Prettocraig

Studio Yumakano paired up with Japanese screw factory Komuro Seisakusho to reinvent a rather overlooked, everyday item – the screw.

Highly functional and useful, the screw hasn’t changed much throughout the years. Because it’s such a ubiquitous household item, Studio Yumakano wanted to add the joy of discovery to the screw with a smile. By adding this fun touch, the screw is transformed from a normal, everyday item to something that brings joy to the discoverer.

Seriously, doesn’t this just brighten your day? I can’t help but smile every time I see it.

© 2004-2014 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.

E. Pauline Johnson wrote a toast to Vancouver over 100 years ago where she calls our fair town the “Queen of the Coast”. In honour of this title, I have decided to focus on waterfront and seaside images in this week’s Vancouver Photos of the Week roundup from the Miss604 Flickr Pool and #Photos604 on Instagram:

As always, please click through on these images to view more work from the photographers and feel free to share your own photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool or with the tag #Photos604 on Instagram. View all photo collections here. Please note that some Flickr Group settings may have changed so if you are adding a photo to the pool for the purpose of sharing, please make sure your settings are open for that — you will not need to change your licensing at all.

© 2004-2012 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.com. If you are not reading this via official Miss604 channels, this content is being reproduced without permission.

The post Vancouver Photos of the Week appeared first on Vancouver Blog Miss604.

Most people would agree that life itself is an adventure, and it’s natural for us to discover new experiences and sensations. As a Sommelier, I often find that people can […]

The post 3 simple steps to discover a new wine appeared first on Vancity Buzz | Vancouver Events, News, Food, Lifestyle and More.

I appreciated this printed graffiti art tile from StonePeak Ceramics, called “Respect”.

You can’t tell but this was about a 12-foot panel printed to look like gemstones - Fiandre. Just gorgeous, but hard to photograph!

Loved these faceted tiles from Lunada Bay

Love this “urban decay” style printed tile from Fanal

Totally into the op-art style of these tiles from Ken Mason Tile

Loved these wooden tiles from Alys Edwards

Funky retro tiles from CRStudio4

Totally taken aback at the gorgeous craftsmanship of Foss‘ bark tiles.

These tiles from Apavisa look like paper flapping in the wind…

I fell in love with these concrete tiles form Aguayo Tiles designed by Tania Marmolejo and Guillermo Gomez Lama.

41Zero42 had these fantastic graphic marble-look tiles that I was very drawn too… it’s a shame I already tiled my bathrooms!

Petracer’s had this beautiful booth set up with mirrored furniture and very graphic black and white tiles, that were not only modern, but also had a Roman feel to them… with all the marble trends happening in design right now, I’m definitely feeling an “Ancient Roman Empire” vibe.

Vancouver Heritage Foundation is a registered charity supporting the conservation of heritage buildings and structures in recognition of their contribution to the city’s economy, sustainability and culture.

Vancouver Heritage Foundation has the opportunity to help find new homes for some salvage materials. This Sunday, May 11th 2pm – 4pm we’ll have a load of doors, windows and some bits and pieces that could be the perfect addition to your renovation, restoration, or creative project.

Above is a sampling of the types of items that are available, there is a more detailed list including asking prices available here. All items are cash and carry and must be taken away that day.  This is a one-day only opportunity where you get a wonderful addition to your home or project plus the knowledge that a great piece of Vancouver heritage has a new life. The sale will be at a private home, so registration is required to receive the address.

All proceeds go to Vancouver Heritage Foundation and our educational programming.

For more information visit our website or call the office 604 264 9642.

 

Vending machines may be best known for selling junk food and soft drinks, but there’s now a vending machine in Vancouver that dispenses marijuana. BC Pain Society recently installed a […]

The post Marijuana vending machine installed at Commercial Drive (VIDEO) appeared first on Vancity Buzz | Vancouver Events, News, Food, Lifestyle and More.

