Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Digital Device to Draw & Measure Ever-Elusive Straight Lines

Posted: 28 Jul 2012 10:00 AM PDT

[ Filed under More & in the Gadgets & Tech category ]

If you have ever drafted by hand for work or pleasure, you know that straight lines are hard to sketch or trace by pen or pencil without something as your guide – and laying down the ruler, triangle or square each time takes, well, time. What if you could just snap something onto your drawing tool instead?

But this concept goes beyond simple enabling linear effects – from drafting to simply underlining more neatly in books – it is envisioned by product designer Giha Woo as a way to measure while you draw as well, and display the results in realtime on a digital readout.

These days there may not seem much need since computers can draft for you, but any creative person knows there is something about putting pen to paper (or stylus to pad, at the very least) that gives you a more visceral connection to your creation.

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[ Filed under More & in the Gadgets & Tech category ]

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Bright Idea: Prepare to Phase Out Incandescent Light Bulbs

Posted: 27 Jul 2012 04:00 PM PDT

[ Filed under Hardware & Fans & in the Fixtures category ]

Through countless innovations in all areas of technology, the classic light bulb formula has remained surprisingly unchanged since Thomas Edison first flipped the switch on one of the most used inventions of the modern era. All that is about to change.

While there will be no explicit ban on incandescents as such, the bar is being raised for energy efficiency with 100-watts disappearing this year, then 75 and 60 until even 40-watt bulbs ceasing to be restocked in 2014.

Still, if this sounds like the end of the world as you know it, not to worry: the stereotypes of other bulbs casting poorer-quality or oddly-hued light are overstated, at best – and the options will only grow as the traditional type is phased out.

LEDs are the higher-quality replacement option, being far longer-lasting than CFLs and having additional features (like the ability to be dimmed on demand) as well as having fewer hazards for disposal (like mercury). For more on these options and other details, check out this how-to article on Inhabitat.