Goodbye 2007

In Bucharest

We have put together a list of a few things to do for new years eve. Not too many though, because the more you try to plan the perfect new years eve event, the more it has the possibility to suck. Here are a few options, from the extreme to the Gypsy of a good time....

Perez Hilton host's a NYE party at Gansevoort, it will only cost you $200-$3500 bucks to get in. Ya that's what I am doing.....cough cough

GnR cover band "Mr. Brownestone, @ Williamsburg Music Hall (featuring the "clap your hands and say ya", drummer Sean Greenhalgh as Axl.

Slick Rick and Moby @ Studio B in Brooklyn

Chris Rock @ the Madison Square Garden,

Velvet Revolver @ Hammerstein Ballroom

Gogol Bordello at Terminal 5
(if you've never seen gogol live I would recommend this hands down the best time of the night, possible the only reason I would go into the city for New Years.

Your friends party in Brooklyn, because getting out of the city after the ball falls is nearly impossible

Here is something to spend your amazon gift card on. History is Dead, A zombie Anthology, by Scott A. Johnson edited by, Kim Paffenroth.

The Radiohead tour this summer will cost you around a $100.00. Tickets for the band’s UK tour are around £42.50. One of the band’s managers, Bryce Edge, has claimed that the tickets are being sold at a fair price. Do you think it's fair? I mean they did give the record away, so at least you can pay for the live show. And, when have they disappointed the fan? Via NME

A California Highway Patrol officer was charged Wednesday with stealing more than $1 million worth of cocaine that was in his agency’s custody.

Authorities allege that Joshua Blackburn broke into an evidence room at the CHP office in Santa Ana before dawn Friday and took the drugs. The six-year department veteran was arrested later that day and is being held in lieu of $4 million bail at the Orange County Jail.

(great photo)

Boogie, in color

I have always enjoyed films that combine various stories directed by different directors. Michel Gondry has just wrapped up his piece, Interior Design, which is part of Tôkyô, a film in the spirit of New York Stories. No idea on when it will be out, but you can read a more informed piece here

Brooklyn-Based, international art duo Faile, have updated their website putting a cap on what was a breakout year. If you search closely, you will find the ability to download a couple of their fonts, plus a couple desktop backgrounds. In addition, there is an up to date archive of their work plus all of their gallery exhibitions to date. Enjoy!

Did you know there were over 26.5 billion gift cards sold over the holidays? This, according to some guy on CNN. The average receiver of said gift card will end up spending more then the card is worth. Who wants a balance! After doing a little research on the www, I found this company that makes giftcards with your logo! You know this is going to be my new favorite gift. If you're going to give money, let them know where it's from. I wonder how far you can push the imagery?

Bang & Olufsen makes amazing home audio products and headphones. Now we have the BeoSound 6 .You would think after reading the customer service question, Can BeoSound 6 playback video?that as a company you might want to lead off with something a little more positive than a No. It's as if you are already admitting defeat. No one wants just "audio" players anymore!

You know your a geek when you put a set of these on you lapel, unconfessable idea's an Italian company, came up with the simple idea of making pins with the three OSX window icons on the top of every apple window. If it weren't for the fact that looking like a geek seems to be the trend these days, these pins would act like a street light telling everyone GO ahead and beat me up. On the other hand I can see you making a killing at the upcoming mac world! (Jan 15) We all wait to see what we need to buy next.... here are a few expectations.

Online video rental service with fox.
The new ultra-thin flash drive laptop.
The replacement for the mac mini.
And the replacement for the itv.
The portable mini touch screen laptop.

For more rumors check out macrumors.com

Seriously, US television needs to catch up.

Kate Moss, photographed by Terry Richardson

Auction Saboteur is a website based out of England which is essentially a free art classified based on the honor system. It is a very noble idea as it connects buyers and sellers directly, cutting out any middleman fees. Relatively new, the site still has some kinks to work out (a currency converter is quite necessary), but the natural business element of free trade is there and that is what matters most.

Hanna Liden, Swamp Walkers

If you are blessed enough to be close to a Giant Robot store, print out this coupon and receive 20% off any purchase. There is so much great stuff in their shops that the only problem you will encounter is deciding exactly what to buy.

Another week, and some more insight by Flats

The State of America: Charlie Wilson’s War

Ahh, Christmas. Food, football and shameless family feuds. We see the New York Giants got their gift two days early, don’t put the ball in the hands of your quarterback and you will win. And so as knowledge of a leaders inability is the best game plan for the Giants, the same message resonates in the latest Philip Hoffman film, Charlie Wilson’s War. Don’t be fooled by the star-studded ensemble, there is only one great performance here, with Hoffman’s ever-lovable ‘Fuck Off’ his hearts motto.

ADM, is a new Skateboard company based out of Boston Massachusetts and San Diego California. From the East coast to the West, they are a company eager to combine a team of great artists and philanthropy to progress the sport and youth community across the nation. They strive to recognize young artists like our founder Austin Myers. Furthermore they will donate a portion of our revenue to become a truly unique public skateboard company.

5% of all revenues from sales will go to drug awareness programs, skateboard park developments, and other positive non profits across the nation. Their goal is to donate $100,000.00 by end of 2009.

So get busy, skate and donate!

Wednesday's Muse Model Aurelia-Gliwska.

Urban Collectables, pre-burned by hand. Your kids get to know exactly how NY is going to look in the year 2076, they'll be prepared for any car bombs, forest fires or nuclear explosions should it hit before then. Buy them now at Chinnychinchin,

As you know in some places today is Christmas, so today's random YouTube search word(s) were santa jesus.

Then I got distracted by all the links....

