Period Three Blog » 2007

Aug272007

Dean Kamen will save the world

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

I love this guy, in my opinion he’s the worlds foremost, builder/inventor/gadgeteer/thinker/geek… His sterling engine project(s) certainly raise my eyebrows. Especially if you consider that he can engineer one to run on just about any kind of junk:

“We run two villages in Bangladesh on Stirlings that run on freakin’ cow dung,” says Kamen, who envisions Stirling engines powering the world’s off-the-grid villages and using the waste heat produced by the engine to purify water.

Putting one of his sterlings into this “smart car” made by Think, this would probably extend its mileage by hundreds of miles, that’s crazy… If only there were more “thinkers” like him in the world, or if our government would forego the oil company lobbies’ money, we could quite possibly change the way we consume energy across our country. I wish Kamen was an American inventor so we could have him all to ourselves, but then again, perhaps he’ll actually make a difference in England…

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Aug222007

New client launch: WoodCreekFarms.com

Posted by Gene in Our Clients

We have a new client launch to announce, Wood Creek Farms. These guys have been a dream to work with and we are really excited about their new website.

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Aug202007

Customized Action Figures

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff

I’m kind of a nerd so i’ve known about this sub-culture for quite a while, no I don’t make my own action-figures at home - I promise! But I do admit I have a pretty extensive collection that i’ve kept since I was a kid and do enjoy perusing the toy aisle with the kids every time we go to Target. In case you have never caught this one out there, there is a very large sub-culture of people who build their favorite characters out of other action figures and/or pieces parts.

A dedicated subculture of craftspeople have been frankensteining, kitbashing, boiling-and-popping, sculpting and painting one-of-a-kind figures for years. Their efforts are bringing to life characters that don’t enjoy enough of a following to justify mass production — think the 1950s Batman foe the Killer Moth — or which, like the Watchmen figures, are tied up by copyright and creative differences.

The results can be pretty neat, some of these folks have talent, i’ll give them that.

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Aug172007

No staple stapler

Posted by Gene in Design

Okay, so it won’t replace your old-fashioned stapler, but if you have to bind 2-5 pages it would do the trick, and aside from the paper use, it could help the environment by not using the metal staple… The no staple stapler cuts and folds in on itself a tiny tab of pager, for up to 5 pages. It’s also safe for children.

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Aug142007

Huck Hack

Posted by Jay in Random Stuff, Design

So these guys came up a hack of sorts to allow you to do 2 way video-conferencing. They won the “Iron Coder” contest at this year’s C-4 conference. That is a very cool achievement, don’t get me wrong, but an ingenious part is that is uses a mirror contraption to reflect the camera to the front of the iphone, since, like every other cell or smartphone, the camera and screen are on opposite sides. It’s a gloriously low-tech solution and it turns out they have a product that does the same thing for macbooks and macbook pros. It’s called the Huckleberry mirror.

via Daring Fireball

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Aug132007

Graphic design of pirates

Posted by Gene in Random Stuff, Design

If you’ve never really studied the flags of the worlds famous pirates, you’ve definately missed something pretty neat. Not the old standard thought of skull and crossbones to say the least. Pirates of the world had a fairly intricate signage system and in many cases the history behind the pirate’s lives take form in the different versions of their flags/signage. it’s astounding to think that they actually cared about their brands at the same time killing and pillaging their way through life…

Take Blackbeard’s signage; he fancies himself the king of pirates while holding an hourglass. Which can only signify that his time is limited as king, seeing as how he’s a pirate and all… While my main point was to present the pirate flag as a design work, I am still a bit of a history buff and pirates are definately one of my favorite subjects, so I’ll just share a few interesting links:

Brief History of Blackbeard
Wikipedia on Blackbeard
National Geographic Kids on Blackbeard
Blackbeard was from North Carolina
Queen Anne’s Revenge (Blackbeard’s ship)
Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Teach
They even made a movie
Party with a pirate
Playmobile loves pirates

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Aug092007

New Apple Keyboard

Posted by Gene in Design

I just love the newly re-designed Apple keyboard. It is in-and-of-itself a work of art. I always liked the last deisgn, the all white keyboard, its well designed too, but this, this is just beautiful. I know you’ll say, dude, its just a keyboard, but when you combine the way it looks with the price $49 you can’t beat it.

The extended layout has a full complement of keys, including document navigation controls, a numeric keypad, and special function keys for Mac features such as brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, Exposé, and more.

Sleek and compact, it has low-profile keys that provide a crisp, responsive feel and function keys for one-touch access to Mac features. Intelligent power management conserves battery life by automatically powering down the keyboard when you’re not using it and turning it on the instant you start typing.

- I’m sold…

Comments (3)
Aug062007

The shed brief

Posted by Gene in Design

I don’t think all of the entries are serious, but its nonetheless interesting to study. There are some pretty neat and forward thinking designs here. Also, consider this an “homage” to our own shed building partner in crime, Jay…

This is a chance to consider the essential purpose of the shed. Is it just an extension to the house, an overflow storage space, a dumping ground for junk? Why, then, are some people so inventive in utilising their sheds? Is it the shed’s unique capacity to provide a detached personal refuge within the suburban home that makes it such a springboard for originality? Some writers use their shed as a private study for their creative work; increasingly, people use it as an office from which to run their business from home. Perhaps it is the shed’s ability to adapt itself either to work or to leisure purposes with equal success that results in the diversity of roles it plays in our lives?

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Aug012007

Martha Stewart, Nerd

Posted by Jay in Design

This month’s Wired magazine is a “How To” issue, and on the cover is Martha Stewart decorating a Wii cake. I was skeptical, but I have to say, she rocks. The short interview is full of quotables, in response to question “What can geeks learn from Martha Stewart?”:

It’s about using your hands and your mind to make things work better. Whether you’re a programmer or a seamstress, it’s all about new techniques, simplifying old techniques, and consolidating steps. Making things go faster — but not worse. Better.

This is really the crux of creating and really sums up why I do what I do perfectly. So read the whole thing….

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Period Three - Simple, Measurable, Powerful.

Dean Kamen will save the world

New client launch: WoodCreekFarms.com

Customized Action Figures

No staple stapler

Huck Hack

Graphic design of pirates

New Apple Keyboard

The shed brief

Martha Stewart, Nerd

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