Monday, November 26, 2007

MoMA's New Neighbor


The well renowned French architect Jean Nouvel already has some projects in the New York City area, but now he will transform the city’s skyline with a proposed 75 story tower in Midtown, Manhattan. The building promises to be the most exhilarating addition to the skyline in a generation. It will include a luxury hotel, condos and a 40,000 sq. ft. addition to the MoMA.

The Museum is considering how it might resituate the contemporary galleries in the new tower and gain more space for architecture shows in the old… nice!

Via The New York Times

Sunday, November 25, 2007

An Open Letter To My IPod

Dear IPod,

It’s been a long, painful and panic-inducing week with the radio since you’ve been sick.

Last time I heard you, The Strokes were rocking and rolling wonderfully while I was walking down the streets of NYC. But now I find myself scanning through a bunch of useless radio stations playing tedious songs from artists? like Daddy Yankee, Lil' Jon, Fergie, T-Pain, Britney and 50 Cent… just to name a few. I drive around the city, trying to find one single good song I can sing along with until I get to my final destination.

I know, I know. It was bad when I dropped you at Starbuck a year ago; or when I left you inside the Honda exposed to high temperatures; or when I spilled Pepsi on you that time; or when I left you behind at a friend’s house until I rescued you.

But you’re a warrior. You’ve been with me since your infancy almost 3 years ago and I cultivated you into my eclectic musical taste. Now I don’t know if to take you to the doctor in an attempt to revive you or if to trade you for a younger, smarter, thinner you.

But for now, I will continue removing the dust off of those old CDs I used to play.

I am sick of the Top 40!

Jamie G. Awesome

Airplane Cutlery




Anne Lorenz is the designer behind this very clever set of plastic cutlery for Lufthansa Airlines. Visit her site here.

Less Is More


The notion that simplicity and clarity lead to good design... Van Der Rohe was right about this. Simplicity sells, plain and simple, and that's exactly what this ad is about.
There's not a single element in this ad that needs to be added or withdrawn. A minimal visual concept, a logo, one word to reinforce the main selling element and you're done!
Congrats to the designer (C. B. Grey in France) and the client (Sensodyne) for letting the agency keep this ad simple. The hardest part of designing isn't coming up with ideas; it's making sure the idea stays simple.

[I love the hard hat concept!]

Bad Album Covers





Yep. These are only a few of the worst album covers ever. The lesson? Well, a bad album can ruin your career... right Ken?
I mean...is the combination of that helmet hair, blankly staring eyes and bad facial hair. Oh! And what's up with the white safari suit?
Find more at The Museum Of Bad Album Covers.

Play, Live, Create: Simple IKEA Ads



These ads make me want to throw out all my new furniture, go shoppping and redo my apartment. Great graphic design by Jun von Matt in Hamburg, Germany. He was able to capture successfully the smart and simple look of the brand.

MC Hammer



MC Mallet, by Australian design studio Vert Design, is a CNC cut out flat packed hammer. Ideal for woodworking, furniture assembly or as a child's toy.
The plywood flat-pack mallet sells for AU$40 and you can purchase it here.

Friday, November 23, 2007

'I Buy Nothing' Day









Aah! Black Friday... for those who don't live in the States or Canada is the day after the fourth Thursday of November each year or the day after Thanksgiving; a major shopping spree/consumer event starting the run-up to the Christmas holidays.

…As well as a day where I buy nothing… a day were I stay away as far as I can from malls and shopping centers.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

ChairStoolBench




This beautiful piece of art furniture is called ChairStoolBench by German designers Yvonne Fehling and Jennie Peiz. Here's the website where you can see the rest of the collection.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!


Wishing you all the special joys of this Thanksgiving season...

Sunday, November 18, 2007

A Fun Read


I just finished reading a couple of days ago The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. This book is a guaranteed fun read but not meant to be a work of literature. I am not a fan of chick lit but somehow I was drawn to this little book at a small bookstand.

