It's extra happy because 
Luxuriously surreal ataraxic juxtapositions by Luis Gispert. Currently showing at Mary Boone Gallery.
Digital mock up rendering of the Elbe Philharmonic Hall currently under construction in Hamburg, Germany. Stunning. It's built on top of an old warehouse.
Design 99's "Power House" transformed a dilapidated house in Detroit into this self-sufficient green studio for artists.
Design 99 continues to investigate means of off-the-grid power production, public art initiatives and neighborhood participation. The term Power House describes two functions. First, the house is a power creator meaning it produces its own electricity from solar and wind power with an the intention of powering an additional adjacent house -- thus creating a localized power grid. Second, the term implies a kind of taking control of ones own community by becoming an example of self reliance, sustainability and creative problem solving through education, communication and increased diversification of the neighborhood. In all a place that symbolizes hopefulness and curiosity by integrating a complex web of social and artistic ideas into a neighborhood that might otherwise end up into a typical cycle of decay and criminality.
Love that plank by plank color scheme.
Libyan rebel urges on his fellow fighters with his guitar in this photo by Aris Messinis. "Cool song bro, but why don't you pick up that bazooka."
[Hat tip @mrkamoji]
[Thanks Tony!]
Photo by Anis Mili of "an abandoned VIP stairway seen on a road at the airport in Sirte, one of two remaining bastions of support for the deposed Muammar Gadhafi." A similar "stair car" was the primary vehicle of The Bluth family.
Surreal photo by Philippe de Poulpiquet of "an armed rebel kicking a soccer ball as flames engulf Muammar Qaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli on August 23."
Reminds me of the famous truce between German and British soldiers during World War I where they stopped fighting, emerged from their trenches to exchange gifts and play soccer against one another on Christmas.
[Via]
Photo from Apple's Keynote speech announcing the iPhone 4S a day before Steve Jobs passing.
Steve Jobs, one of the heroes and visionaries of our generation and certainly mine passed away today. I reminisced over the phone with Kaizar, a fellow Apple fanboy who was in the trenches with me back when everyone gleefully rubbed their hands as Apple looked headed towards bankruptcy. Our friendship formed in college around the topic of Apple or rather our love of Apple. There are not many people in our generation or younger that have roots with Apple as a consumer that goes as far back as him and I. I make this point because what I always found so inspiring and admirable about Jobs wasn't his success as steward of the booming and ascendant company that it is today per se, but that he achieved this despite all his failures. He wasn't always the frontrunner that he is today where if you don't use one of his devices, then people look at you like you're crazy. I remember a time when it was the very opposite. He had his failures and challenges. He had people tell him he can't. He shouldn't. He wouldn't! He did not care. He had a vision and he stuck with it. We are lucky he didn't listen to us along the way.
I hope there's an inspired kid out there who will be the next Steve Jobs of figuring out how to get rid of cancer. Fuck that shit.
(Posted from Macbook Air)
Spotted during a weekend Chelsea art crawl.
People sat in Times Square to watch a free show from the Metropolitan Opera. The real show for me was this cool cigar smoking customer walking in front.
This news is a bit dated of course, but a few weekends ago while killing some time in Columbus Circle I stopped by the fire sale taking place at the Borders in the Time Warner Building. It was a depressing experience.
These big box chain stores always received a bad rap for supposedly pandering to the lowest common denominator, but I'll always have fond memories associated with it from spending hours at the Borders back home in Alaska while growing up especially before broadband Internet was widespread. For a bookworm it was a wonderful place filled with comfortable couches and easy nooks, interesting employees, and a cozy cafe. I discovered and picked up many novels and albums (my first Wilco CD was purchased here) from its wide catalog.
[Via]
Literally street 
Ron Arad created this rideable steel bike that's available for guests of the W Hotel in Leicester Square until October 29.
To account for the added flexibility in the materials, Arad’s sprung wheels of steel are in fact a little bit larger than the average bike wheel, says Marcus Hearst, director of the design department at Arad’s studio. But it’s this yield that gives the wheels a slight cushion and makes the wheels work in a practical way. Hearst said it’s a surprisingly comfortable ride, and, ironically, the faster you go, the smoother it is.
[Via]
In one episode of The Simpsons (you know, that one episode), the town drunk Barney borrows some of Homer Simpson's "adult" magazines. Such a brilliant joke.
If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to catch the wonderful documentary on the photographer who started the whole street style photography movement, Bill Cunningham New York which is instant streaming on Netflix.
[Photo via]