On interesting PR emails i received today, this one was pretty funny… i have no idea whether this was a contrived spot, it does seem plausible it could have been an accident, but none the less it has that Blair Witch/Cloverfield panicked “attack of the crabs!” feeling to it… and it’s a fun friday video (embedded on the next page for your viewing pleasure!)… So what do you think? And does it work? Behind the scenes footage of Discovery Channel shows are definitely fascinating… this one of the Crab accident is from the Discovery Channel show, Deadliest Catch.

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After seeing .org #10303, i was smitten by the adorable Creature Comfort Critters, doing there thing in 10 spots on “going green” for the Animal Planet on their microsite, The Animals Save the Planet. And the animation and graphics were so beautiful, i couldn’t resist featuring the wallpapers and calendar here as well! See them all on the next page…

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While i’m totally holding out for that intense mini pro-sumer RED Scarlet, and for now i’m shooting video with my tiny Canon TX1… i am quite intrigued by the little Flip Video cameras, with overly simplified usability i’ve been told… the perfect gateway video camera for the not so computer savvy is what i heard most all through the holiday season… simply flip out the USB, stick it in your computer, and that was that - ready for youtube-ing. I was skeptical.

But today the Flip Video cameras came up again, and i was browsing the accessories, and i must admit i’m terribly intrigued - they have an Underwater Housing coming soon! And they already have an Action Mount! The Action Mount is basically a standard tripod screw in mount with velcro straps that you can attach to bikes, helmets, trees, cars, anything you can strap it on to! Can you imagine how crazy random reviews and spontaneous videos could be with something this tiny when accessorized for any type of weather/mounting? I know this isn’t the only option to accomplish these things, but it did get me thinking about everything from car-videos to underwater product reviews… and for a mere $140 for a 2GB Flip Video Ultra, it’s a pretty tempting idiot-proofed toy.

Anyone tried out the quality of the video and the user experience? Is it worth it? Close ups of the accessories i’m curious about on the next page…

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On more packages to play with upon returning to LA… Here is the Sorapot unboxing that i’ve waited 3 years to do (i first read about it over on Cool Hunting in 2005)! Joey Roth was actually my first NOTCOT reader i ever met, and i’m ecstatic to finally see his masterpiece in my hands (and not on a computer screen!). So amidst all this u-haul unloading, unpacking and playing 3D tetris with boxes… here’s a quick unboxing of this beautiful new teapot. So industrial, yet elegant… and i even have

… I have yet to brew my first sorapot of tea - more to come on that later… But for now - check out the freshly launched official Sorapot site! On the next page see the unboxing of it out in Topanga Canyon… a few sneaks peeks for you of the factory in the making… and a refresher diagram of the making of the Sorapot and how this is a testament to the power of design blogs to help small designers get out there!

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I giggled when i first saw these “Command” posters on Swiss Miss… and then as i read them all a bit more, i couldn’t help but think it would be awesome to have Somebody Save Me From These Fools above my seat in a conference room… as well as the Please Do Not Copy, Create Something New! Ahhhh, they are all so relevant for our day to day work. Also check out the Close Your Eyes and Open Your Mind on the next page. You can order the three set from My Little Underground for $12.

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This is definitely the week of driving. The sites have been insanely quiet today because i have spent over 8 hours cruising down the 101 (the historic El Camino Real - slowly passing many of the california missions) - at no more than 60 mph behind a uhaul towing a car that i spent all day/night packing yesterday… and yesterday between packing (moving the NOTCOT norcal office back to socal - so dan and i are both back in LA for good now), i was also a bit slow yesterday (and sunday and monday) because in between packing i couldn’t stop playing MarioKart for the Wii!!! It’s terribly addictive, and so adorable, and as silly as it feels to be holding a plastic toddler feeling fake steering wheel, i love it.

So MarioKart for Wii as one extreme… on the other end of the gaming/driving spectrum… getting back to my house after midnight (and the xbox still being in a box in the uhaul somewhere) i was thrilled to be greeted by a large amazon box with the GTA IV Special Edition set for XBOX (also available for PS3)… seriously, no one does schwag like Rockstar - beyond innovative gameplay and gorgeous graphics, their packaging and schwag always manage to blow my mind. So although i haven’t played the game yet, the unboxing of the Security Deposit Box, Art Book, Duffle Bag and more is not to be missed… see it all on the next page!

So - MarioKart or GTA? Which will you be driving this week?

