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Our Tasteologie editor, Jackson, took on the challenge of shaking the usual up to mix and match unexpected tastes for a surprisingly delicious experiment this weekend! Here are his results!

My favorite thing about food, apart from its uncanny ability to keep me alive, is its flexibility. Flavors, textures, ingredients, regions… can all swivel about and inject new life or old comfort into just about anything. Growing up, some of my favorite meals came from visiting relatives down in North Carolina. The flavors of soul food and bbq just make me smile. Other friends have some of the same warm fuzzy feelings of family and home associated with Jewish food during the holidays. Combining the two together seemed like something we had to do.

We’d been playing around with smokers lately and I was keen to put one back to work. Inspiration came in the form of the wonderful smoked applesauce from The Gorbals in downtown LA. On a lazy Sunday afternoon the course became clear… sweet potato latkes with a smoked apple sauce. See the process on the next page…

While the sweet potatoes were pretty straight forward we got a wide variety of apples to see what would work the best.

A little charcoal, a little hickory, one fire starter cube… and we we’re good to go!

The smoker works its magic by softening up the apples and giving them all a deep smokey flavor. The sweeter apples, like Fuji and Braeburn, seemed to take to the smoke the best.

The Cuisnart soup maker is equally happy making apple sauce. We blended up our batch with a little Chandelier Creative Montauk Surf Shack honey and some spices.

Next up… latkes! The key is to avoid grating your knuckles along with the sweet potatoes.

Eggs and flour help it all clump together and then they get squished down into the oil to fry.

Two worlds collide into deliciousness.

They are enjoyed best with a little dollop of apple sauce on top. In the end we have a dish that smells like a bbq and somehow reminds you of Hanukkah. It’s smokey, slightly sweet, sort of like candied yams, definitely a latke, a twist on your expectations, and very tasty.

Bulletproof skin, solar flares and the vision of jumping spiders are all part of this week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

It started with a random idea of making use of the plastic milk crates in NOTlabs for shelving… to wondering about wooden ones… to searching craigslist… to THIS… which lead to a random little roadtrip out to Ontario… to meet with John Mihovetz, quite the collector of found objects, architectural salvage, and repurposed home furnishings… and see the remainder of the 4,000 vintage wooden soda crates he bought in the midwest 6 months ago and has been selling off since. It seems like it was quite the find/investment!

Anyhow ~ now we have 15 amazing vintage wooden soda crates ~ Pepsi, Squirt, Crush, Dr. Pepper, 7up and more ~ and after some clean up, perhaps some awesome shelving in NOTlabs… but for now, take a peek at some of the details on the next page!

A Linne’s two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.

National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore is on a mission to capture our incredible biodiversity before it disappears. Using zoo animals to create stunning portraits of amazing creatures. The project began with amphibians (and the gallery includes some real gems), but now includes all sorts of creatures, totaling over 1,800 already. Find out more about the ambitious and stunningly beautiful The Biodiversity Project and see a selection of photos from the project on the next page.

Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri) also known as Leadbeater’s cockatoo or pink cockatoo, at Parrots in Paradise, Queensland.

A giant snake-necked (Chelodina expansa) at the Tennessee Aquarium.

An opossum (Didelphis virginiana) with babies from Nebraska Wildlife Rehab.

A giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) at the Sunset Zoo.

A satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus) at the Houston Zoo.

Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) at the Great Plains Zoo.

A venomous eyelash viper (Bothriechiss schlegeli) at Reptile Gardens.

Patagonian Cavy or ‘Mara’ (Dolichotis patagonum) at the Houston Zoo.

A porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) at the Great Plains Zoo.

Little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus) from the Australia Bat Clinic.

A Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) at the Omaha Zoo.

You can follow progress on the project on the National Geographic blog. Here is a video about the project from National Geographic.

You can also purchase prints from the collection as well as a book of stunning portraits of American endganered species, Rare: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species.

©National Geographic

These made my day. Corkers are a design collaboration between Oded Friedland and Reddish Studio for Monkey Business are push pins that you can prick into wine/champagne corks to turn them into little creatures! The options are ‬Monkey‭, ‬Deer‭, ‬Buffalo‭, ‬Bear‭, ‬Bunny‭ ‬&‭ ‬Crow. The packaging turns it into a fun wine bottle hang tag/gift ~ perfect for the next bottle of wine… Take a peek at more details up close on the next page.

Exploring the culinary side of LA ~ our Tasteologie editor, Jackson, had a fun chat with Chef Andre Guerrero about their variety of speciality grilled cheeses and beer director Ryan Sweeney about their Belgian brews over at Little Bear. Here’s a look at his latest adventure:

I love grilled cheese. It is the combination of two of humankind’s oldest food products. As it is about ten thousand years old… we’ve had lots of practice in eating and making this comfort food staple. Little Bear, a new bar in downtown L.A., offers a quartet of interesting grilled cheeses to go along with its amazingly well curated selection of Belgian Beer. It is a fantastic addition to Los Angeles’s Arts District and fits into the growing local network of lofts, artists, artisans, film shoots, factories, and restaurants. Little Bear brings nuance and great attention to detail raising otherwise straight forward food and beer into a warm comforting embrace. I couldn’t resist sampling their entire grilled cheese lineup! See more pics on the next page!

Little Bear is defined by its beer. It is the odd restaurant where beer comes first. The menu is built around the beer selection which contains nothing but Belgian and Belgian style offerings. Belgium is a beer lovers dream come true. The region avoided the restrictive German purity laws, allowing for a long history of innovation. It also housed numerous Trappist abbeys full of monks dedicated to the twin passions of God and brewing a better beer. Hops generally took a back seat to the transformational powers of yeast, and varieties of sweet, sour, high and low alcohol beers began to flow. Belgians started their radical beer revolution so long ago, that their early efforts have now been codified into traditional styles. They are the Santa Cruz of beer. A place where old radicals retired and started to rejoin the establishment.

The menu respects this history and offers nothing which would clash with the beer. The entire concept was designed for people to be able to pop in for a pint (or three) and grab a bite to eat while catching up with friends and neighbors. The grilled cheese selections pair exceptionally well with beer, which makes sense considering that they are both made with some of the same principles. Chef Andre Guerrero, of The Oinkster and Maximiliano fame, starts all the grilled cheeses with a fantastic sourdough bread from Bread Lounge. This handmade bread arrives fresh from literally just around the corner and is fermented just like the beer you’ll be drinking along side it. The ester-y yeast flavors and the wild flavors developed from the starter are very similar to what happen to Belgian sours and it provides a great base from which to start.

Right now they feature a Grilled Cheese Brisket…

… a Grilled Cheese Bacon

… Grilled Cheese Stilton.

And a Grilled Cheese Smoked Salmon which I got to watch being made back in the kitchen.

It starts with a generous smear of butter on the sourdough and then it goes straight on the griddle.

Next comes a smear of whipped cream cheese, a generous scoop of their capers mixed with a shallot relish, and a layer of their smoked salmon, which they smoke with applewood over at Maximiliiano’s. Maximiliiano’s uses the salmon for a flatbread with burrata, but here it becomes a fabulous grilled cheese with all the flavors of a New York bagel.

The entire sandwich goes back on the grill to warm through and then…

… it’s on to a plate with a pile of their Belgian fries, which should taste familiar to anyone who has been to The Oinkster. The flavors meld perfectly together, and the capers provide a nice refreshing bite…

… and cleanse the palate so when you take a sip of your Orval you don’t have the taste of smoked salmon lingering on your tongue.

While they are all delicious the two vegetarian grilled cheeses were actually my favorites. I’ll leave it up to you whether or not to alert any herbivores with you that the reason the fries taste so good is that they are first fried in beef fat.

Little Bear is a fascinating (and delicious) exploration of camaraderie. When I talked to the two partners, Chef Andre Guerrero and Cicerone Ryan Sweeney, they had nothing but praise for each other. Their food and beer echo that same spirit of collegiality. Little Bear just works. Grilled cheese and Belgian beer belong together.

What is it about Japanese Kit Kats that are just THAT much more delicious ~ and beautifully packaged ~ and the dark chocolatiness is amazing too… Gave in to this at the Mitsuwa last night and it was too delicious and cute not to share. It looks like you can even add your own messages on the pack of the individually wrapped pairs that are nestled within the matte/gloss mixed outer box. One if particularly twitter looking… take a peek on the next page!

The latest from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw.

A zoo and aquarium regular, I love discovering new creatures and one of my favorite aquarium specimens in the Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences was the Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi), a colorful species native to the tropical Indo-Pacific. True to their common name, these cuttlefish are incredibly beautiful and mesmerizing to see in action. See more photos and videos on the next page!

