Those who know me, know me as a tech geek. So the other night I was surfing for a bluetooth headset for my PS3 as I picked up Call of Duty 5 and plan on playing some serious online for, oh I’d say the next year or so. Anyways that’s when I came across this piece from Yubz Talk, as you can see it’s the old school telephone handset updated to work with todays’ technologies. Several versions available, the ones above are a bluetooth version and a version that you plug straight into your phone. I’m actually considering getting the one you plug into the phone, so ill. Head on over to Yubz, www.yubz.com, to see the rest of the collection or to purchase. $99 for the bluetooth one and $45 for the corded version.

Fernando A. Robert’s “Shrine Shoe Rack” reminds me a lot of Bruno Rainaldi’s Array bookcase.  Whereas one is a lightweight bookcase solution to small spacing, the other is a way for us sneakerheads to let go of the boxes cluttering up in our rooms.  Both shelving units give their respectable objects a floating appearance.  The Shrine Shoe Rack can be picked up with all mounting gear for a very reasonable price here.  Personally, I would like to buy several units to display the shoes I have in rotation.  Ok, so I won’t really be tossing away Nike and Vans boxes anytime soon.  But seeing the sneakers on the Shrine racks will bring me endless amount of joy day in and day out.

Image Source: Yanko Design via Shrine Rack

Art meets engineering in this highly limited top dollar Aston Martin.  After seeing the above video with Chief Designer, Mark Reichman, and CEO, Dr. Ulrich Bez discussing the One-77, you may feel mesmerized by the facade and specs of the “Perfect” Aston Martin.  Not sure if I cared for the choice of downtempo music and Transformer-esque sound effects, but this is truly a beautiful piece of automobile history.  Make the leap to see some photos.

Image Source: Josh Spear
Video Source: One-77

I love streetbikes, so when I came across the Ducati Streetfighter, my jaw just hit the ground at the pure sexiness. The bike is stripped to the bare essentials in terms of looks, giving it that raw look yet polished finish. This sweetness packs a 155hp Ducati L-Twin attached to a super-light frame, weighing in at 167kg (368lb). The Ducati Streetfighter is expected to make its debut in Spring 2009. Now to find a way around that pesky nuisance of not having a bike license.

Pictured here is “The world’s largest, most luxurious, handcrafted, biofuel powered, full armoured SUV”. Conquest Vehicles Inc., a Toronto based company has unveiled its flagship vehicle, the Knight XV. Inspired by the Gurkha military vehicle, the KNIGHT XV™ is an ultra-luxurious handcrafted, Bio-fuel powered fully armoured SUV. The KNIGHT XV™ is powered by a V10, 6.8-litre engine and sits on a commercial class chassis. It provides 400 hp and 498-ft lbs of torque. The KNIGHT XV™ is priced at $295,000 USD. Only 100 will be made available as a limited first run. Each vehicle takes 1,500 hours to build by hand. Check out http://knightxv.net for more info.

Vans in collaboration with Boosted, are introducing the Vans x Boosted Program. Designed for fast and easy communication on the mountain, the program is available in the Grunt Insulated LTD Jacket and the Down Supreme LTD Jacket. The jackets are embedded with Boosted branded Bluetooth technology that seamlessly links your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone and favorite MP3 device. The stereo headset allows for convenient use on your mobile phone while listening to your favorite tracks, without interrupting your ride.

SAN DIEGO — The streetwear bubble may have burst, but the Agenda Trade Show seems to be on solid ground, judging by its September incarnation in San Diego earlier this month. Although traffic at the show appeared light, streetwear exhibitors and retailers seemed committed to Agenda, even after other trade shows—like MAGIC’s highly lauded S.L.A.T.E. launch—have honed in on the streetwear category.

According to Agenda cofounder Aaron Levant, the show drew the same attendance it did for its last two shows, and filled the same amount of space, but with a smaller number of vendors. “A lot of little companies have disappeared,” said Levant, “but the ones that stuck around have made a name for themselves, and are now becoming dominant brands in the marketplace.”

Big things are popping over at Agenda HQ with plans on an upcoming east coast show.  And of course this feature article on DNR.  Maybe I’ll get an invite next time around eh Neran?

Image Source: Agenda Tradeshow
Text Source: DNR

The Pyramid Lunch Box may resemble the antiquated food pyramid chart in schools and doctor’s offices.  However, it still helps by partitioning food groups away.  This of course is helpful when you want sauce separated from your grains.  Although outdated by the MyPyramid food guidance system, Li Jianye’s lunch box can still offer ways of eating with discipline and in style.

