Denon is getting ready to celebrate their 100th Anniversary on October 1, 2010. This historical event can't go without a new product to commemorate this achievement. Denon goes back to it's beginning with the new Denon 100 Turntable($2,500). This high-end turntable features the company's high-performance direct-drive turntable technology, compatibility with the new DP-A100 cartridge, a five-year warranty, 100th anniversary logo badges, and a signed certificate of authenticity from the chief production engineer who hand crafted the device. So if you got 2,500 dollars laying around and you love turntables then this baby is for you.
Over the weekend I took some time to check out two of Gary Hustwit's films which are Helvetica and Objectified. Helvetica was a documentary film that looked at the world of typography and graphic design, and their impact on our visual environment. Objectified was another documentary film about industrial design and product design and our relationship with the manufactured objects that we use every day. Each of these films were an interesting watch. They each took an in-depth look at the way that the human culture looks, feels, and categorizes design on a daily basis and most of the time we don't realize we are doing it. If you are like me and you were done watching them going I want more than I think you're in luck.
Hustwit is currently in the process of working on the third installment of what he calls the "Design Trilogy". The third film to join this trilogy is calledUrbanized which will look at the issues and strategies behind urban design. It will feature some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers throughout this film. Urbanized which is currently in production will not premiere until sometime in 2011. So you will have to wait but if you want to be kept in the know about the upcoming film then you can join Hustwit Twitter feed.
I have been in the market for a while now for a new keyboard and mouse combo. The one I'm using now is just not cutting it. The fact that the mouse and keyboard are separate is a pain and it's taking up space. So when I was in Daytona a friend of mine showed me the combo of choice the Logitech diNovo Edge keyboard. This is a sleek, wireless keyboard that gives you the edge with a touch pad and media center controls. This slim keyboard is laser cut from a single piece of semi-translucent, black Plexiglas and set in a brushed aluminum frame for a sleek addition to any office or living room. It connects via Bluetooth Wireless and is powered by a Li-lon battery and comes with an elegant charging base and has back-lit controls on the keyboard. This keyboard also gets about 2 months worth of usage off of just a two hour charge. This keyboard has so many features that it's bound to impress while still providing optimal usage for your computer needs.
This keyboard/mouse combo is definitely what I have been looking for in a keyboard. So with the purchase of this keyboard it will complete my media center for my living room. So old keyboard and mouse its time that you found a new home because the Logitech diNovo Edge is about to take your place. Sorry you had a good run.
300 post later and this blog is still going and getting better all the time. I want to thank each and everyone of you that comes to my blog and reads, shares and enjoys what I'm doing. I appreciate your support and also don't be afraid to leave a comment or two. I'm always interested in what you have to say as a reader.
So now that I'm done being sappy let get into the new release of Playlist-17. I decided to mix together a short mix of some ambient style tracks this time around. I haven't done a mixed playlist in a minute so I thought it was appropriate.
In this mix I used Shigeto's sample of "Grandmas Words Rise Out of the Stone" in the beginning and end of this mix. Shigeto, I have to give you props on this sample and the track. So with that said, if you want to hear more Shigeto then head over to his site where you can download his NEW EP What We Held On To for FREE. If you also get a chance check out some of the other artist like Aether, Solvent, Flying Lotus and Gold Panda. All great artist. So go ahead and have listen or download or if you want share this mix.
Cover art by: Damion Schweizer
Tracklist
1. Grandmas Words Rise Out of the Stone by Shigeto
2. Intro/A Cosmic Drama by Flying Lotus
3. Dajame Dormir by Aether
4. Solar Fields by Sky Trees
5. Ketto by Bonobo
6. After the Smoke by Shigeto
7. Built in Microphones by Solvent
8. How to Dress Well by Ready for the World
9. Dances and strategies by Solvent
10. You by Gold Panda
11. Cremona Memories by Keep Shelly in Athens
In the film they follow González through scenes shot during his time working on his second album In Our Nature. They use his voice recording diary to follow his everyday reflections from struggling with writing songs to his everyday thoughts on life. The film also explores universal themes such as loneliness, boredom and isolation, The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of Jose Gonzalez gives us insight into one person's attempt to manage and understand his own existence. It was shot over a three-year period on location in Sweden, Japan, Singapore, United States, South Africa, England, Chile and Argentina.
Being one of the more enigmatic and thought-provoking musicians of the last decade, González is one of Sweden’s most successful exports. He has sold almost one million records worldwide and has received accolades from the media in every country in which he has performed. So I can see why they would want to do a documentary on such a talented musician. I hope I get a chance to see this documentary.
