Autoban

With the founding of a national design council in 2004 and home to a design week in its third year, Istanbul is gaining recognition as a minor design capital. Founded in 2002, the firm Autoban, is helping the city's reputation along. Making their debut at New York's ICFF this year, their appropriated street sign logo and this wood (down to the lampshade) "King" lamp, made …

Ultra Electro

If you can get past Ultra Electro‘s cover art, you’ll find a never-boring mix of dance music and club hits. On the heels of its successful multi-volume predecessors, artists including Ladytron, Depeche Mode, New Order, Gorillaz, Moby, Goldfrapp, and N.E.R.D. get redone by the likes of Soulwax, DFA, and Tommie Sunshine. Pick the Ultra Electro compilation up from Ultra Records or Amazon.

New Media Art

Like most movements, "New Media" is not without its overarching generalizations, generic definitions, and ivory tower theories. The recent book New Media Art by Rhizome founder Mark Tribe and art critic Reena Jana anthologizes some of the innovative artists in the field, documenting a moment when the genre is at its apex (or over, according to some). The cast includes current new media darling Cory …