Haft2Know

GE presents a handy tool to help you figure out how much power your old window air conditioner is actually using - how much it costs per year or month and how much oil it uses. While it was developed for the American user - and developed by Pentagram I might add which is why it's so good-looking - this clever interface is customizable for a number of large and small appliances and will tell you whether or not you should feel bad about cranking your ceiling fan these days.

Start figuring out your monthly power bill here.

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Happy New Year. In these early, dark months of the year, it's easy to feel light deprived, which can affect how you sleep, feel, think, or accept criticism. Philips thinks they've found a way to begin your day with the rising sun at your bedside. Starting a half-hour before your set alarm time, the Philips Wake-Up light gets brighter gradually, gently awakening your body with a pleasant glow, as opposed to the 'Evacuate the Reactor' siren you may currently experience. If desired, sounds of nature can be programmed to accompany your false dawn.

This link is gradually getting brighter.

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This holiday season, your tailor is being replaced by a robot. Alton Lane is a custom suit retailer in New York's Flatiron Building. In the shop, they've a black booth to step into - not unlike the security booth at the airport - only this one requires you be in just your underwear. Once inside, lights and lasers and 'the future' will then scan your entire body and record your exact measurements. Then, after selecting style and fabric for your custom duds, someone, somewhere on the other side of the world will fashion a suit made specifically for your body.

Three weeks and less than $500 later, your suit will arrive to your home. And shortly afterward, you'll no doubt be planning your next visit to Alton Lane.

AltonLane.com

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Finally, Lonely Planet has just released their list of top 10 countries to visit in 2010. If you don't know, Lonely Planet is the go-to resource for people looking for a travel adventure that's a little out of the ordinary. Some destinations not usually considered include El Salvador and Suriname. Others are unsurprising repeat recommendations - Portugal, Greece (pictured) and New Zealand. A surprise on the list is the United States, which the company has deemed 'cool again', thanks probably in no small part to a young and popular President.

Here's a great collection of images of these places, courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald.

And the Lonely Planet book about all of them is here.

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In our ongoing quest to find things to custom order on-line, our friends at Hipstery.com might be at the helm of the next wave of custom ordering, which is this. You don't actually design it / choose it / determine it yourself, you merely supply information to the seller, and based on what they discover about you, they select it for you. Hipstery.com will ask you a number of questions including "What's your preferred method of air travel?" and "At the movies, which armrest belongs to you?". Depending on your answers, a t-shirt is chosen to suit you and sent along. The burden of choice can be daunting.

Here it is

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Our friends at Compendium Inc. have a way of combining colour and words that'll make you blink, think and reflect. A recent release of theirs is The Five Book - a collection of text and thought inspiring you to ask yourself some real questions, namely - where will you be in five years? And what will you have done between now and then? Give the little vid a watch. And then think about it.

The link is here. Very cool.

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Ed Hardy is everywhere. You can now buy wallets and thermoses and umbrellas and briefs emblazoned with the tattoo-ine graphics that the company has come to represent. And company president Christian Autigier is ensuring that his brand isn't disappearing any time soon.

And so with a drum-roll and respectful nod to truly perfect timing, I'm pleased to announce the release of Ed Hardy Hand Sanitizer. Brilliant and a little opportunistic, it comes at a time when the entire Western world will be scrubbing everything clean, in the hopes of keeping at bay, nasty flu germs. Very smart.

Probably best to wash your hands first, before clicking the link here

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Here's another way to weather the current economic gales. Blue Star Jets is a company that was originally formed by a group of business executives who realized that not all passengers for private jets actually need to own an aircraft. There was a market for those who were looking merely to lease a jet for a day or a few.

Well now the company has found a way to further cut those pesky private jet fees. It's called 'Share-A-Jet', and it's an online search engine that allows potential customers to look for others taking a similar route, thus allowing them to share the expense of the journey. A regularly updated list of available flights will give you an idea as to where people are going, and uh, what they're paying to go there. Here's the list here.

And be sure to check out the company's Jackie Mason testimonial video. Clearly, jet sharing has worked for him.

http://www.bluestarjets.com

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and have it delivered within 7 days or less. Try your creative ability by choosing from one of several colour combinations from the Urban Outfitters Bike Shop. They've teamed up with Republic to bring us some amazing wheels. Aristotle is a singlespeed bicycle with a fixed/free hub. Fixed gear or track bikes have their rear cog attached or "fixed" to the rear wheel. A fixed gear bicycle is essentially a singlespeed bicycle. However, singlespeed bikes allow the rider to coast without pedaling, but on a fixed gear bicycle you can't coast without pedaling. So, you're always pedaling on a fixed-gear bicycle.

