Friday, April 30, 2010

burned hotel right next to CCTV Rem building.  Texture of the hotel kind a cool.  Wonder who designed it.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Hpalm

Spanish pavilion at Expo Shanghai. 

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I am in Shanghai and happen to be expo is here.  The UK one to me the best.  North Korea has a bit different vision.

WTB=water terrain bike.  Whack?

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Ando Tadao might be doing some architecture and monument at Banshanbandao, Chinese apartment complex.  These monument looks interesting but somehow does not look like designed by him.

Tight height of 69 Porsche 911T.  The best era.

Matte Aston !!  Someday the matte will go out of style but for now it is a hype in me.

Probably true but I try not to hate but learn.

Alfa Zagato in fresh.  tight stance.

DIY-ing matte black themselves.  Tight.  I once heard that all German creamy yellow cab are done with films....

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Street mkt in Xiamen

Via Pre+

Peeled clams at Xiamen street mkt.

Via Pre+

Xiamen market

Via Pre+

My hotel in Xiamen is Gold!

Via Pre+

Xiamen market kid on a cart, woman selling duck in behind.

Via Pre+

Xiamen market

Via Pre+

Deep water fish food chain.  Only in China. Xiamen.

Via Pre+

Xiamen Catfish car

Via Pre+

Zagato is back on game with this design!  Little retro but their strategy to do new all failed so I take this direction.

Huge continuos roof at Beijing airport.

Via Pre+

New architectual exhibit at SFO.  Nice models.

Friday, April 23, 2010



Persian food in Cupertino. Kebab was typically good but Tilapia fish was surprise.
Lunch was cheap from $7 and volume is good.

Arya Global Cuisine
www.aryarestaurant.com
19930 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 996-9606

Man, HTC designers are having fun with the ID. and that's is a great feeling.

Man, HTC designers are having fun with the ID. and that's is a great feeling.

Nice Colonial building near Face Hazara Indian restaurant in Shanghai.
Face Hazara
Ruijin Er Lu 118, ShanghaiLocationRuijin Hotel, Building 4, LuwanPhone021/6466-4328
http://www.facebars.com/ch/shanghai/restaurant/Hazara-indian/

Thursday, April 22, 2010


did we have muscle car in japan? i can't remember...

wow Porsche Taxi

A lady watching TV in Sudan. less is more. More is poor.
Nice one from 1101 Itoi again.

 
・ใ„ใพใ”ใ‚ใซใชใฃใฆ、ใพใ 、
 ๅ…ˆๆ—ฅ่ฉฆๅ†™ไผšใง่ฆณใŸ『ใƒˆใ‚คใƒฌใƒƒใƒˆ』ใจใ„ใ†ๆ˜ ็”ปใฎใ“ใจใ‚’、
 ๆ€ใ„ๅ‡บใ—ใฆใ„ใพใ™。
 ใ‚ˆใ‹ใฃใŸใ‚ˆใชใ、ใจ、
 ใกใ‚‡ใฃใจไธญ็ฉบใ‚’่ฆ‹ใฆ็ฌ‘้ก”ใซใชใ‚‹。
 ใใ‚“ใชใตใ†ใชๆ˜ ็”ปใงใ—ใŸ。
 
 ใผใใฏ、ๆ˜ ็”ปใ‚„ใ‚‰ๆœฌใ‚„ใ‚‰ใฎใ“ใจใ‚’ๆ›ธใใจใใซใฏ、
 ๅŸบๆœฌ็š„ใซใ„ใ„ใ“ใจใ‚’่จ€ใ„ใพใ™。
 ๆฌ ็‚นใ‚’่จ€ใ‚ใ–ใ‚‹ใ‚’ๅพ—ใชใ„ๆฎ‹ๅฟตใชๆ˜ ็”ปใ‚„ๆœฌใซใคใ„ใฆใฏ、
 ๆ›ธใ‹ใชใ„ใ“ใจใซใ—ใฆใ„ใพใ™。
 ใ ใ„ใŸใ„、ใฉใ‚“ใชๆ˜ ็”ปใ‚‚、ๆœฌใ‚‚、
 ่ฆณใ‚ˆใ†ใซใ‚ˆใฃใฆใฏ「ใ„ใ„ใจใ“ใ‚」ใŒ่ฆ‹ใคใ‹ใ‚Šใพใ™。
 ใพใฃใŸใ「ใ„ใ„ใจใ“ใ‚」ใฎใชใ„ๆ˜ ็”ปใชใ‚“ใฆ、
 ๅญ˜ๅœจใ—ใชใ„ใจๆ€ใ„ใพใ™。
 ใ ใ‹ใ‚‰、ใชใซใ‹ๆ–‡ๅฅใ‚’ใคใ‘ใŸใ„ๆ˜ ็”ปใ‚„ๆœฌใจใ„ใ†ใฎใฏ、
 ใผใใŒ「ใ„ใ„ใจใ“ใ‚」ใ‚’็™บ่ฆ‹ใ—ใใ‚Œใชใ‹ใฃใŸใ‚‚ใฎใงใ™。
 ใใ†ใ„ใ†ใจใใฏ、ใผใใฏ็ดนไป‹ใ‚’้ ๆ…ฎใ™ใ‚‹ใ“ใจใซใ—ใฆใพใ™。

