*NOTCOT in wearable - 06.08.11 -

Hard Graft: 2Unfold Nero

unfold1.jpg This post is part of a NOTCOT series on inspiring, independent design thinking, brought to you by Saab. At Saab, we believe in independent thinking. It’s in everything we do. Learn more here.

A perfect example of “inspiring, independent design thinking” ~ i love the work of Vienna based, Hard Graft ~ and the latest to join the collection is a black version of the now classic 2Unfold. It’s amazing to see how things have grown and evolved since i first posted about their Unfold bag in 2008, back when they were still Working Class Heroes. There’s actually something magically efficient about how much this sleek and manly/neutral bag can handle - ” This multi-use laptop bag has the perfect proportions to be as versatile as possible - you can easily carry your 17” MacBook in the bag as a briefcase, shoulder bag, backpack or fold it into a courier bag and clutch whilst keeping your 13” MacBook safe inside. The 2UNFOLD doesn’t only look good on the outside - every handle, rivet etc. is reinforced and supported on the inside, to ensure this bag carries your busy life with ease and style. The back zipper pocket easily fits your iPad and hard graft case. In the main compartment you’ll find a pocket for your phone and wallet and as well as your MacBook there’s space inside for more, such as your camera, magazines, sweater etc.” Amazing right? Take a peek at the details close up on the next page!

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*NOTCOT in food+drink -

Bruichladdich Organic 2003

bruich1.jpg Beautiful. I couldn’t put the canister and bottle down when i first laid eyes on it ~ the Bruichladdich Organic 2003 Anns An T-Seann Doigh (Gaelic for “In the traditional way”) is a limited edition of 15,000 bottles. Apparently they were the first in the world to have an Organic Islay single malt… and this edition was so delicious, they’ve even created The Organic for full scale release. They have always had such tempting and stunning packaging and typography, but the thin gold illustration (feeling very art deco meets tech styling) on the matte army green bottle is incredible. Coloring free, the whisky itself has a light glow to it ~ and the flavor is definitely on the lighter/fresher side of the spectrum… but even when emptied, this bottle isn’t going anywhere… and that canister would make for an awesome kid’s piggy bank! Ready to take a peek at the packaging details up close? To the next page!

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*NOTCOT in food+drink -

Tasteologie and Liqurious Roundup

roundup tasteologie #8943 tasteologie #8978 tasteologie #8991 tasteologie #8926 tasteologie #8858 tasteologie #8892 tasteologie #8843 tasteologie #9023 tasteologie #8974 tasteologie #8840 liqurious #5938 liqurious #5937 liqurious #5932 liqurious #5899 liqurious #5929

Whet your appetite with this sumptuous roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each of these delectable delights, click on its individual image.

*NOTCOT in food+drink - 06.07.11 -

1800 Tequila Artist Series 3: Lucha Libre

1700wrest0.jpg Box shows up ~ with tequila, luchador mask, shot glasses, and artist poster/cards… of course its 1800 Tequila! Since i missed the Cinco De Mayo wrestling match in NY earlier, this awesome press kit came over, and don’t worry, you can see my friend in the mask looking fierce on the next page (how could i not have SOMEONE try it on?) Designed by our friends at Dead As We Know It, the hand printed box and poster know just how to grab your attention. This third series of Essential Artist Edition 1800 Tequila bottles includes artists: Gary Baseman, Yuko Shimizu, Ray Smith, Tes One, Tristan Eaton, Alex Hank. Ready to take a peek at all the goodies in the kit?

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*NOTCOT in playful -

On Press Trips + Fire Trucks

ft0.jpg There are so many possible stories to come out of the weekend in Pittsburgh at CMU with Deeplocal and Toyota for the Ideas For Good project. There are the ones in press kits, the ones marketing/pr folks go through the motions of giving you info for, and then the best ones - the one’s you discover BEING THERE. Forgive the rant, but this one’s been long over due and i just wanted to clear the air.

PRESS TRIPS. Yes, they pay for airfare, hotel, food, essentially babysitting you from door to door. Have they BOUGHT a post? Certainly not. Not even close. In fact it could be more dangerous bringing people RIGHT into the mix of an event, what if it all goes wrong? What if they find out more than you are ready to share? Do some people see it like a “free trip”? Sure. But honestly, that’s not how i see them here on NOTCOT, because lets face it… If i wanted a “free trip” i could fly somewhere and feed myself and NOT work. An amazing press trip is more like being invited and escorted to the party you were scheming about crashing. It’s about getting an opportunity to get right in to the thick of it and EXPERIENCE something that few will ever get to. And then the real responsibility comes in sharing what YOU find noteworthy about the experience ~ your words, your pictures, your angle. Afterall, if they could just BUY a story, isn’t a lot cheaper just to throw some cash around and a prewritten story and pics?

