OK. I hesitate to write about something that is covered on several fashion blogs right now, but I gotta shout-out Costume Nationals new travel bag. Designer Ennio Capasa snuck in some mini strips of solar panels on the front. That means that while traveling, you can now charge your blackberry, not waste electricity, and carry all your goods — in one shot! Can we do more of this in fashion, please?

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A Big Congrats to the Rockstar guys for making a “home-run” on todays release.

Variety reads today:
“Grand Theft Auto IV marks a huge leap forward for videogames as an immersive experience, with little more than a few tweaks to the ultra-successful franchise formula. The technological prowess and artistic detail are so phenomenal and the sheer amount of content is so staggeringly deep that players will find themselves drawn into Liberty City like no other fictional place.”

Part 2 to previous post: Karl is a Rockstar.

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Dry Cleaners are feeling the pressure after a federal tariff was imposed last month on wire hangers imported from China. The wholesale prices skyrocketed and increased by 60%. The New York Times reported, “The new tariff was imposed after a six-month investigation by the United States Department of Commerce, which concluded that Chinese manufacturers were flooding the market with cheap hangers below cost, a practice that is known as dumping and is designed to put rivals out of business.” With dry cleaners already making a slim profit, that is now growing even slimmer.

So what can you lovely fashionistas do? I asked my neighborhood dry cleaner and she said, “you’re already doing it.” Return the wire hangers you take home with your dry cleaning; they can reuse them. A little effort can go a long way.

Source: NY Times piece

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This cover feature was photographed at the hangar of an airport. Starworks’ Sarah Jenks worked on this booking. Anderson is (as always) a lovely and smart interviewee. Buy the issue to read what’s going on with Mr. Cooper right now.

(Casting by Starworks)

The Outside Blog is another thing worth peeking at for random international nature postings. I know, it sounds weird, but it’s hard to explain. Check it out.
J

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There is so much happening via the internet i.e. blogs, social networking sites, e-mail etc., that it is changing our lives on a daily basis – from the way we work, the way we socialize and also how we listen to music, create music and buy/get music. The amazing website www.rcrdlbl.com is an online record label releasing exclusive and completely free music. Some artists you can download for free are: Band of Horses, Beach House, Dinosaur Jr., Grizzly Bear, Ra Ra Riot, Sigur Ros, and Arcade Fire.

The band, Psychic Powers, a collaborative partnership between the L.A. band, Languis’ Alejandro Cohen and the New Zealand band, Over the Atlantic’s Nik Brinkman, will be releasing their EP on RCRD LBL in the next couple of months. Both of them working and collaborating via e-mail it only seemed appropriate to get their answers in the same vein.

Starworks: Why did you name yourselves Psychic Powers?

ALE: Nik came out with the idea of Psychic Powers, I think it comes from a mild obsession with things beyond our comprehension, another similar name that was in the works was more related to the whole Egyptian theme. And also we thought of naming the band after a specific year, but there a lot of bands with that name already.

NIK: I am fascinated by psychic powers, so I figured it could be a good idea to name ourselves after this. I believe we all have psychic powers. Me and Ale use our psychic powers while recording the songs in different countries.

SW: How do you collaborate when one of you lives in LA and the other lives in New Zealand?

ALE: We do everything via email. We start by sending ideas for songs to each other, then the other person adds arrangements to it, or maybe a change. And then Nik adds the vocals. I have yet to sing a song, but I prefer Nik’s voice anyways, he’s awesome!!!

NIK: We simply use a website called ‘ yousendit’ . It allows you to transfer large files for free. It can be a long process getting all the separate tracks sent to one another, but its not impossible, and it allows Psychic Powers to exist. Without it, we wouldn’t be doing much…

SW: A lot of people could say that this transcontinental collaboration takes away from the tradition and magic of music – What’s the biggest misconception about electronic music?

ALE: Oh no, not at all. I think collaborating in the distance adds that very element. It’s definitely not a traditional way of writing songs but the connection is there.
I don’t think there’s such think as “electronic” music anymore. That’s probably the biggest misconception. Nowadays you can buy a country or folk record that was recorded in 2008 and that record is probably more processed by electronic components than the music from some kid recording at home with a sampler. So, it’s all relative. There’s an “electronic” kind of style, I’ll give you that, but not really electronic music. I see it all as one.

NIK: I can understand that, and agree with it in some ways too. But I do think it is possible to get that same magic from ‘email music’. It’s a really exciting thing to get the files after Ale sends them. I listen to the parts and can instantly hear new layers to add. And that is exactly the same as when I write a song with someone in the same room. The only difference is the delay..It’s like a delayed jam if you will….Same outcome, just takes more time.

SW: What other bands are you influenced by?

ALE: Reading our bio I realized that we didn’t really list any bands we like. Instead we listed labels. I think in a way that’s easier, we cover more territory with less writing.
Here are some of them:
Factory, 4AD, Creation, Sky, Flying Nun, Sarah Records, Brain, Wax Trax!, Warp, Matador.
There’s more, but these will do.

NIK: 80′s pop. We just love 80′s pop. Rain Parade – ‘you are my friend’. Listen to that. That could happily sum up me and Ale’s taste I guess?

Listen to a couple of PSYCHIC POWERS’ new tunes:

Over the Atlantic – MySpace

Psychic Powers – MySpace

Languis – MySpace

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