Google Map envelopes
Now this is what we call lateral thinking. Two students in the Industrial Design program at Syracuse University have invented Google Map envelopes, a concept whereby you beat — or help out — the misdirected postal system by printing out a Google Map as the envelope, showing where the letter is coming from and where it’s going to. What’s more, they want Google to incorporate this function into Gmail, enabling you to send your snail mail directly through the interface itself. Brilliant!
Tagged: industrial design
RELATED
Ask any industrial designer what their goal at the end of the day is, and they’ll most likely tell you this: to make an object that is both beautiful and efficient. But what happens when an object can no longer function as it was designed to? Is it still beautiful, or is it a piece of junk? Read more
Reckon you’re the next Yves Behar? Ask him yourself
Herman Miller’s flagship designer Yves Behar, the brains behind the $100 Laptop, NYC Condom and SAYL chair is coming to Australia in February. If you fancy yourself as a bit of legend in the design stakes, you have the opportunity to meet and present your work to Yves and find out for sure. You could even find yourself working at a Yves’ studio in San Francisco.
Also by ZOLTON
How the Internet’s biggest sites looked at launch
How the times have changed! Check out these awesome screenshots of how some of our favourite websites looked at the very moment they launched back in the day, then be grateful for the savvy workings of digital designers. Mind you, I think the New York Times back then kinda looked easier to read. Read more
Hire a professional dumper to end your relationship
Marketing executive Jonathan Kiekbush has a pretty interesting night job: he breaks up people’s relationships. That’s right, for a small set fee (£5 plus expenses), he’s a professional dumper. Trivial fact: most of his clients are men. Not surprisingly, as our friends at Oddity Central have noted, he’s single himself.
Stunning tattoo design by Jun Cha
I love these black and grey tattoos by 22 year-old fine artist Jun Cha, who was recently featured in the prestigious Juxtapoz Tattoo II book. Read more
HAVE YOUR SAY
The first time I ran across Sarah Morrison’s photography, I was perusing psychedelic bands on line. The photo that caught my eye was of a model in a very cool dress, flanked by members of The Electric Prunes. Read more
Forbes magazine just posted this awesome interactive map that shows the migration patterns of Americans based on IRS data from 2008.
The Deal sisters have dropped off the indie-rock radar of late, but this clip of them covering Hank Williams’ I Can’t Help It reminds us why we all loved them so much back in the day. Incidentally, the Breeders are set to release their new album, Mountain Battles, in April.
Paintings from Nicholas Aoki’s new solo exhibition, Goodnight; Sweet, Hearts blur two worlds — one of mortals and one of Gods, skeletons and creature spirits. The Toronto-based Aoki uses watercolors and acrylics to create rich landscapes that he layers with the characters in this journey to death. And while the paintings contain a dark subject matter, they also contain flashes of light — a glowing full moon, say, or lamp posts helping guide the way.
The demise of our beloved print medium is a harsh reality that a lot of independent magazines have been dealing with for the past five years at least. So we all frequent a ton of different sites that we like and one in particular that’s really given itself a pick-me-up online, for the better good of longevity and legacy, is Planet magazine. Read more
It’s pretty bold to release a 25 track double CD as your first album, but singer-songwriter Benji Hughes doesn’t care. Themes of love and heartbreak run though the album and his folk-tinged pop draws comparisons to Beck, The Eels and The Magnetic Fields. [portrait by Vanessa Prager]
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Skagen are a Danish-born design company based out of Nevada with an innovative and clean approach to their work. Their trademark product is this titanium mesh watch, which I’ve worn with pride for years. But they also produce different models of sunglasses and jewellery. When so many products these days offer extra gimmicks and weigh you down by their size, Skagen strip it all back and, in doing so, hoist themselves far above the pack.
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
It’s refreshing to see artists like Joe Kievitt who are contented to explore the beauty in simple forms and asymmetrical patterns. Read more
Michelle Blade’s psychedelic artwork
Michelle Blade’s washed out paintings are deceptively simple, her washy acrylics creating psychedelic textures and conjuring ghostly figures from the past. Read more
Christoph Niemann illustrates a nightmare flight
New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann has created a brilliant visual diary outlining the peril and pitfalls that beset the everyday passenger based on his recent experience flying from New York to his home town of Berlin. Read more
Never ever, ever, ever, ever park here
Some friendly advice for the neighbours, who simply don’t get it, or street art? You decide which one it is.
Benjamin Edminston’s psychedelic heads seem to have some fearful wisdom behind their blissed-out eyes. Read more
In the Little Companions Rebelling Against the Magician t-shirt, label The Balletcats capture everything that we love about the holiday season: rebellion, flames, and striped pants. Nothing short of a classic family gathering! While everything that The Balletcats do is genius, this shirt has an extra bit of zip: it’s an exclusive for Lost At E Minor, and available to buy at our online store.
Read more
If you have a Twitter feed that focuses on cool pop cultural things and you’d like to swap Tweets with Lost At E Minor and other like-minded Twitterers, drop us a note (with Tweet Swap in the title). We have a system in place and we’d like to have you in on it! [illustration by Brad Fitzpatrick]
FOLLOW US
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it's not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.
Michelle Ward said | 13 April, 2010
that is so CLEVER!!! thanks for sharing the genius idea!