Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Bath like a chick

Italians always are up with modern yet comfortable furniture. This time they are out with some luxurious egg shaped metal jaded waterfall bathtub.

This prettier bathtub will be in the smooth organic form and it is available in pristine white with delicately shaded inside, in the pastel colors of spring.

You can choose your favorite color for this bathtub as it is available in various colors such as violet, light blue, gentle pink, etc.

Cascading chains fall from a runner mounted on the ceiling up above the bathtub for an optional touch of glamour.

The sparkling silver chains bring dramatic flair to the simple bathtub.

waterfall bathtub

waterfall bathtub1

Source: http://www.mastella.it/

Google, with no limits


According to the company, the GeoEye-1 satellite is the highest resolution commercial satellite orbiting the planet right now. It reached orbit yesterday, but in reality, it's notan ordinary commercial satellite: it's fully controlled by the Department of Defense's U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. And two guys named Larry and Sergei.

Part of the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency NextView program, the SUV-sized GeoEye-1 launched yesterday in a Delta II 7326 rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California—without exploding. Hours later, GeoEye's ground station in Norway confirmed that the rocket had delivered its payload right on target. The satellite was alive, fully armed and operational on its 423-mile orbit above the Earth.

Built by General Dynamics, the GeoEye-1 is equipped with a next-generation camera made by ITT. This camera can easily distinguish objects 16 inches long, with 11-bits per pixel color. In other words: this thing can see the color of your shorts. It will be up there, looking at your pants every single day, the time it takes for it to complete one orbit. And it will keep doing that for more than ten years, its expected life.

Of course, there's nothing new here until you notice the huge Google logo on the rocket, signaling the fact that Sergei and Larry own the exclusive rights to the GeoEye-1 images. Yes, no other company will be able to access this information, only Google. And they will be there, available for the public in Google Maps and Google Earth.

But don't fret, tin-foil hatters, because Google won't be able to access the highest resolution images because of US government regulations. Sure, the other guys will, but then again, their big bad satellites can see closer than this one. Still, you can rest safe that your underpants will be safe from public scrutiny. For now. Unless you do like me and keep flashing them around

Books shows your Knowledge and Shelves shows your Creativity

1. Console Book Shelf:

Reading doesn’t get more comfortable than this. Regardless of where you like to read or study, Stanislav Katz’s Console Book Shelf will keep you engrossed for hours without moving rooms for missing material.

Flanked by two fitted shelves on either side and below it, the reclining part of this unit is as aesthetically appealing as it is functional for reader and book alike.

Designer website: http://www.stanislavkatz.com/

2. Lago:

When is a bookshelf not a bookshelf? When it’s a letter of the alphabet or a floating square. In short, a Lago invention. Well-known for their fluid, unconventional thinking, Italian masters of innovative furniture design, Daniele Lago and Massimo Bonnetti, have taken their free-thinking brand of expression to new levels with their floating ‘Shelf System’ range.

Called Tangram, the shelf system beautifully combines functionality and flexibility in its mission to create interaction between storage unit and items that are being stored.

By creating the illusion of weightlessness, the designers succeed in giving books as much prominence and appeal as the bookshelves, which come in a range of funky designs and shapes.

Designer website: http://www.lago.it/

3. Bookcase Into a Bed:

A great solution for maximizing space, Karen Babel’s bookcase-cum-bed promises to expand limited home horizons.

The mattress, which is made of four interlockable pieces, forms the base, which surrounds five storage shelves when placed in an upright position on a wall-mounted frame. To form a bed, the mattress pieces are locked together – with two parts for a single, and four for a double.

Designer:Karen Babel

4. Cave Book Shelf:

Inspired by the spacelessness of modern Japanese homes, Sakura Adachi created a womb-like reading room amidst a series of clean-lined shelf systems to keep the connection between reader and book as intimate as possible. Not for giants or those who prefer a more laissez faire approach to their favorite pastime.

Designer website: http://www.sakurah.net/

5. Andreas Hegert’s Book Shelf:

A rebel with a cause, Andreas Hegert gives anarchy a functional meaning with this squiggly trio of shelves, which range from 40cm to one meter in length. If you’re one of those eclectic readers whose interests range from Tolkien to Hegel, this random collection of shelves will suit your philosophical rhythm.

Pay no attention to the linear structure of walls, floor and ceiling, but mind you don’t cover the light shades, which are made of powder-coated sheet and fitted with LEDs.

Designer website: http://www.andreashegert.se/

6. Good Morning Technology Bookshelf:

A modern take on Scandinavian Shaker simplicity, this Danish blue and white block effect uses rectangular wood and metal cubbies as both storage and structural support.

An added beauty of the chequered system lies in the fact that the height can be adjusted and books are stacked horizontally or vertically.

