Looking for a way to dress up your dining table, but don’t want to go with an ordinary candleholder? These unique candleholders are definitely conversation starters, since you’ll have a hard time figuring out if they’re 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional.
Flatlights look like the 3D wireframe perspective of a candle when viewed from above, but lay completely flat on your table.
Each Flatlight is made from a 0.4mm thick sheet of brass, which is photochemically etched to create the openings. This creates a more durable object than one created on a 3D printer, and also reduces sharp edges compared to laser cutting.
Early buyers can get a single Flatlight for £12(~$19 USD) each or £21(~$32 USD) for a pair. For a few dollars more, they’re also available with black on one side and white on the other, or in a 24K gold-plated finish which looks pretty spiffy.
If you’re interested in getting some Flatlights for your table, head on over to Kickstarter and make your pledge before November 9th.
At first, you might think what you’re looking at is just a cool illuminated wall sculpture. Well it is that, but it’s actually more. It’s actually a weather forecaster with a tangible user interface.
This interactive LED art was assembled by Instructables contributor and Parsons design student Adiel Fernandez. He built the wall unit using a set of three sconces found at CB2, rigged with a digitally-addressable LED scrip, cut into pieces that he placed into the sconces. His original concept was to simply rig the sconce with flickering LEDs to make them look like candles without the inconvenience of actual candles and flame, but ultimately ended up with a much more interactive pieces.
The wall sculpture is controlled by a small acrylic cube with icons on each side. Inside the cube is a gyroscope, accelerometer, XBee radio and lithium-polymer battery. Rotating the cube to face an icon upwards will switch the LEDs between 6 modes, described in the words of its creator as follows:
Power: “The cube is normally off to save power and will not recognize any commands or orientation. By having the power icon facing up and shaking the cube, the cube is now awake, will pulse the inner light that shines through the icons, and will recognize which side is facing up to allow other modes to be accessed. By spinning the cube while its on and the power side is up, a fun rainbow display is turned on and off.”
Flame: “When the cube is on and the flame side is facing up, the lights in the sconces will glow and flicker like real candle flames (a little difficult to see in the video). By rotating the cube clockwise, the number of candles lit are incremented and likewise, rotating it counter clockwise decreases the number of lights lit.”
High Temperature: “Having this side face up while the cube is on will display the high temperature of the day in red light. The lights will display the first digit of the temperature on the left side by lighting up the number of lights equivalent to that digit. The lights then pause then display the second digit of the temperature on the right side. For example, if the temp. is 47 degrees (like in the video), the lights will show 4 lights on the left, pause, then display 7 lights on the right.”
Low Temperature: “Similar to the low temp side, this side will show the low temperature of the day in a cool cyan hue.”
Precipitation (snow/rain): “This will display the percent chance of precipitation similar to how the other temperatures are displayed in blue. Its a little difficult to tell the difference between the cyan and blue in the video but easier in person.”
Travel (plane around the world): “For a bit of whimsy, I decided to make the bottom of the cube display the temperature of some fantasy destination set by the user in green light. In this case it’s set to Honolulu, Hawaii, hopefully making it easier to bare the cold winter with hopes of a future vacation.”
Here’s a look at the controller cube in action:
And here’s a brief demo of the wall as it lights up:
At this point, the temperature data is hard-coded into the system, but Adiel plans to get it wired up to an internet data source soon. There aren’t too many more details on the build available, but you can see what there is over on Instructables.
At first, you might think what you’re looking at is just a cool illuminated wall sculpture. Well it is that, but it’s actually more. It’s actually a weather forecaster with a tangible user interface.
This interactive LED art was assembled by Instructables contributor and Parsons design student Adiel Fernandez. He built the wall unit using a set of three sconces found at CB2, rigged with a digitally-addressable LED scrip, cut into pieces that he placed into the sconces. His original concept was to simply rig the sconce with flickering LEDs to make them look like candles without the inconvenience of actual candles and flame, but ultimately ended up with a much more interactive pieces.
The wall sculpture is controlled by a small acrylic cube with icons on each side. Inside the cube is a gyroscope, accelerometer, XBee radio and lithium-polymer battery. Rotating the cube to face an icon upwards will switch the LEDs between 6 modes, described in the words of its creator as follows:
Power: “The cube is normally off to save power and will not recognize any commands or orientation. By having the power icon facing up and shaking the cube, the cube is now awake, will pulse the inner light that shines through the icons, and will recognize which side is facing up to allow other modes to be accessed. By spinning the cube while its on and the power side is up, a fun rainbow display is turned on and off.”
Flame: “When the cube is on and the flame side is facing up, the lights in the sconces will glow and flicker like real candle flames (a little difficult to see in the video). By rotating the cube clockwise, the number of candles lit are incremented and likewise, rotating it counter clockwise decreases the number of lights lit.”
High Temperature: “Having this side face up while the cube is on will display the high temperature of the day in red light. The lights will display the first digit of the temperature on the left side by lighting up the number of lights equivalent to that digit. The lights then pause then display the second digit of the temperature on the right side. For example, if the temp. is 47 degrees (like in the video), the lights will show 4 lights on the left, pause, then display 7 lights on the right.”
Low Temperature: “Similar to the low temp side, this side will show the low temperature of the day in a cool cyan hue.”
