Bollywood: Cultural Mash-Ups

Monday, August 11th, 2008

Bollywood is becoming the new style to mash with:

Snoop Dogg performs and sings in the upcoming Bollywood comedy-romance-musical “Singh is Kinng,” featuring Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. Snoop Dogg provides vocals in the already popular title track.
BBC News link

The official “Singh is Kinng” music video featuring Snoop Dogg:



And Natalie Portman stars in Devendra Banhart’s Classical Indian Cinema based music video “Carmensita” (apparently Portman and Banhart are dating).

Carmensita:

(via Henry)

Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

Jewelry by Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons.

(via Tokion Magazine)

The Smell of Summer

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

I occasionally wear Demeter “Suntan Lotion” fragrance.

It makes for great propaganda: the smell gives the impression that I’m a laid-back type of guy that spends a lot of time at the beach.

Here’s a list of good Summer smells available in fragrance, lotion, and soap form (by Demeter):
Suntan LotionBonfireGrassFresh HayPink LemonadeCoconut • Frozen MargaritaGreenhousePiña ColadaMesquiteOcean • Salt AirMojitoSpring BreakOrange Cream PopStrawberry Ice Cream • PunchWet GardenTomatoSweet Orange • Bubble Gum

The Return of Hypercolor

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

Many of us had those cool Hypercolor color-changing T-shirts and shorts in the early 90’s. Apparently Hypercolor is making a comeback.

Time for a whole new generation to learn why we all stopped wearing Hypercolor in the first place.

• Thermochromatic T-Shirts

Hypercolor toilet seat (because Hypercolor is so very good at revealing ass).

Look-Alike of the Week

Sunday, June 29th, 2008

If you blew on Phil Spector’s head, would his hair would fly off like a dandelion?

(Spector photo by Elke Sisco, via CoolMensHair)

Picking on the Little Guy

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

There’s something about Smart Cars that makes people want to test them, taunt them, rebuild them, or destroy them.

Smart Car vs. FerrariMonster Smart CarSmart Car Doing a 360º E-Brake TurnSmart Car with Lowrider HydraulicsSmart Car E-Brake U-Turn • Smart Car Head-On Collision Test • Smart Car Wet Road CrashSmart Car with 200+HP Hayabusa EngineSmart Car Stunt DrivingSmart Car High Speed Impact TestSmart Car 5-Point Turn in a Driveway

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

“Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil” (Loren Bouchard, H. Jon Benjamin) - perhaps one of the funniest shows ever to air on [adult swim]. Already done with its first season, and perhaps already done with its last season - it looks like [adult swim] may not pick “Lucy” up for a second season. Perhaps because it is a little too controversial at times: DJ Jesus (the second coming) and his love interest Lucy (the Daughter of the Devil) live the 20-something hipster life with their friend Judas, while Lucy’s father makes regular attempts to overtake the world. Plus a never-ending supply of priest jokes.

The credits of “Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil” are funnier than an entire season of “Family Guy.”

Watch some: “Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil”

Or buy some: iTunes link

Moustache Time

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

Give anyone a moustache.
Grow it, groom it, wax it, cut it, shave it.
PetMoustache
(would you believe this is a Burger King ad campaign?)

(via PopCandy)

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

Miracle Fruit, Miracle Berry, Magic Berry, or Flavor Berry (Synsepalum dulcificum) - a native West African red berry that contains the active glycoprotein miraculin. When consumed, miraculin has an interesting effect on the tastebuds - for as long as an hour after consumption, it causes sour foods to be perceived as sweet.

Though for several years this fruit has been known in Japan, only recently have Americans started enjoying this phenomenon in their own way - “Flavor Tripping Parties.” At these parties, Miracle Fruit and an assortment of sour foods are served (grapefruit, lime, certain cheeses, etc.) to guests as an experimental/novel type of dinner party (video link).

Given the enthusiasm generated by a recent New York Times article on Miracle Fruit, most internet-based Miracle Fruit vendors are currently sold-out.

Super Bonus Round: Grow your own Miracle Fruit (only takes 4-10 years)!

