updating this blog is still a chore.

I feel like this blog has been a big influence of my life. As wonderful as it has been, I have found myself not wanting to post, but doing it as a chore. Instead of dragging it out, I will just end this blog here. School will be much more difficult this year as well, and when it starts posts will be even more infrequent. Also, I am using my computer more than I should, and I am going to try to be much healthier. If you have followed The Modern Courtier I would like to thank you for doing so. It will stay open as an archive, but there will be no new posts.
Here are my sources, where I get this content from. Take a look, they're great:

Acquire  Iain Claridge  Minimalissimo  SwipeLife  Dezeen  NOTCOT

going out of town

Don't expect posts until after the 23rd! I'll be traveling.

nike world cup installation

This figure in the Carlton Center in Johannesburg was created by Nike out of soccer balls. It's 21 meters tall and incorporates 5,500 balls! Now that the World Cup is over the balls will be donated to local community programs.

(via NOTCOT)

rado centrix jubilé

I'm not one to like gaudy watches. That's why I have to say this is one of my favorites. Rado is releasing the Centrix in a variety of styles, but my favorite is the jubilé. As the name states, it "expresses the circle in its purest form." This particular model features six diamonds set into the glossy black dial, with sapphire crystal glass. link

(via SwipeLife)

the elysian

The Elysian in Chicago is beautiful and refined. It's just what the name states: welcoming, relaxing, luxurious. Those busts in the lobby are amazing, too. There are two restaurants, casual and formal. There is also a pool, along with the spa on the same level. All of the bathrooms are white marble with soaking tubs and LCD TVs set behind the mirrors. The beds are adorned with 460 thread-count Rivolta Carmignani linens. A VOIP phone is in every room, with complementary calling, and complementary wireless internet throughout. They run many specials too, so make sure to check to see if you can get a better deal. link\400

nouveau magasin apple en paris

This is why we love Apple. Not only because they deliver powerful, easy to use, and beautiful products. But because they don't stop until they can get as close to perfection as possible. They have an eye for design, a wow factor, something no other company has. They aren't cold or sterile, and the staff are (usually) friendly and helpful. When was the last time you saw a Dell store that looked like this? I think I'm in love! This store just opened in Paris, and I have to say that it is truly worthy of La Ville des Lumières!  link

borderline vase

The Borderline Vase is made of ceramic, and can clamp onto any shelf or table. It's very industrial, very minimal with the superb functionality and honesty. link

toshiba's attempt at a tablet... the ipad isn't so bad

  This is the Libretto, obviously an attempt to compete with the iPad. It's just a concept but is scheduled to be released before Christmas. Except there is a problem.

davone ray

These designer speakers resemble the iconic Eames chair. Davone makes the speakers with the best quality materials that so they produce great quality sound. They look great too, a nice warm alternative to Bang & Olufsen. link\6000

via Gizmodo

cooking dinner

This is not your usual cooking video. There is great camera angles, straightforward recipes, and old French music playing in the background. The meal is a simple but elegant duck breast, roast potatoes, and salad with lemon and olive oil. By William Hereford. (You can watch it in HD is you click "vimeo".

tip: easily send pdfs to ibooks

This quick little tip will have you syncing PDFs with iBooks in no time. Hassle free.
1. Find your iTunes folder (~Music> iTunes)
2. Right click the iTunes folder and click "Make Alias"
3. Name the alias "Save PDF to iTunes"
4. Open a new finder window and navigate to the "PDF Services" folder (~Library> PDF Services) If there isn't one there, simply create one with that exact name.
5. Drag the iTunes alias to the PDF services folder
6. Press command+P, then press the PDF dropdown window and select " Save PDF to iTunes" On anything you want to save as a PDF to iTunes.
*This will work with saving a PDF to any folder. Simply create an alias of that folder, name it what you want it to say in the drop down menu, and drag it to the PDF Services folder.

via TheAppleBlog

holga d

This minimal camera is not for sale and might not ever be. It was designed by Saikat Biswas, inspired by the vintage Holgas. It features an intentional lack of features; a departure from the digital trend. The camera is digital, there is an SD card that needs to be inserted near the batteries. Just like in the good ol' days, you have to wait to see what your pictures will look like, creating a "delayed gratification". The camera has a 12mega-pixel sensor, which is also out dated. I like how it displays the "remaining frames" as if it was a film camera, nice touch. Also, the fact that the display is e-ink will keep power consumption at a minimum. You can choose the aspect ratio, shutter speed and ISO . There is a slot for accessories like flash and a viewfinder, which is something I see gradually disappearing in cameras. I would mush rather use a viewfinder than a display, and it would have been something I would have liked to see here. Otherwise, you're just shooting blindly which seems kind of pointless. I think this is a slight case of form over function. Still, I want one. link

via Minimalissimo

harrier & jaguar

Harrier and Jaguar 2010 by Fiona Banner.
Showing at Tate Britain, 28 June 2010 – 3 January 2011.

via iainclaridge.net

carre h

The Carre H is a collaboration with Hermès and architect Marc Berthier. The shape is a classic, the minimality is contemporary, and the detailed center resembles a computer chip. For me at least. This is a superbly beautiful watch. The restraint and detail is evident and the quality of the materials is understated. The case is gunmetal titanium and the glass is (predictably) sapphire. It's powered by a Sowind/Girard-Perregaux movement that has a reserve of 44 hours. The production is limited to 173 pieces. Of course, the limited run and the brad will have you paying twice what you should. link\15,000

apple of my eye

This video has been completely shot and edited on the iPhone 4, by Majek Pictures.

