Hoffa Cake

This picture is from an article in the New York Times. Something about digging up Jimmy Hoffa's body. I don't really care, I just like how the cupcakes look and I wanted to share. So if you're anywhere near the Milford Baking Company, do me a favor and pick one up for me.

The Acorn Tree Necklace of Contention

After reading this post on Fashonologie about Amy Shutt's jewelry designs on day-lab, I feel in love with this Acorn Tree necklace. I thought it was neat and quite unique. When I showed some co-workers that won't be named (you know who you are), they said they thought it wasn't very nice. Actually they thought it was down right ugly. I bought it anyway. But now I want your input: what do you think of the necklace? Yeay? Nay? Meh? Please comment.

Mmmm, Cherries

Nothing wrong with some old school Pacman on Sunday afternoon.

Thanks Jen!

Colour Me Esty

Now you may have already heard of Etsy, a great marketplace for all kinds of handmade goods. The entire site is incredibly well designed and fun to use. But I want to tell you about a particularly supercool feature they have which allows you Shop By Color. Hover over tiny colour dots and they blow up into bubbles. Click the colour you want and little pictures of matching items will pop up. Click a picture and fling it across the screen to move it out of your way! It's hard to describe how satisfying the whole experience really is. You really have to try it for yourself.

Thanks Jen!

Moji Mojo

Mojizu is a great site to browse if you're bored. People post their Moji (little characters) for the world to see and you get to rate them. Lots of cute going on here.

The Ad Fad

I would like to address the rash of clever advertising we've been seeing lately. People are so used to billboards and ads on buses and in washrooms and everywhere else that they're starting not to notice anymore. But lately we've been seeing a new breed of advertisement that attempt to integrate and relate to their environment rather than being a static entity. And I have to say, if I have to be subjected to the whims of the advertising gods, then I at least enjoy being entertained in the process. Here are some of the more clever ads I've come across in my daily internet meanderings.

A campaign by for the Dutch job search site Jobs In Town. These ads also appear on the sides of coffee machines and photobooths.


Advertising agency DDB Canada created this campaign for Toronto Plastic Surgery which allowed people to try on a new nose with their coffee. Not sure how this would work if you're skin colour was different than the one on the cup. Or if you're a man. Or if you just didn't hold the cup the right way. Neat anyway though.


Manhole covers in the streets of New York city were put to good use by Saatchi & Saatchi New York when they used them as advertising space for Folgers. The steam was a nice touch, but I'm not sure what it smelled like.


Not sure what city this is in but the ad for Friskies bird seed was created by the Portugese branch of the Leo Burnett ad agency (so maybe Lisbon?). The top of the box is filled with bird food and those are some lucky pigeons. I wonder how often they fill it up.


Here are a couple more that I've already posted about but that I feel are relevant here. This one is for the UK strip club Stringfellows:


And this one is for 3M security glass:


Via Fosfor, The Cool Hunter, Gothamist and a bunch of others, I'm sure.

ETA: For more, see The Ad Fad: Addendum.

Illusions of Grandeur

Now this might not do it for the girls who love their bling but I think this is just fantastic. An independent French designer by the name of Edouard Lamaraud has created a great Trompe L'oeil ring with a tiny diamond at the base of the ring and a circular magnifying glass mounted above it. The result is the illusion of a monstrous diamond in a clean and elegant setting. I just wish there were pictures from the top to see how effective the illusion is. Any suggestions on where I can have one made?


Via Fashionologie.

Baby Suit

Um. Yeah.


Via NotCot.org

Fringe Benefit 1: The Gamekillers Preview Screening

Every once in a while it actually pays to be a lowly blogger like myself. And I don't mean pay in terms of actual cash, but rather in the form of perks. Now these aren't perks like "I like your blog so much that I just want to give you free stuff" but they're more of the "I work for a marketing company that's taking a 'grassroots' approach to selling a product so I want to create contrived 'buzz' but getting bloggers to write about a certain product" variety. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting bribed with free stuff, I am a blogger after all, I just thought I should come clean with you. Also, I think it's funny that people think my blog has any clout whatsoever. But shhhh, don't tell them. So all that to say every time I get approached with such a fringe benefit, I will accept it, blog about it (the product and the perk) and I will do it all in an honest and open way. So note to marketing companies: KEEP SENDING ME FREE STUFF.

First up: The Gamekillers (American site) exclusive media preview screening. The Gamekillers is a half-reality, half-comedy show about the different types of characters that kill your chances when you're trying to score. A poor unwitting sap is used as the subject. He is trying to get with a girl who is in on the joke. Cameras follow them on their dates as various "gamekillers" try to ruin his chances with her. Gamekillers include British Accent Guy, The One Upper and The Drama Queen. The show was actually kind of funny to watch (no, seriously) and it had very original transition segments with a style reminiscent of the movie Rushmore. The Axe deodorant product tie-in was pretty lame though. The first episode aired on Saturday, April 22nd on the Comedy Network, so as you can see I'm a little behind with this post (sorry) and I'm not really sure when it's airing now. Bad, bad blogger. But let us move on to more important matters like the perks.

