*NOTCOT in travel -

Veuve Clicquot Harvest 2009

vcharvestmain.jpg Veuve Clicquot was generous enough to bring me to Reims again this year to join their intimate harvest festivities (read: honored they let me come do a day of manual labor with their friends/family). I kid you not. I spent half a day in the beautiful hot champagne region sun from the break of dawn fighting jetlag clipping grapes and working my way through the rows while chatting with friends old and new. So there you have it, my excuse for why posts slowed down and got so quiet. Also minimal wifi. But really, it turns out that the best way to slow me down is tire me out! Because i certainly had no problem running around, drinking late, and still posting before bed on the last trip…

So on the next page you can take a look at my experience from sunrise to learning how to pick grapes, to wine breaks (at 9am!), to crating the grapes away, to seeing them pressed… all the missing steps from last year… it’s fascinating really to see what happens between the fresh grapes and the bottling to spend time in les crayeres. And we were back at the Verzy country estate which has some of the finest grapes behind it ~ the grapes we picked will be in the 2019 Veuve Clicquot La Grand Dame if we’re lucky, so far they are saying it is a phenomenal harvest! And if nothing else, they’ve at lease guaranteed that i will have to purchase a bottle (or case!) just to see where my grapes went! So see the process first hand on the next page!

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*NOTCOT in travel - 09.22.09 -

Hazlitt’s London - Teresa Cornelys

cornelys0main.jpg I’m sitting at that desk, in that chair, as i write to you… I don’t even know where to begin, as you know, i’ve been a bit quiet the last few days as i was whisked off from LA to Paris and driven to Reims as soon as i touched down to go meet up with Veuve Clicquot for the start of the harvest. Which means, packed to the gills schedules, lots of champagne, a day of manual labor picking grapes, incredible experiences with friends new and old, and so many photographs to share with you! So with hundreds of photos awaiting, running on minimal sleep and having just hopped a train over to London from Paris ~ i find myself trying to catch up in the stunning Hazlitt’s in Soho. I’m going to walk you through things a bit haphazardly, but know there are MANY posts in progress to come! So first take a look at where i’ve landed to spend the day writing/photoshopping/processing my thoughts to share with you!

Huge thanks to Mr and Mrs Smith, they’ve helped me find a few hotels i may not have found on my own, and as my first stop, i’m blown away. Hazlitt’s in Soho. There is something incredible about being surrounded by walls of old books and paintings, georgian period furniture… and nice speedy wifi, bluray players and flat panels hidden behind mirrors… coupled with a huge bath tub and a thrown like wooden toilet… and motorized shades and skylights… its fascinatingly comforting to step in from the midst of Soho and into another time period, but equipped with all the tech-infused modern amenities i couldn’t survive without. Firstly, i’m just going to show you what you’ll find inside my room (honestly, i’m so tired and have so much to do, i’m hiding out for a little while, so i’ll go shoot and share some of the other amazing shared spaces later!) ~ but for a quick background… “Hazlitt’s was created in 1986 from three unspoiled 18th century townhouses, built in 1718… the hotel takes its name from William Hazlitt, perhaps the greatest of all English essayists and critics…” He both lived and died here in the 1800s when it was a boarding house, and all of the bedrooms here are named after people who lived in or has some connection with these buildings… my room is named after Mrs. Teresa Cornelys ~ a viennese opera singer and lover of Casanova, with whom she even has a child! So while i get back to catching up, take a peek at the stunning suite ~ and i’m just so inspired and excited by all of the walls of books and clawfooted fixtures around the property!

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*NOTCOT in wearable - 09.20.09 -

Bittersweets NY Giveaway

bittersweetsgiveaway.jpg UPDATE: Winner had been notified via email! Waiting to hear back now…

Ok, kids. So here’s the deal. I’m in Reims for the weekend with Veuve Clicquot for their harvest (SO excited)… but that also means they have me on a crazy schedule, and the wifi is less than optimal, and luckily Robin and Caroline over at Bittersweets are far too generous and life savers on the timing, so while i go possibly a little extra quiet this weekend/monday/etc… lets do a giveaway of one of my favorite necklaces from the last few years. I love iconic little symbols that remind me of phases/eras of my life ~ and the Silver Cocktail Sword from Bittersweets to me represents everything from the first year of NOTCOT to the launch of Liqurious to just a love of swords (in plastic form! turned silver!) and more… as you can see, some of my other favorites i wore on the flight over (i literally snapped this pic in the bathroom before hopping in the car to get to the airport!), i also have my Alex & Chloe Chill Pill (reminding me not to ever work myself quite as hard as that season again) and Bittersweets Rocketship (just like those i used to doodle in AP Physics as a 15 year old!). But i digress - To win a Bittersweets NY Silver Cocktail Sword Necklace - leave a comment with your favorite symbol/icon/etc and what it means to you ~ and i’ll pick a winner when i reach London on Tues! More pics of it on the next page…

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*NOTCOT in tech - 09.18.09 -

