Archive for December, 2009

Faux-cohol for the New Year?

written on December 31st, 2009 with no comments

Consider this as you get ready for your New Year’s celebration tonight… What if you could drink all you want, then pop a pill to become sober?

Apparently, there are some researchers working on just the very thing: an alcohol substitute that gives you a buzz, but comes with an “antidote” that sobers you up and prevents a hangover.

At first glance, this sounds like a great advancement for society. Think of the possible benefits… a reduction in drunk driving accidents… less public rowdiness… no more pesky sunglasses after a night of binge drinking…

I sit here, though, and wonder if this doesn’t bring about a whole new set of health questions:

  • What if you get so drunk that you pass out before you can take your “sober pill”?
  • Can you get faux-alcohol poisoning by consuming more than your body can take?

and money questions:

  • How much more would you be charged for this than a drink with regular alcohol?
  • What about fraud? (I mean, how would you know until later if you had real or faux alcohol)

and moral questions:

  • Would drinking at lunch (or even worse, on the job) now be considered socially acceptable?
  • What if an alcoholic switched to faux-cohol to hide his/her problem?

Regardless, sounds like such a world is a far way off. According to the article, this idea is still without corporate backing, and it’s unclear if this could even be regulated or approved. So, in the meantime, you will just have to consume your alcohol in moderation (except for maybe tonight!)
Happy New Year :)

Vegas is like a box of chocolates…

written on December 30th, 2009 with no comments

Last week we spent a little time in Vegas (which is actually a beautiful place to visit during the holidays – it’s a spectacle!)

One of the places we looked at last week was Aria, the new hotel and casino at City Center. There were tons of tourists milling around since it just opened about a week earlier. I was struck, though, by the décor: dark, hip, contemporary. It’s very much indicative of what I’d call the “new, new Vegas”.

No longer are these new casinos going for the overly-themed buildings. Decadence here used to be the mimicry of Paris, Italy, New York, or some tropical destination. For a while, that was the “new Vegas”. I do think of this like the box of chocolates that you see stuffing the shelves near Valentine’s. Most of those boxes are trying to imitate something with their package: be it looking like silk or satin, embossing what appears to be a glossy bow, or adding foil or metallic accents to give it an expensive touch. The new, new Vegas is still glossy, but in a different way.

I guess the distinction is:
New, new Vegas is like artisanal chocolate: an expensive treat cradled in a luxe little package that makes you feel rich for ten minutes as you savor it.

New Vegas is like a typical Valentine’s box of chocolates – Overdone, trying to be something it’s not, but fun once in a while.

Old Vegas is like a bargain box of chocolates: kinda retro (you like it for the nostalgia), and a little cheaper (in look and impact on the wallet).

Ooooh, can’t wait to go back!

Making and Thinking at Make/Think, With Drinks

written on December 16th, 2009 with no comments

I had actually forgotten about this and then stumbled back upon it. From the 2009 AIGA Design Conference in Memphis, as posted by withgelatobaby. I’m about half-way through, and reminded again of what a total geek I can be sometimes! Someone get that girl another drink. ;)

What did your favorite designers make and think at AIGA’s national conference? Hear from Michael Bierut, Julie Lasky, Stefan Bucher, Chip Kidd, Bonnie Siegler, Kurt Andersen and more about what they made and thought that day (the answers may surprise you). Includes some special Make/Think choreography from Design Observer’s party at the New Daisy Theater!

Includes…michael bierut, chip kidd, stefan bucher, jamie koval, julie lasky, kurt andersen, emily carr, gaby brink, pam williams, michael vanderbyl, david gibson, david burney, ric grefe, robin tooms, steve hartman, bobby martin, liz danzico, hank richardson, zelda harrison, clement mok, michael lejeune, jim coudal, shel perkins, jim ales, petrula vrontikis, william drenttel, marc english, dan covert … and more.