A Better Design

There are two kinds of companies I really like. One that ignores the competition entirely. And one that picks a fight. Method, and their new laundry detergent line, is a great example of the latter.

The new Method laundry product eschews the standard awkward, heavy, messy jug for a svelte, light, one-handed, easily stored, pump-powered dispenser bottle. It’s so much better.

They claim it works better too, but I’m not concerned about that for this post. Even if it works just the same, the form factor is a huge win.

I’ve run out of laundry detergent so many times because I haven’t felt like lugging home one of those big jugs when I was at the store (I often walk home and one of these jugs weighs nearly as much as everything else I’m buying). I’m always like “I’ll get it another time” and then it’s too late. But the new Method bottle is just like a bottle of water. There’s no barrier to carry.

The pump dispenser is perfect fit for laundry detergent. My pour spout detergent bottles almost always leak, drip, or get dirty from dust and grime that is attracted to the gooey viscous liquid. The pump ends all that. Four pumps for a normal load and you’re good to go.

Yes, there are more important problems in the world than laundry detergent, but I’m still glad Method picked a fight and kicked ass. This is a wonderfully designed product with a form factor has been taken for granted for too long. Good for them.

I walked into a Sprint store today to check out the Palm Pixi. AT&T has been bad enough lately that, while I’m not ready to chuck the iPhone, I’m at least growing curious. Unfortunately “walking in” is about all I could do.

Every smartphone in the Sprint store was locked under glass cabinets. The untouchable phone displays were covered in fake screenshot stickers. Two weary looking gentlemen in polo shirts manned the back counter and a queue of six customers (shoppers?) aimlessly paced the floor, waiting for something to happen.

It took about 30 seconds to realize there was nothing to gain from my store visit. After a quick round to be sure I didn’t miss a demo unit somewhere, I turned back to the street. Is this typical of Sprint stores?

Compare this experience to the Apple store. iPhones and iPods are less than six feet away from the entrance door. All you have to do is reach out and grab one. Salespeople meander around you, instead of you around them. A total Apple newbie can go from curious to salivating in about 90 seconds in that environment.

Can you imagine if Apple locked their products under glass cabinets? Or put stickers with screenshots over their displays? Who makes these decisions?

The smallest of the tiny models made by artist Mui-Ling Teh stand at just 3mm high- and look like a mere speck to the naked eye.

REWORK is in stores March 9, 2010. Pre-order today from Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, and 800-CEO-READ.

Webmaster Level: All

Last year we introduced Rich Snippets, a new feature that makes it possible to surface structured data from your pages on Google’s search results. So far, user reaction to Rich Snippets has been enthusiastic — after all, Rich Snippets help people make more informed clicks and find what they need even faster.

We originally introduced Rich Snippets with two formats: reviews and people. Later in the year we added support for marking up video information which is used to improve Video Search. Today, we’re excited to kick off the new year by adding support for events.

Events markup is based off of the hCalendar microformat. Here’s an example of what the new events Rich Snippets will look like:

The new format shows links to specific events on the page along with dates and locations. It provides a fast and convenient way for users to determine if a page has events they may be interested in.

If you have event listings on your site, we encourage you to review the events documentation we’ve prepared to help you get started. Please note, however, that marking up your content is not a guarantee that Rich Snippets will show for your site. Just as we did for previous formats, we will take a gradual approach to incorporating the new event snippets to ensure a great user experience along the way.

Stay tuned for more developments in Rich Snippets throughout the year!

Written by Mike Danylchuk and Nitin Shetti

The new City DC26 is compact enough to fit on a piece of A4 paper but, Dyson promises, packs the same punch as its larger models.

Think Inside the Box

Paperpod have produced a range of environmentally friendly, cost effective, sturdy, and practical designs made from recycled corrugated cardboard. From their range of chairs to the toy fort, dolls house and play house, the beauty lies in their simplicity. They are a blank canvas for children to play, create & decorate using paint, collage, pens & crayons, limited only by imagination.

Everything can be folded flat – an ideal storage solution. Use in the home, childcare setting or school to create a personal touch. A great idea for children’s parties


PaperPod are a U.K. based company which designs and distributes an imaginative range, eco-friendly products for schools and nurseries using recycled cardboard. Promoting creativity and imagination, Paperpods original designs support EYFS and National curriculum recommendations. Sturdy, safe and fun they can be decorated using paint and collage or left blank to inspire young imaginations. Fold flat for storage and fully recyclable. Paperpod has developed over the last 4 years and now has licences in Canada, the United States of America and Europe, as well as interest from Australia, South Africa and the Far East.

Paul Martin, Paperpod’s Owner and Award Winning Product Designer has over 25 years experience as a Cardboard Engineer, resulting in products that are multifunctional, as they work as a construction toy (assembly), craft toy (decoration) and a purposeful play structure or piece of furniture. Inspiration for Paperpod came to Paul when Christmas and Birthday presents were often discarded so the children could have hours of fun playing with the box!

The Thonet Mart Stamprijs 2009 chair design competition went to Maartje Nuy and Joost van Noort for their chair design VOUWWOW.

The VOUWWOW is a practical foldable chair, made of recycled honeycomb paperboard. By means of some simple operations the chair can be folded to a flat, compact form, lightwight and easiy to carry. The Thonet jury believes unanimously that the VOUWWOW stood out by the design, comfort and the sustainability in every aspect,

“….an enrichment is of the current repertoire and fantastically late use themselves in interiors.”

I think that means the jury thought the chair is a well considered contemporary design that will enhance an interior???

Apples Dutch to English translation engine may not do the subtleties of grammar any favours.

It is an interesting design that deals with being ‘flat pack’ in an intelligent way in that it folds down to a smaller form, rather than being made from parts that need to be assembled. As with any cardboard/paper furniture, durability is an issue, so perhaps the short lifespan of the chair may negatively offset its ‘recyclablity’ but perhaps it could be constructed from dibond or a similar aluminum composite to last longer.

via the chair blog

The $20 PermaFLOW Never-Clog Drain seems like a good idea!

With its innovative, self-cleaning design and integrated wiper that removes blockage, PermaFLOW eliminates the need for chemical drain cleaners, plungers, and expensive pipe repairs. This smart alternative to traditional P-traps installs in a snap and even allows for easy retrieval of accidentally lost jewelry and other items.

Amazon has videos of it in action.

The $20 PermaFLOW Never-Clog Drain seems like a good idea!

With its innovative, self-cleaning design and integrated wiper that removes blockage, PermaFLOW eliminates the need for chemical drain cleaners, plungers, and expensive pipe repairs. This smart alternative to traditional P-traps installs in a snap and even allows for easy retrieval of accidentally lost jewelry and other items.

Amazon has videos of it in action.