Absinthe Gummy Bears…

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008

Absinthe is the new bacon. There’s a super hip restaurant in NYC called “Tailor” that serves absinthe gummy bears. They’re 85% absinthe, and sorry to say, I couldn’t figure out a way to pay them to send me some.

Also, absinthe lollypops at Lollyphile.

For more flavor overload, check out a dish at Tailor that’s just called, “Fois Gras, Peanut Butter, Cocoa, Pear“.

(Heywood, I demand that you go there!)

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

Vitamin waters can also be found in a more convenient pill form, thus they are lame. Though neither Ramune nor Mexican Coke™ are all that new, both are beginning to appear as a novel beverage of choice:

Ramune - though Ramune has been in existence in Japan since 1876, only recently has it had a presence on the shelves of American food stores and delis. It comes in a range of flavors - melon, peach, lychee, pineapple, strawberry, etc. - however the original “Ramune” flavor may be the most refreshing (a mild lemon-lime citrus flavor, not too sweet). Ramune is also known for its distinctive Codd-neck gasket - a glass marble inside the neck of the bottle functions as a cap/stopper and also prevents spilling if the bottle is tipped over.

Mexican Coca-Cola™ - Sought after by Coke™ aficionados, Mexican recipe Coke™ is made with cane sugar (instead of corn syrup) and is bottled in glass bottles (rather than plastic or aluminum - which is also considered to affect the flavor). Having personally done a side-by-side taste test, there is a notable difference between Mexican and American recipe Coke™ - the Mexican recipe is more rich, complex, and natural tasting.

My Mustache is Like a Roller Disco

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Everyone should feel the joy a of mustache, so . . .
For those of you without mustaches, below is a set of printable cut-out mustaches:
• For the gents - the Magnum P.I.
• For the ladies - the Frida Kahlo

(via project.ioni.st)

High in Fiber

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

The carbon fiber F1/Carbon GMT watch - so cool, if only I could afford it.

(via FlyLyf)

OBEY OBAMA

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008

One of my favorite vendors at this year’s Maker Faire was Oakland-based 57ThirtyThree.

They had a nice selection of stylish print tees and the second I saw it, I had to buy their Shepard Fairey-esque OBAMA Tee (and instantly put it on).

For the remainder of the afternoon at the Faire, I had dozens of people ask me where I got the cool shirt.

BPOW: Choose Your Own (Bacon) Adventure

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

This week, I bring you two bacon products– one tame; one risqué (and possibly NSFW). CHOOSE YOUR OWN BACON ADVENTURE! (OK, so what if it’s not as complex as those books that were all the rage when I was in elementary school?)

Tame Bacon: “Pocket Bacon”

Pocket Bacon‘ is crocheted from red and white yarn can be yours for the low price of $5.00 + S/H. As the artist says, this is “seriously the dumbest thing I have ever made but you guys seem to like it” and “You can use this as a bookmark but other than that I am at a loss, I mean, you SO TOTALLY need this.” Click the image below to order:

Knitted Bacon

Risqué Bacon: The Bacon Bra

The Bacon Bra is quite possibly the strangest application of an uncooked meat product that I’ve seen– well, it comes close (read #31693)– and I’m not sure The Bacon Bra is safe for work, but I’m going to post it anyways, since there’s no nudity or anything. Suffice to say, if you hear your boss approaching, stop reading this page and switch to another tab in your browser until the coast is clear. Or, if you work in the garment industry, perhaps your boss will feel you’ve discovered an entire new line of products. You be the judge.

The Bacon Bra

The good news here is that you can procure a bacon bra at your local supermarket without paying shipping and handling (woman not included; sorry guys). Personally, I’m thinking of creating and patenting the Bacon Jock Strap. Either that or the Bacon Manzier (the Bacon Bro?). Thoughts?

(Bacon Bra via Laura, via Slashfood; Pocket Bacon via SteveB, via Etsy)

Look Out For: Frozen Yogurt

Friday, April 4th, 2008

So frozen yogurt had its golden era in the early 80’s - when jogging and aerobicising and ABBA were all the rage - but fell into mediocrity and disinterest by the end of the decade.

