Daft Punk Helmet

Harrison Krix is "a 29 year old dork living in Atlanta and working as a freelance props and replica artist." He outlines his processes on his blog hoping that his work "will inspire others to take on the DIY mantle and tackle some projects of their own." His Daft Punk helmet looks amazing! Why can't biker helmets look more like these? I want to look like Robocop but end up looking like a Transformer when I wear bike gear...

Storming Blackberry girl

Somewhere in 2007 I switched from Sony Ericssons (who had the first real smart phones, like the awesome but fragile P800 and P900) to Blackberry and never looked back. Right from the start, Blackberry was perceived as the most reliable device to access your work emails and calendar items on the road. So it's no surprise that the image of Blackberry users was one of "guys in a suit". I don't care if iOS devices have cooler apps: I'm just happy with the way Blackberries handle connectivity and data input. And to be honest, Blackberry Messenger is one of the best messaging solutions I've used... It's just a shame that the amount of people who are on this network is an incredibly shrinking crowd.

Last Tuesday I got to play with Blackberry's latest Bold smartphone (they kept the keyboard but turned the screen into a touch screen), their Porsche P9981 Design smartphone (yours for 1,500 euros), and the PlayBook (made to fit in your suit's inside pocket or in your handbag). Most news apps (Facebook for Playbook, BBM Music, Angry Birds etc) suggest a Mullet Strategy: business upfront, party in the back. I'm not so sure if this will turn the tide. If you look at Amplicate scores for Blackberry, it's between 67% en 85% hate. Only the Blackberry PlayBook gets 65% love, but sales are low.
But if my current Bold would were out or get stolen, would I pick a Bold again? Definitely, yes.
I don't buy iPhones or Androids because I'm afraid I'd just fall in love with their apps and play Angry Birds, Tiny Towers and Word Feud all day. I choose Blackberry to police myself, just like in that Tori Amos song:

Loaded, full of winter you are
Storming Blackberry girl
Will you strike before he's
Loaded, full of winter you are storming
Blackberry girl will you strike
Before he's loaded
Full of winter you are

I use other stuff, like my iPad and the Wii, for playing around and relaxing.
Not every mobile device has to be a "one device to rule them all". Just like you don't have to "suit up" every day.

25 degrees of freedom

NAO Next Gen : the new robot of Aldebaran Robotics: "Aldebaran Robotics, the world leader in humanoid robotics, has released its latest version of the NAO robot — NAO Next Gen. The power of NAO Next Gen, the new fully programmable humanoid robot that has the most extensive worldwide use, is opening up new perspectives and fields of application for its users."

Wow, they've made really big progress... This robot is battling uncanny valley with cuteness. Just not sure what the "25 degrees of freedom" feature is (shown at 3:00). How much more degrees would this little fella need to get back at the heartless woman that runs him over?

A hug is a handshake from the heart

Welcome to the nicest place on the internet: "Having one of those days? Yeah, we've been there too. And sometimes, a little pick-me-up is hard to come by. So we'd like to help you turn the sad into happy and the happy into a celebration."

The song is I have never loved someone by My Brightest Diamond.

If everything is a remix, editing is everything

Shark Song on Vimeo: "Camp Kuleshov" is a competition in NYC, CHI and LA between assistant editors. They are given a film and asked to edit a trailer for the movie taking it from its original genre into another genre. Columbia College film/video major Caleb Hepler's Shark Song took first place.

The contest has been named after the Kulsehov Effect [YT], a study in the impact of film editing on viewers by Russian film maker Lev Kuleshov in the 1920s.

Looking for gift ideas? Try @IceWatchBrand @HandpickedC @NoPresentNoProb

For his 15th birthday I got my son an ice watch (@IceWatchBrand - designed in Bastogne, Belgium!). Buying gifts for teenage boys is, as gift inspiration site the handpicked collection (@HandpickedC) calls it, the holy grail of gift shopping but I'm glad I pulled if off. Amazon's always been very good at recommendations for just about everyone in your life but I like the editorial approach of the handpicked collection.

And then there's the new kid in town when it comes to gift idea generators: No Present? No Problem. Still in beta, but I absolutely love the "hippie" and "cowboy" parameters.
Which sites to you use to get your gift ideas? Or are you a champion in regifting?