A lot of holes in your wall: that’s something you don’t want. Instead of mounting your sweet new flat screen plasma TV directly on your wall—discoloring your paint and drilling holes in the drywall to keep the screen up and to hide all the wires, you’d rather have an attractive TV panel, like this one from MDF Italia. MDF’s panel provides a shield for your wiring and enough slots and spaces for all of your TV paraphernalia. Plus it comes in six different finishes, so you’re sure to find something that fits your living room — assuming your living room is on Space Station V from 2001: A Space Odyssey. But even if you don’t want your TV room to look like The Future, you have to admit that this panel is a good idea. Think before you drill, people. Also, MDF’s website contains this gem: Simplicity is a philosophy which can be applied to almost anything in life. Ten fake dollars to anyone who can tell me three things in life that can in no way be simplified.

On July 26th, Nike’s first ever female-designed limited edition sneaker will be released. NY graf artist Claw Money is the its-about-fekking-time name behind the three new Blazers, and — much like everything else the woman touches — they look good. As for the “progressive” approach via Nike; I don’t know whether to be sending a tear-soaked thank you note, or just be a little disgusted in realizing that I had absolutely no idea that girls weren’t designing sneakers up until now. Either way, Claw Money’s Blazer has been getting ridiculous amounts of hype, so if you manage to get your hands on a pair, yay for you; feel free to knock out a few dudes ahead of you in line.

When I was a kid, our family had a Nintendo that we played so much it started acting up early on its life, eventually refusing to accept cartridges unless we performed a special trick involving making ourselves dizzy to make it work. One year later, with a totally non-functioning machine, we rediscovered the joys of Monopoly and Uno. I have more fond memories associated with those times playing games in front of a board instead of a TV.

I’m definitely not alone. That explains the excitement around the newly-opened Ludus Luderia in the old Italian district of Sao Paulo, a house converted into a gaming (of the traditional, non-digital kind) cafe and bar with stacks of games that number in the hundreds, imported and national, like Clue and Twister. Special attendees help you pick out or join in on a game. Call me old-fashioned, but what better way to break the ice and meet people than through a couple of caipirinhas and crashing in on a game like O Sanduíche Maluco (The Crazy Sandwich)? It’s already easy to meet Brazilians because they’re so nice and friendly, so I imagine some lifelong alliances being formed at Ludus. There’s definitely enough room on this planet for both board and video gamers.

Let’s just get this out of the way: I am a vegetarian. Accordingly, I think of meat as flesh, dripping with blood, freshly separated from a pulse. That said, the prospect of eating meat — let alone branding it with my own initials — won’t send me off to the butcher in some rabid fury.

However, there is a breed of peoples whose eyeballs turn to exclamation points whenever they happen to be in earshot of the word “steak.” These are generally the same people who pronounce “meat,” “MEAT” (or, my personal favorite; “MMMEAT!!!”). These are also the same people that, incidentally enough, like burning their initials deep into things. And, because this is ‘merica (and because I respect them, even if I can’t join them), I am thrilled to tell you that it is now possible to do both things at once.

That’s right, you manly man’s men (or man’s women), not only do you have the right to lay hands on the biggest chunk of cow/pig/buffalo/alligator/marmot) you can find, you can also brand that beast with your initials while roasts to perfection (Mmm, my bloody deliciousness, you are rare and tender and your sweet juices ooze from my own initials as you descend into my eager belly; mwhaHAHA, YOU ARE MINE! BWHAHAHA!!!).

Yep. Williams Sonoma’s got ‘em — Heather just ordered her own set. Go and join her, you sick, sick flesh-eaters.

Last I checked, mirrors could only present reflections of what stood in front of them. I mean, that’s the definition of a mirror. But not this mirror. This mirror reflects what stands in front of it, and it accepts text messages. Designed by Robert Stadler at Radi Designers and available for purchase at Generate, as you approach the +336+ mirror it displays the text that you send it via hidden LEDs. I’d probably just have mine say “HOTT!” all the time, but you might want to get more creative. You might also want to think about the theoretical implications of overlaying and labeling your own image with text. Or maybe you’d insist that the mirror is already a mediating device and that this mirror just takes the mediation one step further. Maybe you want to make your mirror say, “I farted.” In any case, this is one of the few mirrors that I’ve seen that does something other than just hang there. Then again, this is also the only mirror that I’ve seen that costs $10,000. You get what you pay for?

