Products are interesting, but highly specialized products even more so. One of the reasons we get more excited about high-performance cars than regular passenger ones, or precision machine tools over the sort you find in a typical garage workshop, is that such objects tend to wear their functions on their sleeves. Fast cars look fast because that's their primary reason for existing -- anything that doesn't work toward this end tends to get left off, and a new development that speeds them up tends to find wide acceptance in short order.

I don't drive fast cars, but I like to go on long walks. And in a smaller, more humble way, backpacking gear has a similar clarity and honesty to its design. Aesthetics, accessories, and comforts still exist in such goods when they can, but almost always in profound deference to function, durability, and most crucially, light weight. This is what makes such gear so fascinating, and why I spent dozens hours in my teens and early twenties poring over Campmor and REI catalogs the way some kids I knew obsessed over automotive magazines.

I'm off on vacation starting this weekend, and we all agreed it would be an interesting exercise to catalog the gear I'll be hauling along, especially given the nature of the holiday: a 211 mile walk called the John Muir Trail, that rambles at high altitude, without meeting a single road, from Yosemite National Park to Mt. Whitney in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. It's by far the longest trail I've attempted, and the weight and durability requirements on accompanying gear are exceptional.

Here's what's coming along, categorized (with a respectful nod to the late, great Colin Fletcher, who used similar terminology in his classic Complete Walker reference series) by the "room" of the house that the gear approximates -- for a backpacker's kit is nothing more than an extreme distillation of the home he or she has left behind:

Kitchen (left to right): butane lighter, double-walled plastic mug, Victorinox Swiss Army knife, polycarbonate spoon, spatula, coffee maker with lid, microfiber rag, hard anodized aluminum pots, MSR Dragonfly stove with fuel bottle and windscreen

Comments: Food is eaten out of the pot or the mug, which is quite well insulated and extremely light; a great example of materials advancement translating to improved performance. The knife is a "Tinker" model, one of the few to dispense with the corkscrew in favor of a Phillips head screwdriver -- I've yet to have need of either, but it seems more likely I'd want to screw something down than open a bottle of wine at 12,000 feet. The problem with Swiss Army knives is that I usually only carry one when on vacation, which isn't all that frequently, so I lose and re-buy one roughly every two years. Good thing they're still under US$25.

If there's one thing I hate it's mopping, though I have to do it constantly--with two dogs, my wooden factory floors get filthy quick, particularly when one of them has an "accident." A friend gave me one of those Swifferjet thingies, but it doesn't do anything more than a surface cleaning and is incapable of getting rid of ground-in dirt (or worse).

What I wouldn't give to have a floor made out of (the dorkily-named) Happywood material, which looks like wood, but is actually porcelain stoneware:

Happywood takes the warmth of natural wood and adds the strength of porcelain stoneware: it does not wear, deteriorate or get ruined. The special hardness eliminates streaks and scratches. The surface is compact, it does not stain or absorb. It can be washed and sanitized: no problems, even when using harsh detergents. It is totally un-absorbing and can be installed in wet areas as well.

Produced by Novabell, Happywood's got enough recycled content in it to earn a LEED rating. Learn more about the stuff here.

Italian company Misterstep's neato, stagger-stepped Mini Plus staircase "employs a flight solution even when there is insufficient space for a normal open staircase." Arriving in a modular kit, the system is designed to be easily self-installed, DIY-style.

It's IkeaHacker plus: Spain's Yonoh Studio issued a challenge for designers to view their local Ikea not as a retailer, but as a source of raw materials. The idea is to then design and build a new object using parts bought at Ikea. Seen above, a variable-height desk lamp made from a rag-hanging rack and a light fixture.

Entitled Surtido de Mutaciones (Assorted Mutations), the project's resultant objects can be viewed here. Unfortunately there are no captions, so figuring out what went into each piece will truly test your knowledge of the Ikea catalog.

We are really excited with the early reviews of the Dutch Master Limited Edition Bicycle, and want to express our appreciation for all the support out there.

And If you're in New York City tomorrow, please come by the Apple Store SoHo for the "Meet the Designers of the Dutch Master" event, from 3-4pm. See you there! And all next week, come by and see the bike featured at the Ace Hotel New York.

Here are some early quotes so far:

Coolhunting
"We couldn't have been more impressed after taking the Dutch Master for a spin around SoHo."

