G thinks is pro-actively thinking about how to prepare best for the approaching hurricane. I am a bit more optimistic (or is this called ‘denial’?). I am mostly wondering if we have enough wine in the apartment.
Anyhow, do you live in the NYC area? The above map might help you prepare for approaching Hurrican Irene. (you can zoom in an out!)
Update: Looks I really need to stock up on wine tomorrow. Just read this NewYorkTimes article about how NYC is preparing for Irene.
(via @davedawson)
My studiomate Larry Legend and composer Aaron Siegel have been working hard on a collective sound performance for multiple people and iPhones called “GROUP“.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 21 is the big day!
As part of Make Music New York and the River to River Festival, at 12:45 pm on Tuesday, a mass of people with the rainbow checkered, sound-emitting GROUP iPhone app will swarm to the intersection of Wall Street & Broad Street in downtown Manhattan and create a dense, evolving drone of sound and color that will last for about 10 minutes. Part flash mob, part ambient music meditation, and part performance art, the piece is turning out to be something really unique and fun.
Here’s how you can participate:
1. Just download the free GROUP app from the App Store and be there a little before 12:45 pm! It’s an unusual opportunity to take part in something really special.
2. Please spread the word!
I have written about the +Pool concept before and am thrilled to see that the team at Dong-Ping Wong are trying to make it happen. Considering that this floating pool could potentially become reality right outside our Studiomates windows is making me giddy.
They started a Kickstarter campaign to raise $25,000 to begin physical tests of the filtration materials and methods that they spent the winter studying. With each donation amount you’ll receive an article of + Pool summertime attire, from tantoos and koozies on up to sunglasses, tanktops and towels.
I am so totally backing this and encourage you to do the same.
It’s that time of the year again where New Yorkers get crafty with Jell-O! It’s time for the 2011 Jell-O Mold Dedsign Competition here in Brooklyn. Designers must register by Wednesday June 15, 2011 to participate in the competition. The event is open to the public so even if you don’t compete you can come check out the action and vote for your favorite mold for People’s Choice!
Designers must make their own molds for the contest–either by creating a new mold or recontexualizing pre-existing forms–and they welcome submission of process images of mold construction.
More info here.
NYCtype is a lovely side project by Luke Connolly. I am sure every typography enthusiast will aprove!
Underheard in New York is a project that gives New York’s homeless a voice via social technology.
(via curiosity counts)
Here’s an event you shouldn’t miss if you live in NYC: AIGA/NY Data Visualization: Method and Madness
Are you in the market for a 2 bedroom in BoCoCa, Brooklyn? You should read on, as we are selling our place.
With the birth of our second child Tilo Red we realized that we will be outgrowing our wonderful 2 bedroom within a year or so. The time has come. We are heartbroken, but if we only had one child, we would never leave this place. The view is killer, the location couldn’t be any more perfect and the walk-in-closet and master bathroom makes every woman’s heart beat faster.
The apartment is in a designy new construction (3 years old). With many design-focused readers based in Brooklyn, it only makes sense for me to share this on my blog. So, please, bear with me.
Here are the facts:
Our apartment is a generous 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom with a super-awesome walk-in-closet (Currently Tilo’s bedroom) and a huge master bathroom. (The separate shower in there is to die for.)
We live on the 8th floor on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street. As I mentioned, it’s a new construction and we are the first owners.
We are south facing which means our apartment is extremely bright. We see over the brownstones of Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens and even see the Verrazano bridge. And if you peek out the window, to the right, you can also get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.
Some of you might have seen pictures of our lovely Brooklyn home in last year’s DesignSponge feature or in Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small Spaces.
If you have visitors and don’t feel like having them stay with you, just tell them to stay in the design/boutique Hotel NU below. (Floors 1-4 are Hotel, floors 5-12 are condos) It has proven incredibly practical to have a hotel right underneath us. And if you’re into working out, you can pay the hotel $60 a month and they let you use their always empty gym. And you don’t even need to go outside, all you need to do is take the elevator to the C level.
