BEST BALLPOINT: UNI-BALL JETSTREAM 0.7MM
Price: $2.25
• Sure, you can find Jetstreams in the States—if you’re cool with conventional black or blue barrels. The import version comes in more colors, plus a dope murdered-out version that we suspect Jigga uses to sign his checks. So many ballpoints are prone to blobbing up or laying down a blotchy line, but the Jetstream lays it down smoother than Barry White. [CLICK HERE TO BUY IT NOW!]
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[BEST GEL: UNI-BALL SIGNO RT UM-138 0.38MM]
Price: $1.50
• Yeah, it’s another Uni-ball, but so what? People nowadays are gassed off the Pilot G-2 series–and don’t get us wrong, they’re great pens, but the Signo RT (just a retractable version of the UM-138 pen) one-ups the G-2 with its rainbow of ink colors. The blue-black (pictured above) is the perfect shade for work. Gel ink can run a much finer line than ballpoints, but we find that anything under the .38mm (some pens offer nibs of .3mm, even .25mm) is unreliable for anything but the tiniest handwriting or detail drawing. CLICK HERE TO BUY IT NOW!
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BEST MULTI-PEN: PILOT HI-TEC-C COLETO 0.5MM
Price: $2.25 3-color body/$3 for 4-color body, $2 per ink cartridge
• If you’re taking a lot of notes, you may need to switch colors frequently—for that, think about a multi-pen. Remember the old red-blue-black joints from elementary school? Pilot’s Hi-Tec-C line takes it a step further with crazy fine nibs (they go as low as 0.3mm, but we recommend .5mm unless you’re drawing angels on the head of a pin) and enough colors to make the Retro Kids feel bland. [CLICK HERE TO BUY IT NOW!]
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BEST MECHANICAL PENCIL: UNI-BALL KURU TOGA 0.5MM
Price: $6.75
• Another Uni-ball? What is this, a Livestrong rally? Yeah, yeah, mechanical pencils are all the same—click-click-write, right? Wrong. Everytime the Kuru Toga lifts off the paper, a mechanism inside the barrel rotates the lead a quarter-turn so that you don’t develop a chisel point. Fucking Japan! Plenty of barrel colors have come out since the pencil first dropped in early ’08, so feel free to co-ordinate with your Supras. It also comes in a 0.3mm lead version, but that’s a little fine for us. [CLICK HERE TO BUY IT NOW!]
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BEST WOODCASE PENCIL: PENTEL BLACK POLYMER 999
Price: $18/box of 12
• We don’t usually fuck with conventional graphite pencils too tough, but if you’re an artist or drafter, these might be right up your alley. Available in all kinds of lead grades (starting from the usual HB, which you know as a “#2 pencil,” then progressively blacker/softer or lighter/harder) and sans eraser, in true pencil-snob fashion. Get the lead out! Brrrrap!
[CLICK HERE TO BUY IT NOW!]
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BEST HIGHLIGHTER: PILOT SPOTLITER 2 TWIN-TIP
Price: $1.50
• The perfect blend of coverage and writeability, depending on which end you use. It’s been the only highlighter in our pen bag since the day we discovered it. Plenty of colors, but the blue is dark enough that it doesn’t feel fruity when we highlight passages about feelings and unicorns and shit. [CLICK HERE TO BUY IT NOW!]

RELATED: COMPLEX’S 2009 STYLE & DESIGN PACKAGE (1 New Article Per Day!)

While going “green” isn’t always easy, a great way to reduce your carbon footprint is by riding a bicycle instead of driving. Sounds simple, but if you live in a major city, you really have no excuse not to get a bike. So what kind? The ballyhooed fixed-gear movement has become trendy recently, but consider fixed-gears the allover prints of the bicycle world. It makes better sense to invest in something like the all-new Trek District bike, which hits stores in the first week of April.

Our buddy Erik from Trek stopped by last week to give us a sneak-peek at the District, and it is a thing of beauty. But looks aside, what makes it special is that it’s Trek’s first single-speed, belt-drive (i.e. no chain) bicycle. The District has specs and parts to satisfy bicycle enthusiasts while being user-friendly enough that your mom would have no trouble riding it. Uh, pause. Every aspect of the District has been well thought-out and executed with careful attention to detail. At $929, it may cost a grip, but think of it as a lifetime investment'as long as it doesn’t get jacked. For a detailed look at the features of the District, and as a bonus, some pics of the Trek x KAWS bike for Lance Armstrong, see below…

TREK DISTRICT FEATURES:

• The belt drive (also used by motorcycles and snowmobiles) is a carbon fiber composite belt reinforced to prevent stretch.

