I just got back from a week at the very rockin’ 14th Goiania Noise Festival in Goiania, Brazil’s unofficial indie music capital in the center of the country. Local label Monstro Records‘ baby turned teenager that provides a comprehensive look at what’s going on in this small but vibrant scene. The highlights were the Black Lips, Black Mekon and Helmet — seriously, I wonder why I never caught on to the latter before and I’m still recovering from self-inflicted whiplash from all that head banging — but I was amped to find out what Brazil’s underground groups have up their record sleeves.

Of the 45 bands, the ones that stuck with me most were Marcelo Camelo’s (of Los Hermanos fame) decidedly low-key rock, Holger’s pogo-inspiring rhythms, festival founder and Monstro labelhead Fabricio Nobre’s MQN. The sensational Instituto show, which united about a dozen members from some big names in Brazilian music from hip-hop to MPB (Nacao Zumbi and Funk Como Le Gusta) played samba/funk/hip-hop-tinged songs from the seminal Tim Maia.

Watching the thousands-strong audience at 3 a.m. singing along to the words from up in the balcony gave me the chills. Thanks to Fabricio and his team for their wonderful hospitality and an event that I’m looking forward to hitting again next year!

Design mastermind Joshua Davis has frequently created work worth fawning over since even before this site was in existence. His latest collaboration with Miquelrius, a Spanish brand boasting a vast array of stationery and accessories, is no different. The Long Island based artist’s newest drool-inducing digital images appear emblazoned on a line of high quality apparel that runs the gamut from notebooks to knapsacks and are so pretty you might just want to hang them up on your wall, buy some wine and cheese and host a gallery opening. If you’re not into playing host then you’d do perfectly fine to just use any in the line of products for their preferred practical purposes.

The great thing about online video is the ability to livecast (almost) as easily from the Arctic as a house in Idaho. Upcoming webcasts from Ice Stories: Dispatches from Polar Scientists promise extreme reports from the world’s fastest-warming places. Even if astronomy in Antarctica isn’t your bag, the San Francisco science museum Exploratorium’s site — with blog posts, panoramic photos, and videos from scientists and glaciologists — is well worth a visit. Yes, watching the solstice from both poles and looking at images of antifreeze fish can actually be a more intriguing than another cat trick video. The crew’s correspondence and Tweets are fun to read, especially given the seriousness of their work in extreme environments. What better way to celebrate the end of the International Polar Year this December?

At first glance, the Umbuster seems like it would offer you more protection in a dark alley than from dark clouds, but it’s actually a suitable safeguard from both. The umbrella, from Reyjavik-based designer Sruli Recht, was originally created as a prototype for a university project back in 2002 using a cheap pair of aluminum knuckle dusters bolted to a rather low-end umbrella. The product has come a long way since its modest beginnings as weaponry; finer materials and greater care in the production are evident in the updated version. Individual handles are hand cut in a five hour process, while the quality umbrella portions are provided courtesy Guy De Jean of France. The original prototype just finally succumbed to wear and tear this past month, making the Umbuster a potential ol’ battle axe of rain guards.

Comic book artist Phil Noto’s collection takes us to a world of gorgeous assassins wielding big guns, tantalizing facial expressions, and monstrous battle robots. While his illustration work on titles such as Grendel, Birds of Prey, and Jonah Hex exemplify his contribution to the comic book world, he also has other pieces that are silent snapshots of critical moments, battle stances and seductive looks. The muted colors give everything an old vibe, like watching reruns of 70s action shows. Our personal favorite is the chick with the wolves. See more at notoart.com