Whatever you do this weekend, do not plunk down $300 on a bottle of cognac. Better to wait till September, when Rémy Martin introduces its Grande Champagne 1989, the first single-vintage released in the U.S. in more than 40 years. We were lucky enough to get an advance taste of the stuff, which comes in a bottle that's been hand-dipped in wax, and can safely say it was worth the wait. The supple, amber liquid goes down unbelievably smoothly, with hints of vanilla and clove, and an unparalleled richness. Or, as one of our more eloquent testers put it, "Wow, this stuff is really fucking good."

$300, available this September, remy.com

Sub Pop has given the world everything from Nirvana's Bleach to the Postal Service's Give Up (not to mention TAD's 8-Way Santa, but we digress). This weekend marks the label's 20th anniversary, and to celebrate they've lined up a series of charity shows in Seattle. Comedians including David Cross, Eugene Mirman, and Kristen Schaal perform tonight, and Sub Poppers like Flight of the Conchords, Wolf Parade, and No Age hit the stage Saturday and Sunday. The label has even brewed a special T-shirt-inspired beer, Loser Pale Ale, for the occasion, which will be available at all the venues and select local retailers. Here's hoping they're around for 20 more; as the early Sub Pop video for Nirvana's "In Bloom," shows, weird they may be, but they're rarely less than compelling.

For more information on events and venues, visit subpop.com

Presumably for those who prefer to order off the menu, Ferrari is inviting customers to design their own custom-made 612 Scagliatti (pictured). The company's One-to-One program, which has been in the works for a while, allows the wealthy, fussy few to burn cash by choosing every detail and accessory of their car at a sort of atelier in Maranello. (Cost: about $3.2 million.) Now news breaks that Ferrari's entertaining the idea of letting buyers actually design their own series. User-generated cars? Not quite: The vehicles' chassis, engine, and airbag are chosen by Ferrari, and the company's stipulated that it will not produce SUVs, station wagons, or sedans. There are, thankfully, limits to everything.

[Luxury Insider]

For Radiohead's ode to key parties, "House of Cards," the band decided to make a video in a most unusual way—with frickin' lasers, rather than a boring ol' camera. All kidding aside, it actually sounds pretty cool: The 64 lasers capture footage while rotating 360 degrees more than 900 times a minute. That said, Thom Yorke and co. appear to be paying an early-adopter premium: The video has yet to go online, thanks to technical delays.

[Pitchfork]

Presented with raised eyebrow: The Flee digital camera, a Nerf-ish contraption designed to take photographs once it's launched into the air. (Pricing and availability are TBA, naturally.) Like almost everything else currently being produced on earth, it's Bluetooth-enabled, so the photos you end up with—likely of large expanses of sky—can be sent directly to your phone. The Flee is the brainchild of designer Hakan Bogazpinar, to whom we say, good job. We think.

[Oh Gizmo!]

This weekend, Italy's oldest bike rally makes its stateside debut. The Motogiro festival begins tonight in Monterey, California, and includes nine days of racing (of course), lectures on motorcycle design, and, um, a fashion show. Participants include Vespa, Ruby Pavillion (whose helmets are sold at Colette), and Ducati (pictured), which will present a full line of sportswear for men and women. The clothes include driving gloves and leather jackets, and continue a curious trend—fashion collections from vehicle makers. (See also: Volvo Trucks.) Of course, the bikes are the thing—the event concludes next Sunday with a MotoGP championship race.
motogiroamerica.com

When it makes its maiden voyage in 2010, the Hull 6154 (pictured) will only be the world's second largest private boat. (The biggest? Read on.) The 438-footer will include, among other amenities, two helipads, a hangar, a submarine, an accompanying submarine bay, and room for a crew of 60. (Insert Bond-villain joke here.) As tends to be the case with such things, information about ownership is heavily guarded, but shipbuilder Fincantieri has confirmed that it belongs to a Russian billionaire not named Abramovich. That's probably because Roman has commissioned what's rumored to be the planet's largest super-yacht, the Eclipse. In addition to a submarine and helipads—you know, the usual—it's said to have bulletproof glass and, of course, a missile-detection system. We'll assume power steering and an iPod dock are included, too.