Samantha, the main character, is a smart and successful corporate attorney who works very hard to become a partner at the law firm. She dedicates so much time to work and no time for herself that people around her consider her a workaholic. Yes, everything in her life is exaggerated: her family blows off her birthday, she doesn’t know what a vacuum cleaner bag is, her boss moves to the same apartment building were she lives, and she works all the time… literally. I don’t think the plot being implausible is a problem; that's actually what makes it so funny.

Then eventually she makes a major mistake. She freaks out and takes a train to the countryside. Later somehow, someway she becomes a housekeeper to a rich couple. Her lack of skill at general household tasks is absolutely hilarious! And the rest of the story I won’t tell you.

But in essence, I really enjoyed this very light and entertaining story with a bit of the unbelievable. It has a great mix of humor, romance, friendships, trials and troubles. I especially enjoyed the book because I identify myself with Samantha since I live a similar life. This is a book that made me laugh out loud.

But it did have one major weakness: the book was too quick of a read. I bought it in the airport and read half of the book before I landed. If it weren’t because I got to Miami so late at night, I could have finished the book that same day

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Warehouse For Art

Walking down the Manhattan meatpacking district, I passed by a big warehouse with full height storefronts. To my surprise, I saw an array of beautiful and colorful shipping containers inside, so I couldn’t resist walking in.

I found out that the 19th-century warehouse is owned by The Bohen Foundation: a non-profit organization whose mission is the commissioning of new works of art with an emphasis on film, video, new media, and installation. The foundation has exhibitions in MoMA, Guggenheim and other important modern art museums.

The main floor was transformed into a unique art gallery and, right when I walked in, the team of LOT-EK Architecture was working on cutting, painting and beautifying the containers. They were nice enough to let me take these pictures. The architects designed not only the containers but the entire main floor, incorporating their trademark shipping containers, painted bright red with a punch of blue.

The only three containers I was able to see, some cut away, some with Plexiglas serve as an office, a library and I couldn’t figure out what the third one was since it was still under construction. The coolest thing is that each of the containers rests on tracks that allow them to move back and forth like railroad cars.

Thank you to the lady who let me in to take these nice photos.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Wallpaper Making A Modern Comeback

Well guys, photo murals are slowly making a modern comeback. Nope, these are not the typical cheesy, tacky 70’s wallpaper. They’re beautiful murals that bring depth to any room in the house. Look at these pictures from Jupiter Hotel in Portland, Oregon.

Moving


I wish moving could be this quick... can it be?
http://www.tomballhatchet.com

Another ID Story...

Last night at a TGI Friday’s in NYC:

A 40 something year-old waitress: “Hello! Good evening and welcome to TGI Friday’s! What would you like to drink?
Me: “Good evening! May I have a Bass, please?”
Waitress: “Okay. May I see your ID?”

I pick up my ID with confidence and hand it to her. She grabs the card and scans through it very quickly. She hands it back to me and all of a sudden her smile turns into this serious face:

Waitress: “Lady… How old are you?”
Me: “Uh… old?”
Waitress: “Ma’am! I am sorry but I won’t be able to serve you alcohol! You’re under aged.”
Me: “Excuse me?”
Waitress: “You heard! You were born in 1989, meaning you’re too young to drink alcohol!”
Me: “Hehe. Didn’t you see my ID right now?”
Waitress: “Yes. I saw it! And it’s illegal for you to drink alcohol.”
Me: “Um, here it is again” – I said while passing her the ID a second time.

She looks at it for a few seconds and her mouth opens. She gave me back the card slowly and said:

Waitress: “Oh... Oh! I am so sorry ma’am! I thought I saw 1989 but it says 1979… I’m so embarrassed.”
Me: “Haha! Don’t be… it’s okay. You actually made my night.”
Waitress: “I’ll bring you the Bass right now.”
Me: “Thanks!”

For the rest of night at the restaurant, every time she looked at me, she laughed… and I laughed back.

The things that happen to me. I tell ya…

Monday, November 12, 2007

Bad Writer! Bad Writer!

