As I do everyday, I awoke to CNN this morning, but today it was a recap of Anderson Cooper’s coverage of a “man on mars”, as depicted in photography taken by Nasa’s Mars Rover, That little robot that will crawl Mars’ surface for infinity. While the authenticity of the photograph is undisputed, the depicted subject matter is certainly up for debate. Is it a man? Or is it a rock? You decide. If it is indeed the latter, we still face an important question, given the recent media attention given to last week’s “UFO sightings” in Texas. Is the media becoming more obsessed with the idea of extra-terrestrial life? Or is it simply becoming more conscious of the notion that we’re not alone?
Unlocking universal truth is certainly at the forefront of Virgin’s grand plan. Today, they unveiled their design for what they are calling, ‘Virgin Galactic Tourist Spaceship.’ Launching this summer through a series of tests, “2008 will be the year of the spaceship,†according to Virgin Group founder Richard Branson. (Be sure to check out the folding egg chair seating inside)
For those who simply won’t be able to afford the ticket to outer space, Globus Artifort provides another way to escape into the space age, with their ultra-slick Mobile Office Pod. Featuring a slick design consisting of a ball that opens into a workstation, this Pod is sure to hit the contract market sooner or later and provide a public solution for professionals on the go tending to personal matters.
There’s no argument over people’s growing fascination of anything pod-like. The pod universally speaks to the human soul of another place—a place somewhere between the future and a not-so-distant past. Perhaps this place is here and now. Becoming increasingly popular are pod-like hearths from above. Available in different styles from different manufacturers, these fireplaces actually give the illusion that aliens have landed in your living room. It’s roots in the otherworld make for an astonishing centerpiece that works surprisingly well in any style of living space.
The Pod form has also proven time and again to offer as much in the way of function, portability and convenience as it has in stylish relevance to everyday life. A perfect example is the pod-shaped Eggo from Brazilian appliance company Brastemp. The Eggo is essentially a portable washing machine for your time-sensitive laundering needs, and resembles a friendly little android ready and willing to do laundry. Great for apartment use, or for people without the time, energy, or quarters to keep a clean stash, this pod definitely fills yet another void in modern living.
The Vistosi Diadema ceiling lamp takes a completely different approach to satisfying our craving for space age in the home. Quite arguably the polar opposite of the pod, this chandelier embraces the rod. Through repetition of beautifully transparent hand-crafted glass tubes, the Diadema conjures up images of the home planet of the world’s favorite red-cape wearing super-hero.