As fascinating as these animals are in photos, their changing colors and movement are even more enchanting! These videos are not our footage from the academy, but even more amazing behavior of wild cuttlefish!

Flamboyant Cuttlefish hunting with their incredible retractable tongues.

Two incredible videos of wild Flamboyants in the Lembeh Strait, including hatching!

And here’s one last video from (a target=”blank” href=”http://video.calacademy.org/details/288”>behind the scenes at the California Academy of Sciences!

Shark-filled water slides, cherry blossoms and craft cafes are all a part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Super cute concept ~ Busy Beaver Buttons (maker of NOTCOT buttons!) sent over their playful new year’s card ~ love that they give you a fill-in-the-blank button and mini sharpie! Take a peek at the details and fun beaver graphic inside the card on the next page… as well as my resolution for 2012!

The latest from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw.

I finally made it to the California Academy of Sciences in its new Golden Gate Park home! I have been looking forward to checking the new facilities out in person, ever since Jean visited (and posted about) it a few years back (see previous posts here, here and here). As expected, the facilities are incredible and the animals it houses are phenomenal. I can’t recommend visiting strongly enough. With a walkthrough rainforest filled with terarria and aquaria as well as the dedicated Steinhart aquarium, the Cal Academy is a real treat to visit and proved to be the perfect playground for a macro lens! Here are just a few of the academy’s incredible creatures. More pictures on the next page!

Camouflaged Borneo Eared Frogs (Polypedates otilophus) in the rainforest.

Strawberry poison dart frog (Dendrobates pumilio) calling at full force.

A green and black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus) and an unlabeled (but very cool) tree frog at the fore. Can anyone ID this guy?*

*Update! This frog has now been definitively identified (thanks Sam, Anna and Brian at the academy!) as a Granular Glass frog (Cochranella granulosa). Sam tell us “The species term “granulosa” is derived from the Latin “granum”, meaning a grain or seed. In the context of our frog, this refers to the small dots that are found along its back. The genus name “Cochranella” has some history behind it as well. It honors Doris M. Cochran, a curator of herpetology at the Smithsonian during the late 1950’s.” You can read more about the species here.

A flying gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli) and breeding green and black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus).

Waxy monkey leaf frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii).

Hourglass Tree Frog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus).

A perched Hourglass Tree Frog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus) and mata mata (Chelus fimbriatus).

The bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) exploring it’s rainforest home.

The Opal-rumped Tanager (Tangara velia) feeding in the rainforest canopy.

A Tiger Heliconian (Heliconicus ismenius).

The Burmese vine snake (Ahaetulla fronticincta).

A web full of tiny orb weaver spiders (Nephila clavipes). Find out more about breeding these creatures at the academy on the academy’s rainforest blog.

Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis).

Borneo river toads (Phrynoidis juxtaspera).

Ornate cowfish (Aracana ornata).

Electric eel (Electrophorus electricus).

A tiny dwarf plated chameleon (Brookesia stumpffi).

Pacific spiny lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus orbis).

Beautiful Paradise flying snake (Chrysopelea paradisi).

A close-up look at the underside of a starfish.

This week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org includes carnivorous caterpillars, cartographic illustrations, solar flares and more. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

This post is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. Every day, we strive to fulfill one simple promise: the best or nothing. Visit MBUSA to learn more.

It’s no surprise that many of our favorite lighting designs are heavily inspired by nature and geometric patterns. With their modular structures, many of these designs are even compact flat packed lighting systems that can be assembled easily (without tools or glue even!) by the end consumer into gorgeous large chandelier/pendant lamps. On the next page take a look at a roundup of geometric lighting we love from design classics to modern designs to futuristic living concepts!

Hope designed by Francisco Gomez Paz and Paolo Rizzatto for Luce Plan
There is something incredibly beautiful about the assembly of these prisms. Absolutely mesmerizing to look at ~ this is one of my favorite lights of all time. The geometry and joinery is clever and simple and with the amazingly light polycarbonate Fresnel lenses it is easy to assemble. Take a peek at our previous post with the Hope light during the salone and the assembly process of the Hope!

