it's not that important

@shitmydadsaysJustin

"Look, we're basically on earth to shit and fuck. So unless your job's to help people shit or fuck, it's not that important, so relax."

5 Jun via ShitMyDadSays.com 

'less machine more hand', 2010

'less machine more hand' by japanese designer naoya matsuo is a small collection of furniture
in which he that focuses on using DIY shop materials and low-tech tools for production.
all made by hand, the series includes side tables, an armchair and lamp.

the main materials used for construction of the furniture pieces include: P.P. (polypropylene) plates / sheets,
gardening nets, pearl beads, paper ribbons, epoxy and double-sided adhesives.

For more, go to designboom

alvaro puntoni: querosene house

"a main feature of this three storey residence are it's walls which house a library of 7500 books.
read more"

TinEye: God of Reverse-Image Search

Ever looked for an image's origin, or a higher quality version of the one you have, or a website where this image also occurs?

Look no further than TinEye.com

Let me tell you what happened to me:

A partner at work gave me some poorly printed out images on a contact sheet (4 images accross, 5 images down, on a single A4 sheet), and asked me get the contact details for the suppliers of the products on the contact sheet. The images had no captions and were printed out on low rez. (72dpi).

WTF! How will I find the supplier certain component with only a poor paper printout of what the product looks like?!

Then I had an idea!

Snap a pic of the printout on my cellphone (i don't have a scanner), and upload it to TinEye. In less than a second it gave me 12 websites that the image appears on (one of them being the supplier, 3 being distributors).

'MAGIC' I tell you!!! 

The site is sortof a reverse "google images". I love it! If you are into this sorta thing, give it a try.
The site is not perfect. But it's libraries of searched sites grows and last time I looked they added 37 million new images (at least that's what they claim on their twitter feed)

(DISCLAIMER: This is my personal testimonial. I am not paid for saying this, and am in no way affiliated with them, or on their payroll.. but if you guys at Idée Labs/TinEye.com want to gimme some $$$, feel free, lol)

the drain

Taken on my cellphone.

I just love the grain and contrast on this. Very hard to do with all this digital nonsense we have nowadays.

J Trav: Master, Voyerist, Photographer

J Trav: Persona series.

When he began taking photographs in November 2007 for his Persona diptych series, Jason Travis set out to catch up with old friends, learn more about new friends, and, most significantly, to capture a portion of their lives in terms of what each individual considered essential enough to carry around with them everyday.

Viewers of the Persona diptychs take a voyeuristic delight in not only glimpsing the items usually tucked away in bags and pockets, but in identifying with strangers by relating to the tokens they carry with them. Alongside the meticulously arranged items that each person carries, Jason situates a portrait in which the subject always seems confident and at home, comfortable in their own skin. In these snapshots, each person appears as Jason sees them, which is always beautiful. Assembling the Persona diptychs has not only allowed Jason to combine his love of photography with his knowledge of the uniqueness and beauty in each of his subjects, but also has allowed him to share this knowledge with others.

-Sam NeSmith [From The Atlantan, July/Aug 2009]

See him in action here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasontravis/tags/whatsinyourbag/

wallpaper of the week

source: springstein.deviantart.com

Dymaxion Car; by my old friend Norman

Norman Foster builds the fourth back-to-front Dymaxions. (only 3 were ever built)

He actually worked with the American architect Richard Buckminster Fuller for almost 20 years, so knew the Dymaxion well. Originally built in 1933, Foster's kept the main style of the car (which Mr. Fuller imagined would one day fly). The shell is from hand-beaten aluminum (and painted a glossy green). [via Treehugger]

this awareness nonsense

Doug Langlois said: 10/07/10

"I think we're all plenty aware of breast cancer now. What about lung cancer, which kills more women than breast cancer? Or colon cancer, which kills more men than breast cancer kills women? Or heart disease, which kills more of everyone? 

Why don't they have massive awareness campaigns? Oh yeah, they don't involve boobs, and don't sell product. You know what cures terminal diseases? It's not awareness. It's money, and focused, coordinated, research programs. Not pink ribbons, status updates about where you keep your purse, or thinly veiled marketing campaigns involving pink boxes. The cure is just as far away after you don your pink ribbon as before. This awareness nonsense is about you feeling good about yourself, and companies making money. My mother has terminal breast cancer. And all these pink ribbons, silly status updates and breast cancer branded everything just trivialize the fact that I'm going to lose her to it."

(see original post here)

me

Our satelites

China Censorship

If viewed on a computer screen that resides in China, this image actually has a gaping, country-shaped hole. [Information is Beautiful]

Time for Toys

I present to you: The Westminster Chiming Grandfather clock.

It is an monolith of my childhood. Standing at a hefty 2.2 meters, it is a functioning timepiece of imposing stature.

A lot of work went into this one, I'm sure. Coated in high gloss polyurethane white paint, you can even see a Hulk and Buzz Lightyear there (though the latter is a bit after my time...)

The designer Ryan Mc Elhinney, says that there are other variations, with the toys used symbolizing the client's childhood memories.

I just hope you had a happy childhood... or this fun clock could very easily become very, very scary...