Sisyphus - The Kinetic Art Table

As a fan of staring in to space for elongated periods of time, this kinetic art table - Sisyphus - is the perfect way for me to escape reality. 

Sisyphus is the clever table designed by Bruce Shapiro that incorporates sleek electronic movement with art as well as home comforts. The Sisyphus tables that are offered as rewards in Bruce Shapiro's Kickstarter campaign are modern and artistic and perfect as main living room pieces, coffee tables and spellbinding end tables. 

You can really see the tables namesake in the design; "In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain for all of eternity" which you can see clearly in the way that the metal ball forever rolls in the sand to create hypnotic, ever-changing patterns. 

The Sisyphus sculptural table is made of a metal frame, and a layer of tempered glass put over the top of the kinetic movement that makes it a fully functional yet elegant looking piece.

Now I'm not going to spoil the magic of it, but if you head on over to the Kickstarter campaign page you can check out all the production and manufacture processes that go in to making Sisyphus.

Dinara Kasko: So Good

It's funny to watch when singers try their hand at acting, because more often than not it's a great flop. Some people should stick to what their good at. But in the case of architect Dinara Kasko, experimenting with baking was probably the best thing to happen to the culinary world.

Ever creative Dinara Kasko started out her career in architecture and design and worked as so for several years before discovering baking; which she now does as more than a hobby, taking masterclasses over Europe to share her passion and delicate hand with many the avid baker.

It's insane to think that these delicious looking edibles are the handy work of a home taught pastry chef, but her eye for detail and the minimalist (courtesy of her background in architecture and design) is definitely a key factor that benefits her food experimenting. In true architect style Dinara Kasko utilises an appreciation of texture, shape, composition and form to create her delicious desserts that appease the eye in the way that a stunning structure would. Angles are perfect, lines are straight and the finish is more than stellar. Maybe more architects should try their hand at baking and patisserie.

If you'd like to read more - or most definitely see more - of Dinara Kasko's gorgeous edibles than her new concept 'Geometry' features in #16 of SoGoodMagazine where you can find her recipes to try your hand at, or even just to appreciate the effort that goes in to making these flawless masterpieces.

A Toast... to Toasteroid

I'm a sucker for a good Kickstarter project (hell, I've backed more than my fair share of stuff that's totally awesome but totally unnecessary too) and this new project from Toasteroid is no exception. 

This nifty kitchen appliance makes mums post-it note lunch doodles seem feeble in comparison, as it gives you the ability to turn breakfast time in to a fun doodling work shop. The Toasteroid is a smart toaster that allows you to print any drawn design on to your bread. Using the Toasteroid app you create your design and send it wirelessly over to your toaster, whenever you want! You can customize your image, unlike other printing toasters that have stencil slots... meaning the possibilities really are endless. And it's not just a pretty creative bit of kit, the Toasteroid is durable; made out of die cast aluminium this thing will stand the test of time and blend seamlessly in to your smart kitchen. 

The Toasteroid not only thinks about enjoyment, it also raises the game of the average toaster, removing all those aspects of the normal toaster that you loathe so much. Such as removing crumbs, the Toasteroid has a crumb removal tray. And fitting long and thick slices of bread in to your toaster is an easy task thanks to Toasteroid's ingeniously wide slots. (Seriously, why don't more toasters do this stuff?!?)

Why not wake your other half up with a weather alert printed on their toast using the Toasteroid's Weather Forecast Synchronization technology (I'm not joking, this is a thing!)? Or get the kids to draw funny cartoons on their toast to make meal times a little bit easier and a lot less hectic. 

The Toasteroid is a timeless design that I sincerely doubt you'll run out of uses for and it comes in to sizes. The first being the Toasteroid Mini which browns two slices of toast whilst only singing your design on to a single slice; this is offered as a reward on Kickstarter for $65. Or the regular Toasteroid which cooks two slices of toast with your creation printed on both slices. This comes in at $85; practically a steal for what they're offering. 

Great concept, great use of interactivity, can't wait to see how the world is going to utilize this product. 

