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Don't Just Download Music, Download the Whole Player Too!

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.19.07

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In an Absolut world, you not only can download your music, you can order up the music player as well. You just need something like Dimatix desktop inkjet printer which can print out circuit boards and electronic components. Polymertronics is printing out "bespoke organic light emitting diodes"- custom lighting is now like going to the custom tailor.  In an Absolut world you won't line up in front of an Apple store waiting for the iPhone, you will just download it.

Angelique Lucas-Witte: Laptop Table

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.18.07

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Students at The Ryerson University School of Interior Design in Toronto, Canada were asked to design a piece of furniture out of a single 4 x4 sheet of baltic birch plywood. These wowed the crowd at the Interior Design Show this spring; We thought it a wonderful opportunity to present the work of these talented young designers as downloadable designs. So far as we know, none are in production, but that might change.....

Designed for easy mobility and the use of a laptop, this table may also transform into a side table. Through the use of voids and shifting planar elements this piece is not only functional, but intriguing and playful. Visual continuity is created through the use of colour where one element penetrates the other. Although constructed out of Baltic Birch, wood may be substituted with acrylics or recycled materials. This multi-functional piece creates a playful and dynamic presence in any space.

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Because We Can: Tree Stump Coffee Table

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.17.07

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This table is coated with a water-based, zero-VOC finish. And made of 100% Certified Sustainable maple plywood. Which means that there will be more trees to make silly stuff like this out of.

All of our products are made on demand, so we don't store a huge mass of potential land fill in a ware house somewhere. Instead we wait until there is a desire for them, and then they are produce. This table ships to you flat, and requires no hardware to put together. The table can easily be taken apart and put back together in a matter of seconds.

The tree table stands around 2 feet wide on a side (23" x 25"), and 2 feet tall (24") for the tall one, 16" for the squat one. and is all natural. Like a tree should be! Great for small spaces with it's ability to come apart quickly, or extra table to have around, and it's just plain fun!

Visit Because We Can or build your own miniature:

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Download file for squat stump table

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Judging Your Downloadable Design: Josh Rubin

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.14.07

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Not only have we invited you to submit your own downloadable design, but we are assembling a panel of judges to pick the best one. First up: Josh Rubin of Cool Hunting.

"I started Cool Hunting in February 2003 after accepting that I'm much better at organizing digitally than physically. As an interaction designer I'm always looking for both inspiration and an understanding of the way people do things. I decided to catalog what I found on the web and haphazardly named it Cool Hunting because to me that's synonymous with finding inspiration. Some people think this site is about trends, but it is more about curating observations. I get excited about obsessive compulsive art, elegant uses of technology, unusual and limited edition sneakers, and general paradoxes.
::Cool Hunting

David Graas: Finish Yourself Stool

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.13.07

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Dutch Designer David Graas thinks garbage is poorly designed. He says " Wouldn't it be nice if the discarded products would not cause problems for the environment? That you could throw them away without feeling guilty? Or the materials could be completely re-used without much effort?"

He has designed the Finish Your Self Stool:

A stool made of cardboard has many advantages. It is very light, remarkably strong, 100% recyclable, easily assembled by yourself and, last but not least, quite beautiful. Also, because product and packaging are both made from the same type of cardboard, the packaging can be used to finish the stool by yourself. Two parts of the FYS stool are simply cut loose from the box containing the other six parts resulting in less waste.

Visit David Graas

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D. E. Sellers: Emergency Stool

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.26.07

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The Emergency Stool is designed to transcend function and question furniture as object, art, or image. The Emergency stool is a laser cut panel of Baltic Birch plywood where each part is connected to each other creating a panel that can be displayed an image on the wall prepared to be but into action for an emergency by simply breaking the panel into it's individual parts. The laser etcher graphic provides international assembly instructions. This kiche design adds ingenuity and humor to modern furnishings creating a useful stool or side table without fasteners or the need of complex tools.

Visit d e sellers

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What is a CNC Machine?

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.26.07

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Because we Can's Shopbot

A CNC (computer numerical control) router cuts plywood or other materials according to instructions from a computer, usually from a CAD drawing. All of the downloadable designs shown here are designed to be cut out on a CNC router. In an Absolut World, technology like this will be available as a neighborhood service like a Kinko's- you will download a design and send it to the machine, and then pick it up when your order is ready.

They are big machines, designed to handle full sheets of plywood, but in an Absolut world you may want to have one at home; right now you can buy little ones at Sears for under $ 2,000.

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Amy Law: FlexTable

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.26.07

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amylaw%20vertical.jpgStudents at The Ryerson University School of Interior Design in Toronto, Canada were asked to design a piece of furniture out of a single 4 x4 sheet of baltic birch plywood. These wowed the crowd at the Interior Design Show this spring; We thought it a wonderful opportunity to present the work of these talented young designers as downloadable designs. So far as we know, none are in production, but that might change.....

Ryerson University School of Interior Design student Amy Law says:

Inspired by the concept of a table that is as flexible as our needs, it is designed to be multifunctional, transformable and compact to reduce mass consumption. Why purchase three different units when one can perform all the functions? When the need to accommodate more people arises, simply swivel the top and flip up the side panel. Its cubic form creates storage below and its sleek, clean lines are designed to be magazine slots. FlexTable is made of Baltic Birch plywood to ensure that it is lightweight and sturdy. The wood can be easily finished to provide users with their own unique style.

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