Karl Lagerfeld Discusses Various Cancers

Indie Rock T-Shirts That Would Never Sell

http://bygonebureau.com/2007/08/20/indie-rock-shirts-that-would-never-sell/

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French Vogue runs a fashion spread on "the Satanic look":

http://jezebel.com/gossip/maghag/french-vogue-devil-worship-is-the-new-black-302809.php

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How I'd Sink American Vogue:

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/how-id-sink-american-vogue/

This is actually pretty funny in parts, but weird typos--foriegn?--almost ruin
it. Also, I love the first comment. I'm gonna post that on every blog I ever visit.

Tania Head

Tania Head, a former merger consultant at Merrill Lynch, is one of only 19 survivors who had been at or above the point of impact when the planes hit on September 11. Her clothes on fire, she was rescued by a stranger who extinguished the flames and helped her to safety before dying. She woke up in a hospital five days later, badly burned on the arms and back, to discover that her fiance had been killed in the attack.

Since then, Ms. Head has dedicated her life to preserving the memory of 9/11 victims. She gives guided tours for the Tribute W.T.C. Visitor Center for visitors to Ground Zero, including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and former Gov. George E. Pataki. She is also the president of the World Trade Center Survivors' Network, and she's founded the Dave's Children Foundation in honor of her fiance.

Today, Ms. Head was profiled in The New York Times:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=106608&f=19

Affluenza: September 26

Tord Boontje's seriously outdone himself with this AWESOME "Little Field Of Flowers" rug:

http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=11815

"[T]his design uses die-cutting to create the shapes of flowers and leaves. There are six distinct shapes of flower combinations, in three different tonalities."

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Black and white coat by Madison Marcus:

http://www.ronherman.com/detail.aspx?ID=15180

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Cloud Olive Oil Dish:

http://www.shopmodi.com/products/product

(Uh, I hope that link works...)

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Corkscrew-handled walking stick, for the elegant alcoholic:

http://www.canesgalore.com/corkscrew-walking-stick-p-1540.html?osCsid=4d2b82c648792a9611dc88118fb04a93

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Vers Audio wooden iPod speaker:

http://www.versaudio.com/vers2xmain.html

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Lolita*Pop's doll photos:

http://flickr.com/photos/lolita_pop/

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The classic Vivianne Bangle:

http://www.unicahome.com/catalog/item.asp?id=38092

It should go without saying that Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe is a great name.

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Cal Lane's great hardware sculptures:

http://www.foleygallery.com/artists/artist_ins.php3?artist=24&painting=1&ex=cur

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Push-up Preston:

http://www.hawkin.com/rkMain.asp?PAGEID=20670&STK_PROD_CODE=09913&CTL_CAT_CODE=1248&XPAGENO=6

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Granada Designs new Zahra print is gorgeous:

http://www.granadadesign.com/en/collections/c_garden_zahra.htm

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The solid wood Kashiwado chair looks amazing:

http://purecontemporary.blogs.com/behind_the_curtains/2007/09/vintage-japanes.html

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A very witty Helvetica coffee mug:

http://www.veer.com/products/merchdetail.aspx?image=VPR0005470

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Cute "chunky-knit hat":

http://www.shopbop.com/shop/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441805133&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302029428&fm=whatsnew&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181057

Uh, that's a pretty chunky URL, right there.

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I like these rubber vases:

http://www.scandinaviandesigncenter.com/Products/eur1/Accessories/Diningroom%20Accessories/5098&VariantId=1&Image=img1&currencychanged=1

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The Visible Pinball Machine:

http://neptunebeachamusementmuseum.org/ppexpo/visiblePinball.html

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Ché Men’s Magazine ad:

http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/2007/09/che-mens-magazine-skirt/

(vaguely NSFW)

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San Francisco Zoo Logo and Packaging

http://irinablok.com/0.html

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Tim Nobel and Sue Webster's utterly mind-blowing shadow-puppets made out of trash:

http://www.slightlywarped.com/crapfactory/curiosities/onemanstrash.htm

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Calmly reassuring police tape:

http://peoplesdesignaward.cooperhewitt.org/2007/nominee/1114

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Adrian Pallarols' silver Leatherman:

http://www.adrianpallarols.com/

Love it!

Magna Carta

There are so many crazy parts of this story, I don't know where to begin:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=106163&f=22

1. The Magna Carta is owned by Ross Perot.

2. As recently as 1984, it was only worth $1.5 million, yet there were no buyers for four years.

3. He bought it from the descendents of the Charge Of The Light Brigade guy.

4. Norman Lear owns The Declaration Of Independence.

Harvest

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

New Orleans Cross-Section

Whoa!

We've always heard about how New Orleans is a bowl, but this image--a cross-section of the city at Canal Street--makes it clear just how true that is:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/New_Orleans_Levee_System.gif

It actually makes me a little sick to my stomach. Either that or the two bubble teas I just had.

