Like a ship floating in the desert, shaped like a lotus, the concrete-free Desert Lotus Resort in Inner Mongolia is a sustainable solution to human accommodation within a natural environment.

Solar Floating Resor by Michele Puzzolante with a thin-film solar skin applied to a lightweight balsa-reinforced fiberglass hull. The round shape of the vessel provides constant exposure to the sun, feeding batteries during daylight hours.

Sunengy and Tata Power collaboration: floating-on-water solar technology, Liquid Solar Array. The solar energy harvesting system floats on water, which cools the photovoltaic cell, and provides support and protection.

We've posted about London's Elephant Parade before, but Benjamin Shine;s taxi elephant deserved another post. It is glossy black with chrome details. headlights for eyes and a taxi sign that are solar powered!

Blue Crystal, an iceberg shaped resort floating off Dubai's coast is gorgeous, but isn't it about as sustainable as an ice cube in an oven?

Students of University Twente are also going to streak across the Australian outback for this year's World Solar Challenge. With their new tilting solar car the 21revolution. Direct competition for the students from Delft, see post 22897

The Avi Spa at Avillion Port Dickson, is probably the only floating spa in Malaysia, built above water, located at the very furthest of the resort on the Straits of Malacca.

Voyages Longitude 131, at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia, is a resort featuring a cluster of 15 luxurious solar-powered tent cabins overlooking Uluru (Ayers Rock). What a setting!

FEATUREDIKEA 08 ~ in addition to the Trollsta (#9958) - this season they seem to be picking up quite a few trends - from vinyl stickers to floating tv walls...

Medusa - Light design
Solar autonomous floating lamp for swimming pools.
Design by DI Enrique Goldes

First recycling plastics and finally... recycled silicone! Oiko Design Office and Lékué are now able to incorporate up to 50% post-consumer silicone in the creation of new products.

Biocol Labs is the post-chemical pharmacy - cute, cheeky branding for these cures for whatever ails you. Reminiscent of Help! meds from a few years back.

Sun Science USPS Stamps - images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

HUDS + GUIS!!!!!! I got sucked in with the Expanse post, but now i'm lost in the rest... there's something always so fun and inspiring about futuristic movie/tv scifi interfaces and tech.

Cognitive Surplus drinking glasses are so tempting (even as educational vases?) - especially loving Above the Earth, Beneath the Waves, and the Solar System designs.

Halfway between art and design, OOO My Design Studio presents Nomino Post. It’s a peg board storage system, which allows different compositions on the board and countless configurations to organize an decorate your home with a flare of optical art.

The State of UX in 2020 - From designing for the post-truth era to the rise of micro-communities, design as a team sport, invisible design systems, and more...

Grouphug “Solar Cat: The Cutest Solar Panel Ever Made,” a giant cat-shaped solar panel at the historic New York Hall of Science in Queens.

The Washington Post Magazine has 24 stunning covers about climate change

Lampa Fotosyntes by Sofia Ljung & Elia Anis. Such a lovely concept where the solar grow light can be moved to shift the growth of the plants!

bbhugme pregnancy pillow designed by Norwegian pre/post-natal chiropractors. It's multipurpose (full body, arm/back rest, rest ON your belly, nursing, newborn hangout) and adjustable (slide the silicone pebbles to adjust density and double as teethers)

The LAnd Magazine is coming soon! "The spirit of the alt-weekly is still alive in Los Angeles: A conversation with Jennifer Swann, co-editor of The LAnd magazine." in The Outline.

‘First Gear’ by London-based V2 Studios. The minimalist toys are also eco-friendly, using cork and plastic parts made from 100% post-consumer recycled high density polyethylene and 100% recyclable packing printed with soy based dyes.

Sol Coffee is a mobile solar powered 3rd wave espresso bar built on the frame of a 1979 Toyota camper.

Emile Henry Modern Classics Pie Dish. Impulse bought this for strawberry cake (#63277) and have been loving it for pies, cakes, casseroles, and more!

Vogue has a video recipe with Lori A. Stern to make her lovely Flower Pressed Shortbread Cookies from #63251.

