Ever heard of Le Chicken McConfit or a Tacobellini? If you’ve ever seen the Top Chef Quickfire Challenge where chefs had to create dishes using only ingredients found in a vending machine, then you’re familiar with the concept.

At Fancy Fast Food, anyone can submit their creations including a recipe and before/after photos as long as they only use ingredients from fast food chains. You’ll find everything from Popeye’s Chicken sushi to Domino’s Pizza chow mein, and although the idea of deconstructing a fast food meal is pretty gross, the creativity is impressive.

A team of MIT researchers are tracking exactly where your empty bottled waters and Starbucks cups go from the intitial toss into the can to its final resting place in a project called Trash Track. Using an advanced system of electronic tags, the trash is monitored revealing the patterns and costs of urban disposal. With volunteers in New York and Seattle, thousands of “trash tags” attached to waste samples will calculate their location through triangulation and report it to a central server, where the data will be analyzed and processed in real time.

So, would revealing the inefficiencies in our waste and recycling system change your decision to buy disposable razors or plastic water bottles?  Researchers are hoping it will not only raise awareness and change consumer behavior, but ultimately lead to a 100 percent recycling way of life.  

Story via Inhabitat.

There’s a been a buzz in the design world about a new company  based out of LA combining modern architecture and dessert.  Just in time for the summer heat, Coolhaus serves all natural ice cream sandwiches designed and imagined by architects.  The desserts debuted at Coachella Music Festival and ever since, the ice-cream truck has been hitting the streets alerting fans via Twitter of its whereabouts.  

There are five “prefab flavors” including Frank Behry, Mintimalism, Mies Vanilla Rohe, Richard Meyer Lemon Ginger, and Oatmeal Cinnamoneo.  The website even offers “plans” for each cookie so you can see what the cookie and filling consists of.

At first I thought this was another SNL Digital Short, but its authenticity was confirmed when I heard the entire “Birthday Sex” song by Jeremih on some rap station while cruising through the Dallas metroplex last weekend.  Check out this video and listen closely to the lyrics.  Not as good as some of our favorite R&B videos of the past, but entertaining nonetheless.

The Japanese are known for their innovative advances in scientific research and technology (as well as some “inventions” that are downright bizarre), but rarely do you see the combination of science and music to create beautiful artwork. In a somewhat recent trip to Tokyo, we saw designer Tokujin Yoshioka and his work at 21_21 Design Sight.

His crystalline furniture is grown by placing blocks of polyester fibers in large aquariums filled with mineral solution. Instead of letting the crystals grow naturally (like rock candy in sugar water) the crystals choose their own movements with the aid of classical music playing into each tank which Yoshioka calls “embodying a beauty born of coincidence.” A little out there, yes, but the crystal creations certainly leave a lasting impression. Story via Treehugger, photo via Ffffound!.

With a move toward fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles such as the Smart Car, one British man decided to take things a bit further by designing possibly the world’s smallest car. Perry Watkins, designer of the Flatmobile, purchased a coin-operated children’s ride from eBay, added a steel frame and installed a 150cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine. The re-purposed vehicle measures 39 inches tall and 26 inches wide, can accelerate up to 40 mph and gets 70 miles to the gallon!

Just in case there were any interested buyers, he supplied mirrors, headlights, windshield wipers, turn signals, and license plate holders to make the tiny car street-legal. I’m not sure who would actually be comfortable driving this mini-mobile (other than maybe myself) but it certainly makes for a good photo-op. Photos from Inhabitat.