PHIGVEL Horse Leather Key Holder

Damn! Japan always has the coolest shiet. C'mon, someone purchase these in bulk so I don't have to pay import charges!

Eclectic Gifts for the Urban Digital Renewist

I think you should invest in yourself every 5 years or so. If you haven't purchased anything big recently, here's a few to spoil yourself with: 1) GF-1 Add-Ons (Pictured above is a Aki-Asahi case for $100), 2) Jean shirts and leather suspenders, and 3) Understand Rap (a fabulous typographic book explaining a few ghetto-isms in raw, university exposition for $10).

Experiencist Shopping Guide

Here's just a bunch of crap I'd like to eventually contribute to my new apartment is wherever-town. Preferably gifted to myself soon so I can break them in. Yes, those clocks are $380.

Andy's Leather Wrist Strap for GF-1

I've been hunting around for a brown leather strap for my Panasonic Lumix GF-1 for a while now, but there's just so many knock offs out there that it's really hard to find something you really love. Luckily, I've stumbled upon a fabulous set from seems to be a very popular strap by a guy named Andy. He hand crafts them all and they look pretty damn spiffy. Photos by Johnny. Straps starting at $20.

Hunting for the Greenest, Healthiest Water Bottle

I'm so over plastic Nalgene. It's time to look for the most rugged, greenest, and healthiest water bottle out there. That means no aluminum casing, cheap plastic tops, or carbon positive manufacturing. So far, only the Guyot Standard stainless steel bottle ($25) fits the bill. Any thoughts?

The Things They Carried

I'm making a list of 100 things designers carry in their bags. If you've got ideas to add, please share!

1. Main bag (everyday bag)
2. Laptop bag
3. Pen bag
4. Laptop
5. Tablet
6. Smartphone
7. iPod Classic
8. Portable Hard Drive
9. Thumbdrive
10. Point and Shoot Camera
11. Flipcam
12. dSLR Camera
13. Extra lenses
14. Extra SD Cards
15. Extra batteries (AA)
16. Tripod (Gorillapod?!)
17. Headphones
18. Earphones (IEMS?)
19. Wacom Tablet
20. Portable Wireless Keyboard
21. Portable Wireless Mouse 
22. Ethernet Cable 
23. iPod Cable 
24. Power Charger
25. Portable Surge Protector
26. Airport Express/Portable Router
27. Tupperware
28. Band-Aids
29. Tissue
30. Moleskine
31. Post Its
32. Planner
33. Bone folder
34. Scissors
35. X-ACTO Knife
36. Cutting board
37. "Scale" Ruler (whatever that is)
38. Tape measure
39. Screwdriver
40. Swiss Army Knife
41. Flashlight 
42. Lighter 
43. Wallet
44. Coin bag
45. Chain + Caribiner
46. Keys
47. Gum
48. Clif Bar 
49. Canteen
50. Lotion
51. Chapstick 
52. Floss
53. Toothbrush
54. Toothpaste
55. Bandana
56. Watch
57. Shades
58. Hat
59. Nunchucks 
60. Grenades (Too much?)
61. Pistol

Hipster Bag Porn

I'm considering doing a project over the summer creating illustrations of the things people carry these days in their bags. Seems like a fun enough project and will be a nice little artifact study over a period of 2-3 months. Perhaps I'll even throw a UX spin to it and call it, "The User Experience Designer Rucksack."

T-LEVEL Infinity for Backpacking

Spain. Canada. South America. Somewhere. I'll be somewhere this coming Winter. The T-LEVEL Infinity roll-up bag seems like a decent choice to shove all the shit I'll be carrying around.

Ageable Goods

There's something utterly irresistible about goods that age with time. Take this leather drafting kit, for instance. It's dead simple, functional as hell, and appears like it was meant to be used for 20+ years without signs of wearing out. If only technology could translate so well...

The Ray Ban Hunt

Hot, hot McGuyver! I've been lookin' for a slick pair of sunglasses this Summer. These Ray Ban Wayfarer in marbled Tortoise seem like the perfect match. Even though $145 is a bit steep...

About My Blank Notebook

There's something about finding the perfect sketchbook that's become somewhat of an obsessive side hobby of mine these past few months. No logos, subltle barely-there white lines on the pages, and the ability to opens fully flat. Well, today the impossible has happened. And it's $24 without shipping from Europe.

Leather Lumix GF-1 Ever-Ready Case

I told you that whole retro thing would come back, didn't I? Didn't I? Grab the leather case for the Panasonic Lumix GF-1 (my baby) seen above on eBay for $120.

Beauty & Youth Ruck Sack

I never thought I'd say this, but that is a beautiful ruck sack. Too bad it's only sold in Japan (like most things I yearn for in this world), but if you're around the area, please stop by Beauty & Youth and pick one up for me, yeah? Oh, it's so Hypebeastlicious.

Stylish Monster on a Budget

I love the Chrome bags and now... what is this? A killer promotion for free shoes?

For all those confused, here's the info one more time: We're doing a "Turds For Gold" Shoe Exchange and, as of this morning, sending a FREE PAIR OF CHROME SHOES to anyone that sends us a crappy, worn-out pair of kicks. The exchange is two days ONLY and packages MUST be postmarked by 3/18 to qualifiy. In your ship...ment, please include a return shipping address and shoe size info.

More info here and here.

NOOKA is the Wallet 2.0

Nooka's new "organizer" is a vertically-opening carry-all that offers multiple interior compartments for holding cash, IDs, cards, and photos, and is made from silicone to offer water resistance and expandability. $35.

Branding My... Notebook?

Doesn't hurt, right? Oh - and my sketches are going up later today or tomorrow in my Flickrstream. Keep an eye out for muchos craziness!

Zebra Sharbo X LT3 Matte... The Orange Flame!

One thing I'm starting to notice while I'm designing killer robots for the future is that I tend to run through gel ink pens everyone couple of weeks. It's ridiculous how many plastic shells I've tossed. This is where the Sharbo comes in. It allows me to switch between two gel colors and a ballpoint. I do wish the shell didn't cost so much, though. $45 is enough to make a grown man cry.

Tumi Snow Collection Backpack

I want to be prepared for snow. First in a lifetime, you see. I need to be ready.

Searching for the Perfect 0.38 Gel Pen

So I have a confession. I'm obsessed with gel pens. Like a 7th year old girl, yes. And not just any gel pen. They must be at 0.38mm in size, light, and be shelf stable for at least a year when not in use. I've summed up my top picks from my 14 years of research below (okay, maybe 2 months):

Dong-A 3-ZERO 0.38 Gel Pens - These Korean-manufactured guys are rare. Really fricking rare. And one of my favorite pens of all time. I lucked out recently by finding them sold on eBay by some guy in New York, but it looks like it's going to be impossible to replenish my collection after my last Dong-A pen gets used up. They tend to go from $0.75 to $3 a piece.

Uni-ball Signo DX UM-151 Gel Pens - Made to rival the G2 Pilot, these guys clog less, are thin like the Dong-A's, and come in more colors than most. They go for about $2.25 a piece.

Pilot G-2 Retractable Gel-Ink Pens - These are the perfect office pens. They're cheap, flow great (when they work), and have similar qualities of the Dong-A in pen stroke. You also get a sweet rubber grip, which helps when you've got greasy fingers. They go for $1.30 a piece when bought in bulk.

Don't believe me? Just purchase a couple (if you can find 'em) and try it out for yourself. Believe me, you won't be disappointed. I am the pen expert, after all.

Studio Sexy No Jutsu

Yeah, I'm feelin' it. Those San Franciscan packaging perfectionists, there's no denying Incase Studios rock!