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June 25, 2007
People. Miranda July
People. Miranda July: Miranda July has a knack for finding significance in things that are seemingly trivial. One of her short stories, Roy Spivey, was recently featured in The New Yorker's summer fiction issue. It's about a tall, awkward woman who gets bumped up to first-class and has a chance meeting with a celebrity. I won't give away the whole story, but it involves Febreeze and it's hilarious.
She has recently released a book of short stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You. Here's Boldtype's review: "The commonplace can break your heart. Really. The creak of a chair, the hush of fabric, the shape of a leaf, plywood, orange juice. The simplest things in and of our every day, when considered, can too often tend toward tears. Of course, it's not those things themselves that are heartbreaking, but what they represent — the creak says he's gone; the hush tells you she was never really there; the shape was once an idea; plywood is what could have been built; and that pitcher of juice was your share of something cool and refreshing that never will be shared again."
You can read the rest of the review [Here]
Posted by james at 03:23 PM
Events. The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival
Events. The Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival: We've been longtime admirers of the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. For three years The Room Service Group has showcased some of the best talent hip hop has to offer. In the past artists such as Rhymefest, Brand Nubian, Big Daddy Kane, and Lupe Fiasco have graced the stage.
This year's show didn't disappoint one bit. Highlights included: Consequence's entire set; Cappadonna rhyming in Japanese (I think) over the Who Shot Ya beat and then going into his verse from Winter Wars; Ghostface performing Shimmy Shimmy Ya in honor of ODB; and Fat Joe's impromptu rendition of I'm From New York. For a second we thought Ja Rule would show up with Ashanti and perform Always On Time. That would've been awesome! Jeru The Damaja (as well as Blahzay Blahzay - ohmigod, danger!) did show up and that more than made up for Ja Rule's absence. RULE BABY!
You can find more info on the BKHHF [Here]
Posted by james at 02:43 PM
Video. Common's The People
Video. Common's The People: We like this video. In terms of creative direction, it's not a stretch - almost too predictable - but the imagery is much needed in our oversaturated skin-fest of video production. Besides, the song is so good that you could match it with stick figures and we'd still love it.
In tribute to Common's latest releases we've put together a video collection of our favorite jams by him. Many thanks to Ian who put us onto OnSmash - a video website. We've been hooked ever since. The tech side of OS is pretty fresh too. Their simple aesthetic and high functionality keep us coming back everytime. Check out common's video collection after the jump.
Posted by taj at 08:38 AM
Gadgets. Marka Mini God Speakers
Gadgets. Marka Mini God Speakers: These are fun. Speakers are a desktop necessity and what better way to make them interesting than to place them in the belly of mini gods. Gizmodo spotted an interesting line of audible devices from Marka.
As reported: "The Mini God line of speakers are our new Powers of choice. Towering at a height of 16 inches, we will have a tough time genuflecting at their feet, but that won't stop us from trying. Each unit features a functional speaker in its belly, while the rest are for decoration only. Powered by a 9v battery and armed with a minijack, these speakers may not prevent the theft of your unattended iPod, but they will ensure that the thief is scared in the process."
Read more about Marka's Mini God Speakers [Here]
Posted by taj at 07:41 AM
June 20, 2007
Link Heavy. Post-it Notes!
Link Heavy. Post-it Notes: Dan over at Josh Spear nailed this one. These post-its are just the right size. We've been sticking the tiny and way too big post-its all over the walls of the Dork office. It's gotten a little out of control. But now! We really can get some controlled chaos going with these new, super improved post-its. Pure genius.
As reported on Josh Spear: "This is why I love Capitalism. (1) See a niche, (2) fill that niche, (3) sell the thing that fills the niche on the internet. It really couldn’t be simpler. The people at Genius Pad have mastered that formula. They have a product that’s so obvious it will make you smack yourself for not thinking of it first, and having a Genius Pad around the house is worth at least the $12 they’re charging for one. Basically, a Genius Pad is a very large post-it note (12 inches/30cm square). It’s the same yellow color as a post-it, and it’s got the same adhesive back thing going on. The difference is just the size and, more importantly, what all the extra space allows for."