Boing Boing Gadgets
"And a lovely bike it is...Don't leave 'em on the street, folks!"

Treehugger
"The Secret Ingredient is Love. Our friends at Core77 know beautiful design, but they're really surpassed themselves with the Dutch Master super-duper-limited edition bike...What can I say except that it's totally beautiful and I'm glad that the artistry of making such cool bikes is still around. Kudos guys & gals!"

Design Observer
"$1560.00 for a bike? Definitely yes, if it's the Dutch Master by Core 77 and legendary Brooklyn bike builder KT Higgins, using a Worksman cruiser frame and specialized parts by numerous NYC manufacturers."

PSFK
"Core77's limited-edition bicycle, the Dutch Master, combines a number of our favorite trends as of late--two-wheeled transportation, local craftsmanship and provenance--into a stunning piece of rideable design that pays homage to New York City."

Phil Patton
"Its name is happily congruent with the recognition of the Dutch history of New York occasioned by the anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival...We love the field expediencies of messenger bikes: the frames mummy wrapped in black electric tape, the cardboard boxes pressed into service as baskets. But this bike is eons beyond that."

Dudecraft
"Core77 industrial design magazine has built this stunner of a bike, chock full of New York history and with a nod to the wheelmen of old. The $1500 price may be wince worthy for the average cyclist, but honestly, for a custom bike this sexy, it's a bargain and a half. Those white schwalbe baloon tires alone are enough to make the iciest Gibson Girl melt at 50 paces."

More kind words after the jump...

Just as computers have gone from room-filling behemoths to things that fit on our laps, so too are manufacturing machines--specifically, milling machines used for rapid prototyping--continuing to shrink.

Roland DGA Corporation's latest, the MDX-40A, has a footprint of 26.3" x 29.9", which is comparable to the space that laser printers took up not too long ago. The 4-axis machine can carve up pieces as large as 12" x 12" x 4.1". At roughly $8,000, it isn't a casual purchase, but design studios looking to invest in the downturn will probably either buy one or covet one.

Learn more about the machine here.

The skillsets an industrial designer is trained to have (and pick up along the way) can often be transferred to other fields. Two of the more lucrative are Hollywood concept design and "pre-viz," or pre-visualization, whereby designers render out a movie's characters, environments and even action sequences, under the supervision of the director, to show the moneyholding producers what the movie would look like before they commit to deep-pocketed financing.

Ex-Hollywood designer Feng Zhu remembers that "his parents tried dissuading him from enrolling in the renowned Arts Center College of Design in Pasadena. However, he recalls that as a concept designer, he was earning more than the combined incomes of his parents - both doctors - by the age of 21."

After earning an ID degree from Art Center and embarking on a successful career with his own design firm in Santa Monica, producing work for the likes of Michael Bay, James Cameron and various videogame producers, Zhu moved to Singapore. What happened next is rather interesting:

When [Zhu] came to Singapore, his intention was to set up a game development company. But what he ended setting up, however, was the FZD School of Design, which aims to teach students how to conceptualise designs that will sell.

A dearth of talent needed to develop computer games led him to veer from his original business plan. Singapore had no shortage of capable and well-trained designers who could draw and operate design software, he says. But most of them lacked the 'fundamental skills' needed for conceptualising design.

Read the story of Zhu and his school here.

via asia one business

With her multi-layered Lepidoptera chair, Australian designer Simone LeAmon has won two very different awards: The Cicely & Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award, and the Oops Design Award, which bills itself as the "First award in the world for bad product design."

The former is a prestigious Australian design honor that comes with an AU $30,000 payout; the latter is conferred by designer Andrej Statskij, design journalist Magda Braun-Sommer and product design historian Adam Hoops, all of whom have collaborated to put up an interesting if slightly rabid website dedicated to calling out what they see as "bad product design." Check 'em out here.

via architecture & design

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The delusion of an unsustainable economic system, along with the time required to forge a new one - based on innovation - and the scarcity of resources, have changed the leading trends in design: public space, recycling, re-use and open source technologies dominated the creative sphere of design at the international DMY Design Festival in Berlin.

DMY started out in 2003 when 20 friends got together to show each other their works and exchange ideas; 7 years down the line, it has grown into an international design festival, contemporary design platform and representative of Berlin as the city of design (UNESCO), connected to an international network of creative cities.

Renowned as a 'trend barometer' in the design industry, the DMY design festival has succeeded in maintaining the creative flair and informal atmosphere of its original format while becoming a multifaceted event with global appeal.

