SAVED is a new initiative from Green Thing where unwanted and unloved T-shirts are Saved from waste by adding a design and story that makes them wanted and loved again.

Jonas Bendiksen’s ”Satellites” contains some amazing photos from spacecraft crash zones.

The Big Bang Was an Explosion OF Space, Not IN Space.

New Reverse Vending Machine Pays You to Recycle,

Interview with David Toop, one of our favorite music writers.

The iPad, the Kindle, and the future of books.

Why Funnel Marketing Doesn’t Work.

Uncommon Act of Design: The Secret of Getting Kids to Eat Veggies? Move the Salad Bar.

Guerrilla gardeners use candy machines to sell seed bombs.

The Progress of the Platform.

Apple and the politics of phoney outrage.

Modern House Numbers giveaway.

Curated hypocrisy: How Google camouflages its attacks on Apple.

Biomimicry Challenge: IDEO Taps Octopi and Flamingos to Reorganize the USGBC.

How Cul-de-Sacs Are Killing Your Community.

Polar Beer pint glasses, for fans of Lost.

88% of Lost Wallets Containing Baby Photos Get Returned: How To Use That Fact to Boost Business.

The Shirky Principle: “Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution.”

Marvel Comics for the iPad looks rad.

The Twenty Systems project combines an audio CD of new music with a full colour 60 page book containing photos and diagrams of the electronic instruments used, along with a detailed history documenting the development of synthesisers between 1968 and 1988.

Dazzle Makeup to foil computer facial recognition.

The reimagined iWork gives a hint of how apps can be optimized for both mobility and multitouch. It would be great to see Boxee develop something for streaming content, from both online channels and via UPnP devices. I’m sure our son would love watching YouTube on it as well.

Initially, I thought the 3G-capable models would appeal only to those who work and travel, but then it occurred to me maybe I wouldn’t need to shell out the big bucks for FiOS at home if we had such a wireless connection, esp. since it’s unlocked and pay-as-you-go. Just a thought.

What I’m most excited about, though, is using an iPad to make music: I can already imagine running iPad-enhanced versions of BeatMaker, 8Bitone, synthPond, technoBox and especially TouchOSC as a multitouch controller. And, dare we dream of a mobile Ableton Live? With the iPad’s larger surface and faster processor, a lite version with virtual instruments Impulse, Simpler, Analog, Tension and a handful of basic effects would make a great audio sketch pad.

I’m lovin’ my recent birthday present from my wife: a shiny new iPod Touch. It’s quite a step-up from my 2nd gen iPod (which served me well for six years, despite its monochrome display, bulky form, dwindled battery life and lack of a dock connector).

It’s handy to check email, news feeds or the weather from (almost) anywhere, in addition to having music, pictures and movies at my fingertips. Browsing for music and apps without needing my laptop is also convenient, albeit a temptation to splurge (since I buy much of my music from Amazon MP3 rather than iTunes these days, it’s not quite a one-stop-shopping experience).

Some of the free apps I’ve found useful so far: Facebook, Exposure, Evernote, Twitterific, Remote, WeatherBug, Othello, WordPress, BoxOffice, Last.fm, Pandora Radio.

Someday I hope to get an iPhone 3G, but for now the iPod Touch is my perfect PDA.

But, I’ve found it’s often better to wait about six months before purchasing any new product line. That way there’s time for any bugs to get fixed and necessary features to be added (not to mention a potential memory bump). I guess I’m a conservative-early-adopter. Still, it seems Apple has once-again reinvigorated a banal marketplace with its design research and expertise. Hats-off to that,