D.I.Y. - Chopsticks Rest

Often we visit a japanese restaurant and they served us with disposable wooden chopsticks with no rest. Occassionally, some of us might wish to practise some table ettiquette and not simply rest their chopsticks on a bowl or plate. So i came up with this some time back, and i finally made an instruction guide to making a quick and simple chopstick rest out of the paper wrapper. I believe i can never make any money out of it, unfortunately, so i decided to share it around.

Take note that POC stands for the width of 'Pair of Chopsticks', which you may conveniently use for measurement. All measurements are pure estimation and you may not have a neat result on the first try, but definitely on the second attempt.
(Click to enlarge)

























Share

bladeless fan - Dyson

A remarkable innovation. I think this is certainly a result of a vision and a dream, to replicate nature and to truely command breeze. Presented to you by Sir James Dyson, an unconventional fan design that requires no turning blades or rusty routers. We dont have to worry about it turning slower and slower each year, or about the thick layer of dirt after that anymore.

Well, his explanation of how it works was clear enough, but I couldnt understand WHY it works. Times like this I just regret those days when I dont pay attention to my Physics teacher.

humans are powered by emotion

image from laura242

Source: Lovemarks – the future beyond brands
Written by: Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi

Human beings are powered by emotion, not by reason.

Study after study has proven that if the emotion centers of our brain are damaged in some way, we don’t just lose the ability to laugh or cry, we lose the ability to make decisions. Alarm bells for every business right there.

The neurologist Donald Calne puts it brilliantly:

“The essential difference between emotion and reason is that emotion leads to action while reason leads to conclusions.”

You don’t have to a be brain surgeon to get that. The reality we face does not require mastery of arcane terminology, and it’s not about evaluating competing theories about how the mind works or how it is structured.

The brain is more complex, more densely connected, and more mysterious than any of us can dream. That’s as much as we have to know. Emotion and reason are intertwined, but where they are in conflict, emotion wins every time. Without the fleeting and intense stimulus of emotion, rational thought winds down and disintegrates.

Writer Virginia Postrel has a great example of how ignoring the real emotions of consumers can point us in the wrong direction. About ten years ago, many women’s fashion retailers had the same dumb idea: it’s possible to rationally predict what women want. The demographics said that women were getting older and bigger and so perfect logic kicked in. Older, bigger women are not going to be interested in youth, novelty, or sex appeal. Bad call. Turned out that women didn’t feel older and bigger at all. They rushed to buy slinky slip-dresses and curvy, mini-skirted business suits. The logicians tanked and the few retailers who backed a genuine understanding of the human heart did great.

What is important is to engage with the new realities of emotion. We must work out what they mean to us. How they affect behaviour. And then do something different because of it. Marketing people talk about emotion. They present charts and diagrams, even raise their voices and wave their arms, but fundamentally they treat emotion as…out-there, felt by someone else and able to be manipulated.

Analyzing other people’s emotions and refusing to acknowledge our own dumps us in the same old rut. What a waste. The emotions are a serious opportunity to get in touch with consumers. And best of all, emotion is an unlimited resource. It’s always there-waiting to be tapped with new ideas, new inspirations, and new experiences.

So what kind of emotions are we talking about? Everyone has a different list, but people tend to agree on two points: first, emotions can be separated into primary and secondary emotions; and second, most of our emotions are negative. Emotions can inspire and excite us. They can also frighten and threaten us. It’s survival. Our emotions tell us what’s important, and in our ancient past it was smart to pay the most attention to the bad stuff.

living Wabi Sabi

All images from Wabi Sabi Style

Source: Wabi Sabi Style
Written by: James and Dandra Crowley

Source: Elements of Japanese Design
Written by: Boyé Lafayette De Mente

In this modern age of the rising Neo-Japanese, a traditional style of the Japanese has yet to fade out. Though it may not shine as brightly in today’s trend it still remain as, what I consider, Japanese Asset. This ancient practice is known as Wabi-Sabi.

Wabi means simplicity and tranquility, and Sabi refers to “the rust of age”. But the Sabi concept has further meaning to its philosophy when you appreciate the phase of dying. It is because Wabi-Sabi respects the never-ending cycle of rejuvenation and decay. The beauty can be seen when the unavoidable decaying is accepted. Similar to humans whom age and old, so does everything around us.

One of the key foundations of this lifestyle was living in harmony with nature – of course, something that all of early mankind did to the best of their ability as a means of survival. In other words, living in harmony with nature was a natural response that did not require any great intellectual capacity or philosophizing. You lived in harmony with nature or you lived an uncomfortable if not painful life and generally died young. It was that simple.

The challenge and the opportunity offered by wabi and sabi is to live a positive, graceful life. It is not necessary to relate this theme to Buddhism, Zen, or any other religious belief. It is just common sense.

Wabi-Sabi and Zen

Wabi-Sabi can be easily mistaken for Zen. While you cannot say that Wabi-Sabi is part of Zen, but you can say that the Zen style is adopted from Wabi-Sabi.

The introduction of Buddhism from the Asian continent between the fourth and sixth centuries did not alter the basic ancient wabi-sabi lifestyle of the average Japanese. However, what these Zen monks contribute to the wabi-sabi world was the intellectualizing of its concepts. They injected old words with new meanings to describe and explain the concepts. Thereafter, for generation after generation, advocates of wabi-sabi persevered in practicing and teaching its philosophical, ethical, and practical aspects. By creating specific vocabulary for their aesthetic concepts, the Japanese have made it possible to talk about them in precise terms, to create guidelines for achieving them, and to teach them. As a result, they have made a unique contribution to mankind.

What is Simplicity?

Simplicity is to “thoughtfully and consciously limiting one’s choices”. Simplicity is about Subtlety, that is the fine details, and also about Restraint.

It isn’t difficult to throw everything functional into one product, but I sometimes find certain products excessive and over-done. I think a product needs a focus, and in order to do that we have to ask ourselves, “What does this product serve? What must it do and what isn’t necessary?” The poor product doesn’t have to carry tons on its back and pledge to do everything in this world.

Live Wabi-Sabi

To use its philosophy in designing, you have to understand its fundaments. So now you know that its about living as one with nature, that means things have to be natural or at least look natural. It is practical like the creations of Mother Nature, every part of its creation serves a purpose. And just like every matter of nature due to decay, a product has a life span as well. But can it rejuvenate and return with a new beginning just like an organism?

It is usually asymmetry and random, unless of a reason. I think that is what makes it interesting to admire. Perhaps we could mass manufacture more products that is asymmetric, with part of its interface oddly in place? heh heh..

Feature: Ina Nikolic