The Modern Materialist

Do-It-Yourself: The Bag You Couldn't Afford

Steph Auteri — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:30:00 GMT

While this totally looks like the schematics for some odd-shaped paper airplane, it's actually...

Which is sorta cool for a label whore such as myself who can't actually afford $2,000 label whorage.

Happy Hour: Drinking in the Tub

Wendy Atterberry — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Enjoying a glass of wine is right up there on my list of favorite things to do in the bath, which is why I love this bamboo bathtub caddy with its clever wine glass holder. It takes away any worry I might have had about knocking over a glass precariously resting on the wet, soapy corner of the tub, which in turn, leaves me much more relaxed to enjoy these other favorite bath-time activities:

Reading a juicy gossip magazine
Pumicing my feet
Talking on the phone to unsuspecting friends
Eating mangos
Thinking about Duchovny
Practicing levitation

[$46.50, Delight]

Hardbook Mixes Style With Power

Alex Zalben — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:30:00 GMT

For those of you who are a little tech savvy, and don’t mind playing around with a hard drive, the Hardbook might be the thing for you. The hard drive enclosure fits most 3.5 inch SATA I or II drives, and connects to your PC or Mac using a USB cord.

Oh, and it looks like a book.

It also sports a unique “no fan” cooling system, as well as an internal power supply and a one push backup button. The drive enclosure isn’t out yet, but it will cost approx. $300 when it does.

[Sarotech]

[Via Oh Gizmo!]

Ghost Mirror Brings You Face-to-(non)Face With Your Mortality

Steph Auteri — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Not in stores, this ghost mirror — designed by Olivier Sidet — appeals to the creepy child in me, who devoured John Saul novels and found great joy in ouija boards and withchcraft kits.

Description: "In this mirror, the observer can see the reflection of his surroundings and yet he is never able to see himself."

Magic! Or devilry! Or some physics-type manipulation I can't understand!

[Via GearFuse]

Cheap Trick: Insta-Romance

Wendy Atterberry — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Question: How can you turn this simple wine bottle into instant romance once the wine is already gone:

Answer:

[$8.95, Patina]

A wine bottle candelabra!

The Weekly Top 5: SNL, Indiana Jones, Death Cab, and More

Alex Zalben — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Whether it’s SNL back when you remember it being good, or Welsh neo-Big Band music, The Weekly Top 5 tells you how you should be spending your entertainment dollars this week. Check out the whole list, and then let me know what I got horribly wrong, or missed, in the comments below:

1. Saturday Night Live – The Complete Third Season [$45]
SNL? These SNL boxed sets were delayed for several reasons, so for those of you who have been picking up the annoying “Best Of,” collections, just dump ‘em in the garbage: this is how the show is meant to be seen, warts and all. If anything, these are helpful, because even at it’s prime, which this third season collection is part of, SNL was always uneven at best. I mean, come on: a 90 minute sketch show, every week? That’s tough. Regardless, the gems are well worth the price, as is the chance to see Dan Akroyd back when he was funny.

2. Rockferry – Duffy [$7]
Singer? The other day, a friends and I were discussing whether we liked Duffy, or hated her. Eventually, I think we decided that we didn’t like her, but were supposed to, as she’s like Amy Winehouse, but without all of the coke. Hopefully, she starts snorting a ton of coke, and you all see the error of your ways. Until then… Welsh neo-Big Band music? At least it’s interesting.

3. We Ski [$30]
Slow Week? Yup, it’s a pretty slow week for video games, as we clear the deck between GTAIV’s release last week, and Wii Fit’s release next week. In anticipation, why not pick up We Ski, which will make a nice paperweight until next Wednesday?

4. Indiana Jones – The Adventure Collection [$35]
Snakes? The only reason this collection of all three Indiana Jones movies is at number four, instead of at the top of this list, is that Temple of Doom f-ing sucks.

5. Narrow Stairs – Death Cab for Cutie [$10]
Snore? New Death Cab should be a cause for a very blasé, casual party in the streets of Brooklyn, right? Except, between their last album, which rocketed the Cuties to semi-mainstream stardom, and now, there’s been an intense backlash against sad boy songs. Between Garden State, Juno, and a million other “totally kewl” movies, the music world is a little over their hipsterness. Will Death Cab bring it back, or will they slowly lull the movement to death? Cab?

