Nanda Clocky

Waking up early is hard enough as it is and the winter mornings just make it all that much harder. Well here’s a cool item that helps, or rather forces you to wake up. Like your typical alarm clock with a snooze button, the Nanda Clocky comes with a slight variation – wheels. The Nanda Clocky rolls away looking for places to hide in the room when you hit the snooze button. Playing hide and seek with this in the morning will pretty much ensure that you will get up when you have to. The Clocky comes in white, aqua and mint.

Available at Vidafine

-phil

Nokia N95

Here’s the new commercial for the Nokia N95 that’s scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2007. Some unique features that the phone offers is a built-in GPS navigation system, a 5 megapixel camera to produce DVD-like quality videos, and 150MB of internal memory. Be on the lookout for the phone when it drops. More info at MobileMag.

-phil

Atmos BonBon Knit Caps

I just came across these Atmos BonBon Knit Caps at High Snobiety and I must say that I am really feeling these. Atmos does a really good job of making these toques look cool while having a ‘bon bon’ at the top that reminisces people’s kindergarten days. They are available at Atmos now so get ’em before they’re sold out.

-phil

Pallalink – Symmetric Photography

PingMag introduced and conducted an interview with Japanese artist Kazuhiko Kawahara, otherwise known as Palla. With a background in architecture, Palla took interest in photography and naturally he was led to taking pictures of cityscape structures. In addition, he would make adjustments to the photos by duplicating layers and rotating or flipping it over the original image. The result is a pleasing array of lines and patterns of urban structures. From the interview, you can get a sense that Palla puts a lot of thought into each piece, as it requires meticulous judgment on his part of how much to shift the images. All of his works dating back to 2002 are available on his weblog Pallalink.net.

Nike Air Force 1 XXV Mychal Thompson

Check out these babies from the “Original Six: Mychal Thompson” Air Force 1 XXV series. The different combinations of material, colour, and unique print make this pair of Air Force 1 one of the best ever produced by Nike. From the looks of the pictures, it looks like Nike used the same material as they did for the Hemp Dunks released a few years back. This pair of AF1 is a must have for all you sneakers collectors out there who are looking for something unique and different. For more pictures, head over to nikeskateboarding.org.

– A style

LED Message Mirror

This is something I need in the morning. Especially when I’m fanatically trying to make it on time for work or class, I wouldn’t mind having this LED message mirror from SUCK UK in my restroom. You can also customize the font and add special effects from a remote control or your PC. Although the only things you can display is the time, date and personalized messages, it still looks pretty cool and as long as you have 300 euros to blow, it seems like a great item (or one of those cool things you love to brag about) for your home. With this mirror available for retail sale, you can’t help but predict that soon enough we will have widgets on our mirror providing the essential information we need.

– Jon

Ocean’s 13 – Teaser

I always enjoyed the ‘Ocean’s’ movies whether it was with the coolest of the cool, Frank Sinatra, and his Rat Pack friends in the 1960s version of Ocean’s 11 or with the George Clooney and his friends in the 2001 remake of Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12. I thought the remake of Ocean’s 11 was terrific. It was very stylish, the dialogue was witty, the soundtrack was superb and the characters of the movie were memorable. To round it all up, the plot was pretty good as well. Although I did not enjoy Ocean’s 12 as much as the others and thought it wasn’t particularly necessary to come up with a sequel, I still thought it looked great on screen (visually) and overall, it was fairly entertaining.

Well, it looks like Daniel Ocean and the rest of the Ocean’s crew are back in Ocean’s 13 (what other name did you expect?), the final installment of the ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy. Although Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones will not be returning in this film, I can’t wait to see this. With its great cast, the directorial style of Steven Soderbergh, the casting additions of Ellen Barkin and the legendary Al Pacino, you can’t help but to look forward to this. What I love most about the ‘Ocean’s’ films is that its about the entertainment and its style. They’re not about trying to make cinematic history or looking to sweep the Oscars, its just a crew of great actors having fun and putting on a show for its audience. You can definitely say it stays true to the philosophy of what the Rat Pack did back in the 1960s version.

