Brazilian Chair

OK, getting back down to Earth after what turned into Space Week here at That's Right...

Dude, I really want this chair designed by Brazilian designer Sergio Rodrigues via Silvia Nayla!

That's Right,

HMK

Gracias: Design Milk!

Splashdown!

Safe at home!

In college, a friend asked Armstrong if he wanted to be the first man on the moon - "No," he answered, "I want to be the first man to come back from the moon"... Genius!

At 12:15 p.m. EDT July 24 the Apollo 11's command module Columbia splashed down in the mid-Pacific, about 24 kilometers from the recovery ship U.S.S. Hornet. Following decontamination procedures at the point of splashdown, the astronauts were carried by helicopter to the Hornet where they entered a mobile quarantine facility to begin a period of observation under strict quarantine conditions. The CM was recovered and removed to the quarantine facility. Sample containers and film were flown to Houston.

That's Right!

HMK

Heinz Edelmann

Sad news about Heinz Edelmann, he passed away yesterday, July 21st 2009. Edelmann was 75. The photo above is from 1968.

With Heinz Edelmann, the graphic design community looses one of its most innovative practitioners. During his long and prolific career he has created groundbreaking work in the fields of Animation, Advertising and Publishing.

Among the best known of his creations are the illlustrations he did for twen Magazine and Frankfurter Allgemeine Magazine, his book designs for the publishing house Klett Cotta and his posters for the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (West German Broadcasting).

Then there is of course the one chapter in his oeuvre that has made him known worldwide: his stunningly inventive work on the Beatles movie Yellow Submarine.


Edelmann also designed many book covers, including the first German edition of Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings,' and won a contest to design the mascot of the Expo '92 world fair in Spain.

More here: AGI. RIP Heinz.

That's Right,

HMK

Quest For Storage Space

Wow! Considering the computer on board the Apollo 11 Lunar Module had about as much technology as a digital watch does today, this super huge 256GB DataTraveler 300 jump drive from Kingston is nothing short of amazing!

Retail price is a sky high $924US.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to The Cult Of Mac

More Soviet Space Dogs

Most of us are by now familiar with Laika (Лайка, "Barker"), the first space dog and her fateful journey aboard Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957, but did you know that there were at least 26 other Soviet Space Dogs shot into space?

Chernushka
This is Chernushka (Чернушка, "Blackie"). She made one orbit on board Korabl-Sputnik-4 (Sputnik 9) on March 9, 1961 with a cosmonaut dummy (whom Russian officials nicknamed "Ivan Ivanovich"), mice and a guinea pig. The dummy was ejected out of the capsule during re-entry and made a soft landing using a parachute. Chernushka was recovered unharmed inside the capsule.

Veterok and Ugolyok
Meet Veterok (Ветерок, "Little Wind/Breeze") and Ugolyok (Уголёк, "Little Piece of Coal"). They were launched on February 22, 1966 on board Cosmos 110, and spent 22 days in orbit before landing on March 16. This spaceflight of record-breaking duration was not surpassed by humans until Skylab 2 in June 1973 and still stands as the longest space flight by dogs.

Female dogs were used because of their temperament and because the suit for the dogs in order to collect urine and faeces was equipped with a special device, designed to work only with females.

The cool part is that unlike poor Laika, most of these little guys made it back home safely and received the appropriate star treatment.

But wait, there's more! There's an animated Russian feature film called Star Dogs: Belka and Strelka that's currently in production and scheduled to open in Russian theaters in December 2009.

Sweet.

Meet the rest!: More Soviet Space Dogs

U mina plokha s ruskim,

HMK

A big spasiba to fellow stamp geek Joseph Morris for sharing his awesome stamps!

Behold! The Real Moonwalk Thriller!

"Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind." Neil Armstrong

"This is the LM pilot. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way." Buzz Aldrin

"Ok guys, I'll guess I'll see you back here in about 21 hours or so..." Michael Collins.

The lunar module landed at 20:17 on July 20th and took off at 17:54 on July 21st.


Actually, Michael Collins, the least famous our amazing trio did a lot more than he's credited for. The now famous mission patch of Apollo 11 was his creation. Jim Lovell, the backup commander, mentioned the idea of eagles, a symbol of the United States. Collins liked the idea and found a photo in a National Geographic magazine, traced it and added the lunar surface below and Earth in the background.


