1. Trash Beetle

Indian artist Haribaabu Naatesan promotes VW's eco-awareness campaign by reconstructing the iconic Beetle entirely from salvaged refuse. The "Think Blue Beetle" is created from 2,805 bits of detritus collected by VW in various cleanup drives.

2. DIY Beef Jerky Underwear

Throw those gag edible undies aside and prepare yourself for some unmentionables that will really satisfy your hunger. A great project for any intrepid foodie or those looking for another unconventional addition to the bedroom, these beefy panties are sure to raise some eyebrows.

3. Chris Johanson Words of Advice

In a video by Aaron Rose for The Generic Man, the talented street artist Chris Johanson drops some wisdom as he playfully paints the backdrop. From "we are ant people on an ant planet" to "this is your trip, do whatever you wanna do", Johanson's casual outlook on "the circular energy" of life puts a shining spot on going with the flow.

4. Made Fashion App

As Fashion Week gets underway, runway-flanking reporters and others on the list can keep track of what saunters down the catwalk with this new Shazam-like fashion app. When someone says the future of fashion is now, they're right—harnessing special soundwave and geo-tracking technology, Made is able to sync your phone to the show you're attending, providing hi-res photos with designer stats in real-time. No more blurry, ghost-like snaps junking up your photo stream from now on.

5. Ed Ruscha for Band of Outsiders

Scott Sternberg's label continues its Polaroid campaign with a handsome turn by artist Ed Ruscha for the Band line. Toying with a Rubiks Cube and "Acrylic Painting for Dummies" in a series of serenely bleached shots, the man proves his expertise well beyond cold beer and beautiful girls.

6. BANG! Lamp

Replacing the antiquated notions of switches and clapping is Taiwan-based Bitplay's playful gun-controlled lamp, which debuted at the New York International Gift Fair. Those who grew up shooting ducks on their Nintendo will delight in the lampshade knocking off kilter when you pull the trigger.

7. Anrealage

Popping up on Cool Hunting last September for his pixelated Fall/Winter '11 collection, Kunihiko Morinaga reveals the motivation behind his forward-thinking label Anrealage in a comprehensive interview with Vice. The Japanese designer offers insight on his "Wideshortslimlong" collection, the "air bodies" comprising his Spring/Summer '11 collection and how he relates to the philosophy behind Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí.

8. Needing/Getting

By far the best car commercial to come out of the Super Bowl, Chevy set indie rock band OK Go and the new Sonic loose on a rally course ringed with musical instruments. The ensuing song is created from recording the car's contact with barrels, guitars, hanging glass and pianos to name a few.

9. The Sole

In a great showing of ingenuity and consideration, recently Nike unveiled the Sole, a shoe designed specifically for prosthetic legs. Working with Össur, the leading brand for prosthetic running blades, Nike developed an attachable tread that will allow triathletes like Sarah Reinertsen to compete at a higher level.

10. Superbowl 2012 Adverts

Every year millions of people tune in to the Superbowl to watch two of America's greatest football teams battle it out on the field. But the biggest competition is likely the vote for best commercial, and at around $3.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime the creative stakes are high. Check out 9 of the most entertaining spots from this year's game in a round-up from It's Nice That.

11. Transparency Grenade

In an attempt to make a statement about corporate transparency, engineer and artist Julian Oliver created the Transparency Grenade. By pulling the pin the device activates and anonymously records network traffic and audio from any location, and then wirelessly sends an encrypted stream offsite where it can be mined for data. This is the perfect addition to your conference room espionage kit.

12. The History of Radio

A game-changing development in 1892, radio is still a tool for innovation in the digital era. As one of sound's biggest proponents, Sonos put together an intriguing infographic that tracks the advancement of radio from the "Tesla to the social radio phenomenon Turntable.FM."

13. Condo at the End of the World

The clandestine subterranean network of billionaire bunkers is endlessly fascinating, and the latest discovery spanning the border of Ohio and Indiana is no exception. The decommissioned missile site now lives as a $1.5 million underground pleasure palace with all the requisite amenities like jacuzzi and gym, plus an automobile lift and, of course, the security against world disaster up above.

14. Biennial of Design

Submissions are currently being accepted for BIO 23, the annual design competition held in Slovenia. This year's theme, "Design Relations", centers around the interplay between design and technology, digitization and globalization.

15. iPhone Dashboard Car Stereo

Auxiliary ports and built-in USB plugs are becoming a standard feature among cars today, extending well beyond the multi-disc changer and FM radio. This dashboard iPhone dock promises to take it to the next level, eliminating the need for extraneous accessories and cables to connect your car to your sweetest tunes.

