Virtuoso is a music theory board game designed by graphic designer and illustrator Caleb Heisey. The semicircle wooden board with silhouetted instrument icons, game pieces with metallic gold printing and beautifully typeset game cards and rules all fit into an equally attractive box. Players compete against each other by successfully answering trivia questions about music history, composition, listening comprehension, and theory.
Virtuoso is a competitive, yet educational game geared for high school and college musicians to expand their knowledge and show off their skills.
images and info courtesy of Caleb Heisey
*This board game is not yet for sale. Caleb is currently looking for a publisher to produce it. The pricing and date of availability are not yet determined. If you would like updates on the progress of the game, shoot him an email at heiseycb@gmail.com
Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky has unveiled Old Pulteney 40 Year Old, the oldest official bottling in its line of single malts.
The whisky is presented in unusual deep-blue bottles crafted by The Tudor Crystal Design Company with glass sourced from Plowden & Thompson (both of which have recently been acquired by ET Enterprises Ltd.)
Hand blown from melting silica, soda ash and special additions each bottle is then finished with solid silver melted blown across the glass to form a wave pattern. This gives the familiar ‘Smuggler’s Kettle’ Old Pulteney bottle elegance and flair that pay respect to the liquid inside (Old Pulteney Distillery manager Malcolm Waring and Distillery Visitor Center manager Tanya Fraser hand-filled each bottle).
Each bottle of Old Pulteney 40 Year Old is topped with a stone closure whittled, polished, fine-pressure jetted, milled and polished again by the famous local Caithness Stone industries. The bottles are finished with a Scottish hallmarked silver medallion stating the age of the whisky. The high-gloss lacquered wooden box that encases the bottle has the iconic Old Pulteney herring drifter silver-etched into it to complete the stunning presentation.
In addition every bottle of Old Pulteney 40 Year Old comes with a hand-signed book by whiskey expert Charles MacLean.
Old Pulteney 40 Year Old boasts one of the most beautiful bottles ever to be used for single malt whisky. This extraordinary feat of design and craftsmanship comes as a result of intense, painstaking work by many people in Caithness and beyond. Old Pulteney Senior Brand Manager, Margaret Mary Clarke explains that the 40 Year Old has been a labour of love for all at Pulteney Distillery:
“The release of this wonderful 40 Year Old is a fitting way to conclude 2012, which has been an exceptional year for Old Pulteney around the world. Malcolm Waring, Distillery Manager, and his team have shown real dedication in bottling a whisky of the highest calibre which embodies the finest elements of Old Pulteney with even deeper complexity and character in every bottle.”
Tasting notes courtesy of Masters of Malt: Nose: Complex notes of fruit and hay. A touch of calf leather, vanilla, apple peels, musty mahogany and spice. Palate: It’s astonishing how youthful this seems. Certainly it has the complexity. It gives away hints of old, rich oak that come with age, but it’s also gloriously light in body, offering a lovely amount of sweetness. Vanilla notes, nutmeg, cinnamon and pastries develop. Finish: Good length and very spicy. Christmas Cake, honey, cedarwood and chocolate oranges. Cut grass and dark fruits, potpourri and cocoa. Overall: Just brilliant! So much going on and incredibly youthful in terms of sweetness and pep. We loved it!
A limited number of bottles of Old Pulteney will be available for purchase in the United States at a retail price of $2,400.
The 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is out and as they've done in the past, they have featured the body painting of Joanne Gair on several of the models. Wearing nothing but Joanne's talent upon their skin, here's a look at many of Walter Iooss Jr.'s photographs of models Alyssa Miller, Anne V, Ariel Meredith, Chrissy Teigen, Kate Upton, and Nina Agdal.
All photos in this post were taken by sports photographer Walter Iooss Jr. with body paint and makeup by Joanne Gair using products by Reel Creations and Tinsley Make-up FX Studio.
Alyssa Miller: Body Paint and Makeup by Joanne Gair using Body Art Products by Reel Creations and Tinsley Make-up FX Studio. Swimsuit inspired by Indah from the original by Rose Marie Reid.
Anne V.: Anne V was photographed by Walter Iooss Jr. in Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas. Body Paint and Makeup by Joanne Gair using Body Art Products by Reel Creations and Tinsley Make-up FX Studio. Swimsuit inspired by Gottex from the original by Gottex.
Ariel Meredith:
Nina Agdal:
Nina Agdal and Ariel Meredith, together: Nina Agdal and Ariel Meredith were photographed by Walter Iooss Jr. in Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas. Body Paint and Makeup by Joanne Gair using Body Art Products by Reel Creations and Tinsley Make-up FX Studio. Ariel - Swimsuit inspired by La Perla from the original by Norma Kamali, Nina - Swimsuit inspired by Malia Mills from the original by Malia Mills.
Chrissy Teigen: Chrissy Teigen was photographed by Walter Iooss Jr. in Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas. Body Paint and Makeup by Joanne Gair using Body Art Products by Reel Creations and Tinsley Make-up FX Studio. Swimsuit inspired by Kate Swim from the original Oscar de la Renta.