[Baller Ride]

It's almost time for the future, at least the way it was imagined in Back to the Future II. That film was set in 2015, which, it seems odd to note, is just around the corner, but we're still woefully lacking at least one of its two best accessories: the hoverboard. The other is one step closer to being made real, with Nike's Hyperdunk 2015 (pictured), which will be available starting tomorrow. (The shoes come in a colorway similar to Marty's, but, unfortunately, only the bottoms glow in the dark. Kanye, please take note.) Regardless, these ought to tide us over until scientists figure out the whole anti-gravity thing.
$200, available tomorrow at House of Hoops, 268 W. 125 St., New York, (212) 316-1667, footlocker.com/nikehouseofhoops

Mercedes-Benz just officially unveiled its SL65 AMG Black Series, a 'tweener meant to buy time between the (dead) SLR series and the forthcoming 2011 SLC (which has, no joke, gull-wing doors). We're not crazy about the body—sure, the spoiler's retractable, but we'd rather it didn't exist at all. Still, it's undeniably powerful, to the tune of a 661-hp, 6-liter V12, capable of going from 0 to 60 in under 3.9 seconds. Only 200 will be available when it comes to the U.S. next year, when it will retail for a mere 320 grand. Maybe the economy will turn around by then, eh?

[Autoblog]

Today, Garmin announced its new Oregon line of rugged GPS units. Unlike the brand's similarly rough-and-tumble Colorado—could a Garmin New Jersey be far behind?—the new devices don't have a single button or scroll wheel. Instead, you use an ever-trendy touch screen to access the preloaded topographic maps, coastal charts, and electronic compass, which are all available in the top-tier Oregon 400t. (The collection's cheaper units offer fewer features.) It's available this fall for $640; whet your appetite at the new mini-site.

[GPS Tracklog via Gizmodo]

Laptop safety and graffiti art don't tend to go hand in hand, but Incase's new artist line aims to change that. The company, which manufactures protective gear for Mac products, from laptops to iPhones, has commissioned Arkitip to curate a series of collaborations that hits stores next week. First up is Krink (a.k.a. Craig Costello), a street artist who made his name with dripping paint (and created his own line of markers to do so). Your laptop will be traveling in style—but if you're stepping out with Krink's flashy envelope, we'd recommend dressing down. Silver lamé has a way of making a big statement.
$79.95, available at Apple Stores, goincase.com, and arkitip.com July 15

Good news for HBO subscribers: Generation Kill lives up to the hype. The new seven-part miniseries from David Simon and Ed Burns (creators of The Wire) is based on a book by Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright, who spent the first month of the Iraq war embedded with the Marines. The series is about a platoon of elite First Recons, who manned the war's early front lines without air cover, adequate supplies, or any particular sense of their mission. Simon and Burns got it right, apparently—at least according to the many Marines who helped out on the shoot. "I have crazy respect for those guys," says actor James Ransone, who plays ephedra-enhanced real-life jarhead Ray Person. "They're just a bunch of kids, and the shit they do is insane."
HBO, Sunday, July 13, 9 p.m. EDT

As you may have heard, Apple's got a new calling machine out today. But the big news is the newly launched iPhone App Store, a one-stop clearinghouse of more than 2,000 downloadable programs. Some are superb (SugarSync, which gives you remote access to your home computer), some practical (iCalc-Tip Calculator, which turns your phone into, well, a $300 tip calculator), and some, uh, neither. Here are six of those, along with their official descriptions:

(i)Runes: "Meditation and introspection are the keys to a happy soul. Use this Runes reader to help reach your inner being."

Kostenrisiko: "Estimates the cost of a German civil law suit, including court and lawyer fees."

Steak Cooking Timer: "Cook a steak to the perfect temperature with this fun-to-use timer."

Lick My Phone (pictured): "Shows an adorable pug dog appearing to lick the front of your iPhone clean."

