Belkin has become quite a design force to be reckoned with. (Remember their incredible booth at CES?) - well their innovative and gorgeously design power strips blew my mind this weekend. Picked up the Compact yesterday to sit on the back of the new couch (that is lower than the height of the cushions) - so its just perfectly hidden and oh so accessible - and its the perfect place for me to dock in to charge phones, cameras, laptops, etc. And when people do notice it, its gorgeous enough not to be embarrassed of. Additionally their Conceal model sleekly hides all the cables inside behind your desk (although i think this is only really good for people who set things up and dont mess with them much), and the Clamp-On is just brilliant for any where you might want to have a power strip handy off the floor (side of the desk, work bench, shelf, etc). More imagery below.

Leatherman - the finest in multitool design and engineering have branched out… into Pruners. And i’m impressed (keep in mind, unless flying, i am never far from my Leatherman wave which has served me so well for nearly a decade) - if i were more of a gardener or hunter i’d probably have both of these new models by now (these might be great gifts for mother’s day and father’s day which are quickly approaching). Introducing the Hybrid for gardeners and the Vista for hunters.

What do these tools have? Both are stainless steel with non slip handles, a critical bottle opener, and nylon sheaths - the Hybrid has Bypass Pruners, Wire Cutters, Weed Remover, Grafting Knife, Bark Lifter, Phillips Screwdriver, Saw, Flat Screwdriver, Sprinkler Tool, and Ruler - the Vista has Bypass Pruners, Awl, Choke Tube Tool, Flat Screwdriver, Saw, Straight & Serrated Edge, Combo Knife, Phillips Screwdriver, and Soft Wire Cutters.

Although this may look like an alien face hugger… and it *could* suck your face off… This is the new Dyson DC21 Stowaway. I know you can’t possibly be Dyson’d out by now (seeing as i recently posted the extensive Slim review and my visual rant on why all Dyson’s are giant sucking guns)… so below is another gratuitous mass of imagery showing you all those intimate details of why a Dyson is unlike any other designer vacuum to date.

When packaging counts - this box certainly jumps off the shelves. With the Stowaway standing out so brightly on the stark black background, its hard to miss… not to mention you can’t escape the fact that it is “the only canister that doesn’t lose suction.”

As far as unboxing goes, they certainly put enough time and effort into packing it as efficiently as possible… more pieces just kept coming out.

The vacuum itself was quite the sci-fi mess of coils of tubing, gun like extensions, huge wheels… and as you vacuum it follows you around with ease, quickly filling its canister with everything it can fit down the tube. This one is no joke when it comes to the whole “no loss of suction”, power it up and it practically takes off, dragging you across the floor… no surprise how quickly you can cover a room with it i suppose. It’s nice how every add on has its storage place as well (except the wood floor extension? Where is that supposed to go? I ended up just leaving that attached)

The design details make this piece far too fun: 1) BIG RED POWER BUTTON. 2) Retractable Cord. 3) The crazy power/hose connector. 4) The castle like edges of the hardwood floor adapter. 5) The tiny clip that holds the hose to the canister when coiled. What designer doesn’t swoon at the sight of such well thought out parts?

Now for the best part of all Dyson’s ~ the gun factor… aim and suck? Read more on this in the previous post about why Dyson’s are the ultimate gamer/tech vacuums…

Bottom line: The sucking power is no joke. Your house, apt, car, dog, child, will never be cleaner. While both this model and the Slim are a bit on the loud side (just below leaf blower perhaps?) - they certainly get the job done, and are far more fun in all respects. And while i felt like i was actually controlling the Slim while vacuuming, the Stowaway really did feel like it had a life of its own as it raced across the floor. Additionally for anyone with back issues, that ball joint is impressive… you barely have to bend over to get those hard to reach spots.

While sifting through the designer goodness at .org, i simply HAD to repost the Puma ‘PT3 Ultramagnetic Collection’ paddles and balls here, because just LOOK at that incredible magnetic packaging. I’m not big on ping pong what so ever, but love these. (although i do love Rockstar’s Table Tennis, remember the party?)

So, check out High Snobiety - to read more about the PT3 (PUMA Table Tennis Tournament) and these limited edition paddle sets designed by long-time pong enthusiast Johan Liden from the New York-based creative agency aruliden.

