Two Comic Approaches To Breast Cancer Awareness. I Don't Mean Funny, I Mean Superheroes.

The news has just broken that Marvel Entertainment will be launching a month-long campaign in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with special variant covers on select October titles and educational material on Marvel.com.




Clad in Pink versions of their famous costumes, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Wolverine and more will be helping to increase awareness of the ways to fight—and reduce-- this risk of this disease.



The comic books, on-sale in October (US and Canada only) that will feature the special Susan G. Komen variant covers: AVENGERS #31, CAPTAIN AMERICA #18, CAPTAIN MARVEL #5, FANTASTIC FOUR #611, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #526, MIGHTY THOR #21, UNCANNY X-MEN #20, WOLVERINE #315

Nobody's Immune To Breast Cancer


I can't mention 'Comics' and 'Curing Breast Cancer' in the same breath without sharing this wonderful ad campaign by DDB Mozambique with you.

Illustrated by Maísa Chaves, this four ad print campaign features famous female superheroes (She-Hulk, Wonder Woman, Storm and Catwoman):





The above ads feature the copy “Nobody’s immune to breast cancer. When we talk about breast cancer, there’s no women or superwomen. Everybody has to do the self-examination monthly. Fight with us against the enemy and, when in doubt, talk with your doctor.”

Full campaign credits:
Advertising Agency: DDB, Maputo, Mozambique
Creative Directors: Anderson Lima, Zeca de Oliveira
Creatives: Sara Vale, Christiano Vendramine, Erick Vasconcelos
Illustrator: Maísa Chaves (me)
Graphic producers: Faruk Issufo, Mauro Mussagy
Planner: Cristiana Oliveira
Accounts: Vasco Rocha, Christine Ramela, Fernanda Neves
Media: Khida Ismael"
Graphic producers: Faruk Issufo, Mauro Mussagy
Planner: Cristiana Oliveira
Accounts: Vasco Rocha, Christine Ramela, Fernanda Neves
Media: Khida Ismael"



Help support finding a cure, visit Susan G. Komen For The Cure and find out how.

The Rock Has Landed. Levitated Mass, A 340 Ton Boulder by Michael Heizer, Hits LACMA.

Levitated Mass by artist Michael Heizer, considered one of the last great 'land artists', is composed of a 456-foot-long slot constructed on LACMA's campus, over which is placed a 340-ton granite megalith. At 340 tons, the boulder is one of the largest megaliths moved since ancient times.


above: Michael Heizer, sketch for Levitated Mass, 2011, © Michael Heizer

above: The granite boulder is now carefully positioned atop the center of a 456-foot-long concrete slot, which museum visitors descend in order to walk beneath it.

As with other works by the artist, such as Double Negative (shown below), the monumental negative form is key to the experience of the artwork.

above: Michael Heizer's Double Negative, 1969-70, two trenches cut into the eastern edge of the Mormon Mesa, northwest of Overton, Nevada.

Heizer conceived of the artwork in 1968, but discovered an appropriate boulder only decades later, in Riverside County, California. Taken whole, Levitated Mass speaks to the expanse of art history, from ancient traditions of creating artworks from megalithic stone, to modern forms of abstract geometries and cutting-edge feats of engineering.

Visiting the Quarry: the Making of Levitated Mass:
During the winter of 2011, Director Michael Goven visited the quarry in Riverside, California where the 340-ton monolith was awaiting transport to LACMA.



Crowds gather at LACMA to see Levitated Mass:

In the early morning hours just before dawn on March 10th, 2012, the transporter carrying the megalith arrived at the museum. The transporter traveled through four counties (Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles) and twenty-two cities in a carefully orchestrated journey that attracted thousands of bystanders.  

The Megalith Arrives at LACMA: The Making of Levitated Mass:

As a show of thanks to the many communities which saw and hosted the historic transport of the 340-ton boulder that is now part of Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass at LACMA, the museum is offering free admission to residents of select zip codes during the week of June 24 to July 1, 2012.

 

Simply show proof of residence in one of the below zip codes—for instance, a driver’s license— at the LACMA ticket office, and you’ll be granted free admission to all of our exhibitions and collection.

