Biblio-Mat Vending Machine Dispenses Random Second-Hand Books
The Monkey’s Paw, an idiosyncratic second-hand bookstore in Toronto, has installed this entertaining one-of-a-kind vending machine. The Biblio-Mat dispenses random titles of old books. Buying a book is really a surprise here! Don't be worried, you can expect something nice and interesting for sure, as the books inside the machine are curated by the antiquarian book shop, that's specialized in uncommon and out-of-print books, ephemera, and images. Biblio-Mat books, which widely vary in size and subject matter, cost only 2 dollars.
Augmented Reality Exhibition Uses Graffiti As Marker
In the Dutch town of Lelystad, Augmented Reality artist Sander Veenhof has launched a virtual photo exhibition that uses the graffiti on the walls of the abandoned (and never finished) station of Lelystad-Zuid as markers for the digital artworks. The Augmented Reality exhibition connects the digital world with the physical world in a very direct way: whenever new graffiti appears, the markers are 'destroyed', so the digital exhibition will slowly fade away.
Pop-Up Food In Bangkok
Last month I spent a good five days in Thailand's capital Bangkok. I loved it. Everyone who has ever visited the city will remember it for a few things — extreme traffic congestion, little family dwellings overshadowed by state-of-the-art shopping malls, organized chaos, friendly people. And, last but not least, great food that's available on every corner of the street.
Location-Based App Landlord Turns The City Into A Monopoly Game
Landlord is a real-world property game that enables you to buy Foursquare venues you visit and then earn rent as people check in at those properties on Foursquare. Like Monopoly, every player starts with a budget ($50,000). Unlike Monopoly, you're only allowed to buy venues that are nearby, so no dices here but GPS. Every time a Foursquare user checks in at a venue you own, you earn rent.
Cocooning Made Easy With Bubble Furniture
Ain't this a great piece of furniture? Designed by Zürich-based Micasa Lab, the 'Cocoon 1' aims to meet the human need for shelter, for survival against nature, for solitude among people or against people or for defining the different functions in our lives. It's not an ordinary furniture piece — the interesting thing is that the transparent bubble creates a new space.
World’s First 3D Printing Photo Booth Opens In Tokyo
Needless to say, 3D printing is hot-hot-hot. While we're patiently waiting for the first easy-to-use, mass-consumer 3D printers to hit the department stores of our cities, all kinds of artists, designers and architects try to find out what's in it for them. Here we've got a remarkable example from Tokyo. Instead of taking a picture of you, this advanced photo booth produces a 3D-printed miniature replica!
Giant Snow Ramp Pops Up In Antwerp
This weekend the highest snowboard ramp ever built will set the stage for an official freestyle ski and snowboard competition. The pop-up ramp arises in the city of Antwerp, Belgium — not the first place to think of when it comes to wintersport activities!
Online And Offline Shopping Merge As Google Street View Moves Into Shops
Since Google launched Street View a couple of years ago, we all have the possibility to digitally stroll the streets of cities all over the world. Google has recently begun extending this service by adding Google Business Photos to Street View. Google Business Photos allow for 360° previews in shops, restaurants and other businesses. This literary opens doors. Street View made it possible to take a close look at the city's public space, but now we can even wander around in the private atmosphere of participating shops. Isn't that exciting?
Top 5 Of The Greatest Urban Rooftop Farms
Urban farming has become one of the major international urban trends — a good reason for us to make a Top 5 of the greatest rooftop farms we've come across over the last years.
Factory Towns Of South China
Big names like Rem Koolhaas and John Friedmann give it up for the book Factory Towns of South China, written by the Dutch architect and urban designer Stefan Al. We've read it and couldn't find anything to disagree on. This one-of-a-kind illustrated guide book opens a window on the massive factory towns in China. It provides a cross-disciplinary approach to understand the process of rapid urbanization and industrialization, and delivers unique insights in how life runs from the perspective of the factory worker.
Man-Eater: The Urban Game For Commuters
For his graduation project at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Daniel Disselkoen created an urban game for trams called Man-Eater. Travelers in the tram can easily play the game by closing one eye while trying to 'eat' as many heads of pedestrians as they can between two tram stops. With this game Disselkoen tries to change the travel experience in The Hague a little bit.
Bike Design For The Urban Nomad
A group a nine master students presented their City Bike concept at this year's Design Academy graduation show, part of this year's Dutch Design Week. The concept combines a mobile workspace with the Dutch cargo bike. This means that 'urban nomads' no longer have to use their bike to get to their favorite workplace, but their bike becomes a workplace in itself. The cargo part of the bicycle can be transformed into a desk to work on with your laptop. Not bothered with colleagues or loud speaking coffee drinkers, this could be the ultimate form of mobile workplaces...
Tomás Saraceno’s Inflatable Playground
We've always been big fans of 'bubbletecture'. In the past we've written plenty of posts about inflatable buildings, structures and interiors. (A little glimpse from 2009: 1, 2, 3.) 'On Space Time Foam', Tomás Saraceno's newest installation in Milan, is another great addition to the ever-growing Pop-Up City Inflatable Database.
A Free Library In The Tokyo Subway
I came across an interesting story on Tokyo Story about a book-sharing system in the metro of the Japanese capital. If you go to Nezu station on the Chiyoda subway line of the Tokyo Metro, you will find these unusual bookcases. In the shape of an old fashioned metro train, this public book-sharing installation enables travelers to read whilst sitting in the driver’s compartment of the fist carriage. You can also take a book with you to read while commuting in the ever busy Tokyo subway. As soon as you have finished it, you can return it.
A Fly-Thru Restaurant For Birds
The fact that birds eat fastfood becomes clear when you pay attention to the pigeons on the central squares of the world's big cities. Picking the left-overs of hamburgers and fries from right between your your legs, these intrusive birds know very well what they prefer for dinner. As a consequence of adopting human eating habits they are increasingly fat. Obesity among birds becomes an urban phenomenon. This must have triggered Copenhagen-based artist Brian Wolter to create this take-away for birds.