Read more about the Genius Pad Post-it [Here]
Posted by taj at 08:50 PM
Art & Design. Jessica Hill
Art & Design. Jessica Hill: When we caught word of Jessica Hill, we were instantly impressed. The imagery used in her work is fun and creative. It reminds us of the art we saw when we were in Tokyo. It expresses a curiousity for all those images we used to conjure as a youth.
Jessica is a painter and designer in Nashville. Her work is being featured in various galleries and she's expanding to do installations in Knoxville, Louisville and Birmingham. We love those places, but what hit our heart the most is that she's a Philly cat. She went to art school in Illadelph and worked for goodandevil skateboard company at the world famous Space 1026. Maybe we can convince her to come back to Philly! Check out a close up of her work after the jump.
Come back to Philly Jessica! We love your work.
Posted by taj at 07:52 PM
Film. Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman
Film. Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman: This documentary looks interesting. Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman is a film directed by Jennifer Fox about living in the world as a modern woman. She travels all over the world speaking to women of every possible class and situation interviewing them about their lives and their choices while being touchingly open and honest about her own life.
From the site: "What does the modern woman want? Where does she fit in today's world? Never before in our collective human history have so many women had such autonomy to construct a life of their own creation. Yet, the terrain is still rocky and 'choice' does not necessarily bring happiness, let alone freedom. Meanwhile, old models of femaleness still haunt women everywhere. In this six-hour tour de force, FLYING: CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN, master storyteller Jennifer Fox lays bares her own turbulent life to penetrate what it means to be a free woman today. As her drama of work and relationships unfolds over four years, our protagonist travels to over seventeen countries to understand how diverse women define their lives when there is no map."
Find out more about Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman [Here]
Posted by taj at 06:00 PM
Art & Design. Justice D.A.N.C.E.
Art & Design. Justice D.A.N.C.E. We're back from overseas. Belgium was awesome and its city, Antwerp, was refreshingly quaint. In all of its calm demeanor, the city has a bustling energy of inspiration and forward design. While we were there, Justice's DANCE track was our theme music. That group is huge and almost inescapable. We heard it in stores. We heard it blaring from cars. And, the video was on TV in constant rotation. The tune is infectious beyond belief and its video is brilliant.
Justice is on the progressive Paris label ed banger records that flexes such names as Uffie and Sabastian. They’re album “†” is out everywhere except America where it will drop July 10th. But please take it from us, go and listen to D.A.N.C.E. now because the track is bananas. View the video after the jump.
Check out more information on Justice [Here]
Posted by dechazier at 05:31 PM
June 15, 2007
Art & Design. Midwestisbest
Art & Design. Midwestisbest: Quick and catchy title with hand drawn graphics that are anything but. Hand Job is the new book from artist designer Michael Perry that documents much of the typography he has drawn by hand for many different projects as well as typography from others and found type.
He has a style that is uniquely his own. The book documents that as well as his love for type exploration. How better to know something intimately than to explore it with your hands? We think this and many other questions will be addressed in his book slated to ship November of this year. At $23.00 and at over 200 pages I know it’ll be well worth it.
Read more at Midwestisbest [Here]
Posted by dechazier at 05:53 PM
June 11, 2007
Link Heavy. Leica Website
Link Heavy. Leica Website: Our friends over at DefGrip have done it again. This time they hip us to Leica's super cool website. As corporations become more nimble on the web, customers are benefitting and communities are being built. Check out the latest from Leica below.
