On reasons print needs to live on ~ some books are worth owning, and i could flip through the gorgeous new Yuki 7 book by Kevin Dart and Elizabeth Ito for ages. I’ve been following them and falling in love with them one after the other for some time now… from the posters we gave away to their first book ~ and i’m even wearing one of their shirts as i head out for a hike now! So yes, i’m a fan… but then again, who wouldn’t want to live in the magical world of Yuki 7 and her Gadget Girls? It’s that perfect mix of retro-tastic illustration that brings you back to happier place full of mystery and espionage… gorgeous locales, and crazy new technology mixed in… not to mention fabulous outfits?

In her latest adventure and short film ~ Yuki 7: Looks That Kill, she and the gadget girls will take you on quite a ride ~ and the film is beautiful! I can’t wait till they take it further than a short film and go for a full length feature ~ she’s like the ultimate animated Bond Girl ~ only she’s Bond and i guess she has her Yuki-7 Boys… So take a sneak peek in to the new book on the next page… and if you’re in LA, check out the launch party July 16th at Q Pop.

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Get your fashion fix with a roundup from the ever stylish NotCouture. With crisp linens, sleek garter belts and turbine necklaces, this roundup has a little something for everyone. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Another british discovery from Justine! One of the pieces which caught my eye at New Designers Part 1 was the work of surface textile designer Francesca Baxter-Hunter. These beautifully detailed wooden panels show delicate, undulating relief that highlights the natural grain of the wood. Baxter-Hunter’s work is inspired by the ocean, using a variety of techniques to echo the coastal landscape which is shaped by the forces of wind and sea. Baxter-Hunter uses a variety of erosive techniques with wood and glass paneling, including dip dyeing, sandblasting, layering and painting in order to create these beautiful pieces. See more of these stunning pieces and close ups on the next page!

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This week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org features embroidered toast, bite-sized mixed media, human hair necklaces and more! To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Adorable HUGE “Make Summer Funner” campaign installations by Target are popping up ~ just spotted these time lapse videos of the making of the giant iconic Little Tikes Turtle Sandbox in Chicago and the Sprinkler in Houston over at AdWeek… such a fun idea, would love to see them in person, check out the vids on the next page!

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Toyota invited me tonight to Hatsune Miku’s Los Angeles concert. (It sold out in 2 hours?) Apparently it’s “her” first time outside of Asia and this j-pop 3D holograph superstar has been rumored to be like the next Gaga… how could i say no to this experience to see if vocaloids could take over?

Well, first impressions. I thought she was bigger. Rumors were floating around that she’d be 20ft tall! She was little asian girl sized it seemed. And she felt like a 3D holo-mime in a big screen/box on stage (particularly when she pounded her fists forwards). And things really looked best when you stared at the giant screens that perfectly captured/optimized her 3D look (aka, you might be better off watching the official vids of concerts online). Though i must say the crowd’s energy was something else ~ while everyone was seated (it felt as if we were watching her amazing band play behind a cartoon) ~ there was non stop high pitched screaming ~ and there weren’t nearly as many young girls as i would have expected in the audience. And everyone seemed to know exactly what to do with the glow sticks ~ waving them in sync with certain wrist actions at just the right moments. So, honestly, the hype had me hoping for more, but my curiosity about the tech and real life experience had me fascinated. Where this is heading is definitely curious ~ but Hatsune Miku definitely doesn’t have enough stage presence to pull me in quite yet… perhaps she should have interacted a bit more with humans during the dance numbers to really mix it all… her band members stayed in their respective spots all night. Take a peek at pics of how it felt to watch it in real life on the next page ~ as well as a vid from one of her other shows!

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Does it get more awesome than pulling two large volumes of old books off the shelf, only to find a bottle of moonshine hidden within? Well, actually it does when Stillhouse Moonshine customize and age the book such that all the details pull you in even further… from the 500 numbered editions, to the cover and first few pages having actual info about the story of Moonshine, nothing is out of place. In fact this beautiful packaging has me tempted to start an ACTUAL library bar… a gorgeous shelf of old books with wondrous libations tucked away in each volume. Of course each book would need to somehow be a hint at what is to be found within. Take a peek inside the two volume packaging of Stillhouse Moonshine on the next page!