And then, of course, there’s Smith Street right outside your door. That means, lots (!) of wonderful restaurants and shops in close proximity.
If you have kids, you might want to know that we’re in a fantastic school district and zoned for PS 261. (literally one block away, in fact you can see the school from the living room)
There’s literally every Subway line you can think of in a 2-3 block radius, which makes this location so desirable. No matter where you need to go in the city, there will be a train closeby that will take you there. (In fact, we love this location so much that our new place is a whopping one block away!)
If you like you can see photos of our place over on Flickr.
If you’re interested in adopting our beloved home, check out the real estate listing and get in touch with our lovely broker Terry Naini.
Here’s a blog post that makes want to jump up and run to take the 6 train:
“New York’s famous City Hall subway station, one of the most gorgeous gems in the world of mass transit, has been closed for decades but now it can be viewed again by in-the-know riders of the 6 train.
Although it’s not open to the general public, there’s a way in-the-know New York subway riders can still see this famous and beautiful architectural glimpse at the city’s past. The 6 train used to make all passengers leave the train at the Brooklyn Bridge stop, but no longer.
If you have a little extra time, you can stay on the train and view the City Hall Station as the train makes its turnaround.”
I can’t wait. Can NOT wait to do this.
(via jalopnik and @HelenWalters)
Two iconic New York stamps—a taxi cab and the Chrysler Building—let you create handmade gift cards, wrapping paper and stationary inspired by the city that never sleeps. I wish they’d also include the Brooklyn Bridge and a hot dog stand. Or maybe a pigeon? Hmm…
The Scoop is an iPhone App and according Website by the NewYorkTimes giving you an inside scoop to New York City. Well done. Hat tip!
My fab studio mates Cameron and Chris have been working hard in getting a brand new Brooklyn based web conference off the ground: Brooklyn Beta!
Chris and Cameron want Brooklyn Beta to be the friendliest web conference you’ve ever attended. Their goal for the conference is to inspire you to “make your own stuff.” They’d love to see what the Web would be like if all you talented web people started using your magical abilities to bring your own ideas to life.
They hope you’ll leave inspired and anxious to build something of your own to beta in 2011. If that happens, you’ll have a hard time wiping the smiles off their faces.
BrooklynBeta, the site, launched today and while you can not register yet for the conference day you can register for the Workshops.
Please note that space is extremely limited. They want this to be an intimate conference where attendees play just as important a role as speakers. The workshops will sell out pretty quickly! So, go and register quickly.
See you there! Brooklyn Beta!
Follow BrooklynBeta on Twitter.
Are you in need of an office space? Become our studio neighbor and hang out with the lovely folks in Studio612a and Suite606. There are two spaces currently for rent on our floor at 10 Jay Street in DUMBO. Think creative community, nice views on Manhattan and the East River and a daily workout due to not so reliable elevator. Email me if interested and I’ll put you in touch with our landlord.
We desperately need one of these Floating Pools outside our studio.
+ Pool is an initiative by a group of architects and designers to build a floating pool in the rivers of New York City… and they need your help. The project was launched with the ambition to improve the use of the city’s natural resources by providing a clean and safe way for the public to swim in New York’s waters. This site is the culmination of Concept Design for + Pool and they are looking to build a team of interested organizations and professionals to continue the development of the project into a buildable proposal.
Their next step is to partner with local cultural, developmental and environmental groups to raise public and private interest, identify civic potential and approach the municipality, while working with engineers, planners and specialists to refine the social and ecological performance of + Pool.
To find out more, contact them at [email protected].
(thank you Michael)
New York City just got a little bit more colorful and playful: LEGO opened it’s first retail store in NYC and I can not wait to take our little Ella there. It’s open for business already but its grand opening is on June 29-July 1st!
Mommy Poppins has a thorough post on all the happenings during the opening.
