Alexander Zakharov has been posting a Soviet poster a day since July, and his samples are amazing. The commentary is also interesting. And he does it all for the love of graphical detail and history. Bravo Alexander!

I’d also like to invite you all to visit Fanatic Attack, a new site that Russell Ossendryver (WorldLabel.com) and I dreamed up this past month. Every day we post about something bizarre, interesting, or simply obsessive (sort of like Alexander’s site noted above). Russell never knows about what I’m posting about, and I never know what he’s going to do, so it’s all rather scattered and fun.

If you want to join in on Fanatic Attack, just send us a blog about your “positive” (not kinky or negative) obsessions, put it in the body of your email (with a URL reference to a site or an image), and send it to TIPS at FANATICATTACK dot COM. Don’t forget to let us know your Website so you can get a little public relations from it all.

May the force be with you, says Yoda (that poor pup). Have a great weekend!

Photo via: twango

Heads up on the How International Design Awards. The deadline for entries has been extended from 1 September to 17 September (changes noted in calendar at right).

Discovered another site with nonstop design competitions (Photoshop), and the competitions look like fun - there are many for beginners, so jump in there! PixelAddiction now is listed under “nonstop design competitions” in the middle column at bottom.

You gotta love this light switch that was posted at Inhabitat. It’s full of form, but the function is somewhat skewed…

Basil is tasting the new kitteh and says it needs to be doused with brandy. I’m not falling for that trick, trust me.

Have a great weekend!

If you didn’t catch this video where Blaise Aguera y Arcas spoke at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference in Monterey, California, then go see it now. It’s amazing to see how Seadragon and Photosynth will evolve in the months and years ahead. After you watch the video, head to the Photosynth site to try the latest collections from the team.

The Atlanta Humane Society is accepting Michael Vick t-shirts and jerseys for bedding, chew toys and rags for cleaning up messes. Mutt and Jeff argue over who gets one of those t-shirts above, although there seems to be enough to go around.

To celebrate the end of summer on Monday (Labor Day), I won’t do any labor; so I’ll see you on Wednesday (Tuesday if I get an overload of news in my email box). Have a great weekend!

Photo via: Cute Overload, natch.

I read an interesting article re: the pros/cons about entering design contests (specifically architectural design). The article was well written (natch - it’s the New York Times), and the thoughts are relevant and pertain to anyone who carries strong (or even ambivelant) feelings about design competitions. The Times may ask you to register before you read (it’s free), or not.

Ok - here’s an invitation to get your derriere up off your design chair and walk for about 30-60 minutes per day. But, first you might want to visit Walk Score to determine whether your location is “walk friendly” or not. My location scored a 45, although I live next to a huge park. It seems the six-lane highway located near my home is a bit walker-unfriendly. Go figure.

Teeter isn’t walking anywhere. I just purchased a holy car, and he’s digging it (photo via Doggie News).

I don’t have time to visit every show out there, but when the writer at Apollo’s blog (After Ellen) happened to mention the fact that there were few women on either side of the camera in the Red Bull Illumé photo exhibit, I had to look closer. You might want to read this piece to get some insight into how some people in the sports industry still view women as inferior…And, this piece serves as a reminder to women to get your stuff out there!

No, I’m not buying into BJ’s idea of dinner.

Have a great weekend!

Curly wants to know what you’re going to do this weekend, as he’s missing me. I’m in West Virginia, attending a motorcycle rally (no, I don’t ride - it’s a long story), and I’ll be scouring the local shops for local arts and crafts this weekend. It’s beautiful country here, and it’s cooler than any other part of the country save lower Florida. So, I’m happy, even though Curly’s a little puzzled.

Wanted to turn you all on to some free templates for printing everything from labels to CDs. These templates are offered by Worldlabel.com, where you can also find templates designed specifically for OpenOffice.org docs. You can also download the Worldlabel Pro Wizard Designer Label Software and use it free for 15 times. Browse through the rest of the site while you’re there to look at other resources like the list for label applications.

Have a great weekend!

Adam Frucci wants to creatively destroy old, crappy, frustrating, or otherwise explosion-worthy gadgets for everyone’s delight and amusement. The problem? He needs old devices to destroy.

Adam has put out a plea for “an old device of any kind that you’d like to see us creatively destroy on video.” If you’ve got something you want to see wrecked (like an old cell phone, computer, etc.), shoot Adam an email and tell him what it is and why you want it destroyed. If you two are of like mind, he’ll send you a shipping address so he can get sadistic over it. Go to Gizmodo to learn more. I mean, what better way to recycle your junk?

Meet Buster Brown (above), someone else’s best friend. This was his reaction when I told him we were attending a motorcycle rally next week. What a wus.

Have a great weekend!

The poor dog at right looks like my third great-grandmother (we’re talking 1870s), but I think my grandmother’s nose was a little smaller. Outside this observation, this is a compelling photo and it was rendered by Jeff Chevrier, Canada. Visit his site to view some more images that are absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately, Chevrier hasn’t posted since November 2005. Would love to see more…

Now for the Design 21 news and winners…if you remember, designers competed in the Design 21 competition for most innovative concept in three categories; Heated Issues, Child’s Play and ShelterMe…(follow the link below to see winning images)…
Read the rest of this entry »

Oh. My. Gosh. It is so DEAD around here. Even my peppers died, so I tore them out by the roots (my room mate accused me of planticide). But, my bougainvillea is divine. I’ve named her “Isabelle” and I haven’t the heart to tell her that she only has four more months to live (they don’t do winter very well).

Speaking of winter, it’s hot around here. Even Pugsly is close to the edge. No worries - I won’t tear him out by the roots. It’s NOT a habit of mine, trust me.

Hang in there folks - the action is bound to pick up this next month. I’m preparing some reviews for next week just to keep your interest piqued.

Pugsly likes your feet.

My room mate didn’t realize that Plexiglas bends under the pressure of a La-Z-Boy chair in 90 degree heat, so I had to replace a special cut for a framed bit of beaded animal skin this past week (don’t ask). After a bit of searching, I came across eStreetPlastics and emailed them about the price of a rather large sheet. I was met with a quick response and great service, and the sheet arrived this past week - all done within a few days.

What was great about the whole deal was the way they packaged the Plexiglas for shipping - when I unpacked it, it was spotless, not a scratch on it, and it was better and less expensive than the one that we purchased originally. So kudos to eStreetPlastics.com! Thank you!

Have a great weekend. Purdy Boy and I are going to clean all the windows so we can see what’s going on out there. Mainly chipmunks and rabbits, but we still feel like we’re missing something…(he spots a rabbit now…)