Almost two years ago I posted about Design e2, a PBS show that focuses on sustainable design practices, particularly in our large cities. Truth be told, we don’t have a TV at our house, so I never actually got around to seeing any full length shows. If you’re like me and missed it the first time around, head on over to Hulu where they have the first six episodes of season one. I sat down and watched one last night, and it was pretty good, especially for free TV.

Design e2 on Hulu.

I love the simple ideas. Take the Griffin Air Curve for example. In a market that’s flooded with option on how to amplify your iPhone or turn it into a base thumping piece of audio ecstasy, Griffin has managed to step outside the box. The Air Curve uses a

cleverly designed coiled waveguide that collects the sound from the built-in speaker of your iPhone, amplifies it, and projects it into the room.

What that means to you an me is that it uses your iPhones speakers and just amplifies the sound. It requires not power at all and does have a space for a charging cord for your phone. The end result is a product that is innovative, simple, and affordable at only $19.

Available from Griffin for $19.

Congrats to my buddies at Furni for teaming up with Hulger to make a beautiful VoIP phone.

Via MoCo Loco

I have been seeing more and more solar panel as I walk around neighborhoods lately, and often times I wonder if it would be practical to put one on my house. The other day I stumbled across RoofRay, a great resource for calculating your solar potential. It uses the familiar google map interface and lets you draw the size of solar panel you want on your roof. It calculates your solar potential based on panel size, slope, and the direction it is pointing. Unfortunately for us it confirmed some of my suspicions. For us to do a large (really large) panel on our roof it would cost $50,000 and take 30 years to save us enough money to pay for it. It makes me wonder if there are any similar resources for wind turbines?
Check your solar potential at RoofRay.

I’m a gadget junkie, which means that when we go traveling we have a small arsenal of electronics to take with us. The Load Ding device organizer by XXD is just the thing to add a little organization while charging on the go. This simple piece of white pastic is flocked with black, red, or pink on the inside and folds up to form a little tray to hold your electronics as they charge. When not in use it packs flat and takes up hardly any space at all. Just perfect for an adventure on the road.
Available from A + R for $15.

The Muji Wall mounted CD Player may not be the most practical CD Player out there, nor is it the most affordable. I considered not even sharing it because of the hefty $178 price tag, but in the end I was just too excited to keep my mouth shut. It has been unavailable stateside until just recently and is now available at the MoMA Store. This simple little CD Player has built in speakers and the players power cord doubles as an on/off switch. You just give it a tug to turn it on or off. Compact, clean, and unfortunately expensive.
Available from the MoMA Store for $178.

Well I have been avoiding it for long enough. I finally took the plunge and set up a facebook account. I’m hoping that besides being a fun way to stay in contact with some of my old friends, that it can also be a good way for me to get in touch with some of the awesome people that follow my blog. So if you feel so inclined, add me as a friend. I also set up a Grassrootsmodern group on facebook. I thought it might be a good place for some further discussion on living modern affordably.

My facebook account.

I’m a sucker for funky watches and clocks. The idea that after all these years we can still come up with new ways to tell time is amazing to me. This Hourglass Shaped Desk Clock by Kirkkeland is not the cheapest desk clock out there, but it is one of the most unique. It displays minutes on the top half and hours on the bottom. Current time is indicated by the red line. It even has a readout for seconds on the very top. It runs on two AA batteries and measures 6.5 x 4.75 in.
Available from Fitzsu for $39.

Just the other day I was watching a TED talk about wind energy, and thinking about the huge potential that it has for small scale applications like residential homes. I was wondering what it would take to throw a small turbine on my roof. Would it be ugly? Would it be expensive? Today I come across a story that design giant Philippe Starck has beat me to the punch. He has designed a small attractive wind turbine that can create up to 80% of a homes electricity. The price is expected to be between $800 - $1,200, which is way more affordable than solar. I looks like it may not be available for a while, but it definitely looks like a winner.

See the New York Times story “And Now, to Try and Catch the Wind”

iChime may very well be the perfect doorbell for geeks. They are touting it as a “Play Anything” digital doorbell, and that’s exactly what it will do. Out of the box it comes with 50 pre recorded sounds and if that’s not good enough you can load 6 customs tracks. All you have to do is hook it up to your iPod or computer and load them on. With all that customization it’s bound to sound good, best of all though is that it looks decent as well.
Available from iChime for $90.

Via uncrate.