Survival Check List: "A handy reference to important things you may forget in the event of a disaster or a power outage."

Morse Code: "Translates text into Morse code and sends the message."

Five things worth knowing today

- The borough that brought you Biggie and Jay-Z presents the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival in DUMBO.
- Chicago's grandest retail strip hosts artists of all types at the Chicago Tribune Miracle Mile Art Festival.
- Lebowskifest begins in Louisville, KY. Do like The Dude (below): Trade in your julep for a White Russian.
- Today in 1919, Sir Barton won the Belmont Stakes, thereby becoming the first Triple Crown winner.
- And today in 1934, Giorgio Armani was born.

When you're crafting bikes in out-of-the-way Missoula, Montana, it helps to have friends in bicoastal places. So when Ben Ferencz and Nathaniel Freeman founded Freeman Transport, they teamed up with NYC's Billykirk Leathers to produce a co-branded accessory line. Freeman's debut bike, available for preorder now, is built by hand with a two-part frame that can be disassembled to fit into Billykirk's waxed-canvas and leather bag (pictured, below), ideal for those times when biking isn't feasible (like, say, when you're traveling by air). The bike-and-bag set carries a serious $2,475 price tag, but thriftier would-be cyclists can still support the cause in style: Urban haberdashers at Estate Los Angeles are producing hats for the brand, lined in Japan's favorite fabric of the moment, chambray.

Comme des Garçons' L.A. guerrilla store—the first in the U.S., and one which rather mysteriously trails Poland—celebrates SoCal skate culture tonight with the release of three limited-edition CdG decks. Emblazoned with +1 213, the shop's area code, two of the decks, sold as a set, fit together to spell out some provocative (if slightly disjointed) guerrilla sentiments. The third prints the brand's name and the store logo. Avant-garde skaters, act quickly: Only 100 were made.
Individual deck, $80; set of 2, $200; available at Comme des Garçons Guerrilla Store +1 213, 125 W. 4 St., #106, Los Angeles, (213) 626-6606, guerrilla-store.com

Designboom features the work of Branislav Kropilak, a Slovakian-born photographer who's shot for agencies like McCann-Erickson and Saatchi & Saatchi. He's obsessed with urban landscapes (or so we've gathered from his Web site), capturing beautiful stills of billboards (pictured), parking garages, and factories, among others. His stuff's reminiscent of a less political Ed Burtynsky, but even still, industrial wasteland has rarely looked so good.

With summer comes the return of P.S.1's Warm Up summer music series, where hipster DJs (and the promise of beer) bring droves to the MoMA satellite's enormous courtyard. Each year, the museum also invites young architects to propose a temporary structure. This year's winner, Work AC, has created a fully recyclable urban farm called P.F. 1, complete with growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants, as well as swings, seating areas, and even a pool. It opened last month; Arch Daily features this stop-motion video, which compresses a monthlong construction process into a brisk 2:47. Looks good to us—and will look even better when shaken by the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Kelley Polar, James Chance and the Contortions, and Matthew Dear.

Warm Up is held Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at P.S.1. Contemporary Art Center, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City, Queens; for full schedule, visit ps1.org

Tonight, PBS debuts As the Wrench Turns, a cartoon show about Click and Clack, a.k.a. Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the longtime hosts of NPR's Car Talk. (It's not their first foray into animation—both brothers had a cameo in Pixar's Cars.) It's a family-friendly show—expect at least one slide whistle on the soundtrack—with a few jokes thrown in for those of driving age. (Well, unless those cracks about PBS tote bags are aimed at really sophisticated children.) The first episode—whose Homer Simpson-worthy plot has the duo running for president just to embezzle their war chest—can be seen here.
As the Wrench Turns airs tonight at 8 EDT on PBS, cartalk.com

