'PLAY ME, I'M YOURS'

NY...SUCH AN AMAZING CITY. FROM 9AM TO 10 PM, 60 PIANOS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!!! PRESENTED BY SING FOR HOPE, THESE PIANOS WILL BE LOCATED IN PUBLIC PARKS, STREETS, AND PLAZAS UNTIL JULY 5TH. I WAS RECENTLY HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MY GIRLFRIENDS GRANDFATHER AND HE AND I WERE DISCUSSING HOW SO MANY FAMILIES DURING THE 20'S AND 30'S, HAD PIANOS IN THIER HOMES. WE'RE TALKING GREAT DEPRESSION ERA HERE AND FAMILIES STILL HAD THIS ONE THING TO BRING JOY TO THEM. I GUESS THE OLD SOUL IN ME JUST ADORES THE IDEA OF THIS PROJECT. AND SUCH BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS ON ALL OF THESE PIANOS AS WELL. IT WOULD BE AWESOME IF NY WERE ABLE TO KEEP AT LEAST A FEW INDEFINITELY.

EYEWRITER INITIATIVE

The Eyewriter from Evan Roth on Vimeo.

THIS IS JUST AMAZING!!!! PLEASE WATCH AND DISCOVER HOW SOMETHING AS TRAGIC AS PERMANENT PARALYSIS AND A LIFE THREATENING DISEASE DOES NOT HAVE THE POWER TO TERMINATE THE CREATIVE SPIRIT. IN 2003, LEGENDARY LA GRAFFITI ARTIST TONY QUAN AKA TEMPTONE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ALS, A DISEASE THAT HAS LEFT HIM COMPLETELY PARALYZED. WHAT BECOMES OF SOMEONE WHO HAS SPENT THE BETTER PART OF THEIR LIFE USING THEIR HANDS TO CREATE SPRAY-PAINT MASTERPIECES, ALL TO HAVE IT SUDDENLY TAKEN AWAY? THE RESULT IS PRETTY INSPIRING.
SEE MORE: EYEWRITER.ORG

R2-D2 DESIGNED AS IRON MAN

OKAY, I KNOW THIS IS LIKE MY 100TH IRON MAN SPIN-OFF POST, BUT I COULDN'T HELP WITH THIS ONE. AS A FAN OF THE STAR WARS SERIES (PRE-JAR JAR BINKS OF COURSE) AND OF IRON MAN, IT'S PRETTY COOL SEEING THEM COMBINED. IT WOULD BE AWESOME TO SEE C-3PO AS WAR MACHINE!!! DESIGN BY DIGITAL ARTIST MIKE VERTA.

THE LEAF

LEAVES...THE BEST DESIGN EVER!!! TREES, FLOWERS, SHRUBS, GRASSES...THE LEAF IN SHAPE AND SIZE, CAN BE SEEN IN INFINITE VARIATIONS. I KNOW I LOVE MODERN DESIGNED BUILDINGS, CREATIVE PACKAGING CONCEPTS, FASHION, ETC, BUT I MUST SUBMIT ALL COOLNESS TO THE LEAF. WHAT WOULD THIS WORLD BE WITHOUT IT?...WELL, NOTHING BECAUSE IT'S VITAL TO OUR EXISTENCE. ASIDE FROM IT'S BEAUTIFUL AESTHETICS, OXYGEN IS WHAT MAKES THE LEAF SUCH A POWERFUL DESIGN. I WILL SKIP ALL THE SCIENTIFIC DATA BY JUST POINTING OUT THAT THE AVERAGE, RESTING, HEALTHY ADULT REQUIRES ROUGHLY 300 - 400 PLANTS TO PRODUCE ENOUGH OXYGEN IN AN HOUR TO KEEP THEM ALIVE. MOTHER NATURE REALLY DID HER THING WHEN SHE DESIGNED THE LEAF OXYGEN DATA VIA U.S. DEPT. OF ENERGY

