If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Gillette's Hilarious Manscaping Animations and Site

Gillette and Procter & Gamble clearly have a good sense of humor in addition to marketing savvy. Their latest micro site for male shaving products and needs is a foray into body shaving fun.

Gillette.com has a series of 'why' and 'how to' videos on their website for men who want to trim or shave their body hair, whether it's their head, back, chest, head, groin or armpits.

The site is nicely designed, easy to navigate and thoroughly entertaining complete with cheesy music and fun little factoids. Fun and informative, Gillette matches their products with your manscaping needs in an entertaining and engaging way.

The site design features fun video intros to tell you why and animated video demonstrations (embedded in the post) to tell you how.

SHAVING YOUR HEAD

the why:

the how:

the video:

SHAVING YOUR CHEST

the why:

the how:

the video:

SHAVING YOUR BACK

the why:

the how:

the video:

SHAVING YOUR GROIN

the why:

the how:

the video:

SHAVING YOUR PITS

the why:

the how:

the video:

In addition to the grooming section, the site is very developed. Albeit there's a lot of average work in the entertainment section, some styling videos are quite funny and they have gaming tournaments, young guns promotions and a Gillette tv channel. Another fun interactive device on the site is the Gillette Styler , a 'try on the look' section. You can upload a photo to see what you'd look like various facial hair such as a goatee, a chinstrap, sideburns and more:

You can visit the site here. Like this kind of thing? Check out RSFU's 'Shave The Pussy ' Or Stefane Monzon's Pubic Hair Couture Fashion Show.

But I LIKE hairy men...

Now, for those who like a hairy man, be sure to check out this post all about them including a great new book, Hairy by artist and photographer Robert Greene!

LAST MINUTE UPDATE: it has been brought to my attention by reader Anne Adelson that Philips Norelco also has a microsite with funny manscaping videos, The BODYGROOM MANALOGUES:

Check out the Philips Norelco Bodygroom Manalogues here.

The Bau-Bike, A Stunning Two-Wheeled Homage to Bauhaus Design

The BauBike Designed by Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen

In the words of the designer "The BauBike is inspired by Bauhaus design. It is constructed around the geometric shape of the square and the equilateral triangle. The design is stripped down to clean lines and raw material."

The open-end piece above the back wheel, offers the possibility to customize the function of the bike to whatever need you may have. The different accessories (all shown later in this post) can be placed in the tube (shown below on the right) and can easily be changed if needed.

The design follows a set of formal rules, limiting the geometry to straight lines in a pattern of 60 and 90 degree angles in proportions following the principle of the golden section.

above: diagram of the Golden Section

By limiting the form with a fixed set of design rules and stepping away from the traditional function-oriented approach to the design process, this project transcends the border between design and art, raising fundamental questions about the nature of the bike as design and as a lifestyle accessory and introducing a much needed playfulness on the bicycle scene.

Leather-wrapped handlebars (so maybe they're not as comfortable as cylindrical bars, but they look damn cool, don't they?):

a good look at the Brooks leather seat:

The available accessories include an additional seat with handlebars, a bag and or a rack:

To purchase one of these modernist beauties, contact designer Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen of Kolding, Denmark. or call him at +45 26171867

all images and info courtesy of the designer.

If you like unusual bikes, check these out:
•Electra Bikes
•Swarovski Crystal and 24k gold bikeby Auramania.
•Chanel bicycle
•Gucci limited edition bike

Gimme Shelter: Guggenheim & Google's Virtual Design Competition

On the occasion of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday, June 8, the Guggenheim Museum and Google launched Design It: Shelter Competition, a global, online initiative that invites the public to use Google Earth and Google SketchUp to create and submit designs for virtual 3-D shelters for a location of their choice anywhere on Earth.

above: Ironwood, designed by Chad Cornette, 2000. Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona. Model courtesy the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture

The competition takes its inspiration from Learning By Doing, an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum’s Sackler Center for Arts Education, which features plans, photographs, and models of shelters built by students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture (like those shown below).

above: Victor Sidy Shelter, 1999. Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona. Photo: Victor Sidy

above: more shelter design examples created by students from the FLW School of Architecture

So..to celebrate the ideas and teaching of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Museum has invited you to create your own virtual shelters, located anywhere on Earth.

Then you can share your design on the Guggenheim’s Web site by first modeling your shelter with Google SketchUp, then placing your model on Google Earth.

Go ahead, give it a try! Here's a tip: When designing your shelter, consider Frank Lloyd Wright’s interest in the connection between architecture and its location. How can your shelter respond to the specific natural and built environments that surround it?

Project Specs
Location: You can build your shelter anywhere on Earth: from city to desert, hill to valley. You cannot remove any existing buildings, but you can add on to existing structures.
Size: Keep your shelter small—it can be no larger than 100 square feet (9.3 square meters), and no taller than 12 feet (3.6 meters).
Amenitites: Your shelter must offer protection from the elements and provide a space for one person to study and sleep. Keep it simple—no water, gas or electricity allowed.

Recent Submissions:

Baobab Tree Shelter:

And its proposed location on earth (image from google earth):

The above submission is from Madrid, Spain and was designed by Angel Delgado. Shelter location: Madagascar, Date submitted: June 11, 2009

Greenegg Shelter:

And its proposed location on earth (image from google earth):

The above submission was designed by Jevgenijs Busins from Riga, Finland. Shelter location: India Date submitted: June 9, 2009

Prizes:
People's prize:
Trip for two to New York City (includes airfare and hotel accommodations for two nights)
Behind-the-scenes tour of the Guggenheim Museum and the Google Offices
Free admission to other NYC museums
Google SketchUp Pro license (USD$495 value)

Juried prize:
$1000 cash prize
Trip for two to New York City (includes airfare and hotel accommodations for two nights)
Behind-the-scenes tour of the Guggenheim Museum and the Google Offices
Free admission to other NYC museums
Google SketchUp Pro license (USD$495 value)

Note: In the event that the same shelter design is chosen by those voting for the People’s Prize and by the experts determining the winner of the Juried Prize, the People’s Prize will be awarded to the entrant who receives the second highest number of votes for the People’s Prize.

How to Enter - To participate in the contest, follow these steps:

Download Google SketchUp and Google Earth for free. Both are available for both Windows and Macintosh computers.
Use Google SketchUp to design a shelter for a particular location on the planet. Give your model a precise geographic location with Google Earth. (View the SketchUp tutorial page for instructions.)
Upload your geographically-located SketchUp shelter to the Google 3D Warehouse.
Export at least one (and as many as four) views of your model as JPEG images and upload them when you're submitting your entry. (JPEGs should be at least 235 pixels wide but no larger than 720 pixels wide.)
Export an animation of your shelter as a video and upload it to YouTube. (The animation is optional. Keep in mind, though, that in Google Earth, viewers will only be able to see the outside of the shelter—an animation is a great way to present a more detailed view of your design.)
Write a description (in English) of your shelter and how it integrates into the location where you placed it (limited to 70 words).
Fill out the submission form on the Guggenheim Web site.

For more detailed instructions on how to prepare and submit your shelter, please download the submission guide (PDF).

Different Form Of Street Art - Beaded Graffiti By The Oeps Crew.

The Eops Crew of Copenhagen are two anonymous girls who've made their presence known with a new form of street art. Their 'beaded' graffiti (art literally made of small colored plastic beads) has marked the urban streets of London. Berlin, New York, Copenhagen and more.

Here are just a few examples: