The Visual Miscellaneum
Curious what colors are popular in a given year? Designer David McCandless can draw you a picture (above; fall colors on the inside, spring colors on the outside). Fed up with dull spreadsheets, McCandless created an atlas of visual factoids, illustrating the world's trivia with bubble graphs and flowcharts. Bonus: an acknowledgments section laid out as a subway map.
Jesu: Opiate Sun
After conquering grindcore (Napalm Death), industrial metal (Godflesh), and dystopian dub (Techno Animal), musical omnivore Justin K. Broadrick found melody and formed Jesu. On this EP, the band continues its brilliant voyage to rock's outer limits, setting Broadrick's elegiac vocals against a wall of fuzzed-out guitar.
Reflect
Artist Joshua Davis has turned his exuberant style of generative art into an iPhone app ($2.99). Doodle with the "brushes" made of technicolor icons (heraldry, flowers, butterflies). Hit Done to generate a kaleidoscopic screen that you swish with your finger, or just take a snapshot of your sketch and email it to yourself.
Ceramic Speakers
Designer Joey Roth has a knack for transforming mundane objects like teapots and computer mice into functional works of art. His latest project is no exception: Roth's new desktop speakers ($495) are crafted from maple, porcelain, and cork. The result? A seamless marriage of drool-worthy design and audiophile-worthy sound.
Visionaire 2010
From art publisher Visionaire comes the best electronic calendar ever. Curators like Natalie Portman, Marc Jacobs, and Zaha Hadid have selected a work of art for each day of the year. Highlights include pieces by video maven Bill Viola, graffiti artist KAWS, and public-installation imagineer Olafur Eliasson.
Bar Bingo
Happy hours can sometimes be anything but. Inject some fun into the proceedings with an $8 set of 12 Bar Bingo cards. You win by calling out familiar sights like Visible Thong, Phone Shouter, Group Shots, and Public Makeout.
The Pixies: Minotaur
One of the most influential bands of the modern-rock era, the Pixies finally have a box set as monumental as their music. The $495 limited-edition version includes five studio albums in four formats (vinyl, CD, DVD, Blu-ray), a 1991 concert video, and two books; the whole thing weighs in at 25 pounds. Gigantic, indeed.
Photo: Chapman Baehler
Invading the Vintage
A Swiss family, complete with St. Bernard, poses for a photo with alien pals. In the background are mountains — and a mothership. Welcome to the twisted world of Italian artist Franco Brambilla (francobrambilla.com). He takes vintage postcards and turns the idyllic scenes into settings for close (and friendly) encounters of the weird kind.
Bar Keepers Friend
The oxalic acid in this cleanser dissolves and lifts stains with minimal elbow grease. You'll be done with the dishes by the time your Thanksgiving guests come looking for another helping of pecan pie.
Wired Storyboard
Can't get enough of us? Neither can we. (Kidding!) To get the inside scoop on the articles in this issue, check out our new biweekly Storyboard podcast, available at Wired.com (RSS) and through iTunes.
