A collection of latest consumables and a cycling event
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Wonder Whirl
With a name like Delirium Yum, you can expect an eccentric creation. German lighting guru Ingo Maurer, with fellow designer Sebastian Hepting, created this intriguing product that incorporates movement, light and water in a table lamp that is both organic and geometric.
The lamp comes with a tank, a polyethylene ball, silver particles, tablets for water preparation and the all-important bulb.
A magnetic field sets the bar at the bottom in rotation, and that movement creates a swirl within the tank, which is captured in the aluminium mirror fitted with the bulb (35 W). The speed and intervals of the rotation and the intensity of light can be adjusted electronically.
Made out of Corian, crystal glass, carbon fibre and silicone and priced at Rs. 3,09,750, it is available only at Firefly in Mumbai.
Firefly Lighting, Lower Parel, Mumbai
info@fireflyindia.net
Green Light
Nature + technology = the Live Lamp, a glowing nest of radiant life designed by Kara Bartlet for her summer 2010 toHOLD line. A CFL grow lamp sits within a blown-glass orb, upon which are mounted 80 living Fuschii V Gracillis Tillandsia ‘air plants.’ These plants require no soil and very little moisture; all you need to do to keep them thriving is, about once a week, remove the dome and run the plants through water, or spray them. The lamps are a limited edition available by order from the designer.
etsy.com/shop/tohold
Evolution
The Darwin Chair, by graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister for design company Droog, resembles a giant notepad. It is a free-swinging structure with a cantilevered base, and around 200 water-resistant banner paper serve as its cushion. These can be ripped off if they get dirty (or you get tired of them), or flipped back, to reveal another look.
The artwork is abstract “the creation of the universe, making their way through the creation of the world, the beginning of plant, animal and human life, all the way to the digital revolution.”
Price on request. More at droog.com/products/furniture/darwin-chair/
Sport
Pedal Push
On August 29, the BSA Hercules India Cyclothon hits Delhi for the first time.
This mass mobilisation cycling event aims to promote cycling in the city, and draw support for greener, cleaner urban spaces. In the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, it will also serve as a test event for the road cycling discipline as the route that will be used will mirror the route to be used for the Games. The Cyclothon will have multiple categories: Amateur ride (25 km), Corporate/Group ride (25 km), Green ride (15 km) and Kids (5 km).
To register, go to cyclothon.tv or SMS ‘Cyclo’ to 51818 or call 09221738012 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Disclosure: Sport18, one of the event organisers, is part of the Network18 group, which publishes Forbes India.
CONSUMABLES
Rewind
Octane Lansing’s new Octane 7 (VS-4621) reminds us of their fantastic ATP3 set of a decade ago. The conical satellites have 3-inch down firing mid-range drivers and two one-inch micro-tweeters, the same formula that gave the ATP3 its venomous sonic bite. The sub has a 6-inch woofer for a room-filling bass. It connects to a PC, and can take another input via aux; so you can connect your iPod or a gaming console.
Rs. 3,990,
alteclansing.com
Little Big Shot
The “small cameras with interchangeable lenses” bandwagon has a new rider: Sony’s NEX-5, the smallest and lightest such camera yet. With a large, 14.2-megapixel Exmor sensor, you should get DSLR-like images from a body that’s barely bigger than a smartphone (with a huge lens on it). There’s a 7fps burst mode for action shots, a panorama mode and HD video, too.
Sony’s system, like Micro Four Thirds, does away with the mirror that SLRs require so that the casing can be much smaller. It features a clip-on flash and a three-inch LCD that tilts up and down and adjusts to ambient lighting conditions. (An optical viewfinder will cost you extra.) Aside from 14-megapixel stills, you can record HD video at 1080i. A lower spec model, the NEX-3, manages 720p.
Rs. 41,500,
sony.com
Wonder Whirl, Green Light and Evolution: Courtesy Better Interiors. Rewind and Little Big Shot: Courtesy T3
(This story appears in the 27 August, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)