Old Raj

The name feels a bit inappropriate but it is a damn fine gin.  I had never seen it before today when I picked it up at a rather dumpy little store north of Charleston.  It has a slightly unpleasant yellow tint but the flavor has all the good parts of Hendricks and Plymouth which is to say that it is flavorful but subtle and not over-powering.  It is expensive though, $60 a bottle.

Holiday Gift Idea #1

I think that this is a george nelson design.  There are about a 30 variations.  It is pretty frequently ripped-off but the originals are fairly well-made and classic. (The little vinyl foot caps are annoyingly lame in every version.)  The IKEA version is especially weak and sure to fall apart in a year or so but I can see why people go for it because the real deal is around $325.  I think this form is called cigar.

buffalo

This is Buffalo's central terminal.  It is an amazing building that is in the process of being restored but may be the site for the Bills new stadium.  There are so many problems with this idea that I can not begin to list them all.  It is clear that the people behind the idea do not have a clue about what makes the Bills such a special franchise.  They also do not appear to know what makes the terminal worth restoring.  My suggestion is that they stay in the RV lot starting Friday night at the next home game.

sub

hyperdunk

galaxy case

More difficult to do than you might think. Especially trying to balance recognizability, whimsy, functionality and design

Dieter

Color combination aside this is still striking.  Although the form feels a little top heavy this is still more contemporary and more compelling than most of what is on the market today.  I think it is the simplicity and smooth transitions that make it work so well.  I saw it on tumbler

LC

AM picked up one of these at a trunk sale in the cotswolds and I used it last night.  The ergonomics are a little off but the hollow handle stays fairly cool.  The proportions are excellent and the exterior flame finish is still amazing considering it is 50 years old.  Most importantly the cook surface still deglazes perfectly.

Yanko

i like the photo and the ID is cool but the thicknesses of the padding and visor will result in an oversized helmet that can be cumbersome to wear for long rides.  Still, the form breaks for the branding and ventilation are working.

Lubec

Here is Edison building in Lubec.  

They could have spent all day playing with the rocks on the beach.

znga

Zynga (znga) stock hit under $2.80 today.  Traditional valuation is slightly over double that and many analysts have the value at around $6.  With the market at a 4 year high today I normally wouldnt buy but this one is tempting.  Same with CMFO.

Explorer

I rented one of these for the annual trip to Buffalo. It has some strange features and a high tech dashboard but the thing drives like a giant slab of spongy wet playdoh.

ford

Bulltoro

Just got the BullToro watch. I want to check it out for a while before I write too many comments but my initial impression is that the huge size is remarkably comfortable and that that I am not sure that I am a fan of the gold hands combined with the cool toned case.

F-Type

It is getting tons of hype but they still can't seem to overcome the perception that they are difficult and expensive to maintain. I can't believe that is still true but the belief lingers.

Lodge

Not as sleek as the previous grill but this is the Lodge Sportsman that I prefer for grilling. It is heavy but extremely durable and the way it holds the heat makes cooking easy. The only real criticism I have is that it is a bit difficult to clean, especially the cook surface with molded in logo.

grill

I prefer charcoal and tend to use this little Lodge brand hibachi that I got for my birthday. Or sometimes the old weber. I Saw this little IR unit the other day and wondered what it might be like.

Wii U

The controller for the soon to be released nintendo Wii U. In a world being controlled by the ipad will anyone care? Sure the games are better but kids do not seem to care and real HC gamers don't appear to be the target. Nintendo has a lot riding on this one because the entire industry is slumping and they do not seem to have an a viable replacement for the DS.

or maybe this

Motoguzzi

John J if you are still looking for a bike you may want to check out a fixed up motoguzzi. I think that this is an early 70's Falcone. So simple you could even work on it yourself...if you can find parts.

This is one of the Chemotherapy drugs being held to the IV pole by pre-cut sticker that is peeled up to form a loop allowing the bottle to be held upside-down. Given that it is about $3000 at dose they must have really tested that label.

