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Josh Rubin

Josh Rubin believes that there are no new ideas, just great executions. As an interaction designer he's always looking for both creative inspiration and an understanding of the way people do things. In 2003 he decided to start a catalog of what he found and haphazardly named it Cool Hunting. Today Cool Hunting is synonymous with seeking inspiration and has a global team of editors and contributors sifting through innovations in design, technology, art and culture to create the award-winning publication that consists of daily updates and weekly mini-documentaries for an international audience of like-minded creative people. Josh is also responsible for the design of coolhunting.com and the iPad app, as well as the distribution via sites like Vimeo, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Outside of being an editor, Josh also consults on strategy, content and design for select clients including Apple, Adobe, Vodafone, Nike, Microsoft and MTV. Josh helped to found the digital consultancy Bond Art + Science, was a Lead User Interface Designer at Motorola, a Design Director at Razorfish, in charge of product development at Upoc Networks and an intern at IDEO. He has a BA in Communications and Cognitive Science from Hampshire College and a Master's in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU.

Latest Stories

Wordless Web

Wordless Web

in Tech on 8 May 2012

The endless stream of information available on the web can easily get clogged with an overload of messaging. To simplify your daily surfing sessions, former Google Creative Lab Creative Director Ji Lee—with the coding help of Cory Forsyth—has come up with the Wordless Web, a simple browser plug-in that...

LuxeFinds

LuxeFinds

in Tech on 7 May 2012


 LuxeFinds, the online luxury shopping engine for women, has produced a mobile shopping app that searches the web for lifestyle goods based on color. By taking a picture of an article of clothing or selecting a color from a color wheel, shoppers can find an exact match from...

Big Jambox

Big Jambox

in Tech on 1 May 2012

Just released as a follow-up to the diminuitive Jambox speaker, Jawbone presents Big Jambox, a scaled-up version of the wireless speaker setup. In part a nod to the boombox speakers that gained popularity in the '70s, the device delivers full sound in a portable package. The speaker pairs automatically...

The LunarGrand Chukka

The LunarGrand Chukka

in Style on 30 April 2012

As a follow up to the LunarGrand Wingtip, Cole Haan is launching a line of LunarGrand Chukkas at their SoHo store in NYC this week. The shoes sport a nubuck upper that is paired with Nike's Lunarlon sole for a combination of classic style and modern functionality. The ribbed...

TED-Ed

TED-Ed

in Culture on 25 April 2012

For years TED has fulfilled their mission of spreading ideas and inspiration through conferences, media and research fellowships. Taking this a step further and in the direction of generations to come, today TED launches a new TED-Ed initiative to assist educators and students worldwide. Understanding the evolutionary role of...

Superfly

Superfly

in Travel on 19 April 2012

Even the savviest of frequent travelers can fall into the miles trap, letting their rewards go unclaimed or worse, losing entire days strategizing how to cash in for a free ticket. Superfly is a relatively new engine that simplifies the process of shopping for reward travel by storing membership...

J. Hilburn

J. Hilburn

in Style on 17 April 2012

Having navigated the uncertain world of online made-to-measure services, we were delighted to receive the fruits of our recent test run with J. Hilburn. The men's clothier was one of the pioneers of online MTM, and their experience shows both in the quality cut and professional level of service....

The Onion's Great Escape

The Onion's Great Escape

in Design on 16 April 2012

As a cross between illustration, philosophy and paper engineering, Sara Fanelli's most recent children's book "The Onion's Great Escape" challenges the limitations of reading as an interactive experience. Following the quest of an onion as it attempts to escape its apparent fate of death by frying, the book's perforated...

Works of Nature

Works of Nature

in Culture on 10 April 2012

Making a name for herself by way of her "domestic trophies", Rachel Denny reinterprets the impact of human contact with the natural world in her sculptures. Her wool and cashmere-coated faux-taxidermy creatures represent our instinct to remake that world in our image, an extension of carefully groomed gardens and...

Chip Kidd

Chip Kidd

in Design on 4 April 2012

One of our favorite talks from TED this year, Chip Kidd delivers a great message in a most relaxed and humorous way. The talk, just posted online, reminds us about the importance of print in the digital age: "Much is to be gained by e-books: ease, convenience, portability," explains...

Urban Jungle

Urban Jungle

in Tech on 3 April 2012

Leading up to the New York International Auto Show Land Rover celebrated 25 years in the U.S. by staging an "Urban Jungle" in a parking lot beneath the High Line in Manhattan. Decorated with buried taxis and vintage Rovers, the course features hills, holes, mud and ruts that show...

