Nelson Wong Life Blog

Darth Vader’s Helmet Art Gallery

The concept is simple: 100 of the best underground artists and designers working today were given a scale Darth Vader helmet to customize as they saw fit. Some of the most notable artists involved with the project include: Shag, Peter Kuper, Attaboy, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Dalek, Paul Frank, Ron English, Jeff Soto, Michelle Valigura, Frank Kozik, Wade Lageose, Joe Ledbetter, Alex Pardee, Suckadelic, Cameron Tiede, Mister Cartoon, Marc Ecko, and Amanda Visell. Plus, new artists are added to the lineup from time to time.

Since it’s conception in 2007, the Vader Project has been displayed at various Star Wars conventions around the world, but the exhibit at the Warhol marks it’s first appearance in a museum setting. So, if you can’t make it to Pittsburgh in time, hopefully the project will come to you sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Riedel Amadeo Lyra Decanter

Many of our oenophile readers will dig this Riedel Amadeo Lyra Decanter, a gorgeous crystal vessel that will embrace your prized vintages in complete elegance. Now we can stop drinking that rotgut straight from the bottle, and maybe pour it into a glass or two. Or we could still quaff it straight from this curvaceous container, which resembles a Spanish porrón, spilling out a thin jet of wine for oodles of hands-free, group-drinking fun. But this carafe is much too swank for such vulgar activities.

This blown glass crystal decanter is made by skilled Austrian artisans, and it’s so substantial, the sucker weighs 3.4 pounds. Sized just right for a standard bottle of your favorite Cabernet Sauvignon, it decants 59 ounces, which would be enough swill to last your besotted Gizmodo editors about five minutes. Sure as hell beats those beer bongs we’ve been sucking on all these years.

We especially like that this Amadeo Lyra Decanter shares our hero Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s middle name—this limited-edition glasswork was created in celebration of Wolfie’s 250th birthday last year. All that elegance commands a dear price, but hey, it’s on sale for $287.

Conceptual UNI enables compartmentalized computing

Those who find difficulty in cracking open a typical tower to replace that aging DVD writer with one that burns in high-definition should adore Richard Choi’s UNI concept, which exemplifies compartmentalized computing and takes the stress out of upgrading. Apparently, the “Think” module would act as the core computer and handle the essentials, while a variety of other plug-in modules would provide additional outputs (HDMI, DVI, optical audio, USB, etc.), hard drive space, and optical drives. Granted, this could get out of hand for those who get UNI-stackin’ fever, but we’ll certainly pass along kudos to the idea. Click on for one more shot.

Butterfly Knife-esque CD/MP3 Concept

MP3s may be the wave of the future, but that doesn’t mean we’ve had the initiative to digitize our CD collection. This Dual Music Player concept is a both a portable MP3 player and a more portable CD player. Unfolding á la butterfly knife, the DMP concept spins your CDs while exposed to the world, but we bet the effect would look pretty wicked (especially when operating the dual purpose, self defense saw function).

Yanko commenters recommend the device rips CDs for you. And, while that idea completely makes sense, it also shows how understandably futile the portable CD player market has become. I for one miss the mechanical nature of musical playback. But then again, the near limitless battery life, micro designs and skip-free operation do a lot to make up for my illogical playback preferences

Google Phone Prototypes

Valleywag realizes that Google will not likely do phone hardware themselves. Whatever. As long as it supports the software, hopefully some shiny Mobile Google OS, we’re interested. Either way, this is what the WSJ and Reuters said today:

Regardless of the reputations of both the WSJ and Reuters, take all of this with a grain of salt.

transformer chair

Green Airway Flying Saucer plane

Is this green flying saucer plane the eco-friendly plane of the future? It’s a design from the CleanEra project, aimed at making air travel more economical (in the environmental sense) by using lighter materials and weird ass shapes. Their goal is to get the carbon usage down to less than 50% of current planes. Whether this is light on the Earth is yet to be seen, it looks like something the Green Lantern would fly in.

Alarming ‘Ring’ concept vibrates finger to wake you up

There’s no shortage of bizarre creations that prevent you from oversleeping, but a Meng Fendi concept could actually help you (and your partner) wake up on the right side of the bed for a change. The simply-titled “Ring” sports an alarm clock dock with two times and a pair of wearable hoops, which enables you to wake up at a different time than your third-shift-workin’ SO. Moreover, the elastic vibrating rings are donned at night, and simply provide a constant buzz to get your attention rather than wrecking your rest with a piercing array of beeps. Click on for a few more shots.

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Energy Saving Adapters Concept

Still only a concept, Gilles Belley’s Energy Saving Adapter promises to cut your power consumption by ten per cent, saving the world one power plug at a time. Designed with more than a nod to Apple’s white period, this eco-friendly idea monitors your electrical devices individually and notifies you if it thinks you are wasting energy

Plug each gizmo or appliance into the Energy Saving Adapter and a pretty pattern of lights will come on to warn you that it is guzzling energy in standby mode. If you do not press the button on the ESA within three minutes, then it turns the wasteful object off.

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Spoonsticks

The Froggetmee chopsticks may not be electronic, but they are a gadget nonetheless. Combining chopsticks and spoons into one utensil, the culinary world is calling the Froggetmee the biggest breakthrough in efficient eating technologies since the spork.

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