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THE BUS PICKS

THE BUS PICKS:

September 21, 2016

THE BEST SONG RIGHT NOW

Okay, everyone, stop what you’re doing and watch this video immediately. Trust me, your day will be better!

It’s Vicky again, and I have to tell you about the best song right now. Can you tell I’m excited? It’s Bomba Estereo’s “Soy Yo,” and it has the best video ever. Yes, I know it’s been viral for a couple of weeks now, but that doesn’t make it any less cool. Seriously, if you haven’t yet, take a look:

Can we talk about how great and empowering the lyrics are? I feel like even if you don’t understand it, you can appreciate that it’s a feel-good song. Finding this type of song in Spanish is always such a treat for me because it lifts my mood in my own language. I don’t have to pay as much attention to it to absorb the feeling, lyrics, and tune — it’s more automatic.

The confident protagonist is Sarai Gonzalez, an 11-year-old with parents from Costa Rica and Perú. Sarai told NBC that she was “proud to be a part of this video because I’ve overcome bullying.” She should be, and we’re proud of her.

My chest swells with pride in seeing a little girl I identify with be showcased as such a straight up boss. If I have daughters, this is how I want to raise them. I was brought up hearing that women should be graceful and demure, but this little girl just showed all of us that we she can be whatever she wants, and you know what? Nobody’s stopping her.

Post by Victoria Rosenthal Madrid

SOURCES
NBCnews.com
Remezcla.com
Vogue.com

PHOTOS
Fusion.net
Youtube.com

1 Comment

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THE BUS PICKS:

April 8, 2016

WINTERGATAN

Hi there. Roberto here again. It’s been a while since our last post, but we are really excited about this new one. Las week we where flabbergasted by The Amazing Marble Machine from Wintergatan. A musical, design and engineering marvel, that looks like something out of a Michel Gondry movie, or what Leonardo Da Vinci would have played if he had been a DJ.

Wintergatan, "The Milky Way”, is a band from Göteborg, Sweden that mixes folk and electronica using traditional sounds and instruments such as the glockenspiel, traktofon, or Theremin to create beautiful music that is both emotional and energetic. According to their website, the band consists of Martin Molin and Marcus Sjöberg (who previously fronted the band Detektivbyrån -detetive agency) together with Evelina Hägglund and David Zandén.

The Marble Machine is a wooden instrument designed and built by Molin, that combines a vibraphone, electronic drums, electric bass and cymbal. It's operated by an intricate mechanism of levers, wheels, gears (even Lego Technics pieces) and belts that transport thousands of marbles and moves them up and down to make the instruments play a song that the composer has previously programmed in the machine. "The marbles, you know, they behave like water. The nature of water is that it just breaks through everything. After 100,000 years it can make a hole in stone. The marbles act like that.” commented Molin in a WIRED UK interview.

The project took months (years, actually) of incredibly detailed design and construction and each step was beautifully documented on video. Binge-watch all the prologues and you’ll be amazed at Molin’s skills and craftsmanship as well as his musicianship. The Marble Machine reminded me of works like Tim Hawkinson’s uber organ in that awe-inspiring cleverness that make it equal parts music box and sculpture. It mixes the basic concept of a player piano with a Rube Golberg machine and turns it into a sophisticated magical instrument. It’s inaugural song, performed with the help of 2,000 marbles, is a perfect manifestation of the machine’s possibilities and a showcase of it’s creator’s original talent. We can’t wait for the next song to come out of it.

Post by Roberto Fonfria

SOURCES
Wintergatan.net
Vimeo.com

PHOTOS
Wintergatan.net

Comment

1 Comment

THE BUS PICKS:

August 28, 2015

HIDDEN FOREST HOTELS

Hi, I’m Cristina. I’m an intern for El Autobus this week! Anyone who knows me also knows that I’ve been obsessed with architecture ever since I was a little kid. The other day I stumbled upon a website about cool and strange hotels. While checking it out, there were three specific hotels that really captured my attention. All of them have completely different structures and designs but one incredible similarity: they're in the middle of breathtaking forests.

The first one is the Treehotel, located about an hour away from the Luleå Airport in Sweden; with a total of 10 distinct rooms that expand around a vast area of open forest. The hotel’s most striking room, the “Mirror cube,” disappears into its forest background while appearing to float mid-air. The room, made of plywood-birch on the inside is in actuality held up by a single tree and is covered with mirrors on the outside. To prevent birds from crashing into it by accident, the structure is coated in an infrared film that birds can see but humans are unable to.

Our next hotel is the Montaña Magica Lodge, situated in Chile. This “volcano-looking” hotel made entirely from rocks will make you feel like you're a character living inside a fairy tale. One of the hotel’s sides is even covered with a waterfall! I can just imagine that trickling down of water coming down your window, lulling you to sleep at night.

