Budding NYC design darling Victor Vetterlein just unveiled his Reboot concept house over on Dezeen. The structure is completely self-sufficient, complete with solar panels, on-site wind turbines, and a special rooftop drain for collecting (and then recycling) rainwater. You can even control the building's precise internal temperature remotely from a cell phone or computer. All of which means it'll never be built, but should Wes Anderson ever direct a sci-fi film, now he knows who to call to make the set.

Now on view in Japan: XXIst Century Man, a multimedia exhibition curated by pleat-loving designer Issey Miyake. He's assembled works by notables like sculptor Tim Hawkinson and late designer Isamu Noguchi on topics like the environment, fashion, design, and architecture—the last of which includes 25-year-old Koutarou Sekiguchi's enormous masking tape and newspaper tower (pictured). An accompanying magazine, a collaboration between Miyake and the Japanese mag pen, has just made its way across our desk—not quite in time for the exhibit's late-March debut, but with plenty of time to spare before its July closing. (Hey, news of the dead-tree variety still travels slow.) It's a fascinating document, and better yet, it's available for $14 at Manhattan's Issey Miyake boutique—much cheaper than a trip to Tokyo.
XXIst Century Man runs through July 6, 2008, at 21_21 Design Sight, 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, +03-3475-2121, 2121designsight.jp

Menswear trade show Pitti Immagine Uomo is known for its tony traditions, which makes this year's special guest all the more surprising. Eccentric Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck (pictured) will present his 2009 Spring/Summer collection in Florence on June 19. Known for his outré looks and antagonist philosophies (one of his slogans is "Aesthetic terrorists unite!"), Van Beirendonck follows last season's showing by New York designer Adam Kimmel. The latter wasn't exactly a Pitti person either, but at least he produces his clothes in Italy. Van Beirendonck, on the other hand, doesn't—he lives in Antwerp and usually shows in Paris. This will be the first time he's ever shown a collection in the boot.

Shepard Fairey is among the nine designers PC Mag has tapped for Computerlicious, an unfortunately named (if well-intentioned) charity auction of one-of-a-kind laptops. (Other participants include G-Unit cofounder Coltrane Curtis and graffiti artist James De La Vega.) Fairey's contribution (pictured) is based on his famed Peace Ornament and Zapatista Woman designs, and the current bid is $1,025—only 300 bucks more than the cost of the computer underneath, a plain ol' Hewlett Packard ZT1000. All proceeds go to the National Cristina Foundation, which donates used PCs to schools and nonprofits.

[via Gizmodo]

Some of the first and finest Ferraris ever produced will go on sale at the marque's Maranello factory on May 18. The star of RM Auctions' Ferrari: Leggenda e Passione is a 1961 250 GT SWB Spyder California (pictured) that belonged to tough-guy actor James Coburn. Estimated at $4.6 to $5.9 million, it's considered one of the most beautiful and valuable Ferraris ever made. (Coburn used to race it around the Hollywood Hills with his pal Steve McQueen.) Also on offer: a 1951 Inter Coupe PF 512 that director Roberto Rossellini bought as an anniversary present for his wife, Ingrid Bergman ($1-$1.3 million); and, on the more modern end, a 2004 Enzo made for a member of a Middle Eastern royal family—the only example ever produced in gray ($1.2-$1.5 million). If that's a little out of your range, there's also plenty of Ferrari memorabilia on offer, from blueprints to carburetors. Can't wait until Sunday? The house is taking bids now.

Opening tomorrow: the inaugural edition of the New York Photo Festival, a large-scale exhibition that celebrates the still image, curated by industry vets like Martin Parr and Lesley Martin. Works on display include everything from prints by recent MFA grads to a slew from more established photographers, like Roger Ballen's Fragments and Jan Kempenaers' Spomenik (pictured), taken of a Communist monument in the former Yugoslavia. (At around 75,000 square feet, the space promises a comprehensive look at the current state of the medium, with an eye directed to its future.) The event also includes panel discussions with featured artists, Ballen and Kempenaers among them, not to mention workshops and reviews. In other words, it's time to get your portfolio together.
Through May 18, nyphotofestival.com

Score one for corporate synergy: Fortune reports Pixar's upcoming Wall-E will star Eve, an iMac-like robot created by Apple design guru Jonathan Ive. The collaboration's no shocker given Pixar was founded by Steve Jobs (who is also Disney's largest shareholder), and comes after last year's Ratatouille featured appetizing meals created, of course, by Thomas Keller.