It's a dispiriting week in film openings, but San Franciscans will get some relief: Tomorrow, the 13th annual SF Silent Film Festival kicks off. Rare silent gems from the twenties will be screened, many with live musical accompaniment, and Guy Maddin is dropping by to introduce (and translate the French intertitles for) The Unknown, starring Lon Chaney and a young Joan Crawford. Our pick: 1928's The Man Who Laughs (below), Paul Leni's fable about a nobleman disfigured by a Gypsy doctor in such a way that he wears a permanent and grotesque grin. His laughing face became the influence for Batman's The Joker, which ought to whet your appetite for next week's Dark Knight premiere. The film is pretty good on its own merits, too, though we might have picked a different name for man's best friend. See what we mean below:

Through July 13

BMW just unveiled a new two-wheel drive motorbike, which distributes the 100-plus HP engine's power to both the front and back of the hog. That (and its light body) translates to increased power, which probably explains why the company premiered it at the recent European Hill Climb Championships in Switzerland. (More exciting than it sounds, we hear.) The trick's been done before—Yamaha and Christini have both produced 2WD bikes—but this is Bimmer's first, and a sign that the brand is serious about off-road biking. Just don't expect to ride one any time soon—this concept isn't heading for production yet.

[The Biker Gene via Autoblog]

While Autoblog's commenters are wary—one refers to it as "pure fiction"—a little-known carmaker called LLC plans to introduce its Lightning GT electric sports car at this month's British Motor Show. Reasons to be dubious: The company claims a 0-to-60 time of under four seconds, a 90-mile range on just a ten-minute charge, and a 740-horsepower battery pack, all produced without funding from a major automaker. That said, it's hard not to covet such an attractive (and eco-friendly) ride. Pure fiction? Maybe. But a welcome one. Stay tuned—the show begins July 23.

[Car Central]

The war on wires continues with Belkin's new FlyWire kit (get it?), which sends high-def video to your TV, uh, wirelessly. Setup is fairly simple: Plug your components into a transmitter. It sends the 1080p signal to a receiver that connects to your TV. The device works up to 100 feet away, which means you can keep, say, your Blu-ray player safely out of sight. Look for it this October for a not-insubstantial $999. Just one thing: Something tells us Nike's not too thrilled about the name.

Starting next year, Angelenos hungering for Thomas Keller's Michelin-starred cuisine will no longer have to drive to Napa (or Vegas): The L.A. Times reports that the chef will open a Beverly Hills restaurant in 2009. Bouchon, and an accompanying Bouchon Bakery, will occupy 11,000 square feet on two stories, and be manned by Rory Herrmann, currently the private-room chef at New York's Per Se. Unlike that locale (but like the NoCal Bouchon and the NYC bakery), the menu will feature traditional bistro fare: Expect classic roast chicken and steak frites, says the chef. Given that it's Keller, you can also expect near-perfection—and epic backlogs of reservations. Best of all, the prices, though not cheap, won't be at Per Se's CEO-expense-account level, either.

[LAT via Eater L.A.]

Or at least that's what Anna Kustera Gallery's calling its new show opening tonight in Manhattan. Thirty galleries from around the world have contributed a slew of small artworks, like the above-pictured Surfacing by Hernan Bas (which measures a discreet 8" by 6"). The works will be on display at the space—all 72 square feet of it—on rotation throughout the show's run, along with an information center designed by Ju$t Another Rich Kid, and a short-film series curated by video artist Alix Pearlstein. Talk about doing a lot with very little.
Through August 1 at 520 W. 21 St., New York, (212) 989-0082, annakustera.com

Given that the fuss-free Flip Ultra (and its successor, the Mino) are among the best-selling gadgets, it's perhaps inevitable that other brands would try to get some of the action for themselves. Enter Kodak, who just introduced their first pocket camcorder, the Zi6. While it's both heftier and less attractive than the Mino, it goes for the same $180 and adds 720p HD video—the highest quality in its class. It's out this September, and yes, it comes in pink. (Optional, of course.)