Lastly, the Nothofagus Hotel in Chile; constructed entirely with noble materials, is ironically outstanding within the hidden forest. As exotic and captivating as its surroundings, it won't matter if you're outdoors or not. The Nothofagus is as close to nature as the Treehotel and the Montaña Magica, but it is the most modern of the bunch, also offering: spas, a pool, lounges, a bar, and bigger rooms.

Post by Cristina Fonfria

SOURCES
Viralnova.com
Hotelmontanamagica.redhotelera.cl
Huilohuilo.com

PHOTOS
Hotelmontanamagica.redhotelera.cl
Huilohuilo.com
Treehotel.se
Unsplash.com

1 Comment

6 Comments

THE BUS PICKS:

July 24, 2015

THE DICTIONARY OF OBSCURE SORROWS

Hi, I’m Andres! I'm currently doing an internship at El Autobus although I live full-time in Lexington, Kentucky. I recently came across a web series called The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. The Dictionary creates words for emotions that everyone experiences but there is no name for. John Koenig, the creator of these videos, works as a freelance designer, editor, voice actor and writer in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

When I first found this series of videos, I was really intrigued by the idea of coming up with words for things that everyone experiences. It was surprising that no one had done this before. It’s hard to describe what I feel when I watch a video for a new word. In a way, giving a name to a certain feeling makes it easier to explain it to someone. But the biggest thing for me is knowing that other people are experiencing similar things.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: Vemödalen

Words such as Sonder, Oleka, Vemodalen, and Onism are my personal favorites.

I hope you check the dictionary on your own. Find it on The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, on Youtube or on Test Tube.

Post by Andres Gedaly

SOURCES
Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
You Tube

PHOTOS
Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
Test tube
BuzzFeed
Unsplash

6 Comments

1 Comment

THE BUS PICKS:

June 26, 2015

LEON BRIDGES

Hi. I’m Becca, the English Expert at El Autobús. (i.e. I’m the go-to native English speaker around here who helps with things like copywriting, translation and editing). When I gave up my home office to start working for El Autobús, I noticed a lot of slight, seemingly insignificant changes to my daily routine. I drink coffee at my desk instead of in bed. I wear pants that match my shirts. The most significant change, aside from actually seeing other humans, is that I can listen to music again. Music wasn’t an option at my home office because the work required absolute silence. I loved the job but I missed the music. Today’s Bus Pick is dedicated to my latest favorite sound: Leon Bridges.

"Coming Home" from Leon Bridges' new album 'Coming Home'

I stumbled upon Leon Bridges as I was listening to a genre on Spotify called ‘Dark Southern Gothic,’ a name that amused me and ended up hitting the spot on much of the music I listen to and cannot for the life of me categorize.

Let me tell you about Mr. Bridges. He’s a twenty-five year old soul singer from Texas. His voice smooths effortlessly over his lighthearted romantic tracks. His songs are bluesy and honest yet hopeful, rooted in Southern charm and a respect for an era of music that I haven’t seen reproduced like this until now. He sends you straight to the early 60s; I almost can’t believe he was born in 1989.

What amazes me even more is that he seems to have almost randomly stumbled upon his own music, much like how I found him. He grew up on Ginuwine and Usher. This is not a kid who stayed up late at night listening to his parents’ old Sam Cooke vinyls. This might spark criticism from those expecting Bridges to be more genuine, or to have deeper R&B roots, but I’m not interested in questioning his integrity. For now, I’m just happy (no, thrilled) that someone is making this music.

This is what I’m certain of: Leon’s first album, Coming Home, is really good.. I can’t stop listening to it. I play it at work. I put it on repeat at backyard barbecues. I dance to it when I’m cooking dinner. Leon’s sweet R&B is just as right for a lonely night sipping drinks on the porch as it is for a dancefloor warmer at a wedding. It’s definitely playing at mine.

‘Coming Home’ was released last week and I’m pretty sure there’s a reason I’m not his only fan. Have a listen for yourself. It’ll be honey for your soul.

"Smooth Sailin" from Leon Bridges' new album 'Coming Home'

Let us know what you think in the comments!

Post by Rebecca Wagoner

SOURCES
Leondbridges.com
npr.org
fwweekly.com

PHOTOS
Rambo Photography (Erin Margaret Alison)

1 Comment

THE BUS PICKS:

June 5, 2015

BOHEMIAN GUITARS

Hi, I’m Roberto, one of the founders of El Autobus, and I’m writing today’s BusPicks about one of the things we really love around here: making music! Jamming time is one of our favorite moments of the week, so, this post has to do with music, and design, and ideas, and a new brand I’ve been following that radiates the kind of good vibe that we love.

Bohemian Guitars inspiration came to brothers Adam and Shaun Lee from the "blik kitaar" a home made guitar that uses an empty oil can for its body and is commonly played in the townships of their hometown of Johannesburg and all over Southern Africa. They started their project to turn these artisanal guitars into professional sounding instruments with a kickstarter campaign in 2013.

Bohemian “oil can guitars” use simple materials, craftsmanship and great aesthetics to make an affordable guitar with an incredible metallic sound. I stumbled into them thru a G. Love video and was hooked to their sound and design.

