Okay, let’s just put it out there; we could talk about the iPhone today, again. Over and over and over. Everyone else is doing it, and hundreds (or thousands, perhaps?) of people are hanging outside of Apple stores in all kinds of weather and in varying states of sanity just dying to get their twitchity little fingers on that scrumptious touchscreen. But, as it turns out, ABC, NBC, and every other media outlet in the world is already talking about the iPhone “phenomenon,” and we’re sort of…over it. A lot, actually. Besides, in the middle of a rather intense brainstorming session that took place after our obvious option for today’s TSF was viciously chucked out the window, Heather wisely said something along the lines of, “Well, I’m not waiting on line today. I’m picking the lint out of my bellybutton and de-worming [her new kitten] Ollie.” And that got us thinking, because if Heather’s managed to find such an interesting use of her time amidst her strenuous editorial and drinking obligations, Lord knows the rest of you have as well. So, dear readers, in an admittedly rebellious TSF, we just want to know what you’re up to today. Especially if it’s really, really unexciting. Of course, if you’re making out with Hillary Duff I guess we’d like to hear about it — but as far as we’re concerned, if 1,000 journalists are writing about waiting in line, pretty much anything you have to say will win our attention. Well, my attention, anyway; Heather’s seemingly occupied elsewhere.

Paul Loebach, the world renowned, Brooklyn-based furniture designer, recently released his latest series of product and furniture designs. Called the Yee-Ha collection, Paul’s newest work beautifully blends exaggerated decorative references and images of American cultural fantasy with traditional materials resulting in a stirring reflection of the iconography that surrounds us. In accordance with his traditional design perspective, the pieces in Yee-Ha reflect the material consequences of our manufactured environment, this time via the use of references to cowboys, football, violence, and distinctly American extravagances. The furniture and product designs in the Yee-Ha collection weave through classic and modern mythology to result in a series that is both rich in both and meaning and interpretation, an example of which can be found in this Chippenchair, a contemporary take on a classic form that uses both the positive and negative space of the back splat to tell a modern tale. We’re so smitten with the whole collection that we’ve included several more photos after the jump for your viewing pleasure; be sure to look at the wallpaper up close, there’s a few surprises hidden in there! READ MORE…

The world is all around us but traditional cameras only capture what is directly in front of our eyes. For most people, this is no more than a slight annoyance. We use the panorama feature on our digital camera which lets us take in a little more of the view than usual (and takes a little more time than usual), and occasionally we come across a professionally made 360 degree image like the ones on Google Streets or this shot of the Divinity School at Oxford. These images are great—and helpful—but most people are fine with leaving them to the professionals.

But Tom Lawton is not most people. He’s the inventor of the BubbleScope, a hand held 360 degree camera aimed at bringing panoramic photography to the point-and-shoot crowd as well as the professional photographer. The BubbleScope looks like a white light saber and it allows anyone to capture 360×140 degrees of reality with just the push of a button—as Tom says on his frantic and eloquent introduction to the Bubble Scope, “shoot the whole thing in a single moment.” The BubbleScope isn’t available for purchase yet, but look for it to hit stores soon. Meanwhile, learn more about it on the highly informative BubbleScope website, and you can see what it can do at Tom’s blog, which is chock full of his 360 degree photography. As Tom says, “the world we live in is far too big” for conventional photography. He might be right, but there wasn’t anything we could do about it—until now.

–Dan Steckenberg

Yesterday I paid a visit to the Apple Store in Boulder (above, left), and I could feel the iPhone buzz in the air already (I mean a palpable sort of buzz, more intense than the steady, annoying buzz that has consumed the fine men, women, and children this country for the past 6 months). Sales associates and managers alike wore black t-shirts with “June 29″ logos on them– it was decidedly the calm before the storm. I thought it’d be kind of neat to visit the store today just to check out the size of the line, the excitement of the crowd, I was even thinking about bringing my video camera to maybe shoot some live footage to share with you all. Then my brain got the better of me. Why waste my time in the 90 degree heat when Gizmodo — and every other tech blog — is already all over it? Early this morning, Gizmodo started accepting photo submissions from iPhone freaks all over the country and are compiling them into a steadily growing archive documenting this techni-cultural phenomenon. So if you’re an iPhone freak sitting in line at an Apple Store reading this post on your ‘old balls,’ sub-par mobile web browser, take a photo of the action and send it to iphoneline@gizmodo.com. My favorite one is from a kid in Michigan who was the only one in line (after the jump).

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After moving across town last year, I have fallen in love with my new neighborhood. Despite some dispiriting signs of obvious gentrification, enough creative energy remains in the residents and environs of this area that just walking down the street can make me feel revitalized. And yet so much demands my attention (a new restaurant moving in, a new shop opening, the shirtless Asian guy dancing on the street corner, etc.) I sometimes miss the finer details. But if you pay attention while walking along, say, Milwaukee Avenue, you’ll get a visual treat as scores of posters promote this DJ or that band. Occasionally, one or two will pop out as particularly engaging and often it turns out the poster is the work of Spike Press. Spike Press is the nom de squeegee (his term) of John Solimine, a Chicago-based design whiz and illustrator extraordinaire whose art has graced posters for groups such as The Wrens*, Tokyo Police Club, and The National. In a recent interview, John mused on the definition of success in regards to his work, saying that “…a piece or illustration can be beautifully crafted and have a clever visual twist to it, but can still leave you cold…if I can get someone to laugh or say “awwww!” then it’s a success.” By that definition, I’d say John’s work has been — and will continue to be — very, very successful.

*Anytime you guys want to come back is absolutely fine with me. — H

The world of lotions, soaps and other beauty products is way over my head. Just give me a Dove bar and Neutrogena moisturizer any day and I’m completely happy. Here in Brazil, however, men and women alike have a fascination with Natura, a line of personal care products sold through catalogs and representatives in both South America and France, Avon-style (which exists here too). After trying out a bunch of samples, I’m *this* close to being dangerously hooked on this stuff, because the products smell like yummy fruit and make my skin soft — a girl’s constant battle; guys, there’s an entire line dedicated to you. All of their products, from soaps to fragrances, contain natural ingredients found in Brazil, like guarana, cupuacu and andiroba, each known for their different properties. To boot, the bar soaps are made from 100% vegetable mass, with sustainably planted palm olein as the base, but Natura’s planning to start using oil found from other native palm tree fruit bought from co-ops and associations that exist near their factory in northern Brazil. I also love that some bars have two sides, one for exfoliation and the other for regular washing up. Another new thing they’re hyping is the use of tapioca in their lipsticks, which already are 80% vegetable-derived — sounds so good that you can almost eat it. You can order from the company here, but you’ll need to read Portuguese to get through the process; if anyone stateside knows of a US hookup please, let us know.