The Apollo 11 Crew: Lunar Module Pilot, Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin Jr, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Mission commander and first man on the Moon Neil Armstrong.

Go to the Moon with Google Earth!:



That's Right!

HMK

Boston Pizza

I'm planning on hitting my old college stomping grounds by the end of the summer to catch a Sox game, hook up with some old friends and eat some lobster. And no trip to BeanTown would be complete with out an awesome slice or 5... My hands down choice for the best pie in boston is Regina Pizzeria with Newbury Pizza running a close second.

Regina Pizzeria's opened in the North End in 1926 and it's truly everything a pizza place should be - awesome pies from the brick oven, pitchers of beer, hip, boisterous waitresses, and Sinatra on the jukebox. That’s amore! (Yup, that’s on the jukebox.).

Sadly, Newbury Pizza has closed. I worked at Newbury Pizza and interned at Hill Holliday part time while I was at the Massachusetts College Of Art & Design back in the late 1980's. Newbury's wicked simple and fresh pizza pie was the closest thing to a New York pizza you could find in Boston and working with Lee, Brian and the owner Angelo was really my pleasure and greatly enhanced the short 4+ years I lived there.

Regina Pizzeria
11 1/2 Thacher St.
617.227.0765.

More Boston Pizza!

HMK

Long Live Laika!

Fifty two years ago a sweet little puppy named Laika went from stray dog to a national hero when the Soviet Union strapped her into Sputnik 2 and launched her into outer space.

Just last April 11th, 2008, Laika finally got some well deserved recognition. On the eve of Cosmonauts' Day, marking Soviet pilot Yuri Gagarin's April 12, 1961 space flight, a monument to Laika was officially unveiled near Moskow's Military Medicine Institute, the same place her flight team prepared for her original, fateful space mission in 1957.


Like all dogs used in the Soviet space program, Laika was a stray. Strays were chosen because Soviet doctors apparently believed the mean streets of Moscow were similar to conditions experienced in space. Small dogs were selected due to the size constraints of the Sputnik 2 capsule.

"Laika was quiet and charming," Dr. Vladimir Yazdovsky wrote in his book about Soviet space medicine. He even took the dog home to play with his children. "I wanted to do something nice for her: She had so little time left to live," he said.

Here's to all Astronauts - God Speed!

And you've got to check out this nice flickr set dedicated to: Laika, my favorite Space Puppy.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Reuters

We Choose The Moon!

All Things Apollo 11!

• Interactive: Recreating the Apollo 11 mission in real time, with Mission control transmissions via Twitter, e-mail alerts and a mission tracker.


• Interactive: Review a space race timeline, watch videos and study the history of the space program.


• Neil Armstrong: Check written by Neil Armstrong auctioned.


• Mission audio: Sounds from the Apollo 11 mission.


• NASA: The Web site for the 40th anniversary.


• NASA: The Apollo 11 history page


• Google: Tour the moon missions.


• Twitter: ApolloPlus40 tracks the mission as it happened.


• Facebook: Visit the group page and join the conversation.


• Smithsonian: The National Air and Space Museum's exhibit on the Apollo program.


• iTunes: 'Apollo 11: The Game' is an app that puts you in the lander's cockpit.


• NASA: The Lunar Science Institute


• Wikipedia: Review the audio, photos and other links in the Apollo 11 entry.

• HBO: Featurettes on the making of the miniseries 'From the Earth to the Moon.'


• YouTube: Footage of Apollo 11's moon landing.

That's Right,

HMK

D-45

This is a pretty cool little flashback idea - the iTunes Store just launched a new section called “D45s.” Just like old school vinyl 45s, these new digital packs contain two songs, the A-side single/the intended Hit and the flip side or B-side.

Pricing ranges from $1.49 to $1.99. Sweet. I even dig the logo.

That's Right,

HMK

Unnatural Habitats

Rethinking the Modern Zoo. I like this idea a lot more understanding that it's only a temporary installation.

Should institutions dedicated to natural sciences depict a world untouched by civilization as a matter of history?

The Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna has chosen the opposite approach: this spring its animals share their pens with an installation created by artists Christoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf that reflects the degradation of animal habitats.

