Cocopunk Headphones

Via MAKE

Exhaustive Ephemera

Pilllpat has a joyously jaw-dropping set of collected images on Flickr of vintage French ephemera (children's illustrations, coloring books, matchbooks) that are tightly organized and a joy to explore. I especially love this set, of pre-designed silhouettes for paper cutouts.

Link (via Meet Me at Mike's -thanks Jessica!)

Exhibition of Every Object in a House Lived in for 60 Years

From Sociological Images: "Chinese artist Song Dong convinced his mother to allow him to display every item of her home as an art exhibit (article here). She had lived in the same house for nearly 60 years. He arranged her belongings, in a museum, around a dismantled piece of the house. "

Charles Bukowski Hollywood Tour

Charles Bukowski rides in the back of a convertible, commenting on the stores and people along a stretch of Hollywood Blvd. in 1985. (Via Dangerous Minds)

Moon Maker

Pasadena artist Roger Hayward created one of the true treasures of Los Angeles, and practically no one knows it!  Hayward was a scientific illustrator, model maker, and "jack-of-all-trades" employed at the Griffith Observatory during the 1930s and 40s, and built some of its finest exhibits.  In the 1934 photo above, Hayward is sculpting an enormous "slice" of moon surface some 80' in diameter.  The model is no longer on display, and I would love to know whatever happened to it.

His smaller 6' complete moons can still be seen today, however,  at the L.A. Griffith Observatory and at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

Oddly there is no credit given to Hayward at Griffith's display, which I think is a shame.  Apart from the accuracy of mapping out the moon's real features, Hayward's model is an historic treasure in itself, and a major attraction at the Observatory since the very beginning.

And besides, this moon is a star!  Used in several film productions, including this fantastic segment from Ward Kimball's "Man In Space" TV series for Walt Disney in 1955.

Ryan Berkley

I recently taught an embroidery workshop at HomeEc in Los Angeles, and among my students was the terrifically talented illustrator, Ryan Berkley. He creates beautiful illustrations of animals in suits, but maintains dignity all around (these aren't dogs playing poker). The prints in his etsy shop are also insanely affordable.

Ryan Berkley Original Art and Illustration
Link to the above Robin Print

1980's Poster at Auction "We are a little worried about our landlord"

1980's Serigraph Poster at RO Gallery Auction

Cast Iron Optometrist's Model

Cast Iron Optometrist's Model at Skinner Auction

Misfortunate Travelers Resin Sculpture

From Bigshot Toyworks: "Chris Ryniak and Jonathan 'Johnny Crap' Bergeron's pair of hapless wanderers. Sculpted by Scott Wetterschneider. Resin Statue. July 2009." (Detail photo)

Sieler Portable Voice Amplifiers

That family of artist Jordan Crane founded the Sieler portable voice amplifier company in 1965. Thankfully, they haven't messed around with the handsome original design.

I can envision my junior high school principal, with his brush cut and skinny-black-tie Sears suit, using one of these to quiet down the unruly kids at an all-school assembly in the gymnasium to watch Scared Straight.

Coop's Collections

D+R mega-friend Coop is a very serious collector. While I dabble, here and there, picking up shiny objects that catch my eye, Coop goes in for a deep dive in a specific category and learns everything about the subject. Some of his collections are posted in the D+R Flickr Collections group. Believe me, these are just a sample of his deep collections.

D+R Collections Group

Austin Sign

Sign assemblage on the patio at Spiderhouse in Austin, Texas.

Pickle Bags

Bake it Pretty stocks cheeky and cute supplies for baking. Amanda has brought together so many unique items in new ways, it makes me want to put down my embroidery and bake stuff! I especially love these silly pickle bags. They make me laff (obvious resemblances to Mr. Peanut not withstanding).

Link

Mark Cohen, Photographs

Boy in Yellow Shirt Smoking, Scranton, PA, 1977

Karate Stance, Wilkes-Barre, PA, 1977

Mark Cohen at Hasted Hunt Gallery

1962 Ad for VW Bus

My wife would let me.

Squid Banjo Ukulele

Michelanious' squid-themed ukulele. (Thanks, Gary!)

Items from Bonhams Space Auction

APOLLO LUNAR MODULE MODEL.

