Archive for March 2011

Making of the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman

Developed by designers Charles and Ray Eames, this sophisticated lounge chair continues to be sought after by discriminating buyers with taste for mid-century modern design. In the video below, you can see how the world-renowned Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman receives attention from skilled workers. Originally released in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman still commands a whole lot of respect as one of the iconic furnitures of modern design.

Promo for ZoMazz

ZoMazz is a company based in Monterey, CA that manufactures custom accessories for digital devices and they recently contacted me through Etsy to inquire about using one of my digital portraits, the portrait of Steve Jobs to be put on the iPhone cases as their promotional product to distribute to different companies. I am always somewhat wary when it comes to sending out original files of my work because you never know how it will ultimately end up. But after going over the terms, I thought this was a great idea to expose my work and I agreed in exchange for a modest monetary compensation and some samples-excited to see how it turns out. I actually thought about putting some of my work on iPhone cases but never really got around to it but maybe this will spur some motivation to look into it.

Johnson's Zero Waste Home


What a great example of living a conscientious, simple lifestyle! The Johnson family's incredibly simple, almost-zero waste, down-sized life is most definitely inspiring. Bea Johnson, who is the wife, has a blog and writes about many interesting ideas about their "zero waste" living that certainly challenges our normal way of life. She writes in one of her blog posts, "REFUSE, REFUSE, REFUSE: Zero Waste’s #1 rule. We have all been programmed to accept and take whatever is given to us. Every bit we accept and take, creates demand. Zero Waste starts by chasing and changing those habits, one by one. . ." You can read more about this post here.

Filmmakers Discuss Forks Over Knives


Forks Over Knives is a new compelling documentary, not yet released, about food, diet and lifestyle. It examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called “diseases of affluence” that afflict us can be prevented, controlled or even reversed, by rejecting or changing our present menu of animal-based and processed foods and adopting plant-based diet in its place. The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering yet under-appreciated researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

After first hearing about it from my father in-law, I visited the movies' official site and watched several related clips. Both my wife and I are familiar with Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and I am pretty excited about this movie coming out. Forks Over Knives will be released in different cities across the country from May 6 thru May 20. You can visit Forksoverknives.com to view the list of scheduled screenings in different cities and theaters and also check out some of the clips related to the movie. You can also check out Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's personal websites and other health related sites in the right column of my blog under the heading, "Health/Nutrition". I will probably wait till this movie becomes available in dvd and buy one for myself and maybe few more to share with others.

iPad 2




















This past Wednesday, March 2nd, Steve Jobs returned from his medical leave and unveiled yet another Apple's newest product, the iPad 2. It has certainly been the subject of innumerable rumors for the past several months leading up to this unveiling with all sorts of speculations and anticipation. And I for one was following plenty of them. Ever since my wife got her iphone4, I have been thinking about getting an iPad. I love all the features and apps you can use from an iPhone but with a bigger monitor that iPad offers. But more importantly, I've been thinking about a dedicated computing device for my son who is 5 years old and even for my daughter who is barely 6 months old where I don't have to share my own computer with them and the iPad might be a good solution. I thought about getting the first generation but why get one only to regret in a few months with the 2nd generation iPad with all of its new designs and new features. I feel for those who are scrambling to get rid of their old version in an effort to upgrade to the new.

As expected, the new iPad is thinner and lighter in design, It's actually 33 percent thinner than its previous model and up to 15 percent lighter. It also comes in two colors one in your traditional black and the other in white-I like the white. It comes equipped with two cameras, one on the front and one on the back. Having a front facing camera is pretty cool because it allows you to easily take a picture of yourself looking right at the monitor and you can see your image on the screen. The front camera also puts you and your friend face-to-face for video chat and you can switch to the back camera to share where you are, who you’re with, or what’s going on around you, etc. Other improvements include Dual-core A5 chip which has increased the processing speed; up to twice as fast and nine times the graphics performance than its predecessor.

Couple of key elements that stayed the same is the 10 hour battery life and the price. The new iPad will have the same prices for both the wifi and the 3g models. Immediately after the announcement, I noticed that Apple was selling their 1st gen iPads for $100 dollars less than its original prices. Unlike your average PC user who view their computers and other electronic devises as mere tools, almost all of the Apple users seem to have this strong, emotional connections with their devices. And as you might have guessed, I am a big fan of Apple products and like other Apple users, I am a bit of loyalist when it comes to their product. Having said that, I don't think you are going to see me waiting in line, camped overnight to be one of the very first ones to buy one of these devices as they become available on Mar 11th. The price tag of their least expensive model of $499 is still not cheap, but it is definitely on my wish list. The verdict is still out on the new magnetic cover. Given the choice, I would choose the ZAGGmate iPad Case pictured below:

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