Check out the Giant Flip Clock from little clock shop. Currently out of stock but you can pre-order for January, only $95.00

"Our Black Giant Wall Flip Clock will be the focal point of any room with its quiet flipping numbers and unique design reminiscent of years past. The clock measures a whopping 13" x 5" x 4" and is wall mountable, or it can rest on any flat surface such as a desk, table, or mantle. THe clock operates on one d-size battery, not included"

Brian Ulrich

"I'm sure it's worth a lot, but it's not worth more than our dignity."

Read More

photo by rmccarthy

Via Banananutrament.

So you missed Dewey Cox at the Knitting Factory, on Wednesday,, you can check out footage from the tour at www.coxacrossamerica.com, In the meantime here's the ad for his sausage. Walk Hard is opening soon, so why not a little Cox sausage advertisement?

Wunderland War, makers of vinyl toys shirts and prints, have made a little chocolate fun. A Full sized .45 made from over a half pound of chocolate, plus a postcard sized print packed in a custom box. This is limited to 25. On Sale Now! $10.00

Matsumoto, Japan. Photo by Mellaux.

Here it is.
Think of a message that you would want to be displayed in Palestine.
Pay this guy above 30 euros.
He paints the message as accurately as possible.
He sends you three pictures of it on the border wall via email.
Or, he can send it to your friend.
Tadow! Reach international markets easily.

Check the website

Another take on Milton Glaser's iconic I Heart NY logo, this t-shirt made by DachiWorld is a must have for any wannabe vandal.

Training
Newly recruited female police officers practice with their rifles before a test on a shooting range in Pol-E Khumri, Afghanistan.

Check out 48 "photo's of the year" according to Time Magazine.

The Annual All Star Hustlaz show opened at White Walls in San Francisco last week, among the standouts was this piece above, OG, by AJ Fosik. The sculpture is made out of enamel and wood and would hang perfectly on your wall, intimidating any intruder.

Dan Witz is probably the most painterly of any street artists. Working since the 1980's he is able render his subjects lifelike and place them in spots that could easily be overlooked. Some of his recent work reappropriates Do Not Enter signs with visual elements. Luckily, editions of these signs can now be yours for purchase through his website. A nice touch to any establishment.

You just ordered yourself the iphone case, now you need a pimp looking pair of headphones, that work with the phone. V-moda, created these little gems. And as you know the apple headphones suck. V-moda offers hi-def sound, vibrant base, adjustable silicone fittings to fit your ear, rather than trying to jam the peanut M&M's in your ear., and they also look so much better. Comes with a one year warranty.

And the cost, $101.00 what does the extra dollar mean anyway?

buy

I just saw this ad in this weeks Village Voice. A full page spot that promotes the rest of Williamsburg, aka the shop's that would have/used to be on Bedford but now they have been driven out by the high rents an Pan Asian restaurants. It may not apply for all the listings in this ad, but I can say it happened to one for sure! Anyway, if you ever wondered what's what in the great frontier surrounding Bedford check out the ad, and check out Grand St. Click on image for a larger view.

I just placed my order after seeing this in person on a friends iphone. Cozip, a Korean base company created the perfect case. slim, "second skin". Plus one of the many draw backs from the "rubber" cases, besides the problem of getting it in and out of your pocket, the rubber cases tend to stretch. This beats all other iphone cases hands down. It comes in silver, black, pink, and white! The best thing, its cheaper than any of the goodyear cases they sell at the Apple store. Go buy it now.

Kate Moss for the October cover of i-D Magazine. Topshop promotion

Walking back to the office from lunch and we came across this one. Photographed by twbe

Check out NANNY STATE BLACK BROGUES, from TopMan only 55 Euro's. They also come in brown, and white.

buy

Check out Swedish illustrator Mattias Adolfsson's, rendition of star wars the baroque version. There's Darth Vader, stormtrooper, and chewie and the gang.

offical site

The folks over at attus apparel are having a little holiday sale, for example this "the 40" polo is now $27/regularly $54. This is the perfect dress up/your fathers country club attire, that says ohhhh I'm cool.

"The World Without Us," by Alan Weisman, explores what would happen if the Human population ceased to exist overnight. Here's the timeline....

After two days

With no one to run the pumps, New York subways flood.

Seven days

Generators that cool nuclear reactor cores run out of fuel.

One year

Human head and body lice grow extinct. Wildlife returns to sites of melted-down nuclear reactors.

Three years

In colder climes, walls and roofs start to separate, pipes burst, roaches die.
20years

Panama Canal closes up. Garden vegetables revert to wild strains.

100 years

Feral housecats devastate populations of small predators. Elephant population grows 20-fold as ivory trade ceases.

300 years

New York bridges fall, dams fail worldwide, cities built in river deltas, such as Houston, wash away.

500 years

Forests overtake suburbs in temperate climes, but plastic and metal debris remain.

Thousands of years

Underground structures such as the Chunnel across the English Channel are the last intact human-made structures.

35,000 years

Lead deposited by smokestacks finally is cleansed from the soil.

100,000 years

Carbon dioxide returns to prehuman levels -- maybe.

Hundreds of thousands of years

Microbes evolve to eat plastic.

7.2 million years

Traces of Mount Rushmore images remain. PCBs and other toxins remain but are buried.

10.2 million years

Bronze sculptures are still recognizable.

3 billion years

Life still thrives on Earth, in new forms.

4.5 billion years

Depleted Uranium-238 reaches its half-life. Earth begins to warm as sun expands.

5-plus billion years

Earth burns as dying sun swells to envelop inner planets.

Forever
Via Seattle Post

buy

All kidding aside, MIT works towards engineered blood vessels. Scientists have found a way to induce cells to form parallel tube-like structures that could one day serve as tiny engineered blood vessels.

The researchers found that they can control the cells' development by growing them on a surface with nano-scale patterning. A paper on the work was posted this month in an online issue of Advanced Materials..... Read More

Wednesday's Muse, model Liesl Gaffney Dawson.

