Doing some light reading...

Your furniture can say something about you, but how often does it say something to you? Sure, appliances can be programmed to let you know when they've finished their spin cycle, but have you ever wondered how much more convenient your life would be if only you could receive text messages via chandelier? Yep, me neither, but now it's happened, so let's discuss.

Texting is often credited with (maybe) contributing to the death of the English language in print and is most readily associated with things that are both ubiquitous and dangerous, like cancer and wildfire (it is, after all, responsible for this, this, and this). But for principal designer Ron Arad to elevate the form to encompass something as seemingly impervious as lighting decor is an idea so outrageous that it's also kind of funny. It's been a long day, but I must admit to giggling a little at this video of the chandelier "in action." Plus, the piece is called "Lolita," a choice we could spend many more blog posts contemplating without achieving much of a foothold, I'm guessing. 

Setting all cultural judgments aside, I have to admit to a fascination with a process (helmed by engineer/LED-visionary Moritz Waldemeyer) that allows, among other things, 2,100 Swarovski crystals, 1,050 white LEDs, and 1 kilometer (!) of 9-way cable braided shielding to receive texts sent via mobile phone. Since its debut at the Swarovski Crystal Palace in Milan in 2004, this stunner has enjoyed a whirlwind global tour extending from the MOMA in New York to exhibitions in Tokyo, expanding traditional ideas of happy couples in design and technology at every turn.

An example of someone who actually has one of these things.