Cinder Speakers

Daniel Ballou and Dashdot are developing a system that transforms the humble cinder block into a high fidelity speaker. Concrete is a low resonance material that minimizes vibrations and reduces coloration of pure sound delivered by the drivers. A drawback of course is that it’s heavy to handle and ship, and labor intensive to mold. However, cinder blocks are available throughout the world for about a buck (or free in a construction site trash pile).

The Cinder Speaker ships as a pre-assembled and pre-wired front panel, including a 5” driver, tweeter, crossover, and input jack. The back panel includes mounting hardware that spans the cinderblock and seals the enclosure.

The cinder block comes from your local hardware store or your neighbor’s backyard.

In ‘backburner’ development for over a year, we are in the fine tuning stage, selecting final components and vendors. The retail price target is $150, and those interested in updates and project status should email cinderspeakers@danielballou.com

Who’s There Chair

In the movies, jamming a chair under the doorknob can keep a threat away. That idea seldom works in reality. This chair plays on that Hollywood icon of defense, while making it functional. The back structure is steel and has leveling feet (like an extension ladder). A notch in the backrest is at the perfect height to interface with a doorknob, and rubber grips on the feet keep it in place.

One off prototype – Solid Maple, Steel, Stainless Steel

Power Lines

There are hundreds of miles of power lines strung across the California desert landscape. A miniaturized version in bent, chromed wire works well for the desk.

Limited production. Sold out.

Cargo Containers

Living and working in Long Beach means watching 80,066,130 tons of cargo come in and out of the city every year. The ubiquitous metal storage container is everywhere. Everyone in the industrialized world knows the iconic container, and many see them on a daily basis.

Here, you have a ceramic version scaled to become a useful storage container for the home. It’s likely that whatever is stored inside, has seen the inside of a cargo container before. A reminder of what goes around the world and makes the world go round for the last 50 years.

Produced and distributed by AREAWARE

Seat Shirts

Inspired by the adaptation of Metal Band Ts used as car seat covers, these screenprinted cotton shirts make your shitty car seats look good as new!

Limited production. Sold out.

Very Nice Bike Rack

The Very Nice Bike rack comes in 2 versions, a wall mount and floor stand. The wall mount is best suited for horizontal top tube bikes weighing in at 25 lbs or less. The floor stand will hold just about any bike, and comes with felt spacer pads to accommodate various tire widths. Bent plywood / walnut veneer / white powder coated steel hardware.

Limited production. Sold out.

Book Ends

Books that have met their end become book ends. Just books – no glue, no fasteners. Rubber feet keep them from sliding. Were sold exclusively at OPEN bookstore in Long Beach.

Limited production. Sold out.

Caffeind

Celebrating America’s number 1 drug of choice. This coffee scooper holds 30cc (2 tablespoons) of your favorite blend, powder, or other substance.