If you have never scene Henry Rollins perform his spoken word then I reccommend you get up early this Saturday, have your black coffee, and order your tickets. Tickets on sale at 10am Feb 27, 28.

Heidi Johansen

Looking for a last minute gift for yourself? Why not pick yourself up the new Abject Expressionism book is the first comprehensive look at his 20 year career from staged photography to neo-Surrealist oil paintings to street art. Best known for his powerfully subversive liberation of commercial billboards, Ron English combines sharp social commentary with a high level of technical skill to produce arresting work on nearly all levels. Published by Last Gasp (you know the c*nt coloring book). Buy now at YumFactory. Via Vinyl Pulse.

Once named Qadissiyat Saddam, but now named Ocean Breeze, this £17 million yacht is now available for purchase. Formally owned by Saddam Hussein, the 269 ft yacht boasts a secret passage connected to a mini-submarine pod, helicopter pad, health clinic, dinnerware for 200, and a mini-operating theater. You can read more about it here, or make the leap and buy it from here.

More pictures after the jump

And how MTV fucks it up for everybody

Another installment of Comedy and Chaos by Flats.

Beowulf: 3D

The Holiday season is upon us, children giddy over the potential of Santa’s existence, working professionals giddily wondering which co-worker they’ll unwrapped after another of the many rampant holiday parties filled with such gusto and glee. A week of merriment, mirth and massive booze fueled headaches that bring entire companies to a standstill. Let the surly drunken VP bears from their cages and watch as the weak hearted drink away their fear. No apologies for your behavior last night, for who is expected to pass the social skills sobriety test in the face of such primeval fear? Not I, says many a shy email each morning after.

Harry Kim, who you probably best know as David Choe's sidekick in vbs.tv's Thumbs Up! has also been putting a documentary, Dirty Hands (above), together about Mr. Choe for some years. After accumulating some debt during filming some financing is necessary to give the movie the finishing touches. In order do so, through the 22nd, you have the chance to make an offer on a painting Choe completed when he was released from jail. The current offer is 15k, all for a great cause. The painting is after the jump.

read

One of the biggest drawbacks to the iphone is.... you can no longer use it as a hard drive. I used to transfer everything with my ipod. So I have been searching for the perfect USB. I stumbled across this one over at ThinkGeek, the Ironkey.

"...They've developed the perfect solution that's one-part thumb-drive, and two parts Mission: Impossible. Their thumb drives hold up to 4 Gigabytes of data, but includes a hardware encryption chip that scrambles the data so as to be completely unreadable without a password.

Passwords can be hacked, but not the IronKey. It's built to withstand attacks both virtual and physical. 10 incorrect password attempts, and the encryption chip self-destructs, making the contents of the flash drive totally unreadable. The contents of the drive are filled with epoxy, so if a hacker tries to physically access the chips, he'd more likely damage them instead. Even if he did get access to the memory chips, they'd be worthless without the encryption chip. Electron-shielded, even a scanning electron microscope can't get inside...."

Now if you can only put your weed in it you would be set. For more info and a longer review check out ThinkGeek. They even have a demo you can watch at Ironkey.

A series of ceramic boxes cast in white clay and decorated with silkscreen transfers, and designed to be decorative as well as useful. The boxes are glazed outside and in with a transparent glaze and a pale green, pink or pale blue respectively. They come in different shapes and are produced at Møller Jensen's own workshop in Vejle, where she also has her own design company, Clayfever.

Tanja Møller Jensen

Today's news is a contest of sorts. The info is below.
VISUAL definition is a contest to provoke creativity. OBEY challenges you to capture the essence of your favorite city, anywhere in the world, in a single photograph. Think of the sights that have influenced you to pick up a camera while prowling a city. The architecture of a building, the sights of a skyline, the street that has a favorite shop, the art that peels off a well weather wall, these are elements that evoke a feeling. It is this emotion that compels you to explore what more the city may have to offer. Show us what inspires you and we will reward the best results with prize packages from both OBEY and Karmaloop for the effort.

The grand prize submission will be offered as a printed, limited edition OBEY/Karmaloop t-shirt, along with a signed version of Supply and Demand, a limited OBEY signed print and an assortment of OBEY product.

Enter here

Today's prints which are leftovers from the WK/Shepard Fairey/Agnés B show are after the jump if you feel so inclined

I would love to see this one in my kitchen.

via, National Geographic

Sleeping Man on the train from Ostuni to Lecce, Puglia.

Because of the internet, I think I have become an even bigger pack rat. I have disks and disks of things I deemed important at one point in my life. Some of them probably do not even work on todays computers. I just could not put them in the trash, I just had to keep it. Here's one, I have no idea where it's from, who it is, or what it is about. It is just labeled "scarydude.jpg".

Today I typed "Tacos" into the trusty old YouTube search field. Understandably something Taco-related appeared. If there is anything you want searched, leave it in the comments.

On Creative Review's blog there is a post "The Bible According To Google Earth" which shows a "God’s Eye View" portraying "four key Biblical events as if captured by Google Earth." Some seriously great work done by the Glue Society for Pulse Art at early December's Miami Art Fairs. Moses parting the Red Sea, above.

Have a look

A new Banksy print, Stop and Search, was released today to the internet saavy. Here is what the folks said about it on Santa's Ghetto,

"Banksy would doubtless have you believe this print is an ironic comment on the paranoid nature of our security-minded times. But seriously, how much is this guy courting the pink pound? It's got a man in uniform, latex & Dorothy herself all in one spanky package."

If you missed it you can find one on Ebay later today for roughly 4 times the original price.

The artist Cum* has updated their site with some new works ands news. They will be showing at Fifty24SF in a group show January 10th, 2008. Head on over to the site and have a gander at all that is Cum*. My favorite piece, Best Seller (above).

