The Mos Def Music Tee

by CH Contributor

by Julie Wolfson

Actor and MC, the Mighty Mos Def has a long list of unique collaborations and projects including starring on Broadway in Suzan-Lori Parks play "Topdog/Underdog," playing a video store employee in Michel Gondry's "Be Kind Rewind" and hosting "Def Poetry" on HBO. Now Mos Def is one of the first artists to release his new album, "The Ecstatic," in a t-shirt format. Combining digital music with t-shirt design, The Mos Def Music Tee features the cover art on the front, tracklist on the back and a unique download code on the hang tag.

Created in collaboration with clothing line LnA, Downtown Music and Invisible DJ, the Original Music Tee was a mix tape release by Invisible DJ. Check out the LnA or Invisible DJ site for the full playlist. An interesting concept to try and sell music, several more Music Tees are in the works for the Fall.

The Mos Def Music Tee will available 7 July, 2009 for $40 from Downtown Music. The album is filled with clever wordplay, obscure but catchy beats, different time signatures and is a great listen all the way through. It's been blasting all day today in the CH office.

Gundam RX78 Mobile Suit

by Lost At E Minor

Japan certainly takes its giant robots seriously. As reported by Moe Passion , a blog by an American sailor stationed in Japan, a life-sized replica of a Gundam RX78 Mobile Suit was recently built on the artificial island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. It's up until 31 August 2009, so go see it while you can.

More images after the jump

Les Toiles Du Soleil Store

by Nathan Suberi

Les Toiles Du Soleil, or "The Cloth of the Sun," is a 150 year old French company from Saint Laurent de Cerdans that is bringing generations of fabric expertise with its first U.S store in New York.

Les Toiles Du Soleil produces all of their merchandise—excluding a few handbags and fabric inlaid acrylic trays—on site, by hand, using only high quality materials. The colorful napkins, table runners, dishtowels, pillows, place mats offer classic french designs in vibrant colors.

If you don't see what you need Les Toiles Du Soleil will happily make custom orders for upholstery, drapes, etc. using their signature fabrics.

Les Toiles Du Soleil
261 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011 map
tel. +1 212 229 4730

See more images after the jump.

The Macallan Ice Ball

by Josh Teixeira

Beverage purists argue that ice should never be introduced to a quality Scotch whiskey. Such thinking rests on the theory that when holding a glass, your body heat will melt the ice, resulting in a diluted spirit and sub-par drinking experience.

In order to make a Scotch cold without diluting it, Scottish whiskey purveyors The Macallan created a clever ice ball maker (pictured above). The machine creates a ball of ice precisely sized to fit into an average tumbler. The spherical nature slows the melting process making it less susceptible to hand warmth, preserving the liquor while keeping it refreshingly cool.

In addition to being practical, the machine is noteworthy as an artifact unto itself. Inspired by Japanese bartenders who hand carve their ice balls, the machine uses two heavy copper plates while gravity slowly presses blocks of ice into perfectly spherical shapes. Watching it at work is almost as enjoyable as drinking the scotch, but not quite.

We recently had the opportunity to try the machine over lunch at Tribeca mainstay Dylan Prime. Along with with The Macallan 18—a sturdy standard bearer, we also tasted Macallan's lighter 17-year Fine Oak and the rare 30-year vintage. With a full flavor and plenty of burn without the bite, we can see why this smooth, smoky scotch is so coveted.

Pet Airways

by Evan Orensten

Anyone who's experienced the stress of air travel with their pet has thought there's got to be a better way. Alysa Binder and Dan Wiesel thought they could do better, and the result is Pet Airways, which starts flying pets around the country in July 2009.

From drop off to pick up every aspect of the pet's comfort has been thought through, with pre- and post-flight walks, comfortable waiting areas, and boarding on either side if necessary. The animals are walked (or carried) onto the plane where they board the main cabin, escorted by pet attendants. The interior of Pet Airways' planes have been converted to carry 50 pets and the attendants—not pet owners. Kennels in all sizes are mounted to vertical rows, and each pet travels in comfort and safety inside the cabin, not underneath.

The airline hopes to grow to 25 cities in the next few years, but will start out with service to Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, initially once a week. Pet Airways chose a well known and admired turboprop, the Beechcraft 1900 for its fleet, which will be operated by Suburban Air Freight, an Omaha-based carrier. The journey will take a bit longer than most of us are used to as it will stop every few hours to refuel, but the benefit is bathroom breaks for the pets.

The service isn't perfect—the airports are probably not the ones you'll be flying to, and the initial service is limited—but for those who want the best for their pets and can't afford to charter a plane, it's a great start. Launch pricing is only $149 each way—comparable with freight fees on most passenger airlines. Visit Pet Airways for all of the details, and follow them on Twitter.

Watch their commercial below:

via Towleroad