From Defgrip: "While exploring the Leica site (one of the most incredible camera manufactures ever) I came across their e-mag. The Leica E-Mag, like the “Pro” site on Apple.com, is very much a marketing tool, looking at professionals who use their equipment and focusing on the products and how they help achieve the quality work. The Leica e-mag goes in depth about the Leica products, but they also cover many more techniques that the photographer uses, like filters, film, exposure, and developing. It’s a great read if you are interested in finding out how a photographer got to their end result." [More]
Check out Leica's informative E-Mag [Here]
Posted by taj at 07:19 PM
Art & Design. KAOS
Art & Design. KAOS: Beinghunted is a staple in our internet journeys. We love everything - from the site design, to the writing, to its archival spirit on journalism. The folks over there are committed. They've developed a substantive portal for readers interested in art and culture.
Currently BGHD has a feature on the artist KAOS: "Even though looking back might seem nostalgic and unprogressive I belive that it is necessary to know the past in order to be able to be innovative in the present, for the future. In order to be able to judge on the relevance of things which are sold to us as 'new' or 'exciting' we need to know what has already been done..."
Read more at BGHD on KAOS aka Dennis Kaun [Here]
Posted by taj at 07:05 PM
Gadgets. Apple's New Website
Gadgets. Apple's New Website: It looks like things are gearing up over at Apple. Their iPhone commercials are on constant rotation. They redesign their website. And, they give developers a deeper look into their latest OS system, Leopard. Things look bright for the company and all of its stock owners.
Cool Hunting has a nice post on Leopard. Per their site: "At Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference today, Steve Jobs showed off several new features in Leopard, the forthcoming release of Mac OS X, including a new, clean look for the desktop and Finder. Taking its design cues from recent versions of iTunes, Leopard is focused on keeping files on your Mac neat and accessible. 'Stacks,' a new automated organizing system, groups recently downloaded files and current projects into menus which spring from the three-dimensional dock, keeping your desktop free from clutter."
Read more about Apple at Cool Hunting [Here]
Posted by taj at 06:57 PM
June 09, 2007
Gadgets. THEN + ZUNE
Gadgets. THEN + Zune: It's another invasion. Get ready! Grafitti artist THEN and Microsoft joined forces for a nice surprise. They sent us a fresh custom package that included a Zune player. I know you all are saying, "But wait, I thought you dork folks were Apple fans." This is true. We've had a contribution can in the office saving for our iPhone. But, that doesn't mean we don't give tech products their fair shake.
The Zune player is nice. It feels good, looks good and the screen is crisp. The only criticism is its technological ergonomics. During last week's D conference, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had an engaging conversation about the future of computers and technology. The over riding theme was that software drives products. If the software isn't strong then the product is severely limited no matter how nice it is. Zune has a strong product but when compared to the iPod's killer usability and amazing software (the iTunes beast) it's difficult to compare the two products. We're going to hook it up to our Xbox 360 and see what we can do. In the meantime, check out the fantastic graf pics from THEN and the custom box he did for the Zune. Our office mascots, Zidane and Maharishi approved, and so should you.
View more amazing work from the artist THEN [Here]
Posted by taj at 12:17 AM
June 08, 2007
Art & Design. Sneaker Freaker's Ad Campaign
Art & Design. Sneaker Freaker's Ad Campaign: Sneaker Freaker issue 10 is coming! This ad campaign is some of the best we've seen in recent memory. Watching the Sneaker Freaker brand grow has inspired so many people here at Dork central. He's taken an organic approach and built an observant voice for those in love with the mighty sneaker. We love him for that. So it goes without surprise that his ad campaign would reflect that creative sincerity and integrity that we feel when we read the pages of his magazine.
Here's some background info from their site: "SNEAKER FREAKER started in 2003 and is the first and only international sneaker magazine to document the modern footwear craze as a global phenomenon. The magazine is only produced twice a year (usually in June and November) and is sold into the best stores in something like 25 countries. At around 140 pages and with only a few ads, that means there’s always a shitload of shoes to go nuts about! And it’s printed on 90gsm uncoated paper which feels nice and won’t leave your sticky fingerprints on all the killer photos..." View the ad campaign pics below.