[Gizmodo]

Callers who like to tinker should be intrigued by Openmoko's new Neo FreeRunner. In addition to its top-tier specs—GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, even an iPhone-style motion sensor—its OS is open source. In other words, those with the know-how (and the ambition) can do everything from create their own games to customize how it sends text messages. (Google's upcoming Android software will offer something similar.) Nerdy stuff, to be sure, but it's really just a DIY version of Apple's new App Store—and something tells us that's gonna be big.
$399, openmoko.com

[NYT]

The Hamptons mystique has always escaped me: In season, the Long Island towns have little more to recommend them than slavishly Xeroxed clubs and stores you can find in Manhattan. The train ride, though, is almost worth the trip—it's a smorgasbord of schadenfreude, offering the chance to compare the beer-smuggling hordes on Friday night with their somber and overly grilled selves on Sunday. (Pink and fleshy in all the wrong places, they stand, since it's much less painful than sitting.)

To me, the lone appealing East End exception is Montauk.

Depending on your definition of beauty, you'll either thrill to or be revolted by Pretty Ugly, a massive group show opening today in Manhattan. The exhibit's themed as a dialogue about the perception of beauty in art, noting how the mainstream tends to absorb the avant-garde and find attractive works that were once considered appalling. (Note: That's never going to work for Jocelyn Wildenstein.) Heavy stuff, and so it's no surprise that the artists represented are heavy hitters: Works on display are by everyone from giants like Hans Bellmer, Louise Bourgeois, and Otto Dix, to more contemporary types—think Elizabeth Peyton, Rob Pruitt, and Agathe Snow. If the show's invite is any indication—who wouldn't find a four-eyed Michael Jackson holding E.T.'s hand appealing?—visitors are going to be treated to some visual pyrotechnics.
Through August 29 at Gavin Brown's enterprise, 620 Greenwich St., New York, (212) 627-5258,gavinbrown.biz; and Maccarone, 630 Greenwich St., New York, (212) 431-4977, maccarone.net

Five things worth knowing today

- Björk-ish cutie St. Vincent plays NYC's Castle Clinton, gratis.
- São Paulo celebrates Pizza Day. Why ask why?
- The first-ever Beatles Day in Liverpool commences with a concert, a fun run, and a bounty of mop-top wigs.
- Today in 1925, the Scopes monkey trial began over teaching evolution in schools. How far we've come.
- And today in 1946, Sue Lyon was born, the actress best known as Stanley Kubrick's Lolita. Her star turn at 14, below:

We haven't posted about wallpaper since April (apologies), and thought it was about time for a follow-up. Yeah, we know what you're thinking—nice owl.
Pictured: A model hand-painted by body artist Emma Hack to match wallpaper by Florence Broadhurst

[DesignBoom]

At last night's Independent Spirits Expo in Manhattan's Astor Center, 16 boutique liquor brands poured out their wares for hundreds of thirsty guests to sample. (The curious hooch included a beer brewed with Champagne yeast—apparently an effort to literalize Miller High Life's tagline.) Among our five favorites: Orange V Vodka (pictured), distilled in Idaho from oranges harvested in Florida. The result is the refreshing taste of real (and not chemically fabricated) Valencias, tangerines, and mandarins. It's available now for 30 bucks. For the rest of the best, check out our slideshow.

Which is probably why Nokia didn't unveil its new 8208 this week. Instead, the gadget geeks at Mobile Burn discovered it on Nokia's Web site, where it was accidentally posted online. (Somewhere, a Finnish programmer just got fired.) The phone itself isn't quite as interesting as the backstory—decent specs (three-megapixel camera, GPS, easy-access music controls) with an appealing slider design. Price and availability remain TBD, at least until some intrepid blogger stumbles upon them on Nokia.com.

[via Electronista]

Yes, that's a Porsche tractor. No, you can't buy one, and no, it's not officially branded. Instead, it was made by a Porsche enthusiast, who outfitted a Partner with the 911's iconic paint job as well as that car's (less iconic) oil filter. Odd? Sure, but there is a precedent here: Another Italian super-car company, Lamborghini, got its start making farm equipment. Which means that once upon a time, farmers in pastoral Sant'Agata Bolognese were tooling around the fields in Lambo tractors.

