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| Lost & Found: Comfy Chair Cushioned with Built-In Storage Posted: 27 Nov 2010 08:00 AM PST [ Filed under Furniture or in the Couches category ] Lighters, keys, coins … cushioned chairs and couches are notorious for nomming all kinds of things that slip out of our pockets or otherwise get left behind and slide into the cracks. This design simply celebrates that existing phenomena, like a giant-sized pin cushion. It may come as no surprised that this clever-but-boxy furniture piece was developed by architectural designers (of Daisuke Motogi Architecture), who have a knack for exposing and expanding uses for classic furnishing types. Pixel-like pads cover the entire surface of the seat both inside and out, forming slots in which one can accidentally drop a small item or intentionally stick a book, magazine, remote and more. Cleaning this piece would not be trivial, but for those who enjoy the occasional boredom-induced, couch-cushion treasure hunt, who knows what you might find that you or someone else left behind.  |
| Waterless Washing: Portable Clothing Dry-Cleaning Machine Posted: 26 Nov 2010 02:00 PM PST [ Filed under Travel Gear or in the More category ] Whether it would work is probably the single biggest question one would have about such a device, but the idea behind it is hard to argue against. After all, who would not want to skip the hassle of heading to the dry cleaner each time for those few dress-clothing items that require special care? According to its designer, Minsung Bae, combination of humidity, ionization, ozone and air pressure can kill bacteria and remove stains clinging to a shirt – in practice, one has to wonder what the mechanism is for removing these dirty elements after finishing a cleaning cycle. What would be really neat: a timer feature that would allow one to wear the warm and finished product in the morning, to get that feeling one has when putting on a freshly-dried pair of pants or newly-pressed dressy shirt. Power supply, waste management and some other technical details look like they have yet to be resolved, though, in addition to these other potential accessory functions. The best part, if it works as it should: you could take these self-contained dray-cleaning containers on the road with you, and set them up in your car or hotel room to do your dirty work while in the middle of an extensive business trip. Wheels along the bottom and a pull-out handle on top make it perfect for air travel, in theory, assuming it does not constitute a too oddly-shaped (and high-tech) piece of over-sized luggage according to the TSA or specific airline.      |