The Micro Bit

BBC's Micro:Bit is probably the greatest contribution made to IT students up and down the UK in history. It's all very well teaching British children how to use Word and other Microsoft programs, but ICT cirriculum's up and down the country should be pushing to teach children code and the work that goes in to making the interfaces we're used to using with our PC's. 

The Mirco Bit educational initiative is set to show year 7's all over the UK by giving away them away for free to every year seven student, helping them to get creative with the technology they spend so much time playing on. 

The miniature computer measures 4cm by 5cm, has 25 LED's, comes in a range of colours and can connect to mobiles, raspberry pi's and even plant pots, with the ability to connect to other kits and allowing for children to develop on the basic skills they learn. BBC mirco:bit will help children easily program with a easy-to-use software on the mirco:bit website that can be accessed on mobiles and tablets too. It's powered by a mirco usb cable put if you're wanting to make your micro:bit portable then you can pick up a battery pack for a couple of quid on the internet. 

I won't go in to the specs of the BBC micro:bit but a couple of the awesome features are the on-board motion detector that will allow the micro:bit to be turned in to a spirit level, a built in compass and the Bluetooth smart technology which means that the BBC micro:bit is more than well equipped for getting the kids hands on with their pocket sized computer. 

Deliciously Morbid

I have no idea what on earth possess these two men to melt the faces off of these cute chocolate bunnies but whatever the reason the effect is oddly breathtaking. These two artists and filmmakers, Lernet & Sander have collaborated on many a project, but this video by far takes the chocolate... There's something almost artistic in their horrifying act of melting chocolate bunnies to nothing more than a puddle of dilapidated chocolate. In fact, it's actually quite amusing to watch irons, hair dryer's and space heaters slowly melt the life out of the bunnies eyes. 

Lernet & Sander use humor and wit to create this fantastic film, and if you're left wanting for more then you can always purchase a print of the bunny in pre-melt stage as he stares his fate straight in the heating element. This film is fun and sadistic and everything you need to traumatize Easter for the neighborhood kids. 

Crazy Arms

Ever wish your Lego characters could do more than just lift their arms up and down at their sides? (Yeah, I know it might not be the most prevalent thing on your mind but it's damn important to a plastic figure enthusiast let me tell you.)

Well a set of Crazy Arms will let your favourite brick based figure do out of the box things such as carrying a sword and a bow in their arms, finally you can let your little Lego man salsa!!!

Crazy Arms is a crazily genius invention that takes the pose ability of the plastic mini figures to a whole new dimension. Crazy Arms are removable, letting you modify at your own pace without tampering or damaging your figures. The plastic Crazy Arms parts snugly fit in to the inner holes on the figures hips and provide a loop support for the arms to fit in to which then allow you to pose your figure however you like. 

Crazy Arms are amazing for letting children and adults alike unlike modelling and playing potential by interchanging their figures limbs and they come in a variety of initial colours; white, black, tan, dark tan and dark grey with more colours to unlock as the Kickstarter campaign gains pledges.

And for $20 you can get your hands on three pairs of Crazy Arms in whatever colour you long for.

Blood Sport

It's so easy to get lost in a video game, and with the way the news has been reporting how games like GTA and COD are making our younger generations more violent its about time someone revolutionizes the way in which we game for the better. 

And Taran Chadha and Jamie Umpherson are just the guys to do it with their new gaming system Blood Sport. Blood Sport is essentially a fun and entertaining way to donate blood in which what happens in the video game has consequences in real life; i.e. every time you're shot or take damage in the game a proportionate amount of blood is taken. Apparently you'll be so immersed in the game you won't even realise the blood is being taken in a slow trickle compared to the butchers job you usually get when you go to give a couple of quartz at the hospital. 

It's all a pretty easy and harmless process; a medical professional inserts the cannula and the machine that takes the blood is hooked up to an Arduino board which can monitor blood flow safely and has your height, weight, age and other conditions preset so that you can be assured you're playing and donating responsibly.  

The creators of Blood Sport say they're developing the technology to get gamers thinking about more important issues whilst still doing what they love. For some reason (perhaps the many ethical issues) the Kickstarter campaign was taken down, but the concept is so amazing that hopefully Blood Sport can become a reality and will change the way people think of gaming as addictive and violent to productive and beneficial. 