Designer website: http://www.gmtn.dk/

7. Bookseat shelf chair:

There’s something to be said for keeping all your books and magazines in the place that you want to read them, as this all-in-one unit shows.

Rated as one of 10 must-sees at Toronto Interior Design Show, this curvaceous plywood chair-cum-bookshelf doubles up on space and comfort. Available with a felt cushion in colors to suit your taste and environment.

Designer website: http://www.fishbol.com/

8. Books To Go:

Find you don’t always work in the same part of the house or your office is constantly changing dynamics? Rose Cobb’s wheeled unit not only ensures you can move your library with ease, but clamps your books securely on the shelf to ensure you don’t spend your life picking up after yourself. Five stars for functionality.

Designer website: http://www.designbyrose.co.uk/

9. Nar Bookcase:

Another two-dimensional couplet, this metal coffee table conceals a unique hanging book shelf beneath its solid exterior. Like ribs beneath a beautiful carcass, the metal plates on which the books are slung by the bindings also serve as bookmarks.

The clean, masculine lines of the unit make for sturdy aesthetics complemented by excellent dust protection.

Designer: u:b studio, Omer Unal

10. Bookworm Bookshelf:

Designed to twist like a centipede into whatever shape you require, the Bookworm Bookshelf is just that: a firm, flexible, functional animal which needs only books to complete it.

Using extrusion technology, Ron Arad added imagination to a durable product, topped it off with book ends, and came up with an innovative, elastic design to brighten up the most static of environments.

Designer: Ron Arad

11. Twin Bookshelf:

Representing the two sides of Istanbul, Asian and European, Zeynep Cinisli’s design bridges the gap between design and practice. Using DNA-like strands as shelves between twin cells, the symbolism is all yin and yang.

Pushed apart, the cells are display mirrors of each other; pushed together they form a nucleic whole which functions as a wall cabinet. Symbolism at its most functional.

Designer: Zeynep Cinisli

12. Never Ending Bookshelf:

Though it would seem logical to include logic in the making of a practical item like a book shelf, designer Luca Nichetto decided convention was beyond his idea of functionality.

The resultant “Neverending” spyro gyra which he created undoubtedly qualifies as a sculptural work of art, but it is not clear how it works as a carrier of hard-cover books. Vive la difference!

Designer website: http://www.lucanichetto.com/

13. Knockdown Bookcase:

A boon for those who like to do it all themselves, Sung Won Park’s flat-pack DIY unit uses no glue, screws, wrenches or even instruction manuals. Modular wood boards, which are identical in size, are slotted into grooves in a supporting wall and the rest is up to you. As easy to transport as it is to build.

Designer: Sung Won Park

14. Insert Coin Shelf System:

Vaguely reminiscent of shoe racks which use vertical rather than horizontal stacking, this shelf system uses trays, inserted randomly at different levels on a colorful base, to accommodate just about everything you want on display.

Designed by Nils Holger Moormann, Insert Coin provides potential for just about every look: from higgledy piggledy to extremely straight and narrow.

Designer: Nils Holger Moormann

15. XEL:

Believe that a tidy desk is a sure sign of a sick mind? XEL takes the concept to a new level with its aluminium and glass rendition of ordered chaos which ensures you can pack every size and type of book into one space without looking anal. Use it like jazz up a stale room or add contemporary pizzazz to a funky loft.

Designer website: http://www.lucanichetto.com/

16. Shelf Concept By Okapi Studio

A versatile solution for those who believe their performance is deeply affected by their environment; Okapi Studio’s bookshelf design ensures boredom is out of the question.

Using lightweight modules that can be customized to everyone’s need, Okapi bends rigid shelf norms just enough to challenge the status quo, but not beyond the ridiculous. After all, it makes perfect sense to mould a shelf to fit the book, doesn’t it?

Designer website: http://www.okapistudio.com/

17. File Tree:

Essentially designed as a modern filing cabinet, Laurie Beckerman’s design is just as suited to books. Fitted with solid shelves emanating like erudite rays from a double diamond shape, her genius lies in its simplicity. Minimalist, functional and aesthetically appealing, this Zen item is a sparkling gem.

Designer website: http://lauriebeckerman.com/

18. Split Shelving:

Constructed by cutting a log into four unequal sections and adding a few slats around the side, Peter Marigold’s honeycomb-like wall units provide endless possibilities for adding new honey to the book hive.

Another one is for those who are not crazy about order, but like a geometric slant to their décor. Descriptive rather than prescriptive, Marigold’s tantalizing solution is equally useful for stacking loose paper and other knick-knacks.

Designer website: http://www.petermarigold.com/

19. Flying Vee:

Like winged ducks in various states of flight, the L or V shape of this customizable design makes a versatile way of keeping your books in a row. Each sheet of bent metal provides space for one or more books to be catalogued or hung according to your personal whim. Fiction or fact? Let the shape of the book shelf dictate.

