What will the remains of our current civilization look like to future generations? The objects that we carelessly discard today will be tomorrow’s relics. Artist Victor Sonna takes those future relics and turns them into a sort of retro-futuristic (or perhaps futuristic-retro?) mix of aged components and future reuse.

(all images via: Designboom)

Sonna collects old, rusted industrial items that are no longer useful for their original intended purposes and turns them into fascinating bikes. The latest in his “Future Nostalgia” collection is a bike called Ipsum.

Ipsum is composed of an old rake, various bits of aged tools, and other industrial odds and ends. Each element shows its age with a unique patina of rust, flaked paint, and dents.

The artist describes his work as being inspired by the strength of destruction. He uses imperfect objects to create beautiful and unconventional works that question our very idea of what can be called beautiful.

Ipsum and the other bikes in the series are welded together to make them stable and feature functional wheels, pedals and chains so they should be rideable. Imagine how much waste could be kept out of landfills if every discarded object was suddenly seen for its inherent value rather than its past life as a no-longer-useful item.

The post Aged Industrial Parts Become a Retro-Style Sculptural Bike first appeared on Gajitz.

When you give a dedicated DIYer a pile of random objects, chances are they’ll be able to figure out something to do with it. Instructables user vmspionage took an empty round Altoids Sours tin, a couple of computer fan guards, and a few odd pieces of hardware and made a fully functional miniature barbecue.

You can recreate the tiny grill using a Dremel tool with a cutting blade, a drill, tin snips, pliers, and a screwdriver. As long as you have a bit of DIY know-how, the project will come together in no time. You can get the step-by-step guide here at Instructables.

The grill is heated with a single standard-size charcoal briquette. It really does get hot enough to cook and can fit a miniature hamburger patty or a hot dog – as long as the dog is cut down to a size that will fit on the tiny grill surface.

The post Dinner for One: Tiny DIY Recycled Altoids Tin Barbecue first appeared on Gajitz.

For people who always want the newest technology, the old models usually get chucked out as soon as the next big thing comes along. In an effort to reduce e-waste and generally make using computers more awesome, Hong Kong-based company Gowin Technology created a device that turns standard computer screens into touchscreens.

The Zmartframe Touch PC fits over an existing monitor and is attached via straps around the back. It works with 19″, 22″, or 24″ Windows monitors, connecting via USB and calibrating with a Windows-based program that has users touch certain spots on the screen. The device has an impressive response time of 8 ms so there’s no maddening delay when you type or tap using the device’s two-point touch system.

Although it is designed to work on Windows systems, the Zmartframe Touch PC also comes equipped with an Android Mode. When set to Android Mode, plugged into a power source, and connected via HDMI, the monitor becomes a standalone Android tablet – albeit a very large, not-so-portable one.

We love the idea of reducing e-waste, but we aren’t sure just how large a market the product will have. There aren’t too many folks still using desktop PCs, and those who do aren’t likely to be so eager to hold onto them that they’ll spend $130-$300 (some of the funding levels on the product’s IndieGoGo campaign) to hold onto them. Still, the Zmartframe Touch PC is a pretty cool idea that could make usable computers out of the old LCD and LED monitors you might have lying around.

The post Resurrected Tech: Frame Turns Monitors into Touch Screens first appeared on Gajitz.

The heartbreak of dropping your expensive iPhone is so much stronger than you might expect, particularly when you get the repair bill. Chris Koerner, an iPhone repair tech, is somewhat mitigating that heartbreak by taking broken iPhone parts and making them into new and useful home objects.

Koerner noticed that phone pieces which couldn’t be reused for anything were rapidly accumulating in his workshop, and he wondered if he could give them new life and keep them from the landfill.

From this thought was born Twice Used, a project focusing on upcycling broken iPhones into stylish and useful everyday items.

The collection includes a gorgeous wall clock, coasters, picture frames, jewelry, and even a coffee table. The pieces are all masterfully crafted, with special attention given to the repeating modern shapes of the shattered phone pieces.

Even the cracks in the glass are beautified with the addition of some subtle color. If you’ve ever experienced the painful loss of your lovely (and pricey) iPhone, these upcycled pieces might be just what you need to get over that lingering sorrow.

The post Broken iPhones Upcycled Into Lovely Modern Home Decor first appeared on Gajitz.

All too often, vehicles which have lived out their useful years are left to rot in various junkyards and trash heaps – but two Dutch designers decided to put an old ambulance and other “trash” to great use.

Pim van Baarsen and Luc van Hoeckel, in cooperation with Malawi social business Sakaramenta, rescued a boring parking space at Beit Cure hospital Blantyre. The hospital specializes in orthopedic treatments and has many young patients.

The designers pulled a gutted ambulance from a pile of trash, made it safe for play, and installed it in the newly-formed playground as a kind of funky playhouse.

Other attractions in the new playground include trashed tires, springs, axles and other objects that would otherwise have rotted away in the garbage dump. Instead, they’ve been rehabbed and now provide a bit of joy in the lives of sick and injured children.

The playground is open to the public, so kids from surrounding areas can come to play with the hospital’s patients. This allows hospitalized children to socialize with other kids from the area, giving them a few minutes of normalcy at otherwise-difficult times in their lives.

The post Rubbish to Recess: Hospital Park Revives Old Ambulance first appeared on Gajitz.