Rock, Scissors, Paper!

As Nerf has proven you don't have to be a kid to enjoy shooting a plastic gun and playing army with your friends, and with PaperShooters there's now a better way to get even with your buds and sharpen up your shooting skills. 

PaperShooters is a construction kit that lets you build all the components of your weapon; including the air chamber, springs and trigger mechanism. You can interchange the cardboard skins on your plastic 'skeleton' so that you can blend in with your battle field as you go to war. 

The ability to construct your own 124 piece weapon will give you extended fun before you do get round to mastering your weapon, ready for firing rounds at objects up to 65 feet away. 

No more collecting your plastic ammo after an intense shooting battle, because PaperShooters ammo is ultra safe, mess free and 100% biodegradable because the pellets are made out of paper, therefore no more ouchies when you do eventually get hit. 

And you'll never run out of ammo because each PaperShooters kit comes with a mold so that you can continuously make soft splat ammo, giving the perfect blend of functional and fun all in one innovative package. 

And you can get your hands on a PaperShooters 'Zombie Slayer' for just £30, which includes the authentic looking plastic and cardboard weapon as well as a wall target for accurate shooting and endless fun. 

Oh SNAP!

Freedom to create is probably the best gift out there, and with SNAP you have the freedom to turn anything in to a coffee table, auxiliary table, desk or side table all with a simple assembly system that allows you to design your own furniture and change any space in to what you want it to be.

SNAP allows you to turn boards and surfaces in to tables that are portable, versatile and easy to create. There's no need to drill holes or make table legs, all you do is pull down the flexible portion of SNAP to fit around your desired table surface, then tighten the cable until your SNAP is securely in place. And voila!

SNAP is set up in seconds and you've got a sturdy table at the ready. That surfboard that gets in the way a little bit? Now it's a funky coffee table. An old chessboard sitting in the cupboard unused? Now a quirky side table to compliment your room.

SNAP has endless possibilities and easy set-up so that you can personalize your living space in a few, simple steps. And you don't have to use the conventional four SNAP's in making your table, you can use three for a more conventional feel, or two if you plan to rest your surface against the wall. You don't have to worry about it falling apart because it is literally fall proof. Prices start on Kickstarter from $60 for two SNAP's, to $80 for three and $110 for four, depending on what you want to do with your living space.

Lego be gone! Pinblock's are upon us!!!

Now I know this'll be hard to come to terms with but sadly Lego isn't the 'It' thing any longer. You know all those times you got a chunky yellow brick stuck in your foot? And you got aggravated with the basic 90 degree joints on all your models? Well with Pinblock's your feet are safe and you can now make your models around six rotation points!!! There's nothing better than rotation points. 

Pinblock started as a Kickstarter project aiming to re-imagine the building block, to bring these tiny, flexible pieces of plastic to market so that every creator and dreamer out there can surpass the limitation of conventional construction.

These bad boys are amazing in that you no longer have to search through the box for the right piece; because all the pieces are the same size, dimension, width; what I'm basically saying is that every brick is identical! And no longer are your models stiff and lifeless, they're flexible and able to curve; no more restrictions in your buildings and creations.

Pinblock's aren't just for creators, they're also for designers, they provide the perfect, slim material to create pixelated images with. These Pinblock's are so clever yet so uncomplicated! There's really no end to what you can do with them; build watches, make portraits, construct the Empire State Building!!! Whatever you want to do you can do it.

I happened to make a loose interpretation of Mickey Mouse in my first go at Pinblock's, proving that even the simplest of minds can get carried away with this awesome new toy.

What's even better is the variety of boxes available. Pinblock offer a choice of freestyle colour schemes, as well as kit boxes which give you a step by step guide to building rockets, ships and jets. The genius minds behind Pinblock's - great mates Vlad and Jun who decided to change engineering for the better - are really on to something here and I hope to see Pinblock's go global; encouraging kids and adults alike to get their build on.

