The Humunga ‘Stache.  Genius.

(via swissmiss)

My friend Capree might have her Tetris ice cube trays, but I have to say I like my Alvar Aalto shapes better.  Just sayin’.

Pick up yours for only $5 over at Aalto.com

I don’t usually post about food, but I ran across this today and it was too disturbing not to share.  Chicken Pot Pie. A beloved dish made with pastry dough, chicken, stock, carrots, pototoes, and assorted other vegetables, right? Not at KFC.

Here’s the unabridged list of the ingredients in the KFC Chicken Pot Pie:

Chicken Stock, Carrots, Potatoes (With Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate To Protect Color), Peas, Heavy Cream, Modified Food Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of Wheat Flour, Salt, Chicken Fat, Dried Dairy Blend (Whey, Calcium Caseinate), Butter (Cream, Salt), Natural Chicken Flavor With Other Natural Flavors (Salt, Natural Flavoring, Maltodextrin, Milk Solids, Nonfat Dry Milk, Chicken Fat, Beef Extract, Ascorbic Acid [To Help Protect Flavor]), Monosodium Glutamate, Liquid Margarine (Vegetable Oil Blend [Liquid Soybean, Hydrogenated Cottonseed, Hydrogenated Soybean], Water, Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides, Beta Carotene [Color]), Roasted Garlic Juice Flavor (Garlic Juice, Salt, Natural Flavors), Gelatin, Roasted Onion Juice Flavor (Onion Juice, Salt, Natural Flavors), Chicken Pot Pie Flavor (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy And Wheat Gluten Protein, Salt, Vegetable Stock [Carrot, Onion, Celery], Maltodextrin, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Flavors, Dextrose, Chicken Broth), Chicken Stock, Sugar, Mono and Diglycerides With Citric Acid to Protect Flavor, Spice, Seasoning (Soybean Oil, Oleoresin Turmeric, Spice Extractives), Parsley, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Yellow 5. Enriched Flour Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Water, Nonfat Milk, Maltodextrin, Salt, Dextrose, Sugar, Whey, Natural Flavor, Butter, Citric Acid, Dough Conditioner, L-Cysteine Hydrochloride, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (Preservatives), Colored With Yellow 5 & Red 40. Fresh Chicken Marinated With: Salt, Sodium Phosphate and Monosodium Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder, Natural Flavorings, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, With Not More Than 2% Calcium Silicate Added as an Anti Caking Agent OR Fresh Chicken Marinated With: Salt, Sodium Phosphate and Monosodium Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Starch, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder, Modified Corn Starch, Spice Extractives, Citric Acid, and 2% Calcium Silicate added as Anticaking Agent OR Fresh Chicken Marinated With: Salt, Sodium Phosphate and Monosodium Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Sodium Chloride and Anti-caking Agent (Tricalcium Phosphate), Nonfat Milk, Egg Whites, Colonel’s Secret Original Recipe Seasoning OR Potato Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Sodium Chloride and Anti-caking agent (Tricalcium Phosphate), Nonfat Milk, Egg Whites, Colonel’s Secret Original Recipe Seasoning OR Potato Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder, Natural Flavorings, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, With Not More Than 2% Calcium Silicate Added as an Anti Caking Agent OR Potato Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Starch, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder, Modified Corn Starch, Spice Extractives, Citric Acid, and 2% Calcium Silicate Added As Anticaking Agent OR Seasoning (Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Garlic Powder, Spice Extractives, Onion Powder), Soy Protein Concentrate, Rice Starch and Sodium Phosphates. Battered With: Water, Wheat Flour, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Salt, Dextrose, Monosodium Glutamate, Spice and Onion Powder. Predusted With: Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Dried Egg Whites, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Monosodium Glutamate, Spice and Onion Powder. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Soy Flour, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Monosodium Glutamate, Spice, Nonfat Dry Milk, Onion Powder, Dextrose, Extractives of Turmeric and Extractives of Annatto. Breading Set in Vegetable oil. Contains Egg, Milk, Wheat and Soy.

*Will contain one of the Ingredient statements above, depending upon regional suppliers

(Source: http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc_ingredients_dec09.pdf)

I’ve always loved the mountains.  Although I grew up near the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, for me nothing quite compares to the Rockies.  Ever since we drove across the country to California I have looked forward to going back to Colorado.  Now if I could just pony up $5,659,000, I could live there in style.

Designed by Site 7 Solutions, this giant of a house in Denver features 7,066 square feet of living space, including an indoor saltwater pool and spa, home theater, wine room, offices with a library mezzanine and a courtyard, all bathed in natural light and crafted using exotic woods.  While I can’t say this is an exercise in sustainable design, I’d sure like to move in.

For more details, see the home’s website.  (via Contemporist)

This short film by Alex Roman takes a look at architecture as art using a stellar combination of actual footage and computer graphics.  For the best experience, head over to Vimeo and check it out in HD fullscreen.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

This footage from Modernica makes me appreciate the Eames’ timeless classic that much more.

Beverly Hsu has combined two of my favorite things: typography and baking.  So delicious.

In our world of focusing on the aesthetics and function of objects, it is sometimes easy to forget that good design is ultimately focused on helping people.  Right now the people of Haiti need help.  For those of us who can, that help means money.  Rather than giving funds to the Haitian government that is a) corrupt and b) not functioning, I chose two charities that I believe will have the most impact.  As a resident of an active earthquake zone, I can only help but send the same help to Haiti that I hope people would send to our area in times of need.

Partners in Health is a non-profit healthcare organization focused on providing medical care and disease prevention and treatment to poor people around the world.  They were part of the first responders to the disaster in Haiti, and they already have facilities and people on the ground.

Donate at www.pih.org

Unfortunately, this disaster was made worse due to poor building design and construction in Port-au-Prince.  Once relief and medical triage is complete over the next few weeks, the hard work will be rebuilding the country.  Architecture for Humanity is a wonderful organization dedicated to making sure Haiti is rebuilt properly and safely.  They organize design professionals from around the world to volunteer their time and knowledge in order to provide the shelter and meeting places that people deserve.

Donate at www.architectureforhumanity.org

Both charities are highly rated by Charity Navigator, which means your money will be going to the right place.

As the decade draws to a close, I hope you and yours are happy, healthy and enjoying good design.  Have a wonderful and prosperous new year.

For those of us that don’t have a budget of thousands to spend on Christmas gifts, here’s a list of goodies that are just as cool.  I like my house to be filled only with the things I love, from chairs to coffee cups to trash cans.  If I don’t enjoy seeing it every day, it doesn’t belong.  These gifts definitely belong.

Bamboo Salad Bowls, $22-64

“Analog Nights” Pillow by Aimee Wilder, $50

Bicycle Wheel Coasters, about $30

Spiegelau Vino Grande White Wine Glasses, $20 for 2

ACF Red Cappuccino Cups, $24 for 2

Lodis F1 Small Billfold, $42

“Objectified” DVD by Gary Hustwit, $20

Tres Tray Tray, $94

Albero Cuckoo Clock, $385

Atomix Fractal Generator, $75

That’s it for now, perhaps more to come in the next few days.  Happy shopping!