M13 Blog

Ace Hotel New York City

2008-08-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Ace Hotel, M13's residence of choice on our frequent visits to Seattle and Portland, is gearing up for the opening of its New York hotel this winter. Sketches of some of the rooms just hit the internet.

"Ace Hotel New York is improvisational, a mix of styles, historical periods and objects that come together in layers. The hotel's design takes its cues from the vibrancy of street life, the honesty of materials and the potential of invention. It is about soul, latent in the old architecture and re-introduced through the new design."

Via Selectism.

Ace New York.

Tuesday Reviews - Moleskine Notebooks

2008-08-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

It feels like pretty much everyone has a Moleskine at this point...hard to believe they only launched in 1998. How does a notebook brand go from zero to ubiquity in ten years? They're definitely great products... super well designed...with the elastic closure, bookmark ribbon, and expandable pocket on inside back cover. But the real story is Moleskine marketing.

The thing you usually hear about Moleskines is that they were used by famous writers and artists like Hemingway and Picasso. This is a half truth...the Moleskine design is based on those notebooks, but the brand is new. Misleading or not, that backstory authenticates the brand and is a major part of its allure. Then there's the product extensions like the City Notebooks, which work as visitor guide/travel journals for major cities around the world... and the Detour project, where they exhibit artists' work in notebooks. Finally there's the the Milan-based company's Italian heritage, which never hurts (are they Made in Italy? Not sure...).

So yeah, Moleskine.... great products, even better marketing.

Moleskine home.

Detour artist projects.

Vancouverism architecture exhibition, London

2008-08-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, designed by Arthur Erickson.

"Vancouverism is characterized by tall, but widely separated, slender towers interspersed with low-rise buildings, public spaces, small parks and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and facades to minimize the impact of a high density population."

- The New York Times, December 28, 2005

Link.

Chinese Olympic success shines light on TCM

2008-08-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

China's Qin Kai and Wang Feng compete during men's 3m synchronized diving final. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

From the UK, the Sun reports that China's Olympic success is helping popularize traditional Chinese medicine in the West.

"The Beijing Olympics is showcasing just what the human body can achieve when pushed to its absolute limits.

So it's fitting that Chinese foods, drinks and martial arts once unheard of in the West are now helping thousands of us ward off disease and live longer."

Link.

Tuesday Reviews - Converse "Chuck Taylor" All Stars

2008-08-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

This is the first of another regular M13 blog feature, Tuesday Reviews, where we offer totally subjective, biased, one-sided looks at various consumable items. Food, books, music, magazines, gear, tech toys and whatever else strikes our fancy. Enjoy!

Before they became a countercultural icon, footwear's symbolic answer to the leather jacket, Converse Chuck Taylors were for several decades the high performance shoe of choice for hoopsters. Originally released in 1917, the All Star gained widespread popularity when a young fan, Chuck Taylor, came on board and suggested various improvements, including the ankle patch for better support (!), which by 1923 bore his signature.

With a design that hasn't observably changed in over 80 years, the main appeal of Chucks today lies in their classic authenticity. When you wear Chucks, you're saying "I don't care about fashion or trends," which, of course, is nonsense. No matter, any fashion statement that involves original, gimmick-free products is OK by us.

Fun facts!
- Chucks are now produced by Nike, which purchased the bankrupt brand in 2003.
- A few famous wearers of Chucks in history: Jackson Pollack, John Belushi, JFK, Kurt Cobain.

*Info for this post was ripped from Buying In by Rob Walker, Consumed columnist for New York Times Magazine and Murketing blogger. An excellent book by a great thinker on consumer culture. Pick it up!

Lunchbox Thursdays - Erewhon Natural Foods, LA

2008-08-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

We're always on the run, visiting groceries, selling juice, grabbing quick lunches from their delis. We're basically deli connoisseurs at this point. Lunchbox Thursdays is a new M13 blog feature that puts that wisdom to use. Here's where we shine a light on the fine establishments that carry Functional Juice and the fresh treats they offer.

Erewhon Natural Foods is West Hollywood's go-to spot for organic, probiotic and raw fare. The name is taken from the Utopian novel of the same name written by Samuel Butler in the 1800s about a land where people are held responsible for their own health.

This place is the Copenhagen of raw food. They have the largest selection of raw food that I've seen. If that's your scene then definitely check it out if not try it anyway it tastes good.

Attention all Pescetarians this place has better salmon salad than the ocean. Well worth the spendy price!

If you're not into salmon then just head down to have a chat with the kind and charismatic Natalie - LA's biggest Functional Juice fan!

Pure healthy goodness at the Erewhon deli. Run, don't walk, this place is the spot!

