MotoRokr E8 and Nas Giveaway

by Josh Teixeira

With features like localized haptic touchscreen feedback, a touch-sensitive scroll arc, buttons that automatically adapt to the feature in use and a built-in FM radio with song recognition, we've been geeking out on the ROKR at CH HQ for months.

Lucky for you, we're willing to share. As if the deal wasn’t sweet enough, the ROKR comes preloaded with the new Nas album. "Untitled" debuted at number one and is a major return to form for the hip hop luminary.

If you win, you can check it out on your new ROKR... just follow the contact link at the bottom of the page, select Moto ROKR Giveaway and tell us why you should get this by Friday, 22 August 2008, 11:59pm EST.

Confettisystem Party Supplies and Jewelry

by Ami Kealoha

by Nicole Schlomann

Pals Julie Ho, Nick Andersen and Karlo Bello enjoyed decorating their friends' parties so much, they decided to create party goods of their own. Their line Confettisystem takes classic celebration staples and putting a stylish spin on them, the completely handmade line is a mix of jewelry pieces and party supplies inspired by, among other things, "plastic bags, hippies in Kauai, wish trees, and lei-making."

Along with their pretty pastel knotted necklaces and glittery party banners, the design team offers up colorful confetti, as well as metallic silk and leather blindfolds for piñata bashing. Their custom diamond-shaped piñatas, fringed with delicate colored paper and filled with brilliant confetti, candy, and curly ribbons, are the most eye-catching pieces in this collection of grown-up party goods.

Necklaces are available at NYC's Opening Ceremony, contact Confettisystem to inquire about piñatas.

Read more...

Greenhouse Trashcan Prototype

by Jacob Resneck

Swedish designer Jantze Brogård Asshoff (also behind the new Ikea chintz) has dreamt up Greenhouse, a trash bin the shape of a house crafted as an attractive solution to storing household waste. With the porch functioning as the pedal opening the roof lid, it's a clever marriage of forms that lends a touch of unfussy whimsy to the kitchen.

Still in the protoype phase, we hope that the buzz that it's already attracted here and elsewhere will allow these Stockholm-based creators to get this accessory into production.

Sound Unbound Book Talk and Benefit

by Ami Kealoha

DJ Spooky has had one foot in music and another in academia over the years and the release earlier this year of his new book "Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture" is no exception. The "literary mixtape" is a collection of "reports from the front lines on the role of sound and digital media in an information-based society." Tasking authors, musicians, designers, curators and other creative types with describing their process, 36 first person accounts touch on a number of contemporary and esoteric topics, from science fiction writer Bruce Sterling's take on dead media to musician Brian Eno's study of bells. Accompanied by a mix CD of avant-garde music that includes writers, artists and musicians such as Nam Jun Paik, Allen Ginsberg, Iggy Pop, Gertrude Stein, Aphex Twin and Sonic Youth, it's a must for anyone interested in the ways technology influences culture.

For those in NYC next Thursday, 21 August 2008, you can catch DJ Spooky in conversation with author of the book's forward and Boing Boing editor Cory Doctorow. There's also an afterparty and both events benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense fund. Buy tickets ($20) from the CBLDF, see details below and the flyer after the jump.

Cory Doctorow Meets DJ Spooky
21 August 2008, 7:30pm
Helen Mills Theater
137-139 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10001 map

"4960" in the YouTube Screening Room

by Laurice Parkin

YouTube, best known for showcasing skateboarding dogs and dancers of all species, has proven itself capable of more sophisticated fare this summer with the launch of The YouTube Screening Room. Showcasing four new high-quality short films every two weeks, The Screening Room line-up includes the work of award-winning filmmakers hailing from such diverse locales as Norway, Sweden, Austria, Kenya and the U.S. to name a few.

One of the must-sees is from New York Based director, Wing-Yee Wu. Her haunting short, "4960" conveys more chilling emotion and evocative story-teling in 14 minutes than many directors manage in two hours. Shot during her graduate film studies at NYU, the film is set during the siege in Sarajevo and follows a young couple as they attempt to communicate from two different sides of the world. Raised in Sweden by Chinese parents, Wu did her undergraduate studies at Central Saint Martins College in London. With such a unique, international background, her work conveys the universality of emotion that transcends barriers of both language and geography.

Although "4960" won a Jury Honorable Mention at this year's Slamdance Film Festival,Wu has welcomed the opportunity that The Screening Room has provided to showcase her work. "It's quite mind blowing to not only access such a wide audience, but to be in direct contact with the people who watch your film. I also love that viewers are from all over the world. Every filmmaker spends incredible amounts of time and effort in making what they do, but short films are still to date mostly considered show-reel material and practice for a longer format — an opportunity to screen outside of the film festival circuit is very refreshing and rewarding."

Besides "4960", check out The Screening Room's latest four offerings debuting today, 15 August 2008, with another four coming in two weeks.

Super.Fi 5 Noise Isolating Earphone Monitors

by Doug Black

Best known as the producer of custom in-ear monitors for professional musicians and sound engineers, Ultimate Ears also makes a line of consumer headphones that employ much of the same technology with a much smaller price tag. The Super.Fi 5 is their latest addition and it continues UE's reputation for dynamic sound and sleek design.

The tiny earphones are decidedly low profile with attractive "liquid silver" housings. Subtle color-coding (the inside of the right phone has a ruby tint) enables the user to immediately distinguish the right from left without searching for miniscule lettering. To ensure a proper fit, the Super.Fi 5 comes with a wide range of ear tips. There are three different sizes of silicon pairs, as well as a couple pairs of foam ear tips designed by Comply, which greatly improve comfort (though likely decreasing longevity). They can be worn conventionally, with phones inserted in directly in the ear canal, or wrapped over the outer ear (as pictured below). The latter is helpful when jogging or performing other physical activities.

The sound is equally impressive. The snug-fitting eartips work like earplugs, allowing nothing but the music to get through. The first product on the market with a Top Fire armature speaker design, they deliver enhanced, detailed sound in one of the market's smallest housing. It has a particularly good bass response, too, which is a tall order for in-ear headphones. The low end is always pronounced, but never aggressive.

Released alongside the Super.fi 5 is the Super.fi 5vi, which is designed to work with iPhones and Blackberries. It includes a high-performance microphone and an in-line control button to answers calls and direct media functions. The Super.Fi 5 is $170, while the Super.Fi 5vi is $190. In addition to the ear tips, they come with a cleaning tool and a compact storage case. You can buy them on the Ultimate Ears page or Amazon.

Also on CH: Ultimate Ears custom monitors.