Cooool laptop cases

Laptop accoutrements have run the gamut from cringe-worthy graffiti decals to chuckle-worthy monster sleeves and everything in between.

One laptop case that we found especially notable is from Etsy-newcomerHelek Studio, an industrial design duo from Holon Institute of Technology in Tel Aviv. Their recently-launched Lady D. collection takes inspiration from those beloved granny wallets and rejuvenates them as the casing for oversize electronics, from your kindle to your iPad to your MacBook. (You can also contact them if you need an oddly-sized device case that you'd like them to custom-make.)

So far, their camping-esque hookah bag is the only product that we can't seem to place in the context of the rest of their Etsy store, but you can definitely take a peek at their other Lady D. offerings here.

core77.com

Happy Talk

Our good friends PSFK are hosting a timely post-Thanksgiving themed salon examining innovative ideas around Happiness in New York next week. See you there!

Speakers include:
Dr. Jay Parkinson — founder of Hello Health and The Future Well, who will speak on happiness through healthy living

Graham Hill — founder of Treehugger, who will speak on happiness through responsible living

Steven Dean — organizer of Quantifed Self NY, who will share thoughts on happiness through informed living

Sarah Forbes — curator of the Museum of Sex, who will talk on the relationship between human sexuality and happiness

PSFK SALON at Soho House NY: Happiness
November 30th
8:30am-11am
29-35 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10014

core77.com

Bathroom Design

Dutch designer Bo Reudler and company were recently invited to take part in a restoration project in a 19th century house near Amsterdam. The designers were challenged to bring a touch of contemporary design flair to the antique bathroom interior whilst retaining some of the character and features of the original.

Most modern bathrooms are shrines to function and sterility. This design sought to bring the space alive. Drawing heavily on natural forms, the copper pipes are left exposed and unfinished, to green with time and use—along with the copper sink and floral tile details. The ceiling's cornicing, playing with classical interior features, gives the impression of water dripping upwards as you kick back in the antique bathtub.

core77.com

Hillbilly Hat

Sure it's a bit hillbilly, but I like the idea of the MasterVision Cap Light, which gives you hands-free illumination without having to strap on a headlamp. Choose between three or five LED lights. If you're the type that's never not got a cap on, you'll find clipping one of these to the bill is as easy as popping the top on a can of Schlitz. Plus it'll only run you like five bucks and change.

http://core77.com/

Vitamin Water

The brand VitaminWater was started by a man named Darius Bikoff. The idea of the vitamin water was very simple, while taking his daily dose of vitamins in the morning and washing them down with water, Bikoff had a simple, yet brilliant idea. His idea of combining your vitamins and water into one drink is a lot easier and more convenient for people.

Bikoff had little startup money to create the brand and build his business. Another brilliant idea of his was to sell parts of his company to celebrities. This not only gave him celebrity sponsors to build his brand image and awareness but it was a great marketing venture in the way that it was such a great idea for these celebrities to do. It gets their name out their and they are making money.

VitaminWater is a brand that created a team of people living and breathing the brand. It was built one person at a time, which is also the continuing goal of the brand. Partners of the brand include 50 cent, Jennifer Anniston,

tom brady, shaquille o?neal, tony parker, brian urlacher, david ortiz and tracy mcgrady.

By 2002, the Glacéau line of waters were the top selling enhanced water brand in the United States, with the company's Vitaminwater being its best selling product. In 2006, the company earned US$350 million in revenues. The company then began its global expansion, launching its products in the United Kingdom and Australia in 2008 and France in 2009.

Energy Brands is owned primarily by Bikoff, employees, and small investors. Rap artist Curtis Jackson—known as 50 Cent—obtained a 10% share of the company as part of an endorsement deal. 30% equity was sold to LVMH sometime in the 2000s, which in turn sold those shares. The shares eventually were sold to India-based Tata Group in August 2006, which held the shares until May 2007 when Coca-Cola Company purchased the company as an independent subsidiary, leaving its actual operations with its existing management including Bikoff.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2007-05-25-coke-glaceau_N.htm

DOGS CAN DETECT CANCER

The book, 'Paws & Effects' written by Sharon Sakson explains the healing power of dogs and real life stories of peoples pets being able to sniff out cancer in them. Through a dogs incredible sense of smell they are able to sense cancer and other illnesses in the human body.

One example in the book includes one dog that began to scratch and bite at its owner's mole (which turned out to be cancerous). Another example is when another dog went up to a man with heart trouble and rested on his chest.

There are even dogs that are trained to respond to those humans suffering from seizures, and one of the other points the book mentions is the importance of that human-dog bond and how more often than not, it is the dog which chooses the person and not the other way around.

Just to give a bit of my own background, there is no denial of dogs’ abilities when it comes to aiding humans. From their keen instincts to aiding the blind, dogs have certainly proven themselves to be worthy of the title of “man’s best friend”. Yet for me, cats have always been more mysterious and natural hunters and so for that, as well as their independence, they have always fascinated me more on a personal level. I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced any deep bond with a dog but I have experienced many with cats and I am no less an animal lover. I can certainly empathize with those who love their dogs.

Melinda Gates

Voted Second most creative person on Fast Company in 2010 because of her influence over the world's largest foundation is enormous -- Bill has said it wouldn't exist if it weren't for her. Maybe it should be called the Melinda & Bill Gates Foundation. She has championed not only big-picture, tech-oriented solutions to improve health and education over the long term but also more modest steps to help the poorest of the poor right now, such as distributing condoms. The foundation's latest surprise: funding health and education messages to be integrated into Viacom TV programming. Sneaky? Perhaps. Daring? For sure -- and that's what Gates, 44, expects of the foundation. "We will get out there and try something," she told Vogue this year. "If it doesn't work, we will try something else. And we will keep trying until we find something that works." -- by Jeff Chu

http://www.fastcompany.com/100/2009/melinda-gates

Notia Powerpoint

Notia presentation 10a

View more presentations from Kristen Kane.

slideshare.com

Tumblr vs. Blogger

I have been using blogger now for around 2 years and have no complaints however I have been noticing that alot of my friends are using Tumblr. For your blog website you want to have the correct publishing tool that works perfect for you. An informal poll on Twitter indicated that most people prefer Tumblr or can't decide and use both. After investigating Tumblr, I've decided that I prefer Blogger. Here's why:

-Limited Templates - there are a few cool options but then the rest are just different colors and backgrounds.

-Inconvenience - Tumblr automatically sends updates to your Twitter account and peruse recommended blogs. BLogger on the other hand is not automatic.
If you want your Twitter followers to know about your new entry, you have to notify them yourself. If you want to tell someone that you like their article, you have to post a remark saying that you liked it. Tedious perhaps, but there may be things or articles that you do not wish to share on twitter.

http://dailycuntpunch.blogspot.com/2010/08/tumblr-vs-blogger.html

Pop Art Portrait Design

Very cool graphic image, something that I thought I could incorporate into my own pop art portrait paintings. Dulling the background and changing the image of the person into black and white or gray and then focusing on the eyes. By adding sunglasses to the picture I could customize the design and personalize them for each person.

CHANCE FOR LIFE ON NEWLY FOUND PLANET

Newly found planet Gilese, may be the new Earth. A team of astronomers from the University of California and the Carnegie Institute of Washington say they have found a planet like ours, 20 light years away (which is 120 trillion miles) from Earth, where the basic conditions for life are good.The chances for life on this planet are 100 percent," Steven Vogt, a UC professor of astronomy and astrophysics says. "I have almost no doubt about it." The planet is three times the size of Earth, but the gravity is similar.Dr. Elizabeth Cunningham, planetarium astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, says the discovery is a huge deal."It could have liquid water on the surface," she said. "That's the first step to find life."

The atmosphere and gravity are similar to Earth, Scientists say the highest average temperature is about -12 degrees Celcius (10 Fahrenheit), but they point out that the planet doesn't have a night and day - one side continually faces the star and the other side faces the darkness of space. This means one side is blazing hot and the other freezing cold.

Other planets near Gliese 581g have been discovered, but they are not habitable and are mainly comprised of gas. Gliese 581g, however, is a rocky planet.

It was discovered using the Keck telescope in Hawaii which has been observing the star Gliese 581 for 11 years.

"Keck's long-term observations of the wobble of nearby stars enabled the detection of this multi-planetary system," said Mario R. Perez, Keck program scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington.

Astronomers are excited this new planet was discovered so fast and relatively close by.

"I'm surprised we found one so fast," Cunningham said. "The implication is either we were very lucky or these planets could be relatively common."

Gliese 581g is in the constellation of Libra. While Earth takes 365 days to orbit our star, the sun, Gliese 581g orbits its star in 37 days.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/30/100-percent-chance-for-life-on-newly-found-planet/?iref=obnetwork

video

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/technology&id=7699181