"Make the world work, for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone." While Fuller’s ultimate goal was audacious, the idea of a real-time simulation in the ‘60s, accessible to before widespread access to computing, was just somewhat less ambitious. Fuller’s game—so-called to be accessible to everyone—was a further expansion of his Spaceship Earth philosophy, and is currently being utilized as a model by the O.S. Earth Institute. (Pictured: Bucky's Time cover from 1964.)

Francesco and Mafalda’s bedroom is open and playful with only a bit of Algue by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec guarding the stairs. The lamp was designed by Francesco himself and the decal on the wall is from My Vinilo.

It’s fitting that a man often called one of Finland’s greatest architects would cap his most successful decade of work with a structure that celebrated his country’s contributions to the world. Within the compact, four-story structure, photos of landscapes, people and products looked out over curvaceous, wood-slatted walls, a flowchart of Finnish industry capped off by airplane propellers spinning like fans from the ceiling.

Celebrating the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs, the New York Transit Museum will share postcards, photos, ephemera, and souvenirs that show how transportation was a symbol for modern American life and technology.

The designers of the CST-01 call it the "thinnest watch in the world." It's often tricky to trade in absolutes, but anyone who handled a prototype on the CES show floor this week would be hard-pressed to prove them wrong. Dave Vondle and Jerry O'Leary, who call their Chicago-based company Central Standard Timing, say the watch's paper-thin battery charges in 10 minutes and powers the device for a month before it needs to be plugged in again. The watch display is rendered in E Ink, commonly used in e-readers. Photo courtesy of Central Standard Timing.

Inspirational spaces

Plants found in the surrounding landscape were used to obscure the lines between designed and natural worlds.

11+ World Desk Clock designed by Yeongkyu Yoo for Leibal, $49 at store.dwell.com This cylindrical desk clock is inscribed with names of different international cities, telling the time in each. All 24 time zones can be displayed, thanks to a distinctive rolling mechanism.

Student's Pavilion Plan Silva began researching, gradually building a community around those with experience and knowledge of the Pavilion. He spoke to a couple in Cleveland that managed a roller rink that once was located on-site, the members of the New York State Pavilion Paint Project, working to restore the structure, and found out about the 1969 concert series, when bands such as The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and Santana played under the Tent of Tomorrow. He even made the Pavilion part of his teaching curriculum—the middle school educator has his eighth graders design alternative uses for the pavilion in 2012.

A super minimal World Cup calendar helps us keep up with the schedule.

Curious World, app subscriptions from $9.99 per month via iTunes Designed for children aged 3 to 7, Curious World is a collection of games, videos, and books (accessible via iPad and iPhone) that build foundations in early learning areas like creative expression, mathematics, and health & well being. Parents can see what content their children explore to learn their interests and track their progress.

Zaha Hadid, The World (89 Degrees), 1984. Aerial view; compilation of projects to date.

A model of the original House of the Future, 1962 World’s Fair, Seattle.

British artist Hannah Sawtell and technologist Avi Flombaum created sawbaum.com, where users can create visual collages using multiple vine streams. "We wanted it to look like a visual comic book, with overlapping panels," said Flombaum. "And we wanted it to be fun!" Photo courtesy Rhizome.

A mustardy couch and a large map of the world—Whitlock travels all over the place for work—keep the living room bright and cheerful.

A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers via Gestalten $60.00 Navigate your way around the world through a series of visual storytelling maps and atlases composed by contemporary designers, illustrators and mapmakers.

Envisioned by a partnership of STV, AECOM, and Santiago Calatrava, the winged World Trade Center Transportation Hub will connect subway and PATH trains in the humming Financial District.

It's here, friend: 17 pounds of lap-numbing architecture packaged by the coffee-tables-be-damned team over at Phaidon. It's a pretty incredible romp through 750 of the 20th century's most important buildings scattered hither and yon across the globe. ($100)

Over a 25-year career, Margie Ruddick has creatively defied convention to pursue landscape design on her own terms.

Here's a view of what a floor of Minoru Yamasaki's World Trade Center would look like from 1964.

The world's smallest succulent garden from The Ranch Design Group.

Gaetano Pesce says “architecture can express anything.” Depicted here is his entry for the World Trade Center Memorial. 2013. Urethane resin, copper hinges, lacquered wood base 8’ x 3.25’ x 1.20’ 2. Photo by Sebastian Piras.

World Cups. Wood. Designer: IDee Liu.

Originally a serial comic, Daniel Clowes's Ghost World was one of the first graphic novels sold widely and was later made into a feature film.

With throwback looks and simple features, the WorldRadio from Geneva has a retro-inspired appearance that is met with necessary modern advances that Dad will love. A contemporary version of the traditional world receiver, the WorldRadio can broadcast all radio stations, including those not found on FM and digital radio. By using the WorldRadio’s built-in wireless Bluetooth receiver and a compatible device—an iPhone or tablet, for example—the radio can broadcast all available Internet stations, greatly increasing the quantity of available programs.

New York Pavilion 1964 World's Fair The structure, designed by Philip Johnson, is now a rusted relic.

New York Pavilion 1964 World's Fair The massive ring of steel and reinforced concrete piers, dubbed the “Tent of Tomorrow,” once held a cable suspension roof and was clad in a terrazzo floor featuring a Texaco highway map of the state. It was a platform for New York, and homegrown companies like Kodak and CorningWare, to show off to the world, and as critic Louise Huxtable said, “a sophisticated frivolity…seriously and beautifully constructed … a ‘carnival’ with class.”

Built in 1956 for the World’s Fair, the Atomiumis an homage to the future. It recently reopened after a complete renovation.

1964 World's Fair It’s often said that in the borough of Queens, one of the most culturally diverse places on Earth, everyday is a world’s fair. The idiom rang true in 1964 during the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, an optimistic celebration perched at a moment between space age giddiness and late-’60s turbulence (as this pitch-perfect period footage demonstrates).

New York Pavilion 1964 World's Fair Silva has made great strides in both broadcasting the building’s story and building momentum and support for restoration. He just finished a successful Kickstarter to fund editing of his documentary, “Modern Ruin: A World’s Fair Pavilion,” for release this fall, and his organization, People for the Pavilion, which he co-founded with Salmaan Khan and Christian Doran, has garnered support from people such as New York Landmarks Conservancy Director of Development Scott Leurquin and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, and helped expand the conversation about restoration.

This ink drawing on mounted paper board is from 1963 and shows how powerfully tall the World Trade Center would be.

Michael Lewis dressed in contruction gear on-set at the World Trade Center contruction site in New York City.

The Geneva WorldRadio pairs throwback looks with modern technologies. A contemporary version of the traditional world receiver, it can broadcast all radio stations. The radio also has a built-in wireless Bluetooth receiver, so it can broadcast Internet stations. It includes a sturdy carrying handle for easy transport.

An illustration from They Draw & Cook: Recipes from Artists Around the World.

Illustration via drawastickman.com.