Designer website: http://www.massieoffice.com/

20. Fly Shelf:

Slick, slim and oh so Italian, this bookshelf system with integrated projection screen will ensure Fellini has as much pride of place as Dante. Keep those aging classics on the shelf and watch old original at the same time. Only those with a projector-based home theatre system need apply.

Designer website: http://www.livit.it/

21. Elastic Bookshelf:

For avid bibliophiles, there can be few things more exciting than the concept of an elasticized book shelf. Made of wide conveyor-belt like elastic bands stretched between two pegs on a wall, Arianna Vivenzio’s invention does more than stretch the imagination.

Besides your beloved books, you can squeeze just about anything into the space in the middle. From CDs to boxes of memorabilia, the possibilities are expansive and the simple design lends itself to hanging a multiple-use series without spoiling the aesthetics.

Designer website: http://www.ariannavivenzio.com/

22. Balancing Shelf:

Dubbed “Maintain the Balance of your Knowledge”, Denis Oh’s hanging shelf is sure to test your sense of equilibrium. Accommodating every swing of reading mood, the pendulum-like counter-balancers will ensure you don’t overload the heavy stuff if you want to stay on an even keel. Feel like dipping wildly? The choice is entirely yours.

Designer: Denis Oh

23. Strip Shelf:

One of the few designers who can claim to have a foot in the green tree-hugging and futuristic plastic-loving world of smart design, Casey Mack has got it sussed when it comes to catering to a global audience.

Made of 75% sawdust, and secured with movable plastic book ends, the adaptable shelf provides a practical home for every description of book, while satisfying the aesthetic tastes of Zen minimalists. “If people’s hearts can be like the trees, they will not be off the Way.”

Designer: Casey Mack

24. Pisa Book Shelf:

Operating on a similar principle to a deck chair, this tall narrow bookshelf is a sculptural piece and a functional whole. Though it creates an impression on its own, it is best accompanied by one or more copies for optimum effect. Lent a certain amount of gravity by the stark boldness of design, Matt Carr’s leaning tower is unlikely to fade into the background.

Product website: http://www.umbra.com/

25. Droopy Book Shelf:

Though it looks like a see-saw that could whip in the opposite direction at any given moment, Jill Davis’s angled shelf has enough centrifugal force to keep it from flipping.

Minimalist in the extreme, its attraction lies in its sheer simplicity and mysterious capacity to keep heavy books afloat. Not quite library material, but ideal for all those manuals and self-help courses you keep dipping into.

Designer website: http://www.jilldavisdesign.com/

26. Book & shelf:

While some shelves are purely functional, others entirely whimsical, Haba Yoshitaka’s concept takes individualist fetishism to the limit.

Customized to fit a given set of books exactly within a 36cm square, the unit is cut, assembled and glued around the owner’s personal collection which renders the entire freedom of choice. Ideal if you have a book collection on a specific subject, or want to win eternal points in the personalized gift department.

Designer website: http://www.nendo.jp/

27. Wall Wave:

Multi-functionality at its most enigmatic, Yoon-Zee Kim’s flowing piece of furniture allows its usage to be interpreted by the user. A zingy, modular shelf unit easily doubles as a fixed seat and desk space or a platform for hanging pot plants and funky photographs. Seeing is believing. Functionality is in the eye of the user.

Designer: Yoon-Zee Kim

28. Cell Shelf:

A cross between a matrix of DNA cells and a ladder in appearance, this unusual stacking device has plenty of space for holding piles of all descriptions.

The thin, vertical shaft gives its height and space-saving points. 10 out of 10 for originality and maneuverability. Aesthetics and functionality questionable. “We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.” – Lao Tze

Product website: http://www.untothislast.co.uk/

29. Rolling shelf:

A zany take on floating shelves, Catherine Greene’s design uses individual pieces of wood to stabilize stretched lengths of fabric, which can be rolled up according to the owner’s requirements or taste. An interesting space for blending book collections with decorative bits.

Designer website: http://www.catgreene.com/

30. The Line King:

A grown-up take on the sketching exercise which requires you to create and complete a house without lifting your pencil, the “Line” furniture system does just the same to the interior of your home.

Using a single no-break line, designer Aykut Erol transports a work table, hanger, bookshelf, wine rack, CD rack, TV stand and lighting unit to your living space. Minimalism at its purest, the potential for storage is infinite and can be adapted to home or office. Sorted – in one fell swoop!

Designer website: http://www.aykuterol.com/

31. Fairytale Bookshelf:

A challenge to anyone who has ever thought that you can judge a book by its shelf, this whimsical winged creation gives new meaning to the concept of fairytales.

Enclosed in what looks like a horizontal clasp, one or two books metamorphosise into a giant butterfly when extracted from their pupa. Novelty value beyond 10.

