This wonderful, Bauhausian Bazar coat rack is by German industrial designer Steffen Kehrle.

By transforming the tree into a wire cylinder, Kehrle provides hanging space on the outside, while the interior becomes usable storage space thanks to circular shelves.

The shelves can be placed wherever there's a hoop; it's up to the user.

My only gripe is that I wish it came with more hooks that the user could place. If I owned one of these, I'd probably DIY some up.

Made of powder-coated steel wire, the Bazar is in production by German furniture brand Richard Lampert.

Reading a book is very different from studying a textbook. With the former, you flip through pages at whatever pace you read. With the latter, you leave the textbook open to a particular page while you take notes, transcribe, or re-read text in order for it to sink in.

For this latter situation, Japanese stationery company Kokuyo detected a problem. In 2022, the company sought feedback from junior high and high school students on what their study-time paint points were. The students noted that holding a textbook open with one hand while trying to write with the other was a hassle. Some used spring-loaded clips made for the purpose, but these made turning the pages a hassle.

Others compensated by using a bunchin, a traditional calligraphy scroll weight that's essentially a piece of bar stock, square in cross section. But the flat bunchin didn't hold the books open well, as the flat shape only contacted the curved surface of the open pages in two places.

Kokuyo then devised this object, made out of brass. The designers arrived at the precise curvature after measuring several dozen representative books.

Hedging their bets, the company only produced a small batch of 300 units. They sold out immediately.

Concept proven, Kokuyo then put the objects—called "book-hugging paperweights"—into production in early 2024. The brass units hit the market first, followed by lower-cost steel versions in black and grey. The same year they won a stationery award.

Demand emerged for an even larger model, for thicker art books and coffee table books, and that model hit the market last month.

It's fair to say Kokuyo wouldn't have thought of this product without that crucial feedback-seeking initiative.

British ID consultancy Tangerine and Buzz, an Australian manufacturer of airline products, have collaborated on several concepts to make long flights more comfortable. "We wanted to proactively rethink the Premium Economy experience and explore what could emerge from collaborating with creative minds from a parallel sector," explains Sam Blank, Buzz's Director of Innovation and Product Strategy.

What emerged are textile-based products that hope to enable in-flight shuteye, without the luxury of a fold-flat seat:

Sensory Shut-out Eye Mask with Integrated Earbuds

A padded eye mask with sound-reducing earbuds built into the straps for easy access. The buds can also be removed and used independently.

Adjustable Flat-Roll Neck Pillow

A low-volume, ergonomic pillow that can be shaped into multiple supportive forms for better alignment than traditional U-shaped pillows.

The one that really captured my attention:

Cocooning Blanket

A shaped blanket with cloud-inspired pinsonic detailing that wraps naturally around the body for enhanced rest.

As someone who's house is always freezing in winter, I desperately want one of these for my home. That thing looks super warm and comfortable!

Once upon a time, if the soles of your shoes wore out, a cobbler could attach fresh soles. Nowadays, once your sneaker soles wear out, you junk them.

Tires are the same. It's insane that we have to throw out a tire because that tiny percentage of material around the perimeter has worn down, but that's the established convention.

Even worse, tires are a major source of microplastic pollution. When the treads wear down, that material doesn't just magically disappear; it sloughs off as microplastic particles. The ones that don't make it into our lungs accumulate in the environment, settling into soil or waterways. Have you ever seen a farm next to a roadway? What do you think is making its way into those crops? Gas-engine cars and EVs alike are microplastic-spewing machines.

Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) in Spain are trying to solve both problems. Their ECOTIRE prototype is a tire with separately molded treads that are mechanically attached to the casing. This means that once the treads wear, they can be popped off and replaced.

The tires can be mass produced. The researchers developed these molds:

The technology means that manufacturers could select "more sustainable and biocompatible materials" for the treads. The team has been experimenting with silicone rubber treads, finding the material offers roughly ten times less deterioration that conventional rubber. (I.e. they still shed microplastics, but far less.)

Promisingly, in testing they've found the ECOTIRE behaves much like a regular tire.

"The behavior of our tire is already similar enough to that of conventional tires that we are very close to transferring it to the industry alongside companies in the sector," says researcher Daniel García-Pozuelo, "although there is still a long road ahead before it reaches society."

Have you ever wondered what an Italian pickup truck would look like? Well, here's your answer:

It's even got a sunroof:

Apparently in the 20th century, a handful of Italian motorists with quirky tastes hired coachbuilders to convert their Fiat 500s into pickup trucks. This example, first commissioned in 1973, was recently restored by French company Parfait Etat.

Check out the speedometer:

I imagine it was used as an ultra-efficient fish hauler. And that's not a dig; if I had an opportunity to own one of these, I'd snap it up and find some fish to haul.

Two major resolutions were in front of the party's 31 members -- 13 of whom were absent -- on Wednesday. One, written by former District 4 supervisor Gordon Mar, called for the city to impose increased guardrails for Flock's automated license-plate readers, and to consider suspension of its contract with the city.

The other, written by committee chair Nancy Tung and District 6 supervisor and former police spokesperson Matt Dorsey, asked the group to affirm its trust in the city's existing use of Flock cameras. [...]

At Wednesday's San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee meeting, a majority voted to reject Mar's resolution and pass Dorsey's. Dorsey's measure received 11 votes in favor, 4 votes abstaining, and only 3 against. [...]

Both sides acknowledged that the city's Flock camera data was illegally accessed more than 1.6 million times in 2024 and 2025, with lots of those searches reaching out-of-state agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And, more recently, the San Francisco Police Department admitted around 300 out-of-state illegal searches had happened in the last year. [...]

Mar raised another concern: Two of the committee's current members -- Lily Ho and Trevor Chandler -- work for Flock. Last month, the San Francisco Standard reported that a prior version of Mar's resolution was removed from the party's agenda by a subcommittee chaired by Ho.

Neither Ho nor Chandler offered to abstain from voting on Wednesday. The committee does not have rules related to conflicts of interest for issues like this one, Tung told Mar. They then proceeded to count both Ho and Chandler's votes.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.