Platform 5 architects created this Shoffice (shed + office).  It's a garden pavilion containing a small office alongside garden storage space. Located to the rear of a 1950's terraced house in St John’s Wood, the brief required the shoffice to be conceived of as a sculptural organically object that flowed into the garden space.

So what do you think of the Shoffice?  Would you use it for a home office, extra guest bedroom or an art studio?

Roku's new device will offer access to 1,000 channels and 31,000 movies and it allows users to cast from Netflix and YouTube to their televisions. The device works with free Android and iOS apps. Unlike Chromecast, it does comes with a Wi-Fi remote control.

You can currently pre-order via Amazon, BestBuy, WalMart and Staples and its scheduled to be on the shelves in April. Are you going to get one?

Source: Mashable.com

Welcome to TCL Playlist-59.  In this installment we have a spring like mix that brings in a little bit of more hype but at the same time transitions from the end of winter to the beginning of spring. The new playlist has some new music by Tycho, Kid Cudi and a new artist EMBRZ who seems to be blowing up and more...

Click Play and have at it! If you want to check out any of the other Playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog or in the menu.


Cover art by: Damion Schweizer

Tracklist

For those of us that use multiple machines and devices this application is a godsend. PushBullet, the app for Android allows you to quickly transfer links, pictures, and notes between your smart  devices, tablets and desktop Chrome Browsers.  It is one of those insanely useful tools that is what FREE!

The PushBullet team introduced full notification mirroring, a feature that syncs all of your phone and tablet notifications to Chrome on PC. Viewable in Chrome’s notification tray (the bell-shaped icon in the system tray on Windows and the menu bar on Mac), they aren't actionable – you can’t respond to a text from desktop, for example – but they can be dismissed.  Check out the video below to see how it works.





Source: Droid Life

Artist Qi Wei Fong in his last series called Time is a Dimension depicted layered collages of landscapes and cityscapes photographed over 2-4 hour period. Now he has taken this collage type photography to a new project called Time in Motion. The new photos, shot in locations around China, Indonesia, and Bali show the change in light at sunrise or sunset through angular rays and concentric circles that shimmer as time passes. You can see more from the series on his website.


Tanah Lot Sunset, 2013


Shanghai Freeway, 2014

Source: ThisisColossal

Guardians of the Galaxy which is due out in August 2014 has just released the official trailer. From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team--the Guardians of the Galaxy.

An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits--Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon; Groot, a tree-like humanoid; the deadly and enigmatic Gamora; and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand--with the galaxy's fate in the balance."

I'm looking forward to seeing if this movie can live up to the other cinematic Marvel movies, but after watching the trailer I'm sure it will do just fine in bringing the story to life.

It has been a while since I have written about branding but Branch Creative caught my attention. Their solid color choices with minimal lines and typography kept me focused and interested in what they were displaying.

Here is a little bit about Branch Creative:

Branch Creative is an executive production and advertising house that represents a pool of photographers, illustrators and commercial directors from around the world. We created a sophisticated identity system with a playful typography treatment.

See more of their branding material on Behance.

How many speakers do you have around your house that you wished were wireless with your phone? With Beep ($149) you now do not need to go and replace all the speakers you've accumulated around your house. Beep is a small Wi-Fi enabled devices that connects to any stereo or speaker system with  an RCA jacks, auxiliary input, or optical input. You will now be able to play music to any connected speaker or group of speakers from your iOS or Android phone. Beep also gives you the ability to synchronize music across a range of Beeps, you can play your music throughout your place, or choose different music for different beeps.  It currently at this time only supports Pandora but they are working to add other app's. Check out the site to get more information.

Google recently launched “Google Play Newsstand”, a new application for Android enabled devices ( also knows as Google  Currents for IOs devices) that allows you to read all your favorite news sources in one experience. Newsstand puts the news you care about most front and center and presents stories that interest you based on your tastes.

With this news application users can subscribe to magazines, newspapers, blogs and news sites and the newsstand will  format and optimize them all for an enhanced reading experience on their tablet or phone.

In that being said I would like to let you all know that "The Collective Loop" is now on Google Currents and Google Newsstands.  It took a little bit of work but it's so worth it.

Please click the link below to Subscribe to: The Collective Loop.  

Now take TCL wherever you go!

If you are a website/blog owner and you want to add your content to Google Newsstand you can via Google Producer tool.

UPDATE 07/20/18: Google Current and Google Newsstand has been replaced by Google News now.