[The Car Connection via Autoblog]

Cuff links might seem cumbersome these days, but that wasn't always the case: Up until the forties, some of the more cleverly designed examples came with a snap in the middle, which, among other things, made them exceptionally easy to do up. For some godforsaken reason, those models fell out of favor and aren't made anymore, but Manhattan accessories designer/shop owner Meg Cohen is selling a selection of deadstock snappers in various mother-of-pearl motifs. They're all from the twenties and thirties, and they even come with a vintage price tag (sort of). Each pair will only set you back between $45 and $100.
Meg Cohen Design Shop, 59 Thompson St., New York, (212) 966-3733, megcohendesign.com

As pop culture mercifully moves from worshipping the eighties to venerating the nineties, the path's finally clear to appreciate something that was actually worthwhile in the Me Decade: New York's fomenting art scene. In a climate of wild exploration and attainable celebrity, artists like Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Julian Schnabel had their cake and ate it too—managing to be countercultural and profitably commodified at the same time. Paul Kasmin Gallery's aptly named Totally Rad, opening tomorrow, celebrates works that made the eighties fun, like Kenny Scharf's Agua Pollination (pictured), which depicts Fred and Wilma Flintstone, abstract naughty bits and all. (Also big in the eighties: mushrooms?) In a decade that's currently all about formaldehyde-drenched carcasses, it's nice to remember that art can, and maybe even should, be a good time. And if you think it looks like a Trapper Keeper, well, that's okay, too. After all, the nineties had to come from somewhere.

Check out our slideshow for some of our favorites from the exhibition >

Through September 6 at Paul Kasmin Gallery, 293 Tenth Ave., New York, (212) 563-4474, paulkasmingallery.com

Fashion and music are, of course, inextricably linked (as anyone who's ever spent time trying to dress like David Bowie or Brian Eno can attest—er, not that we know anyone like that). And although it's the musicians who usually hog the limelight, that's not the case with Fashion DJs, an ongoing three-day-long music and fashion event at Abbey Road Studios. Photographer Nick Knight invited a slew of style-world luminaries to host on-air sets (currently broadcasting on 87.7 FM, for you London readers), including Naomi Campbell, editor Jefferson Hack, and frequent MEN.STYLE.COM contributor Tim Blanks. Not in England? Don't worry: You can stream the audio at SHOWstudio.com.

Volkswagen just created a mini-site devoted to new car concepts for the year 2028. (Good to see VW targeting long-term planners, we guess.) Set in the future, the eerie video introduces three new riffs on the brand's forthcoming Up! minicar: the One, a single-seater; the Ego (pictured), a sports car; and the family-sized Room. Each looks like something out of The Matrix, if only that movie were about eco-friendly transportation. It's cool stuff, though some details sound a bit too sci-fi to be believable. Take the Room, which pilots itself—drivers no longer wanted, it seems.

[via Autoblog]

The Japanese fascination with American workwear continues, now with an almost preternatural attention to detail: The latest example comes from Workers, a Japanese brand that replicates vintage American apparel. (The jacket here, modeled after a railroad coat from 1904, is crafted to such a meticulous extent that the label includes an address in Chicago.) Workers releases clothing one item at a time in limited editions, but sadly, there's no word as yet on availability, much less pricing, in the Land of the Free.

[A Continuous Lean via Selectism]

Over on Arkitip, blogger par excellence (and Colette co-founder) Sarah Lerfel just posted a rare photo of a vintage Keith Haring tag. It comes from Martha Cooper's new book, Tag Town, which documents the history of NYC graffiti art from the sixties to the present. You'll also find shots of other hard-to-find pieces by the usual suspects—including Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, and more. Check out some more preview images here.

And in other tagging-related news, attention Banksy shoppers: The artist has recently established a panel that gives his permission for selling his graffiti. So before you drop a couple mil on a concrete slab with two bobbies kissing, make sure it's been approved by "Pest Control." The idea has been pretty effective so far: At one recent sale, an unauthorized piece was withdrawn before the auction even started.

