After a holiday hiatus, we are back to our regularly scheduled Friday programming. As such, each member of our staff has picked something they mentally tagged as “cool” from the past week.
LAURA
What Shall I Wear is back!
Fashion icon Claire McCardell is credited with pioneering the much emulated “American look” in the 40s and 50s - freeing women from the constraints of house dresses and girdles, giving them separates and (gasp!) pants. Her book, What Shall I Wear?, published in 1956, was equally influential and iconic. Sadly, it’s been out of print for years with remaining copies selling for upwards of $150. Now, a publishing house called Overlook Hardware is resurrecting this treasure! Better yet, you can already pre-order your copy on Amazon before its March release. Is it my birthday?
ANDREA F.
How to Job Search in 2009
This article mentions that starting your own blog can also serve in helping you find a new job. Pay close attention to the commentary on “creating your own personal brand.”
ED
Fuser.com
Organization is one of my longest running New Year resolutions, can’t seem to get it right. Fuser allows me to check my all my different email/social networking accounts in one place. It’s Flash-driven, accessible from anywhere and ridiculously simple to set up. Still in its beta version and already my first favorite find of 2009.
ALLISON
Pizza Box Abs Ad
Check out the ad on these boxes from a local pizza place: Ab Rocket. I really can’t imagine better placement–it not only exploits body loathing, but tries to engender it. Eating all that pizza? Better watch those abs! Much more effective than an infomercial. But my only question is the use of the word “rocket” as in “rocket hard.” Sounds painful.
ANDREA D.
Tabbloid.com
Ever wish you could get all your favorite RSS news feed stories to go (on something other than your mobile)? Now you can. With Tabbloid, you can aggregate all your stories and have them printed into your own personal newspaper. Simply print and go. The only downside is the extra paper you’ll use.
FOREST
The Manchester Morgue
I’ve been casually following The Manchester Morgue blog for a while now. The title is from, I assume, the semi-popular zombie film in the 70’s, which I also happened to gift my brother for Christmas one year on VHS. I have kind of a thing for semi-good to absolutely terrible horror movies and this site is pretty much the bees knees if you’re into that sort of thing. I was impressed when they posted the “Weird Science” soundtrack. I may have developed a crush when they posted the film “Double Dragon” for download. (You think you got over Scott Wolf, but you didn’t.) Finally, today, I am absolutely smitten with the NES Roms posted for download. Home Alone?!? Will they download to my Mac … probably not. It may just be another broken heart, but one worthy of the agony.
ANITA
Atheists Send a Message, on 800 British Buses
“There’s probably no God,” the advertisements say. “Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” It is amazing that atheism still stirs up so much controversy in 2009. Passersby described the campaign as anything from “a robust example of freedom of speech” to “dreadful.” I wonder what would happen if something similar was done state side.
HEATHER
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 launches: world’s first WiFi camera with web browser
Here is a new product unveiled at CES this week that really caught my attention. Sony has developed the first digital camera with WiFi and a web browser. Photos and videos can be instantly uploaded via the camera to various sharing sites. I’m actually quite surprised that it took until 2009 to see this because uploading photos and video via cell phone has been common place for several years already.
