Cool Hunting
| 14 December 2005view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
MomiMomi 100 Birds Tee
by Ami Kealoha
The latest entry in our Gift Guide is this 100 Birds tee by LA-based designers MomiMomi, who make well-fitted, soft shirts with illustrative designs. For their holiday line, they printed this tropical bird-design on a pinkish color they call Taro.
Time is running out to get this and all the other carefully-selected gifts in our guide, like our Limited Edition Exclusives, for the holidays. There's only one Camonano and just a few Timbuk2 All-Canvas Artist Bags left!
For U.S. orders only from Cool Hunting, place your order no later than December 20th to receive items by the 25th.*
*This does not apply to the Skull Wall Icon, the Lisa Kerszi print, the Theme magazine subscription, or any other item not in the Cool Hunting shop. Please check with individual retailers to find out their shipping times.
Related entry: MomiMomi
Acquired Art Crusade
by Josh Rubin
An anonymous artist has stamped and hand screened 450 pieces of US currency. The project is meant to explore finding, giving and receiving art in an unexpected way. Currency is the ironic medium that gives underlying purpose to the exchange of each piece which is meant to take the class system out of ownership. Presumably, the circulation of this work will never be higher than it is today as people lucky enough to find one may be inclined to keep it.
via Josh Spear (where there are more pictures)
Hands on: My Beating Heart
by Josh Rubin
My Beating Heart, the pillow with a beat, made it's way around various web sites last week when it was first announced. We got our hands on one to take a closer look...
The heart shaped pillow, invented by artist Yury Gitman, has a small motor in it that is programmed to give a life-like pulse when turned on. The pillow itself is about a foot wide and my particular sample was covered in synthetic lambskin with ultra-suede details. It's soft and comfy. Despite my skepticism, I found the heart beat to be quite soothing. It was more pronounced than that of any pet or person, but the effect was still quite good and the beat was surprisingly life-like. Their site talks about using the pillow for meditating, daydreaming or napping, but I'm finding myself using it at my desk to counter the caffeinated frenzy of my recent days.
Ultimate Ears Custom Monitors
by Evan Orensten
When your standard issue earbud monitors become uncomfortable or when you're not getting the sound quality you want it may be time to upgrade to custom monitors. Most commonly seen on rockers and newscasters and now readily available to the rest of us, custom monitors are cast from molds taken of your ear—something quickly, easily and painlessly done in about 20 minutes at any audiologist for around $50 to $75. I researched several manufacturers and settled on Ultimate Ears, who offer a range of monitors that are highly customizable.
Unlike most earbud or over the ear monitors, you can't easily try custom monitors, so I had to rely on what I heard/read about them. I chose the UE-5c, which are made specifically for use with digital music players and computers. Rocker fantasies aside many of the other models seemed to be more than I needed, and cost more than I wanted to spend. I thought the clear ones looked best, though green was a close second. They come in a wide range of colors and skintones (which look kinda creepy unless you're on stage) and you can select the length and color of the cord.
In addition to the great sound quality and comfortable fit, another benefit of these custom monitors is that they create a seal in your ear, providing near total sound isolation from bad music playing in the gym, loud co-workers and ambient noise from airplanes, trains and subways.
They come in an elaborate metal box that is way too big (and too ugly) to carry around, but does make them seem like precious cargo. The monitors take some getting used to as they "twist" in and out of your ear, and during a lull you can hear yourself breathe. They are really comfortable, and I've been impressed with the sound quality, listening to everything from Beck to Madonna to Soel. Custom headsets are an investment, and if you frequently lose yours probably not a good idea. But if how you experience your music is as important as what you listen to, then $550 becomes oddly justifiable.
