Bandai Japan’s new Exploring Labs has just released 2 sophisticated model kits – the ISS Space Suit Extravehicular Mobility Unit, and the Shinkai 6500 Deep Diving Submersible. Featuring an Extravehicular Suit astronaut in 1/10 scale with snap-on parts and movable joints so no glue is required. While the Shinkai 6500 requires glue, enthusiasts can paint the interior of the Submersible. Both models come with detachable and movable parts as well as LED lamps just the way the actual suit and machine were designed.

For those in the know, the Japanese Shinkai 6500 is the world’s deepest-diving crewed submersible. It is capable of going down 6500 meters (4.03 miles), carrying two crew and a researcher inside the titanium pressure hull. Completed in 1990, The Shinkai 6500 is currently being operated not beyond the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean in all kinds of seabed topography and geology, conducting research, including deep-sea organisms and has contributed to many scientific discoveries. The Shinkai 6500 has been made into a LEGO model.

Both models are now available for purchase immediately via AudioCubes.com at $95.99 and $85.99 respectively. They will also be available at AC Gears’ NYC store in February.
Read more about the Shinkai 6500 on Wikipedia.

The greatest mystery of the new millennium is perhaps how to accessorize our mobile phones. Now we’ve got a clever and definitely a super cute way – the Plugy from Hashi Japan. Plugy is a headphone plug that can be sticked right into any portable music device (or any audio device for that matter). Now, wouldn’t you want to see a small branch coming right out of your iPhone? Usually available only in Asia, the Plugy has made it to the states side at AC Gears for $5.99

While I was browsing Joey Roth‘s site for more information  on his recent re-release of these beautiful ceramic speakers, I noticed this post from earlier in the year — his prototype of a computer mouse made from wool felt, teak and aluminum, shown as part of the Use Me exhibition put on by the American Design Club. Another excellent example of Roth’s smart use of unexpected materials in everyday objects — someone produce this already!

Twin Shadow Moog Sound Lab Slow from Moog Music on Vimeo.

I remember my first exposure to the Moog being The Rentals — the original Weezer bassist’s side project that was totally driven by the classic, New Wave-y synths. But there’s a lot more coming out of the Moog laboratories in Asheville, NC, and the Moog Sound Lab series aims to share that fact with the world. Take the Twin Shadow performance, for instance, where we see a couple Moog Guitars in action among a host of other gadgets as the group performs “Slow” from their debut album Forget.

I’m slightly obsessed with round, thick-frame glasses of the David Hockney variety even though they don’t work for my face, which is why I love when the aesthetic is put to a different use. The smartphone stand by Nendo designed for Elecom is a beautiful example of this kind of re-appropriation, adding suction cups to each lens. If you’re always accused of being glued to your phone, this is a cheeky way of admitting you’re guilty as charged. Seen on Designboom.

Seen on Selectism — and not as if New York needs to seem any more like an adventure, but at least this print by Jesse Eisemann renders the city as the fun, jump-on-Yoshi-and-spit-out-some-turtle-shells-type adventure, effectively distracting us from the reality of our day-to-day “did that bum just spit on me?” adventure. The print is available at Imagekind.

A brief sidestep from our usual topics, but I just love Nom Wah Tea Parlor. It’s an easy go-to when I want dim sum without all the great big banquet hall fanfare and yesterday’s feature in Eater is filled with interesting tidbits about the long-standing institution’s checkered past (and I’m not just referring to those comforting red-and-white tablecloths). Turns out that Doyers, the little corner of Chinatown where Nom Wah opened and remains to this day, used to be a hotbed for Chinatown gang violence in the early 1900s – so much so that, in 1994, law enforcement officials named it the bloodiest street intersection in the United States.

Through it all, though, Nom Wah remained, making it arguably the oldest standing restaurant in Chinatown. In my opinion, it’s also one of the best, particularly after its gentle restoration last year by the original owner’s nephew, who lovingly kept its worn-in, classic charm intact while making small  changes to bring it into a new generation – creating Facebook and Twitter pages, for example. Click over to read the entire Eater feature, and don’t miss the charming Nom Wah images from the 1960s drawn by NY Mag founder and graphic design legend Milton Glaser.