We could all use a little less stress at work, but for a lot of people that stress leads to serious consequences. Product designer Tomomi Sayuda knows those consequences first-hand: her father committed suicide in 1995 due to work-related stress. Her Desktop Fireworks installation art is a fun reminder that we all need a bit of a break in the midst of a pressure-filled day.

Desktop Fireworks is an office desk set that looks pretty mundane on the surface. There are a set of drawers, a mug, a pencil cup, some binders, a memo board, and a tape dispenser. And then there’s that big red button that practically screams “Push Me!”

In a moment of mounting stress, the worker pushes the button to unleash a short but sweet stress-relieving party for one. Disco lights flash, confetti shoots up, bubbles waft around, and for a few brief moments the office seems like an ultra-exclusive club and you’re the only one who got in.

The installation might be humorous in nature, but it is a reminder to everyone that work isn’t everything. You need to indulge your human side by having some fun during the work day, even if it is just for a few minutes. The effect of this little mini-break can be surprisingly positive on a stressed-out office worker.

The post Disco for One: A Stress-Relieving Office Desktop Party first appeared on Gajitz.

We have spent a lifetime total of approximately three million hours playing video games where we destroy things and basically run around being insane. It’s a kind of therapy that lets us take out our frustrations on digital victims. But at some point, destroying pretend stuff ceases to be quite as satisfying. The people behind Drive a Tank get that – and they might just be our soul mates.

Drive a Tank is a service in Minnesota that lets you satisfy your innermost desires to drive around a wicked armored vehicle. For $499, you can drive two tanks around a wooded course and test fire some historic weapons. But for just $499 more you can use that mean machine for what it’s really meant for: crushing the life out of a poor, defenseless car. Add another $200 and you can crush a second car.

As long as you’re throwing money at the Drive a Tank people, you can also reserve a helicopter taxi from Minneapolis/St. Paul to drop you at the tank range for a true rock star experience. The operation seems to be reasonably safe, incorporating a two-hour tank training course and tandem “instructor” controls in the tank just in case you lose control. And our guess is that smashing cars with a tank is way more satisfying than those race car-driving experiences.

The post Smash Hit Gift: Tank Driving Service Lets You Crush Cars first appeared on Gajitz.

If you’ve ever experienced the satisfaction of forcefully breaking a plate, glass or other delicate object (on purpose), you know how surprisingly therapeutic it can be. It’s called destruction therapy, and it promises to help release pent-up rage and aggression through controlled violence. This awesome vending machine would let users choose an item to destroy, insert a few coins and then smash away to relieve stress.

Much like any other vending machine, the Anger Release Machine features rows of items from which to choose. The selections range from porcelain plates to crystal glasses to delicate ceramic figurines. After dropping (presumably onto a padded surface), the items can be extracted for immediate destruction therapy. Developed by designers Ronnie Yarisal and Katja Kublitz, the awesomely creative idea remains a concept for now. But anything that helps release stress before it turns into road rage or workplace violence would be a welcome addition to the urban environment.

The post Breaking Up: Vending Machine Encourages Public Smashing first appeared on Gajitz.