As it turns out, my teeth are chromed out to match my flash drive. However, ever since last June, when I started using an iPhone, my honeyed smile has received far less admiration. I can understand how my nimble fingers caressing that sexy flatscreen could distract fans from my kisser, but I think I stand with Greenspan when I say that investments are worth protecting, and that best assets are ones that support other assets. It’s for this reason that I am gold-plating my iPhone. Goldstriker, a UK based company that would gold-plate your girlfriend’s underwear if you asked them to, offers this service, and I can’t think of a better way to make sure my mouth — and the thing I use it most for — are given equal attention. While I’m at it, I may ask the same company to leopard print. Hmm, maybe that’ll be next year…

While having that plastic flash drive on your key chain is certainly a convenient way to ferry your essential files, it’s certainly not a sexy accessory. Most portable flash drives lack…well, flash. If mimobots aren’t your style, and you’d like to bring some bling to the device that carries your digital data, Pierre Tristian Bissol may have just the thing. Hailed as the “world’s smallest 4GB flash drive”, the .1 ounce Ready Boost-compatible drive is encased in both nickel-plated or original brass finish employing the “same precision machinery and age old techniques used in manufacturing swiss mechanical watches” in order to bring a little style to your files. Now, you all you have left to do is get your teeth chromed out to match.

Information is gold — and that’s what seems to have inspired the idea behind the blinged-out design of LaCie’s new Golden Disk hard drive, the latest in its designer series. Packing 500g’s (gigabytes, that is), the digital storage unit’s wavy, melting gold look comes courtesy of French brand Ora Ito, with designer Ito Morabito at its helm. Nothing’s special under the hood, however; like others of its kind, the Golden Disk uses plug-and-play functionality via high-speed USB 2.0, is driver-free and doesn’t have a fan, so really this baby is all about the looks. If this drive is too sexy for your cat, check out the LEGO-inspired Brick hard drive also created by Ora Ito for the computer peripherals company. LaCie’s taking pre-orders now on the Golden Disk for an October delivery.

As a child of the 1980s, it’s a little weird to see trends starting to come back around. For example, while the Trapper Keeper may have gone by the wayside, buttons are making a huge comeback. Frankly, when I think of buttons I tend to think of the “I’m With Stupid” version I had pinned to my stonewashed jean jacket as a kid. I’ll tell you this: it was pretty rad at the time. But those of you who are into buttons (or getting into them again) are probably looking for something a bit edgier and unique. Chicago’s El Boton offers a variety of limited edition sets for your buttoning pleasure. Included among the sets are logos from Chicago’s “El”, a series of animal designs from artist Laura Park, and others. My personal favorite, set #4, includes bits of street art drawn from around the Windy City– including a spot just a few blocks from where I live.

previously: Helvetica is Everywhere!!!

The people over at Absolut Vodka have always been the design-consious types, but their holiday gift pack, called the ‘Absolute Bling Bling Gift Pack,’ ups the ante. Absolut’s bling website is chock full of everything bling– from a story book of the history of bling, to blinged-out drink recipes, to bling downloads, to the holy grail itself (the bling gift pack). When I inquired about where I can buy one of these kits, the website didn’t seem to list the United States as a purchase location. Seems weird that Absolut wouldn’t want to sell their bling-pack in the home of bling– so if anyone has the inside track on where I can find one of these, please let me know. Times I wrote the word ‘bling’ in this post: 11 … 12 including the title.

Via Core 77