Envisioning a new kind of prosthetic leg could be the ultimate challenge for functional design. The technical and practical aspects can’t be any less than perfect, yet it also needs to beautiful enough to replace a real human limb. Gathering inspiration for an experimental prosthetic design, Joanna Hawley looked to the lines and shapes of mid-century design master Charles Eames. Her solution is simple and elegant, but also bold and surprising.

Via NotCot

Paul McCarty’s inflatable sculpture Complex Shit broke free from an outdoor exhibit in Switzerland, leaving a trail of destruction, horror, and terrible “luckily it missed the fan!” jokes in its wake. Thanks, Sarah.

I hope that Russian design studio Art. Lebedev Studio will take note of the Dark Knight craze and make these bat clothespins available again. Because they're awesome. Ridiculous, yes, but awesome nonetheless.

Admit it, sometimes you dream about having some truly bitchin' graphics on your ride. Like that guy with the Neverending Story van. Except maybe a little less scary. And perhaps removable, just in case having Moonchild on your rear door panel seems a little less cool in a year or so. Lucky for you, Infectious is here to help. Newly launched, they carry easy-to-install vinyl graphics for your car designed by the likes of Buff Monster, Dalek, and Coop. They're also aiming to become the Threadless of car graphics, with a community submissions section. Check it out and never get lost in a sea of silver cars again.

Above are the contents of a package recently sent to me by a ne’er-do-well friend currently living in Bangkok. For your convenience I have numbered the contents of this mysterious mailing. Let’s explore, shall we?

1. A lovely silk scarf from a Thai market. So far, so good.

2. An illustrated bookmark/coupon for a store apparently called Goose. This is the best name ever. I want to open my own business just so I can steal it.

3. Brightly decorated envelope, sure to arouse suspicion at Customs.

4. An article on how to improve my bowling skills, neatly clipped from a magazine. I do not bowl.

5. Card advertising an exhibit for a Shanghai-based photographer. Unfortunately I missed the show by one month and several thousand miles.

6. Slightly suspicious-looking candy.

7. Book promising me a fruitful and harmonious life. Book was apparently purchased from a man wandering on the beach. Actually, that's how I acquired most of my library.

8. Coasters(?) advertising a Thai sex workers advocacy group that my aformentioned friend was volunteering with. A definite conversation starter for guests!

I am nerviously awaiting my next mailing, due to arrive from Australia. Who knows what novelties will be uncovered in the land o’ Vegemite?

Hoon is my new favourite word. Australian in origin and popularized by car blog Jalopnik, it refers to someone performing great acts of vehicular stupidity, such as drifting a limo or deliberatly crashing an Eldorado into a camper. And it’s versatile! Hoon, hoonage, hooning, hooned - pretty well any variation is acceptable.

Linguistically, it’s the perfect combination of sound and meaning. But what about the visual aspect? There must be a a perfect Hoon typeface out there …

Flash mobs, crowds of wacky people doing something ridiculous and then dispersing, first started appearing about five years ago. They made a blip on the cultural radar before fading away. Personally, I saw the failure of flash mobs to catch on as an extremely encouraging sign that there was still hope for modern civilization.

However, recent evidence suggests that flash mobs have made a comeback. In Berlin, a vast crowd assembled in front of a McDonalds. Not to protest, but to eat as many burgers as humanly possible before dispersing. And on May 31st, the London Underground hosted a massive crowd of revelers hoping to have a last drink on the Circle Line. Are we entering an age where no one is safe from random pillow fights on the street or coworkers talking like pirates? Well, maybe we can all be like this guy, and use it to our advantage.

(Photo by mrlerone)

The video he made to promote it is, frankly, terrifying, but don't let that scare you away from Chip Kidd's new novel. "The Learners" picks up a few years after his first book, "The Cheese Monkeys" ended. Leaving behind the terror of 1950s' design school, Kidd moves along to the wonder of an early 1960s ad company. There's all the design-related discursions you could hope for, but overall it's a much darker book than "The Cheese Monkeys". Stanley Milgram even makes an appearance, sending everything into a spiralling debate about good and evil. Pick it up and see how Chip Kidd manages to work in smart ass copywriters, typography, art, and one huge, drooling dog into a great novel.

Better code and block rockin' beats. Usually people feel like they have to choose one or the other, but not the Poetic Prophet aka the SEO rapper. Thanks, Shawn.

…the entire 'Kermit' collection from legendary skate shop/label Supreme sold out in less than a week. Even weirder? Semi-legendary and extremely skeevy photographer Terry Richardson shot all the Kermit images. There's even a video documenting the photo shoot. Thankfully, it's totally safe for work, proving that there are limits to Richardson's perversions. The French boutique Colette is also running an exhibit of the photographs this month, just in case you're in the neighborhood. And if you absolutely need a Kermit skateboard? There's always ebay.