Powerstick

by Ami Kealoha

Providing a rechargeable, on-the-go power source for most any portable device, Powerstick is a convenient little accessory well-suited for travelers, busy people or anyone who stays out all night and has an iPhone. After a couple of close calls (I admit I may be a little overdependent on my phone/forget to plug it in sometimes), I'm a fan.

The lithium battery charges via USB and reaches full capacity after about 90 minutes, which translates into a hefty jolt (about double your talk time according to their site). A power button switches the Powerstick off or on and an LCD display gauges how much juice is in there. Nine included adaptors cover most mobiles on the market, as well as iPods—you can even use your device while charging it.

We'd love a sleeker form factor, but at about the size of a pack of Hubba-Bubba, it tucks away into a cosmetic bag easy enough. Men sans bags will just have to be a little more responsible.

Though at $70 (available from the Powerstick site) it's a bit steep, we think it's a better (and greener) buy than the non-rechargeable alternatives. Of course you could always chose to go with the crank or solar.

Also on Cool Hunting: USB Cell Rechargeable Battery

Kellner Plug-in Figures

by Letizia Rossi

Invented in Germany in the 1920s these toy Plug-In Figures building kits hinge (literally) on the flexible "jummi" rubber connectors patented by Georg Kellner. A former airplane builder, who started a successful model plane company, Kellner created simple kits with interchangeable parts that could be combined to make posable figures.

Five of these kits Tim, Hoppy Hare, Squeek the mouse, Edward + Erna and The Merry Bachelors are available online from Thorsten Van Elton ranging from £16-32.

Mock-Ups in Close-Up

by Brian Fichtner

Working in design retail, one of my favorite job perks was visiting architecture firms and sometimes catching a glimpse of building models. Beyond architect biopics, I have little recollection of seeing building models used in film, though apparently there's a wealth of footage available. Architect Gabu Heindl and film theorist Drehli Robnik recently compiled such footage (a curated selection of 80 clips) into an 80-minute video called "Mock-Ups in Close-Up".

Providing a curious look at how directors use models, the film clips used range from art-house to blockbuster, from Peter Greenaway's "Belly of an Architect" to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (pictured above). (Michael Hoffman's "One Fine Day" pictured below left, Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" pictured below right.)

The Storefront for Art and Architecture will be showing the video starting 25 March, 2008. It is the first in a three-part video exhibition that also includes "Come to Israel: It's hot and wet and we have the Humus," and "Koolhaas Houselife," which documents the architect's Bordeaux masterpiece through the daily chores of the housekeeper.

On Mock-ups, Home Videos and Housekeeping: a video exhibition in 3 parts

25 March - 5 April, 2008
The Storefront for Art and Architecture
97 Kenmare Street
New York, NY 10012 map
tel. +1 212 431 5795

Luminescent Gravel

by Josh Rubin

Mixing glow-in-the-dark particles with flooring materials, the Dutch company S. Lövenstein BV created one of those no-fuss design fixes that improves safety and convenience. The substance has limitless applications for things like signage or guide strips with the ability to be evenly and seamlessly distributed throughout a surface and masked into shapes and patterns. Integrated with contrasting colors, it serves a purpose in both light and darkness or it can be used strategically so that it only shows up when the lights are off—making it particularly useful in emergency situations. Maintenance free, it's a far superior alternative to complicated lighting systems that need energy and require wiring.

via Transmaterial

Brooklyn Modern

by Doug Black

There hasn't been a period of such a fervent excitement about Brooklyn homes since the advent of the brownstone more than 150 years ago. In Brooklyn Modern", Diana Lind examines this architecture and interior design boom through 18 particularly innovative living spaces and the homeowners who designed them. In addition to Lind, the book includes essays by the blogerati, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge and Jonathan Butler of Brownstoner, who all rhapsodize on some of the exciting new aesthetics within "the new cultural heart of New York."

The homes included in the book are separated into three groups of increasing invasiveness: Aesthetic Improvements, Gut Renovations and New Work. The first two focus on a number of ways Brooklynites have expounded on the stately charm of their dated buildings in neighborhoods like Park Slope, while the latter looks at bold new developments in places like post-industrial Williamsburg. All of the examples exhibit ingenious ways people have carved unique domiciles into one of the most dense locales on the planet.

As a person interested in architecture and design, "Brooklyn Modern" is a fascinating look into some of the boroughs most innovative habitats. But as a person currently in the market for woefully overpriced dumps by comparison, it almost brings a tear to the eye.

"Brooklyn Modern" will be available starting 1 April 2008 at the Rizzoli bookstore in New York and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.