Holy Grail

Especially for the North American market, a special edition of the Rollei C 35 with an artificial leather covering in traffic-red, yellow-orange, deer-brown, steel-blue and white was produced, counting 100 items for each color. But as these test samples did not cause much interest, they were not quoted in any price list.

Looking over the table

When reason fails, you get Brand Managers.

Accidental

Exista o legatura inspaimantatoare intre mita data de romani doctorului si aplauzele de la aterizarea avioanelor low cost. Intr-o tara in care se aplauda mult si mai ales aiurea-n tramvai, intrarea in normalitate va fi in mod cert lipsita de aplauze. Slava Domnului, suntem atat de marlani, incat nici nu o sa stim ce ne-a lovit.

Glass nost!

This is definitely the best idea in packaging i've seen for quite a time: Marks & Spencer does wine in a glass. The only downside is that's not really glass, but plastic. Well, can't have it all.

Fumer, c'est mourir un peu

Daca vreti sa ma faceti fericit, iata o reteta simpla: pe 30 noiembrie mergeti la vila Marcel Dessault cam pe la opt seara - o sa o recunoasteti usor, nu sunt multe stabilimente pe Champs Elysees cu un avion de vanatoare Mirage in curte - da' dupa ce iesiti de la retrospectiva Monet de la Grand Palais, ca altfel e pacat de dupa-amiaza de dinainte. Intrati la Dorotheum si licitati pentru obiectul de mai sus. Dupa care il impachetati frumos, ma sunati si imi spuneti ca aveti o surpriza pentru mine. Pai cum de ce? Pentru ca dupa ce o sa dati un milion si jumate pe un "Sarut" licitat in acelasi lot, cei cinci mii de euro pentru pipa asta cioplita in joaca de Brancusi  o sa vi se para peanuts money. Practic e contravaloarea pontului.

E, acum o sa se vada cati miliardari seriosi si iubitori de tara imi citesc blogul. Domnule Vantu, this is a huge PR opportunity: repatriati o opera de arta, o sa va iubeasca toate femeile din Gorj!

Adam (Paradise Lost)

Here I was, 50 meters offshore of this small white sanded island in the Libyan Sea, floating effortlessly in pure turquoise waters. Then I saw him, sitting under his tree, innocence lost.

I swam back, grabbed my camera, changed to an 85mm lens in 3 seconds flat. I covered the 100 m between us fast but stealthy. When I reached the scene, she was there, and so was her guilt; they were silent, questions unasked. I went unnoticed.

One eternity later, she left; the world, in all its uncanny splendor, was waiting for her. He went back under the tree. I frozed for 20 seconds, hidding in plain sight, stone still.

He stud there, head in his hands, the same image of desoIation that got me there. I shot six pictures. Then I rested.

Ardelenii stiu sa vaca

"Napolact - lapte din inima naturii, cum numai ardelenii stiu sa faca."

Avem doua ipoteze de lucru, dar si o posibila explicatie: ori laptele asta e procesat de ardeleni, deci nu mai e chiar natural cand ajunge in ambalaj, ori ardelenii in cauza dau lapte. Sincer. cred ca avem de-a face cu un copywriter din regiune, cu ochi mari, privire blanda si uger plin de insight.

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Design

Here's a nice reminder of what Ferdinand Porsche used to say: "if you analyze the function of an object, its form often becomes obvious.": the Hermes travel belt.

Eu cand vreau sa fuhrer, fuhrer!

Constantin AG Film bans the popular Der Untergang parody channel, based on their movie :)

Vaya con Dios

A murit Robaina. Lumea cea veche paseste incet, ca un elefant batran inspre cimitirul din jungla.

Un Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro, in seara asta, pe la 10.

Niche (II)

Montecristo no. 2: the night driving cigar.

Sent from my HTC, on my way to Iasi

Niche (I)

Goya no. 3: trabucul de fumat atunci cand mergi pe la umbra.

Facts & Figures

Pagina de Facebook a pantalonilor echipei olimpice de curling a Norvegiei are 641.000 de fani. Cea a uniformei elvetienilor din Garda Papala, doar 31.

There's no justice in this world.

Nike Free Run +

Nu de alta, da ma lupt cu ceva similar :)

Holy Grail

The Leica 250 Reporter is a body variant of the Leica screw mount rangefinder. It was designed to take bulk film by rolls of 10 metres, allowing 250 exposures. The film was charged in special film cassettes (code KOOBF).