Model of the Apollo Lunar Module, designed by Grumman, plastic, metal and decals, 7 inches tall. The Ascent Stage detachable from the Descent Stage as in actual flight configuration. The complete vehicle is removable from the circular base (acrylic), which has text reading "Lunar Module" and with NASA and Grumman logos.

The Lunar Module (LM) made two Earth orbital missions, one being manned, and eight manned lunar missions, of which six LMs successfully landed on the surface.

Sold for $6,100 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

MERCURY-ERA NASA HARD HAT.

Hard Hat, high-impact plastic with interior support straps, approximately 12 inches in diameter for head sizes 6 1/8 to 8, early 1960s. With 2½ inch diameter color NASA decal at the front, interior label reads, in part: “MSA Topgard Hat or Cap.”

Worn by Dr. Faget during various tests and observations during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Programs.

Sold for $3,660 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

Bonhams Space Auction

Jaguar Fire Tender at Auction

From Bonhams:

This particular XJ40 saloon is a pre-production model built in February 1986. The car was originally Jaguar's Police demonstrator and is a rare manual gearbox model. However, it was then loaned to the Donington Park Race Circuit for use as a high-speed fire tender, and is fitted with a TWR body kit, XJR suspension and Speedline alloy wheels, while rear seat was removed to accommodate fire-fighting equipment. The car was later used for similar duties at the Jurby Race Track in the Isle of Man, before returning to the JDHT. Offered with two expired MoTs (2004, 2007) and V5C registration document.

Whew. That would be a heck of a daily driver. With an auction estimate of a mere £2,000 - 4,000, I would be waving my Visa at the auctioneer if I resided in the UK.

1986 Jaguar XJ40 (XJ6) 3.6-Litre Fire Tender

Cinco Camp - Five Shipping Container Shackitecture

From the New York Times:

Cinco Camp, Roger Black’s West Texas retreat, is made of five shipping containers on his 3,000-acre ranch. “I wanted something that blends into the landscape and could be installed and eventually removed with minimal disturbance to the environment,” he said.

Self Contained in Texas in New York Times

Salavatore Espresso Machines

What is your daily coffee budget? How many times will you have to forgo the Starbucks queue to be able to justify the expense of a Salvatore espresso machine? Hand built by craftsmen in Solvang, the Salvatore has a six year warranty and is custom built to your specifications.

Having never owned a table saw, I recently bought a new-in-the-box Delta 10" saw at a garage sale. As I had never used one, I did not really appreciate what I needed and the Delta turned out to be an amazingly terrible, clumsy machine. Now I know what I am looking for.

I am going to buy one of the ubiquitous garage sale Krups/Braun espresso machines for $5. I am not sure I will make espressos regularly enough to justify a Salvatore, but I figure some time with a low-end machine will make me appreciate what an espresso machine should be. Perhaps, if I am making and enjoying espresso, then I will save my pennies to afford a Salvatore. The case could be made that a low-end machine is impossible to enjoy as it won't make a decent shot, but I am going to give it a try.

Salvatore Espresso Machines (Thanks, Dillon!)

American Coffee in Japan

D+R reader Joey sent a example of wonderful "American" typography:

I bought this cool retro 50's style can coffee out of a vending machine the other day as I was on my way to a rehearsal. The coffee was great, and the design on the can is awesome. I thought of your blog while I was drinking it and sweating like crazy in the ultra humid Tokyo summer weather. Enjoy!

Thanks, Joey!

Pallet Bee Hive

Egads! Following my post on my pallet shackitecture project, our man Captured Shadow sent us this menacing update:

I like the pallet patio furnishings on Dinosaurs and Robots. I immediately thought of them when I spotted this bees nest in a pallet near my work. Hope your walls don't turn in to hives

Vans Off the Wall History

Photo: Vans

For the last month, I have been driving past the Highland Boulevard billboard advertising the new book on the history of the iconic Vans skate shoe. I haven't been able to find a shot of the billboard online - a plain white field with a pair of tattered sneakers and a quote from Tony Alva on buying Vans one at a time. A point that makes perfect sense to skateboarders. Stops me cold, every time, even though I haven't really skateboarded in years and years.

As I eagerly await my copy of the Vans history, I marveled at the video of assembling the shoes back in the original Los Angeles factory. It is easy to forget that products used to be made in Los Angeles.