Not to send you all on a mission or anything, but i’m terribly frustrated this saturday morning… i have this skinny hallway that is pretty much useless for anything but walking through and the scribbling on the giant whiteboard on one wall… and on the other side i want to have a long strip of coat rack/hooks… but i want them to be pretty functional, and not stick out TOO far, but enough that i could not only hang coats, yoga mats, tennis rackets, etc but also hang hangers with fresh dry cleaning or what not as well… so up top are the things i’ve found that amused/intrigued me, but nothing seems quite perfect. Perhaps it is time to get crafty? Also thought i’d just ask to see if someone has seen something really nice/minimalist/functional. (FYI, i am currently reviewing in my head the hooks of some of my favorite store dressing rooms that are more unique for inspiration even.) Listing below of what those are in the image.

Foosball Offsides Coat Rack

Chris Jackson’s Skyline

DESU Symbol Coat Rack: with the pop out when you need them hooks

UMBRA’s Flip Hook: much like the concept of the symbol coat rack

Ikea’s TJUSIG Hat Rack

Modular IVY

Green Branch Hanger

OR - maybe i will just end up with simpler more traditional options like these… from Container Store

Granted i’m not a huge sneaker girl (although i do love my share of shoes)… i DO love packaging, and while i didn’t know what to think when i first got emailed by Jason Markk… i’m quite impressed with their gorgeous packaging. Premium sneaker cleaner - in a quality mini sneaker box, with playful labeling and what resembles paint splatter and koi. And within the box… 8 oz. Premium Sneaker Solution and Sneaker Cleaning Brush. Gorgeous - see my hands on pics below - nice attention to detail.

The “arts and crafts” badge. The “I may look like a scientist but I’m actually also a ninja” badge. The “sexing up science” badge. The “my degree inadvertently makes me competent in fixing household appliances” badge. The “I left the respectable sciences to pursue humanistic studies of the sciences” badge. The “has frozen stuff just to see what happens” badge (LEVEL III) The “dodger of monkey shit” badge. The “inordinately fond of invertebrate” badge. The “knows how to collect semen from more than one species” badge. (from left to right, top to bottom)…. THESE are some of my favorites from the Order of the Science Scouts Badges… but really they are all too hilarious (and cutely iconic) for words.

When I was a wee kid I loved playing with water. In fact, I used the backyard patio as my giant canvas, drawing stuff on the concrete with just water and my little fingers. And then *poof*, it all disappeared and I had a blank canvas again. Notcot and I are always dreaming of a future studio and how we’d decorate it and what stuff we’d have in it… Well we agree these Solid Poetry slabs by Amsterdam based designer Frederik Molenschot are a must! The hidden design appears when it comes into contact with water. We could enjoy our future studio’s patio/deck even when it’s rainy outside. And it’d make me feel like a kid again… Check out images of multiple slabs put together after the jump!

UPDATE! NOW FOR SALE:
USA, 2 for you + 2 to share, $5:

International, 2 for you + 2 to share, $6:

Yes, these are all over my floor right now. The package from Busy Beaver showed up, i tore it open, poured them out, and can’t stop grinning. There is something extremely fun and satisfying about seeing NOTCOT on all these little 1” buttons. (And it probably helps that i’ve always wanted to bulk order buttons, but never knew what to put on them!) So please excuse me for being a little slow on the posting yesterday and today… between the pins, figuring out hosting, and cleaning/rearranging to make space for the new couches showing up tomorrow - been a little behind! BUT - back to the buttons… not sure what to do with them yet, perhaps Shade Elaine and i will make cute sets you can order cheaply, or start a flickr group to see where they end up, or just leave them in bars, or hand them out randomly at an art show…. ideas? (there will surely be a follow up post soon once we figure this out)

(click to view larger)

UPDATED: 10.29.07

Perhaps our youngest fan yet ~ Adrianni! She’s barely 2 months old, and already sporting the NOTCOT buttons! (Also ~ she’s the daughter of our awesome advertising manager!)

KeyPort - an all in one key fob… just get specialized blanks cut to match your car, house, boat, locker, etc keys and the slot right in. In the press kit it says that it is “created to complement your personal style and organize those jagged objects you can’t live without.” And currently under development are RFID for remote keyless entry (or anything else you can imagine - be creative here), Alarm Remote (for your car entry/alarms/etc), and Flashlight (mini LEDs!)… hey, where’s my usb key? Either way, i’m dying to get my hands on one to try it out, my purse could certainly use less things to get scratched up on! and it would certainly work better to slip in a pocket.

Henry Julier’s Magneto Shelves have a hidden splash of color coating a few neodymium magnets embedded in the wood… spotted these over at design*sponge, and suddenly wish i had more large magnetic surfaces to stick these to! Modular, flexible, and subtly playful.

What does a kiss LOOK like? How does what it looks like convey what it FEELS like? I’m not sure, but there is something complex and sensual about these pieces by Lola & Bailey ~ and this “The FIRST Kiss” collection. There are 5 kisses in all… here are the first four… check out Lola & Bailey to see the 5th. I discovered them through .org #4005.