Full-Contact Commuting: Asserting Your Dominance/Need For Silence

Steph Auteri — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

5 Things I Do On the Bus To Discourage Others From Sitting Next To Me:

sit in the aisle seat
spread all my belongings (how does one "spread" a single purse?) across the seat next to me
pretend to be asleep, whilst sitting in the aisle seat with my stuff taking up the seat next to me
look angry/dangerous
look angry/dangerous while wearing my massive headphones

This probably isn't nice of me. Rather than doing all of the above, I should sit in the window seat with my purse placed primly on my lap, my countenance smiley. And when someone sits down next to me, I should pass this over to them:

[$19.99, Belkin]

Belkin's forthcoming RockStar can connect up to five sets of headphones. Be generous with your seatmate, while simultaneously asserting the fact that conversation is most definitely not in the cards. Satisfy yourself with some Disturbed, punk!

Reclaimed Watch

Wendy Atterberry — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:30:00 GMT

This watch, made from reclaimed and recycled materials is so cool looking, it's hard to believe it once looked like this:

[$55, Refinding]

[photo via]

iPhone Shortage Brilliant Plan To Sell Blackberrys

Alex Zalben — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Okay, gang, I’ve cracked this mystery: Apple is trying to get people to buy Blackberrys, and it’s stunningly obvious.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, rumors have been swirling that new iPhones (with 3G, among other fantastical features) will be announced at the World Wide Developers Conference next month. However, as of today, iPhones are unavailable for purchase online at Apple.com, and have basically disappeared from both real-world AT&T and Apple Stores. The supposition was that this was to clear the way for the new iPhones, but if that’s really a month off*, why take them down now?

Why, to clear the way for the new Blackberrys, of course. And, by the way, I assume you don’t spell it blackberries, because that’s the fruit, right? Anyway.

Officially announced today, the new Blackberry is called “Bold,” and features a black and silver, iPhone-esque design. The mobile messaging device (sigh), will include email, phone, IM, Internet, camera, video recording, and much, much more. No price point yet, though rumors set it around $300-$500… In other words, iPhone pricing. I rest my case.

[Blackberry Bold]

*In all seriousness, check back here tomorrow… I would not be at all surprised if the new iPhones are available online at Apple.com starting tomorrow morning; they’re not going to leave the world iPhone-less for weeks.

Get Ready for the Fish-lympics

Alex Zalben — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:30:00 GMT

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but, as it turns out, you can teach a goldfish to play sports. Using operant conditioning, positive reinforcement, and the R2 Fish School Training Kit, your goldfish will be playing soccer in no time. Also, limbo, fetch, slalom, basketball, and much more.

Check out a video of a fish playing Football:

[$30, Amazon]

[Via Neatorama]

Rocking Out with the Lord

Steph Auteri — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

I was raised a Roman Catholic, but I did that typical thing in college where I became agnostic, and I've since been on a constant search for the meaning of faith.

Despite my lapsed Catholicism, however, there are many times during which I find it appropriate to invoke God's name:

when someone cuts me off on the highway
when someone cuts me off in the suburbs
when I stub my toe
when I realize that the cat has vomited all over the condo
when I'm running late
etc.

Obviously, I'm not the most pious of people. But for those who are looking for new ways to rock out with the Lord:

[$44.99, IceTech]

Yes, it is an mp3 player/crucifix. And because God is so cool, he's also thrown in an FM radio and audio recorder, not to mention conversion software for all your audio files.

[Via Shiny Shiny]

If Michael Jackson Were a Matryoshka Doll

Wendy Atterberry — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

We all know that at least half of Michael Jackson's face has been carved away since he was a cute kid singing 'ABC' in the Jackson Five. These Matryoshka dolls are a perfect representation of his drasticly altered face:

The only issue I have with this is the last "doll" inthe series; Isn't his nose already long gone?

[m.a.f.]

The $46,000 Dress Shirt

Alex Zalben — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:00:00 GMT

What you see above, my friends, is the world’s most expensive shirt. Made by Eton Shirts Limited to celebrate their 80th Anniversary, the shirt has been created from the finest Egyptian cotton yarn, with buttons and studs encrusted with diamonds.

The shirt is currently on tour, but will be available for charity auction sometime next year… If I, the world’s greatest cat burglar, don’t steal it first! Haha!