Coral Seed System kitset lightshade by David Trubridge
Made of Bamboo Plywood with Nylon Clips and flat packed ~ the shadows these create are just stunning…

Caboche Ceiling Lamp designed by Patricia Urquiola and Eliana Gerotto
“Suspension lamp composed by spheres of polymetylmetacrylate, transparent or gold yellow. A screen in white satinized blown glass guarantees maximum diffusion of light and prevents glare.”

Miss Maple Pendant Lamp by Elisa Strozyk
“material: wooden textile, steel - The pendant lamp “Miss Maple” is showing the use of a familiar material in an unconventional way. We usually experience wood as a plain surface, but here it is broken down into a grid of triangles. This makes a flexible lampshade which can be transformed manually in three-dimensional ways. While the lamp generates warm light at night the surface outside becomes more evident with daylight and turns the lamp into sculptural object.”

Hyphae lamp by Nervous System
“Hyphae is a collection of 3D printed artifacts constructed of rhizome-like networks. Inspired by the vein structures that carry fluids through organisms from the leaves of plants to our own circulatory systems, we created a simulation which uses physical growth principles to build sculptural, organic structures. Starting from an initial seed and a surface, we grow a hierarchical network where nodes constantly branch and merge. The densely interconnected structure is at once airy and strong.”

Philips Bio-light Design Uses Bacteria To Light Up Your Livingroom
“The concept explores the use of bioluminescent bacteria, which are fed with methane and composted material (drawn from the methane digester in the Microbial Home system). Alternatively the cellular light array can be filled with fluorescent proteins that emit different frequencies of light.”

Taraxacum 88 by Achille Castiglioni for Flos
“Pendant lamp providing direct and reflected lighting. Structure is formed from 20 pressed, polished aluminum triangles holding 120 clear Globolux bulbs.”

NaCl Light Shade by James Patmore
“‘NaCl’ is an organic cluster of geometric shapes. Based upon the sporadic formation of salt crystals the light-surround mimics their growth whilst keeping a sensitivity to the light, using paper to manipulate the light source enabling the opportunity to explore the ranging tonal qualities. Like its inspiration the piece has the possibility to grow into a dramatic installation piece.”

Diesel Rock Pendant Light by Foscarini
“Like a volcanic rock that when it breaks apart reveals a jewel within, Rock is an interplay of surprises and contrasts. Mysterious and severe outside, diamond-bright and iridescent inside. Outside, the dark version is rough with a scattering of golden motes, whilst inside, it shimmers, smooth and mother of pearl-covered. The white version assumes a new personality to fit in with each different use, a precious stone that highlights in particular its asymmetric facets, evolved according to a casual logic. They reflect the light’s rays in the internal surface as in a crystal, producing a surprising and unforgettable effect. This is an object that does not go unnoticed from any point of view.”

Norm 03 by Britt Kornum for Normann Copenhagen
As beautiful as the finished lamp is ~ there’s something amazing about how simple it is to put together. Britt Kornum explains - “The Norm 03 lamp shade originally took shape in my hands and hung above my own dining table with its organic and very alive-looking form. When the lamp is turned on it casts a shadow on the ceiling that reinforces the ‘alive’ impression. Two long foil strips fold in and out of each other in a snake-like pattern, creating, in their own way, order from chaos.”

Flipping through lots of CES pictures, had to share the new world of Belkin. First you can’t miss their glowing new logo and white tree atop their two story “booth”. Their booth was more of a house or visiting various parts of different homes… from the vintage modern living room and office ~ to baby monitors ~ super thin TVs showing the remote garage door camera/openers ~ digitally controlled front door locks ~ kitchens equipped with various ipad stands ~ essentially every room was represented in an awesomely cozy way (when it wasn’t completely packed with fascinated CES-goers)… and there was even an upgraded retro photobooth i had fun in! The new WeMo system they were previewing definitely lead to a fun app controlled home of the near future… take a peek at their world within CES on the next page!

Up with the tree on the second floor are meeting rooms… and this great picture of where Belkin started!

How cute is this photobooth?

… a peek inside…

Remember a few years back when i visited California Carnivores? Well my carnivorous plants that came home with me from that trip are still doing their thing happily… and the other day NOTCOT.org editor, Justine Aw, came by and noticed that this sundew (most likely the cape sundew, Drosera capensis) caught its own prey! Fascinating to see it in action up close as its little tendrils wrapped tighter and tighter… see her close ups on the next page as well as the BBC’s time lapse footage of the a sundew at work!

