Tron

Old Tron logo... but check out the preview of the new Tron movie. (disney.com/tron)

Noguchi?

Having a hard time coming up with new concepts today. For some reason it is comforting to see that even the greatest designers have struggled with forcing form-innovation where it is not really needed...or at least to a level that it is not needed. Of course, I have never used these so maybe their beauty is in their functionality.

Globe

This is what Hive has to say about the Globus: "Globus is a compact personal mobile workstation that offers flexibility thanks to it's rotating chair, the pull out table top and castors." It is interesting bold statement but $10,000? Also not sure about their use of It's.

Bristol Skate Park

Bristol has done it right. West Hartford, Simsbury, Avon and the like should be embarrassed that they haven't done as good of a job.

out for a ride

Here is Ian out for a ride just before his brother's birthday party. I wondered if they might not ever have enough interest to learn riding but then all of the sudden they were interested and learned in a matter of days. It seemed possible that bikes might have become irrelevant to them and kids like their age. I think their annual camping trips really fueled the need/fun of independant transportation. Now they ride almost everyday.

Rockwell park

This is the boys and their cousins enjoying some hotdogs at Rockwell Park. They each ate two and then kept playing...I wish I knew why they did not like the rolls. Anyway, 8 hotdogs and 4 drinks was only $18. The new skate park for the older kids really makes the whole playground experience more enjoyable because it naturally separates the kids by interest and ability rather than leaving the older kids with nothing to do.

margaret braun

Check out these cakes. Wow. www.margaretbraun.com

AJ's Music recommendations 02

This is straight from AJ: "I picked up this new "rap" CD by this duo called Eyedea and Abilities called "By the Throat". I'd read a few good comments on i-Tunes. Well I started to listen to the first three tracks and to me it isn't rap. It's like some type of combo of hard to listen backgrounds with some guy rapping fast over them. What I should have gotten was the new Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (former of the Bangles) new CD which I think is called Under the Covers, Vol. 2. I heard it is really good, new versions of some "classic" 70's and 80's tunes."

World's Largest Swimming Pool

Thanks for the find Dave. The San Alfonso del Mar seawater pool in Algarrobo, Chile has been named the world’s largest outdoor swimming pool by the Guiness Book of World Records. It is 3,500 ft in length and has a surface area of around 20 acres. However, I think that they missed an opportunity to give it a distinctive shape.

Icky Thump

Icky Thump-The White Stripes. Here is what AJ has to say about this album: "I really dig the first tune, Icky Thump, plus the closer "Effect and Make it the Cause" is good also. I played this one a bunch in the car when I wanted to seem really bad ass and with it as I drove repeatedly around the mall parking lot trying to impress the babes." In case his wife is reading, I am sure he is joking about trolling for babes...and even if he isn't, I doubt it could ever work. Hopefully you can not judge an album by its cover.

Pilsner Urquell

My personal beer expert recommended that I try this pilsner. Originally brewed in Plzen it is hard to find but worth the effort. It is as light and crisp as Weihenstephan but a bit more complex and flavorful. However, it may be time for them to revise their packaging, the 6-pack is difficult to spot at retail and looks old and dusty even when it is not.

Slim Jim

If you're wondering where your Slim Jims are, there's a nationwide shortage due to a deadly explosion last month caused by a gas leak that destroyed the only Slim Jim plant in the country in Garner, North Carolina, and killed three employees. The company doesn't expect to meet full Slim Jim demand until fall.

fatman collective

I am thinking about joining this. Check it out it is pretty cool.

The pacemaker

This is a digital pocket DJ called the Tonium pacemaker. They have a cool website. I wonder if DJ Osh ever used one of these? If I remember correctly he was/is pretty high tech. Is it worth $500? Common Johnny A I bet you have one of these right?

designspongeonline.com

Very nicely done blog.

Tesla model S

Johnstone spotted this much awaited all-electric Tesla sedan. It looks even better than I thought it would. And although $49,900 is still pretty steep I think they will have trouble keeping them on the shelves, especially since the southern california car maker is saying they are only going to make 20,000 this year. I bet at least one shows up on Ebay. (Tesla is bankrolled in part by PayPal millionaire Elon Musk and Google founder Larry Page.)

weihenstephan

Is this the best Pilsner ever? Maybe it is just the best one that I have ever had or maybe it is the best. Please let me know if anyone would like to suggest a superior Pilsner.

Evo Logo

We have been working on redoing the logo. It has been over 10 years since the original was created. I like where this concept is headed and can't wait for the full release. People have asked me if the Van Halen reference is intentional...I would like to say what Tarantino said when asked a similar question. He was asked why he spelled the title of his new movie incorrectly and here is what he said: "Here's the thing. I'm never going to explain that. You do an artistic flourish like that, and to explain it would just take the piss out of it and invalidate the whole stroke in the first place." Wouldn't it be great to be able to say that?

Preserve cutting board

The Preserve cutting board is now being shown on the home page at Crate and Barrel. Very exciting, although I think that Marshal's photography is superior to the shots that they took.

Converse Weapon Evo

Here is an interview with Michael going through all of the details of one of his new designs, the Weapon Evo. Nice interview Mike. http://stacktv.stack.com/video.aspx?videoID=23836582001_231

More Mead

This is tighter in a way but also more fluid looking. Again the control in the color palette is excellent. Imagine the restraint it took to not go full-spectrum. And of course, no body does chrome better.

Syd Mead

This style seems a little less fluid than most of Mr. Mead's work but it is still inspiring. The controlled palette is also admirable. i believe this is a spinner from Blade Runner.

stealth

Cool looking airplane. I believe I found this image on Core77.

electrolux competition

These guys are taking some heat from the design community for sponsoring a competition that is too far out there. There seems to be a some cause for it but many of the top 25 concepts are pretty interesting. This concept is well done although it has been around for a while; even the form is pretty conservative. It is only 1 out of 25 but I am not sure that this one deserves the criticism. You can see more of the top 25 at electroluxlab.com

Heyday

This is an excerpt from highsnobiety.com "Heyday and Nooka have collaborated on a very limited run of Super Debs’ emblazoned with Nooka’s String Theory triangle pattern. It is available in a white and a black patent colorway with airmesh side panels and Nooka x Heyday printed on the top most strap of the 5 strap high top. The black version will drop July 9th at Nooka’s Pop Up Shop at Odin’s DEN on East 11th st in NY. The White version will drop later this year." It has gotten some criticism as being "gay" and I am not sure that I would wear a matching watch and shoe but I think that it is an accomplishment just to have been able to get it this far. Darin should be pleased. I'd like to see what the outsole looks like.

Alaska series

From Gense these come in matte and mirror-polish finish. I do not think that the knife fits very well with the set. The "Evolution of Useful Things" by Henry Petroski has really interesting information on the relationship between the individual pieces of cutlery.