Berlin provides an ideal setting for a design festival, and, by capitalizing on empty spaces and underused urban areas, it has succeeded in giving creativity an active role within the city in terms of culture and economy, as well as attributing special importance to the existing characteristics of urban spaces. 20% of Berlin's population is under the age of 25 and one tenth of the working population is involved in the creative economy, which accounts for over 21% of its GDP, making the German capital one of Europe's most creative hubs. Described by foreign residents as an 'open city' Berlin's creative scene has been attracting designers and artists for years. The festival jury of the DMY Awards was in fact composed of foreign designers and curators who have chosen to live and work in Berlin (Jurgen Bey, Hurgen Meyer H., Ines Kaag).

One of Hamburg's favorite art and design schools HFBK Hamburg opened its door for its annual exhibition, or "Jahresausstellung". From 9-12 July 2009 young and post-graduate design+art students present their best works. A great opportunity for upcoming students to get a taste of the school's competence.

See our snapshots after the jump!

Today, Core77 proudly introduces a limited edition bicycle—named the "Dutch Master"—celebrating New York bike culture and a heritage of local manufacturing.

The Dutch Master is based on the beloved Worksman cruiser frame—a workhorse foundation used throughout the New York delivery community, and manufactured in Queens, New York for over 110 years. Core77 customized the frame, fitting it out with a carefully curated set of components, each with its own story.

The bike was hand-built by KT Higgins, a Brooklyn-based ex-bike messenger (infamous for her crash in the movie Pedal), and proprietor of Bushwick Bike Shop, her one-year-old bikeshop in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The Dutch Master features stem and pedals from Brooklyn Machine Works, maker of high-end, indestructible parts. The Brooks saddle and the Dapper Dan grips, both leather, provide unparalleled feel and an authentic patina. The BMX Crankset is complemented by front and rear drum breaks from Sturmey Archer, and the shock-absorbing Schwalbe "Fat Frank" cruiser tires provide smooth-rolling, urban-friendly traction and durability.

The wheels are hand-built in Brooklyn with Swiss DT spokes, and the rear wheel is equipped with bike pegs, so that you can carry (at least) one of your posse home at the end of the night.

Core77 was founded in Brooklyn in 1995, and one of the reasons why the bike project is so exciting for us is that it both recognizes the history of the company and celebrates small manufacturing in the area.

As part of the product launch, the Apple Store SoHo New York will be presenting a Live "Meet the Designers" Event on Saturday, July 11th at 3pm, featuring the story of the Core77 Dutch Master Bicycle. Designers and builders of the bike will take the audience through the design and development of the Dutch Master, showing video and process shots of production and construction of the bike. The Apple Store SoHo New York is located at 103 Prince Street. Following the event, the Dutch Master will be on display in the lobby of the trend-setting Ace Hotel New York, located at 20 West 29th Street, for one week, from July 11 through July 18th.

The bike will be produced in a limited edition of 25. For more information, ordering, videos, and press photos of Core77's Dutch Master Bicycle, visit www.core77.com/dutchmaster.

Artist: fueledbycoffee
More: View all Core-toons

Packaging for Japanese booze? The results of the latest Absolut or Bombay design competition? Nope--these are the funky glassworks of Joel Philip Myers, the Pennsylvania-based artist with works in the The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Decorative Art, Prague, Australian Crafts Council, and Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Japan.

Philadelphia's Wexler Gallery is currently running a retrospective of Myers' work from 1971 to present; for those not in the Philly area, you can have a look at the works on display here.

The crazy-looking Fluxus is a "wave of glass and light" resulting from the combined skills of Karim Rashid and arts Michela Vianello.

The press release doesn't say whether it was a direct collaboration, but what we do know is that Rashid designed Knit (top two photos), the grid of glass elements the light fixture is composed of; Vianello then shaped it into the undulating form seen in the bottom two photos for installation in the White Gallery, a lifestyle store in Rome, and Italian manufacturer Andromeda International is calling the resultant product Fluxus.

Fluxus covers a surface area of 60 square meters, using 42,000 handmade glass Knit elements, in 5 colors; the lighting is provided by 5,000 punctiform micro lights distributed on the internal surface of the wave.

The unique fixture reportedly required two years of research and seven months of development, and we're looking forward to seeing what other shapes designers and artists will bend the Knit into.