And here’s a time lapse sequence from the Attenborough’s Life of Plants documentaries showing a sundew capturing a midge.

It’s hard to miss Los Angeles’ massive art celebration right now… Pacific Standard Time Performance and Public Art Festival is happening all over the city January 19-29, and is apparently ” the largest cultural collaboration ever undertaken in the region.” Amongst the art and experiences popping up… one of the most surprising and amazing videos to surface is the one of rapper Ice Cube celebrating his passion for the Eames. Did you know he studied architectural drafting in his pre-NWA days? Got to love the way he ends it - saying “Who are these people who got a problem with LA? Maybe they mad cuz they don’t live here.” Yay! For LA!

Ok ~ so the awesome folks at TBWA\Chiat\Day have given us limited edition (of 250) Pacific Standard Time/Ice Cube/Eames posters to giveaway to you guys! For a chance to win ~ leave a comment OR tweet us (@NOTCOT) with YOUR unexpected passion (you know ~ the one besides your obvious dayjob/primary passion.) And we will email or D tweet the winners on Weds Jan 25th, 2012. (Please follow @NOTCOT so i can D you if you win!)

… and for now see more pics of the poster as well as the video of Ice Cube on Eames on the next page!

Over the summer, our friend’s at Chandelier Creative had an awesome Surf Shack in Montauk… and around the surf shack, they also have beehives filled with 20,000 honeybees! Well, come new years, a fun jar of honey arrived (part of their 75 limited edition bottles)~ “Our Chandelier bees will each have flown over 500 miles: feeding in gardens from the McMansions in the Hamptons to the surf-side gardens. Our queen bees kept a loving eye over all their devoted workers ensuring they made the best honey possible. So from our hive to yours, we wish you a sweet 2012.” What a fun way to ring in 2012… take a peek at last summer and an unboxing of this playfully delicious honey on the next page!

Here’s a peek into the world of the Chandelier Creative Surf Shack:

Now… back to the honey!

From those beehives ~ to this fun little new year’s package…

DELICIOUS! (yes, i did eat that spoonful after i took the pic…)

On silly random impulse buys, these quarter/euro sized button steak thermometers were too cute. They worked just as expected, needle moving once they started to get hot… and had a perfect medium rare deliciousness for lunch. They are just adorable ~ so see a few more silly pics of them on the next page! Tempting to make new images for them with fun icons…

Shrink wrapped couples, LEGO proposals and mesmerizing fluid dynamics are all a part of this week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Perfect timing ~ the NEST thermostat just arrived today ~ a chilly LA day in need of heating… that i can control from my phones, laptop, etc. (aka from bed when i wake up and before i get to the shower?) It really is a beautiful object, with an incredibly easy and intuitive interface (spin and push to click!)… and it has gorgeous packaging as well… and the coolest little screwdriver you didn’t even know you needed! While you can see tons more about the ins and outs of NEST on their site ~ the unboxing and installation was too fun not to share… so many details to see! So head to the next page and see the rest…

p.s. should be no surprise that the UI is by Bould Design (of roku and a lot of the logitech squeezebox goodness)…

Beautifully simple…

I didn’t expect the screwdriver ~

~ or to love the design of it so much…

In addition to being able to mount it directly to the wall, there are also additional mounting plates.

The tiny level being built in to help you install it straight is an awesome detail.

Here’s the back of the main unit which snaps right in…

Simple, easy instruction even include stickers to help label your old thermostat wires for easy installation of the new system

OK ~ now time to get installing ~ here’s my old thermostat taken apart and the wires labeled…

Installing the Nest with square plate (it helps hide the old holes!)…

All wired up…

And we’re good to go ~ setting up wifi, etc… spinning the dial and clicking as i set the passwords…

Then hopping online ~ i set up my account ~ i can control it all from the web and iOS/Android apps…

… as well as settings…

Ok ~ time to go play with it and warm up the house! go see more vids/pics/info on Nest here.

So, you’ve seen the AMAZING video of the dutchman in the woods introducing Cubelets (if not, you must). Well, i finally had a date with Modular Robotics Cubelets ~ and got to explore and create with them over beers and bruschetta while at CES. Fun part? Building autonomous robots that can drive themselves, run away from me, run to me, spin lights around, and beep away… all while navigating around the place settings and deliciousness. There’s something undeniably satisfying about the way the magnetic blocks snap together and just start DOING things! And their natural ability to pique the curiosity of people of any age to just get lost exploring the possibilities… truth is, you definitely need a table full to properly explore the overwhelming amount of options… and i love that it feels like true object oriented programming ~ in that you literally connect blocks that have various functions… like the light sensor block to the inverse block to the flashlight block and add a battery block and things just start happening!

