Life of a gaander...

Random pics, thoughts, links, and posts of interest.... 
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The University of Michigan Arb

       

SS: One of the things I miss about Michigan, the arb is such a beautiful and relaxing place to hang or go for a walk...

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Crazy, Want to Remotely Start Your Car? There’s now an App for That

Want to Remotely Start Your Car? There’s an App for That

viper-smart-iphoneIf you live some place where it gets really cold in the winter — you might already be familiar with the advantages and convenience of a remote-start car system.

Rather than fumbling to open an icy door or waiting a few minutes for the car to start and the heat to come on, you can start the car using a keyremote and even turn the heat on, so that by the time you get to the car, it’s on and warm.

Today, Directed Electronics, who make the popular Viper remote start systems, are taking remote-start one-step further: start your car with your iPhone. The Viper SmartStart system combines the Viper system with an iPhone app that acts as a remote control for your car.

Here’s how the system works: if you have a compatible Viper remote system installed on your car, you can download a free iPhone app and configure your car to hook up to your phone. Then, you can start your car and turn on the heat before you head out to the driveway. The Viper iPhone app can also lock your car (or unlock it) remotely too.

The advantage of the iPhone app over the traditional key-remotes is that the range is much larger than what you get with IR. I’m assuming the system works via satellite, because Viper calls it “virtually unlimited.” This would definitely be convenient for anyone who has a relative or a spouse with a predilection for locking their keys in the car.

The Viper SmartStart iPhone app is available for either new SmartStart systems (retail price $499) or existing Viper users can get the SmartStart module (retail price $299) from Best Buy stores beginning today. If you like the idea of keyless entry and remote-start, bringing that sort of functionality to the iPhone makes perfect sense.

Do you have a remote-start system? What do you think of unlocking your car with your mobile phone? Let us know!

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Not a bad place to live...

Paraty House

Don’t you just feel relaxed looking at this house?  On top of that it’s right on the beach.  This house is located on an island need Paraty and was designed by Marcio Kogan.  Paraty sounds like a good place for a party!  BTW, congrats to Brazil for snatching up the Olympics, it’s about time South America gets into the action.


parahouse


Via theCoolhunter.co.ukpara6


parahouse1


parahouse4


parahouse5

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Graffiti Porcelain

Graffiti Porcelain

It’s always amazing to see how far graffiti has come.  A Portuguese design company(Cabracega) teamed up with Graffiti Artists on these porcelain sets.


allcitygraffitiporcelain-comp-1


Via Core77.comallcitygraffitiporcelain-1


allcitygraffitiporcelain-2


allcitygraffitiporcelain-comp

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Style and utility? Check out the Calvin Klein USB Shades

Store this in the what will they think of next dept!

CK USB Shades

USB Shades


Style meets utility?


Arriving from ck Calvin Klein this fall, the glasses feature a detachable arm that reveals a 4GB USB port, ready to store music, photos, or data. These shades will be available in October for $199


via men.style.com

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Sharpies are for more than just writing....cool random art

 
 

via If It's Hip, It's Here by lauralsweet@mac.com (Laura Sweet) on 6/8/09



The world's best known permanent laundry maker, the Sharpie, isn't just for labeling your underwear. Hand drawn cars, basement walls, decorated ceramic busts and more like those shown here may make you rethink the way you use that stinky pen.

The Sharpie Lamborghini Gallardo:











The car was actually done in sharpie markers on the paint and then finished with a clear coat for protection. It took about 2 weeks total. Prestige (Lamborghini Miami) definitely shocked a lot of people when this car was first seen in California during the Concorso Italiano/Pebble Beach week. It attracted attention good, and apparently bad as well, everywhere it went.
(images courtesy of VOD Cars and JT Photos on flickr)

Charlie Kratzer's Basement Decorated With A Sharpie:

It's no surprise that Charlie Kratzer's hand drawn basement walls have graced many a design blog, but if you haven't yet seen it, I think it's a must. I have taken the images from the video and reduced the yellow tint and tried to make the drawings clearer for you than on many blogs. I'm only sorry I wasn't able to get higher resolution images for you. Nevertheless, take a look at these.



There's Georges Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. There is Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and the Cornell Law School, of which Kratzer is an alumnus. There is Kratzer's dad. There is the harlequin pattern — alluded to in culinary culture today by the Panera bread bag — and a fake fireplace facing a real one.

How did this Sharpie world start? With a single swipe of the marker. Kratzer started mid-wall, with the Salon by Picasso. Then he thought, well, taking a design out to the edge of the wall wouldn't be overwhelming. Then the rest of the basement flared off that first wall.



Kratzer might be a lawyer by day, but in his off hours he is a man who has taken the artistic influences and heroes of his life and imagined them onto his walls, that he might keep company with them while he uses the pool table.


From the main floor leading down to the basement, there is a color mural inspired by Picasso's The Dream.

article excerpts and screen grabs from Kentucky Lexington Herald Leader

Also:
Artist Justine Ashbee, at www.justineashbee.com, features a gallery of intricate Sharpie art.

above: Justine Ashbee with her paint pen art

Artist and illustrator Brian Morris uses a Sharpie to decorated ceramic busts and vinyl toys:




And Svetlana Muller uses Sharpies on canvas, paper and notebooks to create artful images:

Check out Svetlana Muller's Sharpie art here.


Sharpie Uncapped is a section of the Sharpie site where several artists' Sharpie work is shown.

Also be sure to check out the Sharpie Blog here.

By the way, in case you didn't know, Sharpie has recently introduced their new stainless steel Sharpie, very slick looking:


Official Sharpie site.
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

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The Signtologist...dope street sign painter


The Signtologist



Graffiti Artist “Signtologist” is known for painting portraits on street signs. Pretty Dope!


via artst and weburbanist





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Check out some Buddhist-themed mobile phones

Set adrift on mobile bliss

A compendium of Buddhist-themed mobile phones, all very understated and subtle:




The Odin 99 has landed on the streets of Japan [China], and a single tap of the phone’s dedicated lotus-leaf button will load a private, customisable, animated altar. The idea is to allow Buddhists to perform their dedications and rituals conveniently when away from home. You can simulate incense burning, purification rites and play music to help you meditate… [CNet]


Would the Buddha approve of bling? And does C|Net know the difference between Chinese script and Japanese?

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Great gift for iPhone addicts



 
 

via heystephanie.com by Stephanie Gulley on 2/7/09

iPhone Coasters

Now you can have iPhone coasters in your home thanks to the guys at Meninos. For $60, you get all sixteen standard apps that come with the Apple iPhone. Unfortunately,  that means no Twitter app coaster — sorry folks.

Personally, we don’t use coasters around our apartment but that doesn’t mean I don’t want these. :) Instead of using these as coasters, I’d rather turn them into magnets and have them posted on our refrigerator.

(Photo Credit: Junnn)

Post from: heystephanie.com

A Gift For The Ultimate iPhone Addict

[Post to Twitter]  [Post to Plurk]  [Post to Yahoo Buzz]  [Post to Delicious]  [Post to Digg]  [Post to Ping.fm]  [Post to Reddit]  [Post to StumbleUpon] 

Related posts:

  1. Plurk From Your iPhone

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