What? Announcing you’re going to steal something on a blog makes you the world’s worst cat burglar? Really? All right, then: I’m not going to steal the shirt, because I’m not a cat burglar. There, dodged a bullet on that one. Now to go claim my prize, hehehe…

[Eton Shirts Limited]

[Via Brandish]

Are You Mentos?

Alex Zalben — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:30:00 GMT

I challenge the comfort of this couch to a butt-test throwdown. This is from a line of couches and beds designed by Matteo Thun for Italian furniture makers, Rossi di Albizzate, and it looks like the most uncomfortable thing ever.

As far as I can tell, the design is supposed to evoke bright, delicious candy, but it reminds me a lot more of those molecule sculptures you’d see in high school, or maybe something else grosser that I don’t care to mention.

Anyway, here’s another one from the same line that looks like a bunch of potatoes:

Pricing is available upon request, but what do you think, Materialistas? Does this look comfortable at all?

[Rossi di Albizzate]

[Via Baller House]

The Low and the Sweet: Retro Wall Phone

Wendy Atterberry — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Remember last week when I posted about this cool retro kitchen clock? Well, in case $50 just isn't enough for you to spend on a retro phone and you've got a wad of hundred burning a hole in your pocket, you can always splurge on this one:

The isn't a reproduction, but an original that's been completely restored with new wiring and microphone, nickel-plated rotary dial, and authentic ring. Bobby socks and make-out sessions at the drive-in sold separately.

[$395, Sundance]

[via Outblush]

Hot New Sunglasses Are the Next Big Thing

Steph Auteri — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:30:00 GMT

[Photo Via]

I actually tried on a pair of these when I was interviewing the masterminds behind Wild Blue. They had picked up this pair of Inuit snow goggles in their travels. Designed to reduce the amount of light that reaches the optic nerve and eliminate glare, a quick test drive proved that they worked better than any overpriced sunglasses I had ever purchased at DSW.

Though the look is markedly different, I couldn't help but do a double take when I saw these similarly conceived glasses being sold by a street vendor in SoHo:

[$10, Fred Flare]

Apparently, they've been made hip lately by Kanye West. Am I completely unhip by having that completely different association?

Nevertheless, I'm excited they're becoming popular. These babies work!

Is That a Shower In Your Pocket?

Alex Zalben — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

I once met a guy who had to take a shower every morning for one full hour. Not “wanted to,” but for some unexplained reason (and I didn’t want to pry) had to. And not only that, but it had to be at six in the morning. Also, he took his showers lying down.

I’m 100% serious about this, and if you’re wondering what this has to do with the canvas bag pictured above:

It’s a Pocket Shower, which only runs for about eight and a half minutes. What does that mean, friends? Well, it means that normally the Pocket Shower is 3”x6”, and weighs about four and a quarter ounces. If you fill it with water, though, it holds enough to shower you for the aforementioned amount of time. You can adjust the intensity of the shower with the easy to use dial, and there’s a twenty foot long cord, so you can hang the thingy as high as you can climb.

In case you can’t tell, this is perfect for camping. And not for the guy mentioned up top.

[$25, Rei]

[Via Book of Joe]

Quick Tip of the Day: 100 Ways Bra

Wendy Atterberry — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Last night, I saw a girl committing one of the ultimate fashion sins: she was wearing a very pretty dress, but the open back of the dress revealed the entire back of her bra in a not so classy kind of way. I don't know, maybe this is the style in certain circles, but I assure you, it was not the style at the bar where we were last night...nor should it have been. I'm guessing she didnt know about Victoria's latest secret: a 100-way strapless convertible bra that makes basically anything wearable — yes, even that shirt you bought on impluse with the pluging neckline down to your bellybutton. After the jump, all 100 ways to wear the bra:

[$53, Victoria's Secret]

Week in Review: May 9

Wendy Atterberry — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:00:00 GMT

This weekend Modern Materialist turns three months old! We can't believe our baby is growing up so quickly. I guess that's what happens when you feed it plenty of Melona bars and chocolate covered bacon. Thank you to all of you who make MM part of your daily internet perusing and have helped it grow so quickly, and an even heartier thanks to those who leave comments, who Stumble and Digg us or pass along links to your friends, and especially to those who email with suggestions. It's hard work finding nearly 20 things each and every day to blog about, so the more you can share your awesome finds with us, the more time we have for what we like best: happy hour. So keep those emails coming (ModernMaterialist@nerve.com).

