Designed by Kengo Kuma the Starbucks coffee shop is situated near the famous Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine and because of it’s close proximity Kuma was cautious to make sure the commercial space didn’t look out of place in such a setting. The shop is full of wooden beams all placed in different angles and at different heights made to mimic branches in a forest so it appears that the Starbucks is sitting in the trees.

via Who’s Jack

Love how something that many would consider to be obsolete still has a place in today’s time. The quality and unique characteristics produced by a letterpress just cannot be replicated by the modern day laser printers. Think its time for ICL to invest in a letterpress to make all of our future event invites!

Never ceases to amaze me at how awesomely fast technology and medicine continues to progress. Here’s a new story on probably the first (published) human trial with stem cells and its effects on blindness. Maybe its about time I can finally trust Lasik…

“This trial is more about assessing the safety of the transplantation than its efficacy; but the ambiguity surrounding Freeman’s improvements draws attention to the need for control groups and larger sample sizes in future trials. For now, however, these results are pretty much everything the researchers could have hoped for.

“This is very important for the field of human embryonic stem cell research,” says Dr. Steven Schwartz, director of the Diabetic Eye Disease and Retinal Vascular Center at UCLA and lead author of the paper. “It opens the door for multiple strategies in the field, and hopefully for everyone investigating [this technique], it puts some wind in their sails.”

Full Article

Don’t let your government destroy what is the fabric of the internet.
Do your part and help spread the word.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

What does Chip Kidd—author, editor, art director and jacket designer for over 25 years for the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group—know about digital publishing and the future of the book? Absolutely NOTHING, so therefore he will be moderating a panel of people who actually do, including Craig Mod, writer, designer and mentor of 500 Startups and designer and product planner at Flipboard, who will discuss the procession in physical vs digital books and how to think different about the design format of the book; Carin Goldberg, award-winning designer, principal of Carin Goldberg Design and instructor at School of Visual Arts, who will fill us in on how she is working to empower and prepare her design students in the digital age; Jeremy Clark, Director of User Experience for Adobe and head of the Experience Design team’s digital publishing group, who will tell us how he works with high profile media publishers to create digital publishing products.

Via 1×57

Relevant wisdom comes from many sources: parents, mentors, teachers, as well as personal experiences, inspirational leaders and industry shakers. In the vein of “All you need to know you learned in Kindergarten,” and in the spirit of the holidays celebrating family, I looked at some of the foundational rules guiding my six year old’s microcosm (all truly addressed in 2011). It says alot about how we strive to nurture the development of responsible human beings – and how we can easily be reminded about a simpler world defined by universal truths for fulfillment and prosperity.

10. Don’t let other kids steal your granola bars. Keep an eye out for overly opportunistic partners as well as competitive vultures. Better yet, share special treats at lunchtime with friends and special collaborators and it will come back to benefit you in the long-term.

9. Be friends with the smart kids. It’s self-explanatory, but by making new friends with diverse cerebrals and passionate people in their respective fields, one can propel growth in many areas. Not to mention win all the dodgeball games, due to creative strategy while having an unimaginable blast.

8. Don’t chase boys on the playground. Pointless roaming is good exercise in this era of childhood obesity, but when it counts, it is ideal to have specific targets. Find some focus areas to own, define selection criteria, make swift decisions, and take deliberate steps to find the associates who have the best ideas and excel.

7. Always double knot your shoelaces. Brace yourself for the unexpected, always do your homework and be prepared. And if you don’t know how to tie laces yet, you can have someone help you before school (without showing your weaknesses on the blacktop).

6. Come to school ready to learn and share what you know. Every situation can be a laboratory of learnings. Raise your hand as much as you can to participate wholly. Take risks in this semi-protected environment. Freely share your gifts with others.

5. Read a book every day (and sing, dance, hula hoop, duel light sabers, do play doh and shrinky dinks). Make discoveries with any and each opportunity, be curious, be tenacious about experiencing new things, whether ingenious or silly.

4. Don’t tattle or brag… just be true. If one just tries to be the best that they can and high integrity, people will intrinsically know. Say sorry and acknowledge mistakes. People are drawn to character and the truth is easy to recognize.

3. No cry babies. Throwing a tantrum only makes it worse and crying about it is useless. Although it takes maturity and fortitude, it’s best to listen first and empathize with others, find common ground, and go with the flow to find productive resolutions. This goes for incubees, partners, prospects, the board, advisors, bosses, underlings.

2. You get what you get, and don’t get upset. One of the most important lessons in early life is realizing that life is imperfect. Getting everything you want doesn’t channel happiness. Things won’t go as planned. You’re not good at everything and you will lose sometimes. It is enlightening to realize that the most fun and rewarding times are finding ways to face challenges down.

1. Have mercy on and love your parents. You don’t realize that the toughest role is where the weight of the responsibility lies. Be grateful. Have confidence to be successful, and make your parents and investors proud.