Birth of Icons video at Vans
Vans Off the Wall: Stories of Sole

Kodachrome at National Geographic Museum

Marilyn, D+R's chief uber-recommender, points us to an interesting Kodachrome exhibit at the National Geographic Museum - The American Tourist in Europe. As the globe opened up through the jet age, Kodachrome accompanied tourists to photograph the world as amateurs. Now, we take for granted digital cameras in our phones to capture moments but, not that long ago, color photography was an epic cultural shift.

Thanks, Marilyn!

The American Tourist in Europe at National Geographic Museum
Kodak's Tribute to Kodachrome

And, where I first learned of Kodachrome's demise, Xeni's BB post on Kodachrome and the influence on Glen Friedman.

Previously on D+R:
The (possible) rebirth of Polaroid
And a big user submitted gallery of Polaroids at the New York Times

Hong Kong Spy Video Caera

This nifty spy video camera from Hong Kong costs $50.

Camera + Camcorder + USB Drive + Built-in 4GB + Rechargeable Li-ion Battery. The Ultimate Spy item, no special technique and no special driver are required, press-to-record and plug-and-play. Easy and Simple enough!

The Thing

An old mystery box from Neato Coolville's Flickr stream. (Thanks, Johnny!)

Audrey Kawasaki's Motorcycle Helmet

Audrey Kawasaki painted a helmet for the CELERITAS Art Show/Charity Event. More photos.

80 Year Old Wind Up Bear Polishes His Spectacles, Over and Over and Over

Wind-up Bear from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

D+R reader Eric points us to a video of his father's wind-up bear that wanders around a little bit while polishing his glasses and periodically holding them up to check for spots. Charming, and a curious activity to decide to immortalize. Think the toy designer had a big bear of a dad that polished his glasses with a kerchief?

Thanks, Eric!

Captain Eo Figure, 1985

This sixteen-inch tall figure, created for a display at Disneyland in 1985, was the public's first view of Michael Jackson in his role as Captain Eo.  The sculptures of Eo and his "ragtag band", displayed in a miniature setting from the film, were all handmade and painted by an enthusiastic young  artist, Jason Bahret, of the Disneyland Entertainment Art Department.

Working almost a year in advance of the film's debut,  there was little visual reference available to him. No one had seen the fim, which was still in post-production, and the Studio was reluctant to release photos so early, so he referred to a handful of color slides that had been shot on the set.  "The biggest challenge for me was figuring out all the layers, buckles and straps on Michael Jackson's costume," Jason recalls "I must have just made up about 40 to 50 percent of it since I couldn't see it in the slides!"

More of Jason Bahret's Captain Eo figures here

Dirk Fowler/F2 Design

Dirk Fowler appreciated at Grain Edit

Values Abound at Mass Modern Auction

Art Deco chair from Wright's Auction
Estimate $700-900, Realized $125

As Andy Beach points out, it is a good time to be buying and a terrible time to be selling. Everything is so cheap. Unless you are looking for it, then, somehow, it is not cheap.

Wright's Mass Modern Auction
Reference Library Selections from Mass Modern

Mister Jalopy's Shackitecture Pallet and Ziptie Construction

Considering the ubiquitous presence of wooden pallets, I started thinking about them as a source for cheap building material. Actually, I have been considering it for years. It takes me a long time to form ideas into action. As anybody who has ever attempted to take a pallet apart can tell you, the dreaded pallet nail with its signature twist means the wood splinters far easier than the nail is removed. Rather than fight the pallets, I decided to come up with an application that could use them whole. The standardized 40" x 48" size meant that I could construct with Lego block uniformity.

Thumbing through the Grainger catalog is a favorite lunch pastime and I was amazed to find such a variety of heavy duty zipties. Perhaps strong enough for construction...

120 lb rated, 30 inches long and UV resistant

In 2.5 hours, I assembled my outdoor garden with zipties, a pair of lineman's pliers, a hammer, and a saw to cut the top pieces down to size.

It got stronger and stronger as I added more components.

To brace the corners, I varied a smidge from the all-pallet theme and ziptied some old crates as shelves.

Extra zipties - the repair kit

Rather than fighting the gaps and lateral boards, I made the top tier into planter boxes and I have since planted them with rosemary clippings, a poblano pepper and a tomato plant.

The rose bushes came from a San Fernando Valley church that was pulling them and planting ficus in their place. I am endlessly fascinated by how minimal, spare construction can define a space into a room.