Mumm suddenly has me antsy to go on an expedition… Mumm Expedition Kit: “An echo of the leather knapsacks used by 19th century explorers in Africa, the kit consists of a stylishly simple bag in brown leather. The bag’s lower half forms an insulated compartment to keep your bottle of G.H. Mumm champagne cool for up to 12 hours. You’ll also find a small, brown leather tray and two unbreakable flutes in the bag, ensuring refreshment is always at hand, whatever the location. The kit includes other explorer essentials, such as a compass and a map of the Reims area printed on silk.” Mmmm, champagne, a compass, and a silk map encased in leather… quite the expedition, no?
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Gift Guide Day 22! our sponsor is Balmuda ~ we showed you their X-Base laptop stand a while back, and since then they have launched their new Highrise desk lamp that is worth taking a look at for those on your gift list that live at their monitor(s)… an ultra bright led lamp, with this interesting details i have yet to try myself - “The color emitted by Highwire matches the color of a computer display therefore, the display is not distorted. The light coming from Highwire does not include infrared rays and so emits less heat.” Also check out some of their sweet cable organizing pieces available in japan in the guide… and as with all of them, click the products to find out more!
Click the images to find out more! Since i am a total slacker and i decided to take the day off and drive down to LA from SF… then have more fun prepping some packages and gift cards for mailing (SO fun!) instead of scouring the internet for some posting, or actually downloading and cleaning up some photos off the dslr… in order to avoid the back to back gift guide posts, here’s a massive roundup of buy-ables from .org! First thing i will definitely need to do once tagging and better categorizing and all that classification related stuff gets sorted out - a tag for things we can buy… instant personal catalog to make gift guiding and shopping (for both me and you!) much easier.
*NOTCOT in
tech - 11.28.07 -
Gift Guide Day 23 is more Mimobots than i’ve ever tried putting on one page, and it was far too fun to make this sponsored day! (Especially with the new second series of Star Wars Mimobots that just launched yesterday!)… Anyhow take a look at the new guide… my Ramona still hangs out below my monitor, and honestly these little guys are one of my fun stocking stuffer backup gifts - not just toys - not just usb keys - but filled with digital goodies that correspond to your character of choice.
NOTCOT Note: Here’s another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!
I have long admired Eric Feng’s (aka Feric) illustrations. His work is gorgeous - a mixture of real and imagined and of natural and mechanical. I love the fantastical, mechanical anatomies of his characters, and how you are given a peek at what is beneath through transparent layering.
Limited edition giclée prints of Feric’s work are available at his online store. They are fairly pricey for a digital print, but I could almost be tempted because I love some of his pieces so much (“Roda. Continue” - I’m talking about you!). Worth checking out at the very least!
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Here’s an embarrassing thing to admit: yes, i am obsessed with great product/user experience design, but for some reason i never got totally obsessive when it came to architecture… but i LOVE going to architectural exhibitions to see what little people, trees, and cars they used, and taking super close up images of their worlds. Well, continuing that 2D Ring trend, these metal silhouettes for architectural projects are just genius. I spotted these over at Modellfiguren are by Haseform. And at a mere 5 euro for a sheet, who can say no? You can buy them at modular.
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“subzero came from a look at the psychology of populations. and well, myself….seemingly conscious, educated and caring, but completely paralyzed by the understanding of a lawless administration, various nations at war, a planet reaching boiling point, and it all seems out of control. Subzero does nothing; Less Than Nothing. He is depressed from his incapacity to affect anything. In the end it’s a call to arms really but for now he remains motionless, frustrated, mad, and simply bummed out.”
This limited edition of 10 porcelain slip cast characters is from NOTCOT fav, Michael Salter (remember his incredible recycled packing styrofoam robot guys?). These will be shown at his first solo exhibition in NYC starting January 10th at the Jeff Bailey Gallery in Chelsea… and if you make it over there you’ll also get to see one of his 12 ft (yes, you read that right) Styrobots… as well as drawings, animations, and kinetic sculptures! Anyhow, i’m kind of loving the packaging and his description of the subzero’s, and how they are exactly what i wake up every morning and try to be a little better than… poor poor subzero. Also, how awesome is that shark patterned one? (extra close up pic below!)
