It doesn’t look like much in the photograph, but in meat-space it’s mesmerizing.

Six rechargeable LED tea lights independently spin and subtly illuminate the ceiling. It can really set the ultra-lounge mood.

The drawbacks? You have to take it down and remove the tea lights to recharge them. It’s a little ritualistic, but could be fun, like warming up the fondue pot.

The plus side? Simple and elegant kinetic mood lighting! It’s like a little glowing solar system. It’s hard to take your eyes off them.

This journal has been sporadically kept since 1985. I’ve been using a homegrown brand of runes to code it. There was a book making project at the Holliston High School art class, and we got extra credit if we illustrated it. I had just cracked the secret code on the inside flap of this book I found on the shelf called “the Hobbit”, so I thought it would be cool to use that. However the day I was to begin penciling in the text I forgot the translation sheet. I decided to make up what I couldn’t remember. Well, by the time I was done writing the whole book I had the code memorized. Since then it has evolved into new complex sets of rules. I call the code “Mephistis”, after the Latin name for Skunk, Mephistis Mephistis. Sounds exotic and vulgar at the same time.