I’ve been writing for about three hours now. That means, among other things (like, for instance, my eyes are bloodshot and I’m terribly twitchy), that the bottom of my computer is freaking hot as hell, and if it were on my lap, (as, AHEM, its name suggests it’s could be), and not comfortably perched on a table, I would be one step away from burn-victim status. This sounds dramatic, but I’ve actually tested it, and results unfortunately proved that MacBook Pros, when used on top of a lap, do indeed inhibit the wear of miniskirts/shorts/most other things that make guys happy for at least seven hours. As of press time, there’s no real solution to this dilemma, but I think things may be headed in some version of the right direction with the advent of these Console Heat Radiators available at Japan’s HimeyaShop for $35. This little guy (or girl; you never can tell with anime) radiates the heat from your PC, game console, or DVD player to protect both the device and the surface on which it rests, representing a nice progression in the area of “Saving Valuable Sufaces From Hot Shit.” Nice.

Now save my thighs, please.

Via Technabob

Awhile ago, I wrote a rather scathing review of an interactive mirror being used by a well-known fashion designer to digitally dress potential customers in her latest collections. I thought it was really, really, lame…and I still do, but a newish clothing line available in the UK is using a slightly similar idea to sell their small collection of tees online. The site for Cicatriz Clothing uses a tiled page of short clip videos (think intro to “The Brady Bunch”) to help viewers preview their good-looking collection. Each short clip features the same guy doing some dude-ish things in one of Cicatriz’s designs, and easy to comprehend flash tricks help you to get as worked up over the site as the actual offerings. What’s good about this form of video integration is its innate viral potential (whereas that other projection was sickly dependent on IM technology). The clothes themselves are are as much worthy of a look as the site itself — even though much of it is sold out at present — so turn your sound way up, then head over for some mid-day fun.

It takes a certain amount of audacity to fundamentally rethink something as simple as a desk. Everybody knows what a desk looks like: it’s just a table with some drawers. Okay, now think fast…does it have legs?

The LAX wall mounted desk from MASH Studios doesn’t (have legs, that is). Sure, the wall mounted desk still has plenty of work space on top and storage space below, but gone are those familiar knee-trapping pillars that keep one squarely in working position. Those who demand structure in their endeavors might want to look elsewhere, but the open-minded will find the wall mounted desk’s airiness — as well as its crisp simplicity of design — a welcome change of pace. The desk is available for purchase at Design Public. Incidentally, some of the other MASH products available at Design Public are legless as well.

–Dan Steckenberg

Everybody’s favorite giant Icelandic protector of humanity is back – and this time he’s equipped to wade in and put himself in harm’s way when FEMA types can’t (or won’t) go themselves. The new SUG figures from UNKL will be joined this summer by Ulligus, a brand new character. Ulligus is an endearing dog-like sidekick featuring many of the same design elements. Only limited quantities will be available in the two colorways — 40 of the yellow Urban Recovery line and 250 of the orange Search & Rescue series. Keep an eye out for the debut of Ulligus and the new SUG figures on Friday, July 27th at the San Diego Comic Con. Just in time too, given the crazy weather throughout most of the country so far this summer, we may need rescuing from our rooftop, a flooded overpass, you name it.

(Our UNKL Archives are here)

Kelly Clarkson: My December [RCA]

Entertainment Weekly says: “Recent management changes and her cancelled tour have furthered the assumption that December must be a train wreck. It's not. There's real artistry blossoming on this, the boldest and best effort ever by an Idol star.”

Slant Magazine says: “The press about the album… would have us believe that My December is some radical departure for Clarkson, but it's really just a logical progression – if not exactly a refinement – of the fingerless-gloved rock-chick persona the singer has created for herself in the years since her crowning as the premier American Idol.”

We say: “So, Miss Independent flips off Clive Owen, fires her management and finally makes a record her way – with honest, self-penned songs about her recent heartbreak. Good for her! It's just too bad we don't give a shit. Come on, nobody is buying Kelly Clarkson albums for the tortured introspection and personal exorcism. We buy them for the smash hits with karaoke choruses – and since summer sing-alongs are obviously absent from My December, we'll save our money for Rihanna singles.”

READ MORE…

If one of Erica Weiner’s mantras is “Make inexpensive jewelery that doesn’t look cheap,” the others must read something like “Make the most badassest jewelry on the planet,” “Use my own personal basass status to increase the overall population of badasses,” and “Eat badass for breakfast, lunch and dinner so that everything I touch may too become badass.”

If you’ve been a reader for awhile you’re probably no stranger to my slightly obsessive posts regarding lines of jewelry (including the amazing Alex and Chloe and Kimberly Baker), but something about Erica Weiner’s vintage-inspired designs are seriously getting me going. Her necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings — which are all humorous, peculiar, and charming — are little works of creative genius, and the pricetag rarely stretches over $80 a pop. Erica’s travels with good friend and business partner Lindsay Salmon keep the line bursting with interesting materials and concepts, and often result in incredible pieces like this one — the Be Prepared For Bears necklace. Taken from a vintage boy scout badge, this incredibly awesome slice of…badass…dangles a menacing grizzly from a few pithy words of truth.