For a long time, scientists have suspected that humans have an ancient history of drug use. Without any proof, such speculations become nothing more than the rantings of a scientist doped out on hallucinogens. Now, valid proof that humans from the Stone Age dabbled in the arts of “getting fucked up” have appeared on the Caribbean island of Carriacou.

Quetta Kaye of UCL and Scott Fitzpatrick, an archeologist from North Carolina State University, have discovered equipment used to prepare hallucinogenic drugs for sniffing. Additionally, the ceramic bowls they found date back to prehistoric South American tribes, which proves that humans have been taking drugs for longer than one might believe. Listen, just because one wipes their ass with a leaf doesn’t mean they’re less likely to do drugs. Who said druggies have to be civilized?

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Insa Heels is a new high end women’s shoes line made by London graffiti artist Insa and shoe designer Ruth Shaw. Their first style is called “The Cigarette and it will come in three different colorways. Read more to see the other Insa looks.

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You’re in London and Mom wants a birthday present. As a gardener, she’s bound to love butterflies. And she cooks a lot too! So I can bet she’s always checking the clock to make sure her famous mocha-chip cookies aren’t burnt. Why not order this lovely butterfly clock from the Design Shop? It’s a bit expensive at $211, but would you put a price tag on your own mother? Didn’t think so. Are you paying cash or credit?

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‘Cloud’ is an amazing kinetic scultpure that was designed for Bristish Airways’ new Terminal Five at Heathrow Airport by the art and design collective Troika. ‘Cloud’ uses 4,638 flip dots that are individually controlled by a computer to create amazing animations on the surface of the sculpture.

Flip dots were originally used back in the ’70s and ’80s to make moving signage. Since they’re often used in airports and train stations schedule boards, Troika felt they’d be a great medium to use for ‘Cloud’ because “sound they generate is also instantly reminiscent of travel.” After the jump, check out an incredible video of this beautiful sculpture in action.

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Bruno Taylor wants to make London a little more fun. As an artist and a provocateur, Bruno is aiming to add a little more cheer to the adult living in London. Currently, he’s hung a few playful swings on bus stops around London. This way, you can have a little fun before getting on that bus that drives you 45 minutes to work. Of course, what would it all this be without the project involving a social experiment of some sort:

“71% of adults used to play on the streets when they were young. 21% of children do so now. Are we designing children and play out of the public realm?

This project is a study into different ways of bringing play back into public space. It focuses on ways of incorporating incidental play in the public realm by not so much as having separate play equipment that dictates the users but by using existing furniture and architectural elements that indicate playful behaviour for all.

It asks us to question the current framework for public space and whether it is sufficient while also giving permission for young people to play in public.

Play as you go…” Bruno Taylor.

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Art is pretty cool and all, but beer is even better. That’s why it’s so great that London’s Royal College of Art has teamed up with German brewery Beck’s to bring the work of four up and coming British artists to a cold one near you. As part of a program called “Beck’s Canvas,” 27 million bottles of Beck’s will be produced featuring the work of Rita Ikonen, Tom Price, Charlotte Bracegirdle and Simon Cunningham. Other Royal College of Art students and alumni are expected to participate in future editions of the project. Beck’s Canvas makes a lot of sense, because when you get completely smashed and start seeing double you can enjoy all the art twice for one price.

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The crew over at Gothamist have done a fabulous interview with the creator of the Telectroscope, Paul St George. He speaks on a variety of topics ranging from how the device works to future projects. Seems the budding designer wants to dive into tunnels and unfinished inventions. A must read.

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We celebrated the 125th birthday of the Brooklyn Bridge last night and boy was it a party. We had some drinks, mingled a bit and eventually watched a guy named Paul St. George bring in a huge Telectroscope. The Telectroscope, in theory, is supposed to let people from London and NYC look at each other via an undersea tunnel with a complex mirror setup. Luckily, it’s all a crock of crap and it really works using two webcams and a broadband connection. One person looks in, another does the same and suddenly, two continents become one.

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Here’s an interesting little hack that will make those of you in London light up with glee. Some wisecrack DIYer went and dissolved an RFID-based Oyster card for the Underground. The result? A lot of wires and an RFID chip left behind. As you can see in the video above, the card continues to work flawlessly and can now be implemented into your hand, wallet or whatever you want to stick the chip in.

Although the method really doesn’t change anything about the card aside from appearance, it does open the door to some possible . Maybe you could replace the chip inside of a card with a different RFID chip your friend at the government lab re-programmed? The possibilities are (probably not) endless.

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A recent project from the students over at London’s Royal College Of Art caught our eye with its unique look and obvious sensory deprivation. Called “Animal Sense Devices”, the pieces are a set of experimental sense amplifiers which give humans animalistic senses. (more…)