Last August, Design Milk ventured to Copenhagen to check out the finalists in the INDEX: Award 2013 pool of truly innovative designs which all focused on improving life. The top design was Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde’s Smart Highway which was a plan to bring intelligent roads throughout The Netherlands and eventually, the world. Now, eight months later, the first stretch of glow-in-the-dark road has opened on highway N329 near the city of Oss.

A 500 meter stretch of basic highway in the province of Noord-Brabant has been outfitted with Glowing Lines, which is the first step in Roosegaarde’s master plan. The painted lines on the side of the road and markings absorb light all day and then glow for up to eight hours at night, helping to guide motorists down the highway. Roosegaarde, and construction group Heijmans, developed the special paint for the project.

Frozen beer has been trending in Japan for the last few years but it just started making it’s way to our shores with this weeks announcement that Toronto bars will […]

The post Will the Frozen Beer Fad Come to Vancouver? appeared first on Vancity Buzz | Vancouver Events, News, Food, Lifestyle and More.

Google Now has gotten a lot of new features today, and it isn't slowing down. Now, it can tell you if you're near a store that carries a product you've recently looked up. It can't tell you if it's in stock, but it's still pretty neat. [XDA Developers]

Read more...

The 8th Annual Spot Prawn Festival is coming up this weekend. This annual event that sees Vancouverites pack the False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf for a Spot Prawn boil – to celebrate the start of the season and benefit the Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia.

The event tends to sell out (and for good reason, spot prawn season is usually only 6-8 weeks long!) so make sure to get your tickets now! There are also lots of other events surrounding the festival as well for you to enjoy. To learn more about spot prawns and the festival click here.

Chicken tenders, french fries, cheeseburgers, nachos… [x]

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey doing the Kevin G rap from Mean Girls

If you already run regularly, you likely understand distance and speed aren’t the hallmarks of becoming a good runner. It’s consistency. Whether you’ve just started training for your first 5K walk or you’re preparing for your 10th marathon, motivating yourself to get out the door – day in, day out – can prove to be the most difficult challenge of any fitness regimen.

But what if you could bolster your own motivation by tapping into the id which already compels many of us to compulsively check-in with our phones, battle for online crowns/mayorships, and continually track quantified-self statistics?

Human nature already dictates an innate need to observe and set territorial boundaries, whether they be virtual or in the physical world. That’s where London based PAN Studio‘s “persistent, massively-multiplayer, alternate-reality semi-turn-based strategy running game”, Run An Empire, utilizes these normally wasted virtual hydrant marking urges to our benefit.

The premise behind Run An Empire is quite simple, but immediately enticing to anyone with an affinity for real time strategy games: the app uses your phone’s GPS to track your route, with any area you’ve covered becoming marked as your territory.

Walk a section repeatedly and the area becomes more securely designated as part of your empire (communicated by a darker hue). All the while other players/runners are doing the same nearby. The fun begins when players begin trying to capture overlapping areas as their own in a bipedal locomotion version of TRON light cycles.

The beauty of Run An Empire is that the game requires a balance between maintaining the security of a home base while also compelling players to attempt to intrude and capture other players’ territories by running further and longer, making the habit of running less a task and more of a mission-based activity.

In the process neighborhood blocks become kingdoms, daily walks or runs become battles, and an element of strategic planning absent from typical running programs can make each mile felt earned, not endured.

Run An Empire is projected to be available August 2014 for both iOS and Android devices.

What once used to be a tiny cafe along Burrard Street adjacent to the Sutton Place Hotel will soon be home to the Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar. The oyster […]

The post Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar to open next to Sutton Place Hotel appeared first on Vancity Buzz | Vancouver Events, News, Food, Lifestyle and More.

It seems it isn’t just people in B.C. getting high. Pet insurance firm Trupanion says British Columbia has racked up the most marijuana pet insurance claims of anywhere else in […]

The post B.C. has most weed-related pet insurance claims appeared first on Vancity Buzz | Vancouver Events, News, Food, Lifestyle and More.

© 2004-2013 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.

