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Punting on designs

An archaeologist at Stanford, Michael Shanks, has completed an interesting study of the ‘prodigious amount of thought’ given to the design and layout of a casino’s gambling floor, such as the pictured Las Vegas Venetian. ‘Studies have shown that carpeting is often purposefully jarring to the eyes, which draws customers’ gaze upwards toward the machines on the gambling floor. Music is usually mild and soothing, and plays on a continuous loop rather than individual songs, contributing to a trance-like feeling of warmth and comfort in the gamblers. It has even been reported that casinos have attempted to manipulate the air circulation in order to affect the behavior of gamblers’.

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From the decaying European streets of Buenos Aires to the smoky punk clubs of Beijing, rad stuff is happening everywhere. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to keep up.
Looking for the perfect gift? Check out the goodies in the Lost At E Minor online store or for a curated range, try this selection of cool presents.

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eVaro 3-wheel electric vehicle

This year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas was home to several electric vehicles, yet the eVaro seems to have garnered the most attention, boasting zero carbon emissions for 90 per cent of the time spent on the road and an impressive mpg of 275. Read more

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Robert Mars’ portrait of old Las Vegas

This insightful and striking series of artwork by Robert Mars looks at an ‘old Las Vegas that is being replaced by corporate themed mega-casinos’. Read more

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Aussie Map Wall Clock

Struth! We’re now stocking the beautifully designed and overtly Australian range of products by Aussie illustrator, Eamo. Perfect for those of us living abroad, who miss the taste of Vegemite and the smell of the beach, or those whose fleeting connection with the big brown land has left them longing for more.

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We’re now stocking your creations

Our online store has been kicking along nicely for a while now, featuring prints by Andy Smith [pictured], tees by Das Monk and jewellery by This Charming Man to name a few. We have visitors from all across the globe and some of our pieces have been racing out the virtual door faster than we imagined possible. Aw, shucks! Now it’s your turn. If you design, create, or distribute products and artwork that fits with our style, and you’d like to see your goodies stocked on our shelves in time for Christmas, drop us a note introducing yourself and we’ll take it from there. Psst … we’re planning some Christmas gift ideas and subscriber offers too. We reckon you’ll like them.

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Buy This Charming Man

The knuckle sandwich charm necklace by This Charming Man features two pieces of bread on either side of a tiny set of brass knuckle dusters. Rad huh? Get yours now for $140.

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Fresh from having his iconic image of Barack Obama splashed across the cover of Time Magazine’s Person Of The Year issue, Shepard Fairey — also the creator of the ubiquitous Andre The Giant sticker — has been confirmed as a guest editor of an issue of the free weekly Lost At E Minor publication, to go out in mid-January, in which he will write exclusively for us about his favorite artists right now and talk about the artwork that has excited him most in 2008. It’s going to be a very interesting read, an insight into the inspirations behind the street art of this seminal LA artist, and you can sign up to receive it for free simply by subscribing to our free weekly email publication.


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I love Copenhagen’s Meyers Deli. I don’t know if it’s the giant plates of organic food or the super cool and warm environment. Read more

Illustrator Hope Gangloff has a stack of her ‘election’ tees from the previous US election available for sale which she created with the talented New York-based artist (and her hubbie, no less!), Ben Degen. Even though they were done to mark Bush’s reappointment, they still kinda sum up her mood on the tussle between Obama and McCain. ‘If the election gets stolen’, she says. ‘What say we burn down the capital instead of blogging about it?’. Hmmm, now there’s an idea.


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Dan Hiller mixes a gothic sensibility with a tribal roughness in his haunting watercolors and ink drawings of skulls and tree-headed figures. His mash-up of old Victorian engravings are simple but eerie, and have an almost logographic quality about them — they’re great tattoo ideas.

LA’s premier art and design magzine, Arkitip, has gone all out with the ‘free’ giveaway for issue no. 0045 and has included a 9″ x 12″ Evan Hecox 2-color silk screen print signed by the artist! Read more

Improv Everywhere strikes again with a spontaneous musical in a Los Angeles mall. Wireless microphones hooked up to the mall’s PA system ensured the feeding masses didn’t slip into Cinnabon-induced comas until after the show was over. Note especially the angry dude in sunglasses at about 2:51 — apparently he thinks nothing can ever top Rent.

Oh man, close your eyes if you will and transport yourself to a place far, far away; where disco is in, polyester is up, and everyone bows long and deep to the gravitational pull of the almighty afro. Sister Self-Doubt by The Shakes takes me there. It takes me front and centre, feeling that slippery, incidenary groove as it crunches my spine and works its way to my feet. Hmmm, the feet. It’s always in the feet. And now I’m dancing and twisting, onwards and upwards, like a manic spinning top thinking nothing of today and even less of tomorrow.

Listen to The Shakes track, Sister Self Doubt.

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Amazing cake designs by Charm City Cakes

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Car from made ice

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T-post: the world’s first wearable magazine

So here’s the scoop. Every six weeks, T-post subscribers get a new t shirt issue in the mail, with a news story on the inside and an artist interpretation of that story on the front. Yes, we agree. It’s clever, clever. Read more

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1970s and 80s Soviet Union buildings

Cambodian born photographer Frederic Chaubin is the editor of French magazine Citizen K. His photo series on bizarre buildings built in the former Soviet Union during the 1970s and 80s is absolutely fascinating. Read more

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The Swimmers

I live the upbeat, feel good tempo of the new single — A Hundred Hearts — from Philly group, The Swimmers. Off their latest album, People Are Soft, this song is a strangely fitting anthem for the blustery day outside.


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Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more

This pendant by Portland designer Stephanie Stimek hangs from an eighteen inch 14 carat gold chain. Made from a Japanese quail egg, the entire shell has been coated in plastic for strength and is available for purchase through the Lost At E Minor store. Read more

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