Happy Halloween!

From the portfolio of Bristol UK freelance illustrator Ben Newman.

Check out more great stuff from Ben!: Ben Has A Pencil

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HMK

Can The Lips and Dig...

Turn up the Stereo Dads and Mazdas - here's hoping all you Cool Beatnik Muscle Cats and Juicehead Twin Trees have a real gone and the most hellaciously Ginchiest Halloween Hootenanny, like, ever. Wail on, mind the Fuzz and be smart on the Wasteland!

That's Right Dad, later,

HMK

Magnet Mobiles

Man, I really want one of these! Check out the latest product from creative collaboration Laikingland, Magnet Mobiles by Ivan Black.

Laikingland, based in both the UK and The Netherlands, design and manufacture beautifully crafted kinetic objects that engage, and evoke a sense of wonder, play and nostalgia.

These awesome magnetic mobiles consist of lightweight rotating forms that spiral around magnet and ball bearing mechanisms. The near frictionless mechanisms allow the Magnet Mobiles to be activated with a simple light blow.

Thanks to Design Milk

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HMK

The Reluctant Modernist

You might recognize Erik Nitsche's clean, systematic, and ordered work from the visual identity he created for the General Dynamics Corporation, Orbachs, Bloomingdale’s, Decca Records, RCA Records, Filene’s, 20th Century Fox, The Museum of Modern Art, Container Corporation of America, the New York Transit Authority, Revlon, among others.


If you're not familiar with Nitsche's work, this is a nice place to start. Enjoy this very nice little collection of Decca record covers designed by one of my most favorite graphic designers, Swiss born Erik Nitsche, one of the last surviving Modern design pioneers.


Learn more about one of the worlds most prolific graphic desgners via Steven Heller's piece for Typotheque: Erik Nitsche: The Reluctant Modernist.

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HMK

Thanks to ISO50 for the flickr hook-up!

Tokyo Auto Show

Wow, these new rides are really making me miss my 1966 convertable VW Bug I sold back in 2000. Check out my two favorite electric cars and concepts from this year's Tokyo Auto Show thanks to the smart folks over at Wired.

The above Honda nails the retro vibe with it's update of the N360 from late ‘60s. Dig the EV-N. It's lithium-ion battery gets some juice from a rooftop solar panel. And I totally agree with Wired - Note to Honda: Build this car. Immediately.

And what's not to love about the wicked smart and utilitarian Basket. Pure and simple, both in name and concept, Basket from Daihatsu will definitely be at the top of my list if it becomes a reality.

Check out the other and way more futuristic concepts from Wired: Tokyo Auto Show.

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HMK

The Velvet Underground: A New York Art

New from Rizzoli books, The Velvet Underground: A New York Art (edited by Johan Kugelberg) collects together a wealth of early photography of the band, alongside a wonderful archive of posters and flyers.


The Velvet Underground's association with Andy Warhol is well documented; perhaps what is less well known is the art that was actually made to promote the band's gigs and albums during the mid-to-late 60s. A new book documents the rise of their decidedly New York art.

More from the good folks over at: Creative Review UK.

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HMK

Just A Reminder

Today Is Friday.

This is simply awesome. From Hong Kong designer Yellowgoat and available from good folks at esty.

You know you either want one or know somebody that needs one!

Check out more from: Yellowgoat.

Have a great weekend!

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HMK

Go Angels!

If you're like me and you hate the Yankees you'll love this: Why I Hate The Yankees and if you're into the design and aethetics of Japanese Matchbox Labels, you'll really enjoy this flickr set aptly titled : Japanese Matchbox Labels!

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HMK

The Young Credenza

I'm really digging the earth tones of the Young Credenza by Kenneth Nilson, a Brooklyn, New York based designer.

The top surface is a sinlge solid slab of seamless walnut, 10 1/2 feet wide by 20 inches deep and 38 inches high and comprised of bronze patinaed steel and walnut.

