Technology
We went downright gaga for Twelve South’s Macbook BookBook cover and were checking the site for the design studio’s iPad version the other day when we came across this uber-gadget: the sleek, silicone-coated steel collapsible Compass iPad stand…
Although I try to delegate most of my iPadding to productive tinkering like to-do lists (Taksa), concept sketches (Adobe Ideas), blogging (WordPress), proposals (Pages), and keeping up with the times (NPR, BBC News, TIME Magazine, Paris Match…), it’s hard to resist the smattering of impeccably designed gaming apps available on my new favorite gadget. One evening, after a long day of PHP code, I found a surprise that YZ had left in my section of our iPad library: Angry Birds. A couple weeks and a big fat 105 levels later the game was conquered and had earned a quick-access spot on my iPad dock…
Hard Graft Pocket iPad Sleeve
So, the best husband of the year award goes to YZ for the best birthday present ever: an iPad! After a month of tinkering with the gadget I’m only more in love with this gem from Apple, despite the Adobe vs. Apple controversy. Of course, such a swanky toy needs a good case to keep it safe and sound while in your bag so, here’s the Lo’s List round-up of the best sleeves, cases and iPad-centric bags I could find!
Organizing project folders with custom icons is a great visual way to help you quickly identify what’s what and where on your computer. If you’re anything like me, you want your icons to somewhat reflect the folder they’re labeling… David Lanham’s free icon sets have the perfect mix of adorable monsters & friends as well as slick system icons for all your apps, standard folders and other default components… More sets after the jump!
It’s amazing what a fresh wallpaper on your desktop can do to spruce up a humdrum workday! If you’re not already busy curating your screen I highly suggest diving in to this modern-day personal gallery of sorts. To get you started — actually, whether you’re a novice or uber-geek — David Lanham’s cornucopia of system-skinning graphic packages are a must-have! First up: a round-up of some of our favorite wallpapers from his gallery… More after the jump!
A few months back, while splashing around in the happy bookstore mud that is Amazon, I came across David McCandless’ infographics atlas, The Visual Miscellaneum (also titled Information is Beautiful for the UK hardcover edition). As a total graph & data junkie I immediately sleuthed up some details around the author/designer, and found that, aside from the two books under his belt, the writer has contributed visual information & great writing to the likes of The Guardian, Tank, and one of my all-time favorites, Wired. Well, lucky for me, I got the chance to dissect The Visual Miscellaneum / Information is Beautiful page by page and ask David some questions about his approach to visualizing data in a world of rather staggering & bleak stats…
I’ve been ogling these goods for years now, back when Hard Graft® was still Working Class Heroes, and this Austrian-English creative team has only improved with the years. The show-stopper of the collection is by far their 2UNFOLD convertible laptop backpack, available in gray or brown Italian vegetable-tanned leather. Large enough to fit your Macbook, some mags, a jumper, your charger, etc, etc, this super-bag can be carried as a backpack, fold-over clutch, or messenger. The perfect amount of external pockets, elegant hardware, and a black cotton canvas lining are just three more reasons to wistfully count the days ’till the bag is yours.
Wires are a miserably ugly thing. And, being a nitpick aesthete, just catching a glimpse of the grayish-white gaggle snaking out from under my office desk sends shivers down my spine. Same goes for extension cords: why are more elegant, colorful extension cords not readily available? Having searched high and wide, all I’ve found are 60-foot neon cords which, for a Brooklyn apartment, is a bit much.
We’re huge fans of Miami-based think-tank and Kid Robot staple FriendsWithYou. hey did an animated spot for Target that had us in stitches (check out their latest advert for Match.com) and have also designed Mimobot USB drives for Mimoco’s Artist Collection (featured in our Top Ten Flash Drives post) based on their Malfi, Mr. Phantom, and Buddy Chub characters. The all-things-adorable powerhouse has just launched a brand-spanking new site, chock full of their oddball plushes, zippie pulls, tees, Wish Come True blind box toy collection, and art prints…
While we wait for the iPad (ugh… I can barely say the name without wincing) to get with the times (no flash? really?) we’re happy to stick to our trusty Macbook Pro as a primary portable computing device. So, in honor of the good old dog, get yourself a BookBook, the stellar
invisibility cloakslaptop covers by Twelve South.
Love this! Love this! Woodtec’s handmade cedar docking stations for iPhones and iPods are made-to-order, meaning each one is unique with it’s own knobbies and marbling. The docks are compatible with all iPods (except the shuffle) and use a standard USB wire…
The other day, on our Williamsburg P’tit Louis gift excursion, YZ and I sidetracked into Dijital Fix (in the Bedford Mini-Mall) for a quick peruse… Faced with geeky accessories galore, I couldn’t help but buy these two office helpers from ever-innovative Kikkerland. The Hubman is now smiling happily beside my Mac, charging the iPhone, connecting my zip drive, powering the keyboard light and serving as a nifty mouse-cord-extender when Goobie the Cat decides to snooze in one of his favorite spots: right in front of my computer screen…
We’ve been waiting for these slick iPhone accessories for a good few months now and are thrilled that Poddities straps and loops have arrived just in time for us to crown them as THE perfect stocking stuffers this holiday. Available from always-reliable Amazon, the straps come in natural and black leather or red, orange, yellow, green, blue, gray, and white seatbelt-weave styles. Get rid of that nasty case and flaunt your newly pimped iPhone!
“We used to learn our alphabets by reading those classroom banners that associated each letter with an animal or object. These days as kids become increasingly computer dependent at an early age I thought it was about time to adapt an old method to a new medium.” – CMD
These keyboard stickies by Christopher Monroe Delorenzo are retarded cute and, aside from teaching munchkins their ABC’s, could be a wonderful tool for type training. Although not currently available online, you can email the designer here for further instructions on how to buy the $15 sticker set.
