Lost AT E Minor

WE'RE THINKING

GeekStiff4U is offering some pretty nifty, hand-crafted, skull-shaped USB flash drives that can be worn as rings. The $156 price-tag may ward off non-geeks, but that’s the point. This item is only for people really committed to transferring data in style.

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Working out of Latvia, Riga, artist Ilgvars Zalans creates lush, vibrant pieces that are at once unsettling for their mashed up textures as they are eerily and awkwardly beautiful. Of his art, he says: ‘I focus on images and motifs that are fundamental, archetypal, and universal in human experience, as opposed to those that are socially determined’. Read more

WE'RE LISTENING TO

I haven’t been this excited by a band in a long time. Florida’s Black Kids have crept under — and now over — the radar through a demo and some serious internet buzz from NME and Pitchfork. Not only are they ridiculously good, they’ve also offered their four-song demo — Wizard of Ahhh’s — for free on their MySpace page. Sweet.

[audio:http://butterteam.com/02%20I'm%20Not%20Gonna%20Teach%20Your%20Boyfriend%20How%20To%20Dance%20With%20You.mp3]

WE'RE WEARING

Australian-born creative, Marc Newson, is considered to be one of the most influential designers of the past few decades. Having originally studied jewellery and sculpture at Sydney College of the Arts, ‘he started experimenting with furniture design as a student and, after graduating in 1984, was awarded a grant from the Australian Crafts Council, and staged an exhibition — featuring the Lockheed Lounge — at the Roslyn Oxley Gallery in Sydney’. Read more

WE'RE READING

DJ Spooky — That Subliminal Kid — is just about the deepest crate digger around, trawling the barrels of long-lost record stores for choice vinyl to spin in his wickedly dubby sets. He gave us the inside word last week on his eight favourite songs right now via our sister website, My Secret Playlist. This is what he had to say about Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Panic in Babylon: ‘If there’s anything that the twenty-first century has told us, it’s that dub is the real original hip-hop. Lee Scratch even had to make it clear in 1965 by adding “Scratch” to his middle name. Take that, Grandmaster Flash!’ Read the rest of DJ Spooky’s Secret Playlist.

In Japan, when one makes squeezing gestures with both hands at chest level, one is gesturing that one wants candy — soft, round, bouncy candy. At least, that’s what this commercial would have us believe.

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Look closely at the froth of this latte and you’ll see a portrait carved out amongst the grains and milk. It’s a truly a work of art and it’s a feature of the coffee served at Richmond, Melbourne cafe Flavours of Lakhoum. Check, please!