New Design Cool: The Tea Bag Coffin Lets You Bury That Bag.

The best design ideas are so elegant in their simplicity most of us feel like dunderheads for not thinking of them.

Here from Jonas Trampedach comes one of those ideas: The Tea Bag Coffin.

With the ‘Tea bag Coffin’, the drinker can tidily bury the bag under the cup and out of the way.”

Well, duh.

(Thanks to Likecool.com)

The First Musical Instrument Created for the Apple iPhone: Ocarina.

Just in time to head off a boring wait in Black Friday’s check-out lines — the iPhone Ocarina. Now you can amuse yourself and other frenzied shoppers by turning your iPhone into a musical instrument — the ocarina. Simply blow into the microphone and and play the four holes on the iPhone screen. Guru suggests a hearty rendition of the Burl Ives classic: “Have A Holly Jolly Christmas.” Or perhaps the sacred “Feliz Navidad.” Both undoubtedly do justice the ancient heritage of this traditional instrument.

Thanks to LikeCool and Smule Ocarina.

More cool from Smule: Ocarina is a social application. (I knew it — everything has to be a social app these days. Where are the anti-social apps? I want one.) Tap on the globe icon and you will see and hear other Ocarina players throughout the world. (Also likely standing in line at Target) The globe view will highlight the source of the music. Rate your favorite performances so that others may benefit from your judgment. Name your Ocarina if you want listeners around the world to identify your performances. With this robust application beautiful music is created, appreciated and shared. (I am so wanting to hear Inna-Ga-Da-Davida Baby)

We’ll Always Have Belgium. Where to Get Married in the Post Prop 8 World.

Now that (boo!) Prop 8 has tanked here in California, where will lovebirds go to get married? Why Belgium, of course, where same-sex marriage has been legal since 2003. And now there’s even a cool new kind of wedding: Marriage in the Sky.

Marriage in the Sky is hosted on a platform, where 20 guests are strapped into aircraft-like seats and suspended at a height of 50 meters. The wedding ceremony can be customised to every couple’s wishes, including spectacular elements like bungee jumping off of the platform after vows have been exchanged. A second crane can be used to suspend another platform at the same height, making room for entertainment or more guests, especially if one’s friends tend to work for Cirque de Soleil.

Guru’s Note: Just don’t invite me unless I’m issued a parachute and my own case of champagne.

Thanks, as always, to my fellow trendspotters at Springwise.

It’s Eco Design Day.

After the hellacious week we’ve had, don’t we deserve to spend a leisurely Sunday gawking at the latest cool green designs? Here are a few stand-outs chosen by eco-design expert Marcus Fair and featured in the UK’s Independent.

Silk Story. Designed by Elsbeth Joy Nielsen, Netherlands

Nielsen has discovered a way of producing silk without killing silkworms. Normally the worms die when their cocoons are boiled to loosen the silk; Nielsen’s technique allows them to create a patch of pure silk while crawling back and forth over a platter looking for a place to build their cocoons. Once the panel is complete, they are left to pupate naturally. The resulting scarf demonstrates the material’s exquisite beauty.

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OXO laptop. Designed by Yves Behar, US

The follow-up to the One Laptop Per Child project, this is a bold humanitarian attempt to provide disadvantaged children around the world with internet access. The XOXO has two touch-screens and consumes less than a tenth of the power of a standard laptop. www.fuseproject.com

Solar tree, Designed by Ross Lovegrove, UK

Lovegrove is one of the very few superstar designers prepared to take a stand on environmental issues, producing conceptual products such as solar-powered cars and lowenergy houses that point to a greener future. This project, a solar-powered street-lighting system, has made it off the drawing board and is currently being showcased at design fairs around the world. www.rosslovegrove.com

Aquaduct bike, Designed by IDEO, US

While not the most beautiful design in this list, the Aquaduct bike is a rare example of designers attempting to improve the lives of people less fortunate than ourselves. Millions of people in the developing world have no access to clean water and often have to walk miles to collect contaminated water. This bike makes the journey easier and also contains a pedal-powered filtration system, giving the user a container full of clean water by the time they get home. www.ideo.com

Local River. Designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, France

This French designer addresses environmental concerns over industrial fishing methods and the wastefulness of transporting food vast distances by suggesting a way for people to farm fish at home. Fish waste is used to fertilise vegetables growing in pots that sit above the tanks, and there, after a little time, you have it: a meal of fish and veg in one, easy-to-reach corner of the room. The concept was inspired by Eastern farming methods, where fish waste has traditionally been used to fertilise rice paddies.www.mathieulehanneur.com

Cabbage chair. Designed by Nendo, Japan

Using a paper by-product of the fabric-pleating industry, the Japanese designers Nendo have managed to create a beautiful object that avoids the self-conscious “recycled” look of many of today’s green designs. Made simply from a thick roll of pleated paper, a small chair appears naturally as you peel away its outside layers, one at a time (pictured fully peeled). www.nendo.jp