Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Old-Man Look for iPhone

The problem: you are young and hip. You have fancy gadgets like the iPhone. You wish your iPhone was louder. You also want to appear old-fashioned but don't want to purchase a record player or gramophone.

Solution: the iPhone Speaker Horn Amplifier ($25). This odd looking device adds 13 decibels of sound to your iPhone speakers. And it looks funny.

Monday, October 18, 2010

The Perfect Five site

Do you enjoy finding new music, but don't want to go looking for it? Hate to ask friends for recommendations for fear of appearing ignorant of current trends or past classics? Then look no further than The Perfect Five.

Each week, The Perfect Five features five songs, one each of the following categories: Classic, Covered, Hyped, Loved and Remixed. You can veiw past selections either as weeks or just skip straight to your preferred category. My favorite is Covered (I was in a 90's cover band in college and the fascination is still there), but I'm slowly getting into Hyped and Loved. This idea that I don't have to listen to the same music that I did in 2004 is still new to me.

But hang in there. I'll catch on soon.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

More Maps!

Typographic map of Chicago ($30)
I guess I really enjoy maps, because not only have I been recommending them recently, but I just stumbled upon Axis Maps LLC and I want it all!  These guys are proof that the art of Cartography can be applicable to modern uses. They map everything from mountains to ocean races in vibrant color. They make maps to hang on your wall, or as a wall, as well as a bunch of interactive ones.

If I could, I would commission these guys to do an interactive map of The World Tri, an adventure expedition taking place right now. Charlie Wittmack has already swam down the Thames River and across the English Channel and is currently biking across Kazakhstan to India. After that he'll run to the base of Mount Everest and climb to the top. There were two infographics created already for this journey, but the World Tri seems like just the kind of project that Axis Maps was made for.
Click to view!

Axis award winning maps
The World Tri Blog

Saturday, October 9, 2010

All about the maps

I am really good at finding my way around. I think this is because I was taught about the cardinal directions at an early age and I mastered the art of reading maps. The thing is, maps can be pretty messy. There are usually a bunch of extra lines when you don't need them and not enough detail when you do. For those of us who enjoy simple maps, Chris Yates has created an Interstate Map ($16), similar to a subway map. It shows all the major interstates in the US in a convenient, easy-to-follow design (caution: exits not included).

Also on my wish list is a detailed street map of Lexington. It's handy for creating running routes and when framed can look pretty cool on you wall. Rand McNally lets you create your own map ($99-349), but a simple city map ($6) will probably do me.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Fall gardening

October is here, which can only mean one thing: time to purchase some yellow hearty mums. Failing that, I should at least look into picking up a few Fighting Irish gnomes ($25) to inhabit the garden. The advantage of these little guys is that you never need to water them. The disadvantage is that it puts a target on your back during losing seasons.

Only the strong dare to purchase the gnomes.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Just saw "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole"

... and now I want a Night Owl Sleeping Mask ($9) to wear around. These super-cute sleeping masks come in six different colors and allow you to sleep with the lights on. They might even protect you from getting Moon Blinked!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Koi! For your Wall!

When I was 11 years old I visited Japan as an exchange student.  I think 11 is the perfect age to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a place like Japan because you are still young enough to absorb everything while resisting culture shock. One thing I saw there that I have always wanted to recreate is a Japanese garden, complete with a pool and the zen sand box. It doesn't look like I will be able to install one in the backyard of my duplex, even though when I was 11, the thought of being 26 years old was definitely old enough to have achieved at least that dream (space travel was ruled out around age 15).

Fortunately I can create my own Japanese pool on my walls.  Blik now has a Koi design ($90) that can Zen-up any room. I'm thinking the bathroom where the walls are already blue. And there is a cat box in there I could rake if I really wanted the full experience.

Though maybe we should install a towel rack first... and fix the shower head... I guess this blog is called a wish list for a reason.