YOUNG DRO

New CF case for 3G iPhone by ... DRO Concepts Looks really good. Full feature/review coming soon.

It's about fucking time

CF and Ti 8800 Carbon Arte by Nokia.

May cause facial irritation.

I could tell you about these... but then I'd have to kill you.

Mighty Mouse (trap)

Come on... seriously? How rad is this? You don't even have to put cheese on it. Mice will be so stoked on the beauty of this mousetrap that they will just roll up on it, just to check it out. Titanium mechanism would have been a nice touch, but I think $26.50 is plenty for a mousetrap. Available: here.


Thanks to some guy named Andy for the tip.

More Nudity

You know how the Electra loves us some nudity. Pagani Zonda R1 in the Nude. CF smut stolen from under the bed of Autofiends.

MAKE your own CF shit. Dreads not necessary.

Cool article on/in Make Magazine about DIY CF creations. Good insight into getting started.
Click here

LIGHTS, CAMERA, TRACTION

This is a bit dated, but I wrote an article for Intersection Magazine earlier this year about a company that builds and operates some amazing machines for use in the film industry. Lot's of hot carbon fiber and other exotic materials involved; just how we like it at the 'ol Electra.
Download the PDF here or View the PDF here

The bold new look of alliteration: Kohler Karbon

"With its clean, crisp lines, the Karbon articulating faucet introduces a new geometry of versatile functionality to the kitchen. Intelligently engineered to hold any pose for hands-free operation, Karbon allows you to streamline your work surfaces and workflow. You can extend the faucet fully to fill large pots, lower it into the sink for food preparation and cleanup, fold it compactly out of the way when not in use, or position it anywhere in between."


And here is a video of a T-1000 morphing into a Kohler Karbon...

More info here.

Giovanni Pagnotta; Carbon Fiberist

Giovanni Pagnotta has a long list of accolades and achievements. He holds a Masters of Architecture from Yale, where he received the Eero Saarinen Scholarship for design excellence. Pagnotta has since molded himself a career that caters to his obsession with Carbon Fiber. His furniture evokes the nostalgia of classic design, modernized with the beauty and strength of Carbon Fiber. Not surprisingly, Pagnotta is a car guy. Even less surprisingly, the native Italian drives a Maserati, obsesses about Formula 1 and has spent many hours in the cockpit of a Formula Ford. The Electra had the privilege of trading some emails with Mr. Pagnotta, touching on his history, his influences and his lack of interest in Jason Vorhees masks. Enjoy…
Can you give us a history/background on yourself?

My history: Born in Italy, educated in the USA. Parsons School of Design undergrad, Yale University Master in Architecture.


When did you first start working with Carbon fiber, what attracted you to the medium?

I love technologies, new materials, etc.. I've been working with Carbon conceptually for over twenty years - physically for over 15 years - I'm obsessed with it. I'm a Formula One junkie. Look at those cars, they're designed and built by engineers. Would you ever imagine that if you put 20 or 30 engineers together they'd come up with something so beautiful and purpose built? An F1 car is a visual diagram of the forces acting upon it. I dabbled briefly in Formula Ford. I loved it, had no money, and had to stop - but it was incredible. If I couldn't be a designer, I'd race open wheel.


Who are some of your biggest furniture/architectural influences?

Furniture: Reitveld, the Zig Zag Chair is probably my favorite - period. Go figure. Tadao Ando, and Louis Kahn for architecture. I'd have to say though, that I've been more influenced by Aerospace, Formula One, and Spiderman.

Your designs tend to suggest a modern, or futuristic aesthetic. Is this a consequence of the material? Would your design style reflect such a sleek modern feel if you working with say, wood or metal?

You're right on. Carbon fiber is a super material, capable of changing Design itself. I've worked in wood and metal, carbon fiber is the cats meow. Once you go carbon, you never go back.


What are you more attracted to, the structural and the strength to weight advantages of CF or the aesthetic of it? The black woven beauty of it? You can say both, but you have to lean towards one or the other.

The material is without doubt exquisitely beautiful, in a way which feels not of this world - some alien super skin. I find the physics of the material far more interesting, but it doesn't hurt that it's beautiful to boot. I've always preferred my girlfriends to be rocket scientists and super models - wouldn't you?

How do you feel about classic design being updated and modernized? Ie. is there room for a Carbon Fiber/Titanium Eames Lounge or would that be sacrilegious?

I think updating modern classics is fine; It's not something I'm particularly interested in. If carbon fiber were available at the time, the Eames would have been using it - no doubt. Laminated plywood was at one time the carbon fiber of the day, same goes for fiberglass. Carbon fiber is probably (I'm sure of it) already in the process of being replaced by something even more incredible. Call the government; I'm sure they'd be happy to share some secrets with you.


Some would argue that raw carbon fiber looks "tacky" or ostentatious. From a design perspective, why do you leave your pieces raw?

Who ever believes that doesn't understand the material, or appreciate its beauty. Why is something's natural appearance tacky? You know what's tacky? People who buy something with that faux carbon appliqué. Fake Carbon fiber is tacky. Is a natural wood finish tacky? Ostentatious? Whatever. Anything can be made to be ostentatious - it's all in how it's done and delivered. My works not about ostentatious, it's about the material and what it wants to do.


If Carbon Fiber didn't have such a poignant history in automotive, aeronautics, design, etc. Would it still be an attractive material to you? If it was essentially just black fiberglass, would it still be appealing?

Inevitably, we can't separate ourselves from our history or influences. It's history is part of what makes it heroic. It's still beautiful, regardless.


I read a quote of yours online in which you said ''If a material could be a superhero, carbon fiber would be it.'' can you explain?

Strength to weight ratio, capabilities, etc... Compared to the majority of other materials, it is super heroic.


What is the world missing? What hasn't been rendered in carbon fiber yet that should be?

Tough question, I'll let you know when I've done it.


Lastly... how much would you charge me to make a Carbon Fiber Jason Vorhees hockey mask?

You're scaring me.

For more information on Giovanni Pagnotta and his amazing designs, please click here.

Mr. Pagnotta is also featured in the recently released book Design Now, published by Taschen Books. Available here.