Seed Phytonutrients are packaged in a "shower-friendly post-consumer recycled paper bottle" made by Ecologic. Apparently "The plastic liner is so thin—95 percent thinner than conventional bottles— that it collapses as it’s used."

Uplift: A spiralling solar sculpture to soothe the soul by Tom Lawton. Powered by the sun, Uplift's relaxing motion creates a calm, never-ending spiral that's mesmerising to watch as it flows and you unwind. You can also interact with it using the magnetic wand...

Sorry I Have No Filter from Sagmeister & Walsh. Clothes, pins, totes, pillows, phone cases, etc that are an updated twist on their Still Nasty collection (#62016).

Kodai Iwamoto Design EX-PORTATION 2018 at Ventura Future. Stunning "Plastic Blowing Project" heats and blows PVC pipes like glass into vases!

Copenhagen Islands by Fokstrot. CPH-Ø1 is a small 20m2 hand made wooden platform with a linden tree at its centre. The first in a series of moveable, floating, public spaces free for people to explore and conquer.

Post-it Extreme Notes! Water resistant, durable and writable. Made with ultra-strong Dura-Hold Paper and Adhesive. Sticks to textured surfaces and in tough conditions. Sticks in hot and cold environments.

"This plant will never die!" card with a Fiddle Leaf Pin by The Good Twin.

SmithFly Shoal Tent - sleep floating on the water!

Moebe Floating Leaves by Moebe x Paper Collective x Norm Architects. This series of botanic photography has been created especially for the Moebe Frame, and is produced through a special printing technique onto transparent film.

The solar eclipse melted cameras... even with warnings from LensRentals, people still didn't heed their advice to use solar filters and here's a peek at what can happen.

FEATUREDIn the path of totality for the Solar Eclipse tomorrow, Nashville's creative scene has been quite inspired - from Eclipse cotton candy cocktails and smoothies to cookies, tshirts, gig posters and more!

Olive & June Saturday Sandals - the perfect post-pedicure sandal you can tie a multitude of ways without touching your toes.

Solar Gaps - interesting idea on kickstarter to have solar panel mini blinds.

Solar Egg by Bigert & Bergström commission from Riksbyggen. This golden, faceted sculpture is a sauna inside, installed at Luossabacken in Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost town.

The Total Solar Eclipse Forever stamp, which commemorates the August 21 eclipse, transforms into an image of the Moon from the heat of a finger. First of it's kind USPS thermochromic ink stamp!

Packaging design for Off Grid Ales, a craft brewery powered by wind and solar energy. Design by The Details.

EDEN, Kinetic sculptures that celebrate natural beauty and balance by Agustina Bottoni.

Bliss Mobil - intriguing luxury expedition vehicles built into steel frame, all in one boxes with solar panel tops that are easily detached and shipped. They can be mounted a variety of trucks (like unimogs!)

Tesla Solar Roof - with solar tiles of various designs that will convert sunlight into electricity stored in the Powerwall 2.

Solarpuff is a solar-powered origami-inspired light that works for up to 12 hours after 8 hours of exposure to the sun.

Congrats to all the medal winning Olympians - female and male! Poignant post in Babe - "Congrats girl! Fiancé of former Miss California scoops his 25th medal: AKA – if we talked about male Olympians the way we talk about female athletes"

OFF Paris Seine, a floating hotel and bar on the Seine River.

French creative duo Mickael Martins Afonso and Caroline Escaffre Faure have installed a series of floating clouds inside a hidden courtyard in Montpellier as part of The Festival des Architectures Vives 2016.

VIDEOAkinori Goto's 3D printed zoetrope is a beautiful study of human motion expressed in a sculptural object.

Christo's Floating Piers opens on Lake Iseo in Italy allowing visitors to walk on water

IKEA PS Collection 2017! Dezeen gives us a peek at the preview - and this year is all about minimizing waste. They collaborated with 21 designers to create 60 products focused on "high design values at a great price".

Sight Unseen's Q&A with IKEA’s Head of Research on the Future of Furniture, Mikael Ydholm, is fascinating. Interesting insights into how they mine their global data, focus on feelings, and innovate. (It's a sponsored post, but still a good read!)