Affluenza: September 19

The Troja Arc Lamp:

http://www.hansandfranz.de/main.html


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Cute Plexiglas chandeliers:

http://blog.kimvallee.com/archive/2007/09/12/Stylish-Plexiglas-chandeliers-by-Incidence-for-the-budgetconscious.aspx


They seem to be cheap, too, but I have no idea how much a € is worth. Or what the hell it is, really.

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Neat! A water glass that turns blue when you fill it with cold water:

http://www.gnr8.biz/product_info.php?products_id=451


I get the same effect by only drinking blue Kool-aid all the time.

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Chiassa's cute Baroque rug:

http://www.chiasso.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=51101


I can't tell, but I think the black and the cream are different heights.

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Cute woodgrain folders with a tiffany-blue interior:

http://www.delight.com/Cutest-Woodgrain-Birds-Flowers-Filex-Folders-Ever


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I really like the idea of these "functional tiles," tiles that are really little drawers to hide personal items, hygiene products, drug money:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzz/Functional_Tiles


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More vinyl wall decals:

http://www.vinyluse.com/


"The stickers are the creation of real trained expert designers." Whew, that's a relief.

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Ferguson Hill's "Horn" Speaker:

http://www.fergusonhill.co.uk/product_details.php?id=3

"Additionally, I would find snapshots of housecats accompanied by grammatically-challenged captions to be endlessly diverting..."

Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the invention of :-) and the :-( at Carnegie Mellon University.

But the reason I'm writing is to send you this amazing excerpt from a mid-60s interview with Vladimir Nabokov, in which he anticipates the emoticon by a good 20 years:

Q: How do you rank yourself among writers (living) and of the immediate past?

Nabokov: I often think there should exist a special typographical sign for a smile – some sort of concave mark, a supine round bracket, which I would now like to trace in reply to your question.

The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

This month, Junot Diaz published a novel called The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, based on his short story from 2000.

I haven't read the book yet, but the story it's based on is one of my favorite short stories of all time. It's funny, nerdy, and moving, with a heartbreaking and transcendent ending that's like a punch in the gut.

LISTEN: I post a lot of links, but this one is different. I'm begging you to read this. It's long--fifteen pages--but it reads really quickly. Please enjoy this, one of my favorite things in the world:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2000/12/25/2000_12_25_098_TNY_LIBRY_000022398

Handlebar

Esquire's yearly Best Dressed Real Men In America list is out, and most of them are super-boring. But! I love this guy:

http://www.esquire.com/style/style/bdrm0907-3

Well, except for the moustache, of course. This picture is a lousy size--no website sucks like a magazine website sucks--so if you think about it next time you're at the store, look on page 180 of the Sean Penn issue of Esquire for the full image.

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Speaking of that moustache, here's an idea for a new Letterman feature: What's The Deal With New Dandies And Handlebar Moustaches?

Also featured would be Lord Whimsy:

http://www.lordwhimsy.com/whimsy/images.html

and Franz Nicolay, of The Hold Steady, et al:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Nicolay

and every third dude on Cobrasnake.

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Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite, from Sgt Pepper, was based on a real mid-19th century circus poster Lennon found in an antique store:

http://www.beatlesagain.com/bkite.html

The Falling Man

Probably a day late, but Esquire is rerunning its stunning examination of the classic WTC "falling man" photo from a few years ago:

http://www.esquire.com/features/man-at-his-best/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN?src=rss

Affluenza: September 12

Finally, designers are looking at the most important part of the house...the cereal bowl:

http://www.unitedbrands.us/products/miam/mushrooms.html

(Love these.)

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Kanye West in Interior Design magazine:

http://www.interiordesign.net/id_article/CA6469699/id

http://www.interiordesign.net/index.asp?layout=slideshow_pic&articleid=CA6469699&sortorder=01

"It's been my dream to be in Interior Design."

Apparently his landlord won't let him paint, either. I can totally relate,
Kanye!

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The illustrations of Phillip Newsom:

http://www.newsomart.com/gallery.php?gallery=15

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Honeycomb Table Lamp

http://www.wrapables.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=A57180&prodlist=cj

Fiddy bucks!

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The mindblowing paper constructions of Carlo Giovanni:

http://carlogiovani.com/

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The origami insects of Taketori:

http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/09/kiri-origami-creatures/

Uh, despite the URL, I swear this is Safe For Work...

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The Maxime Coat by Aquascutum:

http://www.aquascutum.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_61_13/products_id/126

Aquascutum is seriously the worst name ever. It's almost as bad as "Link Dump."

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I like a nice straightforward blog title:

http://copenhagengirlsonbikes.blogspot.com/

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This "frame tape" is cute and clever. Too bad we can't get a close-up of what it really looks like.

http://www.twentieth.net/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=drg003&Category_Code=ACCES

WHAT?
THE?
F?U?C?K?
is going on in that picture!? Is that Princess Leia and the dude from the Information Society, putting frame tape around a kid who is sticking to wall like Spiderman? In heaven!?