More good stuff by: Kenneth Nilson

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HMK

Idea Paint

Genius. Introducing Idea Paint, a paint that turns any paintable surface into a dry-erase board.


Half the cost of whiteboard and better-performing + you can leave marks up indefinitely, and they won't stain the wall.

I can't wait to try this!

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HMK

Tuk Tuk!

Sweet! Tuk Tuk North America has officially been granted both DOT and EPA approval for its line of Mitsubishi-powered three-wheelers. This means that the Tuk Tuk will be completely road legal here in the United States.



Sure, I don't think I'd want to drive one of these cross-crountry (though from what I've read and understand it's fully capable of such trips), but as a livinin-inside-the-loop, take me to the river errand-runner with a top speed of 55 miles per and it's priced under 11,000, this just might be the new official HMK Archive company sled!

Reminds me of my very first three-wheeler!



More info over at: Green Auto and Ape Calessino.

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HMK

Lacie USB Keys

These are really sweet.

Lacie recently introduced these nice little USB keys. Designed by french ID firm 5.5 Designers, clean, simple, functional and overall a nice, hip update to the now ubiquitous jump drive.

Priced right at $24.99 for the 4GB, $31.99 for the 8GB, and $51.99 for the 16GB.

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HMK

Classic RFP

Now this is truly a dream Request for Proposal.

This was obviously for the Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers album design. We all need a few more client briefs like this...

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HMK

Thanks to Swiss Miss.

For Those About To Shop

Wow, I'm really digging this AC/DC Deluxe Collector's Edition Amp packaging. It's got some wicked nice attention to detail - complete with a working amplifier! Genius!

"The exterior box is designed to resemble a vintage AC/DC guitar amp – complete with the original logo that was spray-painted onto the rear of Angus and Malcolm’s speaker cabinets in 1975. The “head” of the amp has a handle that lifts the top off to reveal the contents housed within.

Oh yeah, the head is also a WORKING GUITAR AMPLIFIER!

That’s right, one watt of pure AC/DC makes this box a truly unique collector’s item. You can PLAY the box set while LISTENING TO the box set! Check out the videos of Angus using the amp.

The box, which includes 3 CDs and 2 DVDs of ACDC rare tracks, recordings and videos, also includes a 12" LP, numerous memorabilia reproductions as well as a 164-page hard bound book containing rare and unseen photos spanning 1974-2009 plus full-size re-prints of original press releases, tour itineraries, tour books, test pressing labels, advertisements and much more. A real history of the band from the inside out.

Rare photography includes never-before-seen shots of the band recording at the Albert Music studio on King Street in Sydney with legendary producers Harry Vanda and George Young in 1977. Also tons of unpublished live shots from all over the world."

Designed over a 2 year period by Phil Yarnall of SMAY DESIGN - we salute you!

Thanks to the smart folks over at The Dieline.

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HMK

The Wandering Mind

My best ideas seem to surface when I'm working on an illustration, cutting the grass, vacuuming, walking the dogs or playing Snood.

And a couple of rounds of good coffee after a good night's sleep are always a good idea.

By most measures, we spend about a third of our time daydreaming, yet our brain is unusually active during these seemingly idle moments. Left to its own devices, our brain activates several areas associated with complex problem solving, which researchers had previously assumed were dormant during daydreams. Moreover, it appears to be the only time these areas work in unison.

"People assumed that when your mind wandered it was empty," says cognitive neuroscientist Kalina Christoff at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, who reported the findings last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As measured by brain activity, however, "mind wandering is a much more active state than we ever imagined, much more active than during reasoning with a complex problem."

The above is from Robert Lee Hotz latest article: A Wandering Mind Heads Straight Toward Insight in the Science Journal from the Wallstreet Journal. It's a really insightful read that goes great with morning coffee and Cliff Kuang's recent Fasct Company piece:Hard Work's Overrated, Maybe Detrimental.

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HMK

Does ATT Suck?

Not as far as I'm concerned.