Two prototypes Leica 250 DD were made based on the Leica II. According to Luigi Crescenzi in Classic Camera issue 19, s/n 114051 was later modified to a 250 GG and s/n 114052 still exists (in chrome finish).

The Leica 250 FF was based on the Leica III, with slow speeds, and the Leica 250 GG on the Leica IIIa, with 1/1000 top speed. Most were black but some existed in chrome. Less than 1,000 were made. There were many small variations: some had no slow speeds (see here for example), some were coupled to a motor drive. Fake Leica 250 Reporter are known to exist.

Independent craftsmen have modified ordinary Leica cameras to load bulk film. The work can vary from crude to excellent, but these are not Leica 250 Reporter.

Dati-mi un motiv

"... iti dam inca un motiv sa zambesti: 20 de grame in plus la un pachet de 140 de grame!"

Lentile

"Oh, din oglinda moartea ma imita/ aur, copil, cenusa rand pe rand/ Nu sunt decat lentila prafuita,/ prin care timpul a privit razand."

(Lentile - Mircea Dinescu)

Softscar

Oscarul de anul asta a semanat ca doua picaturi de apa cu batalia electorala din 2003 pentru postul de guvernator al Californiei, in care Schwarzenegger concura pentru respectivul scaun cu un pitic si cu o fosta starleta porno. Motiv pentru care o sa va rog sa uitati de "The Hurt Locker", care e o prostie, si sa va uitati la treaba de mai jos, care prin 1989 nu a luat decat un premiu pentru costume si o nominalizare pentru ce mai bun actor: Henry al V-lea, varianta lui Kenneth Branagh.

Imprecatia muzei. Asa, cat sa va fac pofta.

Phony "viral" from Vodafone

Eram pe net, citeam, si ghici ce apare in fata mea? [o fereastra de YM de la un prieten, care imi trimitea un spoof destul de soios dupa o campanie de telecom]. Ma gandesc eu ca un brand care se baga asa in seama trebuie sa fie cu adevarat disperat…

Si-mi vine-n cap numele lui real: Vodafone. Si caut pe Facebook. Ii recunosc proza. Ii umblu pe profil. Intreb prin jur. Si vad ca-i place. Ghici ce, frate? Spamul!

Ce fac? Soptesc prietenului: “Oare tu te-ai tampit de-mi trimiti mizerii de astea?”. Bai si imi spune prietenu' in cauza ca nu mi-a trimis mesajul el... Ca e furt de identitate urmat de spam pe mess... Ne imprietenim si pe Facebook... foarte tare, frate!

Mizerie primita pe YM de la un prieten care sustine ca nu mi-a trimis niciodata asa ceva.
Nasol, Vodafone.

Google dixit

Samurai Jack: The Making Of

Holy Grail (the somehow sinister edition)

"Two climbers, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, lost on Everest in 1924, may have been the first to reach the summit. Another member of the expedition has been quoted as saying that he had loaned his Kodak VPK camera to Mallory as they passed each other on the north ridge. There are and extensive efforts underway using current technology to locate Irvine's body and perhaps, the camera."

Foamea de absolut

Cumparati acum un infinit si veti primi nu unul, ci doua infinite mari, la pret de unul! Da, ati inteles bine, doua infinite la acelasi pret, la care vom adauga ca bonus si un infinit mai mic, portabil!

Sunati acum la 0-800-ABSOLUT, fiti printre primii 100 de cumparatori si veti primi complet gratuit si o functie f(x)cu care se poate tinde foarte usor catre oricare dintre infinitele dumneavoastra, pe orice plaja de domenii.

Sunati acum!

Holy Grail (the camera that came from the cold)

The FED 'Siberia' is a standard FED, modified with large nobs to enable it to be used whilst wearing gloves.

The authenticity of this camera is sometimes questioned. Because counterfeiting is rife in Russia any really rare FED such as the Siberia, TSVVS and the FED-V must be assumed to be a fake. The FED S is more likely to be real because to fake one you need a rare lens and a body with 1000 speed. The price that could be realized for a FED S will not cover the effort to fake one,The Zorki red banner of Labor, the Siberia and Yura must also be assumed to be a fake. Even an expert can only verify that it may be original. Some items such as the FED Stalinets and Stemar copy are known to all be fakes.

In many cases even an expert can only say "this appears to be original" because only 1 or 2 of the model have been seen.