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I'm pretty sure that frame tape was, uh, inspired by Stella Bugbee and Boiler's clever lace tape that was such a big hit last year:

http://www.oboiler.com/tape/tape.html

http://www.mattermatters.com/search.asp?Mode=Product&ProductID=84

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Fred Flare makes some pretty cool packing tape as well:

http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2005/07/tapetastic.php

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The "stampage" wallet by DB Clay:

http://www.dbclay.com/store/products/detail/stampage-brown.html

Yes, I love it. But it's safe to say that if you're reading this you already knew that. Here's the same one in black-on-black, and way less impressive:

http://www.dbclay.com/store/products/detail/stampage-black.html

That has to just be a bad picture, right?

Not too crazy about the gray, either:

http://www.dbclay.com/img/archive/stampage-gray-v2-lg.jpg

Uh, wait a minute. HOLD THE PHONE!

http://www.dbclay.com/store/products/detail/ms-frey-gold.html

http://www.dbclay.com/img/archive/thumbs/ms-frey-black-v1-sm.jpg

Gorgeous!

I'm a little on the fence about this one:

http://www.dbclay.com/img/archive/ms-frey-teal-v1-lg.jpg

These two? Eh, not so much:

http://www.dbclay.com/img/archive/ms-frey-green-v2.jpg

http://www.dbclay.com/img/archive/ms-frey-yellow-v1.jpg

But here's another one I like:

http://www.dbclay.com/img/archive/dammasch-v2-lg.jpg

God, I can't get a handle on this guy at all. Take a look at the rest of his
wallets:

http://www.dbclay.com

The wallets I linked to are so unique, flashy but in a curiously restrained way, but the rest of his (?) wallets are just grody and pedestrian...they look like something you would get at Fossil, for Christ's sake.

Affluenza: September 5

The amazing (and very Italian) work of interior designer Piergiorgio Robino:

http://eternallycool.net/?p=432


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KU DIR KA Rocking Chair

http://www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com/2007/09/ku_dir_ka_rocking_chair.html


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Quad by Nauris Kalinauskas:

http://www.gnr8.biz/product_info.php?products_id=501


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That one-piece curved lucite table is just everywhere--for example, the cover of this month's Domino--but here's a neat engraved version that I like quite a bit:

http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=1210&f=3844&viewall=1


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This is such a great idea: a dual kitchen timer, one that's an hour and one that's 20 minutes:

http://charlesandmarie.com/blog/modern_living/2007/08/31/double-timer/

Love the design, too.

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Whoa! These broochs and pendents are breathtaking:

http://www.modamuse.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=15&zenid=51e9302da0c2488eb5e83fc84ae61fe0&main_page=index


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Niina Aalto designed this set of beautiful holders for plastic cups:

http://www.style-files.com/2007/08/27/beautiful-holders-for-disposable-cups/


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Hilarious "topographic" soup bowl:

http://www.kyouei-ltd.co.jp/t-s-p.html


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Atelier Lzc Oval Mirror Houx

http://store.roseandradish.com/product-exec/product_id/1515/nm/Atelier_Lzc_Oval_Mirror_Houx


(I have no idea what those words mean.)

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Ikea's seesaw:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30089915


(Looks vaguely OB/GYN...)

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This sculpture is also a sentence:

http://www.notempire.com/images/uploads/trisowood1.jpg


Can you read it? And, more to the point, once you read it, can you NOT read it?

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An introduction to Carsten Höoller:

http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2007/09/carsten_hller.php


Much more here:

http://www.airdeparis.com/holler.htm#


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Finally, how freaking adorable are these?

Chop Wizard

I'd like to make an unqualified product endorsement...I love my Vidalia Chop Wizard:

http://www.chopwizard.com

Yeah, it's basically a Veg-O-Matic, but it's more compact and easier to clean. It's a lot more convenient than using a food processor for most chopping and dicing. Plus, I love the white and kelly green color scheme.

The clear part, where the chopped food drops, is marked off in both cups and some metric voodoo, making it really easy to tell how much you've wizard chopped.

There are rubber feet on the bottom to stop skidding, which is good since you have to push pretty hard on, say, onions to get them to chop. However, the reward for that hard work is a satisfying "chonk" when the top connects with the bottom.

One drawback is that it doesn't come with a slicing insert, which seems like a curious thing to leave out. It does come with a cool little "cleaning tool" that looks like a miniature ninja weapon.

Oh, and the best part is that the Vidalia Chop Wizard logo on the top is just a clear sticker, which is easily (and in my case, instantly) removed.

In closing, the Vidalia Chop Wizard is a solid addition to the bachelor's kitchen. Now maybe I'll eat more vegetables and not be so depressed all the time about all the mistakes I've made. LOL