Between the MIT show and Microsoft’s vaporware, origami is back in a big way. Here’s drumsnwhistles answer: a very crisp green shirt. crisp, crisp shirt, green, origami, origami shirt, paper, shirt » about 100 words
Ben Apfelbaum died before having the chance to see it all come together, but his quirky idea seems to be a hit. Here’s how Jerry Cullum described it for the Atlanta Journal Constitution: “The Ben Show” was the brainchild of beloved Spruill Gallery director Ben Apfelbaum, who asked one day, “What’s in a name?” and […] » about 200 words
I have a rule about things I find in the supermarket: if it says “food” on the label, it probably isn’t. » about 200 words
The story here isn’t about why I’m on the Kate Spade mailing list. The story is about their new line of “paper.” It’s stationary, of course. The kind of formal paper people use to send out wedding invites and thank yous and whatever other little missives that email or AIM seem too uncouth for. I […] » about 300 words
I guess I can see why people might be willing to throw down $4000 or more for these fancy Northstar refrigerators, I mean, they remind rich young people of their grandma’s house, with fresh-baked cookies and a big glass of milk to dunk them in. I’ve gotta admit, I almost got suckered too. But why […] » about 100 words
I wasn’t really in the game, but when samb posted the above picture of David Brown’s typical meal, I couldn’t help but take it as a challenge. I never did get around to snapping a picture to match samb’s, and now I’ve got accept that there are others with more skill and determination than me. […] » about 100 words
Unattributable:
“Poetic justice is a lie. It’s no more real than military inteligence. The entire motivation for poetry is the unjust pain of life.”
Separately, what’s the appropriate LC classification for Scotch? My first thought was around PR600, but what do I know. Should it go elsewhere? What about other spirits?
Vegas knows liquor. Vegas knows drinks. They go well with cards and dice and slot machines and such. And even though the cards and dice and slot machines and such aren’t my reasons for going to town, I do enjoy a drink. Above, center you see the West Wing Bar’s Sidecar with cognac, triple sec […] » about 400 words
I convinced Sandee to join me at Atomic Liquors on Fremont Street, just beyond the Western Hotel Casino in what the Las Vegas Sun calls the “gritty underbelly of Las Vegas.” Owner Joe Sobchick and his wife Stella started business in 1945 with a cafe called Virginia’s. They converted it into a bar in 1953, […] » about 200 words
Jon Link is among the smartest and coolest people I know, so when he decides to start up a press, and then decides to fund his startup with t-shirt sales, I get in line. jon link, astro dog press, small press, publisher, t-shirts, start up, literature, poetry, art » about 100 words
I’ve been sitting on this story since October, hoping I’d be able to get to the show, but It’s increasingly clear that I’m not getting to NYC for a while. So, anyway… MoMA is showing SAFE: Design Takes On Risk Wired Magazine described it: Just in time for the wave of catastrophes plaguing our fragile […] » about 300 words
I caught the following story on NPR’s All Things Considered (RealAudio stream) last night: New York is known for its vibrant nightlife, yet in many bars and restaurants it’s illegal to dance. Now, a law professor is challenging the “Cabaret Laws,” claiming they violate a dancer’s right of free expression. The city says dancing by […] » about 300 words
I learned of Harmon’s Lunch from a mention on The Splendid Table a few weeks ago. I wrote down the following quote from the show from memory, so it may not be entirely accurate: They have two things on the menu, and nobody ever orders the other one. They serve hamburgers, and the only option […] » about 300 words
Hey, doesn’t the IKEA near Boston open today? Sure does. The company has 226 stores worldwide.
According to a story in the Pheonix:
Oddly enough, IKEA flopped when it opened its first US store in 1986. But by making concessions to American expectations (softer couches, American bed sizes, good thread counts) it gradually won over low-budget consumers attracted to its upmarket design, with its subtle implications of class mobility. That they were willing to bruise their toes lifting those deceptively heavy boxes speaks to the brand’s participatory appeal […]. It’s all part and parcel of IKEA’s goal “to create a better everyday life for the many people.”
On NPR’s Weekend Edition today: an interview with Michael Segel, author of The Devil’s Horn, subtitled “The Story of the Saxophone, from Noisy Novelty to King of Cool.” Adolph Sax’s instrument seems to have been controversial from the start. Other manufacturers tried to assassinate him, the Pope declared the church’s opposition to the instrument, Ladies […] » about 100 words
Compact, modular, and Lego-like housing is nothing new. Buckminster Fuller‘s Dymaxion House (now at the Henry Ford Museum), designed in the 1940s, was probably the first. But the Lustron House was actually sold commercially in the years after World War Two. Though it didn’t turn out to be a commercial success, the house did show […] » about 200 words
Chivas, the folks who bring us Chivas Regal scotch whisky and virtual tours of the Playboy Mansion, is looking for a pair of ambassador editors for ThisIsTheLife.com. The deal pays $100,000 to the lucky pair to tour the world making good press and pictures for the brand. You’ve got six more days to put together […] » about 100 words
My friend Troy keeps a studio at Saltworks, a combined gallery and studio space in Atlanta where Prema Murthy just opened her deStructures show. I was in Atlanta to see Troy and family, so the opening was added sugar, and quite a pleasure. The image above comes from Troy’s Above and Below series. tags: above, […] » about 100 words
Roderick sent me a link to this Reason article on Absinthe that claims: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers true absinthe “adulterated” because of the wormwood. Production, sale, and importation are banned, but mere possession is not, and customs agents typically ignore a bottle or two in your suitcase. It’s a legal situation that […] » about 200 words
The Nixon Rotolog. tags: nixon, nixon rotolog, rotolog, watch, wood panel, woody, wristwatch » about 100 words
Today is the first day of summer, according to Japan’s Environmental Ministry, and that means it’s time to take off the ties and suit jackets and put on “casual” clothes. The ministry has been leading a charge to reduce energy consumption and ease global warming by asking all government employees to leave their neckties at […] » about 300 words
Treated Mom to lunch at L.A. Burdick’s in Walpole today. The food at Burdick’s is always remarkable, but this time I got a decent photo of it. I’m calling the plate in front a real tuna salad. Yes, those are strips of medium-rare tuna, but it’s the pickled onions that delighted me. In the middle […] » about 200 words
Gizmodo posted a picture and a little text about BraveSpaceDesign‘s Tetris Shelves. More from BraveSpaceDesign can be seen in this post at Land+Living. They’re all the standard Tetris shapes constructed of walnut and ash. My previous attempts at cabinet making were miserable failures, but considering these shelves cost seven large — yes, $7,000 — it’s […] » about 100 words
There are at least two ways to appreciate Easter: To some it’s the most important religious event of the year, while, to others — your hosts here at MaisonBisson, for instance — it’s yet another good reason to gather friends and family ’round a table and celebrate good food, good wine, and all that makes […] » about 200 words
Pokia is setting the world on fire with their retro phone handsets. They’re taking apart phones from the 60s 70s and 80s and rewiring the handsets to plug into today’s mobile phones. They’re selling on Ebay, but most of the offerings are knock-offs. Now MobileMag reports that Boost Mobile, the carrier that sells overpriced wood […] » about 100 words