Read Dork's interview with Woody from Sneaker Freaker [Here]
Posted by taj at 11:15 PM
Art & Design. Alumi Locks Supreme
Art & Design. Alumi Locks Supreme: Thieves beware! You can't get this bike. And you mad, because I'm stylin' on you. That's what we envision ?uesto saying if he had these super bad Supreme/Fragment Aluminum bike locks. They're pretty fresh.
From Hypebeast: "In the past, insuring your bike wasn’t going anywhere when you locked it up meant the use of big and bulky chains that weighed a ton. Fragment and Supreme have gotten together to create a new lightweight aluminum bike lock that will provide you all the security you need for your fixed gear bike without the clunky mass that will sit at the bottom of your bag. The chain features a protective sleeve emblazoned with the Supreme and Fragment insignia’s, available in royal blue, red, and navy blue." [cite]
Check out Hiroshi Fujiwara's Honeyee Blog for more pics [Here]
Posted by taj at 10:56 PM
Art & Design. 2nd Edition Puma Biomega Bike
Art & Design. 2nd Edition Puma Biomega Bike: Puma's Biomega bike is a piece of art. The innovative lock design, matched with its overall aesthetic has made it a successful venture by Puma. This is evidenced by its second release into the marketplace. At first it was a limited edition, and now there back with a few cool accessories and new color ways.
BoingBoing wrote about the Puma Biomega collaboration back in 2005. Check it out: "Biomega, co-founded by Jens-Martin Skibsted, is a Danish industrial design firm that continually reinvents the wheel with high-end city bicycles. Previously, models were designed by luminaries like Ross Lovegrove and Marc Newson. (For more background on Biomega, read Mark's excellent feature on the company in the October 2000 issue of Wired!*) This latest beauty is a collaboration between Biomega, Vexed Generation, and Puma. Part of Puma's Urban Mobility line, the foldable commuter bike is tricked out with an ingenious locking mechanism. The "down tube" is a removable tension wire that works as a chain lock. Clip the chain and the bike is useless." [More]
Check out the 2nd Edition Puma Biomega Bike [Here]
Posted by taj at 03:13 PM
Travel. Antwerp
Travel. Antwerp: The Dork team is traveling to Antwerp next week. We're looking forward to the city's art inspired fashion and architecture. Fortunately, just in time for our trip, CoolHunting has a great feature on the city.
As reported by CoolHunting: "Let's bypass the Antwerp Six introduction, as one needn't be a fashion historian to know that this city was built on fashion. Designers come out of Belgium with a certain confidence and willingness to take risks like a child from wonderfully supportive parents. Two full meandering days in this small city is enough to get a taste of the smorgasbord of local shop options Antwerp has to offer: from well-organized vintage to recently-graduated designer startup boutiques to established heavy-hitters of Belgian descent."
Read more about Antwerp at CoolHunting [Here]
Posted by taj at 03:04 PM
June 05, 2007
Reviews Upper Playground Books
Reviews. Upper Playground Books: Yow! It's a package invasion. Great products hit the Dork offices often, but every once in a while we get those crazy fantastic products that blow us away. This is one of those times. Our friends from Upper Playground hit us with a book set that has us swimming in inspiration.
One of the standouts in the collection is Found Modern Library. This book captures the work of Matzu MTP. Many of you may have seen his work at Triple Crown in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Matzu's work is a blend of traditional Japanese aesthetics (the use of color palette and flat graphical features) fused with modern western sensibilities (typography, compostion, size and theory). By this mix Matzu makes an effort to create something new that no one has seen without modification of whats already been around. The 96 page book chronicles both Matzu's paintings and installation works with a forward written by Alexandra Chang, and photography by Gion, Naobumi Chiba and Yusuke Wakabayashi. For a closer look, check out the pics after the jump.
Check out Upper Playground's latest collection of art inspired books [Here]
Posted by taj at 03:15 PM
Art & Design. Know Hope
Art & Design. Know Hope: Wooster Collective directed our attention to another great artist. Know Hope takes street art and the concept of temporary exhibition to new levels with ingeniously lit pieces. You can view the artist's work on flickr [Here].