Faherty Mobile Beach House Showroom! Built by Havenhill Builders - complete with solar panels, reclaimed barnwood, and recycled piping. Nice making of video.

Yayoi Kusama Narcissus Garden at The Glass House comprises of 1,300 floating steel spheres, each approximately 12 inches in diameter installed in the Lower Meadow and forest.

VIDEOTurn any post or tree into a swing with the portable swing by Dutch brand Weltevree. Fun design and concept by Dutch designer Thor ter Kulve

Spotlight Solar's Curve structure. The solar tree is generating clean energy and raising awareness of sustainability at NC State University.

VIDEOTime lapse of the Sun from Jan 1, 2015 to Jan 28, 2016 as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Stunning!

VIDEOCocktail Chemistry's Ice Ball Cocktail... instead of an ice ball floating IN your drink, the drink is IN your ice ball! The best part is when you get to crack it open with a little hammer before indulging!

Window Seat Please. A limited edition zine by Karl Hab sharing 10 years of window seat views. Reminds me of the NOTCOT "Operation: Window Seat" posts!

Antiroom II is a floating island on the sea of Malta, an unreachable surface from the ground, only accessible by swimming or by boat. By Elena Chiavi, Ahmad El Mad, Matteo Goldoni with students during the EASA Links 2015 workshop in Valletta (Malta)

In an effort to share great designs and designers with others, Jung Soo Park started creating pixelated interpretations of iconic designs from the history to post on Instagram with little nuggets of information about each piece.

Paultje is a life size Meerkat made for the Amsterdam Energy Cooperative Zuiderlicht, which stimulates the generation of clean (solar) energy.

ADA is an analog interactive installation, kinetic sculpture, and post-digital drawing machine by Karina Smigla-Bobinski.

The "Architect's Christmas Tree" version 2.0 - this time with the NYC subway map! The post includes instructions for you to make your own.

Nanan's Antifacto Urban Lights - made in Lille, France since 2012, these are amazing headlight creatures! Predecessors to the Lampsters in #60616

Utilizing old tractor headlights, a young architect and an engineer created 'The Lampster' - a fantastic lamp that looks like a little superhero robot. (Also see #60624.)

VIDEOTrunk’s director Junior Martínez and Pablo Barquín have created a stunning and mesmerising video for Floating Points, aka Sam Shepherd.

VIDEODUELS - From Bruton Stroube, the creators of the Slo-Mo Booth (#54107) comes the sequel with a full back-alley set, 3 Phantom HD Gold cameras, and 6 racks of costumes and props and duelers fueled by 6 kegs of beer.

FEATUREDLIGHT L16 Camera - 16 cameras in one combine for up to 52 megapixel images, post processing depth of field control, 35-150mm zoom and more... and we got our hands on a prototype to see what's inside.

VIDEOApparently it will take 2 phones to watch yungjake's music video via snapchat... BOTH. Looks like a BFF necklace split in two?

MAD WORLD - The vehicles of Fury Road. Amazing series of illustrations from Scott Park inspired by Mad Max!

FEATUREDRESEARCH: Stacking + Totems. Since NOTCOT is where all my inspiration lives, here's the first (ever evolving) NOTlabs Research post as i dive back into the archives and around the internet on things i'm thinking about for experiments/projects!

The Good Twin Co. Pin + Post Cards! Cities, Horoscopes, and more little enamel pins mixed with 4"x6" cards you can give to a friend.

Floating Flower Garden from Maison&Objet 2015!

Spaceprob.es catalogs the active human-made machines that freckle our solar system and dot our galaxy.

3D printed tabletop planter for succulent or cactus designed by Emmanuel Carrillo. The 3D model is available for free. Glass top from ebay. [Editor's Note: Inspired by the Domsai of #21263?]

Dedon Island - What better place to experience Dedon's luxury outdoor furniture than their Outdoor Living Lab island resort in Mindanao, Philippines?

Design YXR's Drift Perfume Diffuser - A maglev floating perfume diffuser spreads the aroma.

Gramovox Floating Record is a new high-performance vertical turntable with full-range stereo speakers. Built in Chicago.