Click the square to find out what it is! Same deal as the .org roundups, except its dinner time PST, so if you happen to still be (over)working and forgot to get food yet, here’s a little something courtesy of the incredible food community at TasteSpotting to whet your appetite, or inspire your inner chef.

Click each little square to find out more! You have no idea how hard it is to pick 10 great posts from NOTCOT.org each time i try to do these… There are constantly too many inspiring and brain tickling posts that all of you contribute (and if you haven’t been contributing, but find things you think are even cooler than what you see on the site, why aren’t you?) Seriously, if you haven’t tested it out yet, NOTCOT.org and TasteSpotting are our pet projects that we have tried to make as EASY as possible (except for the part where you need to pick a picture - BUT we autocrop and scale it!) - all you need is an image, link, and a quick caption to make us want to see what it is.

The Dyson DC18 “Slim” - there are so many design details that don’t get done justice in the usual pics… so here’s an overdose to get you up close and personal with the designer vacuum has changed the way i clean (disclaimer: i hate cleaning, dyson’s gone and made it FUN). And read this last post for why Dysons are THE vacuums for the FPS gamers, gadget geeks, ghostbusters’ fans, and sci-fi lovers.

(you can click on most of these pics to see larger)

Packaging - sleek graphic design and packaging

The Unboxing - impressive packaging design in that it unfolded open so nicely

Could this ball joint be more sci-fi? It swivels every which way, literally reaching places i didn’t know i could get to without having to reach under things by hand.

The extendable tube - i must admit i played with this quite a bit - there was something scifi/organic/slinky about the way it extends and contracts.

The clear canister - as i said in the previous post, its a lot like a ghostbuster’s ghost trap. There’s something terribly satisfying about seeing how much dirt you’ve sucked up… or it might backfire and make you realize how dirty the cleanest room really is.

Here is a close up of the giant cleaning head - with on/off red spinning brushes, as well as the other attachments that go on the gun extension.

Where’s that gun extension come from? Well basically, when you extend the thin silver rod from the handle (it hides in the tube) that final click releases it. As soon as you clip the handle back in (if the vacuum is on) the bottom section goes back to sucking instead of the gun. [Also note their great “big red button” - the type that you can’t resist pushing]

I love the way the kickstand works on this Slim - its so elegant. You step down, tilt back, and by the time you lean it back up to vacuum it snaps up. When you stand it back upright, it comes down. Here’s a quick little video i made of how it works.

Bottom line: The Dyson DC 18 “Slim” - is my vacuum of choice. As someone not all that big on cleaning, but loves gadgets, great design (their attention to detail alone should make you swoon a little, no? and that font!)… as well as the satisfaction of getting to see all the dirt and dust collect up in the canister as you wield your giant gun of a vacuum around the house. Cleaning has never been more fun. Nor did i ever think there would be a vacuum i’d really be ok with leaving out when guests came by. My only issue with this gorgeous vacuum? The cord. When you wrap it up, the ending has the usual molding to clip on to the wrapped bundle, and it always seems to end RIGHT by the section you wrap around, we tried wrapping it normally (in a loop), in figure eights, and still never fit quite perfectly. But still a huge fan, and i’m impressed with how much dirt it found in what i thought was a rather clean carpeted room.

Ok, so just a few more pics… on the dyson graphic design - check out the pamphlets and how to’s below:

Took a stroll down Haight and noticed these gorgeous glass vases - Tear by Canadian company, Chive, over at Doe. Couldn’t decide between the colors and sizes so opted to run home and post them first while i mull it over. More images below. There was something so beautiful and simple about how well it hung from a single nail, and had such a nice organic giant water droplet feel. I think i’m leaning towards the clear ones.

What happens when toys go save the world happy? DOMA’s Acid Sweeties toys for Kid Robot. “From Argentina, where suave desserts and happy pills keep company with nauseous oil barrels and 3-D lightning bolts, street art and design collective DOMA firmly plants one foot in reality and the other in psycho-tropics. Acid Sweeties, their first mini figure series, is an absurd medley of happy colors and bright characters.”

Remember those Cucumber Lab guys who made that gorgeous sound machine? Well now they’ve changed their name to Blanc & Reed, but they’re still creating some beautiful objects. Kind of appropriate for Earth day and appreciating the things that nature creates, check out these chairs that they recently designed. They are made following a “concept derived the flowing lines of seashells. Similar to the construction of a shell’s surface, the individual ridges running the length of the chair provide strength, while maintaining an overall lightweight structure.” Pretty slick.