Created in 2006, Terminal City Rollergirls (“TCRG”) is a member-owned and operated, non-profit organization consisting of close to 100 skaters, a team of sharp officials, incredible volunteers, generous sponsors, and an army of passionate fans. The Terminal City Rollergirls 2014 season is well underway but there’s still plenty of action coming up over the next few months.

Terminal City Rollergirls Schedule

For the first time in nearly three years, Vancouver’s Terminal City Rollergirls will be welcoming fans back to New Westminster’s Royal City Curling Club for its next two regular-season, house-team roller derby doubleheaders.

Game 2 Sunday, April 27, 2014 Royal City Curling Club, New Westminster Doors at 4:00, whistle at 5:00pm Faster Pussycats vs Riot Girls Bad Reputations vs Public Frenemy

Game 3 Sunday, May 4, 2014 Royal City Curling Club, New Westminster Doors at 4:00, whistle at 5:00pm Riot Girls vs Public Frenemy Faster Pussycats vs Bad Reputations

The famous DougieDog diner truck will be on site for both of the Sunday events serving up hotdogs, and a beer garden will be hosted upstairs in the RCCC lounge, providing a seated window area for audiences to watch the action from a bird’s-eye view. The club is likely to reach capacity quickly, so patrons are reminded to arrive early and bring a chair as club chairs are limited.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids aged 6-12, and available by cash at the door, or online. Kids aged five and under are free.

SemiFinals Sunday, June 15, 2014 Royal City Curling Club, New Westminster Doors at 4:00, whistle at 5:00pm

Championships Saturday, July 12, 2014 Minoru Arena, Richmond Doors at 5:00pm, whistle at 6:00pm

There is also an all-stars match-up on Friday, July 11, 2014. Terminal City All-Stars take on Houston Roller Derby All-Stars at Minoru Arena in Richmond, doors at 7:30opm, whistle at 8:00pm.

Last year Erin “Miss E. Masculator” Morrisette wrote a guest post for me, featuring “5 Reasons to Love Roller Derby“. In case you missed it, here are those reasons again:

5 Reasons to Love Roller Derby

You’ve seen the posters on the Drive. You’ve overheard discussions on the Skytrain. You’ve even seen the skaters fly by on the seawall…and you still haven’t been to a roller derby bout? Don’t worry; there has never been a better time than now to check out the Terminal City Rollergirls, Vancouver’s first female roller derby league. Need convincing? Here are five reasons why we’re sure you will love roller derby:

1) The sport: Fast-paced and hard hitting, flat-track roller derby is the fastest growing women’s sport in the world. Since the first modern day women’s leagues formed in Texas and Arizona in 2002, there are now about 1400 active teams worldwide, including over 100 in Canada. And it’s no wonder. You won’t find balls, stunts or alligator pits; modern roller derby is not fake or pre-determined. With four blockers from each team trying to stop the opposition’s point-scoring jammer while also helping their own jammer score, roller derby is a highly strategic game where offense and defence happen at the same time. Teamwork is essential, but huge hits and breakneck speed play their part, too. Sit in the front row and you just might find yourself a part of the action – at your own risk, of course.

2) The event: The Terminal City Rollergirls host big, lively events that look and sound great. Of course, the 2000 or so fans are treated to an action-packed sports event, but their appetites are also pleased with offerings from the beer garden and food trucks on site. During breaks in the action, DJ Shawn LaRock spins booty-bumping tunes, and there is half-time entertainment by the likes of the Vancouver Dodgeball League, EastVan Pillowfight League, Vancouver Bike Polo and more. After the bouts, little fans can collect autographs from their favorite players, and grown-up fans can buy their favorites a victory beer at the after-parties. Et tu, Canucks?

3) The crowd: Diverse and hilarious, people-watching at a roller derby bout is almost as fun as watching the sport itself. From families with bouncing kids to raucous bachelorette parties, roller derby events draw a wide range of people. The tattooed and mohawked sit next to hardcore sports fans and diminutive grandmas – everyone’s a roller derby fan once the whistle blows.

