Hasta La Ideas

Jangwon Park and Sangwoo Park have come up with an innovative new accessory for mobile phones. As Jangwon puts it, in today’s busy society, we have constantly have our phones by our side—whatever happened to spending time with pets? The concept behind Mobile Tail is to give our phones a personality, to add a tail to both personalize, and give a sense of heart to our “constant companion.”

The design is basic with a curved piece of silicone growing into a suction cup that is simple and quick to attach to the back of any mobile phone. Mobile Tail is made of flexible liquid silicone rubber (LSR)—a non-reactive, non-toxic, high-purity material that has just the right amount of resistance to offer enough support to hold the phone up at optimum viewing angles.

Unlike fixed, hard-plastic solutions, the Mobile Tail is innovative for its malleability: the silicon has enough give so you can simply push the phone gently to knock it from the portrait viewing position to the landscape position and back again, without the need to lift up the phone.

The tail can either be left sticking straight out or stuck in the earphone jack of the phone. This gives it some extra strength, and adds to the rolling effect when gently pushing the set into different positions. The Mobile Tail can be easily attached, removed and reattached to mobile devices in any position with its suction cap.

Jangwon also explained that the the “packaging is very cute. It’s been designed to look like there is a small animal kept inside.” With the original batch, there were four colors produced to match with Apple iPods, but now a few new ones have been added as well. Because of the versatility of the suction design, the Mobile Tail is compatible with Samsung, Nokia, RIM, and any maker’s phones. Thanks to the use of more refined fabrication methods, Mobile Tail has no mold lines, to the effect that it is uniformly smooth… not to mention quite enjoyable to play with.

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Ten antiques less than $200 from the online destination for vintage and modern homewares

Founded in 2006, VandM (Vintage and Modern) is a membership-based online sales site with a passion for treasures from the past, specializing in unique and original furniture, household goods, jewelry and textiles. VandM provides insightful editorial notes to inspire and educate members about most pieces available for sale. While browsing VandM’s wide selection we selected 10 of our favorite antiques priced less than $200.

The Vintage Terracotta Head and signed Op-Art abstract photograph stand out in the art and photography section. The unglazed bust seems at once rustic and mysterious, while the signed 16″x16″ print—dated 1969—shares a similar color palette to work by famed Danish designer Verner Panton.

An elegant pair of Willy Guhl Dietker & Co chairs by the Swiss architect and furniture designer were produced by Deitker & Co. in 1959, and for just $200 for the set represent an excellent deal. Juxtaposing the classic mid-century style is a industrial work station on wheels, with cast-iron legs and wooden shelves for $185.

Falling under the category of “found object of industry,” this large, 1950s-era botanical chart ($200) from Dr. Louis Auzoux offers easy-to-read scientific illustrations of nine intriguing species of flora. On the other hand, the Op-Art bull’s-eye-patterned velvet pillows—only available in the 20″x14″ size for $180—hail from the bold-design era of the 1960s. Each cushion is hand-sewn in Zurich, Switzerland with premium vintage fabric.

This Swiss-made adjustable table lamp and Wilhelm Kienzie-designed metal storage box follow the Bauhaus design mantra that form should equal function, and each is beautifully crafted for maximum use. Both items retail for $180.

With the characteristic flare of its country of origin, the single statement-making vintage Italian glass lamp, priced at $195, remains in excellent condition. A set of antique Bakelite flatware features classic two-tone color combination of opaque honey and translucent dark teal. Dating back to the 1940s, this stainless steel set serves six and comes in its original box for $145.

You may know Chris March from season four of Project Runway, when he stole the show with bold designs, snappy yet endearing one-liners, and innovative materials (who needs traditional textiles when you have human hair?). Since then, the San Francisco native has kept busy designing outrageous costumes and one-off creations for everyone from Cirque de Soleil performers to Meryl Streep, who wore a Chris March-designed dress to last year’s Academy Awards. His latest project is Mad Fashion, a new Bravo series that follows March and his colorful crew as they create custom ensembles for the likes of actress Jennifer Coolidge, shoe designer Ruthie Davis, and, on tomorrow’s episode, New York nightlife promoter Susanne Bartsch. We sat down with March recently for Media Beat, and in this first segment of our three-part interview, he offers us a peek inside his creative process and his New York-based design studio, and reveals the secret that is hidden in all of his designs.

You can also view this video on YouTube.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

What a joy these maps are to behold. It’s as if someone took one of those composite satellite maps – you know, impossibly showing the whole world at night, the darkness broken by hubs and strings of artificial light (1) – and gave it the power of speech.
For the riot of colours on these maps …

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The spirit brand celebrates the classic cocktail

Advertorial content:

From its inception, Bombay Sapphire was crafted with the perfect martini in mind. This long-standing connection with the classic cocktail now provides the foundation for a new initiative that celebrates both Bombay Sapphire and the cocktail for which it was designed.

Bombay employs a master botanist that is in charge of sourcing the specific high-quality ingredients that go into the distillation process. The botanical ingredients that go into gin are what impart the spirit’s flavor and each brand of gin has its own unique recipe. While all gin contains juniper berry, Bombay’s botanist travels as far as Java for cubeb berries and sources Grains of Paradise from West Africa to round out the signature Bombay Sapphire taste.

Using a vapor-infusion method that has been honed over the course of more than two centuries, Bombay Sapphire gin is produced in small batches. The botanical elements are contained in baskets and vapor passes over them continuously, extracting their essential flavors to incorporate directly into each drop of gin. While quicker methods may allow for more gin to be produced, the specialized and time-intensive process that produces Bombay is part of what gives it a balanced flavor profile.

The well-proportioned use of the typical botanicals found in gin, along with the vapor-infusion process, are what make Bombay Sapphire an excellent match for the martini, whether it be in its most classic form or an imaginative reinvention. With that in mind, Bombay invites you to celebrate Martini Season.