Robert Brunner

Solar Power With Style

Paul Hochman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500

Solar energy got hot in the 1980s. The economic sting of the oil embargo was still fresh and the air was thick with tax credits, so Innovation Nation put on its thinking cap and began harvesting the resources that were literally falling from the sky: the 1,366 watts of solar energy that constantly rain down on every sunny square meter of earth. Smelling opportunity in those free-flowing photons, huge companies jumped into the sun business.

Bright Ideas: 8 Great Solar Gadgets

Paul Hochman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:24:59 -0400

Consumers Behaving Badly: Is Design to Blame?

Robert Brunner — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:18:03 -0400

I am waiting at an intersection in my car in a quiet San Francisco neighborhood, when a well-dressed, professional looking woman jumps out of her new Mercedes SL ahead of me. She reaches into the back seat, grabs a big armful of clothes (no bag) and runs up to the doorstep of a Goodwill outpost on the corner and unceremoniously dumps them aggressively in a scattered mess on their doorstep.

How to Put Design in the Driver’s Seat

Robert Brunner — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:35:57 -0400

iCopycats: Apple Does Not Equal Good Design

Robert Brunner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:19:32 -0400

Now that I have your attention with that bit of blasphemy in the title, let me explain.

Design Is Too Important to Be Left to the Thinkers

Robert Brunner — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:00:12 -0400

Recently, at a conference reception (think wine and cubes of cheese), a well-known and influential member of the academic community said to me: "Design strategy is far too important to be left to designers." What a pile of crap, I think. I am pissed, but in a moment of cowardice, I sip my wine, chew my pepper jack, and slink off to lighter conversation. If only I were able to channel Clint Eastwood at will.

Introducing Guest Blogger Robert Brunner: Master of Lust-worthy Design

Linda Tischler — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:52:09 -0400

Grilling season is nigh upon us, which means it's a sad time in New York. Like many big cities with high rents and hyper-vigilant fire codes, balconies where a burger-craving apartment dweller could set up a little grill are in short supply. At least in my neighborhood.