4) The players: Terminal City Rollergirls are hyper-competitive, strong and colourful women from all different backgrounds. Everyone has heard the old story of the shy-librarian-by-day-fierce-derby-girl-by-night – and the TCRG does have a couple of those – but the players represent so much more. From bank managers to architects, video game designers to elementary school teachers, these women take their sport very seriously and train hard to be the best players they can be. Their incredible athleticism and big personalities will make it difficult to pick a favourite player, but you’ll try.

5) The league: TCRG is a member-run league that has been around since 2006. They have four house teams (the Bad Reputations, Faster Pussycats, Public Frenemy and the Riot Girls) with rabid local fan followings, and the TCRG All-Stars rep team that plays internationally. The All-Stars made history last year, making the biggest rankings jump in the history of WFTDA (the NHL of roller derby). The league has a reputation to uphold and a lot of fantastic neighbouring leagues to challenge. They’ll be holding one bout per month (starting in April) so Vancouver fans will have ample opportunity to catch the rollergirls in action. More information on the upcoming season can be found on their website at terminalcityrollergirls.com.

Follow the Terminal City Rollergirls on Twitter and Facebook for more league and event information.

© 2004-2012 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.com. If you are not reading this via official Miss604 channels, this content is being reproduced without permission.

The post Terminal City Rollergirls 2014 Season appeared first on Vancouver Blog Miss604.

© 2004-2013 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.

The winners of the 25th annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards were announced yesterday during a live awards presentation event at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver. It was the largest year yet for the awards, with winners in 49 categories.

Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards: Winners

Restaurant of the Year: The Farmer’s Apprentice
Bartender of the Year: Jay Jones
Chef of the Year: Pino Posteraro
Sommelier of the Year: Mike Bernardo

Other categories include Upscale Dining, Best New Design, Best New Restaurant, Best Casual Dining, Best Food Cart, Best Coffee House, Best Seafood, Best Upscale Italian, Best Casual Italian, Best Pizzeria, Best Upscale French, Best Casual French, Best Upscale Japanese, Best Casual Japanese, Best Upscale Chinese, Best Casual Chinese, Best Dim Sum, Best Noodle House, Best Indian, Best Korean, Best Thai, Best Vietnamese, Best Other Asian, Best of the Americas, Best Steakhouse, Best Casual Chain, and best of regions North Shore, Best Whistler, Best Victoria, Best Other Vancouver Island, Best Okanagan, Best Winery/Vineyard Dining.

Best Coffeehouse @49thParallel for the ubiquitous robin’s egg blue that’s taking the city by storm #VanMagAwards

— Vancouver Magazine (@vanmag_com) April 22, 2014

This year the best of Vancouver neighbourhoods were also awarded: Downtown: Cactus Club Cafe (and Best Chain); East Side: Via Tevere Pizza (and Best Pizza); Chinatown/Gastown: Bao Bei; Richmond: Top Shanghai Cuisine; West End: Nook; West Side: La Quercia; Yaletown: Blue Water Cafe.

A list of winners is available online and pick up your copy of Vancouver Magazine on May 1st for full details.

© 2004-2012 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.com. If you are not reading this via official Miss604 channels, this content is being reproduced without permission.

The post Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards: 2014 Winners Announced appeared first on Vancouver Blog Miss604.

Andre Johnson, a Los Angeles area rapper with connections to the Wu-Tang Clan, cut off his penis before leaping from an apartment building in North Hollywood early Wednesday.

Los Angeles Police Sgt. William Man said Johnson was seriously injured but survived. He and his penis were taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment.

Johnson, who performs under the name Christ Bearer, has been a member of the Long Beach hip hop group Northstar, which was once a part of the Wu-Tang Clan family, CNN reports.

[CNN]

© 2004-2013 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.

A series of clever animations, Do We Need To Be Touching, was created by Nathan W. Pyle to illustrate basic etiquette and tips for navigating New York City. It’s a rather long list but some helpful panels can also be applied to Vancouver (transit, busy downtown streets, etc.) so I have plucked them out for your enjoyment:

These are all from Nathan W. Pyle‘s new book “NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette” including 10 pages that didn’t make the book.