And now, why you're really here — this week at Modern Materialist, we:

Prices Dropping On Warhol Prints...

Steph Auteri — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Just the other day, Alex posted about Warhol pieces...for a mere $100!

After the jump, check out what the Warhol Art Maker let me do for free!

Yup, that's fellow Nervesters John and Peter, in the opening shot for their brand new video game blog, 61 Frames Per Second. Handsome, aren't they? Here's the original pic:

Neato! I forsee myself spending lots of time with this program...

Happy Hour: Mother's Day Cocktails

Wendy Atterberry — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:00:00 GMT

This Sunday is Mother's Day and if you're lucky enough to spend some time with your mother, do something really special for her this year and skip the crowded, over-priced brunch and have her over to your place — or head on over to her's — and whip up some Mother's Day cocktails for her, like the Strawberry Martini, which is so good it may even get you a little boost in the will. Recipe and link to other fantastic mom drinks after the jump:

Strawberry Martini:

trawberry Martini

Ingredients

2-1/2 shots gin
1/2 shot strawberry liqueur (look for Volare Wild Strawberry Liqueur)
Fresh strawberry and lemon twist for garnish

Directions

Add ingredients to a mixing glass full of ice, stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist and a strawberry.

[This recipe, plus the Rose Petal martini, andthe Rizzo via The Nibble]

Ooch Armchair Brings Multiple Pillows

Alex Zalben — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Sanniadesign has created a fun and practical chair concept: take one frame; add four pillows; that’s it. So you have the option of having a princess and the pea style chair, or take the pillows out for up to three friends (I assume you wouldn’t want to sit on the frame by itself, though I guess you could).

The chair will be shown at an upcoming furniture show, though there’s not a lot of info on which one, or when. Sanniadesign also has a number of other concepts on their website, but the one that jumped out at me was this:

It’s a fork, specifically made for spaghetti! What can I say, we like silverware here.

[Sanniadesign]

[Via Freshome]

Express Yourself

Wendy Atterberry — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:30:00 GMT

"Can you hear me now?" has never been a less important question than it is with this:

[via Trendhunter]

Chocolate Covered Bacon + Video!

Alex Zalben — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

For a blog obsessed with gadgets and doo-dads, it sure took us a long time to figure out how to use our webcam, didn’t it? In any case, the all-text portion of Modern Materialist’s life-span is over, as we have signed up for a YouTube account (that took us a while, too). So now, we’ll be bringing you videos of some of the latest gadgets and products we pick up, with our impressions and pretty mugs, now in muddled, unfocused, moving format. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel over here, and be sure to leave us a nice comment! Or two!

To kick things off, Luca Chocolates from Ramseur, NC was nice to make me a special batch of chocolate covered bacon, fulfilling a life-long dream of mine. Check out the video below, and then hit back for more info, and pricing:

Still here? Cool. What’d you think, huh? I’m pretty shiny, right? And I don’t know how to look into the webcam yet? Anyway, here’s the background info, for those of you non-video watchers: I posted a contest to win some chocolate covered bacon, as long as you could find out for me where it came from. One intrepid reader, Leslie Cooper, let me know that if I couldn’t find some, she'd make it for me.

So I ended up getting sent an assortment that included:

- Bacon Topped Caramel
- Bacon Covered Caramel
- Salted, Chocolate Covered Bacon
- A Tiramisu Cream
- Bourbon and Black Pepper Truffle

Hands down, the Bourbon and Black Pepper Truffle was the best thing in the assortment… A smooth, creamy truffle with hints of liquor, and a sharp, peppery aftertaste. Completely surprising, and completely delicious.

As for the bacony treats, the Bacon Covered Caramel was the most delicious. It was salted caramel, which I’m a big fan of, covered in dark chocolate, with a crunchy stick of bacon on top. Salty, sweet, and perfectly balanced.

I will say that for the actual chocolate covered bacon itself (i.e., a slice of bacon covered in chocolate), I could use more bacon, and less chocolate; but at the same time, I would bet that’s exactly what most consumers don’t want.

If more people end up buying the bacon covered chocolate, Luca Chocolates says that they’ll start marketing ‘em, and selling on the website. So head on over, and let them know if you’d like to try some yourself. It’ll be $16.95 for the half pound, $32.95 for the full pound.

