Even with modern day communications, you can’t always hear someone else’s voice. These days, more people text or type than call or (god forbid!) show up unannounced at your front door. The Sound Advice Project has a clever solution. In an intersection of technology, communications, art and jewelry, they’ve created custom bracelets rendered from 3D soundwaves — the bracelet’s shape is determined by the waveform of the spoken message it conveys.

The Sound Advice Project is a teen anti-drug abuse initiative aimed at getting parents and teens to talk more openly. The organization’s goal with the bracelets was to get parents to send their kids messages of empowerment. I came across them thanks to MAKE: Craft, but the post was a few years old, and further research didn’t help in determining whether or not their project is still alive. You can watch a video here about their campaign.

While I applaud the Sound Advice Project for their admirable efforts, I think this idea is just awesome in and of itself. Maybe I’m just narcissistic, but I love the idea of having someone wear an encoded message from me on their wrist. Hopefully the group decides this is a worthy commercial effort, because I have secret messages I need to record.

Best Made Company makes tons of rad stuff. Everything from camping gear to maps and axes, many of which I don’t have the money to throw at. One item I will be picking up though is their Be Optimistic patch. It’s a choice addition to a favorite shirt or backpack and I like that Best Made is donating all proceeds on the sale of this badge to charity since they’ve been unable to find the original creator of the design (it’s from an old postcard). Real mail’s the best.

From Hong Kong, a ground-breaking creative approach to marketing called “Chok!”. Ad-man Mark Kong and team blended interaction design with advertising to rethink the consumer -brand relationship. Is this a sign we’re one step closer to a completely crossmedia future? I sure as hell hope so. The day we stop paying millions of dollars for celebrities to just “pop-up” in a commercial will be a good day. Unless that celebrity is James Franco…

Anyways, check out the video and let us know what you think about interactive TV gaming promotions in the comments.

The MiiR Tumbler is a neat coffee/tea tumbler that gives back to those in need. Each Tumbler provides one person with clean drinking water for an entire year and comes with a unique tracking bracelet that has an engraved identification number. The personal identification number can be entered into the MiiR tracking system online, allowing you to see what project you helped fund! Isn’t that nifty? It comes in different colors, too. Yay! Options!

Seeing the amazing things my friends are doing has been one of my favorite parts of being an adult. No, I’m not talking about Bragstagram – what I mean is when people you know do something so incredibly clever that it makes you smile. I like to give more than a Like or Tweet when it’s due and I’m incredibly proud of what my college pal Erica Shea and her partner-in-crime Stephen Valand have done with Brooklyn Brew Shop (they make DIY beer kits that accommodate those of us in tight spaces).

Take a moment to watch this video. Erica and Stephen’s story is one of innovation, being passionate about what you do and love (for each other). That’s exactly why it belongs on our site.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. You don’t have to look any further than Ingrid Vaca Diez to know it’s true.

Ingrid is a Bolivian woman on a mission to build homes for the poor using one of the only objects she can find in abundance – plastic bottles.  To date, Ingrid has built 10 “Garbage Homes” using her plastic bottles-as-bricks method. She took a nearby resource, flipped the usage on its head and innovated in the face of adversity. It’s downright inspiring.

While Bolivia remains one of the poorest countries, with many families living in shoddy housing conditions, Ingrid gives us hope. She illustrates a whole new way to think about transforming our communities through contextualized design. In her case, no need for unsympathetic international housing development programs or complex government financial assistance initiatives. Instead, solutions become about using available materials that flesh out local needs.

This is a fresh perspective on how we can – and should – each individually impact and change the world around us through social innovation. Take a look below, from bottle collection to build. What will you do to turn garbage into greatness?

Hat tip to diy.org for the great find.

I don’t know what rate the universe is expanding, but the catverse can’t be far behind. Thankfully, there are folks like our own Catrina Dulay that also have good taste in design. Catrina’s new shop Catrina and Mouse was born out of the belief that cat charm shouldn’t be confined to the web and internet memes. It’s for prints and stationery too! Cat lovers and design-minded people, this shop’s for you.