Rolls

I will never be able to own one but boy it is thing of beauty. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolls-Royce 200EX.

Hat tip [Inqmnd Blog]

Great space

I adore this space that I found on Design to Inspire featuring the work of Jeffrey King. The warm minimalism is something I really like. I'm seeing the roots of my future studio home.

Geek reclining

One way to use less space is to do double duty with the space you have. This solution by a Brazilian student designer, allows users to work on their laptops comfortably. I love that they thought of leg support, which is one of the most frustrating aspects to using one's laptop in bed. Not that I do it often. I hope it makes it to market.

Hat tip [Industrial Design Served]

Small spaces in the news

This week's Economist made mention of the growing small space movement that is rising the fortunes of a house that I blogged about. I love the stat cited. Between 1980 and 2005, the average American home grew from 1,570 to 2,235 square feet. Astonishing.

Hat tip [Prefabcosm]

Only one-third of Americans buy music digitally

Yes my tech friends. We the iTunes nation are a minority. A growing minority but a minority nonetheless. Two-thirds of all music purchases are still sold on physical media. I have a few friends that refuse to purchase anything other than CDs. Sound quality has a lot to do with that.

Hat tip [App Scout]

Great 'reader' post on Andrew Sullivan's blog regarding health care reform. It is from a Canadian who compares the American and the Canadian system. While there are flaws in both systems, the reader points out that there is not one person who prefers the American system. When more than half of personal bankruptcies are due to healthcare costs, it is not sustainable.

Unfortunately I have seen this in my family. Paying for my grandmother's health care caused significant financial strain on me and my family. My Mom has never recovered from it.

Youth unemployment will be a big issue soon

Ominous posting from NYT columnist Bob Herbert. His point is that this labor market is even worse for young people, ages 16 - 30. They are severely underemployed, which will lead to social problems in a few years time as they lag behind their employed peers. Plus their peers with good connections etc are taking jobs that normally require less education, pushing them even further behind. It's interesting that 30 Rock touched on the social implications of the crash in NY – a return to the very depressing 70s and 80s.

I've always wondered how Gen X and Y were going to be able to afford the life that the Boomers are leaving behind. Demographically speaking, there aren't enough high earning people under 45 that could have kept asset prices at their levels. The hoops that people needed to go through to afford a home on the coasts didn't bode well for those prices. I worry most about those who counted on high housing prices to fund their retirement. I don't think there will be enough people able to pay these prices. How far will asset prices drop? Who knows. But cash is ruling the real estate market now so prices will come down significantly.

House with a sliding frame

What a great idea. The frame basically slides back to reveal an inner glass structure that lets in a lot more light. Great invention.

Hat tip [Unplugged]

New Deal - prolonged the Depression?

Fascinating conversation – in the comments section – taking place on Robert Reich's blog. The discussion centers around his taking on the conservative meme that the New Deal actually prolonged the recession rather than hastening its' end.

The argument is that the Depression did a valuable thing, which was to remove inefficiency from the economic system through the reallocation of resources. It's even better if what is causing that inefficiency are artificial structures like labor unions etc because those will buckle under the weight of that reallocation.

From an economic theory, it makes perfect sense. But socio-politically it doesn't. Human resources are also individuals and individuals cause trouble when under too much strain. Some of the worst tyrants were born out of grinding economic upheaval. During the Depression, there was palpable fear that the US could turn Communist since there were so many wildcat labor uprisings. Warren Buffett talks about them in his book, the Snowball.

I've always been conservatively minded but not as far as the current conservative mindset. I think conservatives forget people don't like being poor and unemployed for very long. Maybe a police state can keep that in check but I don't know how that would work in this country. I wouldn't want to chance it.

Fewer commercials = more revenue?

A few weeks ago, the NYT started the discussion on Fox's new ad strategy for some of its top-rated shows – fewer commercials that cost more. The idea is that commercials are more likely to watch a commercial when it's a break of only 60 seconds rather than the typical two to three minute commercial break that provides more of an opportunity to speed past it, mute it or walk away.

I hope it succeeds. One thing it may revive is the 60 second ad. I think one reason people tune out the advertising, aside from irrelevant or poor creative, is the barrage of advertising that pours from the TV covering so many different topics. It's an art to engage your audience for 60 seconds and one many creatives are losing.

Wow

I can't believe that I haven't posted since Monday. The week has flown by as I'm working on a couple of projects now and have been cooking for others a lot. Bad Gslash!

Netbook hurting Microsoft

The biggest seller in the computer category is the netbook, small low-powered laptops. I've written about them once before and I have been thinking about getting one forever; the portability just can't be beat.

