Cinema16: World Short Films DVD

by Ami Kealoha

Other than regulars on the film fest circuit, few have the chance to see the types of short films from around the world assembled on the recent DVD "Cinema16: World Short Films." Thanks to the folks at Cinema16, film fans can now watch work by the likes of Guillermo del Toro (of "Pan's Labyrinth" fame), Guy Maddin ("The Saddest Music in the World"), Jane Campion ("The Piano") and Alfonso Cuaron ("Y tu mamá también"). Del Toro's contribution is the never before seen, Oscar-winning "Wasp," but it's Ousmane Sembène's contribution that makes me miss taking film classes. The humor of the Senegalese director's style of filmmaking makes for a portrait of African culture that would be impossible for any Westerner to duplicate. Like many of the films included in the collection, its also a great introduction for those unfamiliar with Sembène's work.

The two-disc set includes several director commentaries and is available for £20 from Cinema16, along with other DVDs from the series, all equally rewarding options for cinephiles. (Note, however, that the European and British versions will only work on Pal-compatible DVD players.)

Incase MacBook Air Hardshell Case

by Ami Kealoha

by Ariston Anderson

Normally we wouldn't put a thing on our MacBook Air. It's so light and well...airy. We'd never want to cover up such a perfect piece of design. That is until now. The Incase MacBook Air Hardshell adds a layer of protection to the laptop without compromising on design or functionality.

Similar to the iPhone slider case, which provides a smooth matte finish to prevent butter fingers and has protected our iPhone from many an unintentional spill, the new hardshell case provides the same unique shock absorption and impact protection.

The thick rubber feet give it much more stability than the rubber points on the computer. And, while it still heats up very quickly, the feet raise the laptop allowing air to circulate much more freely.

The best part of the shell is that it provides the perfect laptop disguise. Despite its light weight and thinness, we're always a little cautious to take the MacBook Air out and about. But with the new black shell, it makes the computer look like any old black book. It's a much sleeker way to travel, and has given us a whole new reason to love the Air.

Purchase it for $50 from Incase.

Also on Cool Hunting: Incase Hardshell Case

NamelessleTTer Project

by Karen Day

Meant to provoke curiosity, NamelessleTTer is a new project in which people from all horizons leave personalized notes or bookmarks in random books with the goal of seeing other readers discover them. The nameless creators of NamelessleTTer ask that your unattributed note is as well-suited and clever as possible, like this McDonald's Korea receipt left in an edition of Zagat 2009 or the Get Out of Jail Free" card put between the pages of "Escape From Alcatraz."

Similar to PostSecret, NamelessleTTer is an ongoing collaborative art project that encourages interaction through anonymity. While the submissions are displayed in an online forum, the goal is to encourage people to visit libraries and bookstores in hopes of discovering one of these quirky bookmarks, and to bring a new and exciting aspect to book reading in a world that is becoming increasingly digital. Give it a try, leave a little surprise in your favorite book or join the community and see if you can't find the latest letter.

Trinie Dalton: Mythtym

by Doug Black

The creative vision of writer and visual artist Trinie Dalton, "Mythtym" is 200 pages of wildly eclectic pieces culled from a decade of her self-produced zines. The book features work as diverse as meditations on werewolves, collages of Bernadette Peters and a marijuana-themed crossword puzzle—all with an overarching theme of things mythical, particularly those gravitating towards the fantastic and macabre. The collection is part of what Dalton calls "parties on paper," which isn't meant to suggest a bound anthology of LastNightsParty pictures. Rather, the work is meant to approximate the printed manifestation of a cross-medium art salon.

Mythtym collects the work of almost 40 different contributors and generally arranges them thematically, although there are no indexes or editor's notes to indicate transitions. In addition to reprinted work, half of the book is dedicated to an entirely new work based on mirrors. It investigates the mirror through the lens of horror stories, mental illness and primitive cultures, to name a few. The book's name itself is even a palindrome, referencing the mirroring of words themselves.

Incredibly varied, Mythtym is necessary reading for no one in particular. But just the same, it's a multi-pronged look into fields you probably didn't know you were interested in. Mythtym is available from PictureBox or Amazon.

Illustrator Justin Gabbard

by Lost At E Minor

I'd been trying to figure out who the illustrator was who had done a few of the beautiful pieces for this year's Kiehl's holiday display for awhile when I was serendipitously pointed toward a certain rep's website to check out some of their illustrators. I discovered it was Justin Gabbard. Score!

Since finally coming upon Gabbard's site, I've been back more than a few times to ogle his colorful, chiseled paintings, as well as his fantastic assortment of drawings and experiments. What I find most wonderful is the way in which Gabbard appears to continually tweak his techniques, painting one time, trying it digitally the next, throwing in a little of this and a little of that from one project to the next. Next time I'm out and about in the city and manage to happily stumble across Gabbard's work, I won't have the least bit of trouble placing it.