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NOTCOT Note: Here is our second post from our new contributor Dara Lang (who i just told you a little bit about in the last post)!
Conroy and Wilcox, two designers from New York have designed this stylish Thorn cuff bracelet. Coinciding with the up and coming trend, glam rock, Conroy and Wilcox have successfully achieved the marriage of two very contradicting styles. Its versatile design can appeal to both men and women and if you look closely, each thorn is slightly slanted, creating a subtle wave in the pattern. This beautiful thorn cuff bracelet not only screams out Rock and Roll, it echoes a touch of allure! Available in 18k yellow (see below) and in white gold (see above).
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NOTCOT Note: Here is the first post from guest contributor Dara Lang who is currently exploring London while studying fashion promotion! A fellow globetrotter, she has lived in Brussels and Paris, is half egyptian and half english, and is just as crazy as we are when it comes to finding new things… i love that she will take a bus and get off on every stop to find the coolest unknown spots in London. Anyhow, more on her later…
Behold London’s newest concept store, Wonder Room which has just opened in Selfridges department store in the heart of Oxford Street. Spontaneous, unique and entertaining this 19,000 square foot space is dedicated to luxury items. From designer AreaWare ashtrays, Bedside Gun Lamp by Philippe Starck and18 carat gold Ipods, The Wonder Room brings together exquisite products! From fine jewelery brands such as Tiffany & Co, finely crafted watches by Breitling, high fashion brands sunglasses and handbags including Chanel and Bvlgari, the rooms has a beautiful mix of high end items. Everything in this room has value, whether it being a quirky toy or an unusual book on flowers, its wide selection of products is perfect for precious gifts. And for those of you who can’t make it over yet, see more pics below! Also take a look at the podcasts section where Wanda of the Wonder Room hunts for dragons, magic beans, cats that turn into unicorns… and other Wonder Room requests of that nature.
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Latest gadget to make it across my desk (and on my many road trips this last week) ~ the Happy Ear Flamingo. Ok get over the name, and moving along… while i’ve tried my share of bluetooth ear pieces, i was intrigued by this one because they decided to try something new with the way it actually stays in place… instead of inserting something directly into your ear canal, this one has two nubs that hook into the space above and below (look at the diagrams below to make more sense of it), and testing it on road trips from la-sd-sf its been working great. On silly features that won me over, the charging base is magnetic, so it just snaps right into where it needs to be to charge. Also sound quality has been great, and it really doesn’t get tangled in your hair, etc ~ it was quite comfortable having that straight part hang straight against my face, i guess making it look like a flamingo with one leg up next to my head? Anyhow, the blister packaging didn’t do much for me, but the comfort, stability, and sound quality of the headset impressed me.
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*NOTCOT in
tech - 11.27.07 -
Woohoo! We’re at Gift Guide Day 24 (gotta motivate myself, 31 feels like a lot of days) - and today i’m excited to share my picks from our sponsor Audiocubes, who you’ve seen a bit in our tags the last few months ~ they’ve been very kind in supporting what we do! And they are our go to store for audio goods and crazy japanese gadgetry (in fact we were shopping there before they even approached us!). And just to get you started on all the goodies in today’s gift guide, for anyone who hasn’t seen how this freaky Facebank works… check out the video below!
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Ok, i’m not sure how today became cartoon/illustration day at NOTCOT, but i’m not going to fight it… the ninjatowners, star wars mimos, and now these 2010 olympics mascots are far too good not to post! But back to the subject at hand, i just saw these on .org and click over to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics site and watched the video… and can’t stop smiling. So meet Miga, the strangely small orca that pulled a little mermaid and traded tail for legs… Quatchi, the giant shy sasquatch… and Sumi, the guardian spirit with the adorable sidekick. And if the illustration style seems a bit familiar, it is because illustration duo Meomi is behind them, who was also behind children’s book The Octonauts. Anyhow, more images below, and a collage of screenshots from the intro vid!
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*NOTCOT in
playful - 11.26.07 -
Luke has a helmet! With a normal head under… and Leia’s buns! Ok that was my first impression between fits of giggles as i opened the 
