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• iPod Nano: So Hot Right Now

  According to the Japanese government (and one random guy from Atlanta), Apple's iPod Nano suffers a battery defect that causes it to overheat, and occasionally, burst into flames. Several reports of it catching or starting fires have been logged, and it's also inflicted a handful of minor burns. So if you're listening to something really hot, you may want to scroll to a chiller playlist or go unplugged for a while, lest you singe some flesh on your mp3 player. Because that would be a lame wound to have to explain to people.
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  • Date: Aug 21 2008
  • Posted by alexandra_m

• My Moon, My Land

  For geography buffs and real estate sharks, a new frontier: Lunar real estate. In the interest of funding privatized exploration, settlement and development of the Moon,Lunar Registry is selling seemingly legit deeds to lunar property by the acre. While their mission statement to permanently inhabit the Moon by 2015 seems somewhat loony—or at least astronomically ambitious—shares of lunar land are copyrighted and deposited in the U.S. Library of Congress, the U.N. Depository Library, and international trademark and patent offices, among all kinds of other legal mumbo-jumbo, to indicate that for between 20 and 30 bucks an acre, you could secure a pretty solid post-apocalyptic back-up plan. The full moon atlas lists locations (Sea of Cold, Sea of Love, Sea of Clouds, etc.) and their zoning parameters (tourism, residential, scientific and commercial industrial) to assist you in choosing the best spot to set up outer-space shop. Recommended soundtrack for lunar real estate shopping: Feist's "My Moon, My Man"
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  • Date: Aug 18 2008
  • Posted by alexandra_m

• Wide-Eyed, Knee-Deep In Surprise...

  We can't believe we didn't see this one coming. If anyone out there has both an unhealthy obsession with Animé and an adventurous, even-keeled significant other, prepare to get all hot, bothered, and slightly unnerved: You'll soon be able to purchase contact lenses that lend you or the apple of your eye that archetypal Animé look.
  
  They also work for people who really, really liked Amélie.
  
  Thanks, Jaime.
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  • Date: Aug 12 2008
  • Posted by Patrick James

• Wizards Of Ospop

  Do you remember rainy days in elementary school? In between solving word searches and playing heads-up seven-up, an aide would wheel a film projector into the classroom. The lights would go out, the reel would click and spin, and you'd get to watch a 25-year old film about how crayons are made. It was glorious.
  
  If that childhood memory resonates with you, then you should take a look at this clip from Ospop, the China-based shoe company that makes and sells Tianlang Trainers (we wrote about them in GOOD 008), which are modeled after the traditional shoes of Chinese laborers. Feast your eyes on this start-to-finish look at precisely how these shoes are made (and quietly mourn the fact that, unlike the projector, YouTube probably won't ever burst into flames midway through a less engaging clip).
  
  
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  • Date: Jul 30 2008
  • Posted by Patrick James

• Humor Explained

  Explaining humor without killing it is a high-difficulty maneuver. But a new book by the journalist Jim Holt (who writes about science and philosophy for Slate and The New Yorker) attempts to do just that and we're excited to check it out. It's called Stop Me If You’ve Heard This: A History and Philosophy of Jokes. You can read a blurb about the book from Very Short List here and buy the book here.
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  • Date: Jul 28 2008
  • Posted by Andrew Price

• Photo-Ichthyology

  While we've all heard that fish can be brain food, Ichthyo: The Architecture of Fish serves it up as eye candy. This beautiful book of black and white fish X-rays catalogs the eerie, intricate, and unexpected beauty of ichthyological specimens from the National Museum of Natural History's unrivaled collection, with an introduction by deep sea explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau (who takes after his dad Jacques). You'll never look at dead fish the same way again. Thanks Lucy!
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  • Date: Jul 21 2008
  • Posted by alexandra_m

• Barcode Plantage

  Barcode Plantage pulls out all the information trapped inside a product's barcode—like its country of origin and manufacturer—and displays it in a beautiful, diaphanous visualization.
  
  Via PSFK.
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  • Date: Jul 16 2008
  • Posted by Andrew Price

• Bic's New Calling

  Hey Bic corporate headquarters. What's up? Just checking in to see what you've been up to, other than not reading the news, since obviously you've missed this whole "green," "conservation," "planet in state of dire emergency/we're all going to perish in an environmental apocalypse inundated by waste" thing that's been kind of big lately. Oh, maybe you were too busy developing the disposable cell phone. Disposable razors and disposable ballpoint pens got old, we guess, because Bic has teamed up with a French cell phone company to bring the world a new highly inefficient use of its resources: pre-charged cell phones that can be thrown away after a short stint of use. Seems about as practical as the disposable cell phones they make for little kids, except not filled with bubble gum. The whole idea seems not too terribly responsive to the demands of the modern market. Or even, totally oblivious. How long could it possibly take before Bic decides to call this one off? Via PSFK
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  • Date: Jul 16 2008
  • Posted by alexandra_m

• Bubble Trouble

  For the compulsive among us, there are few things as satisfying as a demonstrative pop of a packing wrap bubble. Of course, that finger-pinching fun hasn't helped people keep track of important dates. Until now. The Bubble Calendar allows you to pop your way from New Year's to Guy Fawkes Day and beyond. But will buyers be able to resist popping days before they happen? Only time will tell.
  
  Via Gizmodo.
  
  You can also pop freely here.
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  • Date: Jul 08 2008
  • Posted by Patrick James

• Capitol Style

  Since the supreme court decided to legalize handguns in the District of Columbia of all places (brilliant idea, guys, really), Refinery 29's fashion blog has taken the liberty of compiling some appropriate new looks for the 'hood. Less-than-eyecatching but terribly practical wardrobe must-haves include "defender" hoodies, bulletproof briefcases, and--my personal favorite-- the windbreaker-chic Weatherproof Disguised Bullet/Stab-Proof Jacket, which protects against 9mm Full Metal Jacket Round Nose projectiles as well as "stabs, cuts, slashes with sharp and blunt edged weapons like hypodermic needles, ice picks, knives and broken bottles up to 33 Joules." A true steal at £895.00, don't leave home without it. Seriously. Do not. Via Vanity Fair
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  • Date: Jun 30 2008
  • Posted by alexandra_m