90001 90002 90003 90004 90005 90006 90007 90008 90010 90011 90015 90016 90018 90019 90020 90021 90024 90028 90029 90034 90035 90036 90037 90038 90043 90044 90046 90047 90048 90052 90056 90057 90058 90059 90061 90062 90064 90067 90068 90069 90089 90095 90210 90211 90212 90220 90221 90232 90242 90247 90248 90249 90255 90301 90302 90303 90305 90501 90502 90503 90504 90505 90506 90601 90602 90603 90604 90605 90606 90621 90623 90630 90631 90638 90639 90650 90670 90701 90703 90706 90710 90712 90713 90715 90716 90717 90723 90744 90745 90746 90747 90755 90802 90804 90805 90806 90807 90808 90810 90813 90814 90815 90831 90840 90895 91709 91710 91715 91730 91743 91744 91745 91748 91752 91761 91762 91763 91764 91765 91766 91786 91788 91789 91792 92335 92337 92509 92821 92822 92833 92835

 images, videos and info courtesy of LACMA and reuters

Brand Your Spouse With The Hilarious Titanium Anti-Cheating Wedding Ring.

The Cheeky has designed this hilarious high-strength titanium wedding band on which the words "I'm Married" are embossed in reverse on the interior of the ring, leaving a legible impression on your finger when the band is removed.




Go ahead, try picking up someone in a bar with the words "I'm Married" depressed into your skin.



The Anti-Cheating Ring costs $550 and is available in any size.



Buy it here
Also available for £359.99 at iWoot.

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's A Jetpack-Powered Yves Rossy Flying at 6000 Feet

above: Breitling DC-3 Passengers Observe Jetman in "Full Flight"

In Buochs, Switzerland, Friday, June 22nd, Yves “Jetman” Rossy pulled a 'Superman' and flew in close formation with a vintage Breitling Douglas DC-3 aircraft, giving the passengers onboard the unique experience to see the world’s first jet powered man in full flight.

As the guests boarded the 1940’s, twin propeller aircraft and took to their seats; Yves Rossy prepared his rigid carbon Kevlar wing equipped with 4 Jet engines and positioned himself on the skid of an Eagle AS 350 helicopter. The DC-3 took a holding position above Lake Lucerne, at the heart of Switzerland, as Yves climbed to 6000 feet. Yves began his fall backwards from the helicopter, stabilized the wing and engaged all four engines to full throttle reaching a speed of 205 km/h and an altitude of 4500 feet before he joined the DC-3 using just his shoulders, body and legs to steer.



The flight lasted 7 minutes, before the Jetwing exhausted its fuel supply and Yves pulled his parachutes to land safely back at Buochs airport.

Aviation pioneer, Yves Rossy continually pushes the boundaries of personal flight, and this latest feat adds to the impressive list of Jetman accomplishments including: Flying over Rio de Janeiro, Grand Canyon West and the English Channel and flying in formation with the Breitling Jet Team and Breitling Wingwalkers.


info and video courtesy of the Associated Press.

The $50,000 Leica M9-P Edition Hermès. How It Was Made and What Comes With It.

above composite ©It's Hip, It's Here

The collaborations between Parisian house Hermès and Leica camera keep getting more impressive - and more expensive. This is the third time the brands have teamed up to create a special edition camera.



Launched in two different sets, one of which 300 are available, the other of which only 100 are available, the cameras are wrapped in Hermes' ‘Veau Swift' calfskin in ocre and finished in silver chrome and anodized silver. Below is a look at the luxurious camera and the making of it.

Limited special edition: The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès’






Following the Leica MP and the Leica M7, this is the third in a line of premium special editions of the M-System to be created in collaboration with the well-known Parisian house Hermès. The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' is being offered as a strictly limited edition. The limited numbers, unique product design and premium finishing with numerous extras make this a truly special edition in every respect.

The white-gloved unboxing of the camera:


Craftsmanship of the highest degree


The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' represents the quintessence of a long-standing tradition of master craftsmanship at both Leica and Hermès. So it is only logical that the handcrafted leather supplied by Hermès for the trim of the camera should be applied by hand. Absolute precision is the guiding principle in the construction of this masterpiece.