blazon gleam pendant

With a lot of these modern pendants you really need to have a cool looking lightbulb for it to have a nice effect. I like this copper one from Anthropologie. link\100

magritte

I love this sticker by Hu2 for the MacBooks. It's so clever! I'm not the type of person to put a sticker on mine, but I just adore this. link\£20

v lock

The V Lock is a concept designed by Junjie Zhang. The way it works is simple: the "V" shaped design helps guide your key into the hole without effort. Simply brilliant. Why has it taken so long for an idea like this to surface?

via Yanko Design

truncheon lamp

The Truncheon lamps have been designed by New York's Commonwealth for the furniture manufacturer Mattermade. There is a precise scalloped texture on the wooden part of the lamp as part of an advanced digital procedure. The wood is your choice of Maple or Walnut and the base is either bronze or HydroCal. There is a task light and suspended light for sale, and they come fitted with energy-saving LEDs. link

via iainclaridge.net

2010 porsche cayenne

The new Porsche Cayenne looks really great, and from the side it vaguely resembles a Tiguan. It weighs 400 pounds less than the previous model! It goes 0-62 in less tine than the Boxter (about 4.5 seconds). The new interior looks great, it fits in with the Panamera now. There is also a hybrid version available. link

marina bay sands skypark

The Sands SkyPark rests 200 meters above Singapore. The deck is equivalent to the length of the Eiffel Tower laid on its side, and it can hold up to 3,900 visitors at a time. There is a 150-meter infinity pool, bar, and over 500 different species of wild life. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel can be found here also.

(via The Sartorialist)

christian woo

Christian Woo's pieces are hand made with sustainable harvested wood, hand rubbed with oil stains. The quality of the pieces are really amazing. I don't know wether it's art or furniture. This is a dresser from the Covert Collection that will officially launch at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

the visual diary of keith watts

The Visual Diary of Keith Watts is a website of great everyday sketches.

pull by e27

I really like the form factor of these honey-comb looking lamps, designed by the Dutch firm e27. The base is laser-etched stainless steel that's been stretched out. The result is a beautifully overpriced lamp. It's available directly from their store, in floor and table models. link\1200

new mac mini

The Mac Mini got quietly updated last week, and went mostly unnoticed due to all the hype about iPhone 4. As you can probably conclude from the picture, it finally fits in with its family with the new unibody construction. The grapics are 2x faster with a NVIDIA GeForce chip, an easily removable bottom panel to access it's internals is new, and a HDMI port too. The price has been increased as well, by $200, which is a tad confusing. link\700

manhattan print

I love this print by Jennifer Hill; it color codes the neighborhoods in Manhattan. 15% of the proceeds go to Medecins Sans Frontiers, an organization that provides urgent care for war victims in third world countries. link\40

updating this blog has become a chore.

I find myself not wanting to have this blog anymore. I don't usually finish things, my last website lasted 6 months. In an effort to revamp this blog, the post will become much less main-stream and more personal. Expect more frequent updates.

ray ban aviator

Ray Ban's aviator gets an update, the fame is now titanium. Link: $165

Thank you, Acquire

burning love

Burning Love has some really great felt tech accessories!

iphone 4

If you haven't watched the video yet, you probably should. It'll get you even more excited.
The hardware
The iPhone 4 will have its very own A4 chip, made by Apple. Very similar to the one in the iPad. If you own an iPhone you know how horrible the battery can be. Well, it has ben fixed; up to 7 hours of straight talk time and 6 hours of straight 3G internet usage. The camera has received some much-needed attention as well, it's now 5 megapixel, with LED flash. It can also shoot full HD 780p video. If you haven't already heard from the leak, there is also a front-facing camera for video chat, but there isn't any specs available yet for it. The body is now encased with optically laminated aluminosilicate glass with an oleophobic coating. In English, that means it uses super hard glass (30x stronger than plastic) with a built-in screen protector and a no-smudge coating. There is a steel band that goes around the device, with no new buttons. The new Retina display has the highest resolution display ever on a mobile device; 326 pixels per inch! There are two new microphones to help with noise cancelation–the one you put to your ear, and another on the bottom by the speakers. The new memory sizes are 16GB and 32GB, so more room and more speed.
Everything else
The feature that everyone is talking about is of course, the multitasking. Double tap the home button, and the screen slides up to reveal running apps; it's that simple. A new app being released by Apple is iMovie for $5.99. From what I can see from the website, it looks quite intuitive, and there most likely won't be too many features, as it should be. The iBooks app is no surprise, but it will also be available for download, probably for free. The front facing camera can be used in the Camera app, so it's much easier to take a picture with yourself and a friend now; before it was practically impossible, searching for the tiny shutter button. FaceTime works as an addition to the Phone app, and video calls can only be made with other iPhone owners. Hopefully third-party apps (like Skype) will have access to video-chatting, but it would be just like Apple to hold off on that and release it later as a "new feature". The folders feature works by simply holding an app until it jiggles, and then dropping it onto another app. The folder is automatically named with what category they were in in the App Store. There is also a orientation lock that can be enabled, but there isn't a physical switch like on the iPad. Mail now has a (much anticipated) unified inbox, and conversations can be ordered by thread. Unfortunately there were no updates to the iPod, Safari, or Maps applications. I was looking forward to the Turn-by-Turn directions, or a more feature-rich Safari. It will be available for pre-order on the 15th, and to buy on the 24th for the same old $199 price.

bike frame bag

The bike frame bag by Retrovelo is a sleek leather solution to biking with a bag. And it even looks great when you're not on the go. Link

hold on tight!

The Hold on Tight bookshelf by Coleen and Eric has a colorful build-in book end. and a great modern design. Link