File under: Fashion-not-Function, although it’s not impractical considering how few actual CDs anyone is purchasing anymore. Spotted on Yanko’s roundup of the year’s best, the iShelf by designer Li Jianye displays 5 jewel cases at a time in the recognizable iTunes library format. I’m a complete and total sucker for this kind of computer stuff migrated into the real world.
Yeah, the “shelf” is not going to house your whole collection, but you don’t really want your entire, potentially-embarassing music collection out for the world to see when it’s this easy to let house-guests think you listen pretty exclusively to stuff like Jeff Buckley or, like, Wire or Black Flag or something. I don’t know. Pick 5 really cool things, and that’s what you could display. I give up.
Watch the video to get a sense of what’s possible when magazine revamping is put in the hands of the very, very capable. There has been a lot of messing around with “simulating” the experience of holding a print publication, but these forward-thinkers are mainly interested in working to the strengths of the digital medium that we’re already used to using — things like email, iPhones, et al. I love the print medium, but I’m excited to see what might come of thinking like this. Spotted on Kottke.
Perhaps I’m a bit camera-obsessed as of late, but this struck me when I ran across it on likecool. The Leica is, by all accounts, one heck of a nice camera. They know that, and they know that we know that. So let’s get down to it and build an emotional connection, drawing on the past and bringing it right up into the present. Film guru Wim Wenders will do just fine. Here’s to capturing some bautiful images and recording some lasting memories wherever you and yours may be over these holidays.
equipment at the Polaroid film factory, rescued by The Impossible Project
While on the subject of Wallpaper, there’s an interesting piece about Polaroid right now on their site that’s worth a look. Apparently, some aren’t quite ready to go quietly into the good night. As you might know, some time ago Polaroid shut down the instant film side of their operations, concentrating solely on digital and killing off a hugely nostalgic piece of camera history.
While others are ready to take Polaroid’s place with their own takes on instant photography (Fujifilm’s Instax stepped up to the plate nicely), it still didn’t seem right that a cultural icon this ingrained in our consciousness would simply stop making their trademark product.
Apparently, some dedicated fighters felt the same way. The Impossible Project is a collective of former employees dedicated to once again producing Polaroid instant film for use in vintage Polaroid cameras. Look for the film to come out again in 2010, and support their efforts at The Impossible Project’s site.
We were talking about Augmented Reality not too long ago (Avatar just came out…anyone been yet? How is it?) and it looks like the print world is getting in on the game, too. Wallpaper Magazine’s new issue is AR-functional but, without a webcam here, I’m having to rely on some secondhand accounts of what in the world actually happens when you follow these cryptic instructions:
Apparently, the cover goes all 3-D on you and you can check out some shelves and whatnot from all angles. Cool enough, right? BUT WAIT. THAT’S NOT ALL. There’s AR all over this January issue with many more applications of this relatively new technology. What could it be? How is it used? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a bit of an AR’d-on. Those of you with a webcam hook-up, take a break from gyrating in front of it to Lady Gaga for two seconds already, grab a copy of Wallpaper and report back.
Not new by any means, but since it’s the gift-giving season my eye’s become more attuned to these little, under-$50 type items. You may remember some time ago I mentioned this guy Todd St. John who does some cool design stuff, and illustration stuff and, well, a whole bunch of other stuff. Pictured here is the iPhone slider case that he designed, Arkitip curated and Incase produced.
I like that St. John has taken something as tech-heavy as an iPhone and wrapped it up in something made to reference something from nature. The sleekness of the iPhone design has always been a draw in itself, but there’s something nice about holding on to something these days that feels the slightest bit organic – even if you’re downloading apps on it.
After just talking up the hazy, dreamy, worn-in, Super-8-style video quality of the Harinezumi, this pops up in my inbox today. The above clip, a promo for the downtown-NY-street-grimey-styles Rocksmith holiday line, is shot entirely with the little Japanese wonder you see below.
I love it because it’s the perfect match-up, from visuals to soundtrack (Jay Reatard’s garage-rattling It Ain’t Gonna Save Me) for a camera that manages to do a lot by aspiring to do very little. This is exactly how this camera was meant to be used.
Just goes to show, when you’re talking kids and skating and the L.E.S., just like in the old days, you don’t need big money to get it right. Then again, sometimes a little New Money helps (seriously, a flip on the New Yorker typeface? Nice).
equipment at the Polaroid film factory, rescued by The Impossible Project
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