 ใ‚ใใพใงใ‚‚ๅŽŸๅ‰‡ใงใฏใ‚ใ‚‹ใฎใงใ™ใŒ、
 ใผใใฏ、ใจใ„ใ†ใ‹、「ใปใผๆ—ฅ」ใฏ、
 「ใ“ใฎไบบใฏใ‘ใ—ใ‹ใ‚‰ใ‚“」ใจใ„ใ†ใ‚ˆใ†ใชใ“ใจใ‚‚ๆ›ธใใพใ›ใ‚“。
 「ใ„ใ„ใชใ」ใจๆ€ใˆใ‚‹ไบบใฎใ“ใจใฐใ‹ใ‚Šใ‚’ๆ›ธใใพใ™。
 ใ‚ใ–ใ‚ใ–「ใ‘ใ—ใ‹ใ‚‰ใ‚“ไบบ」ใฎใ“ใจใ‚’ๆ›ธใ„ใŸใจใ—ใฆใ‚‚、
 ใใฎไบบใฏ、ใ‘ใ—ใ‹ใ‚‰ใ‚“้ƒจๅˆ†ใ‚’็›ดใ™ใฏใšใฏใชใ„ใงใ™ใ—、
 「ใ„ใ„ใชใ」ใ‚’ๆŽขใ—ใฆใ„ใ‚‹ใ ใ‘ใงใ‚‚、ๅฟ™ใ—ใ„ใงใ™ใ‹ใ‚‰ใญ。