An eclectic collection of musical ephemera goes on offer tomorrow in London at Christie's Rock & Pop Memorabilia auction, including a number of Beatles-related items. Among them? John Lennon's prescription sunglasses (pictured), worn during his "Lost Weekend" period with May Pang in 1973 (estimated between $40,000 and $60,000). Others objects up for sale are the actual hand-painted bass drum pictured on the front of Sgt. Pepper's, and John Lennon's lyrics for "Give Peace a Chance," scribbled down during his and Yoko's historic bed-in for peace in Montreal. The Fab Four aren't the only classic artists here: the Stones, the Who, and Jimi Hendrix are all represented, too. Can't make it to London? We've got you covered (visually, at least).

Check out our favorites in this slideshow >

Five things worth knowing today

- Oakland's Fire Arts Festival brings fire-eaters and flamethrowers together.
- Harlem's Jackie Robinson Park plays host to Short City Blocks, a free evening of short films.
- Stay to the side in Hanover, Germany, when Rollerbladers take to the streets for the first of several Skate by Night evenings across the country.
- Today in 2002, the African Union was formed.
- And today in 1942 and 1991, respectively, two cult icons were born: Richard Roundtree (a.k.a. Shaft, below) and Spencer Elden (a.k.a. the naked baby on the cover of Nevermind).

More arty discoveries out of Argentina: Draftfcb's award-winning campaign for Prime Condoms. To compose the beautifully shot ads, the Buenos Aires agency set up end tables and lamps in a variety of locales, evoking a bedroom feel for, as the tagline puts it, "Wherever the Mood Strikes You." Accordingly, Prime is good to go in parks, cars, swimming pools, and, our favorite, underneath a bridge (pictured). Whatever kind of troll you happen to be into, that's good news.

[Fubiz]

Sometime Strokes guitarist and confirmed three-piece-suit aficionado Albert Hammond, Jr., releases his second solo album today. Entitled ¿Cómo Te Llama?, the record is a 13-track collection of sunny(ish) garage rock, featuring guests like Sean Lennon and Longwave vocalist Steve Schlitz. Hammond's other outfit's due to come back from hiatus soon, which is a good thing: At this point, he's one album shy of matching the Strokes' total output. (In case you've forgotten—because we almost have—the Strokes are a New York City-based rock band.)

Also out today: Failure American Style, the debut from Paramount Styles, a.k.a. former Girls Against Boys singer Scott McCloud. This one's the dark, brooding sort, though inflected with jazzy flourishes—unlike the work of his former outfit, which tended to lean more toward metal. McCloud's rasping voice and penchant for repetitive lyrics haven't changed, though, and that's a plus: There are few musicians who could get away with lines like, "Come to New York/ get famous—get dead famous," but he pulls it off.

Chances are you don't need the Drobo, unless you have tons of data stored up and are really, really concerned about losing it (uh, not that we know anyone like that). Essentially, it's a box that stores and protects extra hard drives—and even lets you know when one of said hard drives is going bad. The company just introduced a second-gen model, which is both quieter and faster, and comes in the original's attractive matte-black cube. At 500 bucks, it ain't cheap, but for the truly media-addicted (not to mention style-conscious), the peace of mind is probably worth it.
drobo.com

Just when you thought Dubai couldn't get any more luxurious, the city tops itself—this time with a $218 million fountain capable of blasting water as high as a 50-story building. Designed by Emaar Properties, the fountain will be about 25 percent larger than the one at the Bellagio in Las Vegas upon its completion next year. The only thing missing? Its name. The developers have launched a contest for the public to come up with a title for the project, and the winner will receive about $27,000 for his or her pains. The rub, of course, is that you have to actually live in the U.A.E. in order to enter.

[Tech Pin]

Fashion designer Hussein Chalayan sees clothing as a forum for bigger ideas, so it's little wonder his wares seem to end up in museums more often than closets. But his menswear collection, relaunched last year with Yoox.com, manages to convey its messages while remaining wearable. Consider his new line of T-shirts, available online: The prints all have an ominous overtone, dealing with England's ubiquitous CCTV surveillance (pictured), as well as concerns about the country's national identity. Heavy, sure—but also a great basis for T-shirt design.
About $80, available at husseinchalayan.com