Thought Leads

Thought Leads is platform for thought-provoking creations and the amazing people, ideas and organizations that are behind them. Design Thinking, Social Innovation, Human-Centered Design, Systems Thinking, Open-Source and Collaboration are among the many things celebrated here.

[thoughtleads-blog]

Deborah Osburn’s dip-dyed porcelain tiles. 

#porosity #ceramics #dye #water

http://design-milk.com/tiles-inspired-japanese-textile-dying-techniques/

[thoughtleads-blog]

The Mountain, by Terje Sorgjerd . Beautiful time-lapse photography of the Milky Way from a top El Teide, Spain’s highest peak. The undulating ocean of clouds around 00:45 is one of my favorite parts. 

http://vimeo.com/terjes

[thoughtleads-blog]

Actinoform Clouds, via http://modcult.org/read/2012/5/8/distinct-leaf-like-or-spokes-on-a-wheel-patterns

[thoughtleads-blog]

BERG Little Printer

http://bergcloud.com/littleprinter/

Tree-huggers bear with me, BERG's newest creation is a tiny printer that spits out beautifully designed personalized daily newspapers filled with blog updates, news, puzzles, to-do lists- you name it. This is a really clever mash-up of modern cloud computing technology and low-tech physical printed artifacts.

Technologies like the Little Printer and affordable desk-top 3-D printers, such as Makerbot's Thing-o-Matic are creating a world of personalized goods and distributed manufacturing (and printing). Now they just need FSC-Certified, 100% recycled content paper spools and I'll be on board. 

[thoughtleads-blog]

NYC Maps their solar potential and turns under utilized rooftops into generators that fulfill more than half of their peak-time power needs. 

http://www.good.is/post/mapping-new-york-s-solar-potential-with-lasers/

[thoughtleads-blog]

The Naandi Foundation worked in concert with the Ripple Effect Project to redesign create this 'Jerry Can' water vessel. With greatly enhanced ergonomics and sanitation measures, the new design eases some of the pains of hauling a 20KG water jug across miles of rural India. Versatile enough to carry on the hip, pull on wheels or lift with a handle.

Learn more:

http://www.rippleeffectglobal.com/naandi-container/

[thoughtleads-blog]

The Mountain, by Terje Sorgjerd . Beautiful time-lapse photography of the Milky Way from a top El Teide, Spain's highest peak. The undulating ocean of clouds around 00:45 is one of my favorite parts. 

http://vimeo.com/terjes

[thoughtleads-blog]

"I'm interested in the moment when two objects collide and generate a third. The third object is where the interesting work is." - Bruce Mau

[thoughtleads-blog]

IDEO has released a Human-Centered Design toolkit to help Non-Profits and NGO's have competitive innovation strategies comparable to those of big business. Like Manna from Heaven, this must-have design guide is available as a free download for the tenacious leaders of the non-profit sector. Thanks IDEO. You've done it again. 

[wwwdavidmarthan-blog]

[thoughtleads-blog]

wwwdavidmarthancom:

The Design Thinking Toolkit for Educators contains the process and methods of design, adapted specifically for the context of education

IDEO's Toolkits are out to save the world. 

[thoughtleads-blog]

Precise Object, from The BEES Project: New Organs of Perception, 2007

Susanna Soares, (Portuguese b. 1977) Design Interactions Department, RCA London

This prototype has great potential. Ms. Soares has harnessed the keen odor-sensing capabilities of bees and human breath to monitor certain health issues. Bees can be trained in a Pavlovian manner to sense nuances of fertility cycles and the presence of certain diseases (including some types of Cancer). Collaborate with nature and ye shall succeed. 

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2008/elasticmind/#/210/ 

[thoughtleads-blog]

Tejo Remy's "Accidental Carpet" beautifully re-purposes old wool scraps.

http://www.droog.com/

[thoughtleads-blog]

PicoCricket is a "gender-neutral" robotics set for kids that encourages creative experimentation with technology- essentially its circuit-bending 101. 

[thoughtleads-blog]

Erica Eden of Smart Design focuses on the female user in her re-design of Pyrex. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/garden/04pyrex.html

[thoughtleads-blog]

Another great idea from TWWSTW. The Chicle Initiative was created to help restore the economy of the Yucatan Peninsula by inventing new products that use the former chewing gum base, chicle.  

http://thewayweseetheworld.com/ 

[thoughtleads-blog]

The Way We See The World is one of my new favorite design studios. Saving the world one Edible Cup at a time. 

http://thewayweseetheworld.com/ 

[thoughtleads-blog]

http://www.ckie.com/project/nooka-wall-clock 

Nooka Wall Clocks and info on Designer + Founder, Matthew Waldman