As read on WC, a few words from the artist: "What I like about the lanterns is that it deals with the frail temporary aspect of putting up art in street. If I take the best case scenario (that nobody takes the piece after a short while and there are no extreme winds or rain) then the longest life span of these pieces will be that of the candles, which is probably just a few hours. Therefore, when someone runs into it on the street they know that it was placed there not so long ago and they, by coincidence, got there in the small time frame that the piece was "active," hopefully giving them the feeling that it was placed there especially for them, and maybe guiding them, following them home and subtly lighting up their way."
Read more at Wooster Collective + find other great work [Here]
Posted by taj at 02:25 PM
Audio. DM Rootdown Show 8
Audio. DM Rootdown Show 8: Summertime music is a must! Thanks to all those writing in and commenting on DM Rootdown. We love your support and enthusiasm for our favorite tracks. Ken always delivers with his deejay duties. Get ready - here's show number 8!
Words & Music by Ken Peebles: "Moving kind of sucks. This edition of Rootdown is brought to you in between piles of boxes. Just like cleaning though, the one thing that smoothes out the task of organizing all your stuff is a great soundtrack. These tracks were picked out of the random things in my collection I listened to while packing. When this airs I should be back in my hometown and hopefully not regretting the purging of my magazine collection." Be sure to read Ken's breakdown after the jump."
Listen to DM Rootdown Show 8 [Here]
1. Blackalicious – Swan Lake
This song is so deadly smooth. It never fails to put me at ease. I remember before I grabbed the official version I had a CD-R of this for the longest. It was on a mix burned by a friend of mine back around ’99 as he showed me this thing called Napster everyone was going on about. The only thing matching my excitement in hearing this was hearing the original sample joint live at Funk night and immediately nerding out at the DJ booth. What else can I say? When it comes to funky soulful hip hop those cats from The Bay know what’s up.
2. DM & Jemini – Only One
One of the great things about volunteering at a radio station is every week you come in there is a whole section dedicated to new material. Previous to the Grey Album hype I hadn’t heard of producer Danger Mouse. The week I came in and discovered this disc among the new selections I was immediately intrigued. It had this incredibly well designed cover complete with gold foil and wacky cat and mouse illustrations. In between the songs I was playing I had the chance to spin through the album and this song stuck out right away. Anchored in a hard hitting bass loop and propelled by a squealing soul sample I had been formally introduced to Danger Mouse and Jemini. While Danger would go on to rock the legality of sample clearance with his Beatles / Jay-Z blend record The Grey Album, I’m not sure what Jemini is up to. He delivers a strong performance throughout the record and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for something a bit different that still holds to a true hip hop aesthetic
3. Jehst f. Asaviour – People Under the Weather
Jehst is quickly becoming one of my favourite UK artists. He often approaches his beats and rhymes with a mid-nineties feel I can get into. What’s great about it though is that it doesn’t sound dated. This track also contains another one of my favourite things. Jazz beats. The beat is kept moving by an ascending stand up bass and punctuated by airy vibes. This one’s great for the subway and roaming the streets.
4. Sauce Money – Intruder Alert
I’ve always loved the DJ Premier sound, but after a few spins of this tune I realize how quirky it can be. Who else could get away with a beat based on a stab / baby scratch combo of a random sound? Add some delicious horns and it’s just that easy. This one features Sauce Money on mic duties who I honestly don’t know a lot about other then this tune and that he’s done a lot of ghost writing including Puff Daddy’s “I’ll be missing you” I do specifically remember sitting in on a radio session when I first heard this though and then proceeding to pester the DJ who was a friend of mine to lone me the record. I made a tape dub and bumped the living hell out it all day long.
