Kayak launched a new interface: Explore. It consists of a departure field, search filters and a map spread of the world. You can visualize on the map where to go. The plane ticket prices are shown in orange overlay bubbles on each available destination.
They can probably do better with how the filters sit on top of the map. It is currently a bit bulky and uses a lot of real estate, with no way to collapse or move the module around.

Very fun though!

Late night browsing brought be to a design firm: Design Continuum. They designed the first Reebook pump shoe that was released in 1989. They also created the Insulet OmniPod Insulin Delivery System (cool) and the Swiffer (not so cool).

Check out their job offers in product design, brand strategy+ else. They have offices in Boston & Seoul.

Xmarks: save and synchronize bookmarks across machines. Bookmarks are precious…
MeasureIt: measure pixel distances in your browser.
ColorZilla: pick any color you see.

(+ Firebug, Web Developer, HTML Validator, Fireshot and TOR for stealth browsing…).

A prototype created by The Emotion Lab in the process of becoming a reality. Did I mention it will be solar powered? Simple and beautiful.

Moonwatch has been designed to establish a relationship between the moon cycle and a person’s emotional states. It’s a new concept of time based on nature which invites people to reflect upon and gain a closer understanding of their mood and daily life on earth.

Logo/banner I created for Robocat Confectionary: “musings on music, photography and vegan confections” by miss Joanna Rooney. The cat is pushing a vegan cupcake in his mouse.

And if you are wondering if I am a vegan, the answer is no. I am a beast. I eat everything and anything. I do work on eating responsibly though (if there is any “responsible meat eating”…). I wish there were more organic restaurants in Manhattan.

I wrote about this documentary back in November when I first got into Parkour. Now the DVD of My Playground By Kaspar Astrup Schröder is finally released. You can purchase it for $30 in the US. Also check out this interview of the director.

MY PLAYGROUND explores the way Parkour and Freerunning is changing the perception of urban space and how the spaces and buildings they are moving on are changing them.

Mainly set in Copenhagen the film follows Team JiYo as they explore the city and encounter the obstacles it presents.

Award winning architect Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG Architects, is fascinated by the way Team JiYo convey architecture and takes the team to his buildings, to explore and unfold their skills, that may be just as groundbreaking as the architecture itself.

The film travels around the world from Denmark to Japan, United States, United Kingdom, and China to explore where the urban mobility is heading.

Team JiYo has a dream of making the biggest dedicated parkour park in the world, but isn’t parkour and freerunning supposed to be in the city and not in a fixed environment?

Kaspar Astrup Schröder set out to more closely examine the way that traceurs interact with architecture – honing in on parkour and urban mobilty in modern cities spaces via Team JiYo and the people that determine how the space is shaped within our cities.

Few weeks ago I found out about this Eco-Friendly shoe brand: Terra Plana. They design and produce shoes using recycled materials, stitching techniques (instead of using glue), local suppliers, etc. They look at the entire shoe making process and try to make it as energy efficient as they can. And the shoes look amazing and feel ultra soft and comfortable.

Pictured above is the Maplow, a woman shoe. Isn’t it so rare to find women shoes that look like this? It is. Other shoes I like: the Aqua, the Lucy and the Hadea, although this last one would look a little too feminine on my feet.

According to their twitter feed (@terra_plana), they are offering a 25% sale this week for Thanksgiving. If you’d like to try the shoes before, check out their store in Soho (254 Elizabeth Street, between Houston and Prince). They’re nice there.

+ I recently bought Ethletic shoes. You might want to check these out as well. They are organic, recycled, fair trade and comfortable too.

Happy Holiday and Responsible Shopping!

I just discovered this New York brand through the inner web: Wataah. The company produces “premium bottle water” for kids. Why? Wataah is the solution for parents who have no control over their children and need help making water look cool. It would be so much simpler to teach children that water is fun, is and tastes good and that the best things on earth don’t come in a colorful bottle. ;)

Update: My point was why not use glass or metal bottles (with fun and cute designs) and refill them with filtered water, instead of wasting more plastic? (Sigg for instance has cute bottles for children)

This video shows how we can make things that are usually not fun, fun, through simple design. I do wonder if people would get bored at some point and I think this one action is a little expensive for pushing people to move themselves. This is a great inspiration for creating useful products and services. Watch the makeof.

The Fun Theory is a website that offers a series of videos, among this one, and a contest: submit an idea, including description and design/prototype, that will change people’s behaviors. Contest ends December 15th, 2009.

The goal is to prove that “fun is the best way to change behaviour for the better”. Fresh!

Designed by Claudia Hapeman. Find out more about her at socaldesignco.com.