Anyhow, these fun robotic cubes have been getting written up everywhere ~ but are you ready to take a peek INSIDE? When popping by the booth the next day, the Modular Robotics team broke out the leatherman and let us take a peek inside an inverse block ~ granted it’s one of the less filled cubes ~ but I love the design of how it opens (and is held together with two little screws!)… also if you ever want to hide things in your robotic cubes……… see more pics on the next page!

Flash forward to the next day at their CES booth ~ dutchman video playing ~ and toys out to speak for themselves as people naturally start to poke and play and get lost with their curiosity with huge grins on their faces.

I love that amongst the cubes is their Popular Science “Product of the Future” award!

Then it was screwdriver time…

They slide right apart!

As beautiful on the inside… as the outside!

Modular Robotics Cubelets!!!

The first new Urbanears headphone design launched at CES this year was the Turncable which i just showed you. Second ~ Humlan! Interesting part of this design… there is a metal headband (love the detail of the urban ears tag actually being cloth sewn through a slit in the metal!) with MAGNETIC ear-speakers? pads? poofs? what would you call them? The simplicity and the satisfaction of feeling them snap into place and slide to adjust feels great ~ and i supposed when not using the headphones, you could even use it as a headband in their rainbow of colors… or even mix and match the usually monochromatic Urbanears. These are launching in fall of 2012! See more pics of the details on the next page!

On interesting interactive installations at CES, Intel had an interactive lifeform generator called the Connect to Life Experience, which was a 168-foot-wide interactive 3D virtual life simulation designed by Stimulant and Foghorn Creative.

Stimulant explains it as follows: “Conference attendees can use any of six stations around the perimeter of the booth to create a shape using their hands, phone, keys — pretty much anything — and the silhouette of that object will be used to generate a unique bioluminescent lifeform on the massive projection surface overhead. The animated lifeforms interact with one another in playful ways, dancing with one another or chasing other lifeforms around the ecosystem.

The system renders approximately 30 billion triangles per second to deliver a 17.6 megapixel image at 60 frames per second, all powered by Intel Core i7 technology. This image is displayed over a 2200 square foot, non-uniform projection-mapped surface using 24 projectors.”

Take a peek at more of my pictures from the experience on the next page ~ there was something very Flow like about the digital ecosystem created ~ and my favorite part ended up being the structure they built where you input the shape/handprint…

Urbanears always has beautiful color palettes for their monochrome headphones and the most stunning photography/layouts for their lookbooks/displays. This year at CES they showed off two innovative new designs… the first: ZINKEN w/Turncable. These premium over ear DJ headphones have a cable with a 6.3mm adapter (perfect for your turntables/guitars/etc) on one end and a standard headphone 3.5mm plug on the other… and depending which you need, you plug the other into the headphone! Interesting alternative to simply using an adapter to go from 3.5mm to 6.3mm? Take a peek at more pics on the next page…

Adventures to Poland’s crooked forest, Chicago’s new ledge and the legendary Machu Picchu are all a part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. Find out more about each destination by clicking on its individual image.

As a little girl, i always figured someday i’d grow up and have one of those awesome red metal cabinets with lots of drawers for all my tools in the garage. Well wandering into the Craftsman booth at CES ~ OMG. Matte black. With glossy black logo. It’s so beautiful! Now i want that. Apparently they are taking cues from the automotive paint world ~ and starting to play with the matte trend ~ rumors were flying that they are also testing matte metallics. Supposedly they will be available limited edition ~ but will have to find out more from them about that soon. Additionally they launched a new cabinet series that is POWERED. As in charging stations and speakers (bluetooth of course ~ afterall, bluetooth/airplay speakers are everywhere and in everything this CES) and a work table all built in!