Made from fiberglass, steel, and aluminum

Rich Tuzon - yes my latest obsession from the Samurai vs Cowboy theme (after a bit of argument, the consensus seems to be that samurais without ninjas would totally lose to the gun toting cowboys… beg to differ?)… Anyhow, a quick glance at his blog, and found that this pasadena artist has some great Zorro pieces. “These were done with the amazing Winsor Newton Series 7 brushes…It can load such a ginormous amount of liqiud and yet give such a consistent tip, that I feel I can extend a line for miles…and miles…and miles.”

Gallery 1988’s SF space just opened tonight, in time with APE, and The Indie was an incredible show. Honestly what i’d hoped I Am 8-bit would be more like. The art was amazing, and if i had to pick one piece that has been stuck in my head since, its Rich Tuzon’s “Samurai vs. Cowboy”… as well as his other cowboy themed pieces… They feel like the manlier version of Audrey Kawasaki’s pieces in a way… (and the other one up there is Graham Annable’s “Space Saddness”). Incredible selection of artwork, you can see more of them at the 1988 The Indie page, and pictures from the opening in Gallery NOTCOT… and a few more below.

These were the other cowboy pieces by Tuzon.

Other standouts from the show? - chuck norris piece, star wars piece, Kevin Dart’s ladies, Josh Ellinson had some amazing cats and squid, Jason Sho Green’s “SAVOUR THE WHALES”, Annie Owen’s piece, Camilla d’Errico’s crazy robo girlies with insects and birds strapped to their hair…

See my quick snap shots here.

Those are vacuums. Not screenshots from half life 2 gravity guns, etc. BUT, they COULD be. And better than real guns, these suck. Harder than any vacuum i’ve ever tried, but more to come on that on the proper unboxing and review.

Dysons are the gamer’s guns for cleaning… housework suddenly became a war on dirt (or anything that fits into its tubes) with their latest Slim and Stowaway, joining the ranks of the Root 6… together it is quite the arsenal… not to mention the clear canister that removes like the Ghostbusters’ Ghost Trap (you know, that thing that the proton guns zapped the ghosts into before transfer to the ecto containment unit in the basement).

Don’t believe me? See the pics (and token video at the way bottom) below… i may have may have gone slightly overboard, but it was too fun not to share (also, as bad as it is, and b/c i can’t resist - FPS = first person shooter? or in this case first person sucker?) Bottom line: how can you NOT have one of these in your house?

Is it not kind of like Ghostbuster’s DOOM?

It’s kind of like this when you hold it… only with a vacuum attached

As for the Ghost Trap like aspect of these vacuums…
The Dyson Slim’s canister:

The Dyson Stowaway canister:

and the Ghost Trap:

And as for my first attempt at trying to make a little video ~ this demonstrates the sweet kick stand on the Dyson Slim as you wheel around sucking things up.

OK ~ well granted i didn’t get a chance to tell you too much about the actual vacuuming of the Slim and Stowaway, more proper review and unboxing coming soon…

Princeton Architectural Press sent over a box of books ~ and to be honest, i have not quite mastered the online book review… especially on design/art oriented books. But to me, a first impression is key (as it is with people), and that initial flip through says a LOT, i mean seriously, if a book full of pictures can’t grab you quickly, what’s to make it seem any more interesting later? SO! That being said, and my experimenting with the camcorder while back in LA earlier this week, here’s a video flip through of the books they sent over. I was particularly taken by Tools of the Imagination and Blackstock’s Collection… so take a peek if you’re interested, and let me know if this is a format worth trying again?

Here are links to read more about the books i just flipped through ~ (listed in order shown in video)
Surreal Eden

Ilf and Petrov’s American Road Trip

Blackstock’s Collection

Tools of the Imagination

Mingering Mike: The Amazing Career of an Imaginary Soul Superstar

Zents - came across this line at Gumps today, and was mesmerized by the packaging of these Zents ~ “Perfumery’s oldest tradition- a multi-use, highly fragrant solid perfume balm, hand-poured into a unique solid stone cube.”

Hi everyone - tons of exciting news and posts coming up - but at the moment i am a little bit frazzled at the fact that Dreamhost is going down multiple times a day lately - (but from what i hear we’ve been lucky we’ve been up as much as we have been?!?!) So basically, while scrambling to try and figure out what to do - where to move - who has the least downtime, good support, php5, mysql 4-5, nice amounts of HD space and bandwidth… got any pointers? or things to desperately avoid? We played with media temple a while back, kept having some odd email issues… considering going back to them with their new plans…

So sorry for the mini posting break - technical side of things taking over for the moment (there really are pretty much 2-3 of us doing everything over here!)… but please bear with us as we try to smooth things out!