I've been business traveling for a few days now. I know, I know... I've been a bad writer lately and I apologize. Work is keeping me extremely busy. Tomorrow again I’ll be on my way to New York City and won’t be back for a few days, so posts are gonna be sporadic at best.

As a parting gift, here’s a blog dedicated to all the unnecessary quotation marks out there. Definitely worth a look.

Take care guys!

Jamie G. Awesome

Sunday, November 11, 2007

The Big Apple

Just came back from NYC last night. This time around, I was there to work... not vacationing like I usually do. But it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the wonderful Big Apple... oh, no! I walked around during my free time, visited the family, enjoyed the delicious food...


Every time I visit the city, I feel like not coming back to South Florida. Maybe is a sign that this is where I want to be... only time will tell.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Collage Of CD Covers

Neufmusic is a French music download site which came up with this clever collages using album covers... cool, isn't it?



Circular Sofabed


Check out this circular bed (that doesn't rotate like those 70's bed... thank God) designed by Saba Italia. Is called the Scoop Bed and it's a sofabed that splits into two, converting into a nice comfortable sofa... or single bed for me. You'll have to extend your legs to get lumbar support.

Via Core 77

Monday, November 5, 2007

Dear Jamie,

No offense, but you’ve been posting very little lately. It's not your fault, you’ve had very little time, your mind has been focused on work and you just haven’t had any conversations or anecdotes worth writing about recently.

Sometimes I wish we knew more about law or politics and stuff, since politicians tend to talk a lot about things that don’t make any sense.

I'm pretty sure something exciting and worth writing about will come up before the end of the week. Ah! New York City…

Love always,

Jamie Awesome

The Keyboard Of My Dreams


A PC keyboard made of chocolate, by Michael Sholk. I like the spacebar the most... yum!

Go Barefoot!


Now you can go barefoot for months!... well, not literally...
Barefoot Sneakers by I Am Okat.com

It's All About The Hair...



A hair salon advertisement found in Rutland, VT. You just need to cut a hole in the middle so that you can put your face through it. It's all about the hair...

Sunday, November 4, 2007

A Small Delivery From The Music Department

'Lover I Don't Have To Love' - Bright Eyes
This is a song with a semi-industrial style, a dark bass line, creepy bell sound and lyrics that don’t describe an ideal love but more like sexual lust.
There are few writers out there who can capture in writing life's true pain of love lost and love never found. But Conor Oberst, singer and songwriter for Bright Eyes, has found it in his emotional lyrics and his passionate delivery of pain.
Yeah, I have to admit I had to learn to like this album. It's definitely an acquired taste and not suitable for a weak heart.


'Nocovaine For The Soul' - Eels

This is a decent song, although I remember listening to this album for the first time a while back and saying: ‘Eh, it’s alright, not bad’ or ‘Eh, that's okay’. I have a little problem with this band… they just don’t blow me away.
"Novocaine for the Soul" is their best single in my opinion but I wouldn’t give it a 10... I really want to but for some reason I can’t. Maybe is the singer’s voice or the instrumentation being unspectacular. I know of a few people who absolutely love this band, but I still don’t understand why.

The Invisible House


Urbain and Elisabeth Souriaun wanted to create a family vacation home with a very unique concept: to be undetected near and far. So they hired French architecture firm R&Sien to create a house inspired by a spider net which will be called The Invisible House.
Finished in early 2007, the house is located in a very dense forest plantation in NĂ­mes, France.

From far away you an only see a discrete white mesh in the middle of the forest, but the landscape architect expects for the house to be lost in the woods in about 5 years.
It was constructed out of plastic sheets to create the wall divisions and plastic mesh for netting and wrapping the trees to dig a labyrinth in the branches.
The mesh creates a porosity sensation and windy refreshing, mystifying interior from exterior.



Via Plataforma Arquitectura

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Tetris Furniture?

This is just perfect for anyone who lives in a very small apartment in the city. It's called '2 + 1': a multi-purpose piece of furniture that can be used as a table and chairs, sofa and a single bed.
Designed by SDESIGNUNIT, a co-working design unit of product designer.