M13 Assistance & Vanilla Smoothie

2008-08-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

The good folks at our local coffee shop, Bean Around the World cafe in Gastown, created a simple and delicious summer smoothie featuring M13 Assistance, the vitalizing Functional Juice, and vanilla, which adds a delectable, aromatic hint of sweetness to the program. Here's the recipe.

1 bottle M13 Assistance
1 cup ice
2-3 tsp vanilla syrup or extract

Put ingredients into blender, blend em. Pour concoction into cup, consume. Face the demands of your day, feel great.

Garbage as fuel (closer than you think!)

2008-07-23T15:13:00.001-07:00

In news on the biofuel/recycled waste front, Discovery News reports that the commercial conversion of municipal garbage to clean-burning ethanol is as little as two years away. This is innovation at its finest - a singular concept that addresses two major environmental dilemmas at once.

"Two companies -- INEOS bio of Lyndhurst, U.K., and Coskata of Warrenville, Ill. -- claim to be within reach of producing ethanol from garbage on a commercial scale. INEOS bio announced this week that they plan to produce commercial quantities of waste-derived ethanol within two years. Coskata plans to have a commercial demonstration facility by mid-2009.

The companies use similar processes to turn municipal waste into ethanol. The first step is gasification, in which the waste is heated with limited oxygen to create carbon monoxide and hydrogen ... The carbon monoxide and hydrogen mixture is then fed to bacteria, which convert the mixture into ethanol. The ethanol is then purified and blended with fuel."

Link.

Chinese Olympic athletes cautious with TCM remedies

2008-07-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

The Times Online reports that Chinese athletes are being advised to use caution when taking traditional medicinal remedies to avoid potential doping issues at the 2010 Beijing Olympics.

'The Chinese Olympic Committee first published a list of remedies containing banned substances in 2005 and updated it in December. The State Food and Drug Administration ordered traditional medicine-makers in May to print a label that read “Athletes use with caution” on many products.

"In the past many accidents were caused because athletes took these herbs not knowing they could cause problems,” a spokeswoman for the administration told The Times. "The reason why we carried out this work is to realise our promise. We want to make the Beijing Olympics fair, open and clean."
...

"No matter how excellent an athlete is, he or she will be severely punished if they test positive," Xinhua news agency quoted Yuan Hong, the head of the Chinese Olympic Committee anti-doping commission, as saying.'

Link.

To Beat the Heat, Learn to Sweat It Out

2008-07-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

From a New York Times article on staying fit in the summer heat.

"One reason performance declines on sultry, humid days is that working muscles have to compete with the skin for blood. Directing more blood to the skin removes body heat and helps keep your body's temperature from rising to dangerous levels. But that can mean less blood reaches muscles. At the same time, when your body becomes hotter, muscle enzymes speed up, burning glycogen more rapidly, depleting stores of the sugar that the muscles use for fuel."

Link.

i-D Magazine KAWS video interview

2008-07-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Interesting interview with KAWS about his artistic process and career to date. Conducted by i-D Magazine, to go along with with the latest issue which features the Brooklyn artist's work throughout.

Monocle Top 25 Most Livable Cities

2008-06-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Monocle contains the esteemed mag's highly subjective - and equally readable - take on the most livable cities in the world.

Here's the top ten.

1. Copenhagen
2. Munich
3. Tokyo
4. Zurich
5. Helsinki
6. Vienna
7. Stockholm
8. Vancouver
9. Melbourne
10. Paris

2008 Vancouver BG World Triathlon Championships

2008-06-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

As an unofficial sponsor of the 2008 World Triathlon Championships held last weekend in Vancouver, we had front row seats to watch some of the world's best, most highly conditioned athletes compete first hand. Check out how close the women's finish was! Fantastic event, congrats to all participants, organizers and sponsors.

Women - Unofficial Results
Gold - Helen Tucker (GBR) 2:01:37
Silver - Sarah Haskins (USA) 2:01:41
Bronze - Samantha Warriner (NZL) 2:02:32.85

Men - Official Results
Gold - Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:49:48
Silver - Bevan Docherty (NZL) 1:50:12
Bronze - Reto Hug (SUI) 1:50:17

Photo credit.

Vancouver Is Awesome blog

2008-06-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

"Vancouver Is Awesome, and we are dedicated to everything that makes it that way. If you want to read ugly, bad news about this beautiful city of ours, you're going to have to look to traditional media and other blogs; V.I.A. promotes everything that makes Vancouver awesome, from old to new and everything in between."