Jinju, South Korea, "These are not lolcats who eated your glow sticks. According to scientists in South Korea, the animal on the right is among the first cats cloned to have red fluorescence protein (RFP) genes. The one on the left is an unaltered kitty seen under ultraviolet light.

"Glowing" RFP genes are scientific tools used by researchers to mark changes made in an organism's genome. A team led by Kong Il-keun, a cloning expert at Gyeongsang National University, says it created the cats in the hopes of using altered felines to develop treatments for genetic human diseases. " Read more at Nation Geographic

Apparently Dwell magazine has just gone through a redesign and the finished product will be on newsstands January 3rd, ready for your purchase.

via, arkitip

Just when you thought that you had heard it all, comes "Three Sixty Vodka". Four times distilled, with diamond filtration. You're literally drinking vodka that was poured through diamonds. If that does not say player, I don't know what does. My favorite part of the website is the diamond with the sparkle animation. The next level will be a diamond encrusted bottle.

Designer Karin Blach Nielsen, created this series initially out of folded paper and subsequently carried out in porcelain. The insides feature a white, shiny glaze, while the outside surfaces are matte. Some items feature motifs from old paper cuttings. Sizes vary from 12 to 32 cm. in diameter. Via Designklub

More images at Santa's Ghetto

Super cool photo essay by:photographer Jonathan Harris "THE WHALE HUNT" "In May 2007, photographer Jonathan Harris spent nine days living with a family of Inupiat Eskimos in Barrow, Alaska while they went on their traditional whale hunt. He documented the entire experience by shooting a photo every 5 minutes. When his heart rate quickened, like when they got the first whale, he would shoot at a faster pace.. an amazing site with incredible images." Via Fecal Face The site is also a very cool flash site to boot.

Exclusive Limited Engagement New York, Los Angeles, today(Dec 14) click here for tickets.
"Look,” writer and director Adam Rifkin, the world has forever changed since 9/11 the notion of privacy is just that a notiion. There are now approximately 30 million surveillance cameras in the United States generating more than 4 billion hours of footage every week. The average American is now captured over 200 times a day, in department stores, gas stations, changing rooms, even public bathrooms. No one is spared from the relentless, unblinking eye of the cameras that are hidden in every nook and cranny of day-to-day life. Stop picking your nose on the elevator when now one is with you!

The synopsis:"LOOK takes us on a voyeuristic journey into the most personal parts of ordinary people’s lives. Everyone is guilty of selective deception. We all hide aspects our lives from those around us. It might be as benign as picking your nose in an empty elevator or perhaps something much darker. LOOK poses the question: Are we always alone when we think we are?"

Read the NYTimes review

Watch the trailer

Holiday party!

The biggest mouth ever!

Crazy ice falling from a tower

Tired? Bored? Time on your hands? Try this one, its a little game. Click and hold the red square, and move it so that you neither touch the walls nor get hit by any of the blue blocks If you make it to 18 seconds, you are doing brilliantly!

When you have your holiday party make sure the someone is there to work the next day. Sorry for the delay today we are running on half steam.

Ike Turner dies. Best Headline Ever! Thank you New York Post for another gem!

Teacher Barricades Herself Inside Classroom After Hearing 'Welcome To The Jungle'. "A school custodian's impromptu after-hours karaoke performance prompted a police response when a teacher thought she was being threatened over the loudspeaker.

State police say a teacher at Booth Free School barricaded herself inside a classroom Wednesday when she mistook someone singing a Guns N' Roses song over the public address system for a threat.

She was working after hours and thought no one else was in the building. Then she heard someone say over the loudspeaker that she was going to die. " Read More...

I just watched the trailer for this upcoming film, it's Blair/Dawn of the Dead/28 days. It looks like it could be a classic. But, one question. When will Tom Cruise buy it and remake it? Here is a little bit of the review I read on Ain't it cool news.

"...The movie is about news reporter Angela and cameraman Pablo, who go to film a documentary about a normal night with the fire brigade. The entire movie is filmed by Pablo as the documentary they are making. The night starts off with no calls...no fires...very boring, just hanging out with the firemen until they receive a call to go to a building. When they arrive, they are told by the neighbours that the old lady who lives on the second floor has been screaming for the past half hour. They go up....and well, this is when disturbing things start to happen. The old lady bites the neck of one of the firemen, and so they try to get out of the building for him to get some medical help, only to find the building locked from the outside under the "NBQ" (Nuclear, Biochemical and Chemical) protocol by military men...we learn there is an unknown infection in the building...you can imagine what happens to the fireman who has been bitten..."

For more info on the review check out Ain't it cool news

It's the end of the year, which means the "lists" are starting to roll-out. Check out NME Sexiest Female voting feature. Stereogum has also compiled a list for you as well.

It's a skateboard deck. Put some trucks on it and roll.

Aol launched Asylum.com last week. A new man-fashion, Maxim type of site. The official press release will be in January, so by that time they will have a lot of "we have been around a while" content. Some of the posts link back in years to old defunct blogs. It makes me wonder if they are just buying feeds. Oh wait, Aol owns a ton of shit, they must be filtering. Anyway, here is a story on the site, Homemade Sex Toys. Funny but not in a college Humor way, but they're trying.

Jeremy Fish keeps coming correct. This time he introduces an Antique brass finish belt buckle for his Super Fishal line. Available at Upper Playground

The 40 oz cozy, is a brilliant idea I wish I had years ago. Although I do have a fondness for the brown bag. The one flaw I mention, all who drink 40oz's will know, is the last swig. The one you try to stomach even when you know it's going to suck. If someone can invent a cozy that keeps this chilled, you're a winner!