You ingest this, so i’m categorizing it food+drink… but really i guess these might be recyclable. As a part of Rituals by Chi Ha Paura - “Wedding Pills, designed by Ted Noten, are golden alternative wedding rings with a traditional inscription with the name of the loved one and the marriage date. They can be taken with a glass of vodka or other beverage. Because of the intimate process these pills undergo a fundamental question is laid bare: are we going to search for it or not, it may provoke the first marriage crisis. And with whom it agrees, the ritual can be repeated after each crisis – a nice reconciliation ritual.” All i can say this late night (been running around non stop in LA for the last two days, and just landed back in SF) - is fights sure can be shitty… maybe conceptually this will give you a visual to make you think twice the next time you’re about to bicker about something with that special someone?

Lucifer, by Feel Addicted. (Yes the same guys that brought you Hotdolls on .org, the designer sex toys for your pups.) This is one of the most gorgeous implementations of matchbooks i’ve seen in some time. Interactions from shaking the match out (reminiscent of some of those toothpick dispensers), the satisfaction of pulling it out and having it light, being able to see all the matches inside yet untouchable…

I Am 8-Bit @ Gallery 1988 - So i made it afterall - quick one night trip to LA, figured i’d stop by. Gut reaction from the show? Overhyped. And i haven’t seen a line like that for a gallery in… forever? It felt like a hipsterfest line up for an amusement park ride or something, absolute madness. And it is a Tues night! Amusing to see the GameJew wandering around in his shirtless mario overalls… mtv took over a corner in the tiny gallery… g4 was interviewing artists on the sidewalk… and the line practically went around the block… not to mention the insane packed party out back with giant gaming going on.

Oh… and there was art too. Some great pieces from our faves like Stella Im Hultberg, Amy Sol, Luke Chueh, and so many more… and a surprisingly large number of rather dreary mario scenes… a giant snake sculpture… window full of pixelblocks… Might need to go back when the crowds settle… it was a strange mix, as colin pointed out to me, you heard a lot more “omg, thats donkey kong/super mario/[insert game name here]” than “wow, thats an incredible painting”. To see my mass of unedited images from the night see I Am 8-Bit in Gallery NOTCOT.

.org #3909 just opened my eyes to Take Away Shows by french Blogotheque and i can’t stop watching them… and they also create an urge to up and move to Paris… because can YOU imagine walking down the street and having the Shins just playing there in the middle of Montmartre? There is something so magical about their ability to bring bands and their music back to the people and the real world through these walks, impromptu jam sessions, etc. Currently watching Arcade Fire playing in an elevator. Wow.

“You meet a band. You take them outside, in the streets, and ask them to play there, shoot the movie in one unique shot, whatever happens. Those are the Take-Away Shows, the weekly Video podcast from french weblog La Blogothèque.”

From their about section:

The Take Away Shows are a Video Podcast produced by the french weblog La Blogothèque. Every week, we give away a session, shot with a band, in an unusual, urban environment.

Sessions are always filmed as a unique shot, without any cut, recorded live. We usually haven’t much time to record them, so the groups have to be spontaneous, to improvise, play with what they have with them, and with their environment, whether there’s a public or not.

The Take Away Shows are produced by La Blogothèque, based on an original idea by Chryde and Vincent Moon. They are directed by Vincent Moon, and supported by Kidam, who lends us the cameras and shot some of the sessions.

It’s that time of year again. Can’t you just feel it in your bones? All the new designs launching - party invites floating around - designers from everywhere descending upon Milan? Milan Design Week 07… it’s almost here. And i’m kicking myself, hard. Been super swamped with projects, late on booking/planning/etc, so as much as Milan is one of my homes away from home… can’t make it this year.

BUT… what’s better than covering it personally? and even better than reading about it on all the other design blogs? Virtually tagging along with the brilliant designers of Big Chief this year as they share their adventures through design week… nothing like having some locals show you the way, not to mention they have a great list of their picks of parties and events going on so far (and if you know of more, please email me: jaw-at-notcot.com). So throughout the week, Daniela, Luca, and their crew will have some great pics and stories to share with us.

Ink on paper. Hand drawn typography turning intricate messages into incredible images… smitten by the work of Fiodor Sumkin. And the story of this artist is quite a fascinating read as well… starting as “I was born in a Byelorussian family of artists. As a child I loved drawing and painting from an early age. I left school at the age of 16….” and continuing to draft dodging to Moscow, showing in Milan and Rome, Paris living, and now an illustrator based in Amsterdam… “For the last three years I’ve been living without a passport. I’ve been using my girlfriend’s credit cards and can actually travel freely because there is not much passport control within Europe.” More of his incredible works below… these are my favorites.