Image Source: Yanko Design

Here’s the latest phone from Motorola, called the Aura. The phone has been dubbed “The Return of Artistry”, as Motorola has long been known for designing some of the most fashionable and influential phones, think Timeport, Startac, v60 and of course the RAZR. This phone actually reminds me of the Motorola v70 (see below).

Here’s an excerpt of the press release:

The Return of Artistry
AURA™ by Motorola is a timeless, classically designed device that delivers a sensory experience that is second-to-none for those with refined taste. Combining an exquisite interface with superb craftsmanship inspired by high-end watches, AURA breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in the design and manufacturing of mobile devices. From the moment an AURA owner picks up his or her device they embark on a journey of discovery.

An Exquisitely Performing Device, Designed to the Highest Standards
Drawing on inspiration, materials and techniques from luxury jewelers, AURA begins with the world’s first 16 million color, circular display with more colors and sharper resolution than has ever been seen on a Motorola phone. The product’s richness can literally be felt, from the weight of its stainless steel housing and the textures and patterns chemically-etched into its surface, to its Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens, one of the most scratch-resistant materials on earth.

Turning AURA over reveals a window into its mechanical heart-gears composed of Rockwell 50-55 hardened steel and 130 precision ball bearings-working in tandem to drive the phone’s assisted-opening blade. The effect is more like opening the door on a luxury car versus accessing a mobile phone. From its Swiss-made main bearing to the custom-engineered rotating mechanism composed of over 200 high precision individual parts, AURA was built to surpass Motorola’s reliability requirements. The gears are protected from harsh conditions with the same coatings used in high-performance racing engines.

Key Features:

• World’s first circular display on a mobile phone, 16 million color
• Chemically-etched textures and patterns
• Three tungsten carbon carbide coated main gears
• The main bearing is Swiss-made
• Protective PVD coating and mirror polish finish, same as used on luxury watches
• 130 precision ball bearings
• CrystalTalk™ technology
• Made from over 700 individual components
• Assisted-opening blade mechanism
• Stainless steel housing
• Scratch-resistant, 62-carat, Grade 1 sapphire crystal lens
• 300 ppi resolution display
• Stereo Bluetooth® technology

Motorola v70

Billy May has a great concept for sports eyewear.  The Nike Hindsight enhances its wearer with 25 degrees more peripheral vision.  The benefit is an early heads up of incoming traffic without breaking your neck.  But, the downside is that objects within the periphery end up being blurry.  Regardless, I’d like to try these on myself.  Make the leap to see how Hindsight works.

Image Source: Yanko Design via Billy May

I have to say I love Incase products, ahem free samples please? hahaha, anyways I bought an Incase bag in August while I was out in NYC for my Macbook Pro and have to say I love the light, sleek, convience of it. Well they also created iPhone slider cases in August in various different colours, now comes the release of the metallic colours, available in gold, silver, copper and gun metal. I don’t own an iPhone, but these cases look pretty great and looks to do the job that it’s suppose to, protectin’ ya phone. I’m actually considering getting one for my iTouch. Hit their blog up for more info: http://goincase.com/blog.

Picture via: Incase

Here’s something cool that came across my inbox, it’s the new and updated Jägermeister Tap Machine that can hold and chill three bottles worth, serving up ice cold shots at 0°F. Smaller, lighter, and more energy efficient then its predecessors the JEM Tap Machine also cools Jägermeister faster, and can keep over twice as many  “Colder Than Ice” shots ready to be dispensed at the pull of the handle. Pick one up for $299.00.

For more info hit up www.tapmachineinc.com.

Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee are onto something with their “Pocket Light”.  Although, the light emitted isn’t very powerful, I can see how it may be useful.  Moments when I’m fumbling for the right key in the dark comes to mind.  The “Pocket Light” may not appease everyone, but the designers are onto a great start of a concept.  Let’s hope to see some further development.

Image Source: Yanko Design

MSTRKRFT (read as “Master-Kraft”) is an electronic group out of Toronto. Actually this year at the Toronto Virgin Music Fest they replaced SebastiAn, when he missed his flight and they didn’t disappoint. The group came together in 2005 and consists of JFK (Jesse F. Keeler) and Al-P (Alex Puodziukas). The group has remixed over 30 songs of various genres including the latest remix of John Legend’s song “Green Light”.

On Friday I attended Fist Of God, which is the official name for the MSTRKRFT tour as well as their upcoming album, which is expected to drop in January of 2009. The stop I was at had Felix Cartal opening up, but there will be various openers throughout the tour such as DJ A-Trak, DJ Aoki, LA Riots, Congorock, DJ Assault and the aforementioned Felix Cartal. Blueprint Events, which is known as one of Vancouver’s best electronic promoters for a minute now, was hosting the event as well as the after party.

