*notcot - 11.15.08 , 17:33 -

Mimobots VDC Series

newmimosMAIN.jpg The new VDC Mimobot series is too cute. So cute and incredibly detailed, it’s creating quite a dilemma for me… while i have a few in my purse, on my desk, etc ~ there’s usually been a standout one that love and need to have, this time there are a few! Argh! Hehe…

Ok anyhow, i’m a little delirious from massive gift guide planning, inhaling the smokey smell from fires all over socal (our wishes go out to everyone who is dealing with the fires first hand - be safe!), and shopping like crazy online right now… I’ve been meaning to post these, and only after getting far too distracted by them a few times, here we go! As the press release says, “Boston-based design studio Mimoco releases Vimobot Design Contest MIMOBOT Series, the company’s first community-designed collection of MIMOBOT designer USB flash drives, preloaded with all-new mimoZine Digital Magazine Issue 4.” And the new goodies are so tempting, i love the new wallpapers and icons! You have to check out the close up images of the new designs on the next page ~ details like the mushrooms, hidden spiders and skulls in the tiki, squid in the tattoos, cherry blossoms down the backs, so much to see in these little guys! I’m currently tortured picking between the Mimoshroom by Bananafromcanada, Golden Panda by Shandurrah, and Yakuza by Eetteekers… check out the MANY pics on the next page!

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*notcot - 11.14.08 , 12:02 -

Seagate FreeAgent - Gorgeous!

seagatemain.jpg From those pics my first thought would be some new modern ambient lighting… not the latest line of external hard drives. Always being on the go, and totally paranoid about losing photos/design files, i never travel without external hard drives… and i have some bigger boring ones from back in the day, and some sleeker new ones, but often the pretty ones worked terribly, the ugly simple ones were more reliable… and i’m so excited to see that brands like Seagate have really stepped up their design, realizing that its not even about accessorizing, so much as having more elegant solutions in the ext HD space. Especially with the prices dropping so much these days, aren’t external HDs like the new mix CD? Why bother with burning DVDs or filling tiny USB keys, when you can give someone a gift worthy ext HD filled with a lifetime of pictures and videos?

Anyhow, i’m ranting again - as you can tell, i’m pretty excited about the new era of external HD design… and i’m even MORE giddy to announce that Seagate has stepped up and sponsored this years NOTCOT Gift Guide 2008 (remember 2007’s?)! Which will be officially kicking off Monday! (Yes, yes, that’s why things have been a little quiet ~ my amazing winter intern, Alyssa, has been organizing some incredible discounts and giveaways for all of you ~ and i’m still madly scouring the net for fun products!) So you’ve been warned, gift guide madness starts Monday! (And while i’m trying not to do 31 days straight this year, it may get even crazier than last year!)

But for now… in our quiet before the gifting storm… How gorgeous are these new Seagate FreeAgent drives? So take a look at the details and unboxing on the next page ~ i had a lot of fun with this one!

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*notcot - , 02:37 -

007: Quantum of Solace

bollinger1.jpgJust got back from the midnight showing of Quantum of Solace… and as a total bond junkie… i still stand by my opinion that the last one was one of the worst… and this one… well, it was off to a good start! Decent intro graphics ~ like the color palette and sandy look ~ awesome techy glass wall and table touch UIs (details like having him spell out “G R Double E N” over the phone, and as he says “double” a W shows up and changes to EE) ~ the aston martin DBS chase scene in the intro ~ tom ford did an incredible job dressing him… The prada dress she wears through the desert is awesome… but seriously, no gadgets? at all? Painfully annoying semi background integrated text telling us when we were in russia, etc? (wtf was up with some of those fonts?) Range Rover was one thing, but Ford? The fight scenes were so badly chopped up, you couldn’t follow what was going on… And could sony’s product placement have been more blatant? I think the sony phones and terrible microPC must have been his only “gadgets”… and the villains weren’t nearly amusingly villainous enough either! Ok ok, anyhow, i think i just needed to vent! BUT… seeing it was a nice excuse for me to post more of Justine’s pictures (she seriously sent me TONS from her National Geographic night out in London).