Interesting article on Nokia designer from NYT.
~~~~~

IN 2006, Frank Nuovo was 45 — “boom!” he says, “five more years to 50!” — and at the top of his game. Except for one thing: “I’d kind of lost my soul.”

Monica Almeida/The New York Times
For Nokia, Frank Nuovo oversaw cellphone design for the mass market. For Vertu, he creates diamond-studded and other phones with high bling factors.
As chief of design at Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone supplier, Mr. Nuovo presided over a huge team that brought 250 products and accessories to market each year. Among many other things, he was credited with inventing removable face plates, those colorful accessories that turn a phone into a personal fashion statement.

A sought-after public speaker, Mr. Nuovo logged about 200,000 miles a year on planes and was often interviewed by journalists, one of whom, in a profile in The New Yorker, called him “the Henry Ford — or at least the Calvin Klein — of cellular communication.”

But something wasn’t right. Everybody’s heard of the Peter Principle, the idea that organizations tend to promote people to one level beyond their competency. But what do you call an almost-opposite phenomenon, when a person is promoted to the highest heights and excels at that altitude, but is left feeling empty? Whatever you call it, that’s what Mr. Nuovo was experiencing.

“It was painful. Being chief of design at Nokia was a dream job, and I had so much invested,” he says, describing the creative crossroads at which he found himself. But when it came to hands-on design, he recalls, “I was talking about it rather than doing it. And I needed to go back to doing it before I talked about it anymore.”

So, four years ago, a few days after his 45th birthday, Mr. Nuovo stepped down — or up, depending on your point of view. Immediately, he set about re-educating himself, mastering new design tools, like Rhinoceros for modeling and Photoshop, that had become essential in the years he’d been busy with administration and corporate strategy. With Nokia’s blessing, he also became a full-time champion of Vertu, a subsidiary he had set in motion in 1998 and had been nurturing ever since.

Mr. Nuovo says Vertu, a maker of cellphones so high-end that he calls them “communication devices,” made him whole again.

Some may mock the idea that Mr. Nuovo relocated his soul by devoting himself to creating status symbols for the world’s richest people. Vertu phones, after all, are made of gold, platinum, titanium and stainless steel. Some are wrapped in hand-tooled leather and ostrich skin or set with pavรฉ diamonds. Depending on their bling factor, most Vertu phones retail from $5,000 to $25,000. (Special editions start at $80,000; one sculpted gold-and-sapphire phone sold for more than $325,000.)

To ponder Vertu’s ruby bearings and laser-cut ceramic keys is to imagine Thorstein Veblen, the Norwegian-American sociologist and economist, thrashing about in his grave. In his 1899 book, “The Theory of the Leisure Class,” he coined the term “conspicuous consumption” to describe how people, rich or poor, acquire cool stuff to impress and to establish a pecking order. To this guy, even silver flatware seemed like wretched excess. Veblen would surely have seen Vertu as too-too.

One tech blog could have been channeling Veblen when it declared: “Overkill, thy name is Vertu.” But Mr. Nuovo, an amiable Californian who lives in Bel Air and tends to wear black blazers over black T-shirts, rejects that critique. Beautiful objects are desirable, he says. And as objects go, the cellphone is increasingly more ubiquitous than those old lions of luxury, fancy pens and wristwatches.

Vertu won’t release sales figures, but Mr. Nuovo says the company — which has more than 80 boutiques in cities like Tokyo, Dubai, Milan, Las Vegas and London and is opening one on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in May — is plenty profitable, even in these tight times.

“The watch is disappearing. And everybody in the world is walking around with these,” he says on a recent afternoon, spreading an assortment of cellphones — all of them Nokias or Vertus of his own making — on a table at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., where he was once a student.

If it is politically incorrect to have a finely constructed phone, Mr. Nuovo asks, “does that mean we are forever banished to bits of plastic?”

Not if he has anything to say about it. And this is the foundation of his happiness today: he has everything to say about Vertu. As the company’s creative director and principal designer, he can execute on a single vision — his own.

“I made it very clear when I hired for this,” Mr. Nuovo says, recalling how he assembled his team. “I said: ‘You know what, this is going to be a dictatorship creatively. You can all contribute. But I’m not holding back.’” Vertu, based in Hampshire, England, has 600 employees.

The results of his unbridled self-expression are undeniably satisfying artifacts. Vertu phones feel good in the hand. They’re just heavy enough to connote solidity, but not so heavy that they drag down your jacket pocket. They flip open with a slow, exacting movement. Their ringtone — a custom-made ditty that he calls Sandpiper — is the opposite of shrill.

Even if you start off a skeptic, as I did, you can’t help but acknowledge that, like Montblanc pens or Rolex watches, Vertu phones offer something seductive — “addictive!” Mr. Nuovo says. You don’t need one, of course. But you might just want one.

Mr. Nuovo, meanwhile, got what he wanted: a new connection to his creative mojo. Early next year, he says, he will show another side of what that mojo can do, teaming up with a Swedish company to start the F.Nuovo Collection, a line of premium travel accessories informed by the nearly four million miles that he’s traveled on Nokia and Vertu business over the last 20 years.

Talk about R & D — Mr. Nuovo estimates that he’s spent more than a year of his life in the air. While it’s too early to give details, he says, he is sure of one thing: his new collection will be functional and beautiful. With not a bit of plastic in sight.

E-mail: proto@nytimes.com.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010


even more transparent bit. Nissan Z .

transparent clip

hong kong: forest bird store. Got to visit next time.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010




Yoshioka Tokujin at Milano Salone for Kartell. This exhibition might not be as good as one he had a few years ago in Miami when he used millions of straw but similar style. Wish I can see this in person. Go Tokujin go.

Beautiful after rain sky in San Jose


Nao Tamura saucer? from Milano Salone. Nice texture and color.

Monday, April 19, 2010


is this next e-class wagon? help us!!

Pedals of Toyota LFA. No carpet sticking problem here.

Ducati new Monster. When it came out, it created new naked genre but this one is going more toward Motard which is better designed bike to my view.

This morning I saw pure white Porsche Panamera and it was nice but matte black, i dont know...

Aha, that is why some Porsche started to put fakey sticker there...

New Citroen concept rendering. Looking like BMW. Where is your DS spirit?

we often do one continuous sketch without looking at paper. Maya did my face and I like it.

My baby on retro sofa

Rescue workers in Iceland cleaning ashes. I always admire their uniform. Vivid but very good design. How can not Japanese learn from them?

Sunday, April 18, 2010


Hook by Jean Nouvel. Wall shelving system. I always like what he design. Once went to see his exhibit in Tokyo and it was very well done in dark setting and consistent horizontal image theme.