Johan Loekito and Samsung worked on a concept project to make sure that you don't lose your mobile phone ever again. Cause I'm sure in this day and age we don't watch our phones like hawks. It's called Samsung Proxima and it's a concept that involves a cellphone with a wristband acting like a docking station. This watch also has a proximity sensor on board making the wristband emit a tone or vibrate if the phone is too far from it. This also helps the user find the device with a single button press. The Proxima also is able to detect other users with the same phone in your area and lets you contact them. I'm sure that with something like this you can change the settings to turn this feature off if you wanted. I think the design on this concept is slick but for the other uses I'm not really sold on it. What do you think of this concept design?
Tham & Videgard architects were looking to build a hotel in the trees and that is exactly what they did. This hotel covered in mirror's was recently opened in Sweden. It was designed to be accessed by a rope bridge, this amazing Mirrorcube suite doesn't leave you hanging there. It comes with a double bed, small bathroom, and a terrace on the roof with a modern decor. If you were wondering well what about the birds running into the mirror's? Well don't worry they have installed infrared film that only birds can see so that they don't run into the glass. I personally don't know if I would want to stay in something like this but it would be cool to check out. So if your planning a trip to Sweden and you want to stay in one check out their site and book your mirrorcube.
Before I begin I want to give a big thanks to Tycho/ISO50 Blog and FITC for giving me the chance to see him perform with his band in San Francisco. The FITC event was a private party so to be able to attend you had to attend the FITC Conference or be one of the lucky winners on ISO50's giveaway guest list spots. Although I didn't go to the conference I would have liked to have seen Scott Hansen's seminar on his background, processes, and theory's along with some walk throughs and presentations of his recent work. I did however get the next best thing and that was seeing the new band play out. Tycho's band did a great job of capturing the sound that is Tycho but also giving it a different yet more unique feel to the music. Each member of the band gave off the right energy and vibe to keep the crowd moving while satisfying our ears with great music. Overall I have to say that I was very satisfied by the end of the night with the performance and the presentation of Tycho's music and visuals. I hope that many of you will get a chance in the future to check out his band's set. Lastly, I want to give another big thanks to Raoul Ortega who I meet last night for allowing me to use his photos from the event. Raoul has done work with Dusty Brown and Tycho before so it was cool of him to allow me to use his photos. My camera was not taking the best of pictures last night, however, it did do a good job on the videos that I took which can be viewed below. I used my Samsung TL220 camera. If you want to check out more of Raoul photography which you should then check out his Flickr account and his Website.
I found this on Behance and had to share this concept of exploring the future of mobile computing. It was done by Mark Law who is a creative designer working in all sorts of fields from industrial design to interaction design, branding and graphics. He Completed this for Intel, Oregon. I agree with a lot of this video in that the world of computers and smart phone interaction should be developed more and the concept might not be to far off.
The use of wood can bring out the warmth of a home. In this design the CplusC Architects were going for the idea of “good wood.” Displaying the firm’s love of wood and how it inspires a warm flavor of architecture, this timber home design welcomes residents and guests with an entry sequence leading to a recycled Jarrah door. Inside, the main hallway can be compared to a tree trunk, lined with a rich wood floor and ceiling, and the home’s various rooms branching off it in succession. The hallway leads through the structure and into the heart of the house – an open-concept kitchen, living and dining area – and out onto a rear courtyard, where a wood deck encircles the pool. The architectures who built this home put some detail in the different shades of wood as well as using different angular designs to give the home a more warm modern feel to it. photo credit: Murray Fredericks
The Outside Lands festival was a memorable experience with its great music, food and wine. The event which was held in the Golden Gate Park was beautiful with its surroundings and cultural feel that is San Francisco. Although, it seemed to have less people than expected it did not put a damper on the experience or the quality of the event. The organizers of this event deserve major props for its fast tickets lines, its ease of movement and with the placement of the stages. So many festivals seem to put there stages so close it's like listening to a train wreck.
On Saturday, thousands descended upon the heart of Golden Gate Park for a day of cultural experience from the food to the wine and finally to the talented musician's that made the festival rock. To recap Saturday's experience I will have to start with Bassnectar who dropped some of the sickest dupstep I have heard since seeing Dieselboy at Bonnaroo. Bassnectar, also known as Lorin Ashton, made sure his homecoming was remembered as large black objects were launched into the crowd during his 50-minute set on the Sutro Stage. The crowd was eating up the stage presence and the bass was wobbling the crowd into a dance fury of fist pumps and dance movements.
