“Trek’s first production belt-drive singlespeed features an aggressive riding geometry and an edgy appearance.”

OK, they’ve done nothing new, it’s a singlespeed, like most out there have been slapping together for years. The belt drive too is not all that new, having been used on Mercedes Benz city bikes for years, but kudos to Trek (love them or hate them) for making this bike, and it’s sibling, the ‘Soho’. Sure, both are aimed at the corporate not so hard-core out there but they are solid executions even though by buying one you’ll lack the style of having slapped one together yourself or nabbed one from a boutique maker.

Thumbs up regardless and maybe we’ll now be able to get our hands on belt drive systems!

[Trek]

Yes indeed.

[Derringer Cycles]

We love to buy things we fall in love with (for some of us around here, we won’t buy something unless we love it!). As designers, we love designs with tradition, quality and attention to the little details. Well, Tobi is one brand that we refer back to for a source of great inspiration. Making a range of brilliant traditional style Japanese work wear with a modern eye, we are hard pressed to think how in the west ‘trades workers’ could ever have so much pride in what they wear to the building site, where it seems quite often the biggest bum crack wins.

Looking through the various Tobi catalogues ['Working Style Magazine'] all we can do is but marvel at the quality and detailing that goes into what they make. Without a doubt Tobi, and the traditions that it’s tied to, are a strong source of inspiration for us while we finish up the 2009 range.

While on the subject of Horology, the ‘Antikythera mechanism’ is something we’ve wanted to throw up here for a while. This is well worth reading about as it manages to put a lot of things into perspective when we think that modern civilisation is so smart..

To quote Wikipedia:

“The mechanism is the oldest known complex scientific calculator. It contains many gears, and is regarded essentially as an analog computer. It appears to be constructed upon theories of astronomy and mathematics developed by Greek astronomers and it is estimated that it was made around 150 to 100 BC…”

There is far too much amazing, in depth information about the ‘Antikythera mechanism’ to put here, so we suggest you [Read the whole Wikipedia article here]

For those that are into such things, man’s quest to document the passing of time through horological objects is truly a wonder. What’s more, the design, craftsmanship and precision is the epitome of…. well in some cases madness! Still, to us there is nothing more fine than a fine timepiece and to keep up with the goings on in the horological world, we often have a poke around [watchismo]. Worth the effort to see some truly mad ‘grand complications‘.

Nice to see some old skool pop-up fun still going on.

[get a copy here]

[via]

As we pointed out here, there is nothing better than some great intro or trailer credits in a movie. So it’s great to see a new site dedicated to giving you just that, great ‘title sequences’.

Well worth a look if you are so inclined and while the list is not huge at the moment, we’re hoping it will grow over time.

[Visit the site here]

“Unique combination of electronic entertainment device – the cult iPod touch – and a modern fridge freezer from Gorenje opens up new dimensions of living, fun, cuisine, and household tasks. Specially designed and developed Gorenje fridge features a docking station that enables charging the iPod, playing back music and video through built-in speakers, and connecting to the world-wide-web, if wireless connection is available in the kitchen. iPod has conquered the world, and new Gorenje appliances with interactive functions are conquering contemporary kitchens as they anticipate and set new trends.”

What a complete crock of horse crap.

As designers, we hang our heads in shame that someone related to our profession can either think up shite like this or be so dominated by a marketing department that they agree that it’s something worth doing.

Phewey.

Oh gawd, this is soooooo true…….

Here’s a nice one for all those that still Ollie in the house…

The Dry Leaf Eco skateboard by Lets Evo is made from sustainable materials and socially responsible labour practices. Nice. Inhabitant.com wrote about it:

“The Dry Leaf is composed of multiple layers, using innovative renewable materials at every stage. The backbone of the board is a 3-ply organic Mosso bamboo, developed by Fibra Design Sustentável. The bamboo is treated using natural processes without of toxic chemicals and is produced following fair trade criteria. Than there is the second layer, a composite of 70% natural fibers (jute, malva and curaua) and 30% post production recycled polypropylene. To topping it off is a Pupunha Veneer - another material developed by Fibra Design Sustentável. The Veneer is produced from the waste of the sustainable palm-heart industry and is another way that the dry leaf supports farmers.”

[Read it all here]