ABSOLUT BROOKLYN - SPIKE LEE COLLABORATION

ABSOLUT VODKA RECENTLY TEAMED UP WITH SPIKE LEE TO CREATE A SIGNATURE, LIMITED EDITION BOTTLE. THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES WHEN ABSOLUT HAS ALTERED THEIR BOTTLE. COMPLETE WITH ABSOLUT BROOKLYN ON THE FRONT AND A BROWNSTONE STOOP ON THE BACK, THEY REALLY "SPIKE LEE'D" IT. THE BEST PART WAS ADDING GLASSES AND A BASEBALL CAP TO LARS OLSSON SMITH...SO DOPE!! I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS BACK IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND I USED TO COLLECT ABSOLUT ADS FROM VARIOUS MAGAZINES AND I WOULD PUT THEM UP ON MY WALLS. I WAS FASCINATED WITH HOW EACH AD WAS SO UNIQUE AND CREATIVE. ABSOLUT SPRING, PARIS, WARHOL, MANHATTAN, HARING AND THE LIST GOES ON. TRUE IN FACT THEIR VODKA IS SHITE, BUT FROM A MARKETING STANDPOINT, NO ONE DOES IT BETTER. WHAT IS AMAZING IS THAT ABSOLUT IS REALLY TAPPED INTO WHAT IS RELEVANT AND IMPORTANT IN SOCIETY. VIA NOTCOT

RICK RUBIN AND RUSSELL SIMMONS - PIONEERS

TO THIS DAY I AM STILL AMAZED BY THE GLOBAL IMPACT AND LONGEVITY OF RUSSELL SIMMONS AND RICK RUBIN. FIRST AND FOREMOST, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DEF JAM RECORDS, THE LAUNCH PAD THAT HELPED POPULARIZE HIP-HOP MUSIC TO THE MASSES. THIS LABEL, WHICH WAS CREATED IN RUBINS NYU DORM ROOM, WOULD PUT FORTH SUCH ARTISTS AS LL COOL J, THE BEASTIE BOYS, PUBLIC ENEMY, AND SLICK RICK. THESE TWO MEN WERE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE OF THE FIRST MASH-UPS, RUN-DMC AND AEROSMITH'S "WALK THIS WAY" AND ESSENTIALLY EXPOSED HIP-HOP MUSIC TO THE MTV AUDIENCE. AS FAR AS HIP-HOP MUSIC TODAY AND IT'S SOCIAL RELEVANCE, IT WAS PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THESE TWO MEN. ASIDE FROM HIP-HOP MUSIC, RUBIN HAS PRODUCED MANY SUCCESSFUL ALBUMS FROM RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS "BLOOD, SUGAR, SEX, MAGIC", TO THE DIXIE CHICKS "SHUT-UP AND SING". AS FOR SIMMONS, USA TODAY RECENTLY NAMED HIM ONE OF THE "TOP 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF THE PAST 25 YEARS". ASIDE FROM HIS MUSICAL ACCOLADES, SIMMONS CREATED THE "HIP-HOP SUMMIT NETWORK" AS A TOOL HELP MOTIVATE A YOUNGER GENERATION TO USE THEIR VOICE TO MAKE CHANGES IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY.

THIERRY LE GOUES - SOUL

WOOOOOOOOOWWWW!!!! THIS SERIES IS SO STUNNING. BOTH BEAUTIFUL AND EVOCATIVE, THIS FRENCH FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER BASED THIS SERIES OFF OF A SCENE FROM THE MOVIE "BELLY". WHAT'S CRAZY WAS WHILE I WAS LOOKING AT THESE SHOTS, THAT PARTICULAR SCENE WAS ALL I COULD THINK OF. I WAS SUPER STOKED WHEN I DISCOVERED IT WAS THE BASIS OF HIS INSPIRATION. SOURCE: THE 25TH CENTURY