© 2004-2012 Rebecca Bollwitt - Miss604.com. If you are not reading this via official Miss604 channels, this content is being reproduced without permission.

The post Vancouver Basic Tips and Etiquette Inspired by NYC appeared first on Vancouver Blog Miss604.

A Portland, Oregon, woman is suing Walmart for $10,000 over a bottle of shampoo she says got her butt-length hair into such a tangled mess she was forced to cut most of it off.

Jennifer Fahey, 30, says she has had waist-length hair since childhood. She claims that within seconds of applying Equate Everyday Clean Dandruff Shampoo to her hair it was so knotted she was forced to cut all but about four inches off.

The lawsuit, which identifies shampoo manufacturer Vi-Jon as a defendant as well, requests $10,000 in compensation for “past, present and future physical and emotional pain and suffering, anxiety, humiliation and embarrassment, expenses for replacement hair, along with diminished and lost wages” as well as “loss of life’s pleasure and activities.” The bottle of shampoo, according to The Oregonian, runs about $3.44.

Walmart could not be reached for comment.

[The Oregonian]

(DAKAR, Senegal) — The World Health Organization says an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa has been linked to the deaths of more than 120 people.

As of Monday, the organization recorded a total of 200 suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola, which is normally found in central or eastern Africa, in Guinea, Liberia and Mali. The bulk of the cases are in Guinea, and Mali has yet to have a confirmed case. Tests are ongoing.

The deaths of 121 people in Guinea and Liberia have been linked to the disease.

There is no vaccine and no cure. Officials have said the current outbreak could last months. Health care workers are isolating the sick and tracking down anyone they have come into contact with.

One stretch of road in the Netherlands may make you feel like you're cruising through a video game. A new glow-in-the-dark pavement has replaced power-sucking streetlights for a 500m (.3mi) piece of the highway. The result is a Tron-like street that...

A bomb-threat joke made by a Dutch teen against American Airlines on Sunday has turned viral, with other Twitter users following her lead and presumably causing headaches for airline employees and security officials alike.

In a tweet sent Sunday, a Twitter user described as a 14-year-old by the name of Sarah wrote to American Airlines saying: “Hello my name’s Ibrahim and I’m from Afghanistan. I’m part of Al Qaida and on June 1st I’m gonna do something really big bye.” The tweet was sent from the now suspended Twitter account @queendemetriax_.

A tweet conversation with American Airlines officials followed, who replied “Sarah, we take these threats very seriously. Your IP address and details will be forwarded to security and the FBI.”

On Monday, Sarah was arrested in Rotterdam, but that seems to have done nothing other than encourage more pranksters to target more airlines.

Hello my name's Khancie and I'm from Afghanistan. I'm part of Al Qaida and on April 16th I'm gonna have a chest bomb on me @AmericanAir—
☀ (@ReinaldoMassa) April 13, 2014

@AmericanAir @QueenDemetriax_ Is it ok if I bomb your planes please? I asked politely.—
Raw Spirit (@sprtdabes) April 13, 2014

@Politie_Rdam @YourAnonCentral @AmericanAir release her or I'll bomb your HQ. you gonna arrest me now?—
admrl. anonymous (@nonfreak) April 14, 2014

.@SouthwestAir I bake really good pies and my friends call me "the bomb" am I still allowed to fly?—
Kale (@KalenRiley10) April 14, 2014

The pranks are putting additional strain on airlines already striving to manage their social media presence. But not all Twitter users approve.

Hey 14 year old girls, sarcasm is funny if you're trying to make people laugh or get re-tweets. Don't make bomb threats to @AmericanAir—
Peanut Butter (@brookeG105) April 14, 2014

 

For one day only, Google Glass goes on sale Tuesday to the general public, as the tech firm seeks to expand its Glass Explorer Program to allow any adult in the U.S. to participate.

Beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern time, any adult in the U.S. at least 18 years old can sign up to purchase the wearable computer, provided he or she is also willing to shell out $1,500 for a pair. The sale is first come, first served, so prospective buyers will have to get in line.