After a long month + of problems with my first generation iPhone including dropped calls, hit or miss service like 5 hour spans of No Service in place of bars, a couple of days of internet searching and iPhone trouble shooting and then a trip to the Genius Bar we finally narrowed the problem down to a hardware issue. Most likely the antenna of my first generation iPhone .

Long story short, AT&T credited my account with 79.00 for the month of sucky service and I got a refurbished G3 iPhone for 49.00.

The only downer aspect is that the data plan is 15.00 more than the original plan I had with my first gen iPhone (blame that on the substidation of the G3 and G3s) and I had to commit to another 2 year contract.

Considering today's outcome, the really nice and helpful AT&T folks I dealt with both on the phone and in the store where I scored the new phone, I'm pretty happy with AT&T and really don't mind another 2 year commitment.

Thanks AT&T!

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HMK

Doctor Manhattan, The Duke and the Moon

"All we ever see of stars are their old photographs." Doctor Manhattan, WATCHMEN

Wow, I guess there's water on the moon after all - we've been getting lots of rain since this morning's Moon Bombing!

And speaking of our moon...

This is the Duke family. The father, Charles Moss Duke, Jr. born October 3, 1935. The mom, Dorothy Meade Claiborne. The two sons, Charles and Thomas. They are probably in their garden, sitting on a bench. They look so happy.

And they should be, because Charles Moss Duke was the lunar module pilot of Apollo 16 in 1972. He landed with mission commander John W. Young at the Descartes Highlands, which is what makes this photo so special: It's still there, untouched, unperturbed, exactly in the same position as he left it before taking this snapshot with his Hasselblad 70mm film camera.

Read the rest of this great post from the smart folks over at Gizmodo: This Is Not Your Ordinary Family Photo.

When I first saw this shot I immediately thought of Watchmen - how cool is this?


Have a great weekend!

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HMK

Disorientation Begets Creative Thinking

New research supports what many experimental artists, habitual travelers and other novel seekers have always insisted: at least some of the time, disorientation begets creative thinking.

Nice read from the New York Times: How Nonsense Sharpens the Intellect.

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HMK

Apples To Apples To Apples

Apple has launched a legal challenge to the new Woolworths logo, claiming that it too closely resembles its own corporate icon.

I'm not sure Apple really has a case with this one. I mean, it's a piece of fruit, right?

Read all about it: Apple demands Woolworths drops new logo.

And speaking of Apples...



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HMK

Happy Birthday Gandi!

Be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi

And thanks to my mom and dad for making everything in my world possible - I know they're up there together smiling down on me today as I celebrate the 30th Anniversary of my 18th Birthday!



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HMK

47 Ways to Fine Tune Your Brain

Your brain is a complex organ. It is the controller of your body, your thoughts, your state of mind and your ultimately your life. There are some who abuse it, some who underuse it, and some who overuse it to the point of meltdown.

The smart folks over at Dumb Little Man take a look at dozens of tactics designed to help you maintain your brain into old age and help to increase your mental agility and cognitive development.

A few of my favorites:

You've Heard It Before
Exercise is probably the number 1 way to increase the brains capabilities in every way possible, from memory to creativity. There's no getting around it, we all need to exercise.

Working
A lot of people look forward to giving up work as we get older, however, working even in a part time job can keep the mind active. If you are retired you can do volunteer work to keep you active.

Don't Try and Multitask, It Can't Be Done
Our brains can only focus and concentrate on one thing at a time, this is a proven scientific fact. While you can most likely handle multiple menial tasks, anything that requires you to concentrate, reason, or decide deserves full focus.

The World Is A Mystery
Use your brain to constantly ask questions and explore your surroundings. Continually exercise your brain by not accepting everything you see and hear: question it and free your sense of curiosity.

Use Both Hemispheres
Use the left hemisphere of your brain to practice logical, mathematical problems in your life. Use the right hemisphere to unleash your creativity. You will know what side is dominant so make it a point to practice using your non dominant hemisphere.

Check out the rest of the: 47 Ways to Fine Tune Your Brain. Just what we all need!

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HMK