The only one not excited about the netbook is Microsoft. Turns out these tiny systems are hurting their business more than Apple. Why? Because netbooks sales contribute very little to their bottom line. 

1. Roughly one-third of netbooks ship with Linux. 
   
2. Those that do ship with Windows tend to ship with the low-cost Windows XP, an OS Microsoft has been trying to bin since Vista came out. 
   
3. Most netbooks don't run Office, since the software costs as much as the computer itself. 
   

A more detailed summary can be found here on Macworld via Computerworld. 

The changing supermarket

Interesting Ad Age article about problems for the big brands in the supermarket aisles. 

As in past recessions, consumers are shifting their spending from brand names to private label/store brands. Given today's price sensitive consumer, manufacturers are going to have a difficult time, just when they need consumers to spend more. Money quote in my book: 

"Retailers have been talking about destocking, taking out the No. 3 or No. 4 brands, for more than a decade," said Clorox Co. Chairman-CEO Don Knauss at CAGNY. "We're finally starting to see that happen." Walmart, particularly, is aggressively looking to winnow brand assortments and category footprints in some cases, he said."

Read the rest of the article here at Advertising Age. 

"Someone in Great Britain loses their home once every seven minutes"

Sobering article about the UK economy and dramatic reversal in fortune. Some ugly times ahead there. Read Der Spiegel (in English) to learn more.

iPhone AppStore Secrets - Pinch Media

Seems as though iPhone apps have a very short shelf lives. Head to slide 14 to data on this point.

iPhone AppStore Secrets - Pinch Media

View more presentations from pinchmedia. (tags: pinch media)

Living richly on the cheap

One of the travel blogs I follow had an interesting article on how people cope with financial insecurity many miles from our shores. Argentina has been buffetted by at least four financial crises and yet the resolution is to survive. Give it a read.

Hat tip [Travel blogs]

Deluxe apartment in the sky

I live in a 5 floor walkup but I walk up another few flights if I had this apartment waiting for me. This small 'hut' is perched on top of a 4 floor walkup in London. Gorgeous space. Explore more of it here.

Hat tip [Small House Style] 

BofA's iPhone/iTouch success

Earlier in the month, Bnk of America proclaimed that 40% of their 2 million mobile users logged into their accounts using either an iPhone or an iPod Touch. Pretty astounding when you think about how long the devices have been in the market.

Hat tip [Mobile Banking]

Chris Brown needs to go to jail

How could he possibly do this to someone so beautiful? 

Another amazing iPhone app

Another app in my arsenal may be a new one called ColorSplash, which allows the user to spot color selections of an image. This kind of image processing is Photoshop material – all available from the iPhone.

I admit that I underestimated the imaging capacity of this device. I have already illustrated the QuadCam, which I love. I only wish the resolution of the camera were just a little higher so that these type of pictures could be that much sharper. 

UPDATE: I've started playing with this app. It's not the easiest to manipulate but it is great fun. I will be looking out for pics to modify. 

Hat tip [TUAW]

A slimmer GM ahead

The NYT reports on how GM's recently announced slimdown – reducing the number of brands to four – figures in the context of history. 

I have to admit that I am not surprised that GM is taking the knife to their portfolio. It SHOULD have been done in the 90's, when it was clear Honda and Toyota were here to stay. The portfolio will now be – Chevy, Buick, Cadillac and GMC. Chevy is the mainstream and still the volume leader for the company. Buick is the respectable brand that sells well overseas. Cadillac is the prestige brand. GMC is the one I am not sure I understand since a lot of its line is made up of Chevy trucks. But GMC has a loyal following so if they can make it work, more power to them. 

It's sad to see Pontiac phased out and most of all Saturn. But GM was never truly committed to Saturn. Saturn was about everything that GM was not, so it's hard to see that succeed without egg on the face of the rest of the company. The great news is that it worked. The bad news is it didn't spread. Maybe they will take lessons from that and apply it to the rest of the company. 

Calvin Klein coat

I haven't seen a coat I love more than this Calvin Klein release. It is minimalist and modern. I particularly like the contrast created by the inset lines. 

Hat tip [Towleroad]

Fashion week

I have been keeping an eye on Fashion Week and will likely have a few pieces that I thought were outstanding – either for their design or for the commentary on our times. 

E-Class Coupe

From sad to glad. The ultimate in status. 

Mercedes has been slowly winning me over in the last few years. I like the latest C-Class but I don't see many of them around. The brand has just gone public with the rebranded CLK coupe now known as the E-Class Coupe. Similar to previous refreshes – the S-Class comes to mind – the E-Class is far more expressive and curvy. More pictures at Autoblog. Worth a look. 