Here are some quick snap shots of the fun Harrod’s Brompton store windows as they closed up the Bollinger champagne bar… as well as the Aston Martin DBS, the Sunseeker speedboat, Tom Ford suit and black Prada dress worn by Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko and the latest Omega. Front and center of the bar you can also see the limited-edition Champagne cooler in the shape of a Walther PPK bullet that was featured on Liqurious. Perhaps better than the gadgetry in the film is the motion activated display at Harrods, where upon walking by you trigger clips from the film to play… Anyhow, check out more pics and info on the next page!

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*notcot - , 02:00 -

Aston Martin One-77 part 2

car1.jpg Today’s the last chance to send me your info if you’re interested in visiting the Aston Martin Gaydon Factory for NOTCOT!

And i just got another semi-exclusive (well, they said 5 sites get access?) video about the design and history behind this handmade, gorgeous Aston Martin One-77… see the video and more stills on the next page!

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*notcot - 11.13.08 , 20:48 -

The Genographic Project

natgeogift0.jpgNow, back to the gift that Justine received at the National Geographic first ever retail store opening… Firstly, from a design perspective, i love that NatGeo takes their yellow so seriously, from the magazine, to the bags, to the wrapping paper… and i’m impressed that they pleated their wrapping paper! (See the pic on the next page!)…

As for what’s inside, it might be one of the coolest gifts you could give someone this holiday season! The Genographic Project Public Participation Kit!

Quick description of The Genographic Project: “The Genographic Project is a global research partnership of National Geographic and IBM. With support for field research from the Waitt Family Foundation, Dr. Spencer Wells and a group of the world’s leading scientists will attempt to collect and analyze more than 100,000 DNA samples from indigenous people all over the world. The goal of The Genographic Project is to learn about the migratory paths our ancestors took and how humankind populated the planet.”

In this very CSI looking kit, you get a DVD about the project, a map of the migratory history of man, buccal swab kit, and a confidential ID# to access your results! See more pics of the kit on the next page, and i guess we’ll see if Justine chooses to share her results with us!

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*notcot - 11.07.08 , 12:51 -

Aston Martin One-77

aston0.jpgAston Martin has just launched its One-77 ~ only 77 in the production run… they are saying over 100 buyers had already signed up and put down a £200,000 deposit without even SEEING this £1.2m beauty… Everyone was teased with the appropriately referenced upskirt shots coming out of the Paris Auto Show, where they only revealed a portion of the car under a cover! Where are they ending up? Only six in the U.S. to be exact, with just five destined to stay in the UK out of the total production run of 77 (says autoblog). You must admit its mesmerizingly beautiful, the curves are absolutely stunning…

One-77 fuses advanced technology with stunning Aston Martin design to create possibly the world’s most desirable automotive art form. Based on a sophisticated carbon fibre chassis with a handcrafted aluminium body, this 7.3 litre V12 super car will deliver exhilarating performance for a strictly limited number of discerning customers.” Take a look at more sneak peeks of this luscious new design on the next page, and check out the video of what it’s all about.

So here’s where it gets really interesting ~ especially for our UK readers (or anyone who can be in the UK first week of Dec) ~ Aston Martin invited me to come out and tour their factory and see the car itself ~ unfortunately the timing is terrible and far too last minute as much as i’m dying to get out there! So, i thought i’d invite a reader to help cover it for me! SO, WHO WANTS TO VISIT ASTON MARTIN’S GAYDON FACTORY? Think you’re a perfect fit? Know a car lover with mad photography skills? More details on the next page after the pics and videos of this beautiful work of art. (I could stare at these for ages, i’m already jealous of whoever gets to go!)

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*notcot - 10.29.08 , 12:35 -

New Goodes from Hard Graft

hg.jpgAhhhh, i couldn’t resist. Our friends at Hard Graft (previously known as Working Class Heroes) have done it again, this time launching new products themed around my favorite design feature… the brown leather pockets! Above are my two favorites i’m curious to get my hands on… the Key Too (keeps your car key and your scratchier keys separated) and the and the Pocket Wallet (literally a pocket! with a space for your cards and your cash!)… additionally there is a new laptop sleeve (ready with sizes for all our new macbooks too!) and a mouse pad/pouch ~ to appreciate all the details, see the pics on the next page!

