typed for your pleasure on 29 September 2010, at 12.07 am
Sdtrk: ‘Milling around the village’ by Broadcast
Sweet Dagon, the last one of these I wrote was in April?? *exhales* Wow. Good job I don’t charge admittance to read this blog, right? Yeah. Whooo.
Anyway! This house, like all good dwellings, has a name; they call it Moonacres. Which sounds really Crowleyan, if you stop to think about it. Adding to its pre-20th century Modern pedigree would be the fact that it’s located on the Beaulieu Estate, in Hamster Hampshire, England. According to its listing on The Modern House Agents (yes, I’m harvesting from them again), ‘The Estate is an area of approximately 7,000 acres of beautiful Hampshire countryside, including the Beaulieu River, that is owned by Lord Montagu. The Estate has been in existence since the 13th century and has been carefully protected to avoid over-development’. Mm hmm.
The house itself, designed in the Sixties by architect John Strubbe, boasts two floors, five bedrooms, an office, a study, a reception room, and a double garage. There’s a deck area over the garage as well, so you and your significant other / mistress / what-have-you can lounge about, drinking Bradfords and staring off into the middle distance.
The only issue I have with this place is rather like the one that fellow bloggist veach of s n a p p e r h e a d had with the domicile I’d written about in the previous instalment of this series — Moonacres’ interior is kinda incongruous with its exterior. It’s been maintained, so it’s not as if it’s falling into disrepair or anything; it’s just too modern. Like a now modern, not a Sixties modern. I love IKEA and all they do for humanity, but its distinctive aesthetic simply doesn’t belong in a home from roughly fifty years hence. Although I gotta say — the white, black, and Factory grey with blood-red colour scheme they’ve got going definitely speaks to me.
You’ll be delighted to know that Moonacres is still on the market for a cool £1,750,000, so start rooting through your couch cushions
typed for your pleasure on 13 August 2010, at 11.11 pm
Sdtrk: ‘My time’ by Ann Steel
I would like to blame Twitter, and the prevailing weather conditions, and preparing for a cluster of iDollator-related interviews for my tardiness. Cos without PB Shelley mentioning a couple of days ago that ‘Shouting etc etc’ was on the verge of hitting the 400,000 hits mark, I honestly wouldn’t have noticed! Well, I’d have noticed later. Thank you sir, and thank you, the viewers / readers / data miners that visit this blog so very, very often! Thanks, visitors! Thisitors.*
Up next: the latest instalment of ‘Any Synthetiks-related news, Davecat?’, some catching up on the ‘This was the Future’ series, and some posts reporting on some things that Sidore and I may or may not be doing in a media-related context. Yes. All this, and so much more!**
Once again, thanks to the lot of you for stopping round! As blessed, temperate Autumn approaches, we should be back to a normal posting schedule! Whatever that may mean, exactly. Nevertheless, happy Friday the 13th!
*with a tip of the hat to Peter Serafinowicz
**the definition of ‘more’ being, of course, entirely relative
typed for your pleasure on 4 June 2010, at 3.52 am
Sdtrk: ‘Riverside’ by Sandy Simpson
Man o man. What happened to the May edition, you may or may not be asking? Well, Shi-chan’s new and incredibly distracting body happened, that’s what. *loosens collar* By the by, did either of us mention that she was featured in the Spring 2010 issue of The Doll Street Journal, found on the News page of the Abyss creations website? Sidore’s got a wee bit of cache, you see. It’s true!
+ Speaking of Abyss creations, now they’re in Japan! Well, moreso than usual. It appears that now Japanese iDollators have a licenced distributor from which to purchase RealDolls and Boy Toy Dolls from, located in a modest little storefront in the Nakano ward of metropolitan Tokyo. Interesting enough as that is — at first, I was like ‘well, that’s not really news; Abyss already has a Japanese distributor‘ — but what sent my eyebrows ascending was that apparently, some sort of deal was sealed with longtime silicone companion sculptor, Natori Saito. If you’re an iDollator, you’ll know him as the bloke who designed the Mai face, aka Face 9. If you’re an old-school iDollator, you’ll remember him from the days when he was making the Photogenic Dolls line. Yep, that Natori. He’s designed two faces for Boy Toy and one for RealDoll, so I suppose he’s been busy.
photo courtesy of ‘Ta-bo’s Kisekae Dataroom’
You can check out the site here, but 95% of it is in Japanese, and if you can’t read it, you more than likely won’t be buying a Doll through them. But those obstacles probably won’t stop you, won’t they? I didn’t think so.