A group of architecture students from AA Visiting School Slovenia has conceived a “levitation-suit” that allows guests to experience 3D sleeping as if they were floating in zero gravity environment.

Studio Michael Anastassiades Floating Forest Series - polished brass pieces you can combine with any glass for minimal planters

The first edition of the House Shelves is a series of wall-mounted shelves inspired by the post modern architecture in Palm Springs. The Walled Estates are designed to hold items that don’t necessarily have a home – such as keys, glasses and mail.

VIDEOOne year later (#56963) after losing against the champion Timo Boll in table tennis, KUKA robot asked for revenge. See the different kind of challenge, for both, with the new and surprising set of rules.

Liddy Scheffknecht's POP UP furniture is like a life sized pop up book!

Forest Loops, a sculptural playground in Hamakita, Japan by Suppose Design Office.

The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd has developed a technique for printing organic solar panels as thin as paper. One square metre of the panels can harvest 3.2 amperes of electricity with 10.4 watts of power at Mediterranean latitudes.

A collection of paper cut-out models representing brutalist architecture of London from 1960s-1970s.

Anaptár 2015: lunar and solar cycles calendar system.

Cellular Tessellation - A doubly curved surface brilliantly shines at Vivid Sydney. A light installation from the Bond University Abedian School of Architecture advances digital fabrication and solar energy.

Parable of the Polygons - an interactive post by Vi Hart and Nicky Case. Both fascinating from a usability/creativity perspective and from a content perspective as it helps illustrate Schelling's Dynamic Models of Segregation.

Maple Set, a Red Dot Design Award winner is now available for pre-order!

The New York Oyster Map features 30 great places to slurp the freshest shucks in the city, curated by oyster expert and bivalve blogger Julie Qiu of In A Half Shell. There are also Diner, Burger, and Ramen Maps!

Designed by the architects Antonio Girardi and Cristiana Favretto, Jellyfish Barge is a floating agricultural greenhouse producing food without consuming land, fresh water or energy.

Mirage pavilion for Sziget Festival 2014, by Studio Nomad.

Leaf Beast. Baku Maeda turns dried magnolia leaves into creatures!

Chrome Industries Motor Barrage Bag - The tool panel is a great detail! It is a 100% welded-waterproof HD ballistic nylon rolltop with military grade 18 oz. truck tarpaulin floating bucket liner.

As a first outdoor installation, Emmanuelle Moureaux has transformed the space in Shinjuku Central Park in Tokyo using full spectrum of floating colors.

Basecamp of Impressions by Lukas Unterholzner showing a timelapse of the views from the Alps' Meran 2000 resort.

Bernhard Lang's aerial photos capture the organized beauty of the Italian Beach Resort, Adria.

Post Club HQ is a subscription Postcard Print service! The August 2014 issue is "Use yer hands"

La Lampe by Maiori, inspiring, autonomous, state-of-the-art solar collection of solar lamps.

Fable, a contemporary interpretation of the traditional swing. Lacquered stainless steel and copper joints hold an inviting floating sofa.

Casio EXILIM Split Camera - Camera unit and controller are Bluetooth connected and splash/dust proof. Concepts like these have been floating around for years, fun to see one making it to market.

FEATUREDNOTFZJ80 Project: Test Trip, Big Bear! First part is testing out camping. From popping the rooftop tent, annex, and awning, to cooking a few meals and curling up under the stars we explore dispersed and yellow post camping.

Dip Bench, rubber dipped feet with walnut wood top. Built to order by Synecdoche.

The Swings: An Exercise in Musical Cooperation from Daily Tous Les Jours inspired by their previous work 21 Balançoires.

'Floating House' by MOS Architects on Lake Huron, Canada.

Solar system paper-weight by Kikkerland Design

Light Barrier, phantoms of light crossing millions of calibrated beams. The light installation creates floating graphic objects which animate through space as they do through time. By Kimchi and Chips.

Solvatten - An innovative Swedish invention that uses solar energy to heat and treat water in developing countries.

Rock Paper Robot's Float Table utilizes magnets to float and maintain shape.

A bold post-modern vertical fluorescent lamp, inspired by Gian Nicola's Gigante floor lamp (c.1981). All made with off the shelf items!