Check out Hiroki Otsuka's installation at the the newly designed Triple 5 Williamsburg retails store. I used to share a studio with Hiroki back in the StayGold days, his work is clean beautiful and sensual. The opening is is from 7-10pm tonight, 145 Bedford Avenue at 9th.

Kate Moss photographed for a Dove campaign 2004.

Forbes.Com has compiled the Forbes Fictional 15. This is comprised of the 15 wealthiest characters created and topping the list this year is our boy, Scrooge McDuck. This is the most entertaining thing I have read on the computer in a while.

image from duckmania.de

Shepard Fairey

We had noted this show earlier in our December Art Preview, but today Juxtapoz pointed us to the preview of the work available at Ad Hoc Gallery in Bushwick. I think it's time to tap Uncle Scrooge and buy some more art. Opening Tonight.

Nikki S. Lee

LOT 12 ADAM NEATE, SUICIDE BOMBER est.10,000—15,000 GBP, 49 1/4 by 40 1/8 in., acrylic, oil, ink and gold foil on cardboard, executed in 2007

HAMMER PRICE W/ PREMIUM 78,500 GBP

Most won, a couple lost. All in all, another strong showing in London for this new breed of art. The results after the jump.

The perfect gift for your vegan girlfriend who eats morning star bacon all day long. According to the authors ..."You shouldn't put garbage in your mouth any sooner than you'd go to church wearing crotchless panties." Skinny Bitch in the Kitch promotes a strict vegan diet — no dairy, no meat, no fish, no poultry, no animal products, no additives, no sugar, no white flour. Frank diet talk for vegans from trampy-looking stripper types. Read more at UsaToday.

It looks like they are trying a bit hard.

124 Rabbit Club is a beer bar that opened yesterday, on MacDougal, in the heart of Greenwich Village. Thrillist has the details:

An unmarked cellar reminiscent of Midtown's Single Room Occupancy, Rabbit's is a partnership between a Death & Co/Bourgeois Pig founder and a former manager of CBGB (who thinks you're the bourgeois pig). Walk down the stairs and buzz the door, and you'll be ushered into a well-appointed sleeve w/ a long brass bar, fuzzy felt wallpaper, and candle votives made from broken beer bottles -- because in such a princely establishment, it's declassé to expect fighting patrons to break their own. Choose from a 30-strong beer list from Ireland, England, Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic, highlighted by the freeze-distilled Kulmbacher Eisbock, and the winter porter Santa's Butt -- a slightly less crippling body image problem than "Elf Wang".

You can also check out 124 Rabbit Club's beer guide @ Thrillist, which might come in handy.

124 Rabbit Club
(212) 254-0575
124 MacDougal Street
New York, NY 10012

Put away the white wayfarer's and pick yourself up a pair of Unisex sunglasses from ic! berlin. Available at Superfine London and ic! Berlin these are the first sunglasses for men and women and are called "criminal suspects". There are a total of 6 styles to choose from. The best thing is if you buy them for her, you can wear them too and not look like a tool.

Alicia Witt

Apparently flashlights, in particular mag-lites, have a huge following. There is even a Candle Power forum where this picture comes from. Sizzlechest has the entire color spectrum of lights, set-up nice in his basement. Wow! Have a look

This is a brilliant eco campaign. Saatchi and Saatchi is king? Will we forget about the Dr. Martens fiasco. These paper towel dispensers have a cut-out shape of South America through which a stack of green paper towels illustrates the green rain forest canopy of the continent. As you use the paper towels the dispenser is slowly drained. We see the clear cutting in action. Via Inhabitat.

Boogie

Look for Saul Williams' new album produced by Trent Reznor. Check out his remixes on remix.nin.com

Fecal Face has put up some great shots of Primary Flight, which took place down in sunny Miami over the past week. Enjoy!

photo of Cycle painting © Jeremiah Garcia

Kidding, Starship Modeler, (I have no idea what that is?) held a contest. Dimitri Kaliviotis, won. And your asking yourself, who is Dimitri? I really don't know, all I know is he was commissioned to make some molds and was given the "ATATRON" kit, which was never commercially available. If you want to see more pics and read more about the model process go now!

Recently in a conversation fueled by the obvious vices, it was agreed upon that a heavier, more literary voice could be beneficial for a series of movie reviews. Luckily I did not have search far, as the conversation was held with the man who would take it upon himself to fill this role. With that I present for your reading pleasure, the reviews of my old, grizzled friend Flats.
This week, No Country For Old Men.

**Enablist's note: For those who have not seen this movie or read the book, but want to, don't read this. If you could care less, like the most of us, go for it.

No Country. Read the book, saw the movie, had beers on both coasts. Chatted with Playboy Bunnies at the Mansion, worked with two talented directors, flirted with ex-girlfriends and told them we should bang, politely smiled and engaged diatribe with beautiful female colleagues upon my return to New York. No Country indeed.

Bones Salt & Pepper Shakers by Chris Stiles are available at Matter. Unglazed, refined white clay, measuring at 5" long. $27.00

buy

Looking for beautiful furniture? Autoban built by De La Espada "Sleepy" designed by Seyhan Ozdemir, takes on the icon of the rocking chair. It comes in solid walnut and the option of leather or fabric. Available at Matter, 450 Broome st, New York.

LOT 25 BANKSY, CUSTARDIZED OIL #3 est. 150,000—200,000 GBP, 27½ by 23 5/8 in, signed and dated 06 on the reverse, oil on printed canvas in artist's frame

Tomorrow afternoon at Sotheby's in London, artwork by "urban" artists whose names have been previously shadowed by the Banksy spotlight will be placed on the Auction Block. What is disturbing about the majority of this artwork is that it is relatively new, executed and sold earlier in 2007. Collectors, speculators, and dealers alike will be watching very closely to see if these lesser known artists whom they have come to obsess about are ready for the wide world of auctions. Also watching closely will be specialists at Bonham's Auction House who are staging the first ever auction totally dedicated to "Urban Art" this coming February. We know that Banksy has the legs and tomorrow we'll see if the bidding public thinks the same of his contemporaries.

