Keeping it Zen

The PENCK phone designed by Makoto Saito for KDDI's AU Design Project, is truely a perfect refined form that has all the buttons and camera contained within the body such that there is no corner and can fit snugly into a pocket or purse. I am not a fan of flip phones but it was love at first sight for me when i saw it at a mobile shop in Tokyo. The oval curve of ths phone is so irresistibly sensual, that one must touch it. When put a few together, they look like pebbles in the Zen garden - calm and serene. The UI design and animations are all designed by Makoto Saito. Each ringtone and sound effect are all composed under his direction to uniquely match the mood and form of the phone. Every single detail is carefully designed and well-executed. This is of course a 3G phone with all the most advanced functions of video messaging, emails, SD video player to watch tv programs, mp3 player, camera, GPS system etc. And, yes, of course it is not available in any other parts of the world except Japan. Makoto Saito is truely a all-encompassing creator who has taken a wide variety of projects ranging from graphic design, advertising art direction, creative direction, architectural design, product design, film direction, and product development and production. Learn more about him and his works.

Black Beauty

Limited Production. 72 Super Bright White LED lights. Time is read by reading the hours on the left vertical column, and the minutes on the right. Each LED light on the left represents one minute. A total party watch. The watch lights up into a spiral every 2 minutes from 6pm to 1am. Imagine the scene at a bar, with a cocktail in hand. Sweet. 100 % Stainless Steel with Black Ionic Plating. Find them at Freshwares. Also in numerous boutique stores listed on their site. I heard if you call +1.646.825.5998, they give you a discount.

Clearaudio Turntable - a clear winner

Clear Audio’s new ambient turntable has arrived to answer the calls of style-hungry DJs. The base of the turntable is designed with 70 layers of wood sandwiched in between two pieces of aluminum. The clean and minimalistic feel of the set is not only stunning on the eyes, but also the ears. So whether you are listening to the techno beats of Paul Van Dyk, or your favorite Slavonic Rhapsody by Dvorak, you really should be doing it on a turntable.

Custom ATM card

The Dutch bank, Postbank launched a really cool idea -- custom photo ATM card, called *de paskamer*. By uploading a design or photo to the de paskamer website, customers can create a background of their choice and will receive the card in about six days. This service is apparently only offered in the Netherlands currently, but similar services for checks are widely available in the U.S.

Bling Bling Dunny Release

Happening on Dec 1, 2005 in New York City.

Pin Clock

The 1961 Pin Clock that relies on moving pins to tell time, yes, the pins actually move to display hours and minutes. It uses hundreds of individual pins that extend when required for each number of the time. Looks really cool. A real piece of art. There's a hot deal at SmartHome.

Ventura the Great

V-tec Alpha is an award winning design that comes with an EasySkroll® operating system to simplify navigation. Miss V is elegant yet cool and funky. i really dig the snake-skin with the silver face one... These are beautiful, aren't they? I am already drooling... Few luxury watchmakers have been as successful as Ventura that has built most of its future on luxury digital watches. Ventura’s watches are all about attention to detail and they have already bagged numerous design awards. Cases & bracelets are made of extra-durable materials like Titanox, a hardened, scratch-resistant titanium or Durinox, a steel with the same hardening applied. In tradition of the Swiss, the digital Type is customized and each new watch face involves working with the world-famous typographer, Adrian Frutiger. Prices range from $690 to $4400. Sparc rx - one of the latest designs

Search Engines & Thanksgiving 2005

Yahoo!'s Thanksgiving logo links to Yahoo! Holiday Guide 2005 Ask Jeeves's logo which links to nice smart answers on Thanksgiving. Gmail has a Thanksgiving logo too! Google's logo which of course links to a search on Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving America!

Long lost friend found!

Just been great this year, digging up friends i have lost touch over the years. Today's finding -- Small Tomoko! This girl has gone through art school with me in Boston, we drew, ate, watched japanese videos, walked around beacon hill, hung out at newbury street, talked about astrology from japanese magazines, teased Mike & Usa her two cats...practically my sister!! She has a baby boy of her own now, incredible! Wonder how a baby can come out of that teeny weeny body of hers! Nonetheless, her daily blabblings can be found here. From my very rough unpolished kindergarten-level japanese, i read she has been taking great care of the little boy. Lucky baby!!!

Slater Bradley in Tokyo

Slater Bradley, a New York-based artist, debuts his new work that documents a young man posing as a Storm Trooper at a Star Wars convention at Taka Ishii gallery in Tokyo. The exhibition, titled *Uncharted Settlements III* is running from Nov 10 through 10 December. The subject of the snapshot-like photos add a geek culture edge to Bradley's exploration of themes like youthful obsession, fandom, impersonation, and celebrity - previous pieces have involved dressing up a friend as Kurt Cobain and Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. Like that work, images vacillate between idolatry and mocking humor. A limited edition portfolio of 16 c-prints is available through the gallery. Slater's site

Tropical Malady (Sud Pralad)

A film that has enjoyed numerous international prizes and accolades, I enjoy the raw-ness of the Thai countryside but the story is a little bewildering when a nearly wordless second half places its protagonists within a Thai legend about a soldier's encounter with a mysterious man-turned-tiger who stalks his forest. Shifting gears from the quotidian to the mythical, perhaps *Tropical Malady* encourages a cinema of the entire senses? Perhaps the Thai title *Sud Pralad* which means strange animal would make more sense? Prix du Jury, Cannes Film Festival 2004 Starring: Sakda Kaewbuadee and Banlop Lomnoi Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul