Ommwriter

Dumped in the Resources pile on November 24, 2009.

Created by Herraiz Soto & Co., Ommwriter is Zen-like minimalist word processor that aims at making writing a pleasure once again. The goal is really to shut you out from all the chaos that takes place on you desktop and provide a way for you to escape, concentrate, and enjoy your writing task. I love the main snowscape image and ambient sound. ooommmmmmmmmmm…

The Beta is available as a free download (currently only available for Mac).

It’s all [Real] good

Dumped in the Personal and Random pile on November 23, 2009.

I’m not exactly sure when or how I became a fan of Blu Dot. It kind of just seems like I always have been. Their simple yet creative modern design style just suits a lot of my tastes when it comes to home and office furniture. I love their color combinations, clean lines, and unique forms. I was thrilled when a local shop (The A Store, here in Albuquerque) started carrying their stuff so I could finally get a first-hand look at the goods. There was no disappointment.

realgoodchair1Anywho, Blu Dot recently executed what they call “A Real Good Experiment” where they outfitted some of their “Real Good Chairs” with GPS units and left them on curbs and alleys around NYC - free for the taking. The general idea isn’t uncommon and is what’s culturally known as “curb-mining”: the act of finding abandoned furniture and art on the street and claiming it. The experiment was simply to see who would grab the chairs, where would they go, how would they get there, and what would their new homes look like? It’s such a fun and simple idea that they document pretty well. You can check out more info about the Experiment on Blu Dot’s website, their Real Good Experiment flickr page, or even follow @realgoodchair on twitter. They also appear to have created a film documentary on the Experiment that is due to release (I’m guessing on their site) in December. Can’t wait!
Here are some images from the website and their flickr page:

realgoodexp21

Real Good Chair. Real Good Experiment. Blu Dot.

You also may be interested in watching this little promo vid they made for A Real Good Chair titled, “Mr. Squirrel Assembles a Real Good Chair.” Awesome.

As an exciting side note, John Christakos, Blu Dot Co-Founder, paid a visit to the Land of Enchantment (aka, New Mexico) and gave an informal talk about Blu Dot’s philosophy and collaborative approach to design - aptly titled “There is No I in DESGN.” The talk was at Design Warehouse in Santa Fe last Saturday (11/21/09). Design Warehouse is a frequent stop of mine whenever I travel north to the City Different. They carry a lot of great contemporary brands (Alessi, Herman Miller, etc.). It reminds me of the MoMA sore in NY. A great event indeed. And I even got to chat with John for a few.

Me and John Christakos from Blu Dot