As socially and morally involved designers, we must address ourselves to the needs of a world with its back to the wall while the hands on the clock point perpetually to one minute before twelve.

”

— Victor Papanek

He was submerging himself in the landscape, although one might equally well say it was an unutterable state of being buoyed up and borne along; and when the world overbrimmed the threshold of his eyes, its meaning lapped against him from within, in soundless waves. He had drifted into the very heart of the world. From him to the distant beloved was as far as to the next tree. Inscape had linked the living beings where space was no more, as in dreams two living beings can pass through each other without intermingling; and this altered all their relations… All life’s problems and events took on an incomparable mildness, softness and serenity, and at the same time an utterly transformed meaning.

”

— The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil

The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home (Instrumental)

Very uplifting. I believe this was done by someone not associated with the artist group. The artist group though ought to take all of the album this song comes from, Ma Fleur, and release instrumental versions cause not to partial towards the singing, but that’s my preference.

Of course I heard this here first. Honestly, bike edits have the best music.

Urban City Bike Shelves (Queens)

A classy and multifunctional way to store your bike in your small city apartment, where space is at a premium and because chaining your bike in your complex’s parking garage means it’s bound to get stolen or more likely hit by some incompetent motorist parking their car thinking they can make it if they back up just ever so closer to the wall even though they already have so much fucking space in front to drive forward and get out! (The guy didn’t even take responsibility and leave contact info, a hit-and-run. Not people cause they’re just a prick).

Anyway, these cool people are based in Queens, the Empire State. Shelf construction is solid maplewood, cherrywood, or walnut… wood.  From the looks of it, it’s probably a better holder for bikes with horizontal top tubes, but I think they take custom orders too.

So far, I’ve only been talking about bikes related products… oh well.

Photos from Urban City Bike Shelves

A bracelet I made from a bicycle tire spoke… for a girl. (Cause girls are people, too).

“Midnight on the Run” by BoomBox.  Don’t know much about this act as this is the first song from them I’ve heard.  Wiki says they originate from Alabama.  I don’t know much about music and stuff, but I’m really into this song right now and I like their MO and philosophy: “The duo themselves avoid labeling the music as anything other than ‘Rock & Roll’, expressing that labels would do the music injustice. It’s simply left up to each person to extract his or her own account from the BoomBox experience.”

Retired Belts (San Francisco)

Here’s a great product from a well-known rider in San Francisco, Dylan Bigby, who came up with the idea of taking old skid-ridden tires from fixed gear riders and turning them into belts. Now he’s got a successful small operation that caters to many, nationally and abroad. Super cool idea and I hope to eventually get one, so that I don’t have to keep taking my bag on and off when I need to carry my u-lock.

Photos from Retired Belts

Some of my favorite wallpapers by graphic artist Yusuke Nakamura.  I don’t know much about him… I really like his stuff though.  In his work, clean and simple lines, shapes and colors come together in combination to make pieces of seemingly larger and unquantifiable impression. 

Bookends I made out of forks from the dining hall last year when I was living in the dorms.  Too cheap to buy actual ones myself.

Preliminary study model for Jumpstart #2.

Weaving operation with basswood strips.

(Source: peoplemade)