State of America

In the last few weeks, I have been in a blogging slump. To be honest,  I have been a little distraught by the state of the economy – national, local and personal. It has made little sense to post things that value consumption when so many people are cutting back their consumption. 

Last week, I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine yesterday on America. His point of view was that America's best days were behind us. For some reason, I just felt as though that idea was wrong.

The country that developed and populized the internet does not have its best days behind it. In fact, I think the best days are in front of us because we are seeing a sea change in how consumers relate to brands, to one another and to the world at large. Maybe people are not relating to one another in the same way as they did in the past but I think that today's network-centric life will pay dividends in many ways. Here's a few of them. 

• I imagine we'll see an increase in bartering but on a state and national level. Even international. I wonder if local communities will go the way of Notegeld, the local 'currency' during depression era Germany ravaged by inflation. 
  
• Everything DIY. If there's a stock to buy, it would be firms that help consumers and businesses make anything. Hell I may even invest in a sewing machine myself. 
  
• Green alternatives will become more popular as people look for any way to reduce costs. 
  
• There will be a renewed emphasis on the local store, many of which have disappeared in recent years. I know that I have been more focused on the local produce stand and buying things from the bodega, where it's price competitive. 

On the flip side, I get the sense that cities are going to be in for a rough time again, akin to the 70s and 80s.

• High cost and high unemployment will lead to a resurgence of crime and lawlessness (my biggest fear in NY)
  
• Education will suffer due to budget cutbacks
  
• Every wacko with an idea will be able to rally troops and do damage

Overall I just get the sense that we'll be a far more local America than in the past, thanks to the social connections made possible through the internet. What I would love to see from the Obama administration is a great deal more support for the small business and support for re training people to pursue their dreams. Hopefully this will be the start of something big. Or rather the start of many big things. 

Crazy inflatable structure

I can only gloss over how wild this building is. You must check it out yourself. To quote: 

The Pavilion uses tried and tested inflatable technology consisting of pressurised tubes in a new and stunning way. The diamond-lattice structure creates a stable 3D superstructure enclosing the project. This adds stability to a series of domed shapes which are a triangulated network of tubes with dual-layer inflated cushions on each side to provide in-plane stiffness. The outer cushion of the volume is translucent, giving the volume visual depth, the inner layer is a white blackout fabric which allows the inner space to be darkened during the day. A 2m x 2m structural flooring grid with adjustable legs provides a stable base for the project. This is weighted down with the two shipping containers the project is transported in, and additional water filled weights to limit the need to transport heavy ballast or foundations.

Hat tip: ArchDaily

Desk that's perfect for me

I admit that I am a piler. I do not have an abundance of things that are put away. I stack things on top of one another. I say it's because I like to have things close at hand but I'm sure there are other reasons. I saw this desk on Crib Candy. It's perfect for those who want the productivity of a clean desk but also like to be flanked with the things they need without having to dive into drawers etc. So awesome.

Hat tip [Crib Candy]

Some generic!

Beautiful packaging from Woolworth's in South Africa. Stuff like this is why store brands continue to post gain after gain in sales. I'd rather have this on my shelf or in my cupboard than many name brands. Walgreen's could use some pointers; their private label stuff is ugly and dated. 

Now in fairness, private label rarely has to merchandize as hard as the name brands. But it's nice to see a simple approach. 

Hat tip [Dieline]

Rhianna and domestic violence

The incident between Chris Brown and Rhianna has shocked and appalled me to no end. I fell in love with her after seeing 'Umbrella' and it's frightening that her life has taken such a crazy turn despite having what many consider 'it all' – beauty, talent, money, and the successful handsome boyfriend. 

It's depressing familiar to millions of women throughout the world. I have shied away from getting too personal on this blog but domestic violence is something that I have seen first-hand. It was present at the start of my parents' marriage. My brothers and I compared notes and realized that we all have some violent episode as our 'first memories.' Fortunately it stopped but not before the damage was done – to my Mom's psyche and to us as witnesses.

Domestic violence is a coward's crime and I see Chris Brown as a coward. Unable to control his emotions. Insecure enough in his own self that to feel better about himself, he uses his power to subjugate someone weaker. In many respects, it was similar to the situation between my parents. The overachiever marries a beautiful woman and proceeds to put in her a gilded cage, with violence and intimidation used to 'keep her there.'

A friend of mine specializes in domestic violence as a disease – due to the fact that each generation sees it and mimics it – and I will be interviewing her for this blog. The one good thing that will come from this is that hopefully women out there will see that even the ones we admire can be in their own personal hell. It is incredibly difficult to extract oneself from a violent situation but maybe hundreds if not thousands will muster up the strength and break free. 