Designer website: http://www.bility.is

Its not the Text matters.. Your design too

There are thousands of Photoshop tutorials out there, but few that are top-notch in terms of instructions, presentation - and of course - outcome. In this post, you’ll find 30 beautiful, high-quality Adobe Photoshop tutorials from top tutorial sites and designers like PSDTUTS, PSHERO, and Abduzeedo.

1. Create a Spectacular Grass Text Effect

Create a Spectacular Grass Text Effect - screen shot.

Use the Pen Tool and a lot of patience to create this excellent grass effect.

2. Create a Layered Glowing Text Effect

Create a Layered Glowing Text Effect - screen shot.

This beginner-level tutorial allows you to create text that glows.

3. Using Light and Shade to Bring Text to Life

Using Light and Shade to Bring Text to Life - screen shot.

Learn about the concepts behind lighting and shading to make your text stand out.

4. Transparent Glass Lettering

Transparent Glass Lettering - screen shot.

This is PSDTUT’s rendition of the popular glass text effect.

5. How To Create A Gold Text Effect

How to Create A Gold Text Effect - screen shot.

A classic text effect that rarely turns out classy (instead of gaudy and cheesy).

6. Icey Styles

Icey Styles - screen shot.

Uses some basic Layer Styles like Bevel and Emboss to create a cold text effect.

7. Dramatic Text on Fire Effect

Dramatic Text on Fire Effect - screen shot.

Set your text on fire with the Smudge Tool and some layer masking.

8. Wood Inlay Text

Wood Inlay Text - screens hot.

Using wood textures and some layer masks, you can create this "wooden inlay" effect.

9. Watercolor Text

Watercolor Text - screen shot.

Learn about the Brushes Palette to achieve a water-color painting effect.

10. The Sugar Bag Effect

The Sugar Bag Effect - screen shot.

Find out how to create this "Sugar Bag" effect using basic Layer Styles and selections.

11. Text In Stitches

Text In Stitches - screen shot.

This tutorial shows you how to create an stiched effect using a custom brush set.

12. Text Ticker

Text Ticker - screen shot.

Mimic the text that you commonly see in "news tickers".

13. Cartoon/Comic-Style Text Effect

Cartoon/Comic-Style Text Effect - screen shot.

This is PhotoshopStar’s rendition of this popular pop-culture text effect.

14. ‘Bee Movie’ Text Effect

Bee Movie Text Effect - screen shot.

Use a load of Layer Styles to create this text effect seen in the film "Bee Movie".

15. Simple, Sleek and Stylish Text Effect

Simple, Sleek and Stylish Text Effect - screen shot.

Create a quick and sleek "Web 2.0" feel with this easy Photoshop tutorial.

16. Smooth Glass Type

Smooth Glass Type - screen shot.

Learn how to create a translucent text effect.

17. Moon Shine Text Effect

Moon Shine Text Effect - screen shot.

Quickly create this "dreamy" text effect using some basic Layer Styles.

18. Colorful Glowing Text Effect

Colorful Glowing Text Effect - screen shot.

Create this layered, glowing effect by separating the text in individual layers and a white to transparent gradient layer to get this cool, colorful glowing text effect.

19. Bubble Text

Bubble Text - screen shot.

This is another quick tutorial on how to make this text effect using layer styles.

20. Killer Halftone Effect

Killer Halftone Effect - screen shot.

This tutorial shows a way to apply the halftone effect to the background of your text.

21. Text on Turf

Text on Turf - screen shot.

This tutorial uses the Noise Filter to create the grass-like texture.

22. Spray Paint Text

Spray Paint Text - screen shot.

Create your own digital grafitti by following this excellent tutorial from PSD Learning.

23. Scanline Text

Scanline Text - screen shot.

This is PSD Learning’s beautiful take on the relatively "old-school" scan line technique.

24. Retro Text

Retro Text - screen shot.

This tutorial uses both Photoshop and Illustrator to create a retro look.

25. Grunge Text Effect

Spectacular Style Text Effect - screen shot.

This tutorial from psdfan shows you how you can apply this popular effect on text.

26. Pimp your text

Grunge Text Effect - screen shot.

Can’t afford real bling-bling? Make some digital ones with this quick tutorial.

27. Paint Effect

Pimp your text - screen shot.

UBL Designes shows us how to accent text as though you splattered paint on it.

28. Spectacular Style Text Effect

Paint Effect - screen shot.

Create a 3D text effect by duplicating layers and offsetting each layer.

29. Shining Neon Text Effect

Shining Neon Text Effect - screen shot.

Create a colorful neon text effect by using a Gradient Overlay and a few Layer Styles.

30. Super Cool Frilly Bits Typography

Super Cool Frilly Bits Typography - screen shot.

Uses vector files to accent your text to achieve a similar look as the sample.