Nintendo DSi Review

I was hoping I'd be a little more stoked since I got my grimy hands on an imported Nintendo DSi. However, after playing with it for about an hour, I believe the upgraded options are pretty much useless for a person who uses a flash cart already. The browser still sucks and is slower than my GRE score processing time. Sure, the extra $30 you'll be paying may seem worth it for the two webcams, larger screens, and improved anti-crack hinge design, but those who already own one should see no need whatsoever to upgrade. That said - it's still a DS Lite underneath it all, so of course you should grab get one if you don't have one already. Just grab the cheaper model if you're looking to save some money. 8.5/10.

Fixed Gear Lovers, Mount Your Bikes In Style

Of course, it only looks half as good if you have a nice open loft space and a pretty fixie to hang on the wall. Grab the Cycloc Bicycle Storage system for $135. If you're wondering, yes - it's made of hard plastic. A very well-designed piece of plastic.

So, It Looks Like You Want To Use Your iPhone GPS Without A Data Plan

You just scored a cheap iPhone 3G off eBay and are stoked to not have to deal with AT&T's data plan. Not so fast, buddy. I understand paying an extra $30 per month is really burning a hole in your pocket with being unemployed and all. Believe me, you're not the only one that thinks so.

However, if you're looking to use the built-in GPS that utilizes triangulation - you're gonna just have to suck it up or not use the feature at all. The overages will literally turn that cash burn into an all-out wildfire. The data plan is required if you're going to use it for GPS.

Apartment Therapy Gives You Good Things!

If there's one thing I love about Apartment Therapy is how awesome their giveaways always are. Too bad I can't win a single thing. You can though. Interested? Go win some and tell me all about it later.

New Twelves Get You To Dance on Black Friday

But seriously, no one's actually going out there in the cold, right? Because that'd be just... yaknow. Retarded.

M.I.A. - Boyz (The Twelves Remix) (MP3)
The Black Kids - Huricane Jane (The Twelves Remix) (MP3)
The Twelves - Works for Me (MP3)

Give That Lightswitch A Cubic Upgrade

Designers rejoice! For your light switches or outlets, these plates are a fun alternative to what your local hardware store offers. Grab either the lightswitch or electric outlet cover for $8.

KAWS Invades Gering & López Gallery

Those in New York should go and check out KAWS' ingenious cartoon-like blend of animation, art, and hip-hop at the G&L. Gallery runs through December 23, 2008.

Lykke Li & Kings of Leon Bring Down The Curtains

And possibly the best sounding remix I have heard all year. It'll make your indie heart burn with excitement, I promise you.

Kings of Leon - Knocked Up (Lykke Li vs. Rodeo Remix) (MP3)

Yeah, We Can Do Bricks, Wood & Carpet

I never thought it'd be possible, but hey look - my fly's down once again. Lovin' that anime-Shell combo art on the top right.

Corduroys From My Neighborhood In Japan

Codenamed "Donkey Savage Narrow Corduroy Pants" from the NBHD group in Japan - with a title like that, who can say no?

Wall-E Review

Hype can do a lot of things. It can set unrealistic expectations, bring upon confusion, and face harsh criticism when a movie fails live up to it. Fortunately, this isn't too much the case with Wall-E. The creators at Pixar are true artists and flex their 3D craft muscles as they tell a story of a robot who falls in love. It's part sci-fi, comedy, and drama - developing an unexpected main character who is essentially a mere trash compactor. It's unique and cute, and despite being a little over an hour, stays true to the Pixar brand and is a welcome addition to the 3D movie universe. 9.1/10.

Some Thoughts on Triangles, Love & Life

Exhibit A, above, is the love-growth-cash triangle. Below are some common activities could fall on the chart:
Some people might ascribe to the philosophy that it’s okay to be at a well-paid-yet-crappy day job and use the remaining time and money enjoying your hobbies. I disagree. Here’s why - if you combine the two triangles, you get the following:
In other words, you end up missing out on pieces of the bigger (triangular) pie. There’s a certain joy that comes from doing what you love, getting compensated for it and constantly learning new things in the process. Your goal should be to maximize each experience and try to cover as many new areas of the bigger triangle as possible.

If you have a shit job, come up with new ways to learn something out of it. If you have a hobby you’re super-excited about, try to turn it into a business. If you’re just starting a new gig, instill it with something you’re passionate about.

