Gadgets ! What's Next

What if you could control everything in your home with a little handheld gadget? That's what this universal remote by David Chacon got us thinking about, with its roomy screen — a nerve center right in your pocket.

Simply called the Universal Remote, the device would be flash capable so it could display anything from channel listings to more elaborate menus. With a touchscreen, the right frequencies and support from outside companies, the remote would allow you to change your television's volume to turning on the oven or dimming the lights — and companies could create custom graphic user interfaces for a product, too.

This First Light lamp might looks like some sort of contraption from an alien hair salon, but it's actually an eco-friendly lamp that doesn't need to be plugged into provide a warm glow. Instead, much like a grandfather clock, it relies on a weight that's wound up every day to provide it with the energy to keep shining.

There's no word on pricing or availability for this unique object, unfortunately.

New York State is home to some impressive waterfalls , New York City, not so much. The city is planning on changing that this summer with the New York City Waterfalls project. It's a big, expensive undertaking: $9 to $10 million dollars to make four waterfalls rise from the East River and New York Harbor. As you can see from the gallery below, right now the project is just a work in progress. The Public Art Fund and City of New York, both sponsors of the Olafur Eliasson-designed installation, plan for the waterfalls to run from late June through October of this year.

The City hopes that tourists will flock to see the waterfalls from water taxis. We think that the idea is pretty cool, but we also know that the East River is nowhere near as clean as it looks in the concept pictures. The water will be filtered before it goes through the falls. We just hope that the city filters it well enough that it will be safe to breath in the East River mist that they'll create.

Most of us have only been exposed to the concept of infinite loops while on hold with your credit card or phone company, but infinite loops can also be a beautiful and less frustrating concept not involving a phone. Aesthetically popularized by M.C. Escher, Escher himself would be feverishly sharpening his pencil if got a gander of this infinite loop forming table. Inspired by the “slow and perpetual flow of the Nile River,” the “Endless Nile” table by Karim Rashid, is a fluid form of DuPont Corian molded over a steel structure on a wooden base. As part of the newly formed Design Republic of Egypt brand, Mr. Rashid’s composition for Amr Helmy Designs hopes to showcase Egyptian’s take on international design trends around the globe.