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Float To Work In A Human-Powered River Gym

Dedicated Complex readers have already heard about Steve Nash’s human-powered workout center, but now it seems like that brilliant idea might be floating to the surface with the River Gym concept.

For a contest in New York Magazine, the design team of Mitchell and Douglas Joachimcame up with a series of floating gyms in the rivers surrounding Manhattan that would transport people around town while they work out. It would use the energy produced by the workout machines for all it’s power needs. Sounds good to us—if you’re just gonna get sweaty with a bunch of strangers on a subway platform anyway, you might as well get a workout during your commute. After the jump, check out a closeup of the gym and a map of the proposed system.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Vintage Spray Paint Cans For The Graffiti Pack Rat

We can’t front—we’re hardly graffiti experts over here at Complex (please don’t try us when it comes to comic books and rap though). Still, we have more than a healthy respect for the culture, so when we stumbled across this collection of rare spray cans this morning, we had to share.

Grotesk, a Swiss graphic artist based in BK, just posted a collection of old spray paint cans from 1974 to 1988. Apparently his father is a model maker and serious pack rat who photographed the old cans that he had around his studio—kind of like a dead stock treasure trove for aerosol aficionados. Hands down, the vintage cans are way cooler than your Don Mattingly rookie card, or your low-run Elvis stamps. Peep more of the collection after the jump.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Rock & Royal’s Custom Chandeliers Hang Tough

If you thought that the stereotypical rapper’s crib was plush because of their Scarface curtains and stripper-swings, these custom-made chandeliers are about to change the gaudy interior-design game.

The bedazzled ceiling decorations were made by Netherlands-based design house Rock & Royal, who’ve been producing one-off luxury chandeliers since 2005. Their latest gang of products include a Champaign bottle, skull and cross bones, two guns, a bomb, and uhh…a penis design that will give new meaning to a “well-hung” chandelier. Each model is unique, so hit them up directly to see about getting your own design made. See more of their chandeliers after the jump.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Sit Down On A Glow In The Dark LightBench

Ever get real drunk and stumble around your living room looking for your favorite park bench to crash on, only to find you can’t locate it because it’s painted some dull color? Yeah…it hasn’t happened to us either, but if it ever does, we’re gonna kick ourselves for not having a LightBench around.

Made by the German company Frellstedt, the LightBench is made of LEDs that can be programmed for a variety of colors. At just under six feet long and two-and-a-half feet tall, the weatherproof LightBench is perfect for afternoon confabs, feeding pigeons, yelling at strangers, or making homelessness look cool. Check more pics of the LightBench after the jump.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Undrcrwn Illustrates The NBA Draft For Adidas

With the NBA Draft airing tonight, everyone has to get their two cents in. We already talked to the Beastie Boys’ MCA about his top picks, and now streetwear stalwarts Undrcrwn are getting in on the action. To help attract the league’s 5 biggest hopes, adidas recruited Undrcrwn to create designs of each baller, which were then printed onto T-shirts and jackets and given exclusively to each player (Meaning they probably won’t ever be released, unless the players decide to endorse the three stripes).

Using visual cues from their respective cities and personalities, sure-things like Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J Mayo and Eric Gordon all got the Undrcrwn treatment. Take a look at the rest of the player illustrations below.

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Popularity: 44% [?]

Shape-Shifting Dynamic Skyscraper Powers Itself

It’s official: Dubai is the greatest city on earth. Not only do they have artificial islands shaped like palm trees and a ski resort in the middle of the desert, but they’re now building the most mind-blowing apartment building ever imagined. Designed by Italian architect David Fisher, the 80-story Dynamic Skyscraper gives residents the ability to completely change their view. With the use of a simple voice command, the apartment’s entire floor can rotate 360 degrees.

While most skyscrapers are constantly battling the effects of wind, the Dynamic building uses the wind’s rotation to generate power for the entire building. As if that wasn’t enough, residents can park cars inside their apartment using a special elevator. With plans for a smaller version in Moscow, work on the Dubai skyscraper is expected to be completed in 2010. Apartment prices range from $3.7 million to $36 million, so get your bid in now. Watch a video of the moving building below.

Popularity: 47% [?]

Stack Paper In The Cash Money Clip

In today’s fitted jeans era, bulky pockets are not a good look. So if you’re still rocking with your George Costanza wallet, it might be time to switch to something slimmer like the The Cash Money Clip.

Designer Scott Amron created the clever clip by affixing a magnet and two steel plates to a bill, giving you the ability to securely stash your money inside. It’s available in $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 denominations, and there’s also a Euro version. And for you limited edition dorks, Amron points out that no two clips are the same: “Each bill has its own unique United States serial number.” See a video demonstration how the clip functions below.

Popularity: 48% [?]

Fire Footbag Heats Up Hacky Sack

If you thought hacky-sack was reserved for hippies who chilled on the front lawn of the Student Union, allow the Fire Footbag to change your mind. The ballsy sack is constructed by using flameproof Kevlar fibers, which means you can soak it in kerosene and set it on fire before you start a juggling session.

Those looking to cop one of the mini bean-bags should take note of the some standard side effects like setting your feet, legs, and virtually anything around you ablaze. Still think you can take the heat? Buy one here for $24.99. After the jump, watch a video to peep how the pros do it.

Popularity: 52% [?]

Nookanooka Watch Mascot Keeps Time

Last year in the pages of Complex, Kanye West gave the co-sign to forward-thinking watch brand Nooka by rocking one of their bright orange creations in his “Beatdowns” portrait. Well now the company is giving watch junkies like ’Ye a spot to store their collection with the release of their vinyl mascot Nookanooka.

Started by designer Matthew Waldman in 1999, Nooka is known for their futuristic watches that use linear and graphic representations of time, rather than the traditional clock or number-based designs. The Nookanooka is currently only available in black for $70, but it will be released in new colors like glow-in-the-dark in the coming months. See all the colors (sans watches) after the jump.

Popularity: 59% [?]

Take Refuge In The Floating Lilypad City

After the inevitable destruction of the globe, when the ice caps melt and our homes are all submerged under 20,000 leagues of water, where are you gonna go? Vincent Callebaut, an eco-conscious Belgian designer, has cooked up this prototype for a floating metropolis called Lilypad.

Callebaut set out to design a self-sufficient haven for “climate refugees,” who could roam the earth with nothing but a hacky-sack and a Nalgene bottle by 2100. Each city could accomodate 50,000 people, who would live in harmony with the island’s diverse plant life. Insiders predict that wind, solar and hydropower will most likely supply the energy if the city ever comes to fruition. See more views of the Lilypad below.

Popularity: 66% [?]