Could this be the start of Shepard's weekly print drop hiatus? Or is it a blind drop? Let's hope for the former, the crew needs a break and I will still be able to find random things to keep you mildly amused. Like, Obey Women. They're fun for us all. If you are in real dire need of buying something today, my suggestion is after the jump.

The Bargainist finds the best deals around on just about everything. From gadgets to clothes, you can read about bargains, sales, coupons, and freebies.

The Bargainist updates multiple times per day. Go there now!

Taschen, published "Do It Yourself", a photographic book compiled by photographer Uwe Ommer. The book is comprised of near-naked models taking self-portraits. The women are beautiful and the photo's are .... NSFW. To see a sample click here.

buy

Mika Rottenberg

If you live in NYC you know your apartment has been painted, oh....90,000,000,000 times. And, if the previous occupants liked dark moody color's it's going to cost you a penny to remedy the problem. That's where "Aura" comes in ( and it will cost you a pretty penny as well, $52 bucks a can). This paint promises to be fully washable in any sheen, it features breakthrough ColorLock technology where pigments are microscopically bonded to dry paint film, allowing it to completely obscure dark colors in one coat, with no prime necessary. Benjamin Moore is stepping up the game with this new product and a fancy website to boot! That sure is some big talk for a paint company! Via (uncrate)

You can spend a lot of money for art and or you can spend a little. Here at the twbe, we like the random search term feature so we thought we would try one on etsy. This one you can even buy. Today's word was prints, I will admit we edited our choice. This "for the birds", was created by ashleyg's available for $20.00 and there's one left.

On his blog, KAWS pointed us to newly opened online gallery/social networking/community site, Heywire Guild & Gallery. Nice Endorsement. The site has a welcoming design feel to it and a search function that gets all cosmic, filtering horoscope signs on top of the normal attributes. Have a look and join the community.

This book might be a hard one to leave on the coffee table during the holidays. Daido Moriyama, a contemporary of Nobuyoshi Araki studied photography in the 60's and it seems one thing you learn about photography in the 60's and in Japan, is there is a endless supply of models ready to disrobe and let you tie them up. Kagero&Colors is a collection of images Daido shot during the 70's. Available from PowerShovelBooks ($125.00) Purchase via Amazon.

Mark Ryden has produced a new limited edition print with Pressure Printing. Titled "Madonna and Karl", the print is an intaglio print of Mark's drawing of the same name, Madonna and Karl. It is museum quality, mounted into a completely handmade and gilded, wooden frame.

Print Size: 5 1/2" x 6 1/2"
Frame Size: 10 1/4" x 16 3/4" x 1 3/4"
Edition Size: 40

This print edition is available only through Pressure Printing. Available now for $5000.00, limit one per order.

Taking cue's from Tom Ford's ad campaign, Baccarat created a gothic noir feel for its crystal. The ad made me want to check out the site. So it is definitely resonating in my demographic. Now, if I could afford the Black Crystal Chandelier.

Today, after looking out the window I decided to search the term "Boring" on YouTube. This is what came up. if you have any terms you would like searched, leave them in the comments and I will get around to making it happen,

Owner Mark Reynier, a former wine merchant, purchased the Bruichladdich distillery in 2007, and turned the defunct business into a thriving enterprise.

..."Here, the islanders’ art of distilling is still connected to its agricultural roots, with organic and heritage barleys grown on selected farms for ultimate individuality. Microchip-free distilling in tall narrow-necked stills followed by island maturation and natural bottling produces a spirit acknowledged as the purest in Scotland. This sophisticated, complex, multi-layered whisky is uniquely Islay-bottled to maximise the creamy texture and long finish - the ideal wine-drinker’s dram...."

And if that is not enough you can watch the whole process on the distillery's webcam.

Face Your Pockets is a user-generated website/art project where readers all over the globe are asked to empty their pockets/bags/purses and place them on a scanner along with their face. The results are varied and spectacular.

In America, your grandparents become greeters at WalMart, or cashiers at Mc'D's. In Sweden NetGranny will knit you your socks. I ask you this: who doesn't deserve a pair of hand knit socks by a granny in Sweden. "15 real socks specialists maufacture your desire socks. Refined knitting patterns and feet have spoiled us. We have chosen them, so they go for your socks...."

offical site

He competes, so you don't have to.

I would do this piece of dopeness a disservice if I described it any other way than it already is.
"This ring is 24k gold plated, and was made in a very small quantity in bali by my homie, chance. they are pretty big and fit an average size dude finger, roughly a size 8. If you have one of these you can instantly score with babes, and really do damage to someone if you punch them with it. "
Available at Umbrella Market

One of our favorite shops we visited on our recent excursion to Japan was Plus Minus Zero in Aoyama. We were mesmerized by stunning single-slice toasters, 8" lcd televisions, and fantastic minidisc players, but it wasn't until we noticed these fantastic "soccer" doormats in varying shapes and portions of the pitch by Etsuya Adachi that we were completely smitten. These and much more available via +-O online shop.

Looking to create a shared harddrive on you local network? I saw this little tidbit on boing boing regarding the problem with Western Digital network drives (no serving any multimedia files), after looking around the good old internet, I found miniStack which claims you can add Drag-and-Drop data storage and sharing to your network. It works on the mac and pc, and the really cool thing is you can just buy the case for 79.99 and put in your own harddrive!

Here are the features breakdown.

