The following videos might be some of the most compelling, moving and yet indescribable pieces of animation and music as visual art I’ve ever seen. Animator and borderline-genius Robert Hodgin worked with Processing, an open source programming language to program images, animation and sound to build these videos. What started for me as just reading an IM and viewing a simple video entitled ‘Supernova‘ turned into a mind-blowing exploration of some absolutely incredible musical visualization. Seriously, words can’t describe these clips. Be sure to check out Magnetosphere and his other work– jaw dropping. A standing ovation, thanks Mike!
This is a post I’ve been looking forward to writing for some time now. Ashley Eyre (local Boulder friend and “Hot Blonde Girl”) has been making her bracelets for a while, but just recently launched her website so the whole world can see what her friends have been raving about. To me, Holey Cuffs typify style and individuality. Ashley hand-makes each and every bracelet from scraps of aluminum leftover from pieces of very important equipment. She cuts the pieces up, pokes them with her drill, bends them into bracelet form, and even anodizes them. Each is different– just “like you.” I feel truly proud to be a part of Ashley’s coming out to the world, and wish her the best of luck; if my hunch turns out to be correct, I think these are going to be big. They come in two sizes: Shorty ($40) and Fatty ($45), and in your choice of 4 finishes: Black Shine, Silver Sandblast, Ruby Anodized, and Olive Anodized. Take my word for it– that’s a cheap price for what you get. She’s going to have to raise her prices soon! (wink wink). She’s also open to working with special orders, so only your and her combined creativity is the limit.
If any of our readers are in need of a nice dose of warm fuzzies this weekend, we suggest checking out The Love Movement, a collective of artists, designers, teachers and architects newly located in L.A. The formerly Philly-based group of twenty-somethings are on an action-oriented mission to “draw awareness to current social issues facing our society, while aiming to do something more than complain.” Like many collectives, The Love Movement aims to use art as the main method of communicating their objective, but what sets them apart is their captivating/ completely genuine focus on love as a binding force in the pursuit of social change. TLM likes to focus on the concept of “we over me,” which ultimately reads something like. “leave the world better than you found it.” And maybe I shouldn’t say “concept”, because from what I can tell, they are VERY actively pursuing this ideal, and their mindset is beautifully addictive. It’s not hard to find passion within the creative community, but I am a huge sucker for love, and I think this melding of two of the most powerful things we’ve got has unlimited potential. Nice work, guys, and lotsa love right back at you! Bonus: link to an interview SFist did with TLM.
On this snowy March afternoon in Boulder, Josh and I decided to make an impromptu stop at the new Nau store. We wanted to get a first hand feel for what the stores are offering their customers and communities at large– Josh and I have had high hopes and expectations for Nau since we learned last year a little bit about the brand and it’s mission to redefine what it means to be successful. I think I can speak for both Josh and I when I say that our experience was top notch. From the simple things (like helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly sales associates) to the technical components of the store (like a high tech touch screen kiosk system that allows you to browse, shop, or even donate to charities through their Partners for Change program), Nau pretty much nailed it. They even have a ‘barcode’ shopping system that gives you the option to buy an item at a discount if you’re willing to wait a couple of days to have it shipped to you– interesting and intelligent sales model to say the least. I was surprised by the wide range of clothes they offer at this point– they’re covering all of the bases, from outerwear, to casual clothes, to high performance base layers. If you haven’t been to a Nau store yet, put it on your list of to do’s. This video is a demonstration of their touch-screen kiosk system– thanks Andrea! And after the jump, I’ve posted a video walk-through of the store (albeiet a silent and somewhat crappy one) so you can get a up close and personal look as well…
Ahh! Gourmet is a sigh of relief for the design conscious who happen to care about the world and appreciate a premium meal in 15 minutes. This San Francisco based company has really innovated the quick meal scene, not only with their different flavors (Perky Savory Coffee sauce is my favorite!), but with their artisan hi-tech retort packaging which allows for freshness and shelf-life without adding any preservatives. This environmentally aware company also prints their packaging on recycled paper with the proper earth-friendly inks. Their presentation and philosophy really shine through with their products. All meal kits even include a Eurekahh! Magnet with different sayings which are 10 times better than any fortune cookie I've come across lately. Yay for Ahh! Gourmet!
Ever wonder what the entire universe would look like, side by side, in a near perfect scale? Camera manufacturer Nikon built this web application entitled Universcale to do just that– it spans from ‘femtometer to light year’, putting 40 magnitudes of measurement into a single cosmic website. Check out the site, it’s a little difficult to explain but pretty amazing to use– it’ll make us humans feel small and inadequate next to the likes of Mount Everest.
I just got wind of this nifty new app called BubbleGuru through my brother– it allows you to record video footage from your webcam and then place it onto any website, in an email, etc. The idea behind it is that you can convey your ideas in a more realistic and candid way by recording video messages on the fly, and the messages, even once they’re embedded, won’t take up any extra space on the web page or email– the secret (well, not so secret), is that BubbleGuru serves and encodes the video for you. I’ve seen it in action, and it looks pretty good to me. BubbleGuru is currently in beta version and is free when you sign up before May 1st.
This is an experiment, and I may regret it– but I’m very interested in the answers so I think it’s worth a try. The question: What do you watch? You– the readers of this blog. Many people are saying we’re in the Golden Age of television right now with so many great shows to watch, and so many seemingly easy ways to get them. Are people sick of LOST but still watching it? Can’t wait for the return of Entourage? Die hard OC fans? TiVo 24 Religiously? Nothing at all and avoid TV completely? What does your daily, or weekly TV intake look like? Please Share! If this is successful, I’m going to do open question/conversations once a week.
I just got wind of this nifty new app called 
This is an experiment, and I may regret it– but I’m very interested in the answers so I think it’s worth a try. The question: What do you watch? You– the readers of this blog. Many people are saying we’re in the Golden Age of television right now with so many great shows to watch, and so many seemingly easy ways to get them. Are people sick of LOST but still watching it? Can’t wait for the return of Entourage? Die hard OC fans? TiVo 24 Religiously? Nothing at all and avoid TV completely? What does your daily, or weekly TV intake look like? Please Share! If this is successful, I’m going to do open question/conversations once a week. 
