Cool Hunting

NASA Create the Future Design Contest
Roads that produce electricity from the kinetic energy of cars, DNA-scanning ballot boxes to wipe out voter fraud, superbly energy-efficient houses (pictured right) to stave off the impending energy crisis... these are some of the entries vying for the $20,000 prize offered by NASA in the Create the Future Design Contest While the entry date has come and gone, there are literally hundreds of...

The Future Network: The Magazine
There's something refreshingly compelling about The Future Laboratory's latest publication, simply titled The. A "younger sibling" to their house publication Viewpoints, the quarterly is a straightforward look (read: no cheesy color-themed layouts) at current products, people, ideas and events, serving as a cultural thermometer aimed at an audience of marketers, creative directors, designers and the like. While the unfussy approach of The is part...

Brit Insurance Designs Of The Year
On Tuesday evening London's design scene gathered together on the banks of the River Thames to celebrate the best designs of 2007. The Brit Insurance Designs of The Year incorporates architecture, furniture, fashion, products, graphics, interactive and transport. An international jury of design experts have selected their favorite creations over the last 12 months to be exhibited in the Design Museum. The show demonstrates...

Tryphone
The newly launched website, Tryphone provides the ultimate assist in purchasing a new mobile phone, allowing for test drives of different models on their site through a virtual interactive design. Clicking on buttons gives a sense of the user interface and functionality, just choose which phone you'd like to try from their surprisingly well-stocked inventory. Also featuring reviews and side-by-side comparisons, it's a good...

Greener Gadgets Call For Entries
Greener Gadgets, a conference on the topic of greening consumer electronics, partnered up with our amigos at Core 77 in hopes of seeking out design innovations for more eco-friendly electronics. The design competition will engage established design firms and students alike to come up with new solutions for consumer electronics addressing energy issues, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle and social development. The...