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*notcot - 10.22.08 , 11:15 -

Googlephone: Unboxing the T-Mobile G1

g00.jpgAndroid logo is so freaking cute! Ok that’s my first half awake impression coming back from the T-Mobile store with the HTC G1 ~ And physically, its a really nice piece of hardware, clean sleek and understated (unlike *some* phones) ~ full pics on the next page of everything from the store displays and my #42 card to a proper unboxing, showing you all the bits.

Being a commitment-phobe, i opted to start my own t-mobile family plan of one ~ family of blackberry curve and G1. Screen looks a bit prettier than the iphone, the bounce up screen action feels great, and i’m totally smitten by the way its nice matte finish feels in myhands… also that slight curvature… ahh the details. Ok so beyond the unboxing and close looks at the hardware, i’m only just starting to poke at all the UI details, maps/email/phone/camera/etc, so far it looks great, only a few random bugs encountered when playing with things like street view, but will see how it goes - so more to come on that, but i just wanted to get some pics up before i ran out to a meeting! For the super thorough UI breakdown, check out Boy Genus Report ~ and see my pics on the next page!

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*notcot - 10.16.08 , 01:03 -

FM CM Summit + Macbook Pro!

mac1.jpgHi. So. I don’t even know where to start right now, in a nutshell ~ who was i kidding (maybe pretty much myself) that i would be able to work during an the all day FM Conversational Marketing Summit that our Federated Media family is putting on? I think i’ve been running around since early this morning - all day through the summit, getting to know the advertising/marketing world, meeting the people behind the campaigns we love and admire, then drinks… then dinner… then… well finally home to linhchi’s at like 12:30? Only to supposedly be up and do it again tomorrow? And be on a panel at 2?

Well you know me. I’m about to pass out (and sorry this post is a bit ramblier than usual, SO tired) ~ but i had to find SOMETHING to post and share with you! It just feels too wrong to be running around chatting with people who love our sites, and not post to do so! So, for anyone at the summit, yes, that was me… in the grass outside the cocktail reception, in that perfect sunset lighting, sprawled across the grass in a little black dress shooting pictures of our new macbook pro and macbook that dan and i might have ducked out of an afternoon session to run over to the marina to pick up. And while i am embarrassed to say that i have not actually booted either machine yet, and may not get to do the inaugural booting/transferring/notcot loading until AFTER tomorrow (how wrong is that?)… i did take a bunch of pics of the packaging and details in the grass in the presidio before getting back to “work” ~ meeting some incredibly insightful agency creatives, marketers, sales people that i’ve probably swapped far too much email with. So, take a peek at the pics on the next page, and more to come after i try to survive tomorrow…

For those at the CM Summit, come say hi at the 2pm panel i’m on? I’m so nervous! And for those not here ~ one of my biggest goals here as a publisher, is to get to know some of the people behind the ads and campaigns, and ultimately see what it will take to turn advertising on NOTCOT into as much fun as the content (really, we all know there’s no excuse for ugly, useless creative) ~ and how we can convince advertisers to support what the readers want to see more of! (On one thing i can leak… sounds like a really exciting competition with Adobe for CS4 is in the works, so get those creative juices flowing! And it just shipped today! I totally spaced on getting a copy while i was at the apple store…) As readers, any and all ideas you have on what you’d love to see more of ~ please leave a comment and i’ll do what i can to make it happen.

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*notcot - 10.07.08 , 17:52 -

Incase Messenger Bag

incasemain.jpg Incase Nylon Messenger Bag may be THE perfect messenger bag, their designers have figured out every tiny detail! I’ve gone through so many messenger bags (from Chrome, Timbuk2, Ordning & Reda, Tumi, a leather old J.Crew, Jack Spade, and more…) ~ but i’m totally impressed with how sleek, lightweight, and detailed this new Incase Nylon Messenger Bag is. As a 5’4” girl, it actually holds my 15” mcp and a lot of other stuff without making me look like a turtle (which is the case with my huge chrome one!) ~ the shoulder strap is sooo nicely cushioned, and brilliant detail to have the padded handle on the bag double as a key ring (good spare key stash?) ~ lots of pockets of varying depths and openings all around ~ and the biggest mystery to me when i first read about this… “plush faux fur” ~ turns out its a velvety soft lush black material to keep your iphone and laptop from being scratched! Nice that the stabilizer strap is completely detachable as well, and its a nice touch to have the large velcro pocket on the front, and that the clips on the main flap are sewn flat (not sure why that matters, but just a detail i really liked - aesthetically sleeker?). Anyhow, enough rambling from me, i took a bunch of pictures of the details for you to get a feel for it yourself on the next page!