• No bike chain means: no lube, no maintenance, no noise, no worries.

• The District comes equipped with Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase tires and alloy rims.

BONUS:
TREK x KAWS for Lance Armstrong:

Web site: Trek Bicycle

A step-up from usual sport-themed furniture, the seats are hooked up in top-notch nappa leather, chromium and other highbrow materials that will impress both your Budweiser guzzling friends and your interior decorator jump-off. Chairs are available in basketball, volleyball, golf, tennis and soccer. The distribution is sketchy for now, but if you're looking to inquire, hit up sales@vipseating.de. See the full set of chairs below…

GOLF “EAGLE” CHAIR:

BASKETBALL “NBA” CHAIR:

SOCCER “HATTRICK” CHAIR:

TENNIS “VOLLEY” CHAIR:

[VIP Seating via BallerHouse]

Created by a UK college student named James Beattie, the Pantime replaces traditional clock numbers with an array of colors and corresponding PMS numbers, starting with “012 C” (the Pantone number for yellow). While there’s no evidence of a rip-off, the Pantime is strangely similar to the Chromachron, a watch designed by Tian Harlan in the 1970s. Check out a close-up of the Pantime, as well as the O.G. Chromachron, below…

Tian Harlan’s 1973 Chromachron watch:

[Swiss Miss Via Pan Flower]

Maybe you saw the “Be Kanye” ads a couple months back produced by the creative college whiteboy firm Chiat Day, but the Glow In the Dark Tour is over, friends. Up next in the Absolut blitz is a disco ball-esque casing for the bottle, available free with purchase at select retailers from now until New Year’s.

If you’re light on the Halloween costume tonight or just want to spice up upcoming holiday parties with flashing lights, check your local liquor store for the 750ml ($20) or the 1 liter ($27) size. We got a nice clear photo of it for you below…

If you’ve got a shit-load of time on your hands between now and October 31st, prepare yourself for this labor intensive arts and crafts project. Using pipes, cables and screws, the video provides an in-depth explanation of how you can create a pair of flapping wings for only $18. Even if you don’t want to dress up as a “dragon,” these will add a new dimension to any costume'we guarantee you’ll be the only Flying McCain in the party. Watch the instructional video below…

[Gryphern Via G4]

Back in 1982, designer Malcolm Wallhead created the round, alien-like pod for the Australian Antarctic Division. The fiberglass construction and polyurethane insulation can protect you not only from polar ice caps, but the searing heat from tropical climates as well. Multiple igloos can be linked together via tunnels, making a perfect haven for your whole team. See more photos below…

[Icewall One Via Designer Gallery]

The Finnish company called on consumers to put a music-inspired spin on their line of Bluetooth earphones, using tools provided on the website like beaming lights, interchangable colors, and decorative characters. The five winners will actually be manufactured as one-of-ones and will be displayed in select retail locations. Check out designs inspired by Jay-Z, MGMT and Santogold below…

TITLE: Str8-Star
INSPIRED BY: Jay-Z
SONG INSPIRATION: “Jockin’ Jay-Z”

TITLE: Kolory rzadza
INSPIRED BY: Jamelia
SONG INSPIRATION: “Superstar”

TITLE: Wood Style
INSPIRED BY: nvitrox
SONG INSPIRATION: “Wood”

TITLE: Silver
INSPIRED BY: Joey Beltran
SONG INSPIRATION: “Energy Flash”

TITLE: Working For The Weekend
INSPIRED BY: MGMT
SONG INSPIRATION: “Electric Feel”

TITLE: Gold+
INSPIRED BY: Santogold
SONG INSPIRATION: “Santogold”

[Nokia Via Nokia Conversations]

Qayot unveiled the collection recently in a furniture design exhibit called “Abitare Il Tempo” in Verona. With a wide variety of interchangeable, two-tone polyester linings, the round and square seats can be combined with additional sets to produce flexible seating for any situation. Sadly, they haven’t yet created a red ghost ottoman to match. Check out more images of the Poufman set below…

[Qayot Via Freshome]

The innovative line features a kitchen, bedroom and office that all fold up into compact cabinets that can be wheeled away for easy storage. For about $7,500 each, you can buy one now on Amazon Japan. See how it all unfolds in the video below…

[Kenchikukagu via Luxurylaunches]

These days, it’s cool to ‘go green,’ but more important than that, it’s still cool to be cool. With both those in mind, designer/architect Greg Lynn debuted his ‘Recycled Toy Furniture’ at the Venice Architecture Biennale last week.

