Thanks Lisa

My very good friend gave me this for my birthday. It looks great next to the succulents in my space

sidecar championships

Pete mentioned that he was going to the Australian Sidecar championships so I thought I would look it up.

Trek

Nice evolution of the mark and the product badge and especially nice to see how they successfully went back to the past. I think I would have kept the Trek name on it though.

Cona Coffee makers

These guys make a range of vacuum makers. This is one of their first, it is from the 50's I believe. The newer ones are not as nice but they clearly inspired Bodum. (Thumbnail from Superstock)

Rejuvenation

The best place for a variety of lighting designs.

Nespresso

I was also at Sonoma. You can spend almost any amount you want to spend on small electrics... like say coffee makers. How do you know how much to spend to get one that will last a while? I hope to be drinking coffee for 40 years or so. Do I hit Walmart and buy a $20 one knowing I will probably be buying another one in a few years? Do I go to Sonoma and get a new anodized green Nespresso for $200? That could last a while. Or, do I go online and spend $2000 for one that makes espresso and Cappuccino that can make 10,000 cups. That should be plenty. How do people decide?

Restoration Hardware

I was at restoration hardware today and noticed that they got rid of all the inexpensive little trinkets they used to sell. The tape measures and hand-powered flashlight type items are gone. The change happened a while ago and I had not been inside. It is a fairly dramatic transformation and from the looks of things traffic is way down but the goods look great. I especially like the roll arm sofa. Here it is in French Linen.

baseball practice

it was cold but we still got in a couple of rounds of hitting. The enjoyed the practice but I think that their favorite part was trying to hit their uncle with the ball.

$39 glasses

Melissa has mentioned this site to me a couple times. They sell eye glasses complete with lenses for $39-$59
Some of the simple frames look quite good. Worth a try? Go to 39dollarglasses.com

roto-shave

The cylinder at the top of this is loaded with blades and rotates. I believe it is made by Emjoi.

Tent-Cot

I'd normally rather sleep on the ground than on a cot because they are typically too noisy and not conducive to moving around. Also sleeping in multiple positions is tough on a cot but as an alternative to a tent this is kind of cool. It would be neat if you could zip a couple of them together.

Mont Blanc

The execution on the connection between the band and case is a little clumsy but the face graphics are so nicely done that it almost doesn't mattter.

better image

Wozoco

Built between 1994 and 1997 this is a building of 100 units for the elderly. It is located west of Amsterdam. According to Wikiarchitecture the city was experiencing massive growth and dense construction along with the reduction of community green spaces. The challenge was to make a building capable of blocking construction noises, respect the quality of life of its occupants, utilize a minimal footprint and provide good natural lighting.

Bills new Uniforms

Everyone has heard that the Bills are working on new uniforms for the upcoming season. Many have joked that they should leave the uniforms alone and focus on changing the players. This might be a hint at the new look and it is interesting that the most dramatic change is to the helmet, not the graphic elements.

The king

On a recent roadtrip I was surprised to find that burger king is still doing this. At least the graphics have gotten better.

Fyrkat

Reconstruction of a viking house from the ring castle Fyrkat near Hobro, Denmark. Thank you Wikipedia.

Fyrkat

I hope that Bodum did not pay too much for the name on this one but still it is an interesting looking form. (I think the name refers to the ancient style of Viking house as opposed to being a "Fire-Cat", but I could be wrong). Either way, it appears to have superior ergonomics and when compared to even the latest Weber I think it makes Weber look puffy and cartoony. The real test will be seeing how it winters over.

4 door sport

I thought that the Panamera was always a four-door as shown here in white all tricked out. But I came across the 1965 two-door, below in red.

Porsche Panamera

The Panamera's name is derived, like the Porsche Carrera line, from the Carrera Panamericana race.

Ms Lily's Jerk

According to an email I just received "Rockhouse Hotel Partner and Chairman, Paul Salmon, has opened a Caribbean oasis in the middle of downtown Manhattan." It is said to feature some of the same favorites as the Rockhouse although I doubt that they have the Dapper Snapper or the Lobster blaze. I hope that Chef Kevin has not headed North that would be a huge loss to the restaurant in Negril. I wonder if they managed to maintain the perfect portions and subtle flavors?

IHA 2

Here is Bodum at the other end of the aesthetic and cost spectrum. A bit too much of a Weber homage for me and the attachments look a bit frail. I expect more from Bodum. Courageous color palette though. Merchandisers will love it.

IHA

The selling season for grills is so short that it was a surprise to see so many brands jumping in with new products and in some cases entire lines. This Hibachi scale version from lodge was pretty sweet and certainly captured the brand. I think that their next innovation ought to be to bring more true portability to it and increase the stability.

Kauffman Vintage Vodka

The forms look a little like a student packaging concept but perhaps in person the resolution is clearer. It should be for $225 a bottle.

boblbee

Jerry, this is the backpack I was referring to earlier. Not the best protection but better than most. The finishes are interesting and the attachments are informative. Name reminds me of that great bar in Copenhagen, Bobi.

room

Creative use of space and color. But if this is a kids room it seems a little unrealistically austere.

storage and display

Another photo of the new cabinet TK is working on for the studio. Looking forward to seeing it in person in a couple of weeks. I feel fortunate to have been able to be one of his first clients, especially since he gave me one of my first real jobs when he helped me get the job working for the model shop at CCAD back in 1988.

Pinewood Derby

Tonight was PWD night for the pack. It is a fun event and a nice fund raiser. All of the kids have a great time running around with their friends and watching the races in between eating snacks, playing their DSs and getting in trouble for sneaking too close to the track. The actual racing and car construction seems like it is more for the parents. (5% of the cars that ran tonight appeared to be made by parents and it is understandable since carving and assembling a car is not really a hobby suited to an 8 year old.) I know that night is beloved by many and hugely traditonal but I'd love to see it modified to be something that the kids could do more independently.

Jeremijenko

KJ, This article sort of sums up what I was talking about regarding Natalie. It's tough to extract her out of the city but if you can do it it is worth the effort. http://www.onearth.org/blog/the-rise-of-the-engineer-activist

Karate

Ian's gonna be a chain belt.

Yellow

This is the Yellow Motorcycle by Igarashi Design seen on Tuvie. If the seat does not look very comfortable that is because it is a prototype that designed to be driven by a robot and attempt to break some distance records. Seems like the military applications are probably more promising.

Kia Soulster

Not sure about the name but for this class of vehicle it is pretty cool. The thing that they always seem to miss is giving the user features that suit the user/usage.

Owl Cake

For those needing to make a birthday cake in March, the construction method is shown in Parenting magazine.