Welcome To The Night Sky

Do you know what is infinity times cooler than those glow-in-the-dark stars that you stick to your ceiling? Your own Personal Planetarium!!!!

It's not even funny how much I want this.

The Things I Own Do Not Own Me

The Story Of Stuff. I feel kind of sheepish posting this on a shopping blog. And I feel a little more than kind of disgusted with the state of things.

Maybe I Was Too Intense

Huggies commercials aren't the only ones that make me cry these days.

Thats Right: The MacBook Air

OHHHHHHH my god. I feel a little guilty typing this entry on my cherished Powerbook (which still has to see me through six months of design school without loosing my entire thesis — love ya babe!) but sweet sexy lord, the MacBook Air is ridiculous. I mean, besides the fact you can mail it flat in an envelope with room to spare (don't.. the post will kick the shit out of it, its still a computer) the interface features are beautiful. The trackpad is basically a mini Microsoft Surface. My brain cannot comprehend it. The photo does not do it justice. Watch these two clips.

Anyone who bought a Mac in the past year is going to be tearing their hair out.

No, I Love You

I don't care if it's lame that I'm posting at 11pm on a Friday night. This couldn't wait until Monday morning. Tomorrow night, if you're not doing anything, you should run out and rent/buy/borrow Once.

I would go into more detail about how incredible this movie is (that music!!!), but it's Friday night and I want to get back to chillin'. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

Weinberg, Take Note

After using some sort of "gamer tech cult underground network mojo" my brother bought himself Rock Band for Christmas (as no one would sleep outside a Walmart to get it for him). Thus, for three glorious days, I was in a "band" (uh... with my brother, sister, and respective boy/girlfriends).

I never really understood the appeal of Guitar Hero. I mean, yeah, it was fun but I always felt like I was (frantically) playing the piano rather embodying some sort of bad ass guitar... ugh... hero. Rock Band, however, contains the drums (oh man I love the drums) and, at least for someone who has never touched a drum set, it reealllly felt like I was rocking out on stage, like some sort of Phil Collins gorilla in a Cadbury commerical.

I mean yes, its a lot of kit, and yes you have to convince someone to give up the guitar/base/drums for a turn on the mic, but Rock Band is totally a holiday hype-toy I can get behind.Go make friends with someone who got one for Christmas.

Blood And Oil

A couple of things to consider:

1) Daniel Day-Lewis
2) P.T. Anderson
3) Limited release this weekend

I just made your plans for the evening, didn't I?

21st Century Holga

For those who are in love with the 'oldie tyme' focus of Holga cameras, but cannot give up their lazy ass digital SLR (um... here!)... Holgamods!

Dude-crafty "Randy" has modified Holga lenses to fit onto to body of your digital SLR... giving you that characteristic look but with the ability to take 20000 gazillion photos or preview your pics right away... and any other feature you enjoy on a digital camera.

(photo by Annette Fournet and found in the Holgamod Gallery)

Don't Look Back In Anger

Lomography, you may have recently dropped the ball with my order of the Diana+, but I think it's time to forgive you because you just released the Holga 120 Pinhole, and I can't stay mad at you when you keep releasing such wonderful cameras.

Ok, maybe I can a little bit. But Holga, it's not your fault baby. I love you.

Kisses And Hugs

'Tis the season to give. And there's just no better way than to help a child in need.

Hey, you might get something back too.

Hell Ya!

Oh man. Oh man. Oh man. Helvetica (the movie) is now available on DVD. Now, I'm not sure if you have heard, but this documentary is the Citizen Kane of the design community. Just a rumour of a screening in your major city centre provokes breathless hand waving and little dances. Little typeface-inspired dances.

Unfortunately I missed both the London and Toronto screenings (yes, all of them) being in either Toronto or, well, London at the time(s). Our school is even hosting a screening in January while I am flying back.

O, Cruel fate!

But now I can totally geek out in the privacy of my own home. Squee! And do not let your ignorance of sans/serif stop you... nor even your preference for Akzidenz Grotesk. Judging from civilian reactions, everyone is feeling the swiss modernist love!

Wii Would Like To Play

I love free stuff (who doesn't?) and I love the Wii. Put them together and what do you get?

Answer: A great offer from Nintendo.

Sleepy Head

The one thing I prize most in this world (even before my flawless looks, MacBook Pro, and chocolate) is sleep. It is so wonderful, I'm sure I don't have to sell it to many people (besides Jessica... its always Jessica). My problem is the other end: waking up. I would honestly love to be a morning person but in my life I have only woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ONCE in grade seven. After years of mornings, the best I can do is sleep with the blinds open and a) hope there is no one watching me from the bushes and b) hope it will be a sunny day to put a positive spin on seven AM. Recently Ive been contemplating a little robot that can slowly open my blinds overnight but that is just silly.

So riding up the tube escalator yesterday (slightly tipsy and too late for any good) I saw the posters advertising this: Philips Wake-Up Lamp... a lamp that slowly spews morning all over your bedroom! A combination of a growing natural light plus soothing morning noises (of your choice) promise to gentle nudge your subconscious into submission. I cannot explain the joy this product could potentially bring... no more abrupt wake-ups? No more grumpy gloomy winter mornings? A Snow-White combination of sunshine and birdsong?

Too bad its a two-hundred dollar alarm clock. Is asking for an alarm clock for Christmas really really boring?

Lomo Fidelity

Not to have a total camera boner all over LIAL for the 2nd time in a week, but I just find it so bizarre that The White Stripes have teamed up with Lomography to create the JACK Holga and MEG Diana+. They are limited to 200 pieces each, so if you're a lomo fan and a White Stripes fan, scoop one up!

His Master's Voice

These speakers are incredible.

I just don't have anything else to say about that.

Make Me A Mix Tape, Something Old, Something New

There's something so sweet and genuine about mix tapes that I don't think can ever be re-created. But with this Mix Tape USB Drive you sure could give it your best shot to make that magic happen once again.

Omiimii

I don't have a laptop (yet!), but if I were to have one, I would most definitely carry it around in this super cute and eco-friendly Laptop Bag from Canadian designers Passenger Pigeon.

The People's Princess

I have a Holga and I love it. But when I bought it a couple of years ago, what I really wanted was a Diana, but at that time, they were pretty hard to find in working order. That's why I am so so so so SO excited that Lomography has reproduced them! To a T! With even more features than before!

I am a little afraid of the fact that if I do in fact purchase one, Jane will make fun of the fact that my collection of cameras has grown to 18. But Jane, I never make fun of your vibrator collection. And I really should. Because it's big.

What Are You Doing Friday Night?

I've been asking Ty for things to post on Love It A Lot that he enjoys, y'know, to get some more boy stuff on here, and he coaxed me into posting the first season of Friday Night Lights.

He likes it because it's based on a book based on a true story and it includes great cinematography and character development and moral dilemmas and other things that Ty likes in TV.

There's also lots of rough n' tough - yet sensitive - football playing types, and emotionally confused teenage girls with great hair. And their parents.

Oh, wait, and highschool football is the only thing people consider worthwhile in this town (don't they have TV?), and it gets people all excited-like.

Small-town draaaaa-maaaaa.

(Message from Ty: buy it now so it doesn't get cancelled.)

Best Idea Ever

I had to post again, because oh my gosh this is so genius.

Living in and old apartment means I only have 1 outlet in each room. Long ugly extension cords wrap around my baseboards and over doorways. I try to hide them, but wouldn't it be that much more wonderful if I could proudly display them instead?

Someone give this woman lots of money to develop her ideas.