16. Canis Domus

Frank Lloyd Wright may have had a reputation for being difficult, but that didn't stop him from consenting to build a doghouse for a young boy's dog "Eddie". Initially declining, Wright later supplied the plans, which the boy's father John Berger—who had earlier constructed "The Berger House" from Wright's design—would realize over the course of 20 years.

No matter what the weather, chai remains a perennial favorite for its mix of sharp spices and pleasant sweetness, balanced out by a milky base. Coming away from 2012 Fancy Food Show, we found four small businesses who are channeling the classic blend in various forms of food and drink.

The Chai Cart
Paawan Kothari left her Silicon Valley career to take advantage of the food truck movement in San Francisco, dealing out childhood flavors to pedestrians in the form of homemade chai. The business quickly took off, and now Kothari offers her goods in concentrate form. This is our favorite of the bunch with good reason; Kothari personally sources her ingredients and no sugar is added to the final product. The Chai Cart offers masala, rose and chai late concentrates in addition to a line of loose teas.

Bhakti Chai
Founded in 2008, the goods from Bhakti Chai have stayed mostly in the Rocky Mountain region. Serving up Original, Unsweetened, Decaf and Coffee Blend chai concentrates, the flavors are also available in massive 64oz. growlers for the serious chai fiend. Ginger overtones are balanced by the sweet anise notes from fennel. The organic, fair trade tea is given its punch from evaporated cane juice and a series of fresh spices. Bhakti Chai also dedicates a portion of their products to a number of charitable organizations, including the Global Fund for Women and Girls Education International.

Third St. Chai
Another Colorado brand, Third St. offers six flavors of concentrated chai that is prepared simply by adding milk. The microbrewed beverage can be served hot, iced or blended, and is only slightly sweetened. Showing responsibility at every turn, the Third St. facility is fully wind-powered and the ingredients they use are composted for local farmers.

Hippie Chow
Complement your hot cup of chai with a similarly flavored handful of Hippie Chow granola. While they make a number of mixes, the aggressively spiced chai version is definitely the standout. The all-natural ingredients list includes organic oats, almonds, honey, canola oil, spices, sugar, vanilla extract and salt—exactly the kind of wholesome goodness you would expect from a brand called "Hippie Chow".

Note Design Studio quietly sidled into the public eye last year with its exhibition Marginal Notes, as part of Stockholm Design Week. Alexis Holmqvist, Susanna Wåhlin, Johannes Carlström, Kristoffer Fagerström and Cristiano Pigazzini run the multi-disciplinary studio, which has since built up a prolific base of collaborations with companies across Sweden and beyond, not to mention fresh interior architecture and installations like the recent Below the Snow at the Formex design fair.

This year, the studio revisited the original Marginal Notes concept to show another exhibition of experimental prototypes lifted from the margins of their notebooks. "We're looking for those unique sketches which pop out when you look at them again, the ones you just need to realize," says Fagerström. A recurring theme seemed to be emerging from the team's prep-work, that of Base Camp; "Simplistic materials and shapes of scientific field exploration tools; adapted to wear and tear," he adds.

As with its previous 2011 exhibition, the group set to taking the 2D sketches into 3D, with a diverse set of results that mix color, material and form in a light airy expression that has become the firm's signature. Marginal Notes gave Note a chance to not only show conceptual work but also its more recent collaborations like the simple overhead lighting for Zero, a mobile project screen for Zilenzio and a group of light ash wood structures, dressed in fabrics from Afroart.

However, Note stands out mostly for its independent projects like Tuc, a group of three rotund stools which get their form from the Steve Zissou-style beanie hat and its attention-grabbing red color. The edges of the cushion are folded up to reveal an intricate lattice of metal beneath.

The piece Sifter is a scaled-down take on an excavation machine from a building site, transformed into a coat hanger with a net below to catch items that may drop from your pockets. Peep brings light into typically dark bulky storage furniture, using the same mesh as Mosquito, a selection of screens that can be used as backdrops or temporary feature walls. The Catch is a fun ceiling light that can be moved around its central pivot to resemble a firefly caught in a butterfly net.

"To fell a tree, and to cut it up into useful pieces is a thing of pride for a lumberjack or a settler building their first cabin," says Fagerström, explaining the Settler seat. "The iconic shape of a log on a sawbuck inspired these benches, since a dead tree in the forest is really the best place for a short rest."

Marginal Notes 2012
8-10 February 2012
Showroom Lindehöf,
Hornsgatan 29, Stockholm