Kate Upton: Kate Upton was photographed by Walter Iooss Jr. in Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas. Body Paint and Makeup by Joanne Gair using Body Art Products by Reel Creations and Tinsley Make-up FX Studio. Swimsuit inspired by Delfina from the original by Delfina.
above: SI Swimsuit models wearing nothing but paint. Alyssa Miller, Anne V, Ariel Meredith, Chrissy Teigen, Kate Upton, and Nina Agdal.
You can see more images of each of these models (although I have featured the best ones) at SI's swimsuit edition site here.
See more of Joanne Gair's work and her previous painted on swimsuits for Sports Illustrated here.
The Avenue in California's Venice Beach uses cutting edge technology to allow anyone to custom design a pair of kicks. They have created custom Chucks for many a celebrity and sell several uniquely designed pairs that celebrate pop culture.
My personal favorites are a series of nicely illustrated Converse Chuck Taylors and Vans Slip Ons by Jon Defreest that feature TV's favorite Anti-Heroes; Walter White (Bill Cranston) and Jessie Pinkman (Aaron Paul) from Breaking Bad, Zombie Hunter Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) from Walking Dead, Shameless' Deadbeat drunken dad Frank Gallagher (Bill Macy), everyone's favorite Serial Killer, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) and lovable mustachioed Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) from Parks and Recreation.
Walter White (Bill Cranston) from Breaking Bad: Jessie Pinkman (Aaron Paul) from Breaking Bad: Breaking Bad's boys are also available on a pair of vans Slip-ons: Zombie Hunter Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) from Walking Dead: Serial Killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall): Shameless' Deadbeat Drunk of a Dad, Frank Gallagher (Bill Macy): Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) from Parks and Recreation:
Each pair cost $85 USD (they ship worldwide) and please note that because these shoes are made custom per order, there are NO returns or exchanges on any orders
About: Nestled at the heart of Venice Beach, California, The Ave, using cutting edge print technology, gives everyone the opportunity to custom design a pair of the legendary footwear that defined a generations culture, the best selling shoes in America, Converse Chuck Taylors and Vans Slip Ons, in addition to a wide variety of garments.
Shop for these and more (or design your own!) at The Ave Venice.
PHILIPPE STARCK UNVEILS 'THE BICYCLE OF THE FUTURE' DESIGN IN BORDEAUX
When Bordeaux wanted to expand its bike sharing program, it turned to its citizens for input, garnering 300 responses, and the resulting ideas were integrated into a concept bike by designer Philippe Starck. The result is a crowd-sourced bicycle that is claimed to be the “ideal city bike”.
In the fall of 2011, the city began soliciting input from its residents about what from they would like to see in a city bike, and the information which came out of asking those questions became the starting point for Starck’s design. The resulting machine, dubbed the City PIBAL Streamer, is a hybrid bicycle design that can be ridden as per usual (pushing pedals to power it), but which can also be ridden like a scooter.
The City PIBAL Streamer is basically a scooter and a bike compacted into one though the Bordelais (citizens of Bordeaux) are happy to have their very own custom-created public bike and no longer need to feel snubbed by metropolises like Paris and Copenhagen who got their own custom-created public bicycles a while ago.
"This is the analysis of the many responses from citizens Bordeaux diverse responses, constructive and intelligent and specificity of Bordeaux, what part of the new idea of this means of locomotion. This seems to be a revolutionary ergonomic inventive and just answer the new questions including pedestrian areas." said Philippe Starck.
Sandrine Bouvier of Peugeot says "We are delighted to be associated with the project initiated by the city of Bordeaux to multiply modes of urban transport. Continuous innovation in mobility is a major challenge for the brand since the launch of Mu by Peugeot in September 2009. Successfully mass produce the vision of Starck Bordeaux is the criteria for us exciting."
The bike-scooter hybrid comes with standard pedals and big yellow wheels that enable users to bike along as they would on any other bicycle. The platform placed in the middle of the step-through frame may seem a little eccentric for cyclists who are accustomed to simply leaving their feet on the pedals when they don’t need to pedal the bike, but for younger users who are a lot more accustomed to riding scooters, this unique feature could be particularly attractive. The trendy bike also has a large basket in front to help users carry their shopping with them and should prompt more people to leave their cars at home the next time they need to pop out to buy groceries.
The new bike-scooters will revitalize the bike park and enhance the mobility of the local inhabitant, thanks to a new ergonomic design to be produced by Peugeot for an urban environment. The bikes will available on loan to the inhabitants of Bordeaux.
“This idea for a new means of locomotion sprang from the analysis of much feedback from the citizens of Bordeaux, diverse opinions, constructive and intelligent ideas and the specificities of Bordeaux. This revolutionary solution seems to be the inventive and appropriate response to questions being asked regarding pedestrian areas”.
3000 of the bikes are expected to be manufactured by Peugeot by the end of this year, and will be added to Bordeaux’s bicycle sharing program.