Great storage solution

It's great to see people apply some ingenuity to common problems, in this case storage. This homeowner converted the steps into a rather large set of drawers. You can see the handles clearly but the structure blends in so well, it's not as noticeable.  

Hat tip [Apartment Therapy]

Sofa for modern times

I think this sofa to be an interesting reflection of modern times. We rarely just sit on the sofa anymore. With the advent of smartphones, laptops and other tech gear, we increasing work from our sofas. This is also a reflection that we need places to put all of this stuff in an accessible but out of site fashion. I can't say I'm a huge fan of this design but I do see it as an incredibly useful one. 

Cool chair

Those of you who have seen my apartment know that I have a bungie based desk chair from CB2, one of the most comfortable desk chairs I have owned. Surprisingly inexpensive too. 

I ran across this design on Not*Cot. It uses sustainable bamboo and bungie cords and is flat packed. The design itself is a reintreptation of René Herbst Chaise Sandow shown here on Flickr. I like this version more. 

Hat tip [Not Cot]

Spring fever

A funny thing has happened recently. No thanks to a certain groundhog, the weather has been beautiful lately. Well, less sucky. We've gone from freezing cold and temps down to 10F all the way to the upper 40s and mid 50s. It might even get up to 60 today. 

With the arrival of warmer weather comes news fatigue on my part. I haven't been combing through my feeds with the same vigor that I did in the past. I'm sure the sheer volume of feeds that I follow may have something to do with it. But I'm just not as interested in doing it right now. 

For the next few weeks, I'll be spending more time outdoors walking around. So my posts will be more of the 'slice of NY' rather than highlighting stuff from other places that interests me. I think that's not a bad deal for my readers in other parts of the country who can't experience this great city daily. 

New Kindle 2

Amazon released the Kindle 2 yesterday, much to my chagrin. Well my chagrin only because I really like it. It fixes many of the issues with the last one, namely an awkward industrial design. 

I'm waiting for the color version. As I've mentioned before, I think the Kindle is an amazing device. I would love to replace all of my paper media using one. That's only possible in color. Soon I'm sure. 

ADDENDUM: A friend of mine has just ordered one so I'll get the chance to play with it up close and personal

Crazy few days

Sorry it's been quiet. I've had a busy few days and just now starting to get back into the swing of things. More postings to follow. 

More from Nick Cave

Nick Cave 3
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

iPhone camera

It's quite popular to bag on the iPhone camera, particularly its' mere 2MP resolution. But I've taken a number of pictures in the last few months using the camera and very rarely are the results less than spectacular. I think one thing the iPhone camera does very well is color fidelity. And with the new applications being released that unlock different capabilities, it's becoming quite a sophisticated imaging tool. 

Hungry Pugs

Hungry Pugs
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

Nick Cave @ Jack Shainman Gallery

Nick Cave 1
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

My friends in NYC must visit the Jack Shainman gallery in West Chelsea. I have never seen such amazing sculpture. He uses embroidery, lace, macrame, buttons and other sewing crafts to create these Sound Suits. Now I will have to follow his work. Those in San Francisco, it's heading to the MoMA in March. You must see it for yourself.

Messiah van

Messiah van
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

I had one of those 'only in NY' moments yesterday. Roughly 10 vans with  scratchy loudspeakers blaring something inaudible. Signs in different languages lauded the presence of the Messiah. At least according to followers of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson on Eastern Parkway.

I took this picture with a relatively new app on the App Store called QuadCamera, written by a Japanese developer. The app allows you to take up to eight pictures consecutively, something difficult to do using the standard Camera application. 

4 Panel Public

4 Panel Public
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

Taken with the QuadCamera app at Public Restaurant in Nolita

Rivington Street Sunrise

Rivington Street Sunrise
Originally uploaded by mitchsfo

The sun looked particularly nice on this cold new york morning

Breathtaking packaging

Stunning packaging. Check out the entire line here at Dieline, a packaging blog. 

Off a cliff

There's off a cliff and there's OFF a cliff.

January's auto sales figures are mindblowingly bad. One of the worst hit was Volvo. Their sales were down 63.8% and they sold only 2910 units last month. Incredible.

Hat tip [Left Lane] Photo Credit [jjohns5182]

Phew! I only scored a seven on the GSATs

Gizmodo has a hilarious quiz called the 'Geez Social Apptitude Test'. It's a great read. I scored a seven, thankfully. I was genuinely worried. I still read a gadget site so I'm not totally geek-free. 