Rickenbacker Guitar Factory Tour - Part 3/3

rickmain2.jpg First you saw the Beatles Rock Band controller versus the actual Rickenbacker 325, next you got to peek into the woodshop, then you saw how they were painted and electronic components added… and now for the final installment, here’s a peek at some of the incredible design details from vintage pieces, limited editions, and concepts that never made it to market…

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*NOTCOT in tech -

Rickenbacker Guitar Factory Tour - Part 2/3

rickmain1.jpg First you saw the Beatles Rock Band controller versus the actual Rickenbacker 325, next you got to peek into the woodshop, now take a look at how the guitars get finished ~ from the priming to the sanding to how each and every little electronic component finds it way to make the Rickenbacker 325 the icon it is…

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*NOTCOT in tech -

Rickenbacker Guitar Factory Tour - Part 1/3

rickmain0.jpg As promised in the last post showing you the Beatles Rock Band controller versus the actual Rickenbacker 325~ here’s a peek into how Rickenbacker guitars are actually made! I had so many pictures because their whole process is so fascinating that instead of cutting TOO many of them, i’m making this a three parter… so first, come take a peek into the woodshop on the next page! Stunning how these beautiful pieces of wood get transformed into the guitars we know and love…

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*NOTCOT in tech - 09.17.09 -

The Beatles: Rickenbacker 325 + Rock Band

rickbeatles.jpg Its striking how similar in SIZE the real Rickenbacker 325 and the Beatles Rock Band Controller are. In fact, they are so similar, i couldn’t resist visiting the Rickenbacker factory in Santa Ana to check them out side by side in person! Funny coincidence ~ on 09/09/09 when Beatles Rock Band launched, the factory happened to start working on a run of the Rickenbacker 325! They claim it really wasn’t planned! So luckily when i visited a few days later, i not only got to take a peek at the controller and its real life counterpart in person, but also had an opportunity to see exactly how the real guitars are made! (and it is truly an amazing process, so many more steps of skilled craftsmen than i ever imagined, but more to come on that soon!)

Take a peek at the next page to see lots of pics of the Rickenbacker 325 alongside the Beatles Rock Band Controller ~ as well as peeks into the factory and renderings of the controller!

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*NOTCOT in tech -

HP Mini 110 by Studio Tord Boontje

tordHP0.jpg We all have soft spots for certain things ~ and Tord Boontje is certainly one of mine. Even when he goes from designs for moroso and artecnica to target… and now HP!!! And i will own up to the fact that i’m not a huge fan of overly designed laptops/netbooks ~ especially when they are designed to look more clutch like and girly than sleek sexy electronics… but i. want. this HP Mini 110 by Studio Tord Boontje! As a design object more than a netbook! Even when its obsolete, i want it to just stare at in all its fascinatingly layered HP Imprint 3D technology layering in imagery into the case resembling the floating layers of vectorized images much like vinyl stickering between layers of acrylic. So subtle, so mesmerizing, AND filled with endangered creatures tucked into the flora? And to top that off? Gorgeous site and fun tord boontje “spot the animals” type flash game and free wallpapers as well. *Swoon* ~ so take a look at screenshots and images on the next page!

p.s.
most annoying looping noises on their site though…

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*NOTCOT in design - 09.14.09 -

Made Of Japan (TAB Excl Edition) by Onitsuka Tiger

tiger0.jpgsamsung netbooks On fun packaging that has recently shown up ~ how awesome is this Made Of Japan (TAB Exclusive Boxed Edition) by Onitsuka Tiger ~ the packaging is stunning with a laser cut tiger motif on the cardboard sleeve that i’m just itching to spray paint as a stencil to see how it would look… From the TAB site: “Exclusive to TAB: the book comes in a box with a laser-cut Tiger sleeve. Limited to 250 boxes! Onitsuka Tiger is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year - an event of major significance in Japan. Made of Japan is the beautiful result of a journey into taste: 260 pages presenting the brands’ original sports heritage, its vision and evolution, and its influence as a style icon amongst fashion leaders, artists, athletes and sports fans around the world.” Take a peek on the next page of the awesome packaging (the sleeve and box are gorgeous ~ and the binding style as well!) + some of my favorite pics from within!

p.s.
Huge thanks to Limited Hype for sending this my way!

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*NOTCOT in design -

LeBasse Projects Ushiro/Ryuichi Dinner

ushiro1.jpg On unique experiences, i was invited to a lovely intimate dinner at the LeBasse Projects gallery in Culver City prior to the opening of their Edwin Ushiro “Softly Encompassing the Womb” and Ryuichi Ogino “Idealistically Hypocritical 3” shows this weekend ~ where they essentially set up a dining table in the midst of all the artwork, and invited a few of us to dine with the artists and gallery owners and discuss everything from the art, to the mythologies and stories behind the paintings, to twitter/facebook/luddites, to hypocrisy, to ghosts, and so much more. I also couldn’t help but get constantly distracted at the stunning pieces on all sides to stare at… gorgeous body of work from Edwin Ushiro as always. And having a chance to really spend time with the pieces up close was great, the larger pieces are just breath taking, and so beautifully layered with such evocative palettes. Take a peek at the scene, and some of the pieces up close on the next page!

