Wednesday, October 21, 2009
ever want to turn off time?
Harc Lee – Time Switch Wall Clock
Designed by New York designer Harc Lee, Time Switch is a wall clock that was designed to resolve the designers own frustration with meeting deadlines and wanting to “stop time.” For anyone who wants to turn off time for a while, Time Switch offers a flip-switch solution.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Another cool house. The Flower House!
Outside of Rio de Janeiro, on a beautiful little beach with amazing blue water, sits a little house with a flowering roof that shades and protects like a big tropical banana leaf. Designed by Mareines + Patalano, the open air abode is meant to encourage interaction and connection between man and nature. With verandas and open spaces in between rooms and no corridors, the tropical beach house is an ideal place for social gatherings and parties. The open layout also takes advantage of trade winds that blow in from the sea, providing natural ventilation and passive cooling.
The architects describe their design as low-tech eco-efficient, due to the use of natural ventilation for cooling. Homes in the tropics rarely need much more than a breeze in order to keep the environment comfortable. As for other sustainable design techniques, the roof harvests rainwater for use in the house, and the interior is naturally finished with wood, stone and natural fabrics. We suspect the wood was harvested locally, and can only hope it was done so in a sustainable fashion.
Above all the Leaf House is amazing inspiration for organic design that brings the outdoors in. It protects the inhabitants from rain and sun, while bringing in fresh breezes to cool the interior. The design was originally inspired by Brazil’s Indian Architecture, which used local materials to provide shade, protection and encourage natural breezes for cooling.
+ Mareines + Patalano Arquitetura
Via World Architecture News
bet you did not know this about Urban Outfitters...
Exposed: Urban Outfitters – Do you REALLY know?
Good. You’re not supposed to, if he has his way. In case you’re in a curious mood, however, his name is Richard Hayne and he is the President and Founder of hipster and 20-something fashion mecca, Urban Outfitters.
What? How? But he’s… nothing like you expected, is he? Hm!
Alright, since we’re playing “introductions”, let’s try another one! Do you know this man?:
He’s a lovely, dapper looking fellow, now isn’t he? His name is Senator Rick Santorum. He’s a squishy, right-wing conservative from Pennsylvania. He enjoys spending his time with his wife and seven kids… Playing badminton, roasting turkeys and doing all he can to ensure that gay rights are a thing of the past.
Wait, wait, wait – back up?
Yes, Rick Santorum – while still serving on the Senate (1995 – 2007) – was not only hailed as a reliable ally of GWB, but is also infamous for his ability to compare ideas. Yes! He’s quite good. Here’s a quote where he makes one of his “best” comparisons, which fell on the ears of the AP:
“If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything,” – Metro Weekly, Washington DC’s LGBT NewsagazineUm, excuse me? Homosexuality equates to incest, polygamy, and adultery? Wow, son. That’s a bit rough. Oh wait, your remarks were “misleading” when printed? Do clarify.
“My discussion with the Associated Press was about the Supreme Court privacy case, the constitutional right to privacy in general, and in context of the impact on the family,” the statement read. “I am a firm believer that all are equal under the Constitution. My comments should not be misconstrued in any way as a statement on individual lifestyles.” – Metro WeeklyOhhhhhh… Well, in that case… B.S., Santorum. Lest we not forget how you didn’t just compare, but equated the Catholic boy-fondling preists to a “basic homosexual relationship” [AP via USA Today]. It wasn’t child molestation because the preists weren’t having sex with boys, they “were having sexual relations with post-pubescent men”. Ah, we see the difference. No, really.
Santorum is also a comedian! Did you ever hear the one about… Oh, heck. Here it is:
“If we allow gay marriage, the next thing you know people will be marrying goldfish…”ANYWAY. What do these two guys have in common? What does the Founder and President of a seemingly gay-friendly, youth-centric fashion retail store have to do with a homophobic, small minded, ex-Senator?
Richard Haynes, President/Founder of Urban Outfitters, owner of Anthropologie and Free People contributed over $13,000 to Santorum’s campaign and Political Action Committee over the years. (Pink News, Philadelphia Weekly)
Perhaps this explains the mysterious disappearance of pro-same-sex-marriage t-shirts off the Los Angeles Urban Outfitters shelves? Hmmm…Imagine a scene, if you will…
You run into your local Urban Outfitters, Free People or Anthropologie and scope out the newest arrivals. Oh! That jacket you’ve been longing for sits on the wall, its perfect fabric drifting slightly as a result of the A/C unit above. You walk towards it, take it down from its rack, and hold it close look at the size. It’s the last one in the store, and sold out online… This is your one chance. You lift the tag – perfect, you whisper. You try it on, it fits like a glove. You rush to the cash register and throw your change down on the counter, much to the dismay of the 19 year old kid behind the counter, purple-haired and full of facial piercings. You don’t care – the jacket is yours. You run home to covet the jacket while the cashier delicately places the money in the register while muttering incoherantly about what a total bitch you are.