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*notcot - 10.02.08 , 21:28 -

2009 Ferarri California

ferraricali.jpgStunning 2009 Ferarri California. Actually rather impressed with their site, and the videos and content provided ~ the “HEAR” section is my favorite so far. Few official pics on the next page, also check out the gallery at AutoBlog - they just saw it in Paris!

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*notcot - 09.29.08 , 14:47 -

HBO x Mimoco x Cornerstone

lbm1.jpgOn fun packages to kick off the week ~ i love that HBO and Cornerstone Promotion have teamed up with Mimoco to promote their new new shows. As we saw on .org, The Official Vanache Blog received a Life and Times of Tim Mimobot earlier ~ and i just received “Vicky Pollard” from the freshly launched Little Britain USA (the american version of the extremely successful BBC comedy) that just started last night. This little USB is filled with videos introducing a few of the characters!

On noteworthy things from a creative/marketing perspective, i love that Mimobots have managed to really up the standards in giveaway USB drives filled with content, and that companies like HBO and Cornerstone are thinking outside of the box, designing collectible limited edition characters. In the case of the Little Britain USA characters, only 4000 of each were made. See more images on the next page!

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*notcot - 09.22.08 , 23:07 -

Twitterview with S.A.R.A.H. of Eureka

sarahmain.jpgI interviewed a fictitious house! Ok, well that’s the one liner i’ve used for people who either don’t know Twitter, Sci-Fi’s Eureka, or both. For those who know ~ I twitterviewed a self actuated residential automated habitat! (aka S.A.R.A.H.)… and perhaps the most unexpected and exciting part of the whole experience was getting a sneak peek at the creative background for this television wonderhouse ~ while twitterviewing, S.A.R.A.H. shared some blueprints, set photos, and early sketches of what the house was planned to look like. Definitely some fun creative food for thought…

So first, here’s a little background ~ Eureka has been one of my tv indulgences for some time now… there’s something so playful and creatively inspiring about how they’ve managed to mix some very smart, sciencey ideas with some very pretty, glossy, innovative gadgetry in their magically hidden town of geniuses (you can watch full episodes on the Eureka site now if you want to see what i mean). Much of what shows up, often reminds me of crazy designer concepts and prototypes we dream up and read about constantly… So when i found out they decided to go all web 2.0 and have both a twitter (written by the house AI) and a tumblr (Eureka Unscripted - the behind the scenes blog), i couldn’t resist reaching out to see if they were willing to take it one step further and let me interview the AI over twitter! Afterall, we seldom do interviews here, and definitely focus more on design than people, so how perfect is it to interview the design versus the designer? So as you can see, the idea quickly blossomed, and last night turned into a fun hour long ramble between us over twitter, which even exposed some visually inspiring behind the scenes sneak peeks (including one of my messy desk)!

See the full transcript as well as some of the reactionary tweets on the next page ~ and if you need some catching up first - jump to the background of S.A.R.A.H. and a quick visual overview!

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*notcot - 09.21.08 , 18:27 -

Dissecting Esquire’s E-Ink Cover

eink1.jpgI’m sure by now you’ve heard about Esquire’s 75th Anniversary Cover ~ limited edition of 100,000 ~ with real E-Ink embedded in the cover. Over at Esquire, they’ve even opened up the discussion about whether you can hack it… and even show you where it all came from… So as a random Sunday amusement, couldn’t help picking it up from the newsstand, and as much as i resisted, i lasted a few minutes before i HAD to rip it apart and poke at the digital guts. So on the next page you can see video of it before and after, pictures of how it works, and scans as well!

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*notcot - 09.05.08 , 20:10 -

Muji Arm Massager

mujimass.jpgMuji’s Arm Massager - on totally random Parisian discoveries, ran around with Ami and Seth of Cool Hunting in Le Marais, and when hiding from the rain in Muji, found this silly arm massager that actually feels awesome, and looks… well it looks bizarre enough i had to pick it up when i saw it. And upon playing with it, couldn’t help but wonder if it would help all of us keyboard addicts to avoid some carpal tunnel issues or relieve some stress pains which may occur… fun idea for random stocking stuffers… More pics on the next page!

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