Ok, so maybe not your traditional fall colors but we do have new additions to Paul Loebach’s Distortion Candle line (pictured above) as well as some shockingly bright new arrivals in the form of Harry Allen’s Silicone ”Lock Keychain” and ”Key Keychain,” each cast from original 18th and 20th century locks (seen below).

Great for kids and adults of any age are David Weeks’ newest posable animal figures. Made from sustainably harvested new growth beech or cherry wood, these toys are fitted with powerful elastic band muscles that allow them to endure for generations. Also new is this cute collection of pups seen below from Ross Menuez’s fauna collection of organic pillows. Made with water based inks on natural breadcloth fabric. See our full collection of unique pillows right here, as well as David Weeks range of toys over at Modern Gadget.

Commissioned in the 1960’s and 70s by Yugoslavia to commemorate WWII battle sites or concentration camp locations, these monuments attracted millions of visitors per year in the 1980’s but were completely abandoned in the early 1990’s after the Republic dissolved. Photographer Jan Kempenaers toured around the ex-Yugoslavian region - now Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina - from 2006 to 2009 using a 1975 map of memorials to bring these beautiful pieces to life for a new generation.

via CrackTwo

Headquartered in the state of Washington, startup company Innovega is set to offer their vision of our augmented reality future: the iOptik contact lenses (not pictured, obviously). A micro-display implanted into a set of contact lenses that gives you embedded optics directly into your eyeholes. Their similar technology also exists in glasses, and “is like being transported to a movie theater,” but there’s something exciting and completely terrifying to having this stuck on a contact lens and jammed into your eyeball. I say bring it on. How is our hover technology coming along by the way?



via Innovega.

One of my personal hobbies and interests is the study (and implementation) of making the most out of small spaces.  When I transferred to work in London a few years ago, I was faced with having to live in spaces most Americans would consider microscopic (approx 500 Sq Feet).  It took a lot of though and energy to understand how an American like myself could downsize and be happy in a space that is nearly 75% smaller than anything I’ve ever lived in.  In the end, it’s the happiest I’d been in years!  Now, every relocation I make, I intentionally seek out small spaces that can be transformed into something amazing.  I’ll post my most current one here soon.  Until then, I’ve found this great article about the transformation of an old garage in Bordeaux, France to a great functional living space in only 400 square feet!  See the video and read about it here on the Mother Nature Network. 

Here’s an elegant solution to that unsightly box of tissues that sits on your side table, largely ignored for 99.9% of the day - Why not make it a cool place to store your keys or knickknacks with the help of Polder’s Tissue Pod? And to answer my first question, yes there is a rubber stopper on the bottom to hold it in place. Also pictured is their Advantage Dish Rack, which offers a great, simplified design perfect for regular small scale dish washing.



via Polder.

I’ll start off by noting that a combination of both the touch interface and computing power of an iPhone can make a valuable learning tool for people of many ages. While parents may debate over the proper age to introduce advanced technology to their kids, toy company Fisher-Price is boldly forging ahead with their very own “slobber-proof” iPhone case made for babies. Forget anything you’ve ever heard about cell phone radiation, because your baby’s got a play date with the app store!



via Cnet.

Check the date, it is not April 1st. Nike has just announced they will auction through eBay 1,500 pairs of special edition “Nike MAG 2011,” better known as Marty McFly’s sneakers from Back to the Future Part 2. A long-saught-after fan favorite, they were actually given a mixed response today from sneakerheads - no “self-lacing,” possible sticker shock as well as a design that maybe should have stayed in the past (the future?) chief among the concerns. But either way, it’s great to see this piece of American movie history become a reality.



via Nice Kicks.

The perfect entry point for beginner fishmongering, this tiny aquarium from Fascinations is fully functioning with a USB-powered water filtration system and low voltage pump. The running faucet is a nice touch but the LED display and overhead light start to feel a bit like overkill. Speaking of which, your fish may not love you for the size of their aquatic home, but that’s the cost of doing business with a tiny, awesome desktop fish tank. 

A pleasant find amid all the gadgetry was the trading company Journey, and their unique selection of furniture and homewares. Pictured above, the interlocking Puzzle Stool/Side Table, hand-carved and designed to work with each other.

Pictured below are their takes on a traditional side table - the Austin and Lamu Side Tables are each hand carved from sustainable mango wood and provide a perfect combination of rustic and modern design elements.

We spotted a slick new take on the classic folding chair, it’s the Flux Chair from Flux (who else) and it’s designed to “cleverly combine the practical advantages of foldable furniture with the looks of a classic design chair.” It is designed to hold up to 160 kg (over 350+ pounds) so that answers our first question. And it’s possible to assemble or break down in only seconds, making its foldability actually functional.



via Flux.

The tablet masters over at Wacom are set to release their newest creation, the Inkling. It’s kind of like a Lightscribe Pen on steroids, a comparison I’m sure Wacom loves. But in addition to just saving your every doodle, the Inkling gives you true pressure sensitivity as well as the ability to add “layers” when drawing that are later accessible through Photoshop, Illustrator and the like. Set to launch mid-September at $199, it looks like a nice inexpensive entryway into higher level digital production.

via Wacom.

Originally shown off at this year’s E3 convention, the Razer Switchblade laptop prototype (pictured above) quickly wowed the public while raising a bit of skepticism from the press. Will they be able to push this expensive and potentially confusing technology fully into the mainstream? Would a completely dynamic keyboard be too much for traditionalists to handle - or maybe even too complicated for early adopters?

Now with the debut of their Razer Blade Laptop (pictured below) this cutting edge interface is now soon to be a (pricey) reality. In practice however, their final design turned out much less radical than the original prototype. With only 10 “dynamic adaptive” keys quarantined off where the number pad usually appears, the rest of the keyboard is still your standard offering. A little disappointing for those waiting on the next big leap in user interfaces, but it’s a fun start.



via Razer Blade.

Attention superfans of both Star Wars and architecture blueprints, your holy grail has arrived. For mild fans of either, Star Wars: The Blueprints is an impossibly well crafted and probably overpriced look into a piece of film history. Even with a sticker price ranging from $500 to $1000, you can expect this limited run of 5,000 copies to be quickly snatched up.



via The Blueprints Book.

The “hottest” booth at this year’s show had to belong to ponton, who was showing off this fun tabletop grill, the Vesta bbq:



But their line doesn’t stop there, they’ve actually got a very cool range of ventless fireplaces for the floor or tabletop as well. Designed and produced in Germany, ponton products come from designer Wolf Udo Wagner and serve as functional conversation pieces in any season.



via ponton.