The event took place at Celebrities Night club and was fully packed, in fact this show could have easily taken place at Commodore Ballroom to accommodate more folks, but nonetheless the vibes were good as people were ready to dance their fuckin’ asses off. The duo came on at around 1am and they immediately had the crowd going crazy, as their sound is fairly distinct with that 4/4 beat and heavy heavy synths.

Like usual they played a range of stuff including their own remixes, from the Presets to Dem Franchise Boyz to Cupid to Daft Punk to Usher to Kylie Minogue and throwing in stuff from their first album as well. The set was filled with energy throughout and both MSTRKRFT and the crowd seemed to be feeding off of one another and it was non-stop. The set ended at about 2:30am, but an encore had JFK continue to rock the house til well past 3am. If you left this party not soaked from head to toe in sweat, then you my friend were not partying hard enough. Overall one word can describe this set. EPIC!

Thanks to Alvaro from Blueprint Events for hooking me up with the opportunity to attend the show. For more of their upcoming events check out www.blueprintevents.ca. For those out in New York on October 10th, MSTRKRFT will be playing at Webster Hall, but they’ll also be at the New Era Flagship store as they have a New Era collaboration that’s dropping.

If you like the review please vote for me here.

David Thai
www.killahbeez.com

MSTRKRFT “Easy Love”

Kylie Minogue “Wow” (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Justice “D.A.N.C.E.” (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Here are the rest of their tour stops:

Fist of God tour:

09-26 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre (with A-Trak, Felix Cartal, LA Riots, Congorock)
09-27 San Diego, CA - House of Blues (with Steve Aoki, Felix Cartal, LA Riots, Congorock)
09-28 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre (with Aoki, Felix Cartal, Congorock)
09-30 Pomona, CA - Glass House (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-01 San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-02 Seattle, WA – Showbox (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-03 Vancouver, British Columbia – Celebrities (with Felix Cartal)
10-04 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Exchange Event Center (with Felix Cartal)
10-06 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-07 Chicago, IL - Metro (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-08 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-09 Columbus, OH 0 Boma (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-10 New York, NY - Webster Hall (with Felix Cartal, Congorock, DJ Assault
10-11 Poughkeepsie, NY - Vassar College (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-12 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts (with Felix Cartal, Congorock)
10-13 Boston, MA - The Estate (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots, Congorock)
10-15 Baltimore, MD - Redrock (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-16 Charlotte, NC - Forum (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-17 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-18 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade Music Park (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-19 Memphis, TN - Hard Rock Café Memphis (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-22 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-23 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-24 Dallas, TX - House of Blues (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-25 New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Music Experience: The Tenth Ritual
10-27 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-28 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre (with Felix Cartal, LA Riots)
10-31 Salt Lake City, UT - Salt Palace Convention Center (with Felix Cartal)
11-01 Las Vegas, NV - Fabulous Festival

Sangho Jin is the genius behind the above gadget.  No longer do laptop owners have to drag along a portable hard drive and figure out where to put it.  They can simply rotate the two arms of this unit and have it piggyback off the rear of the display.  With the unit secured behind the laptop display, clumsy folk like myself can have peace of mind.  I have no idea when this will come out, but I need this in my life.

Image Source: Yanko Design

Available at Barneys

Another pic after the jump.

My personal fave is the “Watermelon Hoodie” and the “Islamic Hoodie”.  Yet another brilliant move by the one and only Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam aka M.I.A.

Cop it online at Miauk or in store at: Opening Ceremony NY

35 Howard Street New York, New York 10013 (212) 219-2688

Here is another great design for premium living spaces.  Daniel Milchtein Peltsverger designed a set of chairs that can fold away be and pieced together as a biombo.  Although its height doesn’t qualify it for a room divider, it can make a decent decorative piece.  Hopefully Daniel’s chairs go into production as space saving is alway appreciated.

Image Source: Yanko Design

Heckler Design’s OneLessDesk is the solution to individuals that don’t have a lot of space to work with and can’t stand clutter.  My boy, Scotty Bebop, comes to mind as that individual.  With easy assembly (only the feet need to be screwed on), clean lines and its wire management system, OneLessDesk is a smart buy at $649.

Image Source: Heckler Design

Music Skins recently released some designs submitted by Mishka.  Of the 4 are the oh so loved Bear Mop, Starry Eyes, Keep Watch Eyeball and Skyway Trippers.  There are a broad range of devices the skins can be applied to include most Apple products, Blackberry Curve and even the Motorola RAZR.  Head over to back to see the other available designs as applied on an iPhone.  Easily, I would pick up the Bear Mop skin for my iPod Touch.  But I’m also a bit torn as I like the Skyway Trippers skin as well.

Image Source: mashKulture via MusicSkins.com