He ends up taking a fraction of your jacket’s sale price in his paycheck. Another fraction goes to the store’s rent. Another to the manager (that bitch is so overpaid…). Another to the garment makers in whatever random foreign countries the jacket is made in (don’t even get me started…). The rest trickles up to our dear friend Richard Hayne. Where does it go after that? Ricky decides, my friends, and we all know he has a penchant for gay-hating senators…
Let me tell you something: It takes balls to vote with your dollar. Trust me, I’m a budget fashion blogger. Don’t laugh! I take deals where I can get them, and guess what – Urban Outfitters has killer sales. Not to mention some really, really great clothes. Hello! Silence & Noise? Kimchi Blue? Miss Sixty? I’d live in this stuff, if I could. But I don’t. Why?
Because I don’t want my dollars and cents (what few I have) to end up in the hands of anti-evolving, ignorant, bigot bastards like Rick Santorum.
Sure, he might not be in office anymore, but give any web-savvy activist 15 seconds and they’ll hand you a printed list of the new Rick Santorums who are in office and can affect our ability to change.You can get your Jeffrey Campbell shoes elsewhere, ladies. You can find a sweet leather jacket in an independent boutique. You will survive without the aid of Free People’s sundresses.
Be smart, save the fashion community and help give relevance to it by caring about social issues like this one.
Boycott Free People, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.
Know where your money is going.
—**A note from Jennifer: Now that you know the truth, click here to find some alternatives to Urban Outfitters . If you’re still tempted to shop the (admittedly gorgeous) designs that companies like Free People create, this post (outing their thievery of another designer’s unique styles) should give you some more incentive not to.
WTF is wrong with people?! RL should be boycotted!
Second Ralph Lauren model in Photoshop row as she's airbrushed to become impossibly skinny
By Mail Foreign ServiceLast updated at 3:28 PM on 20th October 2009
The first time around, they claimed it was an isolated incident.
Then the second image of a Ralph Lauren model digitally altered to appear impossibly skinny emerged.
The clothing company is once again facing an outraged internet backlash after the image, featuring model Valentina Zelyaeva, appeared in a shop in Sydney, Australia.
Retouching row: Left, an image of model Valentina Zelyaeva on the Ralph Lauren website that appears to have been digitally altered; and right, the same image in what appears to be an untouched version, where the model's hips and waist are clearly curvier than in the other version
Oddly, both the digitally retouched image, above, and what appears to be the unaltered version, below, both appear on the Ralph Lauren Australia website, inviting instant comparisons
Oddly, it also appears in two different versions on the Ralph Lauren website - one which appears to show the model as she actually is, without being significantly digitally altered.
In the retouched version, however, her head appears to be roughly the same size as her waist. Her hand appears almost as wide as her thigh, and her shoulders are significantly wider than her hips.
In the original version, Ms Zelyaeva's pose wrinkles her sweater on her right side. In the digitally altered version some of the wrinkled material has been clumsily airbrushed out - and the wrinkles that are left gave viewers on PhotoshopDisaster.blogspot.com the impression of ribs poking out through the grey sweater.
Ralph Lauren has not yet commented on the image, but a response is expected this afternoon.
The bizarre image sparked outrage on the web, with commentators on PhotoshopDisasters.blogspot.com, where the image was posted, wondering 'why they don't just show their clothes on skeletons... or are those not skinny enough?'
Others were baffled at the idea that the image could be attractive, with some describing it as 'alien', 'astounding', and 'ugly'.
'Alien': Left, the full image from the Sydney advert as it appears on the website PhotoshopDisasters.blogspot.com, with the Ralph Lauren logo across the bottom. Right, the Japanese Ralph Lauren advert featuring a digitally altered Filippa Hamilton that caused a row last week
The image is creating controversy just over a week after the row over an image of former Ralph Lauren model Filippa Hamilton that had been digitally retouched to make her head larger than her waist.
Ms Hamilton is said to be friendly with Ms Zelyaeva. The pair have appeared in Ralph Lauren ads together.
Russian-born Ms Zelayaeva, 27, first began modelling for Ralph Lauren in 2005, according to a New York Magazine profile.
She has appeared in British Vogue, among other publications, and in April, 2008 was named the world's thirteenth-highest paid model by Forbes, having made $2.3million in the previous year.