5. Common – Cold Blooded
Common is still one of my favourites. I remember although I had heard things like Soul by the Pound as well as I Used to Love H.E.R my full introduction to Common came on the album One Day it’ll all make Sense. That’s where I was solidified as a lifelong fan and why my anticipation was so high for his next album, Like Water for Chocolate. The direction on this one was a little different but it felt like a natural progression. The sound was mostly guided by Jay Dee, Questlove and the Soulquarians. After a soulful intro and the bumping track Heat, Cold blooded is the third on the album and the official word of the win. Common somehow captures this vibe between being flat out raw and soulful that always feels right. I’m dying for Finding Forever.
Posted by taj at 01:50 PM
Gadgets. New Apple Products
Gadgets. New Apple Products: We're not shy about our Apple affinity. Today, with cheers from the dork offices, they announced a set of crispy new Macbook Pros with the Santa Rosa chipset. Faster speeds and better graphics stay at the forefront of a graphic designers mind. Now with the latest Adobe Creative Suite and these Macbooks, the imagination can keep growing and quickly become reality.
From Apple's Press Release: "With Intel Core 2 Duo performance, more memory and state-of-the-art graphics, this MacBook Pro is a portable powerhouse for creative and professional users," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Apple's notebooks have always led the industry in innovation with features like built-in 802.11 and the MagSafe Power Adapter, and now the industry's first 15-inch LED-backlit display is another step toward completely eliminating mercury from our displays." Don't forget to check out the new Apple iPhone commercials after the jump as well. June 29 is going to be a great day.
Check out Apple's latest MacBook Pro [Here]
Posted by taj at 01:32 PM
June 04, 2007
Events. Postopolis
Events. Postopolis: PSFK points us toward Postopolis - a blog exhibition at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York. It ended June 2, but from the photos it looks like it was an interesting event. As PSFK notes - it's always cool to see blogs get physical.
The Storefront's website has a nice description of the event: "Postopolis! was a five-day event of near-continuous conversation about architecture, urbanism, landscape, and design. Four bloggers, from four different cities, hosted a series of live discussions, interviews, slideshows, panels, talks, and other presentations, and fused the informal energy and interdisciplinary approach of the architectural blogosphere with the immediacy of face to face interaction." [More]
Check out the summary and photos over at PSFK [Here]
Posted by taj at 09:51 PM
Art & Design. Azhar Chougle
Art & Design. Azhar Chougle: He's only 16. Yet, his photography bodes of someone much older with more experience. We were taken back by the focus, angles and colors balance of this young talent's work. Azhar is no joke - plain and simple.
As you can see above, his photography does an excellent job of capturing a moment and inserting the viewer right in it. His website The Daily Sunrise is full of inspiring photos ranging from weather scenes in Mumbai, India to everyday life. He only started shooting flicks a little more than a year ago, and we can't wait to see how he progresses.
View more of Azhar Chougle's photography [Here]
Posted by taj at 09:15 PM
Gadgets. Your Own Drive-In Theatre
Gadgets. Your Own Drive-In Theatre: Well, sort of. All this summer heat has us reminiscing over drive-in theaters and movies like Ghostbusters, Gremlins and the Breakfast Club. If you're looking for some outdoor movie screening, then you'll love this.
Gizmodo recently posted a great DIY for building your own backyard theater. All you need is, "an LCD projector, a DVD player and add a fancy drive-in movie screen." It's pretty cool. This is just in time for all those backyard BBQs and hot summer days.
Read more about the DIY backyard theater [Here]
Posted by taj at 08:59 PM
People News. Tiananmen 18
People News. Tiananmen 18: 18 years and we're moving at lightspeed. Today marks the anniversary of the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square. The New York Times wrote an interesting piece on the event.
As reported: "A candlelight vigil here (in Hong Kong) this evening to mark the 18th anniversary of the military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square demonstrations drew an unusually large crowd, apparently in response to the recent assertion by the leader of Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing party that no massacre took place in 1989."
Read more about Tiananmen 18 at the NY Times [Here]
Posted by taj at 03:52 PM