Category Archives: living room

apartment living, cities, health, living room, robots, surveillance, sustainability, the home

This bird-shaped monitor drops dead when your indoor air is bad

Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, where the air can be 5 to 10 times more polluted than the worst outdoor air. Bad indoor air, including high levels of CO2, has been linked with fatigue, headaches, and even respiratory diseases, all of which could be alleviated by airing out your home. That’s why two designers created Canairi: a minimalist monitor that nudges you to open the window without using blinking lights, warning sounds, or phone notifications. And no, there’s no app; just simple, intuitive design.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90747448/this-bird-shaped-monitor-drops-dead-when-your-indoor-air-is-bad
artificial intelligence, dystopia, ethics, forecasting, generations, health, innovation, living room, surveillance, technology, the home, virtual reality

What the metaverse might mean for kids

And not fully understanding the difference between a virtual world and real life can have darker consequences as well. Graber says that playing a game in which you’re attacked with a gun or knife can feel more intense to a child than an adult. And metaverse worlds could expose children to bullies or even pedophiles in new, scary ways.

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/family/2022/02/what-the-metaverse-might-mean-for-kids
cities, economics, food, kitchen, living room, retail, the home, work

is Deliveroo killing restaurant culture?

“In a world where consumers want more, better and faster, we think Deliveroo is doing a good job,” concluded a report by the private investment bank Berenberg earlier this month. Plenty of people who make money from money are betting that Deliveroo is on a long-term path to profitability, even if its current set-up pushes the company further into the red with every order. “We truly believe we are still getting started,” declared Deliveroo’s founder, Will Shu, in a letter to prospective shareholders. “Join us on the journey.” But what is that journey’s ultimate destination? And what will the implications be – for the way we eat, the livelihoods of those who feed us and the future of our neighbourhoods – once we arrive? Read more (The Guardian)

history, living room, the home

Kicking Back With La-Z-Boy

For the uninitiated, La-Z-Boy (an eponym on par with Band-Aid and Kleenex) makes a reclining easy chair—the first and, after nearly a century, still the leader. “La-Z-Boy has a 90-year heritage build on providing quality and comfort,” said the brand’s marketing vp Eli Winkler. “Those values are no less important to consumers to day than they were 90 years ago.” Spoken like a true marketer, but the comfort isn’t just a talking point—it’s the reason the brand is famous. Read more (Adweek)

history, living room, the home

The Tale of the Nauga’s Hide

The Nauga is a fictional creature. It was an advertising gimmick created to help Uniroyal Engineered Products promote their soft vinyl-coated fabric that feels like leather but is more durable.  The product, Naugahyde, was used primarily as upholstery in the furniture industry, but also was used for clothing, shoes, accessories and other home goods. Its success spawned many imitators.  In the mid-1960s, Uniroyal hired legendary ad-man George Lois and designer Kurt Weihs to craft an advertising campaign to differentiate their product from the competition. And what did Lois and Weihs create? The Nauga. Read more (Henry Ford Museum)

food, living room, society, the home

What is the dining table really for?

Dinner happens everywhere now: on the couch while streaming a television show, hunched over a kitchen countertop, on a commute home. The shift happened right under our noses — in a 2019 survey about cooking at home, while 72 percent of respondents grew up eating at a dining room table, only 48 percent of them still do so now. The American dining room is dying a slow death, and we’ve barely batted an eye. For the sake of convenience, we don’t sit down for capital-D dinner anymore. What has this fade into obsolescence done to the dining table, and to the people who once gathered around it to share a meal? The dining table hasn’t disappeared — there are plenty next to my family’s on Facebook Marketplace — but its meaning seems to have been altered forever. Read more (Vox)

apartment living, architecture, art, forecasting, living room, technology, the home

Artist Krista Kim Lists First-Ever NFT Home for Sale

Contemporary artist Krista Kim’s latest project which features the first-ever sale of a digital home called the Mars House. Kim, who is responsible for high-tier collaborations with the likes of Lamborghini and Lanvin, just listed a neon-filled crypto abode filled with sharp, modern furnishings and complementing digitized adornments to boot. Most of the furniture items featured in the home can also be constructed in real life by glass furniture makers in Italy alongside MicroLED screen technology. The artist also teamed up with musician Jeff Schroeder of The Smashing Pumpkins to create an ambient soundtrack inside the virtual home. Read more (Hypebeast)