WEJETSET is coming soon. In 56 days, 12 hours, 46 minutes and 33 seconds to be exact (Snark Disclaimer: Yes, that will have changed a little by the time you read this, so don’t get all thrilled about calling me out on it). And it’s hard to say why, but whenever sites use one of those stupid time-counter deals I get antsy, and I consider biting my nails even though thats not really my thing, and I can’t help but start to care, like alot — even if I have little idea what it is, exactly, that I’m supposed to be so excited about.

Apparently, WEJETSET is — or is going to be — “the store and voice of modern travel culture” dedicated to “carrying the highest quality products, while its print and online publications keep travelers inspired and informed.” (SWEET BABY JESUS, JOSH, ARE YOU JUST DYING RIGHT NOW?) It appears that there will be stores (virtual and tangible), and publications, both committed to providing innovative and timeless solutions for modern travel, whether across town or across the ocean.

Sounds good, no? We’ll be keeping an eye on WEJETSET for the official launch, but meanwhile, head over to the site, where you can register for a chance to win a Mercedes C-Class Sports Sedan and a set of luggage. They’re also still on the hunt for contributors, so if you considers yourself well-traveled and well-worded, drop them a line.

Via notcot

It’s been long-awaited amongst Nike+ runners, but Nike’s Amp+ also deserves a mention amongst the design-savvy (or obsessed) ranks as well. While the general public will have to wait another couple of months to get their hands on the Amp+, there have been 13 of them out in the wild since Friday. At its most basic, the Amp+ is just a watch; link it to a Nike+ equipped iPod Nano, and it becomes a full-on control station for your wrist. Integrated into the Amp+ are all the normal iPod controls that you’d find on your Nano. Press a button, and information scrolls visually across a series of otherwise hidden LED’s embedded just beneath the surface plastic above the controls.

The design of the unit is slick and clean; constructed of a single, tapering strip of flexible rubber it has a watch-like clasp on the underside. On the wrist, it appears more as a bracelet than a watch, mostly black with a hint of red creeping up around the edges. The buttons are well-integrated and virtually disappear into the surface of the unit. The only bit that stands out from the flat black finish is the silver Nike swoosh above the LED’s which, to Nike’s credit, is pretty unobtrusive.
–Danny Nathan

Alicia Bock is a self-taught photographer “…in search of light and shadows, pretty things in pink, the feeling of the ocean, and a blue moon.” Based in Mid-Michigan, Alicia likes to find her inspiration in the simple and the beautiful, both of which are frequently evident in her pictures of nature, children, and weddings. In her “Through the Viewfinder” series, Alicia used an Argus 75 and her digital camera to create soft, vintage-y photographs that highlight the dust, scratches and other imperfections that make vintage images so charming. A selection of these prints are available as 8″x8″ prints (on 8.5″ x 11″ archival paper) on Etsy for a breezy $30, and Alicia will even single-matte your print for an extra $19, making it all ready for an 11×14 frame and your soon-to-be-lovely wall.

You read that title correctly. Time to start counting down 2007, kids. I’m quite enjoying my 2007 so far, but I do get like a 5-year-old at Chuck E. Cheese when it’s time to pick a calendar theme for a new year. I’m already considering Jeff Soto’s rad Lucky 13 calendar. Featuring 13 calendar images (Dec. 2007-Dec. 2008) and 39 additional works from the right brain of Soto, pictures populated with robots, imaginary creatures and depictions of other worlds which look like a lot more bizarre than ours. These works haven’t been published in his Potato Stamps Dream book, so collectors are getting art they might not have seen before when they buy this. Buy it soon though; Murphy Design is offering an online promo that includes the calendar packaged with an autographed 32-page zine by Soto called “No Hope,” plus a sheet of mini stickers, for just $33. Quantities are limited to 1,500.