At the end of Pinblock's Kickstarter campaign they launched The Manual Challenge, which was a race among pledgers to share pages and collect all fifty two pages of the Silver Falcon Model Manual for the chance to win a box of each of the Pinblock sets (seven boxes in total) for absolutely nothing! Pinblock's sent different pages out to each person and it was a battle on Facebook, Twitter and Kickstarter to send pages to each other and share their own in order to gather all the pages of the manual. Of course by sheer determination and brazen annoyance, yours truly managed to wrangle together all 52 pages first and nabbed herself the awesome prize.

And this week the box turned up all large and full of tinkling brick noise and I practically wet myself in excitement, eager to get my build on. And build I did; cathedral's, characters and other cute critters! I did my best to test the durability and flexibility of these Pinblock bricks and am utterly astounded by the versatility in one tiny 1 cm wide brick!

Well done Pinblock; live long and prosper.

Paper Fairytale

If you think you're journal is a one of a kind then you really need to get a load of these Polymer Clay Journals that really bring a whole new meaning to the word 'ethereal'. 

These Polymer Clay Journals are amazing feats of art that combine realistic 3D form with magical characters to create journals that are truly one of a kind and thought provoking. They're the work of Etsy shop owner Mandarin Duck who is a London based designer that specializes in Polymer clay artistry with anything from journals to jewelry to tutorials for you to experiment yourself. 

The life like creatures featured on the skins of these journals are gorgeous and so greatly detailed in they're layers, surrounded in the complimentary scenery, bound to make your writing more exciting and adventurous. And if you'd like a Polymer Clay Journal then it'll cost you around £300 for a bespoke journal, or roughly £15 if you'd prefer to follow a tutorial and try your hands at one of these unique pieces. 

Get Passive Aggressive!

I've left a few post it note rants in my time that end up spanning three separate notes - double sided might I add - which is when the Post-It Note Roller would have come in handy. The Post-It Note Roller lets you get your notes down without having to cram it all on one sheet, allowing you to roll out as much as you need all in one pretty pink go. 

No more restricted telling offs in the office, no more post-it notes losing their stick and fluttering around the place; with the Post-It Roller you can literally paste your notes on any surface as if laying down wallpaper. 

The Post-It Note Roller is spunky and fun, letting you be creative with your notes; making a great gift for the 'passive aggressive' post-it note culprit in your dorm room. And at roughly £8 it's a nice filler present. 

Take a hike

There's good weather on the way so there's no more excuses to stay indoors wrapped in in your duvet watching Youtube when there's a whole world out there ready to be explored. And if you do plan to be putting miles of gorgeous countryside and wilderness under your feet than you should go prepared by picking up some of these awesome, compact hiking and camping essentials. 

First up for handy camping gear is the Gerber GDC Essentials collection which feature assorted blades and tools that attach easily to your zips for quick access and light carrying. They feature a clip for easy removal and are a perfect carry companion for daily use; attaching to virtually any zip with a small, sleek form made out of durable stainless steel. In the GDC essentials collection there is a Hook Knife Ring, LED Light and Bottle Opener, Mini Key chain Knife, Hex mini multi-tool and Driver Mini Multi-tool. Anything you could possibly need for a camping expedition all within reach and perfectly compact. 

This next product is an all in one item that features anything you could probably think of needing. The Kelvin 23 Ninja (cleverly named for it's twenty three functions) is unique and designed for the everyday jobs, including; an ultra handy screwdriver, a bright LED light, a tiny yet nifty spirit level, a five foot tape measure, a powerful magnet to hold loose screws, a tiny hammer and 16 essential screwdriver bits to fit practically every fixture out there!

A Kelvin 23 Ninja on your key-ring or in your back pocket means you no longer have to scramble around looking for your hex key to tighten up the book shelf; probably the ideal gift for the college kid or new home owner who will encounter DIY for the first time. It may not be much of a camping essential but you're sure to find a use for it if you plan on getting crafty with nature.

The final tool on my list is the LighterBro which literally means you have to carry around a back pocket tool roughly the same size of a lighter. The LighterBro Multitool clips around your regular lighter to provide on the go tools such as; a micro Phillips screwdriver, a Flathead screwdriver, a super sharp knife, scissors, a bottle opener and a key chain attachment so that you can keep all your essentials in one place.

