Alessi Daytimer Watch

In the final picture, the art of watchmaking is not dissimilar from architecture. In one, sturdy geometric forms rise sharply from the wrist, in another, solid structures arise from concrete. The fusion of these forms has been explored by Alessi and architects Will Alsop and Federico Grazzini in the Alessi Daytimer Watch. This purple polyurethane watch (also available in green, black and red) features triangular patterns surrounding a simple OLED digital display. The time isn’t the main attraction on this watch, it is the unusual and refreshing band which demands the attention of every pair of eyes it meets. Available for $120 at EmmoHome.

....A kinder, gentler philosophy of success...

Alain de Botton: Philosopher

It started in 1997, when Alain de Botton turned away from writing novels and instead wrote a touching extended essay titledHow Proust Can Change Your Life, which became an unlikely blockbuster in the "self-help"category. His subsequent books take on some of the fundamental worries of modern life (am I happy? where exactly do I stand?), informed by his deep reading in philosophy and by a novelist's eye for small, perfect moments. His newest book is The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work.

In 2008, de Botton helped start the School of Life in London, a social enterprise determined to make learning and therapy relevant in today's uptight culture. His goal is (through any of his mediums) to help clients learn "how to live wisely and well."

... Mathieu Lehanneur @ TED ....

Mathieu Lehanneur is a designer who is fascinated with science, and it shows. He explains that his fascination is quite unique in his field, as rules of marketing say he should simplify but science embraces complexity. He's impressed by science's ability to investigate the human being; after all, he designs for the human being.

Then, Lehanneur begins showing us images of his designs. He's created a product called dB, a white ball that emits white noise and interacts with us to improve our concentration, without alienating us from the people around us. Then he delves into his medical designs -- an antibiotic course that comes in peel-and-eat layers, encouraging patients to finish it successfully; a living plant system to filter air called ANDREA; and LOCAL RIVER, an indoor system for growing plants and farming fish (for the ultimate locavore). His designs are fascinating, sleek and useful, a rather unusual combination.