[Ocean’s 13]

– Jon

Roberts Radio – Revival

I’m loving this retro looking radio created by UK manufacturers Roberts Radio. The radio called “Revival” is the proper throwback to the significant style of the 1950s. “Revival”‘s wooden cases are made by British craftsmen and covered with a choice of leatherette, real leather or suedette. It comes in various colours and available through their website.

– Jon

Horem pádem (Up and Down)

As Christmas holidays kicked off into full swing, I had the opportunity to pick up a couple of movies to watch. One of these was a 2004 Czech film Horem pádem, which was translated simply as Up and Down in English. Director Jan Hrebejk masterfully portrays the everyday lives of Czechs from different social backgrounds. The overall movie I’d say would fall into the Drama category, with an abundance of comic relief. The beauty of this film is how it seamlessly integrates the storylines of three groups of individual. The movie kicks off when smugglers of immigrants discover a baby in the back of their truck. Rather than heartlessly leaving the baby to die, they bring him to a pawn shop where he is to be put for sale. In another scene, a soccer hooligan’s wife desperate wants a baby but is unable to have one. They are also unable to adopt due to the husband’s criminal record stemming from soccer. And then there’s the story of a dying professor whose dying wish is to divorce his separated wife so that he can marry his girlfriend. These three stories inevitably coincide with one another throughout the movie. If ever you get the chance, this is one movie you should check out.

-phil

Mad Mack 6 Boots

With the winter season underway, here’s a couple of colourways for the Mad Mack 6 boots. Japanese brands Madfoot! and Mackdaddy collaborated to spawn this Mad Mack 6 model. They’re currently available at ZOZO. Info/pics from Kix-files.

-phil

Meltdown

First off, comics are not for kids anymore. The comic industry died in the 1990’s with Marvel and DC pushing out quantity and not quality. As a result, no ‘kids’ really read comics during the late 1990’s and the industry has been backed by adults and young adults. The stories are no longer the run-of-the-mill superhero type, saving a damsel in distress or defending the world from an alien invasion. Comics now deal with issues such as marital abuse, rape, and sexual orientation. Honestly, comics have never been better as IGN comics and many other critics share this claim. Often a bright star comes along from a small writer/artist group and flies under the radar. Meltdown written by David Schwartz and drawn by Sean Wang is one of these books. It starts off with an introduction to Cal, who is essentially the washed up ‘Human Torch’ of his universe. Throughout the comic, he deals with issues concerning acceptance with his new found power, the maniuplation of heat and fire. What makes Meltdown special is its character development. At the end of the book, you end up relating and feeling for a character you were just introduced to. Without spoiling much, this is definately a book to pick up (if you can find a copy). This could definately be a huge kick start to a successful career for David Schwartz.

-e

United Arrows – Nintendo DS Lite Pouch

The release of Nintendo’s DS Lite has brought a lot of interest back to Nintendo’s portable consoles. Japanese casual clothing and accessories brand United Arrows has created several pouches for the DS Lite. Instead of just creating a pouch for performance and everyday use, United Arrows creates a fashionable item to go with the DS Lite. The line contains a pouch with a leather woven design giving it a real luxurious look. Here’s their complete lineup for all their pouches.

Olafur Eliasson – Your Engagement has Consequences

The Icelandic artist, Olafur Eliasson,  famed in UK for his installation “The Weather Project” at the Tate Modern in 2003, has come out with a new book called “Your Engagement has Consequences”, documents in detail of his three exhibitions. ‘Your Light Shadow’, Hara Museum, Tokyo; ‘Notion Motion’, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, and ‘The Light Setup’, Malmø Konsthall are featured in his book, which was released earlier this year. “Your Engagement has Consequences” is a terrific ‘coffee table’ book and a great addition if you want to add some culture in your bookshelf.

– Jon

ClearAudio Master Reference Turntable

This is by far the coolest looking turntable I’ve ever seen. Hand-made in Germany, the ClearAudio Master Reference turntable is perfect if you are serious about aesthetics and audio. The state-of-the-art turntable not only looks incredible but it offers a lot of features such as the Accurate Power Generator (APG) system for even platter speed and synchronizing of 3 separate motors, a six-pointed chassis that provides a perfect soundstage, a “Side-Force-Free” 3 belt drive arrangement, and a Master TQ-I Tonearm. This uniquely built and futuristic turntable does come with a hefty price tag. At $19,000 (USD), unless you’re making quality coin, perhaps you might want to stick with your Technics rather than spending a bundle of this ultra luxury item.