Ximeta NDAS 2011 Network Enabled
Compact 6.5" x 6.5" x 1.5" size
One RJ-45 10/100Base-TX Auto MDI/MDI-X port
One USB 2.0 High Speed port
LED Status Lights
- Red: Hard drive access and power
- Amber: Network status (LINK)
- Green: 100Mb/s connection
External 100~240v 50/60Hz UL Listed power adapter - 3A power supply gives you less stress and clean ample power!
Ethernet RJ-45 and USB cables included
Massive passive heat sink to radiate heat away from hard drive
Smart power switch - NewerTech miniStack NAS will power up and down in tandem with your computer
Kensington Security Slot designed to allow the NewerTech miniStack NAS to be anchored to a desk

I think I need one!

Photographed at the Corcoran Museum, in DC, during the J.Seward Johnson exhibit. (Manet's Olympia). Photographed by 13inc

Auctions for a good cause (human welfare & fat pockets alike) are always great. This one especially. This benefit auction for the Food Bank For New York City and The Lunchbox Fund of South Africa is cool because each celeb involved designed their own lunch box. My vote goes for the boxes designed by Natalie Portman, strictly because she touched them and I feel I am better off with anything that gets me closer to her. Yes, slightly creepy. Have look and bid on yours here

via, YBNBY

On his blog, David Choe gives us a glimpse into his new studio and some of the things he is working on in preparation for his upcoming show this February at Lazarides in London.

Well, José Parla's work.

I have to be honest. I do not know my way around a sake bar, but I love the stuff. Some you drink warm and some cold, some sweet, and some are dry. The only time I drink good sake is when someone else is ordering. Now I have a chance, Sakaya, on 324 E 9th St, between 1st and 2nd; 212.505.7253 opens this Saturday. The first all-sake shop in NYC, Sakaya's the work of a former Food & Wine assoc. publisher who was trained by the world's foremost non-Japanese sake expert. They'll open with 85 brands which includes all grades, from the cheapest junmai to the topshelf daiginjo: Midori Kawa ($163).

One of the other dilemna's in buying sake, as well as wine, is remembering what you bought the next time you're in store, which they promise to help you out! So after you see revolver, stop by and pick up a bottle of Sake.

If you want to learn more about sake check out this site

The baddest Christmas tree ever!

Nothing to do this weekend? Check out Guy Richie's "new" film Revolver, starring Jason Statham, Ray Liotta and Vincent "pussy" Pastore. Originally released in 2005, it has made its way to the states today.

NYC:
AMC Theatres Empire
234 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036 Map
11:20am | 1:45pm | 4:15pm | 6:45pm | 9:15pm | 11:45pm

"The Woods, the Sea and Tea print", created by artist Sarah blank. Her work has a little Henri Rousseau feel to it, ("myself" portrait from 1890). She makes the work available for purchase in her Etsy store, and you can read her blog here.

Kava Gorna

Today President Bush tried to relieve the stress homeowners are feeling over the mortgage crisis. The Bush administration announced a new hotline today to help home owners.

As he announced his plan to ease the mortgage crisis for consumers, President Bush accidentally gave out the wrong phone number for the new "Hope Now Hotline" set up by his administration. So if you called 1-800-995-HOPE you actually called Freedom Christian Academy. Is he secretly trying to convert us all? read more...

You really need to keep intouch with your friends and family, or you can end up dead in your home and know one know's or cares. "...The police found the skeletal remains of a woman in a home in Brooklyn yesterday. How long ago she died was unknown, but neighbors said they had not seen her for about two years. " Via NYTimes.

Maybe there is a fetish for this? If not, I'll try to create one, unsuccessfully. The TwoDaLoo is booked as "A Supertoilet That Saves Rocky Marriages and The Planet." Right.

via, productdose

UK's Goldstriker created the first 3rd generation Apple iPod nano plated with Platinum.

Goldstriker has received many requests from customers for platinum gadgets. Now they have finally made the step. Goldstriker will release the Platinum iPod nano 8GB in January 2008 for £399.95 (~$822). They also have a gold plated iphone.

Stay out of Florida, it's not safe.

CASSELBERRY, Fla. (AP) -- Casselberry authorities say a police sergeant has been fired for suing a family after she slipped and fell while trying to rescue a 1-year-old boy from drowning. Read More.

Don't despair, I only have 19 more days of updating you on happenings in the Middle East.

via Format

Adidas Originals, is giving you the chance to win a trip to the 2008 Berlin Music Festival. All you have to do is create your own festival. Pick the venue, the bands and promote the show. You get $100,000.00 to create your own Woodstock minus the fires and Fred Durst(what ever happened to that guy). You have to book an entire day and the after party, plus make sure you have enough money for each bands riders. Start typing a band name and the band comes up in the list and you get a brief description and the cost. For example Interpol "the old guard of NYC indy scene...." will cost you $1800.00. If anything else, seeing how much bands charges is worth the time.

The winner of the contest gets tickets accommodations and airfare to the Berlin Festival, good luck.

Kate Moss, Photographed for Roberto Cavalli, 2006.

Narchitecture is a term that I hope gets adopted by the architecture vocabulary brass. Summing it up is easy. Take late 1970's and into the 80's South Florida, add the flux of cocaine (and other drug) money, mix in some ostentatious taste and start building. C-Monster gives a nice little tour with examples on her blog, here.

Buy toys for the environment, Cetawayo, the "Baby Black Rhino" is a 100 Piece Limited Edition, measuring 3.5" and is an Articulated Designer Vinyl Figure. Youngsters across the globe love sharp sticks and Cetawayo is armed with his own sharp stick accessory with removable human eyeball and marshmallow.

