What happens when you let folks like Vault 49, Tara Mcpherson and Alberto Cerriteno make limited-edition pillows? Pure awesomeness.

Major high fives to my friends at The Fader for a successful relaunch of their .com. It has been great fun to watch their digital presence evolve. Stop by for great music (lots of exclusive tracks) and art/culture features. Congrats guys!

Related: The Fader Goes Digital

Idyllic summer nights in Brooklyn leave little to be desired–unless you’re Q Tonic founder Jordan Silbert, that is. The gin and tonic lover discovered that the tonic water he was drinking four summer ago was chock full of artificial flavors and high fructose corn syrup, and in the name of not standing up for something so undignified, he set out to create a crisper tonic. After pulling together quinine from South America, organic agave and lovingly designed floral-inspired glass bottles, Silbert’s concoction can now be found at Gramercy Tavern and the Four Seasons in New York and NOPA in San Francisco. “One of the things that excites me most about Q Tonic is that it enables you to actually taste the difference between and gin and tonic made with different gins–a gin and tonic made with Plymouth and Q Tonic tastes very different than a G&T with Hendricks and Q Tonic,” says the drink maker, who slaved over the recipe in his Brooklyn kitchen for more than a few seasons. “Unlike when you use mass produced tonic waters, you can actually taste the different botanicals that make different gins great in their different ways.”

From beginnings in Stuttgard, Frerk and Marc C. Woehr have developed a style bringing street art into a realm of off-balance darkness. The atmosphere of their collaborative work looks like the product of the Brothers Quay reshaping an urban environment and all the characters emerging from it. While their work has appeared in publications and galleries all over Europe, their first show in the US will kick off at LA’s Carmichael Gallery on July 9th. Also, check out some of the Woehr’s work alongside Shepard Fairey’s at Art Basel Miami.

Lee Memorial’s new album took me by surprise twice over. First off, I’ll admit that I can’t think of a single Australian act that struck me since I heard Yeo and the Fresh Goods last year. Secondly, a mellowed out acoustic sound with poetic lyrics is not style of music that often captivates beat snobs like myself. You may be familiar with Sodastream, a duo that’s dropped releases in this vein for a decade before breaking up. Half of that now-defunct band, Karl Smith, assembled a band with a decent resume and put together The Lives of Lee Memorial, possibly named for a hospital, is fraught with Smith’s mystifying whines layered together. If you doesn’t sound like your taste, you’re probably not sold, and you’ll just have to take my word for it. It’s not out for a couple of weeks, so you’ve got time to conduct your research.

Over the years, regular broadcast radio has become a touch authoratative. The system worked back before popular music was designed to be popular, but today we’re all pretty much presented with the same sugary garbage and expected to pick our favorites. Audiophiles seperate themselves from the pack by seeking out the most obscure sounds they can find, but for the regular person who still loves radio but wants to take back the airwaves, there’s Jelli. You don’t create your own customizable station, nor do you assemble a playlist yourself. Jelli is a musical democracy, with one playlist that’s decided by user voting. This idea brings back the influence of listeners on what’s actually popular. Take that major labels.

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s death, we’ve started to focus on the drama that still surrounds the singer - his will, the question of what to do with his non-biological children, why he suffered cardiac arrest, and so on. However, it is important not to forget that the reason we all loved the King of Pop is because of his talent as a singer, a dancer, and an all-around performer. The first time he first entered your home whether it was via MTV or through your stereo speakers, was not easy to forget…

At least it wasn’t for me. My first memory of the singer was when I watched the video for Thriller…at age three. All I remember was seeing those yellow eyes and fangs and running terrified behind the couch. It wasn’t a good first impression, though later, I fell in love with the short film. Not longer after, I was jamming out and dancing around the living room to “Beat It,” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” So, when I discovered the Thriller Headphones designed by Johnny Lighthands and built by ATOM Creative Solutions, I couldn’t help but smile.

The headphones, which won the Nokia headset design competition in 2008, feature that gravestones, zombies, and that creepy, yellow-eyed wolf bursting through the door. Though only one pair was made by Nokia into a working model, we hope that Jackson’s passing inspires Nokia to produce at least a limited-edition run of the freaky-awesome headphones.

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Site favorite and JS friend Jonathan Harris just launched his latest project entitled The Sputnik Observatory. It’s the result of a two-year collaboration with NYC based Sputnik, Inc, an organization that documents contemporary culture through intimate video interviews with hundreds of leading thinkers in the arts, sciences, and technology worlds. There are about 200 videos on the site today, and there will be thousands more added over the coming weeks, months, and years.

In Jonathan’s words:

The central premise of the Sputnik project is that everything is connected to everything else, and that topics and ideas that may seem fringe and even heretical to the mainstream world are in fact being investigated by leading thinkers working in fields as diverse as quantum physics, mathematics, neuroscience, biology, economics, architecture, digital art, video games, computer science and music. Sputnik is dedicated to bringing these crucial ideas from the fringes of thought out into the limelight, so that the world can begin to understand them.

Italian designer Cecilia Felli knows what to do with a broken umbrella– turn it into an umbrella skirt. Pretty great! check out all her different creations over here.

With the global user base of mobile phones approaching 3 billion people, more than a few music listeners and callers find themselves in a daily tangle of headphones/bags/jackets that might be avoided if Snik creator Rob Honeycutt has his way. His product line of zipper puller and cord grooves featured on snaps and buckles relieves pressure on the earbuds (athletes rejoice). “I believe there is a widespread need for this ‘interface’ between a person’s clothing and their mobile technology,” said Honeycutt, who would like the feature to become ubiquitous on clothing and bags over the next decade. For now, the small devices are available by the 6 and 12 pack–dangling cords be darned.

The term “fast food” usually applies to the speed in which a frozen hunk of processed mystery ingredients mutates into a wondrously cheap and edible delight; not the rate at which a seemingly innocuous old shipping box transforms into a chic new restaurant. Alas, MuvBox might change the meaning of fast food forever, not only with it’s unique sort of sanctuary, but also with the gourmet fare being dished out on site. The space-saving solar-powered Montreal eatery created by Daniel Noiseux serves up high quality cuisine using the finest of local ingredients. Customers delight in savory seafood pizza, lobster rolls and the like. And when the day is done and it’s time to shut up shop, it all goes back in the box in a matter of minutes. If you want to witness this magnifique mealtime miracle head to Montreal’s Old Port and satisfy your inner fast foodie.

Via Springwise

I just received maybe the best paper invitation for an industry benefit I’ve ever seen. Announcing a Non-Event Garden Party for the 25th anniversary of Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids (DIFFA). The card says:

Feel good about not attending. No need to dress up, attend the party or listen to speeches. Just put on your most comfortable clothes and go about your day.

You do not have to attend yet another social function. You may plant the enclosed Seeds of Remembrance at your leisure on any day you choose. (Forget-me-nots included in the envelope), full invite inside below.  Well done!

Digging Rafa Jenn’s print “You Are Here” map image which is available in a limited edition of 24. Archival ink on archival paper, 20″ x 11.5″ for $39. Great and beautiful work!

Related: Rafa Jenn Triangles and Rectangles, Pin Ups

Some might think having your own coffin in your house is morbid, but not William Warren. In fact, the furniture and product designer created Shelves for Life, a build-it-yourself Ikea style bookcase that, after you’ve expired, can be reassembled into a coffin. Not only is it good for the environment, it’ll be one less thing your family has to worry about when dealing with your remains. The kits sell for $579 (or 350 GBP) a piece and come stained in a classic blonde wood which just begs for some serious customization. Creepy and awesome.

Shopping bags are, for the most part, pretty dull. Not only are they a hinderance on the environment, but they’re hardly ever hip enough for us to want to recycle them unless it means dropping them in a blue bin. But, there are some designers who are trying to make us dispose of this old way of thinking. And, they’re doing it from the runway to the retail story with thoughtfully-designed bags that convey serious attitude.

To showcase this new trend, Toxel put together a nice collection of images from around the world for you to ooh and ahh at. Check out the breadth of ideas featured from the smart “floating” bag that’s pure fun to other, more controversial options that we wouldn’t dare try out in Los Angeles.

The bag shown here was given when you bought a book by Belgium’s most famous crime writer.