Luxurious leather by Hermès
The special limited edition Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' is extraordinary in every respect. The highlight is its ‘Veau Swift' calfskin in ocre, supplied by Hermès for the leather finish of the Leica M9-P camera.



This exclusive leather trim by Hermès determines the colour concept of the special edition and ensures a perfect tactile sensation. The fine and supple leather is applied not only to the camera body, but is also used for the shoulder strap included in the set.

Unmistakeable design
In collaboration with automotive designer Walter de'Silva, selected features of the camera body were restyled, including the top and base plates, the shutter speed dial, the multifunction wheel and the shutter release. In addition, the frame selector lever, the accessory shoe and the Leica script on the upper face of the top plate have also been omitted to further emphasize the unique status of this limited edition.



The camera is finished in silver chrome and its lens in anodised silver. In another true master stroke of the Leica factory, the two finishes are absolutely indistinguishable. All protective caps are also manufactured completely in metal.



A video of the making of the Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès:



AVAILABLE IN TWO SETS:

The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' - Set 1

This first of the two Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' sets comes in a worldwide limited edition of 300. In addition to the camera, the set includes a silver anodised Leica Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens.


The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' - Set 2


The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès' - Série Limitée Jean-Louis Dumas, in a strictly limited edition of only 100 sets worldwide, is a memorial to the friendship between the former president of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas, and Leica.

The camera in this set is accompanied by three lenses: a Leica Summicron-M 28 mm f/2 ASPH., a Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. and a Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 mm f/2 ASPH., all featuring a stunning silver-anodized finish.



This unique collection of photographic equipment finds a fitting home in a hand-crafted Hermès camera bag that is available exclusively as part of this second set.



As an homage to Jean-Louis Dumas, the second set also includes a book with a selection of his pictures.


This photographic work in two volumes shows an entertainingly diverse portfolio of 200 black-and-white images captured by Jean-Louis Dumas with his Leica M-camera.


all images and information courtesy of Leica.

It's Big, It's Bad Ass And It's Still Not Yet Ready. The $1.42 Million Bugatti 16 C Galibier.

Bugatti has been teasing us with their 16 cylinder Galibier sedan for over 2 years now with what is said to be the world's most powerful four door luxury sedan. Still not given the green light for production, the French automaker launched this promotional video (with the most pretentious voiceover I've ever heard) a month ago:



Rumored to have been ready for purchase by 2012, Bugatti head Wolfgang Durheimer was reportedly disappointed with the car’s levels of comfort and performance, forcing engineers to go back to the drawing board. Bloomberg is citing two unidentified sources who say the Galibier will actually be launched in 2013 or 2014 with a base price of approximately 1 million euros ($1.42 million USD).

The most recent photos of the Bugatti Galibier prototype:







The Galibier concept, first unveiled in 2010 at the Geneva Auto Show, is a five-door hatchback with sleek styling and incredibly luxury laden custom interior. It boasts a supercharged 8.0-liter 16-cylinder engine which likely produced between 800 PS (588 kW / 789 hp) and 1,000 PS (735 kW / 986 hp).

Concept drawings:






Following the footsteps of the Veyron, the Galibier features a W16 engine displacing 8.0L. However, unlike the Veyron’s quad-turbocharger setup, the Galibier uses two-stage supercharging. The results are essentially the same, though, as the Galibier reportedly produces more than 1,000 horsepower.

Details:





Bugatti says the car’s exterior is inspired by the torpedo-like Type 35, while also evoking cues from the Type 57.

The Galibier is largely constructed of carbon fiber, but some body panels — such as the doors and fenders — are made of aluminum. The interior, which has room for four, makes use of similarly exotic materials, albeit of a different variety. The cabin is adorned with the highest quality wood and leather, juxtaposed with an ultramodern LCD center console.

The interior:







And of course, it comes with a watch and luggage:




Production is expected to run 1,500 units, or about five times as many as the outgoing Veyron.

information courtesy of Bugatti and Left Lane News
images courtesy of Auto Motor Und Sport


Check out the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 and the matching safe by Stockinger as well as some of the amazing Bugatti design luxury extras here