ITP Winter Show Videos

by Josh Rubin

We dropped 3 new CH Videos this week, all from the ITP Winter show. They feature interactive video projects, a wooden synthesizer, a tangible clock, a wheelchair DJ system and more!

Subscribe to CH Video here and watch them in iTunes or on your iPod.

Green Tea

by Ami Kealoha

With more and more reports linking green tea to weight loss, extolling its skin care, anti-infection, immune-boosting, and cholesterol-lowering benefits, and citing its potention to prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and tooth decay, the green tea product boom is in full-force. An Asian staple, recent green tea inventions of the East include a Kit-Kat (pictured above right) and the Japanese crisp rice-and-white chocolate bar called Krunky (available for $2.25 from J-List). Now, mainstream examples, like Starbucks' Green Tea Frappuccino (long available in Asia, it debuted in the U.S. last year), are becoming widely available in the West. Check out some of the more unique green tea products, including pillows, gummy candy, and perfume, that recently won our favor after the jump.

Gonzales: Solo Piano

by Ami Kealoha

Minimal, sparse, and beautiful, Solo Piano is unlike anything else I’m listening to right now. Canadian-born musician, producer, and rapper Gonzales has worked with everyone from Jane Birkin, to Daft Punk, to ex-label mate Peaches. Critics compared him to Eminem, Prince, and Beck when his debut record, Gonzales Uber Alles, came out with a bang in 2000. That being said, this one might throw you for a loop if you’re familiar with his old work. Nowhere in this record does he come close to fitting that description. As the title suggests, this record is 16 tracks of stripped down piano compositions. When I say stripped down, I mean there are no lyrics and no additional instruments. The finished product sounds more like a moving soundtrack than anything else. Definitely check this one out and keep an eye on this guy, he’s got some good stuff going on.

Recommended tracks: Gogol, Manifesto, and DOT.

Check out tracks and buy the record from No Format or from Amazon.

Contributed by Sean Thomas

Needled this Week

by Josh Rubin

This week in Needled was filled with tattoo news, from the former president of the Philippines missing a meeting on account of body art to a staff sergeant in Iraq whose after-hours job is tattooing his plattoon to a look at Sport's Illustrated's tattooed athletes pictorial. In fine art, Needled explored the ongoing photo project, Exactitudes, particularly looking at its Sleeves grid of tattooed men. Marisa also picks her favorite tattoo events for the weekend, whether it be in Texas or in Bordeaux, France. The highlight of the week, however, is the interview with Dave Archer, a Florida tattoo artist with a passion for tribal art.

Photo of tattoo by Jason Tyler Grace who will be tattooing at the Texas tattoo convention this weekend.

This Week in Tropolism

by Josh Rubin

Tropolism continues to follow the story of the rebuilding master plan debate in New Orleans, along with some crazy article on 2 Columbus Circle published by the New York Times. The preservation debate is in full swing! The new National Swimming Center in China caught our eye, as well as an artist-itect collective in Dessau. But what really caught our eye shows up today: walking our dog and seeing the new buildings going up in a two block radius of Chelsea.

The Meaning of Tingo

by Evan Orensten

The Meaning of Tingo is Adam Jacot de Boinod's new book surveying words around the world that are seldom found in other languages. The book is packed with little gems, such as the longest known palindrome in any language, the Finnish word saippuakivikauppias, the 27 Albanian words for moustaches and eyebrows, the Hawaiian word for walking away without listening to directions 'akihi among them. Perfect for philonists.

Currently available at Amazon UK; the American edition hits the shelves on 16 March 2006 and is available here.

Mealbox

by Carol T Chung

Now imagine all of that above fitting into all of that to the right. You might be exclaiming "Oh golly! Those ever so clever designer folk! What will they think of next?!" Or perhaps a simple "WTF?" sums it all up. Anyway, this packageable Japanese style dinning table, appropriately dubbed as Mealbox, was created by Igland Design, a husband and wife duo based in Norway. The piece is made from birch plywood that's been reinforced with carbonfibre and the seats are padded with neoprene rubber. Okay okay, that's all I have to say. Click away and see for yourself how it works... (/sigh where's the magic gone, Mickey?)

Ecreamery Custom Made Ice Cream

by Evan Orensten

If your local market doesn't satisfy your ice cream cravings, check out Ecreamery, where you can create your own ice cream from 3 base mixes (gelato, classic and super premium), 99 flavors, and 99 mix-ins/toppings. Then you get to name your creation. This luxury does not come cheap: 4 pints (the smallest order) with a single flavor and a single mix-in will set you back around $52 (including shipping). You may not get props from Martha Stewart for pointing-and-clicking instead of making your own (it's not that hard), but your friends will surely be impressed when they sample your one-of-a-kind creation.

If custom desserts are your thing, make sure you check out Milk&Cookies Bakery, a small New York City bakery that offers a dozen freshly-baked custom cookies for $12. They are a CH favorite.