Lumina Italia Ra Desk Lamp is Like a Robotic Two-Headed Cobra [Lighting]

I don't know about you, but in my opinion the Lumina Italia Ra fiber optic lamp is the world's most strikingly nerdilicious gadget to ever illuminate a desktop.

Designed by Ettore Cimini, the Ra features two fully adjustable steel and technopolymer arms that separately deliver and focus light from a 100W fluorescent bulb from the tip of their snake-like head using fiber optic cable. The light itself can be adjusted to taste via a built-in dimmer control. On the downside, it appears that the lamps are custom made to order—which surely means that it is far, far out of most of our price ranges.

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]

Concert Hall Slated For the Czech Republic Looks Like an Alien Organism [Architecture]

Did you look twice and think I wrote "Alien Orgasm?" Sorry to disappoint but the AntonГ­n DvoЕ™ГЎk Concert and Congress Center slated to go up in the Czech Republic reminds me of some sort of microscopic life form. The unique design will feature two concert halls—a philharmonic hall and a chamber music hall that will seat 1000 and 400 people respectively. I will also feature a "first of its kind" window behind the musicians that will allow concert-goers to take in views of the park outside. While I understand that maximizing the acoustics in a building can lead to some interesting designs, I can't help but wonder if the designers from Future Systems went a bit to far here. [Future Systems via Dezeen]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]

The WaSnake Shelf: It's Like a Personal Assistant That is Nailed to Your Wall

The WaSnake shelf concept by designer Jean Louis Frechin not only holds your stuff, it also features connectivity that allows it to display news from chosen RSS feeds and even SMS messages. Plus, the whole unit is highly configurable so you could find a spot for it on nearly any wall in your home.All in all, I love the idea of packing more functionality into everyday objects, but I can't say that I agree with the artist's description of a "discreet," visual experience. There is nothing discreet about my naughty text messages being broadcast to everyone in the room. At any rate, it seems that the WaSnake will remain a concept for the time being. [Newlaunches]

[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]
[ Tag: ]