Levitating gimcrackery is perhaps my favorite genre of Kickstarter rubbish, but in recent months I’ve grown tired of the category. All manner of airborne accessories have floated across my desk — from lightbulbs and bonsai trees to clocks and speaker — and it feels like the gimmick is ready to die. But, I’d like to make one last exception for perhaps the silliest, and most enjoyable, levitating item I’ve seen to date: a floating incense holder.
It’s called the Yun, and its Kickstarter campaign is full of wildly optimistic promises about the product’s Zen possibilities. Setting up this so-called “aroma spaceship” (aka balancing the base on a wobbling magnetic field) will help users “focus and concentrate in a mindful way,” say the Yun’s creators, while watching the smoke float away will relieve them from stress and assist in “[staying] focused on the present moment.” This isn’t a fancy incense holder — it’s a full meditation with all the associated health benefits.
Doesn’t this just scream “mindfulness”?
Image: Yun
To which I say: whatever. But this thing still looks very cool. Levitation in and of itself might have become boring, but the curling stream of incense that pours out of the base of the $199 Yun adds a new dimension of movement that — I’d guess — is very good to stare at when gazing into the middle-distance. And, who knows, while staring absentmindedly, you might find a little bit of enlightenment too. You can check out the full Kickstarter video below: