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Dashwood Books at 33 Bond Street (between Lafayette and Bowery) is New York City's only independent bookstore devoted entirely to photography. Dashwood Books is owned and operated by David Strettell formerly the Cultural Director of Magnum Photos where for the last twelve years he produced numerous books and exhibitions advised on countless photographic projects and developed extensive relationships in publishing and media, as well as with museums, galleries and with photographers all over the world.
Continue reading "Dashwood Books ~ New York" »
Since opening their restaurant Les Trois Garçons in London's East End in 2000, the trio of Hassan Abdullah, Stefan Karlson and Michel Lasserre have blazed a trail at the most fashionable end of the UK hospitality scene. Their Loungelover bar, just around the corner from Les Trois Garçons, has picked up a clutch of awards for its wildly eclectic interiors and creative cocktail menu, and their latest venture, Annex 3, near Oxford Circus, has become one of the glitziest spots in the capital.
The turn-of-the-century building has previously been a library, a seedy pole-dancing club and a restaurant, but by the time the team bought it, the interior resembled a hideous salmon pink terrazzo bathroom. Out came the tacky tiles, revealing an original mosaic floor, which became a feature of the bar where two red stiletto chairs from a Parisian shoe shop and a tin model of a fairground ride from Sweden take centre stage. An enormous eagle from the Isle-sur-la-Sorgue flea market, surrounded by 1970s Perspex lights, greets guests in the reception area, and a mosaic sculpture of a boxer emerges from a gold wall close by.
Continue reading "Annex 3 ~ London" »
Mika Wassenarr, a Canadian of Japanese and Dutch parents, designs Hanamachi ( which means flower town in Japanese) and her collection features Asian influences from India to Thailand. She says she strives to create beautiful low-maintenance garments to accompany a ‘nomadic’ lifestyle. The complete collection features Pima Cotton tees with tops and bottoms made of bamboo fabric and linen dye for vintage effects, along with fleeces, hoodies, and sweatpants. The line also contains jeans and capris made from Japanese denim.
Status Foe is here not to dictate what a person should think, but to provoke thought. They are a collection of a few, with the desire of painting a fashion story through the eyes of art. Status Foe is sometimes quirky, often wry and always has an underlying serious observation of life and culture.
The Status Foe summer/fall 06 collections were conceived from a journey through lands across the world. It was a time spent touching new landscapes, feasting on art and the unfamiliar.
Their new collections feature inspired patterns, accents, and colours to honor the artist within each of us.
All their shirts are made of Pima Cotton and can be purchased on their website.
Hotel Biron is not an official hotel per se, but after perusing its wine list and sinking into one of the comfy sofas, folks might not want to check out. A handful of copper tables, wrought-iron bistro chairs and zinc-green walls decked with a revolving exhibition of local art further the Left Bank mood. The low lighting and high spirits form the perfect setting for an after-work get-together or romantic rendezvous.
Hotel Biron is located in Hayes Valley, at 45 Rose Street, behind the Zuni Cafe, between Market and Gough.
Continue reading "Hotel Biron Wine Bar ~ San Francisco" »
EFCI is an acronym for the Elastic Fantastic Chronosynclastic Infundibulum, which means something like a place where different kinds of truths fit together to become one. But more simply EFCI is a company with creative menswear designed by Rory Scerri-Marion and Sumter Pendergrast. THe new fall/winter 2006 collection is described as “Oscar Wilde meets Hong Kong,” which loosely translates as velvet pants in colors like orange and wovens with Chinese-themed embroidery. Motifs include koi and dragons and an image of Bruce Lee pops up on tees. Dress shirts also feature details like french cuffs. The complete EFCI collection also showcases Italian corduroy jackets, pea coats and denim. The designers of EFCI want fans to picture an outfit worn by Wilde having drinks in HK’s Felix bar or riding his motorbike through the busy streets of Kowloon.
Started by Sebastien de Jaegher aka Joon four years ago as punk/skate label, Noir Kennedy has just released their 7th collection. He began designing clothes because he didn’t find anything that he wanted to wear so he decided to makes his own Their influences comes especially from the musical medium, rock and roll of the seventies , Quadrophenia while passing by Minor Threat or Dispatch Mode. But also the skate, punk, trash scene in which he sepnt a good part of his youth and which particularly inspired him
If you didn't know it was there, you'd just pass this amazing store. around the corner from l'eclaireur [homme] this is definitely not one to pass up if you love skinny jeans and punk rock. Also good for anyone who wants to check out an interesting store concept.
Noir Kennedy 22 rue du Roi de Siecile Paris
Instead of debuting in a trendy men’s boutique, Sovereign Beck ties launched in an art gallery – Wallspace in Chelsea, New York. Designers WIll Beck and Ryan Sovereign are both Rhode Island School of Design Alums, who collaborated in music and the visual arts before launching their collection of neckwear “ we both realized that, while there is no longer as many situations that require formal dress, there is still a true pleasure in dressing well and looking sharp”, says the duo. “ These ties are for those of us who want to wear a tie, not have to wear one.” The ties are made of silk and evoke classic neckwear from the 1950’s through 1980’s, but look modern not vintage or retro.
Now that the South by Southwest Festival is in full swing, the have begun to post podcasts of their interactive panels. At the moment there are only four available but keeping checking back as they will be posting more. You can also just add the RSS feed to your reader
When Avec opened in late 2003 as the quiet sister of Blackbird, the holiest establishment on Randolph Row, Avec was expected to be its downgraded bistro cum wine bar. Conceived as a casual, rustic, looser turn for Blackbird’s impeccably trained chefs, it turns out that the food at Avec is (arguably) better.
A dazzling wine list presents 120 bottles of traditional, often unknown varietals from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal; some 30 selections are ingeniously presented in 250 ml. bottles or carafinas, essentially making them glass-and-a-half or one- third-bottle pours. A clean, modern and organic space of naked cedar slats, hickory floors, blond oak benches and a back display of emerald-green wine bottles, Avec’s diners sit at long communal tables or at the stainless steel bar.
Conceived, developed and patented by Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, the unique Clicquot Tw’ice Bucket rotates through 180 degrees using a clever ‘click’ system, activated by a simple push button mechanism. Within seconds the Clicquot Tw’ice Bucket transforms its round base through a playful somersault into a steel platform.
As a result of its double orientation, the Clicquot Tw’ice Bucket is equally at home on a flat surface or clipped to the edge of a table, with amazing balance and stability. Buy it online @ Malmaison.com
| Via Coolhunting.com |
Gentle Fawn clothing made it's debut in Los Angeles California in November 2002. The idea for the brand was sparked by a simple thrift store ceramic fawn figurine.The brand has emerged as a stylish mix of elements from nature and the city. This balance is the cornerstone of the brand, and reflects the lives of the owners Daniel and Carla Hogg. The couple divide thier time between business interests in Vancouver, where the nature inspiration evolved, and Los Angeles, where the metropolitan flavor comes from. These contrasts provide a unique international look. Gentle Fawn is now sold in more then 150 stores across the USA, and is also avaiable in Japan and Australia. The Collection is a evolving mix of concepts and ideas, always with a modern edge and streetwear sophistication.
Design Anarchy is the latest book by Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn, Design Anarchy, takes an unflinching look at contemporary art and design, implicating its seemingly innocuous practices in crimes against our culture and our planet." View a flash presentation at Adbusters
And you have never read Culture Jam, Kalle’s previous book , then go buy it now and read it. You can also pre-order Design Anarchy at Amazon.com
Rocio Romero's LV series is a line of homes inspired by her first prototype the LV home, built in Laguna Verde Chile in 1999. Since debuting the LV home as a prefabricated home to the masses her line of work has expanded, we now have other homes including the LVL, LVG, LV-150, and LVM. Each LV series unit has been thoughtfully designed to exist on it's own as well as be combined with the other units. All of the homes in the LV series are customizable, you can reconfigure the interior as well as the exterior.
The LV Home kit provides you with materials for the exterior envelope. You and your contractor will need to supply the foundation, roof, windows, and the interior finish out. Neither plumbing nor electric lines are included, allowing for the home to be constructed in adherence to local building codes. Leaving these materials out also ensures that the entire kit can fit on a single truck. And yes, the cost of these additional materials will add up, however the price is still quite reasonable. For a complete LV home, including transport, labor, site preparation, finishes and equipment, Ms. Romero estimates that it will run just under $100,000.
Through Marquis Jet's exclusive alliance with NetJets®, the worldwide leader in private aviation, the Marquis Jet Card enables access to the prestigious NetJets fleet with a simple payment for 25-hours of occupied flight time. There is no long-term commitment, no large capital outlay and no hidden costs. You can fly your 25 hours at your leisure, renew or simply walk away when you are finished; it's that simple.
Some of the many Marquis Jet Card program benefits include: Exclusive access to the NetJets fleet of over 500 aircraft
Guaranteed availability 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Highest standards of safety, security and personal service
Access to thousands of airports in North America and Europe
10 aircraft types to choose from
Exchange your jet for a smaller or larger cabin depending on your needs
Freedom to exchange between NetJets North American and European fleets
No "deadheads" or "empty leg" charges within NetJets primary service area
No long-term commitment
Request Information
I’ve met plenty of digital dictionaries and thesauruses. But none of them has wooed me away from my trusty stack of reference books, until now. When I enter a term in OneLook, this elegantly simple, and free to use, web site returns a brief definition and links to entries in several online dictionaries, plus it provides results from the thesuruses, a rhyming dictionary, Wikipedia, and many other resources. If you enter a word OneLook can’t find, it’ll suggest words that are spelled similarly. Even better, the site lets you search using wild cards and perform reverse lookups.
Jeffrey Campbell is manufactured in Spain. They feature great creativity in small production. There are less than 100 pairs of Jeffrey Campbell shoes in the entire world! Distribution is limited to stores that cater solely to individuals. The goal of Jeffrey Campbell is to offer alternative choices to individuals. Look for the Jeffrey Campbell Shoes in all the magazines!!!. Making fun, interesting and unique footwear, walk on the wild side with fashion forward shoes.
Buy Jeffrey Campbell @ Zappos.com
Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape presents 23 landscape-design projects that reclaim and transform urban spaces—many derelict and in need of rehabilitation—into public parks and gardens. Groundswell features examples of the new artistic richness and critical debate in the design of public spaces, from small urban plazas to large parks for post-industrial sites to long range plans for entire urban sectors. The exhibition is organized by Peter Reed, Curator, and Irene Shum, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art.
Continue reading "Groundswell: Constructing the Comtemporary Landscape" »
Join Provactive thinkers in technology, architecture, business, media, and science at the prermier gathering of design innovators.
The 2006 Art Center Design Conference Stories from the Source: Radical Craft Thursday, March 23–Sunday, March 26, 2006 Art Center College of Design South Campus Pasadena, CA
Stories from the Source: Radical Craft will examine the most advanced examples of craft in architecture, the arts, science, technology, storytelling, fashion, food, magic and more.
Over three exhilarating days, Radical Craft will explore the extremes of craft, including:
– satellites and space exploration
– invented worlds in stagecraft and animation
– digital-game wizardry
– haute couture vs. “UnFashion”
– craft in the service of humanitarian need
– the art of the 30-second story
– new paradigms of industrial production
– sleight-of-hand craft
– extreme custom car design
– crafting the news
This New Year's Eve weekend 2005 , for two nights, San Francisco will be the site of a daring cultural convergence. Boulder, Colorado, based Madison House, and Portland, Oregon, based Peak Experience Productions, will join forces with long time San Francisco art/event promoters Anon Salon. Collectively they will raise the 6th Annual Sea of Dreams - New Year's EVE-O-Lution!
The master-blaster plan is to draw together a miraculous mash up of diverse artistic, musical, and performance communities. Once together they will trip the switch on the possible, and unleash a truly new and beautiful form of pARTy celebration into the world - a real New Year's Eve-O-Lution - with YOU at the center of it all.
Three stages standing for three grand entertainment agendas (one mostly musical, one mostly cabaret and circus, and one mostly straight out dance crazy) will anchor the events that will then burst forth from there across the sprawling indoor, and outdoor reaches, of this beautiful and very comfortable venue. Discover a "MetaMorphoSea" of thematic environments, interactive art installations, fun participatory opportunities, and unforgettable Midnight celebrations all designed to delight and engage your (hopefully) brilliantly costumed senses
Continue reading "Sea of Dreams New Years Eve Party ~ San Francisco" »
The two-day Tropical Green conference will be an invaluable experience for architects, interior designers, developers, city planners, politicians, and voters in search of learning the ways of 21st century design that will both help the environment and their wallets.
You can register online with a cerdit card by following this link or calling (800) 715-2443. Checks may be made payable to METROPOLIS magazine. Please mail your check and registration form to METROPOLIS Products, P.O. Box 576, Mt. Morris, IL 61054. Please complete one form for each individual.
One hundred of San Francisco’s finest restaurants will offer three-course prix-fixe menus at $21.95 for lunch and/or $31.95 for dinner. A la carte menus will be available as well. Available exclusively to Visa cardholders, "Dine About Town San Francisco" gives diners the rare opportunity to try out hot new restaurants and revisit some favorites at tempting prices. Experienced Dine About Town-ers know to make reservations as soon as the dedicated Web site, goes live A list of all 100 participating "Dine About Town San Francisco" restaurants, searchable by cuisine and location, will be available. Through a partnership with OpenTable.com, the leading provider of free, online reservations for diners as well as guest and table management systems for restaurants, reservations at the participating restaurants can be made online at www.sfdineabouttown.com.
LA/SF Furniture Seen is a comprehensive, easy to use, searchable e-platform for the modern furniture buyer in the greater Los Angeles and San Francisco area. Their goal is to send qualified buyers into your showroom to complete a sale.
They offer a cost effective way to reach a very targeted audience and committed to building a strong user base including architects, interior designers, set designers and retail customers
Users are emailed about new products, special sales, showroom openings and design events as well, designers ard their funriture are profiled under the designs page, where users can get information about the designers and where to buy the product. I would consider it halfway house for prospective furniture buyers
High chairs are great. Except when you don’t have one. That’s where Totseat comes in. It’s washable. It’s squashable. It’s highly portable. It’s for babies who lunch. Fabric highchairs have been around for many years but Totseat differs significantly for three reasons. It adjusts for high and low backed chairs - it has an integral cummerbund which offers additional support (so works on open backed chairs too) - and it clips neatly and firmly at the back. Designed to fit almost any adult chair, the funky fabric Totseat will keep even the wiggliest child safely in place. It’s simple to use. Easy to carry. (Just squash it in and go). And ideal for children aged between eight months and two and a half years. Simply slip it over the chair back, adjust it, pop in the baby, and clip it firmly. It won the Scottish Design Awards grand prize for 2005.
POLANOID was invented because the magic of Polaroid pictures, the thrilling Edwin Land story and the charme and touch of Polaroid cameras hit us like a sledge hammer. Hungry for real analog, good smelling pictures in a digital world, we decided to swim against the stream and to reset our focus and start the biggest, best and most instant online photo community ever. Stuffed with millions of Polaroids, collected and uploaded by Polaroid addicts all over the planet. It was a long way before we finally write this lines, just a few days before the official launch of POLANOID.NET. It all started at the lomographic headquaters back in June 2004 with this first Polaroid that we aber made, using a holga with colored flash and a Polaroid back. Even if this picture will never make it to any art-gallery it opened our eyes and heart for the unique advantages of real analog photography.
| Via PSFK |
One of the most innovative, experimental and conceptual fashion designers of the present is Hussein Chalayan.over the past ten years the turkish-cypriot designer. Born 1970 in Nicosia - has produced more than twenty collections.The most important projects are shown in his first major solo exhibition in form of garments, installations, photographs and videos. His work often concentrates on cultural or socio-political themes, reflecting chalayan’s personal history as someone whose identity is shaped by different cultures. He takes his inspiration from a wide range of different disciplines such as architecture, philosophy and anthropology. Chalayan is a designer with the heart of an artist and with the brain of a scientist. In 1993 hussein chalayan graduated from London's central St. Martins College of Art and Design with a sensational presentation of garments he buried in the earth before to see how they would decompose. the twice-crowned british designer of the year became famous in fashion by using unconventional materials and unorthodox techniques - putting the creative process itself on view. blown-up skirts, armchair covers which transform into dresses, chairs into suitcases, a coffee table reveals itself to be a wooden skirt. This and more will give you an idea how Chalayan uses fashion as a medium for expression. Since 2001 he has presented his collections at the prêt-à-porter runway shows during paris fashion week. In 2002 Chalayan established his first menswear collection. this opened him the doors to numerous international exhibitions, including ‘radical fashion’ at the V&A victoria & Albert Museum in london, ‘fashion’ at the Kyoto Costume Institute in Japan, ‘airmail clothing’ at the Musée de la Mode Palais du Louvre in Paris and the Istanbul biennial.
Even though he didn't really "invent" Champagne, Dom Perignon was the first to make white wine from black grapes, essential for the Champagne of today. But most importantly, he initiated the art of blending -- then a novel idea.
It was said of Dom Perignon that so fine was his palate that he could taste grapes brought in from individual vineyards and identify their source. Instead of making single-vineyard wines, as was the norm, Dom Perignon used grapes from different parcels owned by the abbey or coming from farmers as tithes to create wines of consistent quality, which enhanced the abbey's reputation. So highly esteemed were the wines of Hautvillers that they fetched twice the price of wines of other villages.
| Via SF Chronicle |
The loft used to be a distinctly urban animal: empty downtown factories converted first into living spaces by struggling artists, then later into trendy up-market condos. But like many city dwellers, as it has matured, the loft has moved farther away from the hustle and bustle of downtown life. Last year, the National Association of Home Builders incorporated the "loft look" in its annual demonstration home in Las Vegas. A cross between SoHo and Pleasantville, the house featured an open plan, buffed-concrete floors and high ceilings, but it also sat amid a manicured lawn in a gated subdivision. It drew rave reviews and quickly sold for $1.9 million." NY Times
Forbes has a new series that identifies 100 men and women who shape the way we eat, listen, drink, dress and more. Looking at the fields of food, film, music, architecture, winemaking, industrial design, performing arts, literature, art and fashion design, Forbes.com selected ten individuals who have made the greatest creative contributions (or continued to make great contributions) to their respective fields over the past year. They used reader polls, awards, press mentions, earnings and other criteria to arrive at the final lists. While some readers may not agree with their choices (like me) and many were surprising even to us--there is no doubt that everyone who made the list is truly a Tastemaker.
Max Beer is the Berlin lable for comfortbale shoes. In the urban landscape, Max Beer shoes are inhabiting and ecological niche– sneaker on the outside, foot friendly and breathable on the inside. Currently, collections are crafted in Italy, in series of a couple of hundred pairs, in a family workshop in the mountains west fo Florence. Max Beer shoes are made of 100% leather, they contain a footbed made of coco and juta fibre and leather, and under that leather insole. Soles are made of leather or high-quality rubber. The choice of materials and the design are aimed at healthy walking and a good foot climate, as well as guaranteeing a long life
Buy on-line at Max Beer
Via DesignSpotter
Letterpress printer Julie Holcomb started in the business 25 years ago at a little place on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, in the same building that Carlos Santana recorded his albums. These days she collaborates with illustrators such as Patricia Curtan and shows her work at musesums and design centers
From the moment you enter the James Bond-inspired tunnel-shaped doorway, you know this is not just any old watering hole. Designer Dodd Mitchell's inspiration was fashion, chocolate, sensuality and fire. Glassmaker Norman Mooney was brought in to create the hand-blown lighting fixture spanning an entire wall. Swarovski crystals illuminate the bathroom signs. Slip into a deep brown crocodile booth and indulge in chocolate from Debauve & Gallais – the only food on the menu. Why has no one thought of this before?
Double Seven
418 W. 14th St (btwn 9th & 10th Aves)
New York, NYC
212 981 9099
Access to mobile phones is rocketing, along with its impact on poverty, writes Matthew Bishop.
In rich countries, mobile phones can seem something of a mixed blessing – particularly if you are stuck on a train next to a teenager with a Crazy Frog ring-tone. But in poor countries, mobile phones have no obvious downside and have already delivered remarkable bene?ts, in terms both of economic growth and personal empowerment. They may even enable poor countries to leapfrog over some of the traditional stages of the development process.
Continue reading "Mobile Phones Increase GDP" »
We all know smoking is unhealthy to people like ourselves and the environment. What better way than to use a Klop to filter cigarrette/cigar smokes. Smoke naturally flows through the Klop and becomes filtered by the plant leaves itself. Do ourselves a favour and save the environment. Designed by Grégoire Vandenbussche
Via | electro^plankton |
The ingenious, yet simple design of the Eva Solo Barrel Grill includes a number of unique features. First, it is made from stainless steel so it is built to last. The portable coal bucket is easy to empty of ashes and the flat protective lid provides an extra surface on the patio when the grill is not in use. Cook directly over the hot coals or convert it into an oven using the optional domed lid. The Eva Solo Barrel Grill is designed to be pleasing to the eye so there is no need to hide it away after use.
Optional accessories available: Grill Tongs for moving and turning food, Domed Cooking Lid to convert the grill into an oven, Table Legs to convert the Flat Lid into a table, Cover Jacket to protect the grill from the weather.
Buy it Online @ Amazon.com
Frog travel bags are agile, light and colourful. their bodies are soft and elastic. the frog line explores these traits in aesthetic and technological terms, creating a uniquely-shaped product suitable for travellers that love distinctive design. Thanks to its innovative shape and materials, frog teams a lightweight but strong structure with an adaptable volume: polypropylene trolley shell, aluminium tow-bars, three-yarn flock fabric elasticised and expandable in the soft sections. several styles and colors available.
About Mandarina Duck: Italy, the year is 1977. two childhood friends, already long-standing business partners, decide to branch into leatherwear taking their inspiration from a brightly-plumed oriental duck that symbolises happiness and loyalty: this is how mandarina duck started out. the liveliness and spirit of this little duck were instilled into a breakthrough backpack, 'utility', which changed the rules of the game. almost thirty years after such a brilliant start, mandarina duck continues to be original and independent, but also modern, coming up with innovative new products, year after year.
You can buy them On-Line @ Flight 001 or Unica Home
The Seventh Heart is a locally owned men's and women's clothing boutique. They have an excellent blend of designers such as Modern Amusement, Estrella del Amor, Juanita More, and a variety specialty and rock t-shirts, vintage, bags, unique accessories, military inspired clothing , as well as consignment from local designers. They are all about having a hot store with really creative merchandising and price points that are affordable. You will find unique fashion ideas, inspiring displays,
affordable and hip clothing and accessories, and an overall creative and positive atmosphere. The Seventh Heart is a perfect compliment to San Francisco's unique sense of style.
They will be opening in early December and are located at 1592 Market Street at Franklin in San Francisco
They don’t call them travel podcasts but Sounds for Sights is offering downloadedable, self-guided audio walking tours for sights and cities around the world.
Sounds for Sights was created by two friends who love traveling, the outdoors and New York City. Being a tech-savvy pair and disappointed with other group, book and bus tour options, they considered additional ways to provide an entertaining and educational destination guide. While spending time in the city, they noticed the obvious prevalence of iPods and wondered what other purposes they could serve besides simply playing music. Being visitors themselves, the answer was clear; develop helpful and fascinating self-guided audio-walking tours that could be downloaded and enjoyed at a person’s convenience. Although the concept of prerecorded audio guides was not brand new, little attention had been paid to providing quality content in a convenient and highly portable package, which was easily accessible online. Most tours cost $5 and last around 45 minutes.
Via | Jaunted |
MIT has unveiled its $100 hand-cranked laptop computer to the United Nations technology summit in Tunisia and said that it hopes to make millions of the devices to give to the poorest people in the world.
The lime-green machines, which are about the size of a text book, will offer wireless connectivity via a mesh network of their own creation allowing peer-to-peer communication and operate in areas without a reliable electricity supply.
Brazil, Thailand, Egypt and Nigeria are candidates to receive the first wave of laptops starting in February or March, and each will buy at least 1 million units, he said.
The computers operate at 500 MHz, about half the processor speed of commercial laptops, and will run on Linux rather than Microsoft’s or Apple’s Operating systems as previously hoped by the two companies.
The computer uses a screen from a portable DVD player, which can be switched from colour to black and white to make it easily viewable in bright sunlight, said Mary Lou Jepsen, the project's chief technical officer.
Etsy.com. Sort of like ebay.com for handmade goods. Allows you to list your own items as well as search for items by description and geographic location. This would be a great site for small up and coming designers who don't have the resources to setup their own website. Via | Protein Feed |
As Ubiquity prepares to mark its 15th anniversary in December, the label shows no signs of slowing. The imprint, which releases albums spanning soul, funk, hip-hop, and jazz, is consistently recognized as one of the industry's strongest independents — having won the Gilles Peterson Label of the Year Award for 2004 and received nominations for 12 honors in the awards' 2005 iteration. Ubiquity has recently embraced downloading (through iTunes) with its Shape of Things to Come release, featuring exclusive, unreleased, and forthcoming tracks.
After visiting San Francisco on their honeymoon and falling in love with the city, DJs Jody and Michael McFadin went home to Southern California, sold most of their possessions, and moved to SF with a fuzzy dream of starting a record company. While continuing to dream about starting a label, they invested the last of their savings into a business that would combine their passion for music and provide an income to live on, and opened the Groove Merchant record store on Haight Street in early 1990.
Within a year the small shop had built a reputation the world over as a place to find rare records and learn about new sounds. A haven for collectors, DJs, and producers looking for soul jazz, musical obscurities, and break beats, the Groove Merchant even earned a toast on the Beastie Boys song "Professor Booty", "This one goes out to my man the Groove Merchant, comin' through with the beats that I've been searchin'," rapped Mike D. on 1992's "Check Your Head" album.
Set to rise 54 stories above Manhattan, the crystalline Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park will incorporate an unrivaled number of environmentally friendly technologies, from its windows to its toilets. The building will supply 70 percent of its own energy with an on-site natural-gas-burning power plant. For climate control, One Bryant Park will rely on excess thermal energy from the power plant, a groundwater heat exchanger that is the first of its type, and an air-conditioning system cooled by ice made with excess power during off-peak hours. The building will even have waterless urinals and use water collected from the roof to flush toilets. Together, these systems are designed to earn the building a Platinum rating—the highest possible—from the U.S. Green Building Council when construction is completed in 2008.
If you are like me somtimes you find yourself bored at work dreaming of living in a foreign country. The more exotic the better. And if you are like me you also then start looking at what your dollar will buy you around the world. Well today I came across the site callled Prime Location. Its a great agency that allows you view houses, apartments, and land all over the world. It covers homes for sale as well as rentals. Obviously I am not the only one interested in buying seconcd homes abroad. The NYTimes had an article not to long ago about this very thing.
Why not take a break from work? Stuart Rees Jones, founder of Camps International, which has taken school-leavers to Kenya to work on community-run projects since 2002, launches a programme for 'grown-up gappers' this month. Groups of up to 20 volunteers help out on a variety of schemes, such as building classrooms, teaching and working at an elephant sanctuary.Their feeling is that world-minded travellers are motivated by being able to “give something back” to less fortunate communities in the third world. Camp Kenya Life offers you an opportunity to meet your Life challenges and to contribute your efforts and inspiration, directly to some of Kenya’s underprivileged communities.
Morning Becomes Eclectic is committed to a music experience that celebrates innovation, creativity and diversity by combining progressive pop, world beat, jazz, African, reggae, classical and new music. Recognized nationally as a forum for promoting a wide range of music ahead of the curve, the show has become a very attractive whistle stop for both established and emerging artists from around the world. .
Now, live sessions from “Morning Becomes Eclectic” are the latetest addition to KCRW’s podcast lineup. Nic Harcourt, Music Director for the station and host of the show which airs weekdays from 9AM to 12PM says KCRW had several requests to make their music programming available for podcasting. In response, live sessions featuring performances and interviews with independent and unsigned artists will be available for podcasting for free
Living Homes: With an immanent launch in Santa Monica, Living Homes is preparing to debut a structure that incorporates the key elements of eco-friendly home construction with an aesthetic that gracefully updates classic Southern California modern style.
With legendary architect Ray Kappe as their first designer, this aesthetic is coming straight from its progenitor. Founder of Sci-Arc and recipient of numerous awards, Kappe's residential work "has been characterized as 'the apotheosis of the California wood house.' Clear systems, harmony with nature, and environmental considerations are hallmarks of his approach."
Via Inhabitat
This fashion line designed by a four-man California collective is most aptly described as ’70s surfer-goes-to-prep-school. A little bit rumpled, a little bit whimsical, while still maintaining some semblance of traditional “class”, wares include illustrated t-shirts, hoodies, khakis and button downs.
Buy Trovata On-line at Revolve Clothing or Active Endeavors
Airtroductions: If you’re the kind of person that likes to put on your headphones the second you board a plane, this site is not for you. But if you’re the kind of person the headphone-wearers are avoiding, then you’ll love Airtroductions. Targeting frequent flyers, Airtroductions gives users the opportunity to connect with others of their choosing for air travel. Whether professional or personal, users create a profile which is posted on the site. After entering an itinerary, users are then notified when others are booked on their same flight. Given the option to send an anonymous email, flyers can try to meet up before the flight and even try to sit next to each other
The 26th Annual Exotic Erotic Ball
When: Saturday October 22nd 2005
Time 8:00 pm – 2:00 am
Cost General Admission tickets $59–$90, VIP Tickets $150–$200
Where: The Cow Palance, 2600 Geneva Avenue, San Francisco
San Francisco's Cow Palace hosts the annual Exotic Erotic Ball, an outrageously fabulous event for those with an extrovert streak, or those who just like streaking.
The Ball has been a regular occurrence in San Francisco since 1979 when it all began with Louis Abolafia and Perry Mann. Louie, also known as "The Love King", and "King of Hippies", is famous in his own right as an author, artist, founder of the Love-ins, Nudist Candidate for President, founder of the nation's first runaway hotline and most recently, as the founder and producer of the Exotic Erotic Ball.
The strictly over-21 event features sexobitionist freaks in outlandish, erotic attire that leaves little to the imagination. Leave your inhibitions at home and join in the fun.
Apple today introduced Aperture
, the first all-in-one post production tool that provides everything photographers need after the shoot. Aperture offers an advanced and incredibly fast RAW workflow that makes working with a camera's RAW images as easy as JPEG. Built from the ground up for pros, Aperture features powerful compare and select tools, nondestructive image processing, color managed printing and custom web and book publishing.
Continue reading "Apple Aperture Introduced" »
San Francisco based muzikwear is announces their first T-Shirt with their patent-pending availability wire management system.
The smart T-shirt has three components integrated: A Grip, a Slack Pocket and the Digital Player Pocket. The grip holds the cable of the head-set behind the head in place. The excess cable can hide in the slack pocket. The mp3 player is stored in the sleeve. The T-Shirt works with small players like the iPod nano, iPod shuffle or the Sony NW-E-500 series.
The shirts will be available in black, navy, and, white. (Sizes: S-XXL) Price for the T-Shirt is $29.99, available next week on the muzikwear site.
The One Club teams up with Stash DVD magazine to present Onescreen — 60 minutes of film, commercials, viral, video, and design from 2005. Keeping with the One Club's commitment to raise the standards of advertising by opening up the medium to extra-commercial work, this program offers new output from the Designers Republic, Lobo, Nakd, MTV, and PostPanic; music videos from Nine Inch Nails, Alias, and SoCal's Valley Arena; illustrations from Derrick Hodgson and Dalek; and a rare chance to see what's pumping out of ad agencies Wieden + Kennedy Tokyo Lab, Modernista!, and TBWA Paris. DJs SMC and DRM keep things lively all night.
Continue reading "Onescreen" »
R.A.G. (541 Octavia St. San Francisco , 415-621-7718) stands for "Residents Apparel Gallery." The funky collective shows off edgy, affordable men's and women's clothes from about 50 local designers. Bios tacked to the racks give the scoop on these up-and-comers like Chelsea Snyder, who has "been sewing since I was 10" and now creates placemat-size paisley miniskirts. R.A.G. doesn’t choose to have a specific taste instead prefers to showcase a wide range of styles ranging the gamut from deconstructed to very tailored pieces to represent the very diverse and unique styles in our community. R.A.G. currently showcases 40+ designers and rotates in a few new designers monthly
Interesting idea about Apple’s next battle against cell phone makers
Now Apple has released its first portable video product, Apple's next battle can now commence. Forget the iRiver, the Sony MP3 players and even the PSP. They don't even register. Apple's true enemies are the mobile phone brands. Apple must face this battle - the Battle For The Bulge - because the mobile phone brands have already got the upperhand. You see, in the end we'll only want to carry one device in our pockets. A phone AND a media player is one bulge too many in our tight designer London Denim jeans. Phones are already omnipresent in a way Apple can only dream of. Your phone rides the train to work with you, goes to the beach with you, watches over you at night and wakes you up in the morning. Your phone keeps you in touch with your mates, even sends and receives pictures of them - and now your phone even plays video clips. It's a wherever, whenever product. The iPod, even the video iPod, looks distinctly 2D compared to standard cell phone. Yes, the iPod is a beautiful product with an amazing user interface and amazing memory. But memory capacity is not a defendable position -...
The Battle For The Bulge
L.A. based line Evil Genius brings you innovative designs with a casual yet punk rock feel. Composed primarily of jersey knit material, Evil Genius pieces reinvent what a t-shirt should and can be.
Buy Evil Genius online at Chocosho.com
Tokion Magazine announces the Third Annual Creativity Now Conference, to be held at Cooper Union's historic Great Hall on October 15th and 16th, 2005. This unique symposium will bring together top figures in art, design, fashion, photography, film, new media, publishing and marketing. In the same room for the first time, the people shaping today's popular culture will spend two days exchanging their ideas, methods and inspirations before an audience of 2,000.
On the cinema side, there's an address from director Todd Haynes; a discussion of documentary filmmaking with Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation), Bruce Sinofsky (Paradise Lost) and Ondi Timoner (Dig!); plus, comedian David Cross "moderating" . In art, Glenn O'Brien interviews Richard Prince and riffs on photography with the legendary William Eggleston and Stephen Shore. Execs from Geico, Absolut, and iPod give their ideas on advertising, and Napster's Glenn Kaino, xBox's Jonathan Hayes, and artist Doug Aitken discuss the lofty Future of Content. Angelic icon Antony Hegarty (sans Johnsons) closes the show
Buy Tickets
Resonance FM, London's first not-for-profit, art-radio station, has recently begun podcasting selected shows — allowing listeners to get their cultural fixes on the go. There's the beats and breaks-oriented podcast Rhythm Incursions, which claims to be one of the first-ever shows to be aired with the complete consent and involvement of the record labels it supports. For an alternative (read: leftist) take on finance, check The Truth About Markets, with former stockbroker and current anti-capitalist Max Keiser, who runs an activist hedge fund. Perhaps the most fun, however, is just tuning in for a random sampling of the station's vivid and multi-faceted personality.
Rock al Parque (Rock in the Park) in Bogotá is the biggest and best annual rock festival in Latin America. Now into its tenth year, 300,000 people are expected to squeeze into Parque Simón Bolivar to enjoy the consistently great line-up.
For three days Bogotá's rock fans can enjoy a wide variety of international, national and local bands performing for free. In the weeks leading up to the event, local up-and-coming groups take part in a battle of the bands for the privilege of performing.
The festival began in 1995, attracting around 50,000 fans. Past performers include Manu Chao, inventors of the ska sound The mighty Skatalites, Kinky from Mexico, the rocking Robi Draco Rosa, the masters of Colombian dance music Sidestepper and Andrea Echeverry from Aterciopelados.
Palladium is a French company based in a rural city close to Lyon, France. Since its founding in 1947, Palladium has sold more than 60 million pairs of shoes worldwide. To this day, each pair of Palladiums is constructed with the same basic elements as the originals: natural materials, authentic colors and a lug sole designed for maximum durability and functionality.
In 1950, they introduced the rubber soled Pallabrousse in beige canvas. Since then, it has been the preferred shoe for the French Army, scouts, hunters and world travelers. Today, the Pallabrousse is the same as it has always been. Versions of the original are worn everywhere in the world by all generations looking for shoes with original styling and utilitarian functionality.
Since 1998, Palladium has been a subsidiary of Consolidated Shoe Company located in Lynchburg, VA. Palladium shoes are sold worldwide to a very focused group of better retailers, select department and athletic stores.
They can also be bought online at Amazon.com or Zappos.com
Celebrating San Francisco’s unique built environment and design community, Architecture and the City is the first series of its kind in the Bay Area to feature architectural tours, film screenings, exhibitions, design lectures and more. Now in its second year, the month-long celebration hopes to engage members of the public and design enthusiasts, as well as architects and designers, with a deeper appreciation for San Francisco’s rich architectural and design community. In honor of the second annual celebration, Mayor Gavin Newsom has officially proclaimed this period of September and October a time for San Franciscans to celebrate "Architecture and the City."
Find, subscribe and listen to online radio shows with the freshly unveiled Yahoo! Podcasts beta.
A “comprehensive directory of podcast series and individual shows from across the Web,” you can search, tag, review, and rate podcasts with Yahoo! Podcasts. Subscribe to a series with Yahoo! Podcasts and automatically acquire the latest episode when it’s posted using Yahoo!’s Music Player as well as iTunes, Winamp and Windows Media Player. Looks like Yahoo’s looking to compete with the iTunes Music Store podcasting bit, and that, my friends, is A Good Thing.
Two new airlines are opening this fall to and will be flying strictly upper class service no economy.
MAXjet claims to be the first carrier to offer an "all-business-class trans-Atlantic service," with one-way fares as low as £599, or about $1,050, which it says are "50 to 75 percent less than current fares in the marketplace."
MAXjet will operate Boeing 767-200ER aircraft, with 102 seats, allowing each passenger about 1.5 meters of legroom in a 2-by-2 configuration. The inaugural flight will leave Kennedy at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 1 and arrive at Stansted at 7 a.m.; the first westbound flight departs Stansted at 10 a.m. Nov. 2, arriving at Kennedy at 1 p.m.
Eos, named for the Greek goddess of the dawn, is led by the former British Airways executive David Spurlock and offers daily flights with an initial fleet of three Boeing 757s, replacing the usual mixed-class configuration of 200 or more seats, to carry 48 passengers in "premium tailored suites" of about 2 square meters, or about 21 square feet. Seats recline into an almost 2-meter flat bed. Passengers can call up meals and snacks at any time. And a second seat is provided for colleagues, allowing them "to comfortably meet, work or dine together."
Eos's unrestricted round-trip price of £3,500, or about $6,190, from London to New York is almost half of the British Airways first-class round-trip fare of £6,659. Eos is offering an introductory fare of £2,500, about $4,400, "for a limited time" at www.eosairlines.com.
