COOL NEWS

Monopoly: The Godfather Collector’s Edition

Like Monopoly but bored of the straight-laced content? Ever wanted to whack someone but didn’t want to go to jail? Then Godfather Monopoly is for you. I’m Italian and I’m not offended by this. In fact, this is really awesome. I’m a big fan of the mini cannoli game piece. I mean, it’s a mini cannoli!

You can buy this amazing game for $40 here.

Make your opponent an offer for their property that they can’t refuse! Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the original Godfather movie! Enter the world of The Godfather Collector’s Edition of Monopoly, where you “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” Buy, sell and trade your way through the most memorable locations from The Godfather movie trilogy. Buy a stake in Moe Green’s Casino or take over the Corleone Lake Tahoe Estate as you work your way to the top in the “family business.” And as you wheel and deal around the board, from the Woltz Mansion to the legitimate Genco Import Company, remember to “make them an offer they can’t refuse.” For ages 8 and up. Game is playable with 2 to 6 players. There are 6 collectible tokens include Horse’s Head, Dead Fish, Tommy Gun, Cannoli, Genco Olive Oil, and The Don’s Limo. Ages 8 and up.

Pantone Tootbrushes

Ever notice how brushing your teeth can be so uneventful, and you never notice your toothbrush? You now can coordinate your bathroom with your main tooth apparatus in all your modernism glory.

You can buy a minimalist Pantone toothbrush for $14 here.

IKEA Cardboard Digital Camera

IKEA is taking names and kicking asses. First, a all-in-one sleek white modern TV set and console. Now, a low-cost digital camera made out of cardboard. While most people use their smartphones as digital cameras, the new IKEA camera could be really fun to be surprised as to what photos you’ve taken. We’re so used to instant gratification that we forget how much pleasure can be derived by waiting.

From ckck:

Seems like IKEA are really shaking things up this year. In addition to the previously announced TV set, they’re also going to release a digital camera made of cardboard called Knäppa (“Snap”). It’ll hold 40 photographs at a time and plugs directly into your USB port. While it’s not the prettiest camera the world has ever seen, I do love the idea of a screen-less digital camera that brings people back to the wait-and-see days of film.

The Recipe For Writing Success? Kill Your Characters

“Of the handful of books that won the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2011, all 13 novels had the common theme of putting to death main characters… it’s a lot like the plot of Will Ferrell’s Stranger Than Fiction… everyone knows the story won’t be as good without a solid death.”

Related: Roger Ebert on Writing

Source: kayfabe

The Brooklyn Nets logo

“It looks like a Bentley.” That’s what my co-worker said when I asked her what she thought about the new Brooklyn Nets logo. Keeping that in mind it’s not that hard to imagine that Jay-Z created the new logo then. It’s just natural - hip hop, basketball, and expensive luxury cars just go hand-in-hand nowadays.

Jay-Z is a master at branding. I’m pretty sure he knew that the new logo was evoking Bentley when he created it. This way, regardless of how the team does, you’ll always have a sense that they’re a quality team because of the subliminal advertising of the logo. BOOM.

The new primary logo – created by Brooklyn’s own JAY Z – retains the shield from its previous iteration, and adds that iconic Brooklyn ‘B’ to the basketball that has been part of every logo since the franchise’s 1967 inception as the Americans. The Dodgers had their lettermark, and the Nets have added another model for the borough to bear. “Brooklyn,” of course, is spelled out below. Nets CEO Brett Yormark called this “the new badge for Brooklyn,” and JAY Z believes the design’s boldness demonstrates confidence in the new direction.

(via NETS: Brooklyn, Wait No More)

Crystal Head vodka

Buy it for $48 here.

River Country, The Abandoned Disney Theme Park

kayfabe happened upon an interesting tidbit concerning abandoned amusement parks and, of all places, Disney. Our own love of abandoned parks was taken to a new level when one was prominently featured in Netflix’s Lillyhammer. Kay recounts what he found:

I heard about River Country after listening to episode 2 of FEaB and my love for all places abandoned (and theme parks) led me on a Google search. I found these two photo journals of the Disney waterpark that’s been closed since 2001.

It was described as an “old-fashioned swimming hole”. The original working title before being changed was “Pop’s Willow Grove” and featured a sandy bottom and unique water filtering system using confluent water from adjacent Bay Lake, which was dammed off creating a natural-looking man-made lagoon.

On FEoB, Matt Mira said that River Country was closed due to new laws where water can’t come in from a natural source, but I couldn’t find a definite answer.

There are several theories for the closing of River Country.  Even though the park was popular during the hot summer months, the majority of the water was unheated.  Because of this, River Country would often close for refurbishment in early fall when it became cooler or it would be closed during the middle of the week.

Rising admission prices and the addition of two larger water parks on Disney property may have made many visitors feel that River Country was no longer a good value for the price of a ticket compared to the limited number of things to do there. [source]

Regardless, River Country still exists albeit closed off. I imagine many people still sneak in, though. Especially after hearing this disturbing fact:

Reports suggest that music, plumbing, and electricity are still on within the abandoned park.

Related: The Abandoned Joyland Amusement Park

In The Godfather Trilogy, the camera lingers over 20 times on oranges. Some interpreted this presence as an indication of imminent death or danger for the character interacting with the fruit. “It started out as an accident”, said Coppola in DVD commentaries, “but once we realized we had used oranges so frequently in the first movie, we used them purposefully in the others.” 
The saga ends with Michael dying, an orange in his hand. [x]

Memory Weights by Shu Chun Hsiao

The thought of equating the weight of digital files with their size is intriguing. Similarly, seeing a file folder icon actually fill up as you fill it up is another ‘digital as physical’ concept. Shu Chun Hsiao’s Memory Weights are literally the weight of your world.

The cemented usb drive tells the digital capacity by its weight. A concrete volume may clearly express the concept of digital data.

Lego Camera Obscura by Sabino for Lollapalooza Chile:

A few weeks ago Lego told me they were sponsoring Lollapalooza Chile festival, and they asked if I had any ideas for the kids area. We ended up doing a little workshop where kids could learn how to assemble cameras obscuras (pinhole cameras) with Legos, along with a little talk about how cameras work. We had a great time and kids loved them, haha.

Knucklecase

For $99 you can protect your phone from more than just cracks and scratches. Now would-be thieves will think twice about robbing your phone. Also, it’ll make you look less geeky and a bit badass.

Buy it here.

Interesting & unique advertisement by Republique Beirut that turns normal mirrors into large oversized sunglasses, thus addressing young Lebanese’ typical behavior of when they go out: their desire to be watched. Reinforcing this message is the literal writing on the wall, “Be Seen”.

“You took my name” is a series of paintings that strip famous logos back to their basic graphic forms. This has created pieces that are artworks in their own right. 

Many of these brands have become ingrained in people’s minds due to constant exposure to them. It’s not hard to see others in this series. Hopefully they add more soon, in addition to pieces that the public can purchase.