Cameratruck

by Ami Kealoha

Taking pinhole photography to a whole new scale, photographer Shaun Irving transformed a delivery trucks into the world's largest mobile camera, the Cameratruck. The resulting prints (see "First Kiss" below) bear the rich anomalies that come from the technique—he says the best images are the ones "where you can't tell where the image ends and the squirreliness begins"—but in a size roughly 3,000 times the size of a 35mm.

Built from a truck sourced from eBay, military surplus lenses and a cardboard box shutter, Irving hatched the idea as a college student. To take each shot, Irving stands inside the camera, spending about half an hour to set it up and take some test shots. The video below details the process and results.

Various types of prints at various price points are available from the Cameratruck site.

Top cameratruck image via Crestock

Plastic Logic Reader

by Brian Fichtner

Still one year out of consumer reach, the Plastic Logic reader is already being touted by some sources as the Kindle killer. At this week's Tools of Change for Publishing Conference in New York, I had a chance to see the reader prototype in action and get my hands on one, albeit briefly.

With a form factor equivalent to that of a legal-size pad of paper, though coming in at half the thickness and weighing under 16 ounces, it's easy to see the reader's instant appeal. Compatibility with document formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDFs, in addition to newspapers, periodicals and books, means that users will no longer need to stuff carry-ons or briefcases full of papers when traveling. The reader has the capacity to store thousands of documents, all of which can be synced wirelessly or with wired access. Publishing partners already include fictionwise, the Financial Times, Ingram Digital and USA Today.

So how about the image quality? The reader utilizes an E Ink active matrix display, initially produced with a grayscale screen that adequately replicates the effect of reading newsprint (plans for both a flexible reader and color screen are in the works). Unlike typical glass silicon displays, the flexible plastic substrates used in the reader allow the device to be both thinner, lighter and rugged. These features, coupled with the ability to see the reader in broad daylight, makes for a strong case indeed.

The touch-screen interface uses simple gestural commands similar to those on Apple devices, allowing for toggling between pages, zooming in and out and bringing up the keyboard for annotations. A simple home button in the upper left corner brings users back to the main page. Check out a demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show in the AP video below.

All in all, I was more than impressed with Plastic Logic's reader. Holding the device in my hands felt little different than holding a sturdy copy of The New Yorker. Although the device is somewhat finalized, a few contentious points remain with regard to the physical design.

As we all learned from generations of iPods, rounded corners are nice, but rounded edges are even nicer. The reader could benefit with a miniscule tweak of this detail while also changing the backside to a more tactile material. Additionally, the color palette chosen for the prototype is highly reminiscent of the beige CPU towers that took us decades to do away with—we still tend to judge books and magazines by their covers. While Plastic Logic may be alluding to the color of paper or newsprint, the device is devoid of the sensual appeal that Apple brought to its iPod line-up. Lastly, the company may want to consider untethering the device to its name. Unless they can team up with some real branding gurus, we're guessing a name like Plastic Logic will do little to inspire consumer lust.

The Working Couple's Cookbook

by Karen Day

The "Working Couple's Cookbook," by Peggy Treadwell, is a progressive 1970s book designed for the modern couple with simple recipes that explicitly show the breakdown of how two people can share the duties of creating a meal, whether "roomates, soulmates, playmates, or wedded mates."

The wonderfully dated book is full of easy-do-it recipes like baked chicken with spiced crabapples followed by chocolate pudding for dessert or marinated lamb chops with sliced tomatoes in French dressing. More exciting than the culinary inspiration of course are the illustrations by Craig Torlucci, whose bold graphics are the groovier predecessor to the work of art-machine Romero Britto.

The first and only edition was published in 1971 so purchasing a new copy isn't an option, but originals are always have more charm anyway. For a couple that likes to cook or any fan of '70s colors and design, pick up a used one from Alibris or Amazon.

All images via Kyle Katz' Flickr, more after the jump.

Unicorn Boutique

by Mike Giles

After working in the fashion industry for over a decade, Mélanie Robillard and Amelie Thellen, joined forces to realize their childhood dream of opening a boutique. Unicorn is a cute shop for smart-looking women (and soon men) in Montreal's Plateau/Mile End district.

Carrying a hand-picked selection of international, national and local designer brands such as Swedish Hasbeens, Dunderdon, Orbit, Uranium, Tilly Doro, Eugenia Designs, Madame JO and Rittenhouse, the shop also stocks beautiful vintage treasures and the very best accessories from talents local and abroad. The creature may be mythological but the store is a beautiful reality.

Unicorn Boutique
5135 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Quebec H2T IR9 map
tel. +1 514 544 2828

Shuron Eyewear

by Karen Day

We're always on the lookout for the perfect pair of shades and the classic design of Shuron, who has been producing well-made frames since 1865, was love at first sight.

Making Shuron a brand especially worthy of consideration is their seemingly endless supply of choices, making it easy to find a pair of specs that suits any style, fits any face and serves its appropriate purpose—shielding eyes from the sun, correcting vision or both. With 27 different styles, each available in various frame and lens hues, the opportunity for individuality is as limitless as their reputation for quality craftsmanship is long-standing (they even supplied the optics for the WWII troops).

You can purchase the frames on their own, or send in any prescription lens request (clear, polarized, tinted, transitions, etc.), which they are happy to fill and send back along with a full receipt accepted by most insurance companies.