Quirky

See Ben Speak @ Tahoe Tech Talk 2010

Out west? Don’t miss Tahoe Tech Talk, taking place September 30-October 1.

TTT ain’t just your average tech conference.

For one, it’ll be in beautiful Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

For twos, it features a sick line-up of start-up superstars, including wine guy Gary Vaynerchuck; Kevin Rose, founder of Digg; Chris Sacca, a Quirky investor and founder of Lowercase Capital (the coolest VC name EVER) and our very own Ben Kaufman.

And for threes… well… what more do you really need to know?

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Hiya, Philip

Being as it is my last week at Quirky (tear), the time has come to say hello the new Community intern, Philip. He’s not just passionate about social creation, he’s lived it, having founded an art network and music site while at Dartmouth. And if there was ever someone more ready for the joys of Quirktown, it’s him. He’s thrilled to return to his creative and entrepreneurial roots and I’m confident he’ll make a fantastic addition to the Community team.

Name: Philip Killian

Hometown: Washington DC

School: Dartmouth College

Inspiration: Walking around NYC

Favorite Product: Canon 7D, Moleskine journals

What makes him quirky: I like doing everything in multiples of 7.

Quirk Of The Week – Bill Ward!

Broom Groomer ideator, Bill Ward, swept into our lives early this year and made the world of Quirky that much better! Although his submission was not chosen in the first product round he entered, Bill believed in it and resubmitted. We’re sure glad he did.

Life outside of Quirky (is there such a thing?) consists of inventing toys and running a restaurant in Quito, Ecuador. Hard at work on a second product win, Bill draws inspiration from his wife and 17 month old son, as well as from people who overcome great hardships every day. His goal is to identify a problem, come up with a solution, and then sprinkle a little bit of magic into that solution. Even though he’s not fishing for a compliment, Bill certainly infuses the Quirky-verse with magic whenever he visits!

The Quirky Cloak On The Today Show

The Quirky Cloak popped up on this morning’s Today Show, in a feature on “fun finds for every age” that included wearable wallets, Darth Vader-shaped pancakes, and a knock-off of Chelsea Clinton’s wedding dress. Hrm… we’ll take it.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Behind the Product Video: Twice

“So Jessica has this great idea…” begins the story of Twice, our new full-featured dual-chambered ice bucket. The Quirky Design Staff gives you a glimpse behind the making of Quirky’s 51st product. Check it out; it’s pretty chill*.

* Too early for puns?

Welcome, Matt!

Say hello to Matt, the freshest face in Quirky’s evolving design intern clan. Hailing from the Island of Long, he is one part speed (thanks to his love of racquetball), one part strategy (yep, a baseball player too), and two parts methodical creativity. There’s no doubt in our mind that he’ll fit in swimmingly here at Quirky HQ.

Name: Matt Dierkes

Hometown: Mt. Sinai, NY

School: Virginia Tech

Design Inspiration: Scott Robertson; various findings on Core77, Toxel, and Wired magazine.

Favorite Product: Wacom tablet, Casio calculator watch.

What makes him quirky: I draw with my left hand, but play sports and just about anything else righty. I also have a substantial obsession with watches and striped socks.

Snazzy New Space Bar Renders

We’re truckin’ along on manufacturing for the Space Bar, and we’ll be ready to post some progress updates soon. In the meantime, whet your appetite by checking out these awesome new renders*, uploaded today by the Quirky Design Staff.

As you can see, we’ve made some small design changes to this iteration of Space Bar. We’ve added two USB ports to the back of the unit, along with mini USB and AC power ports. We’re also working on perfecting some small details so we can keep the product’s original sleek form.

*Keep in mind that these photorealistic renders represent our current plans for the product. The final product may be tweaked slightly during the manufacturing process.

PCMag <3 Quirky

Sweet news: Quirky made PC Magazine‘s list of the Top 100 Web Sites of 2010, under the Undiscovered: Tech category.

Check out the other sites in our category, as well as our spot in the slideshow.

Of course, we couldn’t have made it without the community’s support. Kudos to everyone!

Announcing… Twice

No party set-up is complete without Twice, Quirky’s new fully featured ice bucket. Twice seamlessly blends form and function in one sleekly designed product. Available for $55 pre-sale ($60 retail) in the Quirky store, with a pre-sales threshold of 1180.

Chill your beverages with Twice, a fully featured ice bucket from Quirky. Twice is designed to give you every option for cooling off a beverage. The dual-chamber design allows water to drain from the ice, giving you an ideal place to either place your bottle of wine or grab a couple ice cubes for your drink. With Twice, you can chill your beverage your way.

Features:
- Two chambers constructed of rigid frosted plastic, with brushed metal end caps for a water-tight seal.
- Two-third gallon capacity on the larger chamber, half gallon capacity on the smaller chamber.
- Water drains from ice through the interior strainer, keeping the ice fresh and easily accessible.
- Flared base for added stability.
- Includes ice tongs with a built-in bottle opener.

The entire unit measures 10.35 inches tall. The half gallon bucket measures 6 inches in diameter, while the two-third gallon bucket measures 7.75 inches in diameter.

First We Design The Waffle, Then We Design The Waffler

The Quirky Design Staff explains the inspiration behind Waffler, Quirky’s 49th collaboratively-developed product.

Available for pre-sale on Quirky.com for just $68: http://www.quirky.com/products/49. Get ‘em while they’re hot!