Re-evaluate everything you’re working on. Grab a pen right now and draw a triangle for every job, project and hobby. Take a good hard look at each one. What can you do to get more out of that experience? If it’s not helping you max out the bigger triangle, drop it and find something else to spend your time on.

Dexter, Season 1 Review

Like Max Payne? Then you'll absolutely love Dexter. The story encompasses our hero, a sociopath with no human feelings or inner moral compass, taking us deep into his mind while he continues playing "the avenger" in a world full of lies, violence, and wrongdoing. With multiple story arcs, different directors taking on each episode with a unique story-telling style, and an elusive past that's just waiting for be discovered, it's no surprise Dexter comes out on top as one of the most entertaining shows to watch in a while. 8.7/10.

Bumblebeez Know How To Bring A Party To You

The Bumblebeez unleash some crazy frenetic old boy badness in their more recent video of Dr. Love.

Try A Dining Room With Steel Chairs

This mix of Eames and Bertoia is right down my alley. Next up, my apartment tour.

My Latest Obsession, Jack's Photostream

Back in high school, we used to be able to dream with no worries. Jack reminds me of those wonderful days. Friends. Family. Part-time jobs were okay. I do kinda miss it, admittedly.

Bonafide Badass Molasses Cookies Recipe

Who doesn't love some gingery-cinnamon sugar overload? I do, I do!

• 1/2 c. butter, melted
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil, such as canola
• 1 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. molasses
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 c. white sugar, for rolling

Combine butter, oil, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk for 5 mintues. Add egg, mix until combined, then add molasses. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a separate small bowl and add slowly to wet mixture until fully incorporated. Place mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

Preheat to 375 degrees. Place white sugar in a small shallow bowl and gather about a tablespoon of dough in your hands, roll in a ball, and toss in the sugar to coat. Place on lined baking sheet, and repeat with the rest of the dough. Place cookies about 1 inch apart, as they spread quite a bit. Press down on cookies with a flat bottomed drinking glass, so they are about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for 6-8 minutes until slightly firmer but still a little soft. There should be little change in their color, so you don’t really want them to brown. Store in an airtight container for 1 week or in the freezer, up to 3 months. Enjoy!

The Real Legit Pork Stroganoff Recipe

Stop killin' your colon with that frozen section beef stroganoff. Instead, show your lady friend your mad skills and make it yourself.

2 lb. pork tenderloin, cubed
2 onions
1 pkg fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. beef broth
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. sour cream
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarse grind pepper
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
2 tsp. paprika

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add onions and mushrooms and saute until tender. Add the pork and brown. Sprinkle with flour and cook about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sour cream. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, mustard, and paprika. Simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Serve over egg noodles. Now, enjoy yourself some hella good stroganoff.

Turkey Pomodoro Cranberry Sandwich Recipe

Lookin' to make something a lil' fresher the your usual ham and cheese? Peep this recipe if you know what's good for you!

• 2 slices of Italian peasant bread, lightly toasted
• 1/4 lb. roast turkey breast
• 2 Tbsp. cranberry sauce (with berries)
• 1 spoonful of chopped jalapeños
• 1 1/2 tsp. slow-roasted tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp. mayonnaise
• 1 slice of havarti cheese
• a few slices of cucumber
• some lettuce

First, mix the cranberry and jalapeños together and set aside. Toast both slices of bread. Spread mayo on one side, roasted tomatoes on the other. On the tomato side, add lettuce, cheese, then cucumbers. On the mayo side, add the cranberry sauce and turkey. Combine, cut in half, and serve.

Left 4 Dead (PC) Review

Perhaps I haven't had the privilege of killing zombies in a very long time since I never owned a Playstation 2 for Resident Evil 4. Maybe I just really hated zombies as a kid and now I can unleash my fury with a group of friends online. Whatever it is, Left 4 Dead is hands on the craziest shoot-em-up zombie game I've ever played. Its wow factor lays in the ability to force people to work together for survival. Stem off and you're fucked. I was hoping for some sort of experience system, but achievements work just fine if you're more concerned about survival than gaining XP. Conclusion? Grab it with some friends and get zombie blastin'. 8.9/10.

Glossy Black Floors Look Sexy, Make Ants Invisible

Other than the fact it'd probably make bug tracking a living hell, it's still awesome enough to make my modern list of top 10 things I want in a future house. More inspiration over at AT.