Almost everyone stood when the bride walked down the aisle in her white gown, but not the wedding conductor, because she was bolted to her chair.
The nuptials at this ceremony were led by I-Fairy, a 4ft seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. The wedding today was the first to be led by a robot, according to the manufacturer, Kokoro.
“Please lift the bride’s veil,” the robot said in a tinny voice, waving its arms in the air as the newlyweds kissed in front of about 50 guests.
The ceremony took place at a restaurant in Hibiya Park, central Tokyo. The I-Fairy wore a wreath of flowers, and wires led out from beneath it to a black curtain nearby where a man crouched and clicked commands into a computer.
Japan has one of the most advanced robotics industries in the world, with the government actively supporting the field for future growth. Industrial models in factories are now standard, and recently companies have been making a push to inject robots into everyday life. the rest of the article is here
Hrrm… the Missus and I want to renew our vows for our ten year anniversary in July — could we possibly rent I-Fairy to do the honours, or would we have to fly out to her? Hrrm…
+ It looks like we may be losing not one, but two, Doll manufacturers. As of this writing, the website for Axis Japan, makers of the famous Honey Dolls series, has been down for several days. Which has happened before, but when you consider their news page hasn’t been updated since 2009, it’s cause for alarm. Honey Dolls were especially noteworthy, as they were the first to have embedded touch-sensors that played back .mp3 responses, but Odhinn only knows how their sales were, as I never saw a single owner pic of any of their four model types anywhere. And I can assure you that I check the Doll sites like a hawk…
And on the front page of the My Party Doll site, the phrase ‘OWNER RETIRING Interested parties, please inquire’ can be seen. As far as I’m concerned, the loss of any group that makes artificial companions is truly a shame. Technically, I’m still not over the fact that Chestnut co. Ltd., makers of the Rare-Borg line of silicone companions, has packed it in, and that was several years ago. With any luck, both groups will rise from the ashes, as it were, but who can say… UPDATE (12 JUNE 2010): The Honey Dolls site is back up! Undoubtedly an extended server hiccup. It can happen to any one of us! Especially if you are a server.
+ Thanks to his long-standing work in the field of robotic humanoid developments, starting with the Repliee series, all the way to the sexier-with-each-new-version Actroid series, Hiroshi Ishiguro has been illuminating a path for mankind to follow out of the dark ages. But apart from the whole Android and Gynoid thing, he seems like the sort of bloke I can identify with, particularly after reading this article from IEEE Spectrum.
‘What’s that, me? What did you just say? I mean, what did I just say??
Shit, this is confusing’
Hiroshi Ishiguro stomps on the accelerator. The black Mazda RX-8 roars onto the highway, the heavy-metal Scorpions blasting from the speakers. We’re driving to Osaka University’s Toyonaka Campus. Ishiguro is wearing aviator sunglasses, black polyester pants, a black vest on top of a black shirt, along with a black belt, socks, and shoes.
”Give me question,” he says, his eyes fixed on the road.
I ask whether he always dresses in black.
”Why do you change your clothes?” he says. ”Do you change your name? So why do you change your clothes? Name is identity. Face is identity. But the majority of your [appearance] comes from your clothes. You should not change your clothes. Do you agree?”
I meekly suggest that all-black attire might get a bit hot in the summer.
”We have air conditioners,” he says. ”Next question.” the entire article is here
The film ‘Surrogates‘ touched upon the whole concept of telepresence, and this man is making it a reality. Not to say that he’s the only person doing so, but Ishiguro is the only one making really bold strides as regards to building telepresence robots that resemble human beings. Clearly, we need more of this man. O wait — he’s already working on that!
There’s even a microsite with a wee bit of information on Geminoid HI-1 right here. Now if only they could do the same with that luscious Geminoid F…
That was a hint, by the way.
+ And as dreadfully hot as it’s been here in Michigan, I’m sure it’s not much better in Californiyay, where 85°F is considered ‘a good start’. However, being out of doors in the SoCal area gives a person the rare opportunity to catch KnightHorse out and about, taking pics of and showing off their stunning lasses. So it’s kind of a trade-off!…
Sayuri, being flirtatious/distracting
For years Matt has felt that dolls should be loved, appreciated and displayed proudly. One of his focuses in the business is to bring dolls out of the closet, demystify them, and have doll owners de-vilified! So many media outlets go for the “easy kill” and focus on the shock factor of these dolls. The only angle most journalists are interested in is the sexual function of the dolls. Well, to us, these dolls are much more than sex dolls. […] To date we have been to numerous public venues and never once had a negative encounter.