SOND™ ($95) by VOID watches is a unique timekeeper. This injection molded one single piece watch has an innovative locking mechanism that uses the watch itself to secure the nylon watchband. This not only greatly reduces the number of moving parts but also creates an interesting contrast of colors and materials and makes the strap easy to change and adjust.  Total number of pieces is 4 but don't worry it comes in eight different colors and can create over 500 unique color combinations without any tools or training.  Check out the watches over at VOID.

The SOND™ is waterproofed to 3ATM (30m), it measures 38x44x11mm (WxHxT) and the nylon watchband is 22mm wide.

So we all know that Valentines is coming soon, so why not give your man something personal but useful. All men need to shave, well at least most men need to shave.

Harry's which offers a great shave for a fair price has a lineup of products that include: expertly designed handles, their own high-grade German steel blades, and natural shave cream.  The high end of products is the  Engraved Winston ($40) - a sleek, aluminum handle engraved with your initials or whatever you want that you can think of for 3 letters.   You can also setup different types of auto-refills to fit your man shaving needs.  They do offer different options for products, so if this package doesn't work, check out their other offers.

Welcome to Playlist-58 the second new playlist of 2014.  In this installment I want to bring in the new with a whole new selection of artists.  We have new music by Liam Back, Lincoln Jesser and Little India.

Click Play and have at it! If you want to check out any of the other Playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog or in the menu.


Cover Art by: Damion Schweizer

Tracklist

French architects Betillon/Dorval Bory designed this tiny studio apartment that was renovated and converted into a modern living space that is big enough for two people. This apartment defenitly demonstrates the efficient use of space.  Different sections of the apartment are separated by colorful lighting.  So check it out. Would you be cool with climbing up on your counter to get to your tiny bedroom?

If you're like me and not much of a football fan, but are always surrounded by it, then this video is for you. It will teach you the basics of what you need to know about NFL football. This animated video was created by Fraser Davidson and voiced over by the guys over at Adventures in Design podcast (aidpodcast.com). So go ahead and start the learning process because why not?

Josh Ln is the creator and designer of these Hero-Glyphics. This illustrator got his creative poster idea from Egyptian hieroglyphics featuring superheroes and fictional characters from modern comic books, movies, and TV shows.   Check out more of Josh Ln work and also check out his store.  You could even get pillows made out of these.

Power Rangers

Ninja Turtles

Spiderman 

Xmen

Check out the new Pebble Steel model($250).Smaller and thinner than the original, this new model is made from forged and CNC-machined stainless steel in a brushed or matte black finish, but retains the ePaper display and app compatibility of its plastic sibling. Each one ships with a metal and leather strap, giving you the choice to dress it up or dress it down.

• 5-7 Day Battery
• Apps
• 5ATM Waterproof
• Notifications
• Daylight Readable Display
• Tri-Colored LED

Well they are at it again! Almost 2 years later they have finally come out with a sequel.  Way back in 2011, the strange and somewhat disturbing Muppet video Don't Hug Me I'm Scared went viral with over 13 million views. Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling are now back at it again from This Is It Collective with Don't Hug Me I'm Scared 2.

In this squeal it introduces a lanky character name Tony the Talking Clock that teaches the puppets about the concept of time. This video does have its creepy parts, but I'm still a fan of the first one but don't take my word for it. Watch the video below and let me know what you think.


Source: viralviralvideos.com

I'm not going to lie, I would totally rock one of these out in public and even show a little chest. The Hoodsie might just be the next big thing, who knows? The Hoodsie (on Kickstarter) is a hooded onesie, made from super-soft 100% Pima cotton.  The price range is anywhere from $65-$150 for one of these hoodsie's.

"We've designed a onesie that is perfect for lounging around at home but doesn't look like pajamas. It's the onesie you could actually leave the house in."

Check out there Kickstarter to get more information.  Also check out there video below. It is a little different than most Kickstarter videos. Enjoy.

Well it is now 2014 and we can all say adios to Emerald of 2013 and say ¡hola to Radiant Orchid. According to Pantone Radiant Orchid is the new color or formally known as Pantone 18-3224. Radiant Orchid blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination. It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple - one that draws you in with it beguiling charm. A captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid emanates great joy, love and health per Pantone. Check out Pantone for products that you can acquire with Radiant Orchid.

Welcome to Playlist-57.  Let's bring in the New Year with some new music. In the spirit of the new year let these tracks help sooth and relax your soul this 2014. In this installment we have new music by Keep Shelly in Athens, The Landing and I'll Be An Indian.  Happy New Years from TCL.

Click Play and have at it! If you want to check out any of the other Playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog or in the menu.


Cover art by: Damion Schweizer

Tracklist