Kidrobot + Swatch

I think I saw this on tumblr. The UV thing is getting a little tired but it seems to still have some mass appeal. These colors are still working. I saw these on my new iphone 4s today. It is fast but I think that the quality is crap compared to my iphone 1.0 I think that I should have held out for the Nokia.

hulk

film

Cool film bag series as seen on Dieline. This concept is pretty tame but clearly the film packing industry is on the cusp of a creative explosion.

SRAM derailer

harmony

Cool watch found on Core77. Nice the way they used the functional pattern of the band as a decorative pattern on the face.

kickstarter

Someone should go on kickstarter and propose a project that makes kickstarter easier to navigate. I am searching for a friends project on there and can never find the damn thing. The whole organization/structure is tedious and self-indulgent not to mention out of date. Does anyone care what the staff recommends anymore? Also, why would I want them sorted by most funded?

Tomahawk

I think that this is the tomahawk and I believe it uses the engine from a Dodge Viper. I know it is an old idea but is still looks pretty cool...and difficult to drive.

core

Just saw this image on core77. "Nearly 2,000 canoes and kayaks floating on Fourth Lake in the Adirondacks, with all of the individual boaters holding hands in an effort to break the World's Largest Raft"

fisker

The Fisker Karma from the New York auto show. The proportions are a little too 'vette for me but the details are interesting and the interior is well done. I heard that Bieber has a chrome one.

color palette

Interesting composition and color palette. I think it is for a new beer. Nice find john.

sanyo

This is the new SANYO VPC-CA102YL, the waterproof Full HD Dual Camera Xacti coming out soon. The form factor is familiar but the functionality is amazing. The company says the new Dual Camera can record over 480 minutes of 1080 Full HD video on a single 64GB SDXC memory card and 14MP photos from a depth of ten feet underwater. Interesting too that use of the color yellow still say underwater. Who started that? Sony maybe?

Ricoh

Patrick and the team at Evo won the Ricoh competition with this exact idea about 15 years ago. I think that I like this base better than ours but our detailing on the ball was way better

Get Back

This is a detail of one of the many cool pieces I saw today at lunch at Get Back Inc. The scale of their work is impressive and so is their attention to details and finishes.

preserve

Our friends made the colander in tangerine

DiTullo

Classic DiTullo form work and sketch style. This should be made as a piece of sculpture.

neoprene

Doing a little case research for a project today and came across this neoprene iphone case. I am not sure that the form is very functional but it is a good look. Although it feels like it is water-proof it is not and I bet that disappoints.

opening day

It was opening day of fishing season this weekend. Saw about a hundred people fishing on the small beach at Black Rock State Park. I enjoy fishing but not so much when it is that crowded. The details and finishes of this reel are make me think it would make a great larger scale sculpture

Salt and Pepper mills found on Unicahome designed by Richard Sapper (I think). The simple form is working but the button form and color seem arbitrary.

April vacation

Here are the boys at Battleship Cove on a hot April Monday.

Pale Dog

Simple, clean and familiar but also unique and interesting

Zuzu's Petals

Wow

form

These spun forms work so nicely that even though they do not work in every decor they seem timeless. The problem is that they do not translate well to other products because the finish usually falls short.

outdoor furniture

Interesting, creative woven base. Great new interpretation of a classic for outdoor furniture even if it does not look that comfortable. Unicahome

R8 2012

Has to be the best designed car on the market today. Only problem with it is that with those proportions and details the car is pretty much begging to be pulled over.

Opel Enigma

Jaguaresque proportions cool detailing and classic stance.

cool

I think that these were designed by someone at Yanko. They are nicely done, simple and sophisticated. This color, what we call "karl green" has been an ID standby for about 30 years. I think that Braun was the first to use it.

Cool illustration technique

Nikita-Design

dual

Another split snowboard configuration. I think that the logo is probably better than product but both are interesting.