Honorable Mention(s): Brandi Carlile “That Year”

10. Tegan and Sara “Red Belt”

9. Regina Spektor “Two Birds”

8. Jack Penate “Pull My Heart Away”

7. Miike Snow “Animal”

6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Hysteric”

5. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros “Home”

4. The Big Pink “Velvet”

3. Foreign Born “It Grew On You”

2. Phoenix “Girlfriend”

1. Phantogram “Mouthful of Diamonds”

Where the Wild Things Are movie photo

I’m almost as excited about the upcoming movie soundtrack for “Where the Wild Things Are” as I am about the actually movie. It features Arcade Fire and Karen O. Check out the the trailer and sample music on their myspace page.

Built: Cargo Camera Bag (inside view)

Want to get me or any father a cool gift for upcoming Father’s Day… here’s a suggestion: the NEW Built Cargo camera bag. Tah awesome. I have not seen one of these in person, but I like the concept. I’ve gone through several camera bags and its difficult to find the perfect all-in-one solution. But this looks like it would do the job if quick access was top priority. My only concern is the strain you’d get that comes from the majority of shoulder bags. This Retails for $100.

Description from the manufacturer:

Shutterbugs have a reason to rejoice with the debut of the Cargo™ Camera Bag. They’ll love its cool design, but this case doesn’t coast on good looks alone—it’s big enough to hold a large range of SLR cameras and accessories. The two layers of neoprene provide extra protection to keep equipment safe, and the removable Velcro dividers allow for customization every time it’s used. If you’re a budding Ansel Adams, then the Cargo Camera Bag is for you.

Update: Found it at BH Photo for $72.50.

Original Nike Air Trainer Sketch

I love to see other designer’s concepting ideas, especially if its done with a sketchbook. Back in grade school I used to draw my own basketball shoe designs and its still a dream of mine to do someday professionally. Well, Nike recently updated and unvailed its 20 year old Trainer shoe. Time for new shoes.

via coolhunting

UPDATE (6/2/09): actual image below

Amare Stoudamire's shoe

“How Much Should a Web Site Cost?
Determining how much a web site should cost is one of the most frequently asked but rarely answered questions in the web design world. Even now, with millions of web sites online, there exists no magic formula for calculating either the cost of a new web site or the cost of a redesign…”

webpagefx.com article

Otterbox Defender iPhone 3G case

Otterbox Defender iPhone 3G case (back)

When I first got my iPhone this Christmas I had the Power Support’s Air Jacket case on it from day one. It kept the slim form factor but did nothing for protection. I’ve dropped the phone several times, luckily never on concrete. Thankfully it has not gotten damaged cosmetically or mechanically. However at this rate I know my luck’s going to run out eventually, so I decided to get something that offered more protection. After a bit of research I found the Otterbox Defender case. It had good reviews and I found online eBay dealers selling it for $33.

After a few days of use I’ll say that I like the feel of the silicone, but it does attract a lot of lint, crumbs, or whatever else you may have in your pocket. The only other negative I’ll note is that the extra layer of screen protection also makes typing more difficult, which is already fairly difficult to do. With all that said, I’d still recommend the case if protection is your main priority. Lastly, the holster that comes packaged with it makes for a handy stand.

Amazon currently sells it for $34.65, which is about $15 less than the retail price ($50).

Acoustibuds on my iPhone earphones

I’ve been wanting to use the headphones that came included with my iPhone, but could not keep the headphones from falling out. The would fall out with the slightest tug. I remembered Griffin made headphone adapters called “Ear Jams.” I did a quick search on Amazon and found these newly released Acoustibuds instead. So far they’ve worked as advertised. I use them when I work out and they simply don’t come out. Audio quality is improved because of the seal it creates when inserted into the ear canal.

There may be headphones/earphones with the mic functionality that may cost less than these adapters, but I liked the option of adding these to any of my headphones. You can purchase them at Amazon for $12.99. They retail for $19.99 and currently come in black or white colors.

Watchmen - Rorschach

I saw the new Watchmen movie and was not sure what to expect. I read several reviews saying that I may or may not like it. I had not finished reading the comic book, but now that I’ve seen the movie I’m definitely going to finish it. The characters were very interesting and the movie was thought-provoking. My favorite hero, would have to be Rorschach. An undersized nobody who shows size doesn’t matter and sees morality in black and white.

I did like Nite Owl II as well, but could not help but think of him as another Batman copycat. People said the same about Iron Man when that movie came out, and I thought there were enough differences between the two. Nite Owl II is an idealist and probably the most “average” of all the Watchmen in terms of abilities, but with no obvious character flaws. Kind of like the guy that everyone gets along with.

I hope to update this post after I finish reading the comic, which is something I haven’t done since my days in middle school. In the mean time, I’d highly recommend any fan of the action and comic book movie genre to go see this movie.