Check out the slideshow over at SmartCompany.

That Deli type is awesome by the way!

That's Right,

HMK

This Saturday!

The Redbone Guitar Boutique Summer Clinic Series continues! Check it out - it's fun and it's free!

That's Right,

HMK

SHIFT Cottage: Superkül Inc.

Totally digging the SHIFT Cottage from Toronto architects Superkül Inc.

The site for this 2000-square-foot family cottage on an island in Georgian Bay was chosen for its topography and orientation. Nestled into the exposed, washed granite of the island and against a line of trees, the cottage is sheltered against the strong winds off of the water.

The graphic lines of the cottage are designed to further marry it to its site—highlighting through contrast the wind-sculpted trees and craggy rock of the Bay that make its landscape unique.

A glass link bridges between the cottage’s two volumes—one containing living spaces, the other sleeping and washing areas—and a wood deck terraces down to fold into the island on three sides.

Wicked nice. Check out more shots and info on this fabulous place: Shift Cottage.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Blue Ant Studio.

Wicked Cool Junk Art

Speaking of really wicked cool stuff made out of junk...

Here's how artist Paul Loughridge of Lock Washer Design introduced himself in an interview for Aether Emporium:

"My name is Paul Loughridge (pronounced Lock-ridge). I was "given" the name Lockwasher by a classmate in metal shop way back in high school. Since my name was so often mispronounced and lockwasher fit...Lockwasher Design seemed the appropriate name. I'm a designer, sculptor, assemblage artist, junk dude...crackpot.

I'm a product of the late '50's and "happy to be - #1. totally taken (married) , B. a father to an incredibly talented "tweener" daughter and third. really enjoy creating new stuff out of other/old stuff" I am and have been a graphic designer, ice cream scooper, trade show manager, 2nd place winner in the 8th grade softball toss, event coordinator, teribull speller, store merchandiser, dishwasher, auto parts driver, prep cook, landscape designer, mattress builder, donut shop helper, auto mechanic, country club snack bar nerd, bonsai fanatic, toy collector and frequent finder of found objects...not necessarily in that order."

Genius. Read the entire interview over at: Aether Emporium and checkout mucho mas images from the mind of Lockwasher.

That's Right,

HMK

This One Time, At Brand Camp...

More geniusness from Tom Fishburne over at: Brand Camp.

That's Right,

HMK

New Math

Genius.

More proof that after all is said and done there is always more said than done.

More New Math.

That's Right,

HMK

Sound Ideas

Being the audio, radio, speaker freak that I am, you know that I'm totally digging the concept of this prototype speaker shelf.

In the words of the designer: Why the traditional speaker has to be put away in the corner of the room or hidden in the wall? Speaker could be displaied, and the aditional function could be imparted. The object becomes the item of furniture by a simple arrengement of dvd and books. Two suggestion of shape give the possibility to arrange the interior in the modern style and to achieve a good quality of home video amplification.

Could not agree more!

And here's one of my latest - the official HMK iPhone Conference Speaker Box:



That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to DesignBoom

Bang!

More firecracker wrappers over here: Bang!
That's Right,

HMK

First Images: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

That's right, old school - we're going back to the moon!

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter sent its first images back to Earth after activating its cameras June 30, 2009.

The LRO has both a low-resolution wide-angle camera and a high-resolution camera. These shots were taken at the boundary between night and day, capturing shadows that exaggerate the terrain. Though the surface appears very rough, it is actually similar to the highland area where Apollo 16 landed and explored with a rover.

The LRO will get as close as 19 miles above the surface, but will spend most of its mission 31 miles up.

These pictures were taken to calibrate the cameras.

Read the rest and check out more images over at WIRED

That's Right,

HMK

Images: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

Texas Draws Opening Reception Tonight!

I never get tired and still totally dig the thrill of seeing finished projects in print for the first time - especially when it's for something that's puro San Antonio!

The Southwest School Of Art & Craft presents: Texas Draws, the inaugural exhibition of a new series instituted to highlight contemporary drawing in Texas.

It was a pleasure and a big gracias to Kathy Armstrong, Barbara Hill and all the awesome folks over at the Southwest School Of Art & Craft for including me in this project as the designer of the Texas Draws logo for the inaugural of this biennial exhibition.