See, that’s the sort of thing I love to hear about — seeing a beautifully-sculpted work of art such as a Doll as a mere sex toy is incredibly narrow-minded. It’s ace that Matt K and crew are bringing their lovely ladies out for some fresh air and sightseeing, as well as spreading public awareness that Dolls aren’t creepy or unsettling; they are in fact wonderful and appealing. And depending on how imaginative a person you are, they can be even more than that…
Besides, did you see Sayuri’s arse up there? I mean, dayum!
Well, I do believe that’s covered the lot for now! Join us next time, for more of the same
typed for your pleasure on 6 April 2010, at 3.25 am
Sdtrk: ‘Formal is at noon’ by Zoos of Berlin
Man o man. What happened to the March edition, you may or may not be asking? Err, I got sidetracked and waylaid by a number of things, you could say, and the news continued to pile up unattended, like rolls of newspapers on the front porch of a dead man. Not all of these things were bad though; hopefully I should be able to note the results on ‘Shouting etc etc’ rather soon, and with not a small amout of glee.
Anyway, enough excuses. Off we go!
+ Just learned of this superfantastisch tidbit last night, which answers the question of what Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro has been up to lately — he’s been busy making sexy Gynoids again. Good!
Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro unveiled today his latest creation: a female android called Geminoid F. The new robot, a copy of a woman in her 20s with long dark hair, can laugh, smile, and exhibit other facial expressions more naturally than Ishiguro’s previous androids.
Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University, is famous for creating a robot replica of himself, the Geminoid HI-1, a teleoperated android that he controls remotely. The new Geminoid F (“F” stands for female) is also designed to be remote controlled by an operator. […]
Whereas the Geminoid HI-1 has some 50 actuators, the new Geminoid F has just 12. What’s more, the HI-1 robot requires a large external box filled with compressors and valves. With Geminoid F, the researchers embedded air servo valves and an air servo control system into its body, so the android requires only a small external compressor.
The new design helped reduce the android’s cost. According to this AFP report, Kokoro will sell copies of Geminoid F for about 10 million yen (US $110,000). Ishiguro and his collaborators plan to test the android in hospitals and also show it off at science museums and other venues. the rest of the article is here
Since Geminoid F is more teleoperated, she seems to be closer to a real-life Surrogate rather than a genuine Gynoid, but that’s quite alright. And the fact that they’ve reduced the number of servos needed — probably due to the fact that she’s not a genuine Gynoid — is very encouraging. Can’t wait to see more footage of her in action! Geminoid F’s debut is also rather amusing, as she bears a passing resemblance to a friend of mine in Vienna…
+ Another Doll-centric fine art gallery showing has come and gone: from February to March, Galerie [SAS] in Montréal was host to artist Jean-François Bouchard‘s latest photoseries, entitled ‘Still Life’.
Imagine having one of those prints for your wall. I am
Not only does it feature assorted close-up shots of RealDolls and glimpses of the Abyss studio, but the photos are accompanied by various iDollator quotes taken from ‘Guys and Dolls / Love me, love my Doll’. Why do these exhibits never pass through SE Michigan??
+ Meet Hanako Showa, a Gynoid empoyed to train dental students in Japan:
Don’t worry; they’ll give her a couple of pencil-toppers when they’re done
Doctors and robotics researchers on Thursday unveiled a humanoid that happily goes under the drill for orthodontics students and can also express pain, roll her eyes and even drool like a real patient.
“Hello,” female-looking “Hanako” said cheerfully as an aspiring dentist closed in during a presentation in Tokyo. “Please take care of me.”
But the robo-patient’s mood can quickly take a real-life turn for the worse if the grinding and drilling get too much or the wrong spot is hit.
“It hurts,” said Hanako, dangerously moving her plastic head while a dental student was grinding her resin teeth, which are designed to be taken out and examined later to assess the student’s skill. the rest of the article is here
Ha ha! Looks like even Gynoids aren’t exempt from visiting the dentist now! Now they can go through what… wait, didn’t I write this before? Actually, yes; yes I did, only the Gynoid in question was Simroid, a lass made by Kokoro co. Ltd. So my question is, what does tmsuk‘s affictitious lass bring to the dental table that’s different? Can we get a side-by-side comparison of them? Sit them both in dental chairs and go over why they need to floss more regularly? We have questions, and the answers aren’t forthcoming enough.