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*NOTCOT in food+drink - 09.10.09 -

Whisky Rocks + Balvenie 21

scotchrocks0.jpg A winner has been notified… i’m waiting to hear back from him!

I know you’ve always wanted to throw some rocks in your favorite scotch. Chilled perfectly these Teroforma Whisky Rocks are handmade in Vermont out of soapstone will cool your drink down just enough to take the edge off without “closing down” the flavors according to the lovely ladies of Delight.com. In fact, they are even generous enough to GIVE AWAY ONE SET of these WHISKEY STONES! All you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite Scotch/Whisky… be specific! And i’ll pick a winner on Monday Sept 14th.

As for the stones themselves, they come beautifully packaged, and were a lovely reason to pick up a bottle of the highly recommended Balvenie 21yr Portwood (omg. so delicious.) ~ while i wasn’t sure whether they chilled it enough at first, i’ve been enlightened that “They do not replace ice - it would ruin the whisky or any other fine spirits to be taken down to a temp much lower than 45F.” And the only dillemma i’ve run into ~ if you only get 9… and about 4 go in a glass… and you have a drink with a friend… and you want refills… you need more rocks! Right? Anyhow, go take a peek at the pics on the next page!

p.s.
Don’t forget Delight.com is also giving you a 20% off all items through Sept 25th with the code “DelightRocks”.

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*NOTCOT in tech - 09.09.09 -

Unboxing The Beatles: Rock Band

beatlesrockbandMAIN.jpg Happy 9/9/9 ~ it’s been quite a day! On awesome launches that are hard to miss, The Beatles Rock Band came out today, and it was impossible not to share an unboxing of the goods with you! For starters the imagery is stunning (gorgeous intro video on the next page!) ~ and the custom guitars are adorable mini-plasticized simplified versions of their normal forms… The front of the kick-drum is like those frisbees or carshades where you can twist it up into a smaller disc when not in use (you know the type, it pops open instantly?)… and the pedal is beautifully detailed with Beatles-ness. There is also a set of postcards included… so anyhow, take a peek at it all! I picked up the full kit for PS3 and the Rickenbacker…

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*NOTCOT in tech -

2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic

porsche911-1.jpgBeauty in Technology post series sponsored by Samsung’s new LED TVs! Final post in this series exploring random beauty in technology, NOTCOT style. Let me just take a second here to say a huge THANK YOU, SAMSUNG. As you may have noticed, they are doing quite a bit of sponsoring here on NOTCOT, and they’ve been making some impressive leaps and bounds on the design side of their tech lately ~ so it’s been an honor to work with them, and have them support what i’m doing here! (Especially when they let me help do it MY way, have it look fun, and basically just further enable me to write about what i love!). So, Samsung, if you’re listening, thanks for that. You guys have been amazing. Now on to that lustworthy porsche i’ve been drooling over for about a week…

I kid you not, i’ve been a bit behind and traveling, but since i laid eyes on that press release, this beauty has been open in my tabs, and every time i start getting a post together i get distracted by how cute it is… So on to the facts: Debuting at the Frankfurt auto show this month - 2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic. Limited to 250 pieces, the Porsche Exclusive team has been fine tuning this one for 3 years - “Porsche Exclusive is Porsche’s Specialist Department for the most outstanding customised versions of Porsche cars going beyond even the highest standard of the Company’s regular production models.” So are you ready to see more drool inducing pics and the full press release? Check it out on the next page… video too!

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*NOTCOT in playful - 09.08.09 -

Rocket World T.A.D. Griz Lee Bear

tadgearbear1.jpg I dont think that bear with crazed eyes and spork in hand could sum up how i’m feeling today better… unless maybe he was sipping some Balvenie 21yr Portwood as well… yes, let me level with you, it is most certainly that kind of a tuesday after a long weekend. BUT, on the flipside, it makes for an awesome excuse to share pics of this adorably crazed Rocket World T.A.D. Griz Lee Bear with you. T.A.D. Gear stands for Triple Aught Design ~ and is truly some of the best designed tactical you’ll find… not to mention it’s the brain child of Patrick Ma alongside with my favorite Rocket World creatures. While i have much more to show you from my latest stop up at their store/studios in SF, lets start with the spork wielding Griz. Check out the fun packaging and details on the next page…

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*NOTCOT in tech -

Unboxing the Samsung GO

samsunggo0.jpg Unboxing the Samsung Go! First impressions, i LOVE the way this netbook feels in my hands, i wish all of my laptops/etc had this kind of grippy/non-slip/ruggedized texture! They’d feel far less fragile, and so much more ready to face the world (or the inside of my purse?). Also, it totally screams “bar of soap” to me… something about the extruded oversized logo text that is a bit much… makes me think of dial or irish spring. Also exciting?

Did you know this little adorable netbook that is visually quite unlike any others… is designed by Naoto Fukasawa? Designboom highlighted this not nearly publicized enough fact! But for now ~ lets take a look at all those details ~ and the fun box too! Check it out on the next page…

CLICK HERE to see the full unboxing of “the Samsung GO”! ——->

This post is part of the new Netbook Resource Center sponsored by Samsung ~ i’ve reposted it here for you, because i’m far too excited about how fun the unbox is!

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