[via Gizmodo]

Misery doesn't always love company: Heartbroken workers at Japan's Hime & Co. can now get up to three days off to mourn the demise of their relationships. Employees of the PR firm can request "heartache leave," reports The Telegraph—though no one has actually taken the time yet. Duration varies by age: Workers in their early 20s can take a day, those in their mid-20s get two, and those 30 and up receive three. What if Miss Last Night isn't returning your texts? No word, but we wouldn't bank on anything longer than a coffee break.

Microsoft's Worldwidetelescope.org launches today, offering free downloadable software that allows even the most armchair-trapped astronomer to peruse the universe. The program functions as a virtual telescope that enables users to zoom in on far-flung corners of the galaxy. The rub? It's not live—the images have been cobbled together from varying times in the past. Still, it beats sitting around and waiting for the Science Channel's next Cosmos marathon.

Criterion Collection continues to support late director Louis Malle by issuing two of his great early films on DVD: The Lovers (Les Amants) and The Fire Within (Le Feu Follet). The former skewers fifties bourgeois morality with its tale of an unabashedly adulterous wife (Malle favorite Jeanne Moreau); the latter examines a day in the life of a man (Maurice Ronet) as he considers suicide. Uplifting? No, not exactly. Still, Malle was a master of tone and has been too little appreciated out of the most cloistered film circles. These beauties—with newly translated subtitles, newly restored hi-def transfers, and loads of extras—are what Netflix was made for.

Philippe Starck's "retirement" seems to be going about as well as Jay-Z's: He's just unveiled his first line of outdoor furniture, dubbed RobinWood. As you might guess, the collection is inspired by the prince of thieves, and looks-wise, the sustainable teak and polished-aluminum pieces are more Flynn than Costner. They include a canopy bed and chairs with names like Marian, Loxley, and Lil' John. (No, not this one.) And despite the name, the prices are more suitable for King Richard than for Merry Men.
RobinWood Deluxe, $1,650 to $2,350, available from David Sutherland Showroom, 1025 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, (214) 742-6501, davidsutherlandshowroom.com

[via Luxist]

The pop-art provocateur died last night at age 82. In his honor, we present this video of him working on a 1986 Art Car for BMW, the sixth in the carmaker's pioneering series of artist collaborations. (It later inspired his six-part Beamer film series.) Check it out below—and dig those vertical stripes:

HBO's long-rumored deal with iTunes has finally gone official. The marquee shows—i.e., The Sopranos and Deadwood—will go for a premium three bucks an episode, but you can watch the rest for the standard $2 per show. In other words, you can download every episode of The Wire for $120—a bargain compared to the DVDs, which go for $50 per season. Suddenly we feel a sick day coming on...
iTunes.com

NYC and Tokyo apartment dwellers, take note: The Fractal 23 bureau is a space-saver if ever we've seen one. Designed by Takeshi Miyakawa, the plywood chest (named, presumably, after the number of drawers) made its debut at this weekend's BKLYN DESIGNS festival and uses every cubic inch for storage. And given that it's only 28 inches tall to begin with, you'll need all the space you can get.

[Core 77]

Death Cab for Cutie's latest, Narrow Stairs, comes out today, and finds the college rock heroes treading familiar territory—with a twist. This time they're worried about growing up: "My old clothes don't fit like they once did/So they hang like ghosts/Of the people I've been," sings frontman Ben Gibbard on "You Can Do Better Than Me." Most likely to age you? The overlong, eight-and-a-half-minute lead single, "I Will Possess Your Heart," below:

If Death Cab is a mite too precious, revisit the glory years with Iron Maiden, whose Somewhere Back in Time, also out today, collects the band's best from the eighties. Those were fruitful years for the metal giants, who have dealt with more aging than the indie favorites above—and rocked right through it.