Catharsis - I was just sleeping

I wrote a poem based on a line from my Mom after her horrible accident last Spring on the day of my birth. I thought I would share in the spirit of sharing and catharsis. Enjoy.

I wasn't doing anything

I was just sleeping

I fell out of the sky as if my body had

A mind of its own

I wasn't doing anything

I was just sleeping

My neck snapped in a dream state

Rude awakening

I wasn't doing anything

I was just sleeping

I escaped with my life

I held on to my hope

My soul

My prayers

Be careful

Something can happen

When you are doing nothing

Like sleeping

Portable Social Graphs - Imagining their Potential

I'm combing through my Social Networking blogs and found this presentation on SlideShare, authored by Shiv Singh of Razorfish, that talks about the potential impact of Facebook Connect. I've mentioned before that FB as an authentication layer for applications like banking could potentially go a long way in overcoming consumer security fears. 

One of the sections in this deck I found most interesting was the idea of connecting iTunes and Facebook. This connection would make it easier to share music you like with friends. It would also offer a way of narrowing reviews to people in your social circle and inspiring people who may not normally review things to participate. Interesting deck and well worth the read.  

BMW's Chris Bangle leaving!

Thanks to the folks at LeftLane for breaking the news – to me at least.

Will the world's BMW enthusiasts be sorry to see him go? Probably. The rest of the auto world may not. His controversial designs really did change auto design. Even Toyota mimicked the 'Bangle Butt.' 

Time lapse of a baby playing with his toys

Fascinating video. Two things stand out in this video.

1) He really manages to cover every corner of the room
2) He spends much of his time touching stuff

Cash4Gold = Gold

Seems as though everyone is talking about one of the funniest and most depressing ads of the Super Bowl – Cash4Gold's spot starring troubled has-beens MC Hammer and Ed McMahon. Both are in tight financial circumstances and made perfect spokesmen for those wanting to sell their valuables to make their mortgage payment. 

The spot was funny. I just couldn't get over how sad it must be for both men to appear in a spot like that. In the end, that decreased the 'enjoyment' of the spot. The message burst through but it was bittersweet. They will probably make a ton of money off it and I'm sure their web traffic is off the charts. 

Cash4Gold.com – a telling poster child for the New Recession

Google Reader

I use Google Reader to manage my RSS feeds. It's device neutral so once I've read something on one device, it's gone. Helps a lot. The last few days have been complete mayhem though. Not sure what's going on. Grrr. 

Super Bowl Sunday

Now THAT'S what I call a good Super Bowl. The me the most memorable moments in the game were the 100-yard return and the Santonio Holmes' game winning ballet catch at the end. Both teams played a fantastic game. I'm so relieved it wasn't a blow-out or one-sided. Arizona was the weaker of the two but not by that much, particularly in third and fourth quarter.

Advertising wise, some solid spots. Throughout the game, I twittered my thoughts on the ads so I'll be referring back to my tweets. 

The GoDaddy spots were inane and infantile, perfect for the male demographic. Did they sell anything? Meh, doubt it. They did make the point that one should register one's identity, which is always smart.

I like the idea behind the virtual world Coke spot – in a world that's increasingly virtual, Coke is the real thing. Can't beat the laser like Gen-Y insight. In fact, it's almost a generational anthem spot. Well done. 

NBC was pushing product hard this year and their spots were some of the most successful promo spots I've seen. My favorite was the Laugh Your Ass Off spot. Great execution. They have such a strong line-up but they took hits due to last year's strike so I'm sure every little bit helps. 

William Shatner knows how to deliver. The 'Cyrano' Priceline spot rocked and is probably one of my favorites. It's amazing how he still embraces the role that made him famous, unlike many other stars. The Priceline work is consistently one of the best advertising, in my opinion. 

The car advertising of the show was the Audi work with Jason Streatham. Predictable but still good. The automaker I'm most disappointed in is Toyota. Toyota's work has always been on the cheesy side but it's amazing to me how domestic Toyota is now, which is probably a good thing considering their huge infrastructure investment in this country and the 'Buy American' attitude that is waning but still prevalent. Their Tundra ad could have been done by Ford or GM. 

In terms of entertainment, Faith Hill rocked but looked a little mumsie for my taste. Jennifer Hudson nearly lost it in the beginning but belted out a powerful anthem. I don't usually watch halftime shows but Bruce Springsteen gave a terrific performance.

Overall, a solid Super Bowl. Good old-fashioned entertainment. In these times, very welcome indeed. 

Super Bowl Sunday

Spent most of the day getting ready for and baking a dessert for the party. Go Steelers. I should be rooting for Arizona but I'm not. A thorough discussion of advertising is in order.