*Portion of the proceeds are donated to various Non-Profit Wildlife Groups

buy now for $24.99

Jerry Hsu

Alicja Bachleda-Curus

Who needs a watch when the right time is "Now". Think of how many times you looked down at your watch and respond with "NOW". "Do you have time for a drink?....right NOW." "What time is the meeting?...NOW" "When are you leaving..."NOW." You get the point. The Now Watch makes a great gift for the wife, the boss, and the mother-in-law.

buy

Please check out our first feature on twbe. The Holiday Gift Guide. We have worked pretty hard on getting this together we hope you enjoy it. One thing to note, we made sure everything is available(almost everything, there are a few things that are not in stores yet). So on "cyber Monday" you only have to go one place and that's here. Enjoy, the guide and enjoy your feast! Leave us your feedback on what you think!

Take me to the guide >

The best monitor ever. 21.3 inches, cordless, and the interactive pen is pressure sensitive giving you ability to pull off pencil-like style. More here

Now where will the cat climb? Australian graphic designers Buro North claim their plywood Christmas tree is “80% more environmentally friendly” than a traditional fir or spruce. Available in three sizes, the flat-packed tree can be used year after year. For more info check out Dezeen.

This Friday at 7pm in Philadelphia, Space 1026 will hold their annual art auction. Participating artists include Katy Horan, Matt Leines, Alex Lukas, Shepard Fairey, Jim Houser, Adam Wallacavage, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, and more. What's really dope is the poster for the auction (above) which can be purchased as well. More info at Space 1026

Yup, the title explains it all.

via,YBNBY via Gizmodo

Roe Ethridge, Marlow and Sons, 2005

In an article in the Guardian titled Kicking the Habit, we find out that Pete Doherty has taken up Martial arts to help him stay clean.

read

The Orgasmo Alarm Clock, "Wake up to an orgasm every day!" Yeah, without the fun.

I am unsure of when this book will be 'officially' released to the public, it is out, just very difficult to find. The cover is so crisp. Amazon it here.

David Shrigley's Worried Noodles

The Original Truffle Shuffle, followed by the white truffle shuffle.

Flickr user CheVali has some of the first pictures we have seen of the Santa's Ghetto show inside that former chicken shop in Manger Square, Bethlehem.

Have a Look

Following a great opening weekend, today Shepard Fairey releases a new print titled 'POW'. All proceeds from the print go to WitnessTorture.Org, which is the website for a campaign to shut down Guantanamo Bay.

Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard, from their series How To Hunt

After the jump, proof with boobs

via, Gawker

As you may have heard, there was a great homecoming show, Imperfect Union, put on by Shepard Fairey at Merry Karnowsky's gallery this past weekend. Since the East Coast had us locked down, we reached out and were able to get some nice shots from Obey appreciator Joe Russo. Thanks Joe! And now to some pics.

All photos courtesy of Joe Russo

Now you can watch them all in one place, online. Real South Park drawing taken from here

Over at Broke Ya Neckkkkkk they did a nice Q & A Session with Brooklyn-based graf & street artist, Gore B. Read up.

This probably entered the world wide web ages ago, but I am slow to such things. The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters brought to you by Cracked.com

I'm loving the Japanese for executing on every idea imaginable.

via, BornRich

Blu, Letter A, Installation with wall painted animation

Over the weekend a refreshing show opened at Jonathan Levine Gallery in NYC. The Streets of Europe is a six man show featuring some of the finest Street Art talent from the Old World. Three Italians (Blu, Microbo, Bo130), Two Frenchmen (Blek Le Rat, Space Invader) and one Brit (D*Face) each with a different style, crossover well to the stark, white walls of Levine's Chelsea digs. After the jump some highlights.

The "Banksy" show opened Saturday night at the Vanina Holasek Gallery to a suckfest of wanking Brits. The show consists of basically everything Banksy has released through Pictures on Walls in the past 3 years with a few originals of suspect origin thrown in for good (or bad) measure. Hosted by an aging kilt-clad English gentleman doing his best impersonation of Johnny Rotten, the prices were as ridiculous as the accents. A signed “Girl with Balloon” print was listed at 55k. Not to miss any angle to exploit profit from Banksy’s image, there were even t-shirts for sale at a “reasonable” $50; because, in the words of our snaggle-toothed host, “Nothing’s free." Nothing.... except for the 18 beers my roommate and I drank of yours. The evening wasn’t all money hungry Brits selling out their countrymen for a quick buck. The nether depths of the British ex-pat celebrity scene were also in attendance; and we drank in their glamour as voraciously as we imbibed our aluminum-bottled Budweiser’s. While rubbing shoulders (literally, the place was a friggin closet) with Soap Opera ingénue and star of the hit movie Aspen Extreme Finola Hughes, photographer Mick Rock uttered the line of the night to me, “It’s brass monkey outside tonight!”. I inquired, “What’s that mean Mick?” “It means it’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!” Until next time, Gene P out.

Check out Vogue, Germany for the top 100 models. You can vote and cast your opinion to change the fate of these lovely ladies.

Once again it is that time of year when for roughly three weeks Santa's Ghetto comes to life and art is sold to the public in a haphazard fashion. For the first time in its brief history, Santa's Ghetto is leaving the motherland for the climatic opposite, a former chicken shop in Bethlehem, Palestine. On top of setting up a stellar show featuring the likes of Banksy, Swoon, Ron English, Aiko, and more, the Artists will continue painting all along the border wall just as Banksy had done in 2005. This public artwork will be epic. The show will run through December 25th, with an online shop to satisfy those unable to make the trip. All proceeds go to the kids. Check their site daily as there will be updates.
It will be interesting to watch how this event plays out.
More info at Santa's Ghetto and a great article at the Times Online

Some pics of the indoor art after the jump.

Big thanks to reader Christopher Lee for enabling me to do this post of Random YouTube Search featuring the term 'Faceplant'. If you want anything searched, just leave it in the comments and I'll make it happen.