Join A Circus, Enjoy Kareena Zerefos

Her gallery is filled with images that range from technorific colors to muted emo. Real angsty, if you're into that kind of stuff.

The Official Asian Chili-Garlic Catfish Recipe

I thought I'd write down how to make this awesome traditional dish before I forget. The measurements are all approximate so adjust depending on how salty, sweet, or spicy you like your fishies.

• a catfish fillet (about 1 lb)
• 1 c. chopped green onions
• 3/4 c. white sugar
• 1 heaping spoonful of garlic chili (the Rooster Brand)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. grapeseed lemon oil (optional)
• 1 c. largely chopped red onion (optional)

First you need to marinate the fish for 1 hour. Cut the catfish into squares and combine with garlic chili sauce, grapeseed lemon oil, green onions, and fish sauce. Set in a refrigerator.

When the fish is done marinating, prepare a 12" saucepan by heating the white sugar on medium-high heat until it starts caramelizing and bubbling. When the caramel is ready, toss in the fish and red onions. Cook the fish for about 10 minutes while gradually introducing the rest of the fish sauce mixture. When the fish looks nice and golden color, take it off the heat and serve immediately. Best served with brown rice and some asian veggies.

Home For Your Dunnys

I've always been nervous about showcasing my toys. Figured they'd be way over dramatic or obnoxious to have toys all over the place. Thank goodness for the Container Store, as they will be saving from that potential unorganized chaos with these awesome wall-mount display cases.

Glass Staircases Are a Go!

A new house on a steep sloping acre lot in the Berkeley hills. The house is divided into two distinct zones; one burrowed into the hillside and the other, mostly glass, cantilevering toward the view. More Gypsy House here.

Shopping Season Means Wishlists

Karina Okata will probably agree. Even if you don't have a dollar to spend this season, it's good to make up some kind of clever list to make your day-to-day living seem all the more meaningful. Well, here's my little list of things I probably don't need:

1. Some new kicks, preferably something made by Vanns and is geared towards fixed-gear bikers.
2. A replica of a human skull. Why? So I can paint it metallic gold, of course!
3. What's Little Big Planet without a set of non-matching controllers? I've accumulated a white one, a black one, and a cruddy little SIXAXIS original. Silver, I'm calling your name...
4. Did I mention I have been wearing the game cruddy Gap jeans for 4 years now? I think it's about time for an upgrade to some WeSC.
5. Last but not least, the best digital bathroom scale ever made.

Not To Start A Fanboy War But...

I'm with Japan on this one. Their latest survey of 15,000 games across the country of top 10 most wanted games in the upcoming year pretty much sums up my own.

1. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
2. Dragon Quest IX (NDS, Square Enix)
3. Biohazard 5 [Resident Evil 5] (PS3/Xbox360, Capcom)
   
4. Dragon Quest VI (NDS, Square Enix)
5. Chrono Trigger (NDS, Square Enix)
6. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
7. The Last Remnant (PS3, Square Enix)
8. White Knight Chronicles (PS3, Sony)
9. Ryuga Gotoku 3 [Yakuza 3] (PS3, Sega)
10. Kill Zone 2 (PS3, Sony)

Food Fetish: ChiaTe Pastries

I must say, I'm in love. My mentor from my old lab gave me some Taiwanese pastry to try the other day and it's the most delicious thing in the world. They have walnut, pineapple, and all types of flavorful goodness. I think I'm going to ship a few boxes over this coming holiday season. Yum!

Let My Synthesizer Drown Your Sorrows

I love it when a Jesus-lookalike sings to me. What a romanticist.

Sebastien Tellier - Look (MP3)

And Now... Time for Hair Hats

Do I really need a reason why? Those who haven't had enough hair hats, you can take a peek at some more here.

How To Sync Google Calendar with iPhone

Your iPhone doesn't get cool points until it has the ability to sync with multiple sources (especially calendars) that are actively pushed throughout the day, ensuring you're taking advantage of that super expensive data plan you're paying for. Well, here it is, my friends, a solution to sync up your GCal with your iPhone via the built-in Exchange Server Active Sync Push support.

It's called NuevaSync. NuevaSync is a Exchange Conduit for Google Calendar, Contacts and Gmail. Totally free? You betcha.

To set up you iPhone or iTouch to fetch data from your Google Calendar go to NuevaSync’s website and sign up. After filling all you information check your email and verify your email address.