The inaugural flight is scheduled to depart from Kennedy at 7:05 p.m. on Nov. 1 and arrive at Stansted at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 2. Westbound flights will leave London at 10:30 a.m. and arrive at Kennedy at 1:29 p.m. on the same day.
"Apex" which means the highest point, "museum" which is a place of artistic appreciation & value. Similar to a museum setting we work in exhibitions putting out 2 themes each season.
Apexmuseum designs sophisticated clothes which encompasses looks of military, classic, college preppie & peaceful modern. The logo - the lightning bolt resembles the sky & the building represents land - is where land and sky meet as one.
Apexmuseum was established in 2002 with experience dating all the way back to 1984 with a manufacturing/design background with a variety of today's lifestyle and outerwear companies. Our garments are manufactured with 100% quality & professionalism overseas. We work hard to pedal our heart's work across the atlas. "No Good Thing Ever Dies"
Buy Apexmuseum Clothes @ Chocosho
For those of you in the Providence area, on Saturday October 8, RISD with have their 17th Annual alumni sale.This outdoor event features over 160 artists, with thousands of items for sale, each one designed and created by RISD alumni and students. Items for sale range from greeting cards to fine art as well as home accessories, jewelry, ceramics, glass, furniture, rugs, clothing and photography. For more information, contact Alan Tracy or call 401 454-6618.
I just came across a great website that combines Google Earth with the 0lll architecture photographs database.
Two factors make Pointingit unique:
1st. Pointingit only points to architecture.
2nd. All the placemarks are enhanced with links to photo galleries of the buildings, and when possible other relevant weblinks. So don’t forget to click on the placemark itself to find this other information.
You will need to have Goole Earth installed, which at the time of this writing is only available for PC users.
Get ready for a day of shopping at a new kind of festival. Come have a cocktail and grab a full lunch in the Capsule lounge inside 111 Minna as you shop, socialize, and listen to great music all day long.
On Sunday, October 16th, CAPSULE will once again be closing the alley
of Minna Street, between 2nd St. and New Montgomery, filling it with
80+ designers offering all varieties of clothing and accessories.
This is still the largest independent design sale of the year.
Vendors will represent men's and women's clothing and accessories
including multi-use bags, purses, belts, hats, jewelry, glasses, as
well as photography, paintings, and other goods.
Click Here for a vendor list
I’ve got a great craigslist story and evidently so do a bunch of others. 24 Hours on Craigslist is a story about the stories behind one day of the site's postings. From this single post on craigslist they assembled 8 film crews to document a random day-in-the-life of what has evolved into the world's largest community board. Not just the "Best-Of" or the "Success Stories", but a real, down-to-earth look at the fastest-growing grassroots cyber-community in the city that started it: San Francisco.
Continue reading "24 Hours on Craigslist" »
Lonely Planet has launched a movement to inspire more Americans to get their passport and travel abroad. Fewer than 23% of all Americans currently have a passport. Designating September as National Passport Month, the company will kick off the campaign with a series of concert headlined by Michael Franti and Karsh Kale and feature locally-based, international musicians from each city. Attendees will be able to have their passport photos taken and receive passport applications, meet and talk to Lonely Planet authors & experts, tape video testimonials about their greatest travel story (or greatest travel dream), and experience the sights and sounds of world travel in the Lonely Planet Lounge. The tour kicks off tonight at Mezzanine in San Francisco.
Friday, September 30, 2005
7PM - 3AM
Mezzanine 444 Jessie Street @ Mint
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tickets on sale via Ticketweb online & by phone.
Price: $15
A portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to Project Spera through the Lonely Planet Foundation
Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Labs, released the designs for his laptop priced under $100. The laptop will be tough and foldable in different ways, with a hand crank for when there is no power supply. Negroponte came up with the idea for a cheap computer for all after visiting a Cambodian village. His non-profit One Laptop Per Child group plans to have up to 15 million machines in production within a year. A prototype of the machine should be ready in November at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia. Children in Brazil, China, Egypt, Thailand, and South Africa will be among the first to get the under-$100 computer, said Professor Negroponte at the Emerging Technologies conference at MIT.
Professor Negroponte predicts there could be 100 million to 150 million shipped every year by 2007.
Last Night’s Party and The Cobra Snake are go-to sources for nightlife documentation
Given the over-saturated celebrity gossip market (who can really keep with US Weekly, Star, InTouch, Life & Style, Access Hollywood, Extra, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider?), many trendsetters we’ve talked to have said they’re tired of hearing the same celebrity gossip and seeing the same red carpet photos in so many different outlets. Photo blogs offer an alternative, thus the phenomenon of sites such as Last Night’s Party and The Cobra Snake. Through these sites, viewers can vicariously “experience” the hipster nightlife scene, which, to some, is way more intriguing that picking up a copy of US Weekly. (This probably has something to do with the fact there’s unspoken requirement of being a) exceptionally attractive b) eccentrically attired or c) a combination of both in order to be photographed and posted to the sites.)
Continue reading "Last Night’s Party and The Cobra Snake" »
Clothing retailer Uniqlo, aka “the Japanese Gap”, is trickling into America with three permanent stores in New Jersey and, in an unlikely cross-marketing twist, a temporary store at the New York City Vice shop. Vice employees have handpicked selections with hip, downtown consumers in mind, which is expected to jumpstart US buzz on the Uniqlo label. While Uniqlo is a Japanese staple specializing in basics like t-shirts, sweats, denim, and inexpensive cashmere sweaters, we’re not so sure what the fashion forward set will make of it. However, there’s a good chance that mainstream US may adopt it alongside their spicy crunchy tuna rolls.
Uniqlo at Vice (through September)
100 Kenmare Street
New York, NY
p: 212.219.7788
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