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

Cutest Smoke Detector Ever. The Chick-A-Dee Chirps You To Safety.

Smoke alarms, which are traditionally functional rather than decorative, are a vital tool to help protect your home and your loved ones. That's why the Dutch Association of Insurers held a competition to design fire prevention solutions, with entries from students taking various design courses in the Netherlands.

The Chick-a-Dee® by Louise van der Veld was the winning entry. The Chick-a-Dee is a well-designed smoke alarm in the shape of a bird.

The bird is perched on a branch, which also serves as a mounting system. The Chick-a-Dee ® comes in 5 color variations and can easily be fitted to the ceiling.

The Chick-a-Dee design is based on the clip-on birds one often sees as decorations on Christmas trees. The designer chose this shape because birds have always been known for their warning calls. It is a well-known fact that that birds warn each other of danger by calling loudly. In the previous century, miners used to take canaries in small cages with them into the mine, because these birds are sensitive to poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide. These gases are both colourless and odourless and can hardly be sensed by man. As soon as the canaries showed even the slightest sign of distress (by no longer singing and chirping) it was a clear signal to evacuate the mine as quickly as possible. The bird's presence gave the miners both a secure and pleasant feeling.

The Chick-a-Dee ® takes its name and appearance from the American Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla). This name is a tribute to its warning call, the phonetic Chickadee sound. At the smallest threat, the bird calls chick-a-dee-dee, and in more serious circumstances, the call becomes a loud dee-dee-dee sound. As soon as smoke is detected a 85 db alarm signal is activated. The alarm signals that the battery is dead by playing by playing the alarm signal. Under normal conditions, a control light flashes once a minute. The Chick-a-Dee can be tested by pressing the test button. The batteries are easy to replace.

The Chick-a-Dee smoke detector was specially designed for the Baby and Kids market. The Chick-a-Dee smoke detector is equipped with a 1.5 year battery lifetime and a three-year warranty. Dimensions: length 17 cm, width 17 cm, height 12 cm

images and product description courtesy of Chick-A-Dee and The Initiator and Company

Buy it here

Or buy it directly from Chick-a-Dee in various colors here.

Oreo Cream Centers Carved Into Cameos. Don't Dunk These In Milk!

Artist Judith G. Klausner is a Somerville MA artist, who in her own words, has with a love for small, intricate, and overlooked things. Her "embroidered toast" was featured on many blogs and sites last year, but she's really outdone herself with her latest series of carved Oreo cookie cream centers.

Working intricately on the cream centers of both traditional and vanilla Oreo cookies (not sure if they were Double Stuff or original) , she's created tiny sweet portraits in the style of classic and traditional cameos.

See more of Judith G. Klausner's work here

Nabisco Oreos

Shake, Shake, Shake. Dogs In Motion Caught by Pet Photographer Carli Davidson.

Pet photographer Carli Davidson of Portland, Oregon will take portraits of you and your pet, be it a dog, cat, goat or even an armadillo. Like many pet photographers, she will shoot them with and without their owners and is more than capable of capturing the special bond between human and animal. While the portraits are nice, it's her series "Shake" that's really worth sharing.

In black and white and color photos, Davidson captures dogs shaking their heads. Ears flying, foam flinging and fur all a frenzy. The distorted expressions - half-grimace, half-smile - are familiar to many a dog owner, but when caught with a camera are truly mesmerizing:

all images ©Carli DavidsonAbout Carli Davidson Photography (from her site):
Carli Davidson is a nationally recognized fine art pet photographer currently working out of Portland Oregon. She has a background in both commercial and documentary photography, as well as over 7 years experience as an animal trainer and caretaker. Her love of both art and animals led her to work as an animal care technician and photographer for the Oregon Zoo, as well as a volunteer photographer for local animal rescues.

Her photography has been published in Portland Monthly, The Atlantic, The Village Voice, The Oregonian, The Portland Tribune, and numerous Zoo publications. She is also a regular photo contributor to Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish.

Her retouching includes products for Cartier, David Yurman, Movado Watch, and Coach and have been published in Vogue, Destinations, NYT Magazine, and People Magazine.

Carli has taught for the Newspace Center for Photography, and The Oregon Zoo, and has spoken at numerous institutions including The Art Institute, and The Evergreen State College.

Carli Davidson LLC
119 SE Main se.
Suit 203
Portland, OR 97214
United States

Visit Carli's site to learn about scheduling a sitting, check out the prices and to see other wonderful pet photography.

Carli Davidson on Facebook

A Look At Those 5 Handcrafted Paper Airplanes Commissioned for Wallpaper* Magazine.

The UK's Baddeley Brothers is an engraving and printing house that was established in London in 1859. Known for their elegant craftsmanship, they manufacture high quality, engraved stationery and envelopes.

For some people, a plain ol' golf cart just won't do. For those, there's Pennwick Golf carts. Built on actual club car chassis, their custom luxury carts have exotic sculpted fiberglass bodies in the shape of various high end automobiles, retro style cars and most recently, an Italian sports car.

above: Pennwick's newest addition to their line of luxury and custom golf carts

Loaded with standard features like headlights, tail lights, turn signals, side mirrors, electric horns, a 48 volt charging system and battery charge and hour meters, the cars reach a speed of 20 mph and can be customized to include such options as a 6-Passenger Upgrade, 15" Rims, a hard top, gas-powered chassis, leather seats, chrome tilt steering column, stereo package and a golf bag holder.

Their newest model is a fiery red sports car that resembles a Ferrari Enzo:

Other models include The Brooklyn, with a base price of $16500:

The Smoothster - with its retro styling and jump seat, has a base price of $15500:

The Shadow, a nod to the stately Rolls Royce, has a base price of $16900:

The '56, with a signature grill, perfectly shaped fenders and real cherry wood bed floor, has a base price of $16500:

They will also create custom utility carts of all types for you.

About Pennwick:
Father and Son, John Southwick & John Pennington have been in the business of building the finest Luxury Golf Carts for over 6 years. Pennwick, LLC was established in March of 2009. Together they created Pennwick with the idea that they would continue with the same quality and workmanship as they had in years past, but with a greater determination to continually improve their product while bringing the latest in luxury design.

They provide the largest selection of custom golf carts, estate vehicles and electric carts in the world, with a commitment to quality and a determination to produce the most luxurious. Ideal for golf courses, private homes and estates, retirement communities, hotels and resorts, their carts are perfect for all occasions.

Their luxury carts and electric vehicles are built on Club Car Chassis with quality fiberglass bodies, OEM paint, marine grade upholstery, working headlights, tail lights, turn signals and hazards.

Pennwick, LLC 457 W 410 S  Springville, Utah 84663  801-319-6900

To learn more and to purchase, visit Pennwick.

A Look At Carmageddon - 20 Awesome Photos.

The Los Angeles Times has done a great job of keeping us Los Angelenos up to date on the dreaded "Carmageddon" (also referred to at Carpocalypse and Autopalypse) with photos and updates by many of their staff members.