Here’s the Powered Series Tool Storage system:

Press release info on it ~ Highlights:  Designed for the multi-tasking Do-It-Yourselfer who wants to amp up the workspace, this central project station not only stores, organizes and protects tools, but also connects with your music and your phone.  The three chamber ball-bearing tool storage hub offers outstanding convenience features: - Extra charging power: A power tool charging station re-charges up to three power tool batteries at a time. Your power tool batteries will also be organized and ready to work. - For work and play: The built-in stereo system with 220W twin- speakers, compatible with MP3 players and Bluetooth® enabled devices, allows you to enjoy your favorite music and manage your phone calls without wires, all while keeping your devices charged. - More room to work: A retractable-locking work table instantly provides a 670.4 sq. in. work surface when needed and retracts to a more compact size when not in use.  Large - 16 drawers combine to a total of 27,245 cubic inches of storing storage areas for all the necessary tools: space. - Heavy duty ball-bearing drawer slides rated at 100 lbs. per drawer, with each caster rating at 500 lbs., giving the total system a rating of 2,000 lbs.  The rounded edge design with integrated handles and five spoke casters allow for easy storage and maneuverability of the unit in the home or garage. Specifications:  Dimensions for top chest: 48.4” x 17.7” x 20.1”  Dimensions for middle cart: 48.8” x 17.9” x 11.1”  Dimensions for bottom cart: 49.2” x 18.1” x 40.8”  Cubic Inch Capacity for top chest: 10,379  Cubic Inch Capacity for middle cart: 717  Cubic Inch Capacity for bottom chest: 16,149  Load rating: 100 lbs. per drawer Totalweight: 2,000lbs. Availability: Craftsman.com, Sears.com and Sears Catalog in Q2 2012

Unexpectedly fun and addictive ~ the Fling and Fling Mini suction joysticks from Ten One Design for touch screens are great. There’s something unbelievably satsifying about the way the action of the joystick movement feels ~ also the design is ingeniously simple. “Fling is constructed from silky-smooth anodized aluminum, and an incredibly tough, perfectly clear, and unusually flexible engineering-grade resin. It’s nearly indestructible, and will give you years of precision gaming.” Take a peek at more pictures on the next page…

RAM-Mounts are my favorite mounts ever ~ they have the most incredible ball joints and you can piece them together for just about ANYTHING (seriously, check out their line up of modular pieces to pick from). They have the best suction mounts i’ve found ~ and while i’ve dreamed of making crazy sculptures, etc out of them ~ it was awesome to turn a corner at CES and run into a life size johnny5-esque RAM-Mount BOT! Made of HUGE RAM-Mount units! See more pics of him on the next page!

ZIK Parrot by Starck: the Bluetooth touch-activated headset. There are a LOT of headphones (often with celebrities attached to them now) at CES ~ but these actually surprised me! It feels amazing, and i was fascinated by the user experience of it… in a nutshell, you bluetooth pair or NFC tap your phone to connect it to the headset, you swipe the capacitative touch panel (left/right for song flipping or up/down for volume), it pauses the song if you take it off and instantly picks back up when you put it on, has 3 microphones and a bone conduction sensor for your calls and active noise cancelation, and even has an app to control it all. 4 years of work has gone into these ~ and the prototype was surprisingly fun to play with at CES ~ take a peek at lots of design detail pics on the next page!

Here’s a peek at the current app in development for controlling the headphones ~ it’s just as clean and simple as their new AR Drone apps…

Great little details on extending the headphone size…

This is the motion sensor (to detect if you’re wearing it) and the bone conduction sensor…

Power button, mics, micro USB for charging, and line in…

We also popped in to the sound room to check out the new Zimku Solo speaker ~ it sounds awesome… and it was so nice and calming to step into the stark, white room amidst the CES madness.

Liqueur caviar, homemade marshmallows, and eskimo kisses are all a part of our weekly roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delicious post, click on its individual image.

On fun CES finds ~ love these Inova USB Rechargeable LED Flashlights from Nite-ize. The new Inova X3R and T3R are lithium ion high grade aluminum bodied LED flashlights that have a mini-USB charging port hidden in the neck. By simply spinning the cap to extend it, you expose the usb charging port… and with nearly everything charging via USB these days, it’s perfect for travel, the car, etc… The LED lights feel great ~ take a peek at the latest on the next page!

Did you know Griffin Technology is from Nashville? And turns 20 this year? Those were the unexpected fun facts we learned at their CES booth this year. Their booth has a fun reclaimed wood/found objects painted in uniform colors kind of look to it… and lots of new products to poke at… but i strangely fell in love with some Premium Flat Aux Cables! Pretty, clean, simple, nice colors, and feel great… the design details of the cables (they are flat! and have a really nice transition to the cable heads) as well as the packaging are beautiful! Take a look at it all on the next page!

On more fun CES booth designs, i liked Motorola’s excessive use of tubing to create the surface around their booth… you could pass through the tubes easily, and they served as a huge projection surface. More pics on the next page…

Remember Audi’s 2011 CES booth of overlit white glowiness? Well this year Audi actually took it even further and created an equally stark white super bright booth that not only pulled everyone into the light… but trapped them in their infinite kaleidoscopic florescent tube grid of dizzying madness. Then again to be fair i had just walked the show floor all day and could barely feel my feet anyways. Regardless ~ it makes for awesome pictures ~ and some insane reflections on the many reflective surfaces in the booth…

Kittens with artistic haircuts, diy cardboard robots and mousemaps are all a part of this week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

On more fun things i’m excited to finally see in person at CES tomorrow ~ Cubelets! The robotic building blocks from Modular Robotics, a spin-off from Carnegie Mellon University (they started as RoBlocks). I’ve been hearing so much about this venture while visiting the CMU Computational Design Lab the last few months of random adventures in Pittsburgh, it’ll be nice to finally get my hands on the Cubelets and make some fun robots! But first ~ had to share their hilarious new video introducing the cubes and how they work! Just try not to get distracted by the snake skins on the wall behind the wacky guy in the video… “We shot the video last Summer at Oli’s cabin in Conifer, Colorado. It was an epic day of fliming, Cubelets fiddling, and snacking on Edam.” OK ~ go see it and fun screencaps on the next page!

On things to look forward to at CES… i’m currently lusting after this Samsung Series 9 Monitor. Looking sleek and thin (and matching my favorite super thin Samsung TVs) ~ it’s actually pretty comprable to the Apple 27” Studio display (though definitely need to play with it in person in a few days!) Both tout resolution of 2560x1440, contrast ratio of 1000:1, and viewing angles of 178/178. The Samsung however has a 300cd/m^2 whereas the apple has 375, and the Samsung is priced at $1199 while the apple is $999… though the Samsung has 2x 7W speakers built in as well as this interesting feature: “By linking their Android MHL-compatible smartphone, users can enjoy content from their mobile devices directly on the much larger screen and with the benefit of rich, built-in stereo audio. Users can also keep an eye on their smartphone, seamlessly browse to it and even charge the device for added convenience.” See a few more pics on the next page!

Hard to miss on La Cienega last night was Glenn Kaino’s “Bring Me the Hands of Piri Reis” at the Honor Fraser Gallery. From the large exploded boat sculpture filling the main room ~ to a beautiful series of map inspired pieces ~ to fists ~ photography ~ and so much more… it’s quite an extensive solo show! Take a peek at some of the work on the next page.

Amazing what one can do with thread and ribbon… particularly Brian Wills in his show “Unwound” over at Nye+Brown! Discovered his work while wandering the S. La Cienega Art Walk I showed you other random pictures of inspiration from tonight… take a look at some of the work on the next page!

So much art tonight ~ parking was lacking ~ food trucks were out ~ and the mysterious galleries of S. La Cienega had people flowing and drinking between them all evening. While i have tons of pics and quite a few posts to come ~ wanted to share some of the randomer pictures of inspiration and amusement with you before i fell asleep! Take a peek on the next page…

p.s. not certain which pics/galleries some of these were in as we randomly bounced in and out… favorites to come with more info soon!

These “Drips” pieces by Peter Alexander at Nye+Brown were interesting… poured, tinted resin drips!

Peek into Jill Greenberg’s slightly grotesque perhaps NSFW show… “Commentary and Dissent” at Katherine Cone Gallery

Les Merveilleuses De Ladurée is coming according to Fashion Press ~ yes. That Ladurée. The famous french macaron maker is branching out in to cosmetics. These will only be available in Japan, and are in collaboration with Albion Cosmetics ~ the collection will include blushes, foundations, and lip colors inspired by their sweets. Take a peek at the upcoming collection on the next page!

If you need a reminder about their pretty packaging/branding ~ here’s a cute pic from Such Pretty Things

Been spending the start of the year setting up NOTlabs, so apologies for the quiet 2012 so far! Before we rush ahead into what 2012 has to offer ~ here’s a quick look back at 2011 in 100 of the top of NOTCOT.org ~ click the little pics to see the posts!