Today was one of those sundays, the ones where you get a big burst of inspiration from so many new places… spent far too much time wandering about in the sun, people watching on haight, climbing up to the top of a park and staring out at the city… and then finding a treasure trove of designers, artists, and portfolios online that i’d never noticed before. Basically hours have passed and there is too much i’m dying to post ~

On fun simple gorgeous portfolio interfaces, i’m loving the simplicity of Soren Hald’s photography portfolio, the subtle rollovers (and frames), the way the whole strip recenters as you click… and the way it fits nicely regardless of width. Not to mention the stunningly playful images presented. (This and many other paths of inspiration today via Andrei Robu)

It’s no secret, i’m a huge fan of Hulger - design, concepts, graphics, the people! So excited to share with you their latest launches for Milan Design week ~ since they have so much great info in their latest email, pasting the details below with more images of the two gorgeous new phones they’ve done for Spazio Rossana Orlandi - the ASTOR & SOPHIA (that’s Sohpia up there). These bluetooth headsets are more gorgeous than any other you will find… until their next, and i hear there are some reaaaaaaaally great ones launching soon as well.

HULGER introduce ASTOR & SOPHIA, two limited edition Bluetooth phones produced specially for Spazio Rossana Orlandi. Both pay homage to the 1920’s and 1930’s, a rich era in our cultural history when the arts embraced elegance, opulence and the ultra modern. Each model has been made in a limited production run of 100. Ten of each model are available on Designboom prior to the Salone, otherwise they can only be found at Spazio Rossana Orlandi.

Spazio Rossana Orlandi is one of Milan’s premier showrooms for design. During the Salone 2007 they have invited various luminaries including Piet Hein Eek, Front, Thomas Eyck, Eindhoven Academy and Julian Mayor to take residence in their space

Spazio Rossana Orlandi
Via Matteo Bandello, 14/16
20123 Milan

Ritual - a new line of grooming products for men. Let it be stated now that i’ve never been into men who are more high maintenance than myself (and as a packaging obsessed girl, its hard not to accumulate and try more than my share of cosmetics, skincare, haircare, etc goods)… but that being said, i do love a guy who knows it all well enough to pick well. And i’m tempted to get some of these somewhat bizarre? unique? products by ritual to test out. Fun website… playful graphic design going on… but most intriguing are two products in particular. 1) Nature Calls - they are apparently “first to market” with this one… and you literally drop a few droplets into the toilet, pre-stink, and there will be no stink. (i feel skeptical but curious) 2) Trifecta - “Trifecta packs your three essential shower products into an all-in-one hair, body and facial wash, which lathers in both hard and soft water.” Someday, will SOMEONE please explain to me how some guys can get away with using one thing for hair body and face? And maybe they should swap to this? And third image up there is the gift set, which i think i’m a sucker for b/c of the wooden box.

p.s.
if you’re going to name a company… and have a website… please make it easier to find than Ritual’s was… SEO, people!

IMAGE MAP! Click the pics to see more… here are some .org favorites of Shade Elaine and I!

Yes, it’s probably hard to imagine yourself drinking wine that doesn’t come from a bottle. I remember when boxed wines came out and they were (and still are) the butt of many jokes. Classic glass bottle = classy and traditional. But with stuff like the Sofia Mini enjoying some success or at least garnering interest from the young and chic set, maybe people are ready for something new. So here’s the environmentally friendly wine label, French Rabbit. Their “vintage-dated wines, the first premium French wines in an eco-friendly Tetra Pak™ container, are sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards in the sunny Pays d’Oc region of Southern France.”

According to the French Rabbit site, the container takes less energy to produce than a glass bottle, is 100% recyclable, weighs less so it can be shipped more efficiently, and you can also squeeze out air from the container so that the wine lasts longer. Pretty smart!

Diagram of the Tetra-Prisma container

Hard to believe its time for America’s Cup already again ~ and checking out Style.com’s nautically inspired slide show, i discovered Rogues Gallery. Gorgeous men’s line for the sailors and captains in your life… and something about the combo of the line, their models, the photography… makes you swoon a little, no? Loving the graphic design… and check out the simple hoodie below as well as a few others.

