Technabob » porcelain

Joon&Jung’s Natural Speaker Made out of Porcelain and Wood

Range — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:00:54 +0000

These speakers were created by the design duo Joon&Jung, based in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and they’ve come up with something that completely handcrafted and beautiful. The initial purpose was to design speakers that were handmade, yet still dish out optimal sound.

During the creative process, they discovered that porcelain provides a very natural reflection of sound. Through research, they came up with a special structure to give clear and precise sound, without washed out bass. The amplified sound is supposed to get a natural echo from this construction, creating an analog sound that’s hard to duplicate with modern speakers.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Each speaker is handcrafted from porcelain, wood and held together with leather straps. Joon&Jung started a limited production run last April and a pair of these speakers sells for €697 (~$1,020 USD).

[via Fubiz]

Phrenology Head: What’S Really Going on Inside That Brain of Yours

Technabob — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:08:17 +0000

Do you miss the scientific quackery of the early 18th century? Then have I’ got a deal for you. This phrenology head is the perfect way to figure out what’s wrong with your brain – as long as you don’t care if it’s wrong 100% of the time.

Perfect for wannabe charlatans, this Phrenology bust is actually a reproduction of the original “medical” evaluation tool used by Phrenology madman L.N. Fowler, who theorized that you could point to specific personality traits based on the shape of your skill, mapped out into 48 faculties of your brain. It’s guaranteed to make you look way smarter than you really are.

Want one? Head on over to Amazon.com and you can find them for a wide variety of wacky prices, ranging from $35 to $888 (USD). Why are the prices so all over the map? Because they’re craaaaaaazy!

[photo via flickr]

Sound Pot Porcelain Speakers: Handle With Care

Technabob — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:45:52 +0000

I always thought that making speakers out of something as fragile as porcelain would be a bad idea. But these bulbous clay speakers look intriguing enough that I might be willing to risk breaking ‘em.

Korean design firm Studio Lim created these unique speakers called Sound Pots. The speakers feature an unusual control scheme: turn the knob on the back to turn on the MP3 player, then roll the speaker from side-to-side to control the volume.

The guys over at Moco Loco also offer up these slightly more obvious control suggestions: “set it on its side so the sound can flow out towards the listener”, and “set it face down to turn it off by blocking the sound.” Duh.

I have no idea if Studio Lim plans on ever selling Sound Pots, but if they do, I sure hope they pack them in plenty of bubble wrap and foam peanuts when they start shipping them.

[via unplggd]

Flashlight Pendant Lamps Prove That Porcelain Can Make Anything Look Sophisticated

Lambert Varias — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:51:32 +0000

Even if you were asked to name a hundred beautiful objects, would you include flashlights in your list? Of course not. But what if the flashlights were made of porcelain?

Oooo shiny. Of course they’re not portable, but who cares right? Nothing says you’re a millionaire like porcelain hanging flashlight lamps! They’re just $42 (USD) a piece at Fred Flare, whether you want the small, medium or large version. So what are you waiting for? You gotta get yourself some porcelain flashlights!

[via holycool]

Ceramic Speakers: Don’t Play Anything Too Heavy

Lambert Varias — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:30:38 +0000

This beautiful pair of ceramic speakers, designed by Joey Roth, “are designed to leave the sound untouched, warm, dry, and detailed.” The handcrafted 4″ speakers are made of porcelain and cork, which the product’s page calls “acoustically dead.” I think that’s a good thing.

I’m seriously wondering if the speakers will break if it plays stuff like Children of Bodom or Lamb of God.

But if by “acoustically dead” it means that porcelain and cork don’t absorb sound, then metalheads can enjoy their favorite bands with these babies. Can someone explain the acoustics of porcelain to this poor writer?

gSelect sells the porcelain speaker set for $500 (USD); unfortunately it’s out of stock as of this writing. You may want to head on to its product page anyway so you can leave your email address and be notified when the product is available again.

[via likecool]

Space Invaders Moving in on Your Tea, Too

Alisha K. — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:42:07 +0000

Those pesky Space Invaders get into everything. They are unstoppable. Nothing is safe… not even your tea, and the World Tea Off — something I didn’t even know existed. But the invaders knew. Oh yes.

Well, friends, there is a World Tea Off, and the judges must be very cool, because they choose the ONE Teakettle by the guys at Vessel Ideation as one of the winners in tea vessel design. It’s a pot. It’s a kettle. It’s the coolest piece of porcelain you’ll see all day. That sounds like a winner to me.

[via Gamer Grrlz]

Speakers Made From China – Made in Japan

Technabob — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:18:08 +0000

These compact speakers feature enclosures made entirely from an unlikely material, porcelain.

According to Japanese designer, Noboru Kawamura, the china construction is said to provide a warm, tender sound that traditional wood or plastic enclosures can’t achieve.

Each speaker measures about 5″ (w) x 5″ (d) x 6″ (h), so they’d look nice sitting on a bookshelf. I couldn’t find out the maximum wattage for these, but I can’t imagine that they can crank out enough amplitude to crack their own fragile enclosures.

They’re available from the shop with the best name ever, Boo-Hoo-Woo, for ¥48,000 a pair (about $392 US dollars.)