Isaora Tech Blazer and Vest

Isaora Tech Blazer and Vest

in Style on 2 April 2012

Always one to challenge the norm in lifestyle and performance outerwear, NYC-based Isaora has once again taken a conventional piece and transformed it into something truly their own. With the 2.5-Layer Tech Blazer with removable Pertex Insulated Vest Isaora reworks the traditional sport coat for a tech-driven alternative. The...

Material6

Material6

in Tech on 2 April 2012

Having tried a number of wood backs for iPhone in the past, we were interested in the custom-engraved option from Material6. Not an adhesive layer applied to the glass back of the phone, but actually a replacement back all together, the wood is mounted in a frame identical to...

ThinBike

ThinBike

in Design on 30 March 2012

Living in the cramped quarters of the typical city-dweller, Graham Hill founded LifeEdited, a website focused on reducing one's non-necessities to live a more efficient life. His latest space-saving trick comes in the form of ThinBike, announced today at the PSFK Conference. This modified fixed gear features fold-up MKS...

Ursa Major

Ursa Major

in Style on 28 March 2012

Made among the Green Mountains of Vermont, Ursa Major skin care launched in late 2010 to provide men with a healthy and effective alternative to chemical-laden products. By favoring organic over synthetic, Ursa Major promotes a "super natural" regimen of face wash, toner and shaving cream, and a newly...

Henge Docks

Henge Docks

in Tech on 27 March 2012

As one of the more useful designs in Apple-specific accessories we've seen of late, Henge Docks offers a smart and sleek way to connect your Mac laptop to a desktop monitor or TV. The standup dock secures multiple cords and cables in place to make connecting to external devices...

Galileo

Galileo

in Tech on 23 March 2012

From Josh Guyot—Motrr co-founder and designer of Snow Peak's SnowMiner headlamp—comes Galileo, a 360° degree panning and tilting mechanism for iOS devices. With multiple potential applications, Galileo-mounted devices can be controlled remotely by swiping the screen of a secondary device to pan and tilt. The spherical platform allows for...

Roy Denim in the Making

Roy Denim in the Making

in Style on 21 March 2012

Generally considered the arbiter of denim, Self Edge recently took a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to visit the world's oldest denim mill and document the making of Roy's new denim. Designed from warp to weft by Roy Slaper himself, the custom denim also marks the first unsanforized fabric...

Keen-Wah Decadence

Keen-Wah Decadence

in Food-Drink on 20 March 2012

Combining superfood favorite quinoa with delicious organic coca nibs, Venice Beach-based YogaEarth presents Keen-Wah Decadence. The nutritious bar offers yogis and other health-minded people a gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO snack on the go and, in addition to quinoa, includes cacao, chia seeds, almonds, almond butter, coco nectar and Himalayan sea...

Tube

Tube

in Design on 15 March 2012

As a 2012 TED Fellow and teacher at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program, interactive video artist Gabriel Barcia-Colombo is deeply involved in the cultural and artistic exploration of communications technologies. Working primarily with video sculpture the ITP alum has long been interested in memorialization, and the urge for one to...

Monty Python: The Holy Book of Days

Offering Flying Circus fans a behind-the-scenes look at "Monty Python & the Holy Grail" (now out on Blu-Ray), the just-released companion iPad app "Monty Python: The Holy Book of Days" covers the epic film's 28-day shooting schedule with previously unpublished content sure to please Python aficionados and pillocks alike....

CA Mission

CA Mission

in Culture on 1 March 2012

Decorating the foyer of San Francisco's new ultra-luxe high rise Millennium Tower, Yoram Wolberger's "CA Mission" depicts California's iconic Spanish missions in an 18' x 14' model. The nod to the state's former architects plays off of notions of mass production and cookie-cutter repetition with a body made from...

Nanobot Music

Nanobot Music

in Tech on 29 February 2012

Professor Vijay Kumar from GRASP, the robotics laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania, just wrapped up a fantastic TED Talk on his robotics work. Using custom-built quad rotor nano-copters, Kumar's team demonstrated the agility, versatility and programmable awareness of these small drone-like devices. Kumar's work is focused on creating...

C6 by LivingHomes

C6 by LivingHomes

in Design on 28 February 2012

The C6, a new low-cost abode by LivingHomes unveiled today at the TED conference in both Long Beach and Palm Springs, California, makes a substantial leap forward in green building. Designed with the hard-hit Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans in mind, the pre-fabricated structure fulfills the requirements for...