Image: Jeff Wall - The Pine on the Corner (1990)

20 Questions - Clarke Lind

2008-06-06T09:42:00.001-07:00

Here's the first of regular blog thing we're going to do, 20 Questions with M13 employees, friends and affiliates.

1. What is your full name?
Clarke Edward Lind

2. Where were you born?
Prince George, B.C., Canada

3. Favorite Functional Juice?
Assistance

4. What are you listening to?
True Pseudo, Pierre de la Touche, Bloody Beetroots, College, ANORAAK, Dreamboat, SybolOne, anything on Modular label

5. How do you stay fit?
Mainly ping pong

6. Favorite color
Blue

7. Favorite place you've traveled
Brasil

8. Where would you like to travel to next?
Mentawai islands off Sumatra

9. Any tattoos?
None

10. How do you want to die?
Dropping into Chopu

11. Celtics or Lakers?
Celtics

12. What are you going to do after this?
Watch the game

13. Favorite surf spot - Canada
Jordan River (Vancouver Island)

14. Favorite surf spot - World
Tie - G-Land, Indonesia (Java Island) & Desert Point, Indonesia (Lombok Island)

15. What is your earliest memory?
Mowing the lawn with my Dad with my fake lawn mower, in my green frog boots.

16. Favorite word or expression
Grumpy

17. Do you collect anything?
Surf Boards

18. What are you reading?
The Struggle for Stability in Early Modern Europe - Theodore K. Rabb

19. What email arrived in your inbox before this one?
A message from the lovely Katrina Buset

20. What did the last text you received say?
"There are cups everywhere, don't worry I'll clean it up. I'm giving my Dad his phone back though. I'll call you later."

New site launch!

2008-06-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Whew! We finally got our new website up. Still in beta situation but almost there. The internet's currently recovering from the shock. Annnnd, for those of you that aren't yet aware, we've added two new products, Calm/Detox and Wellbeing, to the Functional Juice line. Take a walk around the site to find out more about them. You can buy all products through the site as well. Free shipping in North America! Major discounts for volume purchases! Oh my!

Photo.

Functional Juice on Bevnet

2008-05-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Bevnet, the main trade site for the beverage industry, just posted M13 as the weekly feature on their homepage, along with reviews of all three Functional Juice products.

That's right! We have two new Functional Juice products, just beginning to find their way into stores. Stay tuned for a fully updated website, coming reeeeal soon.

Kevin Lyons @ HVW8 Gallery

2008-05-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight in Los Angeles. See you there.

Happy Earth Day 2008

2008-04-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

Mark Mothersbaugh <3's M13

2008-04-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

This is awesome to us. Modern music legend Mark Mothersbaugh, one of our favorite artists, just ordered a bunch of M13 product to his Mutato Muzika studio in West Hollywood. The former Devo frontman is responsible for some of the best soundtrack work of the past 15 or so years (all Wes Anderson films except the last one, Lords of Dogtown, Big Love, Pee Wee's Playhouse, etc.). Now he'll have to list M13 as a contributor on his next projects. Er no?

Trade Show Road Trip

2008-03-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

Long time no blog. Busy conceiving new products - stay tuned for news! Below are a few photos from our trip to Anaheim where we took part in the behemoth Natural Products Expo West trade show. The drive was beautiful. Anaheim, not so much.

Southern Oregon border

Mount Shasta

Lake Shastina

Rolling California landscape

Santa Claus Lane

Runyan Canyon

Let's go left

We <3 Vancouver

2008-02-25T13:01:00.000-08:00

Port of Vancouver, view from back of M13 workspace.

When its been raining for 2 months straight and you work in the heart of the crack-infested Downtown Eastside, you can get sour on Vancouver. Days like today remind us that it's a great place to live.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2008-02-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

It's your year, rats!

"Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust."

Link.

Team Super Champion

2008-02-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

M13 is pleased to announce that we've signed on as official sponsors of the Super Champion track team. Stay tuned for updates on team racers and events. Judging from the proofs of the uniforms, designed by friend and fellow sponsor Sandinista, we can rest easy knowing the team will be handsomely clad.

Aurel Schmidt

2008-01-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

Light Be Bright, 2006, oil based color pencil, pencil, acrylic on paper, 30 x 40".

A couple of years ago we approached Aurel Schmidt, then an unknown Vancouver artist, about buying a piece for our space. We got our top pick, and Light Be Bright now sits on our wall, a beacon of grotesque beauty. Her darkly imaginative, often hilarious work, is meticulously rendered in obsessive detail. Now 24 years-old and living in New York, Aurel's talent and vision has efficiently lifted her to bona fide art star status.

Nice work Aurel!

For more info on Aurel and her work see here or watch this. You can also buy stuff she made here.