The latest dose of natural inspiration from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw.

As soon as we heard about a new exhibition that would bring Body Worlds to animals, I knew we had to see what the fuss was all about. This morning we had our chance to check out Animal Inside Out, the awesome new temporary exhibit at the Waterhouse Gallery of the Natural History Museum in London that gives visitors a look beneath the skin of some of nature’s most spectacular animals. The exhibition is adapted from Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds and jointly presented by Body Worlds and the Natural History Museum. More photos of the exhibit and more details on how plastination works on the next page!

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Trampolining elephants, The Dark Knight rises in LEGO and how Aeron chairs are built every 17 seconds are all part of this week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

I’ve been mesmerized by the pics of these new Nike Free Running Shoes since i saw them on Acquire… there’s something so… naturally inspired about them… and/or the way they are photographed… also glowing… i think they remind me of nudibranchs when they swim, it’s that shape and the colorful nature of them. (Can you imagine Nike Frees actually inspired them?) Anyhow ~ back to the DESIGN! I’ve been loving my grey/red Nike Free, so light, comfy, and packable (it’s fun watching shoe design evolve as everyone goes superlight lately!)… and the details of this latest edition of the Nike Free designs keep those, and take it even further. Take a look at the pictures on the next page as well as videos with their designer, Mike Miner, discussing the creative inspirations and process behind the latest!

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On amazing packages that just take your breath away, Natalya Zahn’s book, Tropical Forest, just arrived in this stunningly illustrated mailer! How beautiful is that Takin? Natalya Zahn is a natural illustrator based out of Cambridge, MA and a selection of her work and other nature related discoveries are on her blog, i (heart) odd-toed ungulates… the book, Tropical Forest, contains text and illustration from her blog between 2010 and 2011. They look stunning printed in this Blurb book! Take a peek inside on the next page!

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Random sunday spontaneous drive landed me heading south to the new(ish) OC Mart Mix, a fashion/interior/foodie variation of the nearby Lab and Camp. There’s a nice write up on it over at the LA Times blog. Although some of the tenants have been around for over a year, others are quite new, and as you wander through the mixed use space both indoors and out there are lots of empties as well as people painting and prepping the next boutique to move in! Beautifully done, and lots to see (but far more to come) it sounds like friday and saturday are the best days (as most are closed on mondays, and quite a few closed on sundays) ~ it’s like a mini oasis amidst a sprawling ring of larger interior design showrooms encircling a large parking lot with the Mix hidden in the center (and all right up against the 405!) Fun find of the day ~ Savory Spice Shop. Based in Denver, they have franchises starting to pop up across the country, and the amount of spices, exotic seeds and chocolate powders, shelf full of salt, endless rub and marinades were mind boggling… and the gift set displays and packaging were so fun i couldn’t resist! Take a peek on the next page ~ (and excuse the cell phone pics from this random little excursion!)

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So. FUN. I can barely stop looking up random places on the map. Everything from giant Androids to t-rex skeletons and flamingos to eames houses and more… For a super amusing April Fool’s come early, Google Maps has gone 8-bit QUEST View! Complete with silly video introduction about how to play it on your NES with cartridge (which may need blowing to fix problems) and all. The little guy is my favorite ~ too cute in all of his various angles. Take a peek at screenshots, fun finds, and the video on the next page!

p.s. I feel like the only thing missing is a soundtrack playing while you go on your quest!

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Mystical Antelope Canyon, stunning Chilean national parks and Roman ruins in Morocco are all part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.

The latest dose of natural inspiration from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw.

The diversity of wildlife is astounding and nowhere more is that more evident than amongst the insects, a class that account for about 80% of the world’s animal species. As a ‘creepy crawly’ loving kid and amateur entomologist, I’ve been lucky enough to encounter a pretty wide range of insects, nonetheless I was blown away by the array of insect life we encountered during our trip to the Amazon rainforest. Despite the fact that the trip was not an explicit entomological expedition, far from it, we found our boat home to hundreds of incredible insects that were attracted during the night to our rather conspicuously bright white boat, the Captain Logan, as we traveled along the Rio Negro!