Continue reading "Build your own Aristotle" »

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Here's a collection of DVDs for the new - the very new of us. Wee See is a series of animations designed to stimulate a newborn's vision, not to mention doing so with a visual taste lacking in most children's products. We're not convinced the best way to teach Baby is in front of the TV, but it's hard to deny the appeal of this monochromatic world. Here's the mesmerizing link.

And here's a taste of the animation here:

wee see - collection one from Rolyn Barthelman on Vimeo.

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More and more, we can customize online everything we could possibly want. You can monogram clothing, engrave a coffee pot, publish a manuscript, and design your own credit card, all within the comfort of your own room. Here's another example of an idea that's not new, but so terribly appealing. Design your own Converse sneaks. Choose from leather or canvas; low or high top, and a vast spectrum of delicious colours. Somehow, I think we're not far off from customizing an entire wardrobe, without ever having to glance a salesperson in the eye.

Design your own sneaks here.

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Well if you've been unsuccessful in finding just the right Halloween costume for your dog, (yes, you read that correctly) you may want to pay a trip to your local Target store to peruse their selection of pet dress-up duds. The possibilities will make you laugh out loud, first at the unavoidable cuteness (you have to admit) and then at the ensuing absurdity of what this really means.

The pet industry in the United States was worth a staggering $41 billion in 2007, according to The American Pet Products Manufacturers' Association, up from $21 billion in 1996. You might think these numbers will fall as the economy makes us reconsider our spending habits, but apparently the pet industry is nearly immune to such fiscal fears. Those that will be the least affected by the downturn will be the ones most likely to continue buying spa days and velvet divans and uh, costumes like this, for Sir Barks-a-lot.

http://www.target.com/b/ref=sc_fe_l_1_1038602_6/601-2893872-4228155?ie=UTF8&node=343171011
http://www.pawpalaceonline.com/coats-jackets-luxury-coats-c-1_6_118.html

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Every day in Japan, students across the country eat lunches prepared by the school they attend, following a tradition that began in 1890. These meals, called 'kyushoku' are now proving popular in fast-food restaurants and taverns, not because the food is so delicious, but rather because they give Japanese citizens a chance to reflect upon their youths in the public school system. One tavern by the name of "Gakko ni Iko!" or "Let's Go Back To School", in the Shizuoka Prefecture features desks, chairs and a blackboard from a defunct elementary school. The difference in this classroom though, is that alcohol is served with the noodles. It makes me want to visit my old alma mater with a glass in hand.

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Gone are the days of black, white, red and blue. Car manufacturers are devoting much more resources to developing colour palettes that both entice and satisfy specific demographics. Ford's been talking about the palette it developed for its all new 2009 Lincoln MKS and in these days of auto-frugality, they took a chance and fostered the creation of a palette meant both to highlight the vehicle's architectural elements, as well as convey a spirit of quality. Colour names like Tuxedo Black Metallic, White Suede, Smokestone and Cinnamon round out this palette of 'liquid luxury'.

http://www.ford.com

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Only in Dubai. Here's another speculative design from the city of desert dreams. The Cloud will be a resort city elevated 300 metres above Dubai and supported on slanting legs meant to resemble rain. Designed by Lebanese architectural firm Atelier Hapsitus, The Cloud is inspired by desert nomads, whose lives have always been defined by their relationship to clouds which they followed for water, and for survival. The structure itself is a 20,000 square metre platform comprising bridges, walkways, gardens, an auditorium and lake. No word yet on when construction may begin, but we can dream about it.

http://www.hapsitus.com/

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Every day in New York City, a kitchen in a truck by the name of Sugar makes the rounds, selling freshly baked cookies, brownies and the sweet like to passersby. The Treats Truck was the brainchild of Kim Ima and borne of her dual love of baking and New York City. Ima offers a rotating selection of both innovati and classics including Oatmeal Jammies, Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies and rice crispy squares. Ima and her team don't purport to make anything fancy, merely some of the best baked sweets you could grab on a weekday Manhattan afternoon. The website offers a daily schedule of when and where in the city "Sugar" might be found. Available for special orders.

http://www.treatstruck.com

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This image is from a blog that we couldn't possibly ignore. People send in snaps of cranky notes they've seen in and around the world. The site's constantly being updated so check in regularly.

http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com

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