Chris Hadfield : Space Oddity music video

Commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield, is now my hero.  Along with having his own YouTube station where he posts videos called "An Astronauts Guide To High Tea" and "Opening A Soda On The Ocean Floor", he has one of the coolest music videos of the year, "Space Oddity".  Amazing.

Second Sight : Bionic Eye

This past fall, LA-based Second Sight was set to debut an FDA-approved bionic eye that's designed to help the 100,000 blind Americans who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa.  After an aspirin-size implant is surgically placed inside an eye and wirelessly linked to video-equipped glasses, once-sightless patients can detect light, differentiate between objects, and even read large print.  "In the lab, we've been able to get one patient up to 20/200 vision," says CEO Robert Greenberg.  "Our long-term goal is to treat blindness overall."

~By Paul Wachter

Fast Company Issue 181

Low Fat Nut Bars

Low Fat Nut Bars

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup almond or sesame seed meal
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup coconut oil (check your local health food store)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of raw honey
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries or blueberries
Method:

1. On a cookie sheet, toast nuts and shredded coconut until golden brown (you may need to shake the tray once or twice to make sure they cook evenly).
2. Once toasted, pour mixture into a food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped and the mixture becomes coarsely ground.
3. In a mixing bowl, melt coconut oil and almond butter (about 20 seconds). Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.
4. Add vanilla extract, honey and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.
5. Fold in nut mixture and almond (or sesame seed) meal until mixed thoroughly.
6. Fold in blueberries/cranberries.
7. Press mixture into an 8 by 4 loaf pan.
8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.
9. Cut “loaf” width wise. Should make 6 good-sized bars.
10. Enjoy! (or, if you don’t plan to eat immediately, you can store the bars in the refrigerator, covered loosely with a paper towel and plastic wrap.

Get the original recipe here.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! The season of hand turkeys!!

Shinola Watches : Dallas Entrepreneur Brings Manufacturing Back to Detroit

By David Brown via KUT
Think of Detroit, and you likely think of a city past its prime.

But while Detroit faces an uphill climb since filing for bankruptcy in July, Heath Carr, CEO of Dallas-based Bedrock Manufacturing, has taken a decidedly bullish perspective on the city: His group is the parent company of Shinola, a company manufacturing American-made watches, bicycles, leather goods and more in the Motor City.

Carr believes that Detroit could be the manufacturing capital for watches in America again.
"We saw the city, the community, the people of Detroit focused on the future," Carr says. "We just said 'we've got to tap into this, if we want to be successful with this story.'"

All Shinola goods are made in the U.S. The watches have gotten attention from distributors like Neiman Marcus to the French boutique Colete. The watches come engraved with "Made in Detroit" on the back.

“We're not anti-anything, this is just pro-manufacturing in the United States," Carr says. “There is a quality that can be made in the U.S., and yes, it's an uphill climb to teach people how to manufacture … [but] there is passion that cannot be replaced by mass consumption.”

 

Homemade Hot Chocolate via Vogue

It's still not very cold here in Texas.  I've put away all my sundresses in favor of sweaters but I have yet to really need them.  However, I have brought out all our cold weather food in full force; such as soup and hot chocolate.  I found this receipe for homemade hot chocolate in the December 2012 issue of Vogue and it sounds delicious.  Must try this soon-preferably with some sort of schnapps.

2 1/4 cup of whole milk

1/4 cup of flat bottled spring water

1/4 cup of super fine sugar

3 1/2 oz (about 3/4 cup) of chopped, dark, bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup of cocoa powder, loosely packed

In a 2 or 3 quart saucepan, stire together the milk, water, and sugar.  Then add a little more sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisk in the chocolate and cocoa powder.  Keep cooking and whisking until the solids have dissolved and then thickened.  Reduce the heat to the very low.  Using an immersion blender in the same pan or pouring the liquid into a standard blender, whirl at high speed for a half-minute or more, until the hot chocolate is thick and foamy.  

 ~from Pierre Herme

photo from theroguenews.com

Vinylize by Tipton Eyeworks

Eyeglass frames handmade in Hungary out of old vinyl records?  Amazing!  I spotted Vinylize frames at a shop in Austin and they were great-cool shapes, well made, super cool story.  Even the cases are made out of 7" records.  Check it out.

  

Vintage Cars

A car that's perfectly in proportion to me-petite.

San Francisco : Foxygen

California duo Foxygen won my heart over with this song. At first I thought it just sounded like a Mamas And The Poppas song but then it grew on me. The video clearly belongs in a Wes Anderson movie-maybe they should at least be friends.

Michelle Williams for Louis Vuitton

I am looking for a signature makeup look. One that is super easy and I can throw on within 5 minutes every morning.  I'm thinking this is an excellent option for the fall.  A little moodier and all lips and brows.

Michelle Williams for the Louis Vuitton campaign photos.