Studio Toer Field Hammock - "This hammock displays the control humanity got over the fields. Floating above ground, on slowly waving grass."

The Making Of David Kind Luxury Optic Lenses - interesting to see how these high end Trivex prescription eye glass lenses are made.

EKOCYCLE Cube - latest 3D System Cubify 3D Printer that prints in post-consumer waste. Apparently each EKOCYCLE Filament Cartridge contains 25% of post-consumer recycled materials, using an average of 3 assorted recycled 20oz PET plastic bottles.

Whipping Post Military style leather duffel bag.

Sandow's London Coldbrew Coffee. Beautiful images from DunneFrankowski.

VIDEOOverlanding - a roundup of the best videos we found while researching. Inspiration of what's possible as far as offroad adventures, custom builds, solar energy, water crossings, and even going up the escalator!

Kanz Field Power Desks - a compact, mobile, free standing desk unit with integrated power packs, solar panels and charging provisions for various electronic devices. Perfect to run NOTCOT while FZJ80 adventuring!

The Science Cafe & Library in Chişinău, Moldova draws on the legacy of post WWI Parisian cafe culture, but focus on science and engineering is reflected in the sleek and modern design of Anna Wigandt.

FEATUREDHighland Park Cynthia Rowley Flask Bangle! A fun update to #54091! Even holds around 3 fluid ounces.

FEATUREDVertty ~ a new geometric take on the beach towel! Dreamed in Australia, Born in Portugal and seen as #55052 - here's an unboxing of the fun packaging and towel up close!

Steam Boat: Floating Sauna. A group of Finnish friends decided to take the comforts of steam to the water by building a floating, multi-level sauna.

Leonie Brailey's illustration of the sharks of Perth with proceeds going to the Australian Marine Conservation society.

Professional skateboarder Bob Burnquist's floating skateboard ramp makes waves on Lake Tahoe.

VIDEOFollow up for the post #56933: the Man vs. Machine (Timo Boll vs. KUKA Agilus robot) ping-pong match for KUKA Robotics.

Hikaru Cho's 'It's not what it seems' paints common foods to disguise them as other common foods.

Not Another Bill - Receive a surprise present in the post every month. A subscription service where the lucky recipient will receive a beautifully wrapped surprise present introducing them to great artists, designers and brands.

AREA, pretty modular storage designs from Anya Sebton for Lammhults.

PORT X by S.A.D. Studio - stunning wood filled interior for this floating modern dock...

Cards Against Humanity made a special House of Cards pack for Netflix... what's even more interesting is the look at how the pack came to be and what didn't even make it in...

Fun 2014 calendar from Nearly Normal featuring fruits made from paper.

Ice Glasses by Baku Maeda.

Manta Underwater Room - A floating hotel off the coast of Tanzania's Pemba Island lets you get up close and personal with aquatic life without having to leave the comfort of your bedroom.

Beautiful new concrete facilities for the South Cape Owner's Club golf resort in South Korea's Changseon Island, designed by Mass Studies.

The Shallows Vase by Critiba Design+Direction gives the illusion of a flower floating in a puddle.

teamLab's interactive installation "Homogenizing and Transforming World" currently at Hong Kong Arts Centre with giant floating balls that react to touch.

Vincent Fournier's Post Natural History explores the ideas of technologically enhanced wildlife, like a GPS tracking rhinoceros beetle and robotic jellyfish drone for transporting freshwater.

FEATUREDNOTCOT 2013 Holiday Coupons ~ More help on your holiday shopping for goodies for your loved ones... or a little something for you!

Drop Kicker - "Providing a healthy dose of pessimism" - a fun read, particularly this post about how "Kickstarter project creators like to quote people who summarize their words"

Hundreds of tiny clownfish hatch at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Designer Ivan Kasner was inspired by blurred images. The images create a sense of excitement, imagination and clarity within the illusion. The opaque face distorts the context and origin of the hands, allowing a dreamy and floating appearance.

Pierdom is a documentation of the piers built in the sea during the Victorian era, once an essential requirement of the seaside resort, now a vestige of a bygone age. Photo by Simon Roberts.