[ClearAudio]

– Jon

Jorg&Olif Dutch Citybikes

With the recent emerging trend of cycling culture, here’s a look at a company that makes classic Dutch inspired bicycles. Jorg&Olif look to create sensible and stylish bikes that have been re-designed for North American cities. They look to bring the socially responsible aspect of riding bikes to the modern lifestyles. What’s impressive about Jorg&Olif is the amount of detailing they put on their bicycle parts. Whether you plan on taking this out for a leisure ride or to make errands, Jorg&Olif make cycling stylish again.

[Jorg&Olif]

M-ONE-11, Toronto

M-ONE-11‘s lone store outside Australia and New Zealand is located in Toronto’s hip Queen Street West district. The store is definitely one of my favorite stores to shop in the city. The store offers clothing labels you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else in the area.

Brands such as Australian-based Mooks streetwear, FEIT sneakers as well as the surfboard company, INSIGHT. In addition to providing Australian-based brands, the store offers a great clothing line under their own label which is a leading Australian streetwear company. M-ONE-11’s mens and womens apparel features a quality collection of tees, jackets, shirts and other accessories such as hats and bags. The style of its clothing line is skater streetwear meets modern Bohemian with a Pacific influence.

M-ONE-11’s retail space is also used as an exhibition/gallery space on occasion. M-ONE-11 is very involved in Toronto’s art community and does a great job promoting local talent and artists. They are currently hosting an art auction featuring local artists benefiting Sketch, an organization creating opportunities for street involved and homeless people ages 15-29. If you’re in the neighbourhood next Thursday, M-ONE-11 is hosting an Auction Closing Party at 7pm. Thursday December 21st, 2006 7PM-9PM (Auction closes at 9pm) Definitely check this store out if you happen to be in downtown Toronto area.

M-ONE-11, 561 Queen Street West. Toronto, Canada

New 10 Deep at Commonwealth

I was just browsing the Commonwealth site and came across new 10 Deep items. Now as one of New York’s original “underground” brands, 10 Deep has always consistently produced really hot clothing and accessories. So I wasn’t too surprise when I saw their new arrivals.

Paul Smith Exhibits Keiichi Tanaami Artwork

Paul Smith has just announced that they will be showcasing 16 of Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami’s silkscreened prints. This collection, known as Kamon, is heavily influenced by family crests and makes use of Tanaami’s recognizable high-colour ‘Pop Art’ style. Known for his psychedelic styles and recurring motifs of goldfish, pine trees and waves, Tanaami is highly regarded upon by many Japanese young contemporary artists.

The Cool Hunter Magazine

The Cool Hunter, one of the web’s premier trend forecasting websites has expanded its brand incredibly as of late. What started as just an online trend reporting service, The Cool Hunter became a syndication as a weekly column in various magazines/newspapers around the world. With its popularity and its huge reader base, it has given them an opportunity to produce their every own television show called “The Assistants” and very recently, they have signed a publishing deal to release their own set of books including “Sleeping Beauties – The World’s Coolest Hotel Rooms”. The book will feature the finest and coolest hotel rooms the world has to offer.

Now, it seems The Cool Hunter has solidifed their brand by launching their very own self-titled magazine. The magazine will be a 50-60 page monthly publication and will be available free along with various fashion, design and lifestyle magazines. It will also be available in hotels, stores and retailers globally.

Releasing in early 2007, The Cool Hunter magazine will cover the same globe covering genres as the online version. Topics such as fashion, music, urban living, designer and culutural trends.

– Jon

Marimekko

Coming out of Finland, Marimekko is an à la mode textile company. The company is streamlined such that they design, manufacture, as well as market their clothing, interior decoration textiles, bags and accessories. Their clothing line consists of classy and urbane designs for men, women and children, while their classic lines consist of timeless casual wear for everyone. Marimekko also has an extensive collection of textile fabrics applied to different fixtures around the house. Marimekko offers a variety of designs that range from the use of simplistic shades to corresponding blends of extravagant colours. Here’s the perfect place to find someone a Christmas gift as the company has items for just about everybody.

[Marimekko]