I can't recall if I've posted about TENDRIL before or not (though, the archives say no) but their motion and animation work has been catching my eye for a little while now. If you're impressed by Composition in Red (you should be) then be sure to watch their 2011 Showreel (and the S/M/L piece).. some absolutely out of control greatness there.

I know nothing of this New Zealand Havana Bar but you can be sure that I absolutely scrolled through every section of their site. They've got the crazy vertical parallax scrolling down, well designed panels throughout and a great use of huge photography and type. It actually seems borderline too much but doesn't quite cross it. Kudos to Inject Design for a job very well done.

It's a shame that Gunpoint is still a game in progress because this After watching the mini-walkthrough got me rather excited to play it immediately. It's a bit of a puzzle game, a bit of a spy adventure and quite a bit nerdy overall. If you read through the production blog you get a lot of insight from developer Tom Francis and his decision making process - not a frivolous process by any means. It's the sort of thing I'd hope to be covered on Venus Patrol, whenever that launches.

Long story short, watch this video and then keep your eye on the Gunpoint site for an actual release date.

There's something calming about Sturgeon's Law; that states that "ninety percent of everything is crap." In that simple statement you can be reminded to find some solace in knowing that there's always been a deluge of media, creations, news reporting, etc. and it's, mostly, crap. It's also a nice bit of inspiration to strive to be part of the 10% that isn't crap.

via Mr. Sundwall.

I was talking with Jed yesterday and he sent me the following videos that break down two voting systems - First Past the Post and The Alternative Vote in an incredibly simplistic and insightful way. The concepts are easy to understand and, with election season really gearing up, it's a topic worth pondering.

• The Problem with First Past the Post Voting - this is the system we currently use; whoever gets the most votes wins. This will, eventually, lead to a two party system and plenty of disgruntled voters.
• The Alternative Vote - a potential alternative method of voting that would allow for some fallback candidate selection. It's certainly not perfect but the way it is presented, it does seem better.

Both videos are embedded above, so just hit play and let them roll that potential education into your mind!

Yesterday the Internet was all abuzz about the release of the newest version of Path; a "smart journal that helps you share life with the ones you love." In essence, it is a social network with bits of familiar ideas from the likes of Facebook / Twitter / Evernote, etc. However, it doesn't strike me as derivative in the least - it's just that "sharing" is a common thread among all those services; which is Path's aim as well. Everyone seems to agree that this latest version of the application is a huge step forward in terms of design, UI and UX - it's incredibly intuitive, nice to look at and easy to get rolling with.

Even if you have no interest in joining another service in which you post photos or location updates (understandable) I do suggest grabbing the app (Android and iPhone) just to check out what they've created.

Little Printer is an adorable little thermal printer that ties into a smartphone app and prints out well designed mini-newspapers containing social updates, calendar reminders, news subscriptions, puzzles and more. This video shows off the basic concept quite well.

There's no denying that this little guy would be a cute addition to your desk. The tie-in with the smartphone app seems like a great way to supply it with data and the physical thermal paper has its merits. However, there is a part of me that can't help but think it feels a little wasteful - particularly since all the data it's printing off is already right there, on your phone, not wasting paper. Maybe it's a drop in the bucket not worth worrying about but it was the only aspect of the litte guy that gave me pause. Otherwise, seems like a hit!

Did you know that Google+ has a What's Hot stream of items? I'm guessing there is some algorithm of aggregating popular shares and compiling them all in one stream (though it'd be great if it was personally curated). One such item is this repository of Most Creative & Beloved Street Art Photos.It's a lot of images so it can be a bit overwhelming to take it all in but if you've got a few moments I suggest having a peek as you wouldn't want to miss various gems.

via Jamie.

Some of you may know that, for a time, I worked as the web guy at Spongebath Records. If you've heard of that label it is likely due to being familiar with the band Self, a band that hasn't had a whole lot of output since roughly 2000. A few singles here and there but, on the whole, silence. Today marks another one of those blips of output with the release of Looks and Money; a "distorto-ditty about fast women." You can snag it on iTunes or Amazon. It's no full-length record but it's nice to imagine that this is the beginning of something more substantial on the horizon.