The awesome cover illustration, Trace, is by Lubbock, Texas artist Alice Leora Briggs.

Opening Reception for Texas Draws 1 is Thursday, July 2, 2009 form 5:30-7:30.

More info: www.swschool.org

Hope to see you there, have a great July 4th!

That's Right,

HMK

Pixies Doolittle Anniversary Tour!

On a just-announced European tour, the reunited Pixies will blast through the entire Doolittle album and related B-sides.

Doolittle, released back in 1989 when I was at the Massachusetts College of Art, is a rocking blend of stop-start punk and pop that leaps from surreal burners like “Debaser” and “Tame” to biblical thrashers like “Dead” and “Gouge Away” without giving away anything in majesty. Easily the band’s most accessible album, it will form the centerpiece of the upcoming shows.

Dig: Pixies Tour Dates.

That's Right,

HMK

Happy 80th Milton Glaser!

It's great to still have some icons alive and kicking! Happy birthday to Milton Glaser, one of my personal design heros, he turnes 80 years old today! Rock On Mr. Glaser!

Really looking forward to checking out the new documentary: "MILTON GLASER: TO INFORM AND DELIGHT", Directed by Wendy Keys.

That's Right,

HMK

ModKnobs

ModKnobs is a brand new little company producing some really hip and modern door knobs.

As the story goes, Mary & Jeff, founders of ModKnobs, were remodeling their home and were having a really hard time finding cool, affordable doorknobs.

So, Jeff decided to design his own door knobs—with sleek lines, earth-friendly materials and superior lock sets, using, that's right, blue hockey pucks!

Everyone that came over to their house absolutely loved them, so they decided to start making them for other people, too. Like you.

My only gripe is the the 150US price tag. Ouch. I love the fact that they started out looking for an affordable solution, found one and have done a great job turning the concept into a nice little business with a simple, elegant and informative site - nice job, but as far as making them an affordable alternative for the masses, if that in fact is their intent, I think they sort of missed the mark.

Overall, ModKnobs, is a very cool and smart idea. But considering the state of the planet, and most people's budgets right now - let's just file this under: Design Out of Reach...



That's Right,

HMK


Gracias to Design Milk.

Worst Rebranding Ever!

I didn't think it was possible to make anything worse than a Pizza Hut pizza, boy was I wrong!

Man, this is so incredibly lame I don't even know where to start - the first thing that came to my mind was:

Your logo in 30 minutes or it's free!

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to idsgn.com.

This Saturday! Meet Rusty Anderson, Paul MacCartney's Guitar Player!

Above: Brian Ray, super wicked nice guy, guitarist and bass player for Sir Paul MacCartney at the Redbone Cavern Club last Saturday for the Summer Clinic Series on June 13th sharing stories, guitar techniques and some truly great words of wisdom for anyone aspiring to be the best they can be and the all important aspect of always saying "Yes" to everything until you're too busy and have to say no.

Sounds like a recipe for success to me! And did I mention his first solo album, Electro Magneto, containing the infectiously bitchin' "Vinyl", seriously kicks ass? Well my friends, it does!

More on Brian here: www.brianray.com

And on a totally cool note, I had the great pleasure of joining Brian for dinner thanks to Richard Turner and all the awesome folks over at Redbone Guitar Boutique. I even got to bring along one of my old high school buds Robert Rael - it was an very cool day! Thanks again Richard for including me and letting me be part of Team Redbone!

And I'm not just saying all this because Redbone Guitar Boutique is one of my clients - they are truly real deal people and I'm a very lucky dude to have them as both friends and truly one of my most favorite clients ever!

So what are you waiting for - whether you're a rock freak or a guitar nut, either way you're sure to really dig the vibe of the store, the folks that run it, the catering, beer and wine is a nice touch, and if you're lucky enough, you might be the dude that leaves with a brand spanking new Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Junior, signed by both Brian & Rusty!

The odds of winning are crazy and a deal in and of itself regardless of the clinic!

Seating is limited for this Saturday's Clinic featuring Rusty Anderson, Sir Paul's other Wingman, so do yourself a favor and secure your VIP space right now over at Redbone Guitar Boutique or call 210.822.4111!

See you there!

That's Right,

HMK