Here's some of the more interesting stuff MoMa is hawking this fall on their website and in their stores starting next in late August to keep modern art funded and whatnot. Let's go on a tour.

Magno Wooden Radio by Singgih Kartono, 2005, $250: It's a wooden radio in the shape of a cube. What's not appealing about that???
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.It folds into a pizza! But it was a Kobra. Get it???
Mantle Dome Clock by Cedric Rot, 2008, $215: You're not a designer until you make a clock that can hold someone's attention for longer than it takes to the tell the time.
Pig Lamp by Ariel Rojo, 2008, $90: I'm sorry, if a ceramic pig with a light bulb shoved in its ass doesn't appeal to you, we can't be friends.

Light Switch Rack by Paul Koh, 2009, $25: I like Paul Koh. Light switch hanger? Genius, just like his pop-up pencil cup.
Wooden Flashlight by Jonas Damon, 2009, $55: Wood, hahahaha.
Oh yes, this is art. I decided not to ask.
Pop-Up Pencil Cup by Paul Koh, 2009, $30: This seems very clever if you keep your pencils in a jar and they get stuck together.
Blackbird, Fly Camera, $125: Your pet hipster wants this twin-lens reflex camera.
Magnetic Clock by Naori Miyazaki, 2007, $28: Hey, guess what this does?
Hello, little bitty camera.
PizzaKobra Lamp by Ron Arad, 2007, $1995: Wait, are you saying you don't understand why this LED lamp costs two thousand dollars? Just go to the next picture.[MoMa]

The Pong Table was a big hit at MOMA's recent Elastic Mind exhibit, but despite its popularity, there is no indication that it will ever go into production. It's probably just as well though. I can only imagine the sort of dinnertime disasters that would take place during a heated contest where flailing arms would send food and drink flying around the room. [MOMA via CubeMe via LikeCool]

The exhibit's curator cut the coat off from nutrition and it died thereafter. But the decision haunted her.

I've always been pro-choice and all of a sudden I'm here not sleeping at night about killing a coat...That thing was never alive before it was grown.

She's making artsy glass orbs that have specially sized compartments inside. The bees buzz around inside, and when you blow into them they either fly around like the stupid bees that they are or they fly into the compartments depending on what the diagnosis is. It works because bees have very sensitive senses of smell and can be trained to target specific odors that appear in your breath when you're sick.

Would this be cheaper than seeing a doctor? Yes, yes it would, but I think I would want a second opinion from a non-insect if a bee told me I had a terminal illness. But hey, if you don't have health insurance I guess there are worse animals you could go to for medical consultations. [MOMA via Dvice]

WizKids designers Fréderic Kaplan and Martino d'Esposito are trying to show us a glimpse of future socially-smart gadgets that take you "away from the keyboard" and interact with you non-verbally. It's designed it to "converse" via moves and graphics, suggesting things you might want to do in a halo of icons around your onscreen image, which you select by waving at them—rather like the Sony EyeToy. Hold up a CD and it plays those tunes for you.

Kaplan and d'Esposito envisage it amusing your guests at a party, and acting in a strange Little Brother mode, snapping pics of each of your visitors and creating a party timeline—handy if you need to find out who barfed behind the sofa. The clever robot even remembers who's been talking to it, and can pick up the "conversation" later. It could even act as a smart teleconference device, following the movements of the speaker in a meeting.

I'm not sure the world is ready yet for a robot assistant that can wriggle to express confusion, or act as pleased as a puppy when you come back from work, but Wizkid is certainly fascinating. If you fancy a bit of mechanized chatting with it, it's on show at MOMA's Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition in New York, from February 24. [Wizkid via EurekAlert]

Take one polypropylene chair from either the canteen or the stationery cupboard. Place electronic unit that shows video imagery as dynamic pixelated physical information and transmits it to the sitter via the skin on his or her back. Plug in. Turn on. Like I said, Wowzers.

Developed back in the Sixties by a guy called Paul Bach-Y-Rita, sensory substitution allows one sensory modality to be developed used by another. The most common method is using the sensation of touch to allow the brain to see images and is used in brain function studies, cognition and rehabilitation.

The Mind Chair is a collaboration between artists Paul Marigold and Beta Tank and will be on show at the MoMA in New York as part of the Design and the Electric Mind exhibition, from February 24 to May 22. Something tells me there'll be a queue to sit on that particular chair. [Dezeen]

No stranger to museums, the French architect is the man behind the Fondation Cartier in Paris, the extension to the Reina Sofia gallery in Madrid and the Mus e Quai Branly, also in the French capital. [Dezeen]

Wow, we managed to get through three entire sentences talking about a nutcracker without a single innuendo. That's quite the accomplishment on our part, no? – Matt Buchanan

Nusskubus Nutcracker [MoMA Store via Cooking Gadgets]

3D Doodle Kit [MOMA]

Product Page [Via Gearfuse]

Product Page [Via Coolest-Gadgets]

Cageless Desk Fan [Popgadget]

Wooden Briefcase [treehugger]

Designer Gear for the Apocalypse [Wired News]