Their sustainability efforts are nice too: For each Bohemian Guitar sold, one tree is planted in the developing world, thanks to a partnership with Trees For The Future. Also, there are Bohemian models made with reclaimed wood, vintage oil cans and old guitar parts.

I hope my next post can be a video of a Bus-Jam with an actual Bohemian Guitar. Until we get one, there are some very cool videos on the web of ‘bohemians’ shredding the guitar’s bluesy raw sound. (And more than a few great videos of people building their own traditional oil can guitars; maybe that’s the one we are gonna have!).

See ya.
R.

Post by Roberto Fonfria

SOURCES
Bohemian Guitars

PHOTOS
Bohemian Guitars
Hypepotamus

1 Comment

Comment

THE BUS PICKS:

April 24, 2015

AELFIE

Hello Friday! There really is no better way to start the weekend than by perusing something really awesome. Today our bus pick goes out to Aelfie, an amazing design studio that carries rugs and home décor as well as having a curated collection of textiles from around the world. Not only do they put out beautiful products, but they also take the utmost care to honor the tradition and history behind each textile; which they then put out in a refreshing contemporary way.

Aelfie, which also happens to be the name of it’s founder Aelfie Oudghiri, began her career as a Research Assistant in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies in Columbia University. Here, she began selling carpets out of her student housing in order to pay for her education, and thus began the rug dealing.

Currently both Aelfie and her studio-showroom reside in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where she plans and designs all of her products. The actual crafting is then done in India, having everything hand-made using traditional weaving and embroidery techniques. The result is a new take on textiles that is sure to catch your eye. For sure the most striking part of Alfie’s work is how vibrant all the product are, which I just love. These are goods bursting in color that at the same time have a minimal, geometric but not too perfect feel to them. Basically, everything you would want from a product; elevating housewares to an almost art piece type of feel while still being completely utilitarian. It’s perfection!

Aelfie and pillows, for Apartment Therapy

Aelfie Francine Bedding and various pillows

Take a peak at Aelfie’s inspiration here or browse through her instagram.

Till next Friday,
<3
Dani

Post by Dani V Sanchez - Good Manya

SOURCES
aelfie.com
openingceremony.us

PHOTOS
aelfie.com
aelfie.tmblr.com
thewildmagazine.com
design-milk.com
apartmenttherapy.com

Comment

THE BUS PICKS:

April 10, 2015

FOUND MY ANIMAL

Yes, It’s finally Friday and as we get close to mid April we can finally look forward to longer and warmer-ish days, which are perfect for strolling around the city and exploring! Every once in a while during my “exploring” I imagine I have a dog and I’m sightseeing around the city with her… Weird? Maybe, but if there’s one thing I’m crazy about, it would definitely have to be animals. I currently have a cat and would love to have a husky, but don’t have a big enough apartment/house for her to live in, so for the time being imaginary husky is what I have. So, today’s Bus Pick goes out to all current and future dog owners! Meet Found My Animal.

Found My Animal has been popping up more and more in design and pet stores all over and it’s not hard to see why. Founded by Anna Conway and Bethany Obrecht, together they have built a brand of pet accessories like no other. After meeting while they where walking their two rescue pups, they decided to become partners and use their work to be able to spread their passion for animals, animal welfare and the principles of what good design could do. That is how Found came to be, a brand that supports, honors and encourages the adoption of abandoned animals.

Found My Animal - leashes and pet carrier

You can check out their beautiful dog accessories here. They have a unique nautical feel and range from leashes and collars to carriers and dog beds. What’s special about them, besides how beautiful they are, is that they are all made using sustainable and ecological practices. Each collar is handcrafted in Brooklyn, NY using reclaimed leather, navy marine-grade & UV-resistant rope and solid brass hardware.

Found My Animal - indigo ombre rope dog leash and collar

Found My Animal - black ombre rope dog leash and orange rescue dog leash

All materials are meticulously crafted and thought out to make them last forever; for example, the leashes get hand-spliced to withstand thousands of pounds of pull and then have their ends “whipped” (an old nautical term) for additional durability. They also contain marine grade hardware like solid o-rings and clips, which means that the leash can be used and worn in a lot of different ways. These same clips are also used on their other accessories like the collapsible water bowl and the multi-use pouch, making it easy for you to attach them to the leash itself.

So, good job Found! Seeing such a perfect marriage between honest principles and good design is always incredibly encouraging, which is how business should always be.

Till next Friday
<3
Dani

Post by Dani V Sanchez - Good Manya

SOURCES
foundmyanimal.com
ifweweredogs.com

PHOTOS
foundmyanimal.com
mrssizzle.com
ifweweredogs.com

Comment

THE BUS PICKS:

March 30, 2015

YOUR WORKSPACE AS
A SECOND HOME

Hello! I’m Luis “Threz” Palencia, Graphic Designer at El Autobus, I’d like to talk with you guys about something pretty important for us as designers: The Workspace