Teddy Roosevelt - Bull Moose

No idea how this is possible, but this photo of TR riding a swimming moose ran in Life Magazine and has not been doctored.  This will be on my wall some day.

Hudson Bay Blanket Chair

Saw this bad boy as part of a pair going for $1,400 at the Pop Up Flea.  Love it, but think it could be done rather easily on your own provided you know someone who can upholster (thanks in advance Mom).

Hudson Bay Point blankets were first traded with Indians in exchange for beaver pelts in British North America (aka Canada) during the 18th century. Indians prized them because they were easier to sew than bison or deer skins and for their ability to hold heat (even when wet).  The blankets can still be purchased today, but cost a bit more than a couple of beaver pelts at this point in time.  4 point blankets start at $259.

Children's Drawings as Paintings

I can't explain it any better than the artist...enjoy

http://www.elezea.com/2011/12/realistic-childrens-paintings/

Catskills

For my 30th birthday this fall, my wife took me to the West Branch Resort in Hancock, New York.  Despite being under 2 hours from the city, the Catskills based lodge on the West Branch of the Delaware River and has some of the best trout fishing found in the nation.  All of the monster brown trout are native, there's no stocking of any fish on the river, and many 30+ inchers are caught annually.

While I didn't land any that large, the below photo was one of several 20+ inch browns hooked over the course of my two days floating the West Branch.

Not much better than dropping the drift boat off at the front door of your cabin and walking right into the kitchen to crack a beer only seconds later.  A quick drive down Rt. 17 to Bluestone Grill in "downtown" Hancock provides arguably one of the best burgers I've ever had served with a side of handcrafted, cheese filled tater tots.  Year 31 is going to have a tough time following that one up.

Video Based on Thoughts

While we're not there yet, scientists are one step closer to reading a person's thoughts.  The video is absolutely amazing:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393450,00.asp#fbid=Fd2LbXy14KD

Chinese Knockoffs

First a Chinese company completely copied an Apple store, including the trademark employee outfits.

Then they decided to roll out a copy cat Ikea 

But this one strikes a little too close to home: an unauthorized Angry Birds theme park.

Hipsters

While my disdain for hipsters is well known, (if you have a couple hours to kill check out Look At this Fucking Hipster and Hipster Puppies), I do have to admit they're ahead of the curve on a large number of trends.  While they generally focus on Americana, irony, moustaches and apathy, hipsters have helped shape everything from beer and food sales to sports and footwear.  Trends are tough to predict, but the underlying theme of "classic middle America" is certainly present in most of what hipsters seem to cling to.  For instance:

-Dodgeball and kickball are now played in cities nationwide, not just middle schools
-Cupcakes are a million dollar business (see the recent IPO of Crumbs bake shop- ticker: CRMB)
-A can of Pabst Blue Ribbon is sold in NYC bars for the price of a six pack in the midwest
-A grilled cheese shop recently opened on 53rd and 3rd (which is admittedly delicious)

The trend certainly isn't only recent however, as the Malcolm Gladwell book Tipping Point highlights.  Some "kids on the lower east side of Manhattan" (aka hipsters) started wearing the soon-to-be obsolete shoes known as Hush Puppies in 1994.  Within a year they were featured on the feet of fashion models and the company went from selling 30,000 pairs in '94 to selling almost 2 million pairs in '96 alone.

Bottom line is that it doesn't take long before the irony of doing something different takes it to the main stream.

The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

The Old Spice commercials of late are definitely unique and while I'd imagine they're not for everyone, they are certainly for their target market.   Old Spice and the ad co behind the campaign have received boat loads of praise over both the ads as well as how they rolled them out.  Using a strong social media presence, Wieden + Kennedy attracted attention by presenting the quirky ads in an easy to pass around format, allowing them to go viral almost instantly and turning Isaiah Mustafa (a one time NFL football player) into a very familiar face.

While W+K was behind many a late dinner in our household, they do know their stuff.  Just ask Dairy Queen whose ad co decided they liked the ideas so much that they were going to do their own.  

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

Good Reads: The Secret Life of Lobsters

Not exactly a recent release, but I just finished The Secret Life of Lobsters and was quite impressed.  Was exactly my type of book: non-fiction, man vs. nature, and more trivia (primarily involving lobsters and the ocean) than you could shake a stick at.  Most interesting piece of information I took away is that despite the general opinion that lobsters are being overfished (which is the impression I was under), lobstermen have had self imposed conservation techniques in place for generations.  It appears the real reason behind the volatility in lobster catches has more to do with ocean currents affecting a young lobsters ability to find shelter after each breeding season.  In fact, the number of broodstock females on the ocean bottom has actually been increasing in recent years and if it wasn't for the relative randomness of the currents there'd be much cheaper lobsters all around.

The Meanest Man in the United States...

The below is on the wall of the New York Athletic Club first floor men's room.

It reads:

"The Meanest Man

in the United States

occasionally visits this Toilet Room.

He always carries away as a souvenir, either a coat

hook, doorlock, or paper holder and often several of each.

He would take the marble slabs if they were not made fast.

We guarantee this man a warm reception

if we get hold of him.

Ford & Co.

Grand Union Hotel."

Not sure whether I enjoy the wording or just the fact that they actually had this chiseled into marble, but regardless it always gives me a chuckle when I'm in there.  No idea how it ended up in the bathroom of the Athletic Club though, would love to get to the bottom of that.

Cowboy Boot Slippers

Orvis Cowboy Boot Slippers...sign me up

 

The Sneeze That Started it All

Remember these?



You mix up the words to form a funny/interesting/risque sentence, hoping to someday become the next refrigerator Allen Ginsberg.  Today's Wall Street Journal has an article highlighting what happened to several one hit wonder entrepreneurs after their short and steep trips to success and the creator of the poetic magnets is one of them (along with the creators of the pet rock, silly bandz and cabbage patch kids).

While the article is interesting for its primary topic, what I really enjoyed reading was how the creator of the magnets stumbled upon his idea.  An aspiring musician was tired of his allergies (and the constant sneezes) wreaking havoc on his song writing style of cutting up a diary and rearranging the words.  So he pasted the pieces of paper on to some magnets and used a cookie sheet to keep them all in place.  One night soon thereafter, he had some friends over for a party and needed the cookie sheet for baking.  He put all of the magnets and, more importantly, the words onto the fridge and quickly noticed that his friends had more fun rearranging the sentances than anything else at his party.  While this could easily be insight into his party throwing ability, it's more of a sign of how often very successful products and businesses are simply discovered by accident.  You truly never know when you're on to something until you give it a try or it kicks you square in the teeth; either way, it's up to you to run with it.

Bookshelves

How awesome are these bookshelves?



Each is handmade from gently used and vintage hardcover books.  Seem like they'd be perfect for a kids room or nursery; am somewhat surprised there's not more of a focus on books children would enjoy. 



They can be picked up for $40 a pop at Little Fish Furniture