LighterBro is the perfect tool for camping/hiking with it's durable metal case and compact body; it's perfectly affordable and clips to your average Clipper Lighter. Even the reviews rave about how useful you'll find it and screaming praises for the swiss army style tool that wraps easily around your lighter; brilliant!

There's a point to pointie

You never know nowadays who's following you down the street and you can't premeditate an accident so when you're in need of a self-defense and survival tool that's practical, tactical and concealable then the Pointie Self Defense Marker is where it's at, and should be in your handbag for simple peace of mind.    

Simply put, Pointie is a hardened stainless steel spike inside of a marker body (concealed as our favourite David Beckham endorsed marker pen) that can be used for anything you think of. Use it as a self-defense tool, take it hunting and hiking, use it as a hole punch, an engraving tool or a glass breaker; it literally can be whatever you make it; except a pen, it'll never be a pen. 

Pointie comes in two different styles; the 'signature head' which features the iconic pointed Pointie shaft inside the pen body, or the 'concealed marker head' which has just the tip of the Pointie inside of a marker shaped body with an extended plastic piece to further enforce the 'marker' appearance of your self-defense tool. And for this compact multi purposed it'll cost roughly $30, a great bag companion for those times when you just don't know what'll happen. 

Utilize the outdoors

It's always important to have critical supplies when venturing out in to the wild (I mean the forest, not the streets; it's not that wild out there, jeez) and there's no better way to carry what you need in a compact way than with a VSSL canister of outdoor utility tools. 

A flashlight is one of the most primary camping tools out there; so it's essential for a VSSL to have a high efficiency LED light attached to the end of the canister for quick and easy use. And within the canister you'll find all sorts of useful equipment perfect for your camping, hiking and outdoor adventures all in mini capsules; Such as first aid kids, a compass, candles, a razor blade, aqua tablets, a wire saw, an emergency whistle, water proof matches, tinder (not the app!), fishing gear and a punch of other stuff. Everything you could possibly need in a crisis. 

The aluminium VSSL tube is 9" by 2"; perfectly compact and totally durable with its military grade aluminium casing which is weather resistant. 

VSSL come in four forms; the Supplies canister, First Aid canister, Shelter canister and the Blank/Empty canister. The latter of which allows you to store all your emergency items securely with the VSSL flashlight on the canisters head. Prices for VSSL's range from $49-$105; a great price for a small and easily accessible emergency pack. 

Lazy Basketball

With society like it is it's a given that someone would come up with a way for people to play sport without having to move. And that product is the Lazy Basketball chair by Campeggi; a seat designed to allow you to shoot hoops without having to move an inch (well, depending on your shot to miss ratio). 

The metal structure of Lazy Basketball is covered in a synthetic net that catches the ball the minute you score a shot, and rolls it straight in to the arms of your friend in the other chair, ready for a game of back and forth free throwing. Lazy Basketball is colourful and would make a great garden game for both able bodied and disabled people alike. And although some may argue that Lazy Basketball will breed a, well, lazy generation, I'd argue that you're more than likely to miss the hoop altogether and end up running after the ball; as well, isn't it better to be sitting in the garden or house having an interactive game of Lazy Basketball than to be cuddled up in your room with your computer under your nose? 

Lazy Basketball is a great and fun invention and for roughly £600 you can get your hands on one of your own, ace for adding a new flare to your games room and getting your arms moving. 

If I had a fin for a day

To be a unicorn, knight or a mermaid is probably the dream of most little kids out there. And with a Mahina MerFin you can make at least one of these dreams come true. (You can probably guess which dream I'm referring to). The MerFin is a unique mermaid mono-fin that plays on the conventional swimmers fin by mimicking the ethereal style of a mermaid's tail with dreamy colours and a curved shape. 

MerFin's are made from recycled rubber - helping to endorse a sustainable attitude towards our ocean friends - and are soft and flexible, therefore perfectly functional as well as fascinating, allowing you to feel like your fish kin as you slice through the ocean currents. It's a great pool toy and can make snorkeling more fun with a simple flick of the ankles and knees to get you swimming like the mer-folk. 