Lynn took home the Golden Lion for Best Installation Project and his designs'simple coffee tables that use welded children’s toys for their bases'seem like a much cooler use of any extra kids’ playthings that are laying around'either yours or that brat’s who lives down the street. After the jump, check out the rest of Lynn’s award-winning designs.

[Dezeen]

Basically a belt with three industrial grade suction cups attached to it (plus a hand-held suction cup for stability), The Hitch lets people affix themselves Spidey-style to the side of vans, buses, and probably any other form of conveyence they’re dumb enough to hop on. We’ll stick to our Heelys for now, but Nightingale might be onto something. See close-up photos of The Hitch below.

[Robert Nightingale via Yanko Design]

The coffee table-style book uses thin strips of paper to construct an elaborate 3D page for each letter and number. Taking a cue from French designer Marion Battle’s own alphabet book, Bonneau designed each page as a complex piece of architecture. No word on whether or not the book will be mass-produced, so watch the video below to flip through it…

[Fubiz via Design You Trust]

As humans touch the thermosensitive fabric panels, the colors change, leaving temporary hand and body prints on the surface for up to 30 seconds. Finally, we have a method for catching serial wall-humpers in the act. See what the panels look like after you touch them in the gallery below…

[Visual Design Studio Via Design Spotter]

After years of saving styrofoam from computer packaging, Kevin Kelly was immediatly inspired to start building his own version. He molded a mechanical monster with enough intricate detail to rival Salter’s. But instead of making a monstrosity that can only be displayed in a gallery, Kelly decided to create a smaller robot that can be broken up into pieces for easy transport. Watch a video of how Salter’s original version came about below.

[Kevin Kelly via LikeCool]

For his latest exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, thin metal enthusiast and Japanese architect Kimihiko Okada constructed a 6.5 meter high mountain using only aluminum foil and an internal steel framework.

The show, which is on display outside the museum through September 28th, marks the second time Okada turned frail metal material into a extravagant art piece. Last year, Okada hooked up a similar heavy-metal installation at the Diesel Denim Gallery, but his latest creation is simply massive, being supported by a steel frame that spans 902 square meters. See more of the mountain below.

[Public Space Project via Dezeen]

Forget Michael Phelps’s over-exposed gold-medal wins'the real spectacle at this year’s Olympics are the stunning visuals. The light show in the opening ceremony was like Kanye West’s Glow In The Dark tour on steroids, and the whole world can’t seem to get enough of Beijing’s impressive sports structures. This week, Guinness World Record holder Brian Berg broke his own record by using 140,000 playing cards to replicate China’s Olympic Village.

Even though card stacking isn’t exactly a sport, the 33-year-old pro trumped his Cinderella's Castle from 2004 (which was 14 ft. tall), by stacking his latest creation 25 feet high. It took Berg 20 days to build the giant spectacle. Watch a video of him putting the finishing touches on the project below.

Previously: Lego Beijing Replica Takes An Olympic Effort

[CardStacker via Gizmodo]

Ireland-based designer Gregor Timlin collaborated with Barry Sheehan (of Sharc Design) to create The Shelter Cart, a carrier for bottles and cans that can also be used as a makeshift shack. Created specifically for homeless folks who make money from recycling, Timlin and Sheehan took home a social awareness award for the project back in 2006. if they ever start selling these, they would make great presents for the guy sleeping on your stoop. See more photos of the Shelter Cart below.

[The Design Blog Via Gregor Timlin]

Called “Barbeque,” this grill is the brainchild of British designer Ali Messom. It’s made of glazed ceramic, so it’s sturdy and weather-proof, and the serving table detaches for access to both sides of the cooking area. It’s still strictly a spec model, see more views of “Barbeque” after the jump.

[The Design Blog]

Over at the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum, they’ve erected a 1000 square foot model of what Shanghai will look like in the year 2020. Not only do they make insanely huge, detailed, and cool replicas of cities with 20 million inhabitants, they, you know, plan for the future. Yikes Matilda, brush up on your Cantonese'our suburban sprawl-lovin’ asses are grass! For a variety of pics of the Shanghai model, check out the gallery below.

[Flickr via Neatorama]