Where does one go with cigarette advertising as…

Gwen at Sociological Images (courtesy of contexts) has brought this graph to my attention.

So I discovered the art of “Vintage by Crystal” at the SOWA Open Markets in Boston this past Sunday.

Between Sociological Images over at Contexts Blogs & now Jezebel, we’ve got two sources looking at the themes present in pop provocateur Lady Gaga’s latest video for her song “Paparazzi. ”

Robertson: “I am not at all persuaded that so-called homosexuals are homosexuals because of biological problems…

On May 28th, Officer Omar Edwards was shot and killed while out of uniform by fellow officer Andrew Dunton. Edwards is black, Dunton is white.

So, forgive the intrusion of a quite corporate retailer, at least long enough to admire these beautiful USB-related gadgets. I saw the first, iamaKey, over at Lifehacker where Kevin Purdy was dumping out the contents of his bag. I’m in love. I barely evening use USB storage because I can never remember to bring the damn things with me or when I do I’m afraid they’ll get broken. So the iamaKey USB storage thing covers both bases. The other USB thing here, with another awkward name, Currenkey, is sweet because while it is still forgettable, it can be dropped in your bag with ease due to very clever design. They have a flash video over at the website that shows you, but basically you twist the case and the USB key just pokes out. Very turtle-like. And the last thing is a super modern art-y USB hub. Pretty fancy, eh?

Gilt Goods is a discovery over at 1000Markets, an etsy-like conglomerate indie artisans. I enjoy the strong line drawings and whimsical accents. I quite enjoy the designer’s project-based flights of fancy as well. Have a look.

So I’ve got babies on the brain.   A coworker and a good friend both have newborns as of the last week, and I’ve been using them as a reason to buy adorable objects for aaaages now.  So imagine these lovely baby things being opened to choruses of too-saccharine oohs and ahhs, but try not to melt from the overwhelming preciousness of it all.  The toys I was most struck by at Tactile Baby were the rolling animals and the stackable farm animals.

Flower Power Rolling Dog, (4″ high 5″ long and …

Oh Steampunk, how you’ve obstentatiously grown. Anyway, I’m drawn in by anything that combines gears with shiny jewels, so its no surprise that COGnitive Creations caught my eye. Lots of whimsy, a strong personal aesthetic and an ability to edit down the extraneous details are all skills evidenced by this shop’s craftsperson. The prices seem to run the gamut, but they seem to be tied in pretty well with the quality of the materials involved.