When traveling like I'm doing now, you don't want to relay on a laptop or smartphone speaker.  You want some power to it and to also hear the clarity of music in your speakers. So how about the Soundmatters Dash7 Speaker ($250). One of the slimmest, lightest high fidelity Bluetooth speakers available, this little unit measures three-quarters of an inch high and weighs less than half a pound, while still packing plenty of sound. It has Bluetooth connectivity for wireless listening, or an auxiliary input if you don't mind being connected. With 12 hours of Bluetooth battery life, and as much as 20 hours if you use the auxiliary cord, you won't have to worry about it dying on you. Available in range of colors, this speaker also includes an international charging kit, cables, and a carrying case.

If the watches are not doing it for you in the mobile sector then how about a ring? The Smarty Ring ($275) free you from searching for you phone all the time, just to find no new notifications. The average person reaches for their phone 150 times a day. This decrease it by 60%. Its Bluetooth 4.0 technology lets you always control your phone remotely and get real time updates.  It is compatible with iOS and Andriod and comes with it's own app to control your features.  Check out the video below for more information.

- Real time updates from your phone -- not just phone calls, and texts, but all social media!
- Program which alerts you receive (Facebook, Twitter, Skype, etc).
- Control your phone without ever touching it (silence calls, play music, etc).
- Simple plug and play setup.
- Suitable for day & night use.
- Not only will it control your phone but it has a clock, countdown, alarms, and more!
- Waterproof.
- 24 hour run time.
- 3 year battery life.
- Unisex.
- Comes in multiple colors.
- And more!

To continue on the whole oak barrels being made into audio equipment how about this limited edition turntable. In marking their 40th anniversary, Linn teamed up with Highland Park, makers of fine single malt scotch whiskey to exclusively create the Sondek LP12 Turntable($40,000). Linn took their highest performance turntables and encased them in a remarkable whisky wood plinth, made from the actual solid oak barrels that matured Highland Park whiskey. If that sounds exclusive, it is, there are only 40 of these that were made. But at least they are throwing in a 40-year-old bottle of Highland Park, valued at nearly $1,500, to with your turntable. So if your a scotch connoisseur and also an audiophile then this is for you my friend.

Source: uncrate.com

You could be rocking the "Beats" by Dr Dre like all the other cool kids but they never contained Irish Whiskey. Grado Headphones ($395) are limited edition handcrafted headphones, made from recycled white oak barrels from Bushmills Whiskey of Ireland. They come with a vented back design, a custom brown leather headband, and hopefully the sweet smell of oaky booze whenever you put them on. Get a more detail description from Gizmodo.

I have a thing for birds, but not one to own one though. I would have to say that I'm really enjoying these oil paintings by Portland-based artist Meghan Howland, who likes to depict people caught in swarms of birds, flowers or fabric.  It's not quite clear if the people are safe or in a dangerous situation, an ambiguity that leaves each piece open for interpretation. Howland is represented by Bowerstock Gallery where you can see much more of her work.



Source: thisiscolossal

Welcome to Playlist-56. In this installment let's start off December with some upbeat yet nostalgic style music to get you in the holiday spirit of decorating, shopping and chilling indoors.  New music by Tycho, Broods and Star Slinger.

Click Play and have at it! If you want to check out any of the other Playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog or in the menu.


Cover art by Damion Schweizer

Tracklist

I'm a huge fan of Neuva Forma's monthly podcast's of there Listening Pleasures collection. So I thought I would share their newest addition #25. It was put together by there friend Jon Cox of WILDABOUTNOTHIN'. It's a little bit shy over a half an hour but what a way to get lost in that time. The emotional content of this playlist is a perfect blend of samples and cohesive song-mixing that makes the entire thing feel  like one beautiful song that ends much too soon in my opinion.

Check out Neuva Forma and find some amazing musicians and also check out other Listening Pleasures. You can even download and subscribe to their podcast. Enjoy!!!




Source: Neuva Forma

There seems to be a lot of different varieties of wireless speakers but the Grain Audio Wireless Speaker ($250) has a solid and sleek look. Its solid walnut construction gives it some heft and durability, while providing a natural beauty and acoustic properties of hardwood cabinet. It comes with Dual two-inch drivers, a passive radiator, and the technical proficiency Grammy Award-winning Waves MaxAudio Suite deliver music the way it was meant to sound — without all the gimmicky enhancements found in lots of portable speaker systems. Combine all that with powerful Bluetooth connectivity, eight hours of battery life, and a carrying pouch, and what you get is one of the best (and best looking) small speakers available.

Source: Uncrate

This is an ongoing collaboration between Russian photographer Alexander Knokhlov and make-up artist Valeriya Kutsan. In this collection, faces of models are transformed into two dimensional paintings and design using face paint. The first series of black and white photos titled Weird Beauty were released last year, and the duo brought on digital artist Veronica Ershova who helped retouch a new collection of images inspired by poster art titled 2D or not 2D. These new color images seem to have more digital assistance but they're still stunning to look at. See more here.



Source: thisiscolossal