Excerpt from the Style.com slideshow…
Three Sheets to the Wind
Not so far from Brooklin is Portland, a less rustic Maine destination—and headquarters of Rogues Gallery, the vintage-style clothing line established by ex-L.L.Beanie Alex Carleton. “The nautical story at Rogues Gallery,” the designer says, “is very personal. Most of us here are from coastal New England and have a relationship with the ocean in some way.” Anchored around T-shirts, the Spring collection expresses those connections directly (with salty stripes and ship prints) and in more subtle ways. One of Carleton’s preoccupations is with the way clothes become weathered, so Rogues Gallery red is really faded salmon pink, and navy is a washed-out gray. “Adventure, style, culture, freedom, bravery, and rum?” he says. “How could we not be obsessed with the nautical world?”

Every now and then, a series of images comes along and just blows your mind. I couldn’t stop laughing, and then just kind of staring amazement at the micro scale “cooking” going on here ~ my friend is calling them Freebase Pancakes. How one even comes up with a concept such as this amazes me. See full set of imagery below. via Random Stuff

On exciting gallery news ~ two big announcements from Gallery 1988. 1) it is time for gamer inspired art again with “i am 8-bit” - seriously one of the best group shows every year. Opening is on April 17th. 2) they are opening a San Francisco gallery! Grand opening with “The Indie: an art show celebrating alternative press artists” - including some of our long time favorites like Jason Sho Green. Opening is on April 21st.

While i can’t personally make the LA opening this year (if someone is going, want to cover it and take some pics for us?) ~ Shade Elaine and i will be at the SF opening for sure, so feel free to let us know if you’ll be there!

Mid-April seems to be a big time for launches at Target ~ or next week i mean! At least in the gorgeously designed affordable grooming products (adding to their Boots imports and Sonia Kashuk lines). As mentioned on .org last week, Method is launching their Bloq line - as reported by Happy Mundane - “It will be available in four formats: body wash, lotion, shave cream, and bar soap. The Bloq line is naturally derived, biodegradable, paraben-free, and has not been tested on animals. There will also be four scents that have been designed to match four moods: green mint for the “go getter”, water flower for the “pure minimalist”, beach sage for the “escape artist”, and citron leaf for the “eternal optimist.”

Additionally, men.style.com just announced that Every Man Jack ~ will also be launching at Target- saying ” No item is more than $4.99. And, unlike your dad’s soap on a rope, Every Man Jack products forgo dyes and old-school preservatives for a more natural approach. Body Wash uses only nondrying natural surfactants instead of the potent chemicals found in drugstore brands; Shave Gel lubricates with aloe and natural glycerin and has chamomile and vitamin E to soothe razor burn; and Face Lotion is oil-free and noncomedogenic. The California-based upstart also offers shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and pomade, all available in a pleasantly minty signature scent, plus cedarwood, tea tree, or fragrance-free.”

Büro North, a design studio based in Australia and founded by Soren Luckins in 2004, does it all. While their print work is impressive, what really interested me are their environmental designs and sculptures. Pictured above is the cover and sleeve design for Inside Magazine which illustrates their “belief that creativity is not dictated by your surroundings.” So true. How many designers do you know who are working out of their homes or a less than stellar office setting? A lot of amazing work is being created outside of what many of us would consider dream studios which I think is pretty amazing in itself (but I’m still dreaming of that future super studio..!). Check out a larger image from Inside Magazine and more of Büro North’s work after the jump!

Chiodo Splash, sculpture design and construction for Chiodo, a men’s fashion boutique

Signage and environmental graphics for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Love this one!

Designer Joey Ruiter hails from Michigan, and he’s recently designed some pretty sleek aluminum objects like the boat pictured above, called the Front Runner, with twin 225hp motors in the front. Check out more of his elegant/futuristic designs after the jump!

Another view of the Front Runner

Bowl pulled up from a flat sheet of material

Laser cut mirror frame

Sub Urban Riot ~ i’ve fallen for this Extinct shirt ~ silhouettes of dinosaurs forming a skull and cross bones ~ and black and white. Also the egg of birds and the baby of mammals… more images below of their adorable dresses and site.

Love the funky (although hard to browse) site ~ reminds me of the crazy frames at 80sPurple)

Also loving these simple spring/summer dresses

I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for skincare products. I’m an even bigger sucker for skincare products with simple yet thoughtful packaging. Bonus points if the product is natural. 4mula pretty much takes the cake. Their products are environmentally friendly on many levels, and they’re all about “Farms. Not Pharms.” On 04/04/07 4mula turned three years old, and they are celebrating by offering free shipping on orders of $100 or more in the month of April. International orders get a free gift. A company this environmentally aware and design-conscious deserves many happy birthdays.

Really, these days it’s not too horribly difficult to find natural products, but I like that 4mula made the extra effort to make their packaging easily reusable.