The New Nike+

The New Nike+

in Tech on 22 February 2012

Originally unveiled in 2006, Nike+ has grown to a committed community of over six million digitally connected users. To build upon this concrete foundation Nike has today announced the Nike+ basketball and training shoes embedded with pressure sensors and accelerometers to collect previously unmeasurable, movement-based statistics across multiple levels...

Nike HTM Flyknit

Nike HTM Flyknit

in Design on 21 February 2012

As the most innovative company in athletic equipment and sporting lifestyle, Nike rarely leaves a year's calendar unmarked by groundbreaking product launches. This time around the brand has just unveiled a slew of Olympic-focused, sustainably-driven innovations for the upcoming 2012 summer games in London. Of the products announced the...

On-Mountain Tech

On-Mountain Tech

in Tech on 15 February 2012

While the purity of a lo-fi outdoor adventure can be a blissful experience, innovations in on-mountain tech offer enhancements that increase both fun and knowledge. Last week in Whistler I channeled my inner cyborg and tested three devices that are making the future now by informing, recording and entertaining...

Pemberton Distillery

Pemberton Distillery

in Food-Drink on 14 February 2012

On a recent trip to Whistler, we had the opportunity to sample the vodka from Pemberton Distillery, a fledgling outfit nestled in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia. Within their unassuming walls, the distillery employs copper stills to create a line of locally sourced, organic liquors. Designed as a...

Wülf Work

Wülf Work

in Style on 7 February 2012

On a recent trip to Vancouver, British Columbia we were pleased to discover Alex Fairbairn's line of finely made leather goods, Wülf Work at the new shop Much & Little. The Swedish hardware on buckles and fasteners complemented the fine leatherwork, all of which is crafted under the company's...

Nikon D800

Nikon D800

in Tech on 7 February 2012

Almost every picture I take for Cool Hunting stories is shot with my Nikon D700 so today's unveil of the D800 is welcomed news. An expected follow-on to last month's D4 announcement, the D800 brings a bounty of new features ranging from a massive full-frame CMOS sensor to dual...

Bureau of Trade

Bureau of Trade

in Design on 6 February 2012

It all started with a search for a pair of whalebones—two of them, between five and seven feet in length—to be mounted on a wall. Michael Moskowitz wanted to display the rare pieces to spark discussion of conservationist efforts, but found them exceedingly hard to come by. With all...

Homage to Joe Colombo

Homage to Joe Colombo

in Design on 2 February 2012

To commemorate the life and work of Joe Colombo, Italian design company Kartell has reissued his iconic 4801 chair. Designed in 1965, the 4801 was the first of 12 objects that Colombo created for Kartell until his premature death in 1971. In conjunction with the new release, Kartell is...

Pentax K-01

Pentax K-01

in Tech on 2 February 2012

Designed by Marc Newson, the K-01 from Pentax is the most photogenic camera I've seen in awhile. Until now, the design-driven segment of mid to high-end cameras has been dominated by vintage-inspired units like the gorgeous Fuji X Series. Newson's signature style distinguishes the K-01 from the rest with...

The LunarGrand Wingtip

The LunarGrand Wingtip

in Style on 1 February 2012

Jumping ahead of the current trends in men's footwear, Cole Haan's LunarGrand wingtip is a classically designed full brogue dress shoe updated with an ergonomic outsole for unmatched comfort. Launching 10 February 2012, the LunarGrand has been "engineered to conquer the streets of New York City" by combining a...

American Giant

American Giant

in Style on 1 February 2012

To rethink the process of American-made goods and reinforce the values of domestic production, former Chrome bags President Bayard Winthrop founded American Giant, a new line of high-quality menswear. Focused on the basics, the first line of affordable garments includes five variations on the sweatshirt made with an exclusively...

Skijoring with Bentley

Skijoring with Bentley

in Travel on 30 January 2012

Roughly translated to ski driving, skijoring is a Scandinavian-originated snow sport where a skier is towed—typically behind a horse or dogs. My introduction to the sport earlier this month came as an invitation from Bentley and Zai to join them in Gstaad for a less conventional interpretation. In caravan...

Ignoble

Ignoble

in Travel on 27 January 2012

Solid construction, clean lines and a no-frills approach to design drive LA-based bag brand, Ignoble. Centered on the assertion that the black backpack represents the true "essential carryall for the modern man," Ignoble makes their own with a focus on thoughtful design, style and personality. The current collection comprises...

Zai and Loro Piana

Zai and Loro Piana

in Style on 25 January 2012

On a recent trip to Gstaad with Bentley (more on that next week), I had the pleasure of meeting the team from Zai, the high end, handmade Swiss ski manufacturer. Patrick, Daniela and Thomas (pictured here) all happened to be wearing incredible ski suits. As it turns out, Zai...

Here

Here

in Travel on 25 January 2012

Premiering last night, HERE is a dreamy short film produced by Waris Ahluwalia for The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts. A romantic treasure hunt of sorts, the film stars Agyness Deyn, whose journey takes her halfway around the world following clues that lead to her mate. Directed by Luca...

DICE

DICE

in Tech on 23 January 2012

While augmented reality interfaces have had their moment on smartphones, the automobile windshield is a potentially more useful place to overlay contextual information. Mercedes' Dynamic and Intuitive Control Experience (DICE) offers a look at how the manufacturer envisions getting everything from traffic data to information about passing landmarks. The...

Deja Vu Refinery

Deja Vu Refinery

in Style on 23 January 2012

Driven by a lifetime of poor vision and years spent behind uninspiring frames, former vintage menswear dealer Jason Pollak founded Deja Vu Refinery to supply those like him with an iconic frame of the highest quality. From what he describes as a "closet full" of antique frames, Pollak drew...

The Eiger Field Jacket

The Eiger Field Jacket

in Style on 19 January 2012

Best known for their waterproof cycling rucksacks, San Francisco's Mission Workshop has taken their material knowledge and redirected it into the Eiger field jacket, a limited-run waterproof parka from their Advanced Projects Series. We were lucky enough to get a hands-on preview of the Eiger, and can attest to...

Sabi

Sabi

in Design on 19 January 2012

From Yves Béhar of fuseproject, the design mind behind the "XO" laptop for the One Laptop per Child program, Jawbone UP and Jambox, comes Sabi, a line of medication vessels aimed at bringing beauty and efficiency to an everyday necessity. The "Vitality Line" includes holsters, crushers, choppers, folios, shakers—in...

Dubbel Duffel for Opening Ceremony

After coming across a bag by a defunct '70s company in a Brooklyn vintage store, accessories designer China Young set out to reengineer the Dubbel Duffel's multipurpose charm to high fashion and quality standards. Delving into the history, Young found 1970s- and '80s-era comic ads and a cheeky character...

Future Watches from CES

Future Watches from CES

in Tech on 17 January 2012

As nostalgic as we are for horology, the developments in wearable digital media platforms are introducing some thrilling competition. Down at CES, tech heads were treated to a selection of accessories with intelligent interfaces, understandably weighted toward the fitness market, where pocket-less fashion necessitates uber-mobile technology. Below you'll find GPS-tracking,...

DSLR Accessories from CES

DSLR Accessories from CES

in Tech on 17 January 2012

As lovers of all things photographic we were excited to see what CES 2012 would offer the DSLR community. We saw a lot of great gear and accessories to enhance photographers' experience and support them in the field. Below are seven picks of some of our favorite DSLR gear we...

iPhone Photo Accessories from CES

iPhone Photo Accessories from CES

in Tech on 17 January 2012

While running around the labrynth of CES last week we noticed more than a couple standouts in the category of iPhone photography. From snap-on fisheyes and tripod-compatible add-ons to an app that sends physical post cards with the swipe of a finger, the following are five iPhone photo accessories...

iRobot Ava

iRobot Ava

in Tech on 11 January 2012

While scoping out the developments at CES in Las Vegas, we were delighted to meet Ava, a new mobile robotics platform prototype from the minds over at iRobot. Most will recognize iRobot's past work on the low-profile automated robotic cleaners Roomba and Scooba. While Ava may lack her siblings'...

SpareOne

SpareOne

in Tech on 10 January 2012

Relying on just one AA battery, the newly launched SpareOne mobile phone holds its power for an astonishing 15 years, with 10 hours of consecutive talk time on a single charge. Developed by industry giant XPAL Power—which also makes the combined battery pack and phone case PowerSkin—SpareOne's basic interface...

Acura NSX Concept

Acura NSX Concept

in Design on 9 January 2012

Unveiled today at NAIAS in Detroit is the new Acura NSX Concept, a supercar slated for sale in 2014. Sporting a 400 hp engine with a hybrid SH-AWD drivetrain, the sexed-up model is meant to combine green ideology with hedonistic performance. The current NSX is a revival of the...