Mon, May 17 2010
And while you’re at it, be sure to check out our partner, Uncommon Goods! Warning: We are not liable if you overspend on their crazy cool assortment of stuff.
Aaron and Aron are our new design interns. The whole same name thang gets a little confusing, so we’ve affectionately renamed them “Utah” (for Aaron’s homestate) and “Han” (he likes being called by his last name ’cause he’s cool like that). Say hello!
Aaron Saxton (a.k.a. Utah)
Hometown: Alpine, Utah
School: Brigham Young University
What makes him quirky: Hmmmmm….what makes me quirky? I have a trademark silly face, appropriately named, “badger face”.
Aron Han (a.k.a. Han)
Hometown: Republic of Korea
School: Parsons School of Design
What makes him quirky: I grew up raising cows and chickens, and I went to a farming high school. Now I work in high-tech industrial design — very different!
In preparation for Compostapalooza, our partnership with Uncommon Goods to create the ultimate composting product, we’re running a series of compost education posts. Read up, then put those brainstorming caps on for kick-off on May 17!
If your outdoor space is lacking, like mine, you might want to try composting indoors with a worm bin.
Yeah, you heard me right: a worm bin.
The New York City Compost Project offers a step-by-step guide to creating your own indoor worm bin from a sealable plastic container (such as a storage box), a drill, shredded newspaper, food scraps, and water.
It sounds icky, I know. Personally, I don’t relish the idea of having worms crawling around my apartment, even if they’re securely contained in bins. Surely there must be a better way to compost indoors… Quirks, can you think of any?
Compostapalooza kicks off May 17… don’t forget, submissions for this special promotion with Uncommon Goods are FREE!
That was the brainchild of Joe Lazauskas, a writer for The Faster Times who was given the assignment to submit an idea to Quirky and write about it.
Read his hilarious account here.
The Faster Times is a new type of newspaper for a new type of world. Their mission statement says it all:
The Faster Times is a collective of great journalists who have come together to try something new. As we launch this July, we will have more than a hundred correspondents in over 20 countries. We have someone on the ground in Kenya and someone else reporting from Lebanon. Our arts section will cover not just film and books, but also theater and dance and photography. We will launch with seven writers on books alone. These writers are not “citizen journalists” but among the most accomplished and recognized names in their respective fields.
We’re not kidding ourselves. The Faster Times is not going to solve any major crises by itself. We are an organization owned and created by journalists. We have not sought any funding and, for the time being, we have very limited financial resources.
But while our limited resources will limit the number of reported pieces on the site in our first months of operation, we have no intention of shying away from the challenge. Our goal is to do what great papers have always done: look at the world with skeptical eyes and uncover information that the public needs to know. We will not, in most cases, be publishing 1200-word reported pieces, but we will be making calls and asking hard questions. And when our reporters discover something of interest, they will publish it and invite our readers to help push the story forward with their tips and insights.
Over the next several weeks, The Faster Times will be publishing a series of articles about Quirky. Check them out — you won’t regret it!
Our community members got pretty, well, quirky with their submissions for last week’s newsletter Photo Contest.
It was a tough decision, but we finally narrowed it down to three winners, each of whom will receive a coupon code good toward one free product idea submission. Props are in order!
Tracy Taylor
Jim Gerace (look very closely at the centerpieces!)
Boyd Palmer
If their photos were this creative, we can’t wait to see the product ideas they cook up! Check out all the entries on our Facebook page.
In preparation for Compostapalooza, our partnership with Uncommon Goods to create the ultimate composting product, we’re running a series of compost education posts. Read up, then put those brainstorming caps on for kick-off on May 17!
Composting is generally seen as an “outdoors” kinda thing, and for good reason – that stuff can get pretty dirty!
Starting an outdoors compost bin is easy:
1. Purchase a compost bin – any container that keeps in heat/moisture while keeping out pests.
2. Collect your starting compost materials: soil, leaves, and shredded paper should do the trick. Fill about one-third of the bin with this material.
3. Add food scraps to your pile from time to time. Don’t forget to cover them with a thin layer of finished compost to keep pests away.
4. Periodically turn the compost pile using a rake or shovel.
5. Cover your bin and wait.
Voila! You are now a composter. Yay for you!
But outdoor composting does have its cons. Among them:
- Kitchen waste attracts flies and insects.
- The decomposition process slows in cold weather.
- You have to have an “outdoors” – not a luxury for many urbanites.
These are just a few problems we’ll be tackling during Compostapalooza – launching May 17!
iPad fatigue? The only iPad fatigue WE feel is when we’re trying to hold our precious ‘Pads for long periods of time while lounging at home. But now we have your solution: Cradle, an iPad lap desk suggested by Hans Damkoehler. With Cradle and Cloak, you’ll have all you need to keep your iPad protected. Buy yours now for $52.50 (retail price: $58, threshold: 875) — this one’s sure to sell quickly in pre-sales!
Love your iPad but hate that you can’t comfortably use it while lounging on your couch or lying in bed? Boom – problem solved. The Quirky Cradle is a portable, lightweight lap desk for your Apple iPad.
Design features include:
- A minimalist bent design constructed from Plyboo (bamboo plywood, a sustainable alternative to wood).
- An integrated circular plate, made from matte, soft-touch plastic, that allows you to rotate your iPad between portrait and landscape views.
- A foam cushion with woven covering built into the underside of the desk, which rests on your lap for added comfort.
- Compact dimensions: 21in wide x 4in tall x 13in deep x 1/4in thick.
With all these features, Cradle truly is a lap desk with a twist.
Welcome to the new and improved Quirky forum!
Yup, due to consumer demand, we’ve spiffied up the forum and added the following categories:
Now… let’s discuss. =)
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