Then came the Tokyo Police Club who kept their stage presence with the assistance of the crowd. Who throughout the set assisted the band in different clap sequence to keep the flow of the music. The four band members also took their turns leading the crowd and making sure everyone stayed engaged at least until the next song came around. “Thanks for helping out,” lead singer Dave Monks would say with a smile. If only every band could show that kind of enthusiasm.
Finally came The Strokes who closed out the night with a bang. The return of this band and their stage presence was more than anticipated. The band just picked up where they left off and played like they never stopped. They got the crowed going with classics from their 2001 release of "Is This It" they then went on to play a collection of other great tracks from their other two albums. This was a great set to close out the evening for Saturday. Unfortunately I was only able to experience one day of this great festival but it was enough to satisfy my music hunger for the time being. I'm sure that next year will have more of the great same experiences that this year provided. See you next year Outside Lands.
Today I wanted to share Kitsune Noir's Mixcast No. 40. I have been digging this mix for a hot minute. The first thing that caught my attention for this mix though was the cover art. From the post on Kitsune blog the photographer who took these photo's was one of Kitsune friend Ed Fladung. I have to give Ed props on his photography skills. I also need to give a thanks to Kitsune for his nice collection of tracks that he put together on this mix. He put brand new stuff by Arcade Fire, Blonde Redhead and The Books as well as some smaller artists like Brothertiger, Twin Sister and Gold Panda. Unlike most of his mixcast on his blog this one doesn't have voice overs on the tracks which I particularly like. So if you want to hear a good mix today then go ahead and download this Mixcast No. 40. Also check out Kitsune Noir's Blog. He has some great material that I'm sure most of you would enjoy. I know I do.
I have finally generated a new website which showcases my photography and graphic design works. To build it I used WIX.com which is a Webtop publishing platform that lets users create any kind of web content (web sites, widgets, blogs, myspace layouts) and publish that content anywhere they want. WIX provides all that you require to create adequate exposure. It offers a simpler, faster and better ways for you to build Flash web content. Another great thing about this platform is that you can have an amazing flash website without needing to know any code. Wix does this without the need to use complex publishing systems and without being constrained by the limitations of template based solutions. It also provides a simple SEO friendly solution to make sure you're getting found online. You get all this absolutely free although if you're looking for more perks then maybe upgrading to a monthly plan might be your deal.
This will be my second site that I have built using this publishing platform and I couldn't be happier with the outcomes of both sites. If your an entrepreneur and your looking for a way to build a site for your business with ease then give WIX.com a try. If your interested in checking out my portfolio website then click the image below or click the portfolio button in the main menu.
Pencil's have been used by many of artists but I don't think they have been used like this. Sculptor Dalton Ghetti slowly and carefully carves the tips of pencils into amazing micro sculptures. These carvings are a side project that Dalton works on when he has free time from his full time job of carpentry. Dalton uses a razor blade, sewing needle, a sculpting knife, a steady hand and lots of patience to meticulously carve the graphite which can take anywhere between a few months to a few years. I like what Dalton said in an interview with NYDailyNews.com. He said, "It's like I'm removing specs of dust at a time because the scale is so small," he said. "If there's a little bit of dust on my table at the end of the day and I didn't break it - that's a good day's work." If he does break a piece that he is working on he will keep it and place it in his cemetery collection as he calls it. Another fascinating things about these tiny works of art is that he has never sold them, only given them away to friends as gifts.
To live in a tiny house would you do it if you could? If it could take your electric bill now and make it 6 bucks would you be willing to shed some square footage. Some have chosen to take this option of a tinier home. Jay Shafer is one of these people who has taken this choice. Jay Shafer is the ingenuous architect and resident of this tiny house, one of many he has built as part of his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. He currently lives in a 100 square foot house which features a compact fireplace, a tiny kitchen, a tiny bathroom, and a loft that serves as a tiny bedroom. If you watch the video below you can have a little tour of the home (Yes, pun intended).
My birthday was last month and I wanted to do something fun and different. So I decided to head over to Daytona, FL to hang with some friends and go surfing. Now I don't get to do a lot of surfing here on the Tampa side due to the lack of waves. So Daytona was an upgrade for me.
While on my trip I wanted to capture some of the moments but I wanted to try something different. I wanted to get a underwater camera and see what kind of effects that I could capture with this camera. So below are some of the pictures that were taken from the surfing trip. Although I do want to mention that the first two pictures were taken on Clearwater Beach, FL after my surfing trip. Hope you enjoy. If you want to see more of my photography you can check out my Flickr account. I will also have a new photography/design website coming soon!