Now rinse and spit, please. IN THE BOWL AND NOT ON ME, PLEASE
+ Industrious Japanese dutch-wife manufacturers 4woods are rather like what independent record label 4AD were like back in the Eighties up to the early Nineties; they simply could do no wrong with whatever they released. Also, both companies contain the number four. Coincidence??
In a few minutes, she’ll get up and start sleepwalking again
If you liked their Lilica-type — and who wouldn’t? — now, those of you lucky enough to have her in your lives and beds can now equip her with a Sleeping Lilica head! Cos studies show that you simply sleep better when you’re able to close your eyes. In addition to that, 4woods mention that they’ve reduced the weight on their A.I.Doll Evolution body to 66 lbs. I approve!
They’ve also added delicious new photos of Lilica with A.I.Peach New edition body, an exclusive gallery of pics taken by Japanese photographer Mon-san, and a helpful page about Doll options, construction, and similar ephemera. Well done, lads and lasses!
+ Emmet, a Canadian playwright who has popped round this blog a couple of times, is in the midst of writing one hundred tiny plays, and compiling the lot on her site, 100 Tiny Plays. A convenient name, wouldn’t you agree? Play No.6, sporting the theme of ‘Tired Old Twin Fetish Breakfast Party Time‘, just happens to be about two Gynoid ‘sisters’. Ah heh-hem.
CHANDRA: What do you do without me?
SANDRA: There is so much space on the stage. Abigail has given me solo programs for the time being, but they are empty to me. Maybe some are designed for this, but me, I was made to hold a sister’s hand, to kiss a sister’s cheek, to feel a sister’s boot on my back. Alone, I sense the room is full of things that are not you. There are exit signs which flash and floorboards which creak and a pole which is there when you use it and also when you do not. And the crowd: a hundred humans with faces that read bored, turned on, preoccupied — to the varying degrees. All things that I was not built to ignore or to address, when all I always had to know was where you and I were, and how to navigate the space between in the next moment.
As it is a tiny play, it should be relatively easy to stage. Find a pair of twins, get them to choose a character and memorise her lines, and direct them to ACT! like they’ve never acted before. I’m sure Emmet would appreciate it!
+ So it appears that the husband-and-wife team from Vladivostok that comprise Anatomical Doll offer both a new head and a new body type that I think might well pique your interest…
Now made with Extra Legginess
Oksana, the lovely lady shown above, is their Body 2 Face 5 Doll. The new Body 2 comes in at 5’2″, 62 lbs, and boasting impressive measurements of 36.25.35. For an artificial lass hailing from one of the coldest countries on Earth, she certainly knows how to smoulder…
+ Naturally, you more than likely know by now about Abyss creations’ new Wicked RealDolls line, right, thanks to my mentioning it in part 1 of the ‘I burped at Vegas’ series? Of course you do, as you are Hep, With-it, and Aware. But for those squares *makes square shape in air with fingers* that aren’t, you’ll want to dig this site, daddy-o. Sorry; I’ve no idea where the beatnik speech came from.
Jessica and Alektra, as photographed by Stacy Leigh
Each Wicked RealDoll comes standard with the following upgraded features and bonuses:
* Our new articulated spine, which allows for completely realistic and natural torso positioning and range of motion.
* The most current techniques in advanced RD weight reduction
* The new removable deep throat mouth insert, which features a canal which goes down the throat of the doll verses straight back into the head, for up to 7″ of penetration.
* Full head design, without magnets or velcro. All components are modular for easy replacement and cleaning/maintenance
* A numbered certificate of authenticity signed by the actress
* A bonus package from Wicked: Details coming soon.
Worth keeping an eye on/saving up for? Yes.
+ Have you checked out the Private Island Beauties website lately? You might wanna do that, as there’s a link to a new YouTube interview with the man behind the gorgeous rubbery Beauties, Patrick Wise. Or you could just watch it here! (NSFW, as there is a Doll boob toward the end)
You’ll still want to browse round his site, though, as that’s the nice thing to do.
+ Before the month is over, get round to your nearest bookseller and pick up a copy of the March issue of Bizarre UK, as it features a one-and-a-half page article about this year’s AVN that concentrates mostly on Lovable Dolls! In the Grand Tradition of Magazine Publishing, you’ll especially want to hurry, as they publish the next month’s issue this month. But at my Barnes & Noble, I found last month’s issue this month, so I don’t know how that works. Someone’s at fault, and it’s not me.
