Wall-cable organizer prototypes

Boiler Design has a couple intriguing prototype cable-managers online: the first being a baseboard "picket fence" that forms a designy trough to run your cables along (looks like it'd be a dust-magnet, though), and the other being a nautically inspired "cleat" for your plug receptacles that you can wind your cords around when not in use (I suspect it'd be great for in-use cords too, especially vacuum cleaners, to keep the plug from being jerked out). Link to picket fence, Link to cleat (Thanks, Karl!)

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Krisjohn

You should be aware that you should never have the power cable coiled for high power draw devices. Frankly, if someone used the example on the right with a heater turned up to full it could cause a fire.
Spork

Seriously, that “cleat” is an inferno waiting to happen. You might as well dip it in thermite and flick cigarettes at it.
RandomReader

Or at the very least, turn that cable into a long spring…
chris

You know what would be even cooler than these cord organizers?

WIRELESS ENERGY.

It’s 2007 already! When’s the future going to get here?
Andy

Krisjohn@6

Too right – are these people crazy? These things are fierce when they go up in flames, wouldn’t want to give one to my grandmother. This was electrical safety 101 for my university course – the practical demonstration was impressive to say the least.
Jeff

You will never see either of those for sale in the US (legally). They would never pass UL testing. They’re both hazards. Industrial designers are NOT engineers and so they naively come up with these sorts of things. They’re just bad ideas.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Really? That’s a pity — they look good. On the other hand, fire bad.
Lady Katey

There is a really awesome charger-holder in Real Simple this month. It’s yellow, and is basically a little horizontal shelf that you place the item-being-charged on (like your cellphone), then wrap the excess cord around part of it, then there is a round hole on the vertical part that you put the plug through so it hangs.

Yeah, hard to picture. I don’t have the magazine handy so I can’t find a picture online. :)
sexyrobot

the snarl of cables behind the telly got so bad i finally just threw in a big bag of rubber snakes. now its funny.
John Wiedey

> (I suspect it’d be great for in-use cords too, especially vacuum cleaners, to keep the plug from being jerked out)

You’ve got a lot of faith in that teeny little screw!
LaHaine

I’ve never managed to jerk out the vacuum cleaner plug. I guess that’s because the Europlugs sit in the socket firmly. I’ve noticed during my travels to the USA, that the American plugs simply suck.
sexyrobot

You’ve got a lot of faith in that teeny little screw!

that’s what she said! …sorry.

also…wrap it around a chair or table leg b4 u plug it in. using an extention cord? knot it first!
Cory Doctorow

Sexyrobot@1: Hilarious! Send me a pic of it and I’ll add it to the post.