• An invitation to a private screening at Camera Bar
  
• Nice finger food
  
• Free booze
  
• A Gamekillers t-shirt that says "Drama Queen"
• A stick of Axe anti-perspirent
  
• Free cab ride home (which is pretty far away)

So all in all it was a pretty sweet deal. Keep em coming!

One Hundred Rooms

Michael Wolf is a German photographer living in China for the past ten years. One of his projects is called 100 x 100 and features 100 pictures of 100 rooms, each measuring 100 square feet. The rooms are located in Hong Kong's oldest public housing estate and the photographs include each of the room's residents. The project offers great insight into lives that you might otherwise never know about. Wolf also has other great series on his site including The Bastard Chairs (great name) and Lost Laundry.


Via The Presurfer.

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Gamer

I've been meaning to post about this for a while but along with all the other stuff I've been meaning to post about this just fell by the wayside when I got lazy. I Am 8 Bit is a collection of video game-inspired art by a collection of artists who have submitted their work. It's neat to see different people's takes on characters and situations that we are so familiar with. They've put together a book and have various gallery exhibits that are probably all in New York and Los Angeles so I'll never get to go anyway. Whatever.

Eye Candy

Every once in a while the illustration blog Drawn features an artist with a style that I really fall in love with. This time around is Columbian illustrator Catalina Estrada. I could stare at her drawings for a long time. They are full of life, colour, kitsch and whimsy, but not without a bit of an edge, kind of like me! But seriously folks, if you're in a position to hire an illustrator for something, this is your girl. I'm plugging her and I don't even know her! That's how gorgeous her drawings are. Her website is also really nicely done and a pleasure to browse through.




Via Drawn.

In Trivial Pursuit of Monopoly

Did you know that the board game Monopoly went through many names changes including, The Landlord's Game, Brer Fox an' Brer Rabbit, Finance and Auction Monopoly before it's current name was decided?

And did you know that the original patent for Monopoly was submitted in 1904 by Lizzie Magie and looked just like this?

And did you know that during World War II the dice in the British version of Monopoly were replaced by a spinner due to a lack of whatever material it is dice are made of?

Also did you know that there are hundreds of different versions and themes of Monopoly including Lord of the Rings Monopoly, Muppets Monopoly, Simpsons Monopoly, SpongeBob SquarePants Monopoly and Family Guy Monopoly?

And surely you knew that the longest game of Monopoly played upside down on a ceiling was 36 hours, right?

No? Well then. Maybe Wikipedia can help.

Animazing!

Keiichi Anime Forever is a great site for anime news and information. And yes I know there are a lot of sites with that sort of information out there but what sets this one apart is its Online Anime sections where they have a listing of hundreds of full episodes of anime that are available to be viewed online (they even have Samurai Champloo just for you Alejandro!) so you'll never have to go animeless again.


Via Nishi's Blogosphere.

CD-R for Record

Bet you didn't know that Verbatim made this sweet looking digital vinyl CD-Rs. Neither did I. That's what blogs are for.
Via Tech Bee.

Wiideo

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Sorry, I had to. Nintendo has released a super-sweet video of the Wii controller in action. The motion-sensitive remote and nunchuk controller combination allow the user to mimic actions such as playing tennis, shooting a gun, swinging a sword and jumping around like only crazy Italian plumbers can. The video features all kinds of generic looking people enjoying the various kinds of games on the Wii. All around awesomeness for everyone.

Technoldogy - See What I Did There?

Vintage Technology is a neat site that features all kinds of big and clunky quaint looking bits of "technology" from years past. Here's an incredibly extensive collection of neat-o calculators mostly from the 70s. Aww, aren't they cute? I know I'll feel old when someone makes a page like this for iPods.



Via Fosfor Gadgets.

Kitchen-Go-Round

OK bitches, I've just about had it with your whining. I know I haven't posted in a while but I've been busy trying to have a life outside of the internet. And it's not like you guys are clicking on my ads and buying stuff so I could at least sustain myself on affiliate ad revenue. Nooo, all you do is complain! Well it worked. Cause I'm back. So without further ado I present you with the Circular Kitchen. The New Zealand-based CC Concepts Ltd has come up with an entire kitchen in a cylinder that rotates 180 degrees. It takes up less than 1.8 square meters and includes counters and cabinets, a fridge, sink, microwave, dishwasher and stove top. Perfect for those of you living in a box. Or an apartment in Manhattan I guess.


Via Boingboing.