And if the fin isn't enough for you to feel submersed in the mer-folk-iness (?) then you can also get yourself some scales with the MerSwim suit which consists of a pair of opalescent swim tights and Bikini top; perfect for perfecting that Mermaid look. 

Mahina Mermaid do both adult and Kid sized fins and suits to get the whole mer-family involved. The adult sized MerFins are $109 and the children's MerFins are $99. The woman behind it all is Mahina (commonly known as Mahina Mermaid) renowned for her modelling career as the rare marvel that is the mermaid; its this equity that made her want to inspire the hearts, imagination and dreams of children in promoting the art of 'mermaiding' and bringing the fin in to popular beach and pool culture. 

All I know is that they're super cool and otherworldly and that if I could swim I would have a pair on my feet at this very moment. 

My geek box

You're running low on cool action figures and need a new useless let utterly cool gadget to tinker with, then have no fear because My Geek Box are on hand to send you your monthly dose of madness. 

For £15.99 a month you can get a My Geek Box jam packed with awesome retro gear and geeky gamer gifts delivered right to your doorstop, ready for you to open up and play with. Your mystery items come with a different theme each time; ranging from zombies to heroes to video games and even your favourite films! All you do is sign up, select which shirt size you are, wait for them to pack your stuff and when you get your box you rip it open as if it's Christmas come every month.

If you doubt their awesomeness then you're going to want to check out their past boxes; they truly are well worth the money. And if you're looking to give a My Geek Box to someone who still has to hide behind the pillows when they watch Doctor Who then the Kids Geek Box is the one for you. Kids Geek Box is designed for padawans, with clothes to suit the age of the intended child with more appropriate and less horrific items to fill their room with. 

Tiko

It seems to be the case that 3D printers just aren't practical in size. They're bulky, and loud and give off god awful fumes, and don't even start on all those cables sticking out of the back. You see how I haven't even mentioned price yet? But what if someone made a 3D printer that's silent, compact, tidy and costs just $179? Well thank heavens for Tiko. 

Tiko is the unibody 3D printer that does it all and more; despite it's compact size of 39 cm tall, it has a relatively large printing space, with the electronics and mechanics behind all the hard work being shrunk in to a tiny compartment that looks both attractive and clean. It supports all the usual 3D printing materials; PLA, ABS, Nylon, Hips etc... With a spool chamber in the top that easily fits the average one kg roll of plastic. 

Rather than having tons of runners that control the movement of the printing head, Tiko consists of three sets of arms that move easily and freely without the shaking movements of many 3D printers, that lets you get high precision and accuracy with your printing. 

And because Tiko is enclosed, the wind and a slight breeze won't blow the arms about and mess up your design, and in corporation with Tiko's wireless function this means that you can take Tiko anywhere. Great for printing on the go and ace for repairs when you're miles from civilization, as Tiko can connect straight from your laptop to the device without any internet connection!

Tiko is flexible; which means that you don't have to fight to get your 3D printed item off of the bed, or leave it in a wash to dissolve the excess plastic over night, all it takes is one little bend and you've got your printed item ready to go.

It's so easy to use too with it's super friendly and easy software, meaning you don't have to fiddle around finding the right tools on the creation platform; making it fun and effortless. Tiko is light and strong, and after listing all these awesome features I'm wondering why I haven't headed on over to Kickstarter to get my pledge in?

Beer with me a second

Enhance your Summer garden experience this year with a super cold cap on your beers thanks to the Frozen Beer Slushie Maker by Kirin Ichiban. 

The Frozen Beer Slushie Maker is designed to add a whipped and frozen foam top to your beers, keeping them cool this summer. And if you don't believe it's potency, the Frozen Beer Slushie Maker was a big hit for Kirin (one of Japan's top drinks manufacturers) when it opened its beer gardens in Tokyo. 

The Frozen Beer Slushie Maker would be the perfect accessory for any garden party you've got planned, helping to keep friends and family refreshed during the heat. I'd also love to see these in restaurants up and down the country, and to see if you could add different liquids to the machine to make slushie caps for all sorts; maybe margaritas and other cocktails. Any how it would be a good companion to have this summer!