Precipitation (snow/rain): “This will display the percent chance of precipitation similar to how the other temperatures are displayed in blue. Its a little difficult to tell the difference between the cyan and blue in the video but easier in person.”
Travel (plane around the world): “For a bit of whimsy, I decided to make the bottom of the cube display the temperature of some fantasy destination set by the user in green light. In this case it’s set to Honolulu, Hawaii, hopefully making it easier to bare the cold winter with hopes of a future vacation.”
Here’s a look at the controller cube in action:
And here’s a brief demo of the wall as it lights up:
At this point, the temperature data is hard-coded into the system, but Adiel plans to get it wired up to an internet data source soon. There aren’t too many more details on the build available, but you can see what there is over on Instructables.
According to a Chinese philosophy known as Taijitu, life is based on a fundamental value of the harmonies that exist between opposites (think yin & yang!). Inspired by this duality, this pair of candelabras express the dynamic interplay of polar opposites with contrasting materials and colors. Both share the same form, but one is of cold, industrial metal and the other of warm, natural wood. Together, they’re a beautiful accent to the modern interior.
This fresh interpretation of the walking candle holder, which in the antique form most of us are familiar with is most often found in brass or iron, is composed of a modern blend of solid wood and ceramic. This modern take on the familiar fragment also features a hollow base, perfect for hiding trinkets or extra candles. It’s great as an old-school light source or aesthetic accent to any room.
The countdown to Christmas continues. We’ve looked at Christmas trees and ornaments and even houses that exuded the holiday vibe in their own little way. But one thing we haven’t covered yet is the nativity scene, which captures the true meaning and essence of Christmas. As a kid, my mom and I would do some crafts and use recycled materials to recreate the scene so we could display it at the foot of our tree. That tradition slowly died out as I grew up, but it’s a tradition that’s waiting to be restarted with the birth of my beautiful niece.
Until then, we’ve had to make do with alternatives that didn’t require as much effort (since all we had to do was buy them), like this exquisitely-made miniature Christmas candle holder set. It’s a different take to the usual scene, and for two very obvious reasons. Can you spot the nots?
The Christmas tree and the festive-looking Santa Claus with his sack full of presents might seem a little bit out of place, but I think it breathes new life into the picture. Each of the holders stands at about 5 inches tall, so they’re small, but I like the fact that they’re actually candle holders so they aren’t just there for display. It’s like knocking two turtle doves with one gigantic gold ring, if you ask me.
This Christmas-themed candle set is available from BedBathStore.com for $89.99.
Devotional candles are great for, you know, showing your religious devotion. They also come in handy for when the power goes out, as many people found out in the recent hurricane on the East Coast. I think it’s about time that we put a geeky spin on these candles.
These devotional candles let you burn a light in honor of your favorite geeky icons! They feature Rose Tyler, Katniss, Princess Peach, a Weighted Companion Cube and more. There’s something for everyone. They were created by Banana Leviathan and come with an 8.2″ white wax candle already inside.
They only cost $10(USD) and will look great on your shelf. They also make great a great geeky stocking stuffer.
Turn the lights out and light your candles. It’s Halloween in a matter of days and we all know that dark houses set the mood for a creepier atmosphere.
And what better candle could you possibly get for this ghoulish time of the year than this Bleeding Skull Candle from ThinkGeek?
The ‘bleeding’ part of its name isn’t just a name, because that’s what the candle actually does. Light it up and watch with horror as blood slowly pours out from one of its eye sockets.
The longer it burns, the more blood there will be.
It might be kind of difficult to clean up but it’s one of the funnest candles I’ve ever seen to date. Priced at $12.99(USD) It’s one of the many fun items you can find at ThinkGeek.
Yeah, I can’t believe it either, but Halloween is just weeks away. If you’re looking for some fun ideas to decorate your pad for every geeks favorite holiday, why not send Igor out to steal you a brain in a jar?
The perfect centerpiece for any formal dinner, the brain candle is hand-sculpted to look just like real brains, floating in clear gel wax so it looks like something you’d find in Dr. Frankenstein’s lab-or-a-tory. Thankfully, this thing is unscented, as we’ve all smelled formaldehyde in high school biology, and that’s not something any of us would care to repeat – especially the dissecting frogs part.
So if you’ve got an open mind, head over to ThinkGeek now, where you can grab the brain candle for $19.99(USD). Igor promises you that it’s a totally normal brain.
When harnessed properly, atomic energy can probably be used to meet the world’s energy requirements and then some. Despite its potential, nuclear energy is also very dangerous. So dangerous, in fact, that New York-based artist Nao Matsumoto distributed thousands of middle finger candles that he had molded earlier to show what he thinks about it.
These were the candles that waves of Japanese people carried as they formed a human chain around the National Diet building (where the Japanese legislature meets) in Tokyo this past March 11. You might recall this date being the anniversary of the tsunami that sparked the deadly Fukushima atomic disaster last year.
The candles eventually burn to leave the disfigured stump of a clumpy hand – which is “symbolic of human tendency to only be able to communicate after things are badly damaged.” That’s in case the middle finger didn’t get the point across in the first place.
The ‘bleeding’ part of its name isn’t just a name, because that’s what the candle actually does. Light it up and watch with horror as blood slowly pours out from one of its eye sockets.