So, this is just a little ramble for all the people i’ve run across in real life lately ~ outside of these experiences ~ who asked the simple (and totally reasonable question) of WHY do these brands and groups fly you all over the world to write about them? And i’d like to think the answer is because they LOVE you guys (the NOTCOT readers) and trust me enough to come along on their ride to find the fun and unexpected to share and inspire us!

Also, on NOTCOT philosophies on press trips and products that come through ~ the overarching question is never was it “free” (hate to break it to you, but nothing is free) ~ the first question is always “IS IT AWESOME?” and second is “Would I write about it regardless of whether i purchased it/went on my own?” And the third test - was it as amazing as i’d hoped in person? If it passes these three tests, you’ll probably be hearing about it here. The ones who don’t… we can quietly ignore. And if you have more questions on the subject, feel free to leave a note below!

Ok ~ now on to the firetruck. My inner 5 year old is back in full force ~ though the fireman Gary didn’t quite let me climb around on the ladder while extended, it was still a blast getting to wander around and take pics from the TELE-SQURT (awesome name in great typography!)… go see the pics on the next page, they make me happy. Also, how awesome is watching Slim Pictures at work? They were like the secret stars of the show… can’t wait to see all they’ve been hard at work capturing in all of my pics this weekend! SO, for now ~ Firetruck! Next page…

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*NOTCOT in design -

NOTCOT.org Roundup

roundup notcotorg #40644 notcotorg #40759 notcotorg #40662 notcotorg #40728 notcotorg #40731 notcotorg #40775 notcotorg #40769 notcotorg #40723 notcotorg #40752 notcotorg #40748 notcotorg #40690 notcotorg #40733 notcotorg #40765 notcotorg #40767 notcotorg #40794 notcotorg #40780 notcotorg #40766 notcotorg #40692 notcotorg #40724 notcotorg #40683 notcotorg #40669 notcotorg #40657 notcotorg #40659 notcotorg #40655 notcotorg #40783

Catch up with a week’s worth of design inspiration from NOTCOT.org. This week’s picks include water droplet installations, bouncy floors, landing patterns, book sculptures and much much more. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

*NOTCOT in travel - 06.06.11 -

Operation Window Seat - PIT-LAX

pitlax0.jpg It’s been a little while since i’ve looked out a window, scrambled to find my camera, and just felt insanely inspired for one of these Operation Window Seat posts ~ but today was STUNNING. And there’s always something about falling asleep in one place (this time Pittsburgh) only to awaken somewhere about an hour out of LA to an absolutely BREATH TAKING sunset.

While i’m uncertain whether it’s the influence of the engineering/prototyping madness of the weekend i just spent at CMU with Toyota’s Ideas For Good adventure (sneak peek part I is here)… the unmistakeable sparkle of the city as we came in today kept feeling more like a giant circuit board… don’t the warehouse lighting patterns make them look like little chips? Also SO many brightly lit baseball fields! Even flowers of them jumping out between the glowing grid of the city… So anyhow, take a peek at more pics while i wake up here in LA and sift through so much more to share with you.

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*NOTCOT in tech - 06.03.11 -

Ideas For Good: Day 1 Prototyping

ifg0.jpg YES. They are in fact up on a firetruck. Wow. What an inspiringly energetic day it’s been here in Pittsburgh in a huge Carnegie Mellon Robotics workspace ~ playing with Toyota, Deeplocal, Carnegie Mellon researchers, and the Toyota Ideas For Good winners. What they are trying to achieve this weekend is no easy feat ~ the artists/engineers/makers of Deeplocal promised (before even knowing which concepts the internet would vote to win) to take the 5 winning concepts from the Toyota Ideas For Good contest, where Toyota asked how you would use their vehicle technology in a unique way to “do good,” and along with the winners themselves, turn them all in to working prototypes during the weekend. This would be a challenge even without the time limit… but now add on the frenetic circus of 3 camera crews, media, agency folks, and MORE circulating and flitting about throughout the process! Being part of that chaos watching in fascination, i spent the day trying to stay out of the ways of the engineers and camera crews ~ focusing on the great energy and capturing my view of the impressive productivity everywhere i turned… Inevitably, staying out of the camera crew’s way meant a new found fascination with watching and capturing how they work as well!

Ready for a sneak peek at the progress that has been made? And the reality TV like setting of the weekend? From impressive rubberband/plexi/wood ipad keyboards ~ to a FIRETRUCK ~ to a cute mod shelter that will be cooked in tomorrow… check it out on the next page!