The folks at Canvas Pop will print your Instagram photos on a 12x12 or 20x20 canvas - for a ridiculously fair introductory price. I can't vouch for the actual quality on the printing but the idea of a stretched canvas bearing a faux vintage photo seems pretty legit to me. Turn your Instagram photos into magnets with Stickygram. I've been told that the results are both top notch and subpar from two different sources so I imagine the truth lies somewhere in the middle - good enough for a magnet! You can't really balk at the price either - $15 for 9 magnets is a helluva deal. Get a handy 7x7 book filled with Instagram photos courtesy of Blurb for just $11. Not too shabby. The layout is pretty tame (to say the least) but that's probably better than trying to create some randomized, imaginative layout that would end up being more distracting than anything. They kept it simple. Could definitely be a nice way to preserve those shots.

This repository of various work from Kilian Eng is blowing my mind - large doses 70's sci-fi, contemporary anime styles and surreal other worlds all perfectly combined. Once you're done perusing that gallery and find yourself ready for more - check out all the other equally impressive galleries, the blog and his vimeo. Marking myself down as a Super Fan from this point on.

Thanks to Brandonnnn I ran across these prints from Scott Benson and was immediately smitten. The Christmas themed cards (Krampus, Gryla, Tio De Nadal and Yule Goat) hail from traditions the world over - educational and visually intriguing! There's also a whole smattering of larger prints of Cats Reading, Animals Dancing, Adventurers Adventuring and Spacemen Floating. All of these are available for sale in his shop and I believe every single one would be a welcome gift to anyone in your life (or a special treat to yourself).

Brad McGinty has a rather outlandish story regarding these 1955 Christmas Cards developed by his grandfathers failed greeting card company. Whatever the source of the cards (and their silly origin story), the results are phenomenal - a terrifying cross section of Santa and his Celebration Bowels. There's a lot to see in the detail, so go zoom in.

From a conceptual standpoint, I love the Lockitron; a combination of specially powered lock, an iphone app and some ingenuity. Basically it enables you to unlock / lock your home / office from your phone and share special codes to give friends access to entry as well. That last bit is the real kicker - the key copying industry should be quaking in their boots! The reality of the situation is a little scarier - as you house could actually be hacked for access, or a power outage could prevent you from gaining access on your own.. not to mention the terrible scenario that arises when you forget your phone and lock the door behind you.

Regardless, the concept is rather alluring and I love the NFC version - seems like your house could "see" you coming and unlock itself for you.

Somewhat Related: Start Your Car With Siri

I am going to assume at this point in time that you've already got your hands on the first two packs of royalty-free vector icons called Picons. What I will not assume is that you are aware that they've released a third set of imagery for your various needs. I am a huge fan of these icons and highly suggest everyone snag them.

Recently, Drew launched the site for his big new project - Whisky Blender. The site allows you to create your own mix of blended whisky, apply a customized label and have it shipped to you in a beautiful looking bottle. Go check out the Lab interface, maybe educate yourself on blended whisky or just browse existing blends.

Long story short, this is a great gift idea for anyone out there looking for something for their favorite Whisky Appreciator.

No explanation really needed for this Seconds of Beauty compilation but for those interested in a little background info its actually part one (of three) from this Montblanc Video Challenge in which users are requested to submit video demonstrating beauty in a second of film. Twenty videos from each of the three compilations will be shortlisted and then a grand prize will be selected by Daniel.

The Szpilman Award is awarded to works that exist only for a moment or a short period of time. The purpose of the award is to promote such works whose forms consist of ephemeral situations.

While it may sound a bit pretentious on the surface the contenders for the award are actually quite engaging. Have a look at the 2011 nominees and tell me you don't enjoy that Peter Szabo piece! Or the Berndnaut Smilde Cloud from 2010 - unbelievable.

HT Radiolab.

Since it is now absolutely time for you to get serious about Christmas it seems like a great time to have a peek at the annual Cool Hunting 2011 Gift Guide. As usual, it's filled with inspired ideas for yourself or for others around you. I'm a fan of the DIY Globe Kit or Constellation Maps but there's something for everyone swimming around in there. Oh, and the site deploys bottomless scrolling so as long as you can handle shopping, it will continue to serve you items to look at.

HT Falfa.

Hawk gave me the heads up on this Twine Project from Supermechanical. The team has successfully raised a load of funds for a device that would enable any number of devices in your life to interact with you via text, tweet or email. Examples include notifications when laundry is done, or an alert when your basement floods or just about anything you can think of. "Compact, low-power hardware and real-time web software work together to make networked physical computing simple and versatile."

If you find yourself saying you have no need for a tweet when your laundry is done I totally understand but that's just a simplified example. The potential with this thing seems quite grand and you've got 36 more days to pre-order one.