In an effort to reduce post-consumer waste, 4mula cleans the planet as well as it does the body with packaging that features removable labels to simplify and encourage their reuse as storage solutions when empty.

Here at NOTCOT, a picture is worth more than any words could ever say ~ and following that perfectly, i got a mysterious email from Moriceau Mrzyk with a subject line saying “we love notcot!” and no body, just 4 images… 4 images that i can’t stop staring at… breathtakingly playful and black and white, pushing the way you view frames and murals and sculpture, see more below. I can only guess this email is from the dynamic duo Petra Mrzyk & Jean-Francois Moriceau which we posted about previously here… Anyhow, i felt the need to share these while they were still mysterious to me before i wrote back to find out more.

Easter Sunday is around the corner, and there have been so many delicious treats popping up on TasteSpotting, here’s a nice little roundup for anyone short on ideas… click each image to find out more.

When it becomes good versus evil ~ which side of the foosball table are YOU on? On the team of Evil XI we have: Pot, Lucifer, Calgula, Ripper (as in Jack), Impaler (as in Vlad the), Hitler, Macbeth (as in Lady), Hyde, Klebb (as in Rosa), Amin, Catcher (as in the Child). Playing for Good XI we have: Claus (as in Santa), More (as in Sir Thomas), Moore (as in Bobby), Gordon (as in Flash), Robin (as in Christopher), God, Assisi, Jekyll, Poppins, Teresa, M.K. Gandhi.

This is a limited edition “opus football table” by Eleven Forty for the super exclusive 20LTD. Only 20 were made ~ and it retails for 14,500 pounds. We previously featured Eleven Forty back in June ‘05. See the team’s lineup below…

Ahhhh Chipotle, how we love thee. Yes, we have a bit of a Chipotle addiction going over at NOTCOT… we jest that there is crack in the rice (don’t worry, to the best of our knowledge there isn’t, just some sugar and cilantro) because since the college days in SD we keep coming back for more… even if it is efficiently run by the mcdonalds folks… Not to mention they have just great graphic design, and playful marketing.

So, you’ll understand that i couldn’t resist when i saw Andrew Wilson’s Chipotle Menu Art gallery, and had to share it. Found this at Evasee, which calls the works “innocently nasty”.

Freshly launched today for xbox 360 ~ Guitar Hero II has been my between work distraction of the day ~ its far too fun “strumming” to possum kingdom between posts… just discovered one of the gorgeous ad spots over on Stash Media’s Feed. “Pete Candeland, the Passion Pictures powerhouse director behind the Gorillaz videos does it again, this time for the Xbox 360’s Guitar Hero II. The agency is McCann Worldgroup out of San Francisco.” Its a really beautiful spot, view it here.

In case you missed it ~ here are some highlights over at NOTCOT.org and TasteSpotting this week ~ click the images to see each post!

Two words. Automatic. Shifting. Yes, its a bike. And doesn’t it have “design awards” written all over it? (on the website, beware of the energetically peppy “lets go out and play” music) ~ This is Trek’s new LIME. On top of the automatic shifting and great design ~ you can stash stuff in your seat, and skin the colors any which way you want ~ and comes in male and female models, normal and light. (Something about LimeLight works too well). Shade Elaine notes that its a bit “web 2.0 looking” ~ if thats possible in a bike. Also, i’m liking their site/graphic design as well…

Trek Lime Homepage
More info at Gizmodo
More info and images at Bike Gallery, Portland, OR

Reyka Vodka ~ from iceland ~ their ads on youtube have had me in stitches all morning (watch them all below). Her voice and outfit are ADORABLE… in a hilariously cute kind of way… and the black and white sketchy animated world she exists in is just brilliant. And her poignant arguments make me giggle too much this morning. So, while i can’t say anything about how good the vodka is, the ads certainly make me want to try some… gorgeous bottle as well. Check out their website here, its got some pretty woodblock style graphics.

“In iceland we like to drink vodka, because we like the taste of vodka… some countries like to drink the flavored vodka, but here in iceland, if you want the taste of banana, you just eat a banana. so the only flavored vodka we make, is vodka flavored vodka.”

“In iceland, we were the first to have a female president, and the first to make icelandic vodka. Your country cannot make icelandic vodka, but you can still make a lady the president, that is, (insert puffin humping her leg here?) unless you think the lady is only good for one thing.”

“In iceland, we have the best water in the world, but water on its own is not the most exciting type of thing, so we turn some of our water into vodka. Just like jesus, he turned water into wine. We’re not saying we’re like jesus. We’re not. We don’t talk with god, and we don’t wear sandals. It’s too cold.”

HAHAHA. so brilliant, so simple.

From their website: