosein / January 1, 2010

This is just a design right now, but it’s cool-looking for sure. Called the Switchital Clock, the numbers break apart and morph to the next set of numbers each minute. Designer Matthias Pugin has a number of other cool designs on his website.

Looking for a real alarm clock? We got lots of those!

Cardboard Gadgets, an Art Project

Miscellaneous / By William Appleyard / July 11, 2009

An artist called Kyle Bean has made some gadgets out of cardboard and lit their tracing paper screens with a simple circuit, all in the aid of awareness. His point is that gadgets today are almost out of date the moment you buy them – and he’s right! He’s also trying to get across the point that we see modern technology as ‘disposable’ (hence the cardboard). The ‘gadgets’ are intricately detailed and look brilliant. The picture here doesn’t do them justice – head over to KyleBean.co.uk for some proper shots.