Friday Finds 5.06.11

Jaime: Pinha Cork Light

I've spotted this clever light fitting in several places online since its premiere at Milan this year, and keep being struck by its simple, smart design. You just clap the cork form around an existing hanging light bulb (the cork comes in two parts) and then wrap a cone of whatever paper you'd like around the base and pin it in place. You can change the look at will. It's designed by the London design studio Raw Edges for the Portugese brand Materia. See more here.

Diana: Dominic Wilcox's Nose Stylus



Designer Dominic Wilcox cobbled together an "appendage" that allows him to use a touch screen phone with one hand. My feelings are mixed on this (I like things that solve problems in interesting ways, but is using a phone in the bath really a problem?). I think Wilcox says it best: "I did send a tweet from the bath last night which was typed as ‘hello I am tweeting with my nose’ unfortunately due to the phone’s auto-correct it sent it as 'hello I an meeting with my nose'…I lost 2 followers." Probably better to disconnect from technology at that point. Though the design is rough around the edges, it could prove useful for people without use of a hand, as Wilcox mentions. If this design piques your interest, check out the Speed Creating project where he invents something new every day for 30 consecutive days.

Jordan: Mid-Century Murals

Loving this fantastic gallery of mid-century ceramic and mosaic designs over on Mid-Centuria. It'd be a real treat to stumble upon one of them on a European adventure. via @designrelated

Aaron: Danny and Annie



This is maybe the sweetest, most heartbreaking video I've seen in ages. Story Corps teamed up with animators the Rauch Brothers to make short videos of some of the stories they've collected over the years. This is a love story that so endearing and so sad that it's nearly too much to bear. Danny and Annie is required viewing.

Dakota: The Work of Ling Meng

I came across the portfolio of Ling Meng this week (via We Brush Our Teeth With Gin) and I'm really into it. There are interesting studies of magnet typography (!), dried flowers, collections, nature/science/math themes.

Michele: Tito the Chihuahua



In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I couldn’t resist sending along this infectious little video of my canine neighbor, Tito, made by his mom Elizabeth with music by Chris Conner. Nothing is better than some funky jams set to a chihuahua eating tacos, seriously. ¡Ay, qué rico!