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*NOTCOT in travel -

NotVentures Roundup

roundup notventures #2344 notventures #2313 notventures #2341 notventures #2334 notventures #2328 notventures #2348 notventures #2351 notventures #2330 notventures #2336 notventures #2337 notventures #2342 notventures #2332 notventures #2322 notventures #2338 notventures #2316

Get ready for the weekend with a few highlights from NotVentures. To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.

*NOTCOT in home+decor - 06.02.11 -

Knoll Generation Chair Unbox

generational.jpg I’ve always been terrible at sitting normally in chairs ~ i end up cross legged, legs hanging off the sides sideways, sitting backwards… and sure, i’ve probably flipped a few chairs in my time. Haven’t we all? Well… given that, when presented the opportunity to try the Knoll Generation ~ that claimed to support ANY way of sitting with its tagline “The first chair that lets you sit how you want.” Challenge, accepted! They are even collecting up pics of HOW people are sitting in them at MyGeneration! So in true NOTCOT fashion ~ here’s a big unboxing on the next page ~ and a peek at my favorite details… from the mesh, to the wheels, to the bendable back that screams office-slingshot…

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*NOTCOT in food+drink - 06.01.11 -

Glassware Picks: Beer + Scotch

glasses.jpg This series/post is brought to you by Gillette. Learn more about Gillette and its products at Gillette.com. As usual, thoughts and ideas are all NOTCOT, Gillette is sponsoring us to do our thing!

So many choices! And only two hands… not that we are often using them all at once, but it really is SO easy to have special glasses for just about everything… i have cabinets full of glasses in the kitchen, yet somehow always manage to acquire more! Two of our favorite categories that are pretty versatile (yet still have SO many gorgeously, unique options) are definitely for Beers and Scotches. So if you’re ready for the roundup of fun ones (and a few favorites that are in my cabinet at home even!) head over to the next page!

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*NOTCOT in wearable -

NotCouture Roundup

roundup notcouture #8517 notcouture #8483 notcouture #8481 notcouture #8514 notcouture #8501 notcouture #8508 notcouture #8428 notcouture #8415 notcouture #8496 notcouture #8515 notcouture #8448 notcouture #8511 notcouture #8507 notcouture #8518 notcouture #8519

A stunning fashion roundup from NotCouture ~ feel free to share your fashion obsessions with us too!

*NOTCOT in playful -

Visiting the Skip Hop Offices

skipmain.jpg Just in from the awesome Anna of Sub-Studio who was able to check out our favorite design baby brand, Skip Hop’s, design studio and preview! Check out what she saw and has to share with us below!

As a new mom, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of baby stuff out there. Skip Hop is a favorite of mine for their refreshingly playful and modern designs, and for their affordable prices. I got to go to their offices to check out their Fall 2011 preview, where there were lots of new additions to the Skip Hop collection. I also got a behind the scenes look at Skip Hop’s design space, and met their lead designer (who is seven months pregnant!). Check out some photos from my visit on the next page!

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*NOTCOT in sponsored -

To Each Their Own.

mainhonda1.jpg This post is a NOTCOT Exclusive sponsored by Honda as part of their Super Civic Quest running across the internet. Odds are you either found this post like a normal NOTCOTer or found your way here through the Super Civic Quest!

You found it! The hipster lumberjack and his squirrel, the ninja asian girl, the luchador, the monster, and the zombie! What do they all have in common? 2012 Honda Civics - one customized for each of them! How fun is the idea that amongst all kinds of crazy new features, your car can be a super digital photo frame? Yes, you can actually set wallpapers on your car dash with the i-MID system (available on the EX model with navigation) - so instantly flip over from checking your mileage range, making phone calls, exploring your mp3 player… back to any picture of your choice! And Honda’s given us an exclusive set of wallpapers with their latest characters as part of this secret quest spread throughout the internet… Their videos crack me up too! So check out the videos and wallpapers… and maybe the clue to your next destination… on the next page! Happy hunting!

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*NOTCOT in design - 05.31.11 -

NOTCOT.org Roundup

roundup notcotorg #40510 notcotorg #40606 notcotorg #40551 notcotorg #40556 notcotorg #40529 notcotorg #40587 notcotorg #40573 notcotorg #40534 notcotorg #40571 notcotorg #40596 notcotorg #40610 notcotorg #40539 notcotorg #40540 notcotorg #40525 notcotorg #40595 notcotorg #40598 notcotorg #40586 notcotorg #40501 notcotorg #40502 notcotorg #40618 notcotorg #40566 notcotorg #40602 notcotorg #40597 notcotorg #40616 notcotorg #40613

A roundup of design inspiration from NOTCOT.org that takes you down the rabbit hole, through beautiful soundscapes and beyond. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

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