The ad for Blue Label jeans featuring Ms Hamilton was run in a department store in Japan.
Ralph Lauren initially responded by accusing websites running the image - including PhotoshopDisasters.blogspot.com - of copyright infringement for reprinting the advertisement.
Ms Hamilton, left, and Ms Zelyaeva, right, appear together in an ad for Ralph Lauren's Blue Label
But another website running the image, Boing Boing, said it was protected by the ‘fair use’ provision, which allows photos to be reproduced ‘for purposes such as criticism, comment and news reporting’.As the row over the image grew, Ralph Lauren apologised for its use.
A spokesman for Ralph Lauren said last night: ‘For over 42 years, we have built a brand based on quality and integrity.
‘After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body.
‘We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the calibre of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.’
Ms Hamilton added to the controversy by claiming she had been fired from the label for being overweight.
The 23-year-old 5ft10in model, a size 8, said she had been told she was too large for their clothes.
'This error has absolutely no connection to our relationship with Filippa Hamilton.'
American designer Ralph Lauren’s company Polo Ralph Lauren is one of the biggest retailers in the U.S., with revenues of £2.6billion a year. The designer himself turns 70 this week.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1221675/Ralph-Lauren-new-photoshop-row-SECOND-image-model-airbrushed-make-head-larger-waist-emerges.html#ixzz0UVB2UIOk
Monday, October 19, 2009
This is one of the coolest houses I have ever seen!
This mind teasing structure that you are viewing in pictures below was designed and developed by organic architect Javier Senosiain.
Javier Senosiain is a Mexican architect who has a peculiar taste to create numerous marvels in different patterns. This particular shell house aptly named “Nautilus House” was given shape in 2006 at a place called Naucalpan in Mexico. Being an exceptional one directly from the imagination of its architect, it naturally had to undergo enough changes testing the patience of its builder. The concept “Organic” can be well experienced from the way one feels being amidst the nature. The way the structure and the interiors have been designed is nothing but teasing the ever hungry urban population confined to concrete jungles. Do you want to be the one, dreaming different?
source: http://www.desicolours.com
OMG..told you fake and bake is a bad idea...
Blindness fears of the sunbed addict who shunned goggles
By Alison Smith SquireLast updated at 12:13 AM on 19th October 2009
In ten years on the sunbed, Sam Laing never bothered with goggles because she did not want to leave white marks.
That decision could cost the 23-year-old her eyesight.
Because of prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, she has developed growths in both eyes which will have to be removed through surgery to stop her going blind. She has been warned that the operation itself could damage her eyesight.
Fears: Sam Laing used sunbeds for ten years because she thought 'it was vital to look brown'
'I was shocked because although I knew using sunbeds raised the risk of contracting skin cancer, I never knew it could cause something like this.'
Miss Laing, a self-confessed 'tanorexic', said she hates being pale and started using sunbeds in her early teens.
'By the time I was 19 it was so important to me to always look brown, I was going on them up to three times a week.
'Unfortunately I never wore goggles to protect my eyes because I didn't want to be left with white marks on my face.'
When she noticed redness and itching, both she and her GP thought it was just tired bloodshot eyes.
'But about three months ago the redness began spreading into the brown iris of my eye,' she said. 'Friends and family began asking me what the problem was, so I went to my local eye infirmary.'
The diagnosis was pterygium, a benign eye growth caused by ultraviolet light usually seen in men living near the Equator.
Protection: Goggles can protect your eyes from the UV light
'The most worrying thing is that even if the growths are successfully removed, they could return and I've been told I will have to wear dark glasses on sunny days in future.'
Miss Laing has finally given up using sunbeds.
'I just hope that what's happened to me serves as a warning to other sunbed users that they can be really dangerous,' she added.
As well as pterygium, UV exposure can also cause macular degeneration in older people, cataract and corneal sunburn, as well as skin cancer.
London eye surgeon Mr David O'Brart said: 'People might not realise that as well as being dangerous for your skin, too much UV light - whether from natural sunshine or a tanning bed - can be equally damaging to your eyes.
'Because the UV light emitted by sunbeds is more concentrated than natural sunshine, the more you use them, the more at risk you are of triggering such an eye problem. Anyone using sunbeds must wear eye protection.'
A spokesman for the Sunbed Association, which represents a fifth of the industry, said its members issue sunbed users with eye protection and advise them to wear it.
She said getting 'panda eyes' was no longer likely given the type of goggles provided, including disposable 'cups' designed to fit snugly over the lids.
'Operators have a responsibility to ensure people do not use sunbeds without eye protection. In addition, health-and-safety guidance displayed in our salons insists it must be worn.'
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