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Almost exactly a month ago ~ i shared a peek into my insane days in Pittsburgh with the Toyota Ideas for Good teams ~ a combo of Toyota, Saatchi & Saatchi, Deeplocal, and CMU folks to name a few ~ making the ideas of winners to apply Toyota technologies to other purposes ~ all in the name of GOOD! The ambitious weekend of going from ideation to fully functioning prototypes was one of the most inspiring whirlwind trips i’ve had the pleasure of being pulled into.

So as a recap ~ what have you seen so far? The ROLLERCOASTER Deeplocal made from prius parts! Day 1 chaos! Adventures with the Firetruck! And if you recall ~ throughout the amazing experience, i found myself dancing around the various film crews doing their thing, constantly shuffling to stay out of shots while sneaking a few of my own, till i realized my shots were ultimately documenting their process! So finally, here it is… the awesome recap video to tie that weekend together that Slim Pictures did a great job on. And for a bit more silliness? More sneak peeks at the inspiring weekend… See it all on the next page…

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Another discovery from Justine from Show RCA 2011 is Repository of the Eternal Now by Robert Ware.

Robert Ware’s piece explores techniques where information is translated from digital to physical. The first experiment is constructed from the recycled parts out of old inkjet printers connected up to an arduino board, which creates beautiful drawings from data (far more beautiful than printed spreadsheets!). He has also used RepRap, an open source 3D printer and hardware constructed from components available in any DIY store, Rob has 3D printed St Paul’s cathedral. But the project is about much more. See some of the many aspects of the project and more info on the next page!

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Oh, the art of highlighting! I love this ad campaign ‘Everybody reads the same story differently’ by Y&R Bogotá, Colombia. When i ran across it at Ads of the World tonight, it just made me smile, and then want to take a highlighter to everything. Too cute to see the various perspectives they play with on who highlights what… see them all up close on the next page: The Little Prince, Don Quixote, and Moby Dick!

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It’s Friday and time to start getting ready for the weekend! Where are you heading? This roundup from NotVentures is full of inspiration whether you’re after a beachside idyll, death-defying coaster tour or America’s best hikes. Find out more about each post by clicking on its individual image.

Ever have one of those moments, where you’re dealing with something ~ and you see an image ~ and it perfectly encapsulates all you are feeling? A few weeks ago this was it. Terribly Happy show at Copro Nason. Now available as a print, i couldn’t resist having it on my office wall to remind me of the moments that came and went… There’s something so cathartic about that moment of just needing to let out a scream ~ even amidst those beautiful butterflies that still beautifully flutter about without even noticing, isn’t there? Take a peek at the print details of the “25” x 19” giclee on archival rag paper, hand painted enhanced by artist - signed and numbered edition of 35” ~ this is #20, and you can see the paint dots on the shirt enhanced as well as a butterfly abdomen in a glowing turquoise on her arm… love this one!

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Things are changing so fast here in the NOTempire ~ ideas brewing for big new things, Jackson has been exploring the wondrous culinary inspirations around the globe resulting in some STUNNING Tasteologie Superpost Features, Justine has been playing with the RCA/CSM final shows and playing with animals across the UK and internet… and i took a breather and hid out in Minneapolis for the massive injection of visual/computational aesthetic/kinect hacking/making inspiration at EyeO Festival… Oh, and i can’t even tell you what Dan and Marcia have been secretly working on as well… Anyhow, i’m giddy today. Back in LA and trying to catch up a bit…

So, please forgive me for the quiet nature and slow down in pacing of posting for a moment there ~ so much excitement, so much to take in, and so much to come. But for now… how awesome is the Drink Factory that Jackson checked out? Check out his stunning post on it HERE… so many awesome gadgets truly showing of the science of cocktails…

Sumptuous roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delectable delight, click on its individual image.

Another find from Justine! - More fun from the architecture department at Show RCA 2011! My favorite, most unexpected piece was this gorgeous chair! The chair is a sample of one of the types of products that could be made in the Hackney Factory, beautifully capturing the process of recycling and reuse, i.e. junk being transformed into bespoke products through craft and digital processes. Love it! So pretty… also you have to take a peek at Hackney Factory project, which consists of a close loop of recycling micro-factories and market forum, essentially creating a micro-community model based on urban mining. Stunning stuff ~ check it all out on the next page!

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