+ And Synthetik news aggregator blog spurtBOT is unfortunately no more. Citing a lack of advertising interest, the site maintainer’s packed it in after two years. Well, not so much ‘packed it in’ but ‘changed tack’; now the site is an ever-growing booklist of erotic… booklists. You can grab an archive file of all the previous spurtBOT posts here, if you’re so inclined, however. SpurtBOT is dead. Long live spurtBOT.
Well, I do believe this post should make up for last month’s no-show, right? That’s what I thought
typed for your pleasure on 6 March 2010, at 3.51 am
Sdtrk: ‘We are the ones’ by ADULT.
Sometimes when I’m out and about, and the rare confluence of Having A Bit Of Free Time and Being Actually Inspired To Write happen to align, I’ll whip out my trusty Treo 700p smartphone, and merrily type away until the doctor, pope, or yakuza boss calls me in to see them. Unfortunately, some places happen to be a wee bit draconian about having cellphones in use on their property — Shitty Former Workplace, I’m looking squarely in your direction — so in those cases I’m forced to fall back on traditional analogue methods. Apart from constantly scribblin’ out parts where I have to edit, insert, or delete words, phrases, or sections, as well as my handwriting having devolved into absolute shit through lack of consistent use, pen and paper writing isn’t too bad, all told. It makes me feel like I’m doing something.
In writing this post, one whose own origins started out as a series of frantic black marks on a legal pad, my thoughts turned to genuine writers; specificially, ones who began their craft before the tail end of the 20th century. People like Ballard, Burgess, Burroughs — even authors whose names don’t start with the letter B — would often leave paper trails for their works, in the form of old drafts, character sketches, timelines, and the like. I recall reading an article on the website for The Guardian, about a bloke who was given the extremely rare opportunity to pick through the sum total of Stanley Kubrick’s written ephemera. My friend Zip Gun used to make yearly pilgrimages to the Lilly Library in Indiana, which houses undoubtedly the largest collection of Orson Welles materials in the world, as he was in the process of writing a book concerning a selection of Welles’ works. Now, that’s all well and good — keep in mind that Kubrick and Welles aren’t even writers per se, but directors — but one has to consider that not everyone who writes will have a dedicated archive to house their earlier drafts. It’d be fab if that were the case, with the exception of that Stephenie Meyer hack, of course, but would the planet have enough room? The solution is simple: turn the Moon into a library. Might as well get started now! *rolls up sleeves*
What I’m getting at, or at least, getting round to getting at, is what will become of all the first drafts for those of us who write primarily using a computer? Having the opportunity to read earlier versions of published works allow us to see their evolution, whther it’s interesting, or awkward, or both. The second revision of ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ ended with a pitched, eight-page gun battle, for instance, whilst the initial draft of Camus’ ‘L’Étranger’ boldly dispensed with any and all consonants. I don’t know of many individuals that habitually save the earlier revisions of what they’ve typed for weeks, let alone months, after their final drafts are struck. Maybe I just have a slash-and-burn approach to it all, but I regularly delete my accumulated post revisions whenever I’m hashing out a post on ‘Shouting etc etc’; the WordPress platform has a specific plugin for that (thanks Delete-Revision!), so your drafts don’t bog down your server. And that sheet of legal pad paper where this post first came into existence? Currently wadded up and residing in my kitchen rubbish bin.
Christ knows I’m the last person to knock technological advancements, but one has to consider what will become of a writer’s printed legacy in the digital age? And not to sound too NPR about it, the idea of the vanishing drafts may seem insignificant at first, but do we, as a culture, lose something because of it? It’s something to think about.
If any writer-types want to get their .02 pfennig in about this — Monti, Joe, and veach, obviously I’m looking squarely in your directions, but my invitation extends to everyone — you’re more than welcome to add your thoughts on the matter
typed for your pleasure on 8 February 2010, at 11.52 am
Sdtrk: ‘Shadow world’ by Xeno & Oaklander
Figured I’d bang this ‘un out in between chapters of the current post freight train, ‘I burped at Vegas‘. Compared to the previous entries of this series, this one will be shockingly brief!
+ There’s been a surge in hits on ‘Shouting etc etc’ in the past couple of days, and through a quick bit of rooting through my referreral stats, I’d discovered that 4woods has linked to me, on the front page of its English site. Nice!
Gotta love that infinite recursion
As the print has shrunken to near-illegibility, it reads ‘Davecat introduces the latest love doll news from the world. He is a famous person in this field who has been on TV and magazines many times. 4woods met Davecat at 2010 AVN in Las Vegas and personally exchanged words, which was such an honor. He is very interested in Japanese culture as well.’ And cuisine, they neglected to add that I’m very interested in Japanese cuisine. Like right now, for instance. I’ll have an order of zaru soba, an age dashi tofu, and an eel temaki, here! *gestures to imaginary waiter*
4woods joins KnightHorse, makers of the Lovable Doll series, as being the second Synthetik companion manufacturer to link to this humble blog. Thanks Hiroo Okawa, and arigatou 4woods! You guys are awesome! Now, how about sending a charming A.I.Peach Akari round to ours to review? It’s for science.
+ Turns out Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘Kuuki Ningyo’, aka ‘Air Doll’, which I’d written about back in July 2009, will be out on DVD in Japan on 26 March. ‘Great for the Japanese,’ you say, with not a small note of sarcasm in your voice, ‘but what about the rest of us who don’t understand moonspeak?’ That’s quite alright, as the Japanese DVD comes with English subtitles, which is actually rather surprising. Not that I’m complaining! CDJapan, for instance, has the limited edition slated as selling for $67, so it’ll go on the wish list — just not necessarily at the top of the wish list. Good lord, though; for $67, you’d think it comes shipped with an inflatable replica of the title star…
+ This interview with Abyss creations’ Matt McMullen, featured on the website 69adget, was more than likely a direct result of the 2010 AVN.
Do you think that most people want a companion in a doll or do they just want to have sex with it?
I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with doll owners that assign fictitious personalities to their dolls. I mean, to me it’s very heartwarming that this doll is able to fill a void that this person has in their life. You know, there are people out there that are incapable of having relationships, or they just don’t want it. Perhaps they’re socially cut off by their own choice. There’s always going to be a human need for companionship and to me there’s nothing wrong with those individuals who want to have a pseudo robotic doll to have in their house and build a relationship with. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it and i would be the last person to judge.
+ And just a wee reminder, you lot remember that the Missus and I will be on the ‘Strange Love‘ episode of National Geographic’s ‘Taboo’ documentary series this Wednesday at 10pm EST, right? Okay, just so you know. Well, know again, that is; some of you are new. Like you in the back with the Franz Ferdinand shirt on, for instance.
‘Shouting to hear the echoes’. Sometimes, I even write about things that aren’t Dolls! Anything’s possible
typed for your pleasure on 6 February 2010, at 5.15 pm
Sdtrk: ‘Do or die’ by the Human League
Spotted this on Retro to Go: this would be the Mint cube, an .mp3 player designed for the retro mind. This might be the sexiest non-Synthetik thing I’ve seen in a while.
On the top side of Mint cube lays ten buttons, and these buttons are also analog. In the past, cassette players would have this type of analog buttons where you pressed one button and then pressed another button; the first button would pop right back out. Mint cube’s employed same types of button and together with analog indicators; it completely brings out the “retro” styling. In the absence of the LED status light, moreover, users can check its status by looking at which buttons are pressed. When you use Mint cube, it will bring back your memory of childhood, although this statement only applies to people who were born in 80s and before.
The blessed thing has indicator dials, for the love of “Bob”. So sexy. Unfortunately, it appears that Mintpass is a designers’ collective, not a gadget boutique, and as such, their Cube is not for sale. At least not yet, that is.
And what headphones — headphones, not bog-standard earbuds — would do that lovely device justice? Would sir or madam be interested in these, perhaps?
Tracks Headphone Series (headphones & headphones with microphone) are on-ear headphones inspired by the function and design of the old iconic walkman headphones. […] The slider connecting the ear cup and the brace comes in three sets of different colours for customization. For disassembly you can easily slide off your ear cups and pack them securely for transportation or share your music with a friend. The headphones come with a neat carrying bag for protecting the different headphone parts and keeping the wires from entangling with other items in your bag.
Designed and created by Danish firm AIAIAI, the group seem to have a solid grasp of the Eighties aesthetic. Furthermore, you can actually purchase a pair of Tracks headphones right now, if you like. Well, maybe not right now, as all variants (except for peach) are out of stock. Ehh, peach. *waves hand dismissively*
