It does not, however, help you figure out what to do with a “Q” four “E”s, a “B” and an “L”. I also want one of my very own.

(Via Monoscope)

Not being much of a car person, I couldn’t really understand the connection between art and cars. But, fast forward a few years, and I get it. I get the allure of a classic car, not just aesthetically, but emotionally. In other words, a really great car makes me think of really great adventures. It’s no accident that James Bond is known as much for his car as his jet-setting and world-saving. Luckily, I got hip to the art of cars just in time for Portland Art Museum’s current exhibition, Allure of the Automobile.

The exhibit, which runs through September 11, is a celebration of car design, and its connection to many of the important design movements. There’s no doubting their place among other great designed objects.

One of the best-of lists I’ve been spending some time checking out is Popular Science’s Best of What’s New list.  The list compiles 100 of the best innovations of the year.   Some of my personal favorites: the guitar that always stays tuned; the cell phone recycling kiosk (I think of the museum of cell phones taking up space in my closet right now) ; and the robot lifeguard.

Honestly though, more than a few of these earned a “Whoa, cool!” from me.

The products spotlighted in the article are changing the world, make no mistake about it.  A purifying straw to give people access to clean water isn’t just a neat idea, it’s lifesaving and affordable laptops for schools open the world up for kids in ways that so many of us take for granted.  Ideas are powerful things that can, and do, change the world.

I’m currently living in approximately 700 square feet of living space.  It’s small, but not unbearable.  There’s something very comforting about knowing exactly how much stuff I can cram in here at any given time.  Old magazines?  I’m sorry you’ll have to go.  Excessive knickknacks?  No, not so much.  It’s not that I don’t have too much stuff I probably don’t need, it’s that the space it takes up not only needs to be used wisely, but often needs to serve dual purposes.  The shelf that holds a rather large record collection, also serves as a sort of room divider between the living room and the office area.  I have three end tables that, if need arises, tuck neatly into one another.  An old classroom desk pulls double duty as printer holder and office supply storage.  It’s the way I’ve managed to make this small space feel a little less confining.  I’m not sure if I want to live the rest of my life in such a compact space, but it’s nice knowing I have the skills to make it work.  I’m not so bold to suggest that I have skills like this, but I do all right.

More and more people are realizing the value of smaller spaces, and designers are responding.  This article really highlights the move from the massive to the manageable in homes.   The move seems equal parts economics and changing tastes, and much like my attempts at making less feel like more, these scaled-down houses are relying on multi-use spaces:

In order to make the best use of the space, the architects left the interior roof exposed and created rooms that serve multiple functions: the kitchen and dining room double as hallways, and the master bathroom also serves as a laundry room.

We may not all be ready for compact living, and you know, I never thought I was either, but it’s been such a lesson.  I now know what things I really and truly need to make my home feel comfortable, how to make the space I have magically increase with careful planning, and most of all, how to tuck the really big stuff in closets.

The experiences of many a Portlander, both newly arrived and long-time residents has been captured in the new book, Our Portland Story.  Combining both the literary and the visual, Our Portland Story matches writers with designers to create the book’s pages.  The book celebrates not just the written word, but the visual impact of good design.  Combining the talents of 77 authors and 68 designers, Our Portland Story is described as, “part yearbook, part insider’s travel guide, and part collected memoirs, but is all about Portland by Portlanders.”  It’s a nice reminder that every city has its stories to tell.

Now, I’m a car commuter.  I spend my morning changing lanes and avoiding 18-wheelers.  It is, luckily, a very brief commute, but still, it sets the tone for the day in a way I don’t look forward to nearly as much.  Driving is simply different than walking.  Not better, not worse, just different.  I know that as a reluctant car commuter, I look forward to any change of scenery; back bumpers do grow tiresome.  There was the time that Cirque du Soleil was in town.  I loved seeing the tent rise out of nowhere, creating a new world in what was usually an empty lot.  Beauty out of emptiness.  Transforming the ordinary.  I think that’s part of why Park(ing) Day is so interesting to me.  People transform the everyday parking spot into public space.  Last year, over 700 parks sprung up in, what just the day before, was a metered parking spot.  To see space being repurposed and reimagined into ways that create small slices of beauty out of plots of concrete is amazing.  Park(ing) Day 2010 is this Friday, and I can’t wait to see the transformation.

The bendable bike, created by industrial design student, Kevin Scott, was designed to prevent thefts by enabling riders to easily secure their bikes to any available post.   With the press of a lever, the bendable bike goes from ride-ready to flexible.  Right now, the bendable bike is still in the development stage, but be prepared to see it wrapped around a pole near you in the future.

Which, of course, makes me wonder what of the other recyclables?  Newspaper? Plastic bottles?  The possibilities are endless.

Compound (One word: Godzilla)

Ground Kontrol (Played Pacman lately?)

Tanner Goods/The Woodlands (High end design meets lumberjack)

Core77 (Minimum twelve styles of safety glasses to choose from)

Ping (Great restaurant featuring John Jays funky clock collection.  Be sure and have the pork bun.)

East (Another Skylab institution)

Someday Lounge (Always something different.  Seriously.)

Gilt Club (Great food + cool DIY lightbulb sculpture pendant)

Seven Planet (The Green General Store)

Hive Modern (Not really in Old Town anymore, but it used to be.)

Chinese Garden (Truly authentic)

FlatHED, Inc.  (If you would like to stop in an see our office while you are in town, give us a ring and we’ll set something up!)