Elegy

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Australian illustrator Alice Carroll produces quirky and whimsical works. Each piece is a response to a word selected every week in order to keep up the creative tempo – quite an effective method as the results are intriguing. I warmed to her interpretation of ’sour’, in particular, as it captures the word right down to the knee bone, but in a strangely friendly way. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

71 is the kind of place which is small enough to miss, but once you see it, you realize everyone somehow knows about it. It’s set three steps down from the sidewalk level, and it’s always packed, except for week late nights and mid-mornings. Even though their service is not the friendliest — like any other spot in New York that’s too cool for school — 71 has a noticeably loyal clientele. Lots of writers hang out with their computers, while photographers check out the scene, and artists meet up with their reps. Besides hot and cold drinks, including their own coffee, they also offer a great selection of pastries, sandwiches and my friend Nicolas’ favorite chicken soup ever.

WE'RE WEARING

I’m super hyped about the Australian Summer lurking around the corner, so I’ve been on the lookout for some new protective sunnies for driving. Surprisingly, I found some uber-lovely Le Specs that look funky yet designer-esque due to the stylish sides. Read more

WE'RE THINKING

Sure, President Obama is just as human as the rest of us, and there is a certain excessiveness to the extent to which he’s been idealized, but I’d rather have a President the world views as a secret agent ninja than one the world views as a bumbling, ignorant fool. Can you imagine an action figure like this one by Hong Kong-based DID Corporation made of Dubya? If they did make one, it’d probably be along the lines of Maxwell Smart.

WE'RE READING

This odd, atmospheric animation by web artists Aaron Russ Clinger and Miltos Manetas is simple but effective, a finely rendered piece of interactive art. There are some pretty crazy things you can make the floating man do if you play around with this long enough.

I spent the formative first six years of my life in Wellington, New Zealand, a beautiful windswept city framed by a magnificent harbour in one direction and a stunning collection of green, rolling hills in the other. It was here, on a return visit many years later and deep amongst the clipped accents and ruddy faces of the weather-beaten locals, that I stumbled upon the vast catalogue of the then Dunedin based record label Flying Nun. And what a roster of acts they housed — The Chills, The Bats, The Clean, Tall Dwarfs, The Verlaines, and my favourite guitar-pop band, Straitjacket Fits. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

My friend Lenka Kripac, formerly of Aussie group Decoder Ring, now flying solo, has just released her debut single — The Show — and it’s as catchy a slice of pop hedonism as you’re ever going to hear. Be warned: one listen and you may never shake the melody.