When you have verified your email, log in to set your settings. Next to Calendar click on Change, select Google and click to configure your settings. Enter your Google account id and click on ‘Request Account Access’. Voilà, you are done with NuevaSync.

On you device, click on Settings and select ‘Mail, Contacts, Calendars’ Tab. Under Accounts click on ‘Add Account…’ and select the first item on the menu, Microsoft Exchange. For Email type in your Google email address, following with your NuevaSync’s username and password. Describe the account and click Next. A pop-up message will show up, ignore it and click ‘Accept’. You’ll be asked for the exchange server address, which is ‘www.nuevaserver.com’. Type it in and click Save.

Congratulation! Now you can sync your GCal without paying $99 for the MobileMe Service.

With NuevaSync you can also fetch Mail, Contacts and Tasks from your Google Account. Special thanks to this article for walking me through it.

Chex Muddy Buddies Recipe

I just thought I'd throw this out there in case someone's looking for the perfect munch-on snack while warming up by the fire this holiday season.

• 9 c. Chex cereals (corn, rice and/or wheat)
• 1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Pour cereal into large bowl and set aside. Combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in 1 quart microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until smooth (stir after 1 minute). Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and stir until all pieces are evenly coated.

Pour cereal mixture into large container (with seal) with powdered sugar. Seal securely. Shake until all pieces are well coated. Spread on wax paper to cool. Store in an airtight container. Makes 9 cups of chocolaty-sugary goodness.

Ben Frost Is Dead, No Really

Bambi meets Japanese pop culture and destruction. All here at Ben Frost Is Dead.

Moriyama Daido, Realistic Surrealist

Her gallery actually kind of scares me. You can check it out yourself if you're looking for something a little bit darker than usual.

Enter Insanity, Joshua Middleton

More explicit controversial junk at his gallery.

Stainless Steel & Retro Blue

The home of Flippa K, a Paris-based fashion designer, shows of an envious space filled with clever design choices. From the bright blue of the kitchen, to the black pendant lamps, there's a surprise in every corner that'll make any Swedish design lover giddy with excitement.

Hellboy 2 Review

Yep, I'm on a Hellboy spree. While the original was fairly entertaining, it seemed like there were budget constraints keeping it from becoming the vision Guillermo del Toro may have had. Not that case with this one - it's a hell of a lot more action, character development, and money to back it up. There's huge diversity of monsters - some of the most creative I've ever seen in a movie - grounding Toro's bizarre and visually gorgeous style into what seems to be one of his best works yet. It's no Pan's Labyrinth, but it achieves what it sets out to do; being a fun and comedic blast with characters that slowly grow on you over time, despite their glaring flaws. 7.9/10.

DIY: Building A Fixed Gear Bike

Make magazine. Fixed gears. Coming together to make something pretty.

Hellboy Review

A bit of an oldie, but a fairly entertaining one. Hellboy has attitude - kind of like Iron Man, but imagine an angsty kid instead of an arrogant Robert Downy Jr. Cinematography and story-wise, it's quite on point, but I have a few issues with movies that are absolutely predictable and Hellboy falls right into that category. That said, the costumes, approach, and performances aren't bad at all and would undoubtedly bring a smile to your face on one of those dull Thursday nights while eating ice cream with cookies. 7.3/10.

Haha, Word

Makin' history is pretty fun. Even funner when it's animated.

Brian Lichtenberg Reminds Me of Klaxons

His little organized chaotic style is reminiscent of the Klaxons' tendency to go extreme, yet if you actually sit down to one of their CDs, it's actually quite an organized piece of work. That's some totally toper stuff. Now, more pictures so you can catch exactly my drift - here.

Loft Living Is The Life For Me

From magazine Loftlife comes a few shots of what my dream bungalow looks like. Straight up conversation areas, dramatic lighting, and motherfuckin' comfortable chairs, yo.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed (PSN) Review

While you can't jump in this game (something that really irritated me at first), you slowly become accustomed to the chaotic arm that allows the platforming, the throwing of barrels, and swiping of bullets. Paired with one of the best soundtracks in any video remake ever made, you have a sequel that's crazy, exciting, and brings back to life that side scrolling co-op that we miss so much in our Contra days. Grab this game, it's definitely worth your $10 and so much more. 8.8/10.