Genius idea out of England from Gwilym Davies, the 2009 World Barista Champion: the disloyalty card. In an attempt to promote East London’s emerging coffee shop scene, if you go and “drink coffee at 8 interesting, quality focused cafes,” then Gwilym Davies himself will make you a free cup of coffee.

-Via Notcot

I’m not sure whats better, these amazing pictures shot from the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, or the incredibly funny story behind them. Todd Lapin created Telstar Logistics, a fictional company, in order to gain access to places normal people could only dream of.

“What is Telestar Logistics? The short answer is that it’s a scam for parking illegally in loading zones. The nerdy answer is that it’s an ongoing experiment in corporate phenomenology, urban camouflage, and brand development. The tale unfolds something like this: In the late 1980s, I lived in Providence, Rhode Island, where I drove this 1974 Dodge Tradesman 200 van. One day, I had an epiphany — if I disguised the van to look like a work vehicle, I’d be able to park in yellow-curb zones without getting parking tickets. After a trip to an art-supply store to buy some vinyl lettering, an ambiguous company name was created, the letters were applied to the sides of the van, and indeed, no tickets were received.

The fake company took on a life of its own. In 1987, I bought a new SUV, which was duly accessorized to look like a fleet vehicle, with yellow stripes on the tailgate, a cryptic vehicle number on the sides, and a police-style spotlight.”

“So, in other words, Telstar Logistics is my branded alter ego. Practically, however, it provides useful cover for many of the things I like to do, such as exploring transportation facilities and abandoned military bases.”

-Via Notcot

-Via Behance

Gasp for air — this is so amazing! As Sub-Studio explains the Dirt-Poster:

Designed by Roland Reiner Tiangco, Dirt Poster requires your participation to complete it. The back side of each poster is covered with a layer of ink, which you need to “paint” onto the front side the poster, to reveal the message that has been spot-varnished onto the paper. Awesome! The poster is limited edition and can be bought for $80.

The future belongs to the few of us still willing to get our hands dirty.

-Via Swiss-miss

Disable your popup blocker. Brace yourself. This is awesome.

http://stewdio.org/pong/

Because that’s how they did it in Menace II Society.

Journalists and gun experts point to the 1993 Hughes brothers film Menace II Society, which depicts the side grip in its opening scene, as the movie that popularized the style. Although the directors claim to have witnessed a side grip robbery in Detroit in 1987, there are few reports of street gangs using the technique until after the movie came out.

But the side grip can also be practical:

During the first half of the 20th century, soldiers used the side grip for the express purpose of endangering throngs of people. Some automatic weapons from this era –like the Mauser C96 or the grease gun — fired so quickly or with such dramatic recoil that soldiers found it impossible to aim anything but the first shot. Soldiers began tilting the weapons, so that the recoil sent the gun reeling in a horizontal rather than vertical arc, enabling them to spray bullets into an onrushing enemy battalion instead of over their heads.

But mostly it just looks cool.

-Via Kottke

Cavernous but wide open, dark and heavy but bright and spacious, this incredible underound house is the ultimate expression of architectural opposites fused into a single spectacular earthen living structure buried in the mountainous ground of the Swiss Alps.

From within, this odd opening frames amazing views of the surrounding green hills and distant white mountains as well as providing a sense of enclosure and security for residents within the home and front courtyard area – a one-sided yet stunning view as opposed to the normal full-surround sights normally expected of a mountain home.

Despite its highly unconventional and contemporary form, there is much that is comfortable and traditional in this home as well – again embodying a strange set of opposites, featuring both phenomenally forward-thinking design strategies and traditional construction and decoration techniques.

-Via Dornob

-Via Flickr Blog

-Via Behance

Squibble is a pocketable portable Braille interface that connects to technology allowing menus, and screen to be accessed via Braille and universaly recognisable symbols.

-Via Coroflot