I had the honor to be part of this very cool project by The Type Directors Club called Beautifully Banal.
TDC and Cardon Copy asked 16 designers to find a classified/personal newspaper ad from our local community to “hijack” typographically. When redesigned, the once banal and disposable classified ads are reinterpreted by the designer into a one-of-a-kind collectible poster. Each poster will be auctioned on Tuesday evening, May 11th (starting at 6:00 pm), with proceeds to benefit the TDC Scholarship Fund.
I also happen to give a talk that night, right before the auction. To register please email the TDC (email on the bottom of this page) or call 1-212-633-8943.
The original classified:
UPDATE: One of my readers, Erik Wessel, pointed out that my classified seems to be from a puppy mill. I had no idea and am sorry to be giving this breeder additional attention with my poster. If you do get a puppy (or a poodle for that matter) please make sure to go through breeders that treat their animals with respect and dignity.
I am *not* endorsing the sale of puppies like this or this breeder, and I simply chose this ad because the idea of “poodles, all colors” was attractive to me as a designer.
The Invisible Dog Art Space in Brooklyn is having a grand Store opening on friday April 23rd, 2010 and will be curated by Steven and William Ladd.
If you’re not familiar with the Invisible Dog, read up. It’s a vibrant new Art Space in Cobble Hill Brooklyn and I am thrilled that Lucien, the director, decided to add a store into the mix.
Also, this saturday, April 24th, twenty-seven artists will be opening their artist studio doors to visitors.
Fabulous Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO presents two great events for ideas and design.
On 4/13, AIGA/NY presents Patrick Borelli’s one-man multimedia show “You Should Judge A Book By Its Cover”, in which he dissects thirty of the oddest book covers you’ve ever seen. Joining Borelli’s cover-shredding onstage will be McSweeneys writer and Moth Story Slam host Dan Kennedy, Cat News creator and comedienne Julie Klausner and book cover designer Evan Gaffney. The evening will also include video interviews Borelli did with design luminaries, including the legendary Chip Kidd. The event begins at 7 P.M. and tickets are $28 for the general public and $18 for AIGA members who also receive a free drink. More info here.
The following night, 4/14, Galapagos hosts the the School of Visual Arts’ MFA in Interaction Design’s Dot Dot Dot lecture “The Entrepreneurs”. Ideas are important. Yet as ideas evolve from thoughts to action to revenue, what insights can we gain? With new projects under their belts and major successes underway, entrepreneurs at every stage have a great deal to offer. Hear from four different founders’ perspectives on topics from persistence, engaging with people, the rate of change and growth, the role of unencumbered luck, and more. The event begins at 6:30 P.M. and tickets are $6. More info here.
I am delighted to be one of the speakers at the upcoming PSFK Conference New York, this coming friday, April 9 2010.
PSFK will bring together a large crowd of likeminds to learn and share new ideas that will help us make tomorrow better. Over 20 speakers will share their ideas and opinions from the forefront of culture. Topics range from the arts to entertainment to business to the web.
PSFK Conferences are attended by designers, digital creatives, entrepreneurs, journalists, planners, strategists and writers. Scroll to the end of this page to see who’s coming to PSFK Conference New York this year.
Andrew Faris takes pictures of NYC with his Polaroid Camera. I am glad he shares them on nycpp.com .
The guys over at Harvest started a *very* cool monthly event called HOBBY. Every month three fine citizens are invited to talk about their hobbies. Each speaker has 5 minutes to explain their particular recreational pursuit, followed by a 5 minute Q&A with the audience. There will be alcohol, and for one night, the answer to “What do you do?” will not be about your day job. Next event is on Tuesday March 23rd 2010.
Check out some videos from last month’s HOBBY soiree.
New York’s Best Coffee, an interactive map over at The New York Times.
the true new yorker secretly believes
that people living anywhere else
have to be, in some sense, kidding.
– john updike