The Amazon is thought to be home to a staggering 20 million insect species, which just goes to show how tiny and insignificant a fraction of the region’s biodiversity these photos represent, but nonetheless capture the impressive variations in shapes, colors and textures evolved to fit a variety of lifestyles and offer a glimpse into the rainforest. I was paricularly amazed by the variety of moths who ranged from ultrasleek to heavily furred, from streamlined stealth bombers to complex origami masterpieces. More photos of these incredible insects on the next page.

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Elderflower Gimlets, Easter egg cupcakes and noisy jelly all feature in this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

I found myself in the LA Convention Center at WESTEC - the ultimate manufacturing show from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers… wandering the amazing tools, waterjets, 3D printers, CNCs, microCNCs, robot arms, welding devices… and SO much more. With mobile phone in hand, i walked away with even MORE pictures than you’ll see on the next page of warning graphics labels than i imagined. They are AWESOME. You can see about 30 of my favorites on the next page… it’s amazing how many ways these machines can hurt you… and the way they are depicted! See the graphical goodness on the next page!

P.S. As we start ordering more machinery for NOTlabs… we may need to start exploring our own warning graphics!

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Orphaned owlets, flying babies and erotic geometry are all part of this week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Newest experiment, we’re playing with the new Square One from Pear Sports. It’s been interesting to play with and track the increase of technology to track, motivate, and train us through workouts from systems like Nike+ and Adidas MiCoach, to the FitBits and UPs ~ should be interesting to see how things shift more in this space! Pear Sports puts a coach in your ear as you run with their Training Intelligence. And it’s all about listening… their coaches listen to your heart rate and speed/pacing/etc through the heart and foot monitors… and provide SMART biofeedback and motivation to train you to meet your goals.

Simply put: Plug in your music, start running, and they provide a super-smart coach to whisper (or shout) motivations in your ear! It can be everything from your couch-to-5k coach or your marathon coach depending on what goals you set. You do an initial 20 minute Heart Rate Zone Assessment, which helps the system set up your fitness zones to customize the workouts to your level. Take a peek on the next page at what’s in the box, and the web UI…

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OVM Love is the stunning new store and jewelry line from artist, James Jean. As his introduction explains, “Unexpectedly, I also started developing a line of fine jewelry, scarves, and objects with support from my friends in Japan. I traveled to Tokyo 5 times in the past year, before and after the tsunami, to shepherd OVM into existence. As I explored this new medium, motifs in my work found new expression in precious metals and materials. Drawing inspiration from forms in nature, OVM is a place of luminous fantasy and dark decay. Four major series of fine jewelry will be released this next year, along with textiles and design objects.” The pieces, the photography, and the packaging is beautiful! I can’t seem to resist the liquid motion he captures in sterling silver (both light and black rhodium) sometimes with a dash of diamonds. Each piece is handcrafted in japan. Even the cases they come in are a work of art ~ with what looks like milled wood beautifully “dripping” in the lids… take a look at the pictures on the next page!

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Happy Friday! Get inspired for your next adventures with NotVentures. To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.

Logitech Cube. I couldn’t resist… when these two adorable black and white little cubes came, a smile just spread across my face. They are so cute! And the unboxing was fun, as things got exposed layer by layer. Adorable packaging and product design… it’s all about the details. As for the eraser sized little presentation mouse device itself, i am not sure if i have much use for it regularly… but it feels great in my hand and i can’t stop playing with it… plug the usb in, turn it on, and sliding it around on the desk its a mouse with scroll… picking it up you can start a presentation and flip/click/etc to change slides. Though the little case for it strangely reminds me of a finger brace… anyhow! Adorable black and white cubes, fun packaging details and more on the next page!

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