I had introduced you a giant Lego chess set before. Now, while I browse lazily on gadget websites I have noticed a cool mini chess set constructed from Lego pieces.

It is cute and useful in many aspects. There are slots on all sides to put captured pieces. There are small drawers for pieces. And the most important thing, you can’t accidentally (or intentionally in some cases — Antonius Block in cult Seventh Sign (Det Sjunde Inseglet in Swedish) film wanted to end the game against death angel as if he accidentally hit the chess pieces in vain) hit the pieces and make a mess on the chessboard.

Here is the Flickr source

Let’s admit first. I hate cigarettes and encourage people doing the same. A design company from Ukraine with the same tone designed the following coffin shaped cigarette packs. Nevertheless, there is a major flow. It is pure white. I guess a dark version would be better. And, one last advice from your gadget doctor. Enjoy life with green content, keep eating delicious Belgian chocolates instead of miserably smoking

Credits : R. J. Reynolds

p.s : Oh my Thor! Special coffin designs

I remember how I had passed my geometric origami lesson in university by just creating the shape you see below by paper years ago.

I am a bit surprised that now this object is everywhere including Youtube. In 1999, all we had a bunch of amateur geocities pages for such things. Anyway, this is called as five intersecting tetrahedra and can be done using origami techniques in a few hours without using any glues. The beauty of this just impressed my professor that he gladly gave me a pass mark even though I missed most of his lessons preferring laying under trees

Mathematics can be easily used as a language of beauty and charm. Bathseba Grossman uses her mathematics knowledge excellently by creating 3D sculptures which have geometrical and topological meaning using CAD systems and bronze. Maybe, you have already seen some Mobius strip or Klein bottle inspired objects which have simple dimension tricks. But, I am sure most people didn’t see or hear about the following structures. Here are a few of them :

Borromean Rings :

The connections between edges and surfaces are naturally appealing to us since it looks so organic and soft.

The Gyroid :

Another innovating object which uses the principles of minimal surfaces and repeat themselves in 3D.

Ora :

A complicated looking but actually simple double-tetrahedron. It is also playing with our symmetry obsession.

You can see lots of other sculptures at Bathseba Grossman website and read the mathematical explanations if you are further interested in the subject.

Bathseba with her cool mini sculptures

Making life-size replica crafts from super cars is a popular subject amongst designers. We have seen even an extraordinary application before, a life-size knitted Ferrari TestaRossa. Now, Michael Salter, a very active graphic designer and sculptor who is an associate professor in Digital Art at the University of Oregon, created a stunning stryofoam replica F1 car. It looks really attractive and detailed. I think many real F1 drivers would like to put this Styrofoam gadget on their gardens.

If you want to know more about styrofoam and its applications please visit Styrofoam wikipedia and Stryofoam Crafts websites.

Wood is actually so popular amongst amateur designers and some manufacturers. Some of the most interesting examples would be Wooden Mobile Phone from Russia, wooden earbuds and wooden carpets. But, what about usage of stone for gadgets! Unfortunately, it is not a popular topic yet due to limited application features such as heaviness. Still, there are rare examples of stone gadgets and some of these badly fail achieving the desired style effect.

Stone Mouse : The parts of stone are cut, polished and glued together by Russian designer Neko.

(Possibly Fake) Stone USB Hub : On the first sight, this 4-ports USB hub looks like a regular stone from the beach or like a brain if you look more. But Craziest Gadgets had another idea reminding us about plastic potatoes

Klipsch AWR-650SM Stone Speakers : If your newly bought 5 star hotel needs to impress the guests, think buying a pink outdoor speakers. Available in a granite, sandstone or red rock finish. Product Page

Stone Laptop Table : Cut a rectangular granite and sell it as a laptop table for $120. At least, a designer at
Etsy homemade products shop thinks that easy way

Stone iPod Dock : For those who want their iPods in a stone dock. Very old gadget news but it is the only thing related to iPod as a stone until today.

I want to finish my article with a Keyboard Monument made from stone. Proudly Russian as well

After posting some articles to make our world a better place using natural and green material, here comes a shocker for my readers. If disturbing your guests with these creepy gadgets is not enough, try this bloody woolen carpet. At the first sight, I thought it is a poor fat cat. No, in original Dutch design site, it is said that it is a car-flattened fox.

Some green life enthusiasts perfectly blend their obsession for eco-friendly environment with contemporary art styles. Here are 4 successful examples of creativity.

Rotating Eco Dome Home

360 degrees rotatable and built strong enough to resist natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes. The energy for rotation comes from solar panels. Originally from France but now available to US by Solaleya.

Hundertwasserhaus Green Architecture

Designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and finally built in 1986 by architectors after a 3 years of effort. Grass and trees are everywhere including the rooms. Now, a perfect tourist attraction and protected as a cultural heritage.

Free Spirit Sphere Tree House

One of the most successful tree house applications are located among the marvelous trees of the west coast rain forest of Vancouver Island, Canada. Free Spirit Spheres can be rented or even purchased. Suitable for elves to meditate and trolls for wild attacks.

Amazing Hobbit Home

Maybe, this home is the one which deserves the most praises. It was built by an amateur constructor in Wales spending only £300o. He just got the help of his father-in-law and a few visitors. A happy Tolkien powered hobbit style home life is the essence.

A French design studio turns any regular fire extinguisher to a unique design and sells each for € 95. I guess it is a perfect choice for companies which want to impress their clients who are walking through the corridors.

Found at Fire Design France

I am addicted to building blocks like Lego Bricks and Kapla toys. They provide limitless imagination possibilities for fans and hardworking artists. Nathan Sawaya is one of those talented guys who create art of the brick. This Lego Cello sculpture is one his works which couldn’t escape from the eyes of cool gadget lovers.

How does the Lego cello sound or sound at all? The answer is on the following DIY cello video.

I compiled also some other useful links about Lego Musical Instruments :

1. Flickr Lego Instruments Group : They built really small compared to this cello, but there is fun still.
2. Real Functioning Lego Guitar : All parts including bridges, pick-ups etc. are claimed to be functioning properly.
3. Strange Musical Instruments : There is a playable tiny Lego Harpsichord at the end of the article

I had written about the only swimming guitar in the world in my previous post. This time, I will introduce you my latest action gadget discovery. Walking house ! This house was built in Denmark by a team of engineers to give an idea about an alternative eco-lifestyle. It is written in the official walking house website that there are solar panels and little windmills to collect energy from the natural environment. It can collect the rain water and there is a toilet system as well.

This 6 legged hydrological living form was inspired by the traditional nomadic culture of Romanis. There is a crazy idea as well we should note. You can establish a walking village with thousands of walking houses, in theory.

Found in EcoTalks