On Sunday night, I witnessed the unveiling of a new art piece consisting of LED-lit books, hung high above a square in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. Called "
Language of the Birds," artists Dorka Keehn and Brian Goggin participated in the literal unveiling — at first, each book was shrouded and unlit, and one by one, a string was pulled to reveal each book, which were then lit up as the night darkened.
If you find yourself in the city, go by Columbus and Broadway at night, for it's not everyday you can see a flock of illuminated books in flight.
Considering how plugged in and
geeked out our homes are these days, sometimes it baffles me that the simplest, often most crucial things aren't well-lit. Personally, I'm a big fan of motion-sensor lighting, so when you're walking toward your front (or back) door you won't trip and wind up falling flat on your back. But motion-sensor lighting doesn't help passersby who are trying to locate your crib.
Considering the
prices of garden lights these days, I've been looking for a low-cost alternative. Lucky me, I found a DIY for temporary garden lights you can make from only LEDs, lithium coin cells, mason jars, and a little bit of tape. The lights will be temporary, until the battery runs out, but you can always refresh your battery supply just for about 30 cents each.
How many times has it happened that you desperately need something from your purse while in a dark club, and just can't find it? You may have thought the
designer See by Chloe lights were too pricey; if so, you need one of these
Mini Purse LED Lights ($7). You can clip it to your inner purse pocket and switch it on when you're searching the depths.
I wonder if
Steve Jobs loves that people keep appending an "i" to their products in an Apple-like fashion, or if he thinks they're stealing his thunder. Either way, you put an i in front of a simple word, and you suddenly have an attention-grabbing product name.
At least the latest perpetrator of this iCrime,
the iPot, is actually pretty useful and attractive, not unlike Apple products in general, so it's not an offhand association.
Rummaging around in the bottom of my laptop bag or purse is something I've just gotten use to. I've considered using one of those organizers that you move from bag to bag but the thought of lugging around something else in my purse stresses me out. Incoming, the Glowing Purse by architecture research lab
Kawamura and Ganjavian, which offers a purse with battery-operated micro-LEDS that are attached to the bottom of the purse.
Did you happen to catch NBC's broadcast of the opening ceremonies from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on Friday eve? What a sight it was! Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were installed across the entire stadium (even the roof!) and a
LED screen, measuring 147 meters long and 22 meters wide was placed in the center of the stadium.
Who knew LEDs could be so romantic?
I mentioned designer Mary Huang the other day, but her gorgeous designs deserve more of a spotlight. She has titled her project "
rhyme & reason," exploring what happens when you illuminate otherwise understated white cotton garments.