“[Explorers] are the first to make, to tinker, to create, to shape, and to share through Glass,” Google says in the sign up website. “We’re expanding little by little, and experimenting with different ways of bringing new Explorers into the program.” Google has made a few changes to the Explorer program too, giving buyers the option of purchasing frames, prescription lenses and attachable earbuds.

The one day sale is the first time the tech giant has made Glass available to the general public. In October last year, Google expanded the program by allowing the current crop of explorers to invite three people.

There’s nothing like a hot cup of tea to bring peace and relaxation. There is one minor annoyance though – getting every inch of tasty tea out of that tea bag, and well, getting rid of it.

The Tea Cup SlingsHOT by Samir Sufi solves both those problems at once. It has a little funnel for you to squeeze every last drop of tea out of the bag without dripping everywhere. It also acts as a place for your old tea bag to rest while you sip your tea.

Contact Sufi at samir.sufi@gmail.com for more information.

Designed by E/L STUDIO, the Jade Residence, of Wildwood, New Jersey, is quite unique. First, it’s built right next to the family business, a motel in the city’s doo-wop district, so part of its design was inspired by the original motel units. Second, the part of the design that does reference those motel units is the ground floor of the house which happens to be rental units that act as the foundation of the home. The family’s portion of the house are the upper floors. It’s even differentiated with the design on the exterior of the house.

The concept of the residence is to do double duty – be a vacation home for now and be a retirement home that grows with the next generation.

They integrated a geo-thermal system and passive ventilation to take the edge off of the heating/cooling load on most days.

The exterior is clad in Fundermax panels to create a hurricane-resistant rain screen since the home is close to the beach.

Rectangular windows sit at different heights for both adults and children to enjoy the ocean views.

Oh hey, Austin-Healey, you’re my dream car.

Moving to the inside, the family part of the home is super bright with white walls and light wood floors. To contrast the starkness, they brought in bold greens and yellows which makes the interior really pop.

I love the green cabinets that they paired with black appliances, and then how they contrasted those with a white island.

The ceiling opens up above the island and lets you peep the floors above. You also get the first hints of yellow.

The other opening is situated above the living room helping the light move throughout all the levels.

The yellow is painted in the alcoves on the ceiling that hold windows intensifying the sunlight that filters in.

They continued the yellow by way of accent tiles in the black and white bathroom.

Photos by Pepper Watkins.

For as long as one can remember perfumers have bottled their concoctions of scent inside ever more elaborate vessels. Some perfume bottles are artful abstractions of fantasy, others literal sculptural representations of the scent container within. American men’s cologne crafters, Fulton & Roark have taken a more modern, minimal, and travel-friendly direction, with a rugged and compact grooming product for men who subscribe to the philosophy of “form shall follow function”.

Inside a tough-as-nails all-metal design, Fulton & Roark’s wax-based men’s solid fragrances are super concentrated formulations, meant to be lightly smudged and dabbed onto the neck (just the lightest application can last the whole day). Available in three wood and musk-infused scents, Hatteras, Tybee, and Shackleford – each named after a region reflecting the Fulton & Roark’s North Carolinian pedigree – the scents are designed with an active lifestyle in mind. The hinged rounded-edged brushed metal cologne container is engineered for abuse, whether thrown into a weekender bag, pocket, or Dopp kit, for work or play. Like a well-driven Jeep, any scuffs or dings will just add to the container’s character.

All three scents Square solid colognes are available at Fulton & Roark and selected stockists.

Hidden from sight from most Metro Vancouverities is a large boat graveyard in the community of Silverdale, just west of Mission and off Lougheed Highway. A number of derelict ships […]

The post BC Ferries’ derelict ship graveyard near Mission (PHOTOS) appeared first on Vancity Buzz | Vancouver Events, News, Food, Lifestyle and More.

Yup. Vancouver International Airport is shaped like a giant penis. SEE ALSO: Vancouver International Airport named best in North America for 5th year A photo of an terminal building map, taken […]

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