I hate it when we get scooped by FHM. Not that I have anything against British men’s magazines — “lad mags” for those of us with time logged across the pond — but I like to know about something before it’s across the spine from some reality TV “star” in a bikini, rather than after. What am I talking about? The Boxfresh Burner, a souped-up, superlimited edition repro of the classic Raleigh Burner BMX series, was featured in the latest issue of FHM. Not that it doesn’t deserve the coverage. Half a million of the original Raleigh Burners sold between ‘82 and ‘84, making it the grandfather of BMX bikes. The Boxfresh Burner is a 99.9% replica of the original Raleigh frame, with a polka dot paint job and brake cables of emerald green and royal blue. Here’s a slide show.

We’ve kind of been all over British streetwear giants Boxfresh lately; we told you about Cut & Paste ‘07, and Evolving Styles, both of which Boxfresh sponsors. We’ll try to keep you up to date here in the future, and save you the trouble of that FHM subscription. Because you don’t want to be associated with a publication that has something called the Girl-O-Matic on its homepage.

Automaker GMC’s slogan is “Do one thing. Do it well.” It’s the kind of empty aphorism that I should hate, but apparently it stuck in my head at least a little because I thought of it when I saw Luke Feldman’s art at Skaffs.com. Feldman works almost exclusively with one image, that of a Polynesian-looking nymph with an implausibly curvy figure and no feet. I didn’t make that sound very appealing, but it is. Feldman has been working with these…creatures…for years now and he knows exactly what he’s doing, so much so that he was recently recruited by Coca Cola to use his pixies to sell soda. He’s also incorporated his trademark images in a series of animated shorts (though to be fair his best short, Who Saved the Moon, actually features a little boy) and in some of the sweetest skateboard decks that I have ever seen. Feldman was recently in San Diego showing Skaffs and Who Saved the Moon at Comic-Con. With so much cross-platform work and so much success, why would Feldman want to mess with a good thing? But maybe he could just explain why the girls don’t have feet? I don’t like being attracted to something that appears to have tentacles.

I love working from home for all the obvious reasons, but I still wax nostalgic about the time I used to work in the historical Bradbury Building in L.A., a beautiful brick structure that was the location for many films, including Blade Runner. It made battling for an hour in traffic seem not so bad, with such a pleasant conclusion. Considering the hellish traffic here, the employees at Sao Paulo PR company Loducca are likely feeling the same way because of their week-old digs, which come with such irreverent amenities as a garden that imitates the beach, a stellar view of a nearby church, an inflatable meeting room and colored lights in the parking garage. The organic-shaped building was designed by Brazilian architectural firm Triptyque, who was responsible for the techno look of one of the city’s most famous clubs, D-Edge. Based on the need to neutralize the belligerent atmosphere of the street for a working environment, Triptyque utilized layers to create a softer ambiance inside, starting with one of wood on the shell of the structure to filter in light in different ways, according to the contours of the building. But how do they expect anyone to get anything done with a beach in the backyard?

Last October, we introduced you to the Mathmos 9 VOLTS light, a modernized tea-light. We’re pleased and excited to announce that is finally available to the public, after more than eight months of patient waiting. The Richard Lawson-designed 9 VOLTS meshes with a regular or rechargeable 9V battery in order to produce a red or blue LED-driven glow, and is available for purchase on the Mathmos site. The 9 VOLTS runs around $25, and, as an extra perk, comes with a battery included (who knew that still happened?). A white version is rumored to be on its way sometime in the coming months, so if you’re looking for something more traditional, just hang in there.

It’s been almost two years since I first got my hands on a few of Sameunderneath’s sustainably developed tshirts, and I’m happy to report that the Portland-based company has since been on the fast track to a full selection of earth-friendly designs. The Fall 2007 men’s and women’s collections now feature the bamboo-fiber fabric in a wide variety of interpretations, as well as a new line of cashmere garments developed under the same strict eco-conscious guidelines as their buttery-soft originals. The guys side is looking particularly strong this season, with an even bigger selection of perfectly-cut tees and some surprisingly mod-looking jackets and zip-ups. As far as a clothing company goes, Sameunderneath has one of the the most admirable visions around, so be sure to check them out if you’ve yet to do so.

A reader hoping to help Heather spice up her new digs directed our attention to trove, a New York company specializing in some of the most visually arresting wallpaper I’ve ever seen. If my lease were any more lenient, I’d be all over this errai print — and almost any other of their stunning options (which in some ways resemble art-directed petrie dishes). The papers are print to fit the future space in order to limit waste, and are also available in customized color combinations for more demanding design requirements, because in case you hadn’t noticed — wallpaper is so hot right now.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been scouring the internet looking for the perfect pocket-sized camera that can go with me everywhere as a supplement to my trusty Digital Rebel — preferably something with some personality, to boot. I haven’t settled on a camera yet, but in my searches I stumbled across the Rollei Rolleiflex MiniDigi (try saying that one five times fast). If you’re familiar with with the Rollei name at all, it’s probably from their 1920’s twin lens reflex Rolleiflex camera which has maintained its popularity, even into today’s photography world.

To keep up with today’s digital age, Rollei has introduced a pocket-sized reproduction of the original Rolleiflex called the MiniDigi. The MiniDigi maintains a construction that’s faithful to the original design, complete with twin lenses up front (the top one is purely for aesthetics) and a hand crank that has to be turned to reset the shutter for the next shot. Add into the mix a 3MP sensor that shoots in a square format (the original Rolleiflex shot 6cm x 6cm medium format film) and a minuscule size of 4.9cm x 7.3cm x 4.5cm, and you’ve got what might just be the perfect pocket camera for grabbing street shots.

Images from the MiniDigi apparently have a vein of unpredictability, much like the venerable Holga toy camera. A user over on the Fred Miranda board described the images for me: “Sometimes they look like normal 3 MP digital images. Other times they have flare, distortion, color shifts or other inexplicable weirdness.” Check some out for yourself at the Flickr MiniDigi group.

The $200 price tag has me still debating on whether to grab one of these little guys, but I have a feeling I may cave pretty soon. If anyone has either a MiniDigi or a Ricoh GR Digital (another camera I’m considering), please fill me in on your thoughts!

–Danny Nathan