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Click the images to find out more! Wow, busy week/weekend across the NOTCOT sites… and the Daring Bakers have struck again, this month they have taken on the adorable “cheesecake pops” and over 25 posts have come up so far… some quite creative even! Inspiring and delicious? See the popular posts across the sites on the next page!

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D!REKTRECYCLING makes the coolest envelopes ever. They have become one of my favorite things about receiving packages from Working Class Heroes - other than the incredible felt/leather sleeves for my gadgetry, of course.

The image above is what happens when i stick my camera inside the envelope… for more context move on to the next page… it’s brilliant because its such a clean professional looking envelope on the outside, yet you can’t help ripping it apart to learn about new places on the inside…

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NOTCOT Note: Interviews! We don’t have many of them on NOTCOT so far, but Anna’s introduction of them certainly has been refreshing to read… check out this great chat she had with Studio Lo! Also, feel free to let us know what you think, and if you’d like to see more of these, or interviews with specific people…

I wrote a post about Studio Lo a few months ago. I was (and remain) struck by Studio Lo’s minimal use of materials, gorgeous packaging, and the way each object is flat-packed and constructed by you, the user. In order to get more insight into their work and process, I decided to ask them a few questions about their work and process, and Eva Guillet and Aruna Ratnayake were kind enough to let me interview them. Check out the interview after the jump.

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For those days when you just really want to get a Glock 9mm with Tactical Light on your flight, MP Industries Berlin has got your back with their line of FELT weaponry. Also in their collection are: an original japanese katana, medieval flail, ak-47, claymore anti personnell mine, special forces FN P90 subpub, SOF sniper rifle, standard police issue revolver, frag grenade, bruce lee nunchaku, special forces colt m4 carbine…. and perhaps more to come… see some of my other favorites on the next page. (Thanks, Joshua)

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I’ve been meaning to post about the incredible work of Nick Dewar all week, these images have been hanging out on my desktop waiting… Above are my two favorites, not that i’m on a death theme or anything, but they were just so beautifully dark!

Who is he? “Born in Scotland, grew up in a small fishing town on the East Coast and attended Art School in Glasgow, lived in Prague, London, New York and on a sheep farm in Cumbria. After living in New York for nearly ten years I have recently moved to Southern California. I no longer have to bathe in my kitchen.” Additionally unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably seen his work in a slew of top magazines, newspapers, book covers, corporate work and more… and it’s easy to see why. He’s incredibly talented and makes you laugh while taking on less than happy subjects. And besides his brilliant portfolio online… i love that he has a “But How?” section of his site, answering Q&As for artists and illustrators, showing off some of the behind the scenes sketches, and more!

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I need to build a house/room around a bathtub one of these days… and i’m madly lusting after this Sorgente Tub, by Teuco. It completely submerges into your floor, and has water flowing to the brim… AND 8 hydrosilence whirlpool jets… *swoon*. It can even be covered with the same material that surrounds it - and of the options, Slate Grey Natural Stone option is just beautiful… but i imagine the oak-wood, teak, and pierre gris would be incredible too. via Trendir…

Take a look at the close ups of the tub, tiling, and other playful collages on the next page!

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Tsunami Hazard Sign - While at the beach running around in Swims, at a crosswalk we noticed this new Tsunami Hazard Zone Sign - and i must admit the graphic design was quite inspiringly adorable. Nothing like instilling fear in the community through simply vector imagery of a man running for his life up a steep cliff from a massive wave and three mini ones chasing him. Great graphic, had to share it… more closeups on the next page.

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I recently told you that i was hunting for rain so that i could do a proper review of the Swims show covers… and previously i showed you the beautiful photographs from their catalog… well yesterday when i went up to Sausalito for a meeting, it was RAINING! Well drizzling, and then got incredibly rainy as i came out of the tunnel… so here is an impromptu photoshoot and walk through of my Swims experience.

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On a continued giddy morning, after a crazy long day running up and down norcal… while i avoided all things Web 2.0, i couldn’t say no to playing with our Federated Media family at their party at the Web 2.0 Expo South Park Crawl… like all crazy parties, the open bar kept flowing, the people came and went, but we and the FMers pretty much stayed till the end, and then began the wander to hunt for food through SOMA… one place after another the kitchens were all closed so we ended up at Mel’s Drive In. And not being famished, but in a silly mood, i couldn’t resist ordering the Apple Pie with Cheese A La Mode… and as you can see from the menu screenshot below, it’s really on there! And although i seldom post on a dare, well, i did promise that i’d document and share this bizarre combination with NOTCOT/TasteSpotters…

Keep reading to see the closeups, etc… and the bizarre fork sculpture the kids next to us were building…

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