In 2005, L.A.’s Pinkberry resurrected frozen yogurt for a new generation by catering to health-conscious hipsters: organic frozen yogurt, made on the premises, and mixed with a range of interesting toppings such as kiwi or Cap’n Crunch. In L.A. (and later New York), Pinkberry became the place to be seen.

The rest of the nation is finally catching up . . . organic frozen yogurt joints are cropping up throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. On any given Friday night in Palo Alto, Fraîche frozen yogurt is standing-room-only.

Look Out For: Cupcakes

Monday, March 31st, 2008

New York’s famous Magnolia Bakery has been serving up legendary cupcakes for over 12 years. And now the rest of the nation is finally catching up with a good idea: everybody digs cupcakes. Be prepared, the cupcake tsunami is coming this Summer - “cupcakeries” are cropping-up everywhere.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, a bzillion new cupcake joints will be opening their doors this Summer. In my neighborhood, Festin’s Bakery will be setting up cupcakety goodness in the Stanford (University) Shopping Center. And our hopes are that the more established local cupcakeries, such as Sibby’s Cupcakery (photo above), will ride this trend and expand to new locations (like next door to my house).

The rockstar of the cupcake world:
The elusive “red velvet” cupcake. Try to find one, you will thank me.

Perhaps the internet cupcake authority:
Cupcakes Take The Cake - an entire blog dedicated to the magical sprinkley world of cupcakes.

Dude, You Suck

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

From the world of obscure piercings and novel implants comes the blurring of the line between human and calamari.
Suction cup implants (which would be cool if they actually sucked).

White People Love Farmers Markets

Monday, February 25th, 2008

It goes without saying that there are certain things that white people love (usually because no one else wants to go near these things for good reason). Stuff White People Like is dedicated to chronicling the things that affluent white people go berzerk about:

• #74 - Oscar Parties
• #67 - Standing Still at Concerts
• #64 - Recycling
• #63 - Expensive Sandwiches
• #62 - Knowing What’s Best for Poor People
• #60 - The Toyota Prius
• #57 - “Juno”
• #49 - Vintage Clothing
• #47 - Arts Degrees
• #45 - Asian Fusion Food
• #44 - Public Radio
• #36 - Breakfast Places
• #28 - Not Having a TV
• #25 - David Sedaris
• #21 - Writer’s Workshops
• #17 - Hating Their Parents
• #16 - “Gifted” Children
• #11 - Asian Girls
• #10 - Wes Anderson Movies
• #5 - Farmers Markets
• #1 - Coffee

(via Susan)

Va-Jay-Jay

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

In line at the grocery store, I’m staring off into space and then my eyes catch the cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine. In particular, the large purple hyphenated word “Va-jay-jay.” The full title is “Your Va-jay-jay: Fascinating New Facts About Your Lovely Lady Parts.”

Va-jay-jay!?!

Is this some tragic pseudo-urban hipster moniker for “vagina”!?!
Is this what the kids are calling it these days?!?
What about “Vagizzle,” “V-to-the-gina,” or “V. Diddy“?


And I suspect it is the answer to several other topics on the cover:

5 Things Never to Tell Your Guy
All 5 involve using the word Va-jay-jay to refer to your vagina.

Sex He Has Alone
You know why? Because you call it a Va-jay-jay and that’s weird and so he’s in the bathroom thinking about your sister instead of your Va-jay-jay!

Why Guys Cheat
Because they want to sleep with a woman who doesn’t call it a Va-jay-jay!


[Va-jay-jay update]: According to reader Isabel, this sounds-better-than-’cooter’ term for vagina has been around for some time (and I just don’t watch enough television), having appeared on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and even ‘Oprah’ (the perfect venue for promoting lame terms like this). Frankly, the word ‘Oprah‘ sounds like a better term for vagina than ‘Va-jay-jay.’
“This tight underwear makes my Oprah itch!”