[Luca Chocolates]

Who Would You Rather?

Steph Auteri — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:30:00 GMT

5 Heroes I Would So Get Down and Dirty With:

Indiana Jones
Luke Skywalker
Nail Patrick Harris (What would NPH Do?)
Legolas
Robin. That's right, not Batman. Robin. I used to have such the crush on Burt Ward. If we had ever gotten together back then, in the days of his sidekicky youth, I might have asked him to snag these from Batman and meet me in the bedroom:

[$136.99, Entertainment Earth]

Anyone up for a bit of role playing?

[Via Geek Alerts]

Tiny Art Packs a Big Punch

Alex Zalben — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

I’ve completely fallen in love with Brooklyn based artist Thomas Doyles’ pieces, which use model train miniatures and scenery to create, incredible, evocative scenes, like the one pictured above.

They’re not all murder and terror, though let’s be fair, a good amount of them are. The pieces are all going to be available for viewing at several upcoming exhibits, and I’ll have all the info below. But first, Doyle himself was nice enough to give me a call and let me know that all of his pieces are available for purchase, either at the galleries on display, or by contacting him personally. Prices range from $5000 for the larger pieces, to $850/$900 for the smaller pieces.

A few more pics, and then info on where you can check ‘em out for yourself.

My Little / Membrane | NURTUREart | 910 Grand St., Brooklyn, New York  May 9 to June15 | Opening reception: Friday, May 9, 7 to 9 p.m. |www.nurtureart.org

Synthetic Supernova | Mixed Greens Gallery | 531 W. 26th St., New York, New York  May 30 to July 3 | Opening reception: Friday, May 30, 6 to 8 p.m. |www.mixedgreens.com

[ThomasDoyle.net]

[Via Make]

Get Your Hands On Some Knickers

Alex Zalben — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Oh yes, my friends: hyper-color is back. For those of you who don’t remember, hyper-color fabric was super popular about twenty years ago, for about twenty minutes. You would have a colored shirt, and when someone pressed against your shirt, the heat would make it change color, at least where the hand-print was.

GreenKnickers has taken this to the next logical step (albeit, two decades later), with their Heat Sensitive Knickers. As the undies warm against your skin, the daisy design turns from pink to white. And here’s the best part: the hyper-color is made with organic vegetable based inks, so you can wear something fun, while still protecting the planet.

There’s also a yellow pair of undies, which have a tree design, instead of a daisy. As they warm, the tree sheds its leaves! Cool!

[£15, Ethical Superstore]

[Via Hippyshopper]

Pop-up Dinner Party

Wendy Atterberry — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Question: How can these pop-ups make your dinner party more festive and fun?

Answer after the jump:

Pop-up placemats -- made entirely fromrecyled paper!

[$24.75, Delight]

How Exxxxtreme Are You?

Steph Auteri — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

The Five Most Extreme Things I've Ever Done:

White water rafting (except that it wasn't white water season, and there was barely a ripple on the river, and all my screaming was precipitated by the misconception that the seaweed was "attacking" me)
Parasailing (which is not incredibly extreme — more like sitting on air — except for the time we thought our boat driver was going to drop us on a house)
Horseback riding (I became terrified when the horse sped up into a canter)
Zip line (oh crap, that's right; I was the only one out of my entire group too afraid to do the zip line!!!)
Riding on a jet ski in Mexico, which really was the biggest rush for me. In fact, it leads me to believe that I should get one of these babies for myself:

[$12,800, Yamaha]

How hot is that!? This 2008 Yamaha FX Cruiser SHO has an all new 1.8-liter supercharged engine, the world's first hull and deck manufactured using nanotechnology, reducing weight by 25%, and the industry's first cruise control system.

Plus, it's pretty.

[Via Uncrate]

Inflatable Iceberg Keeps Things Cool

Alex Zalben — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:00:00 GMT

So most of us don’t have a swimming pool. I mean, maybe some of you do, but I live in an apartment in NYC, so if I got a pool installed, I think my downstairs neighbors would kill me. However, if we did all have pools, I bet we’d also like to have this 14’ tall inflatable iceberg/climbing wall.

You can climb up one of the three climbable sides, slide down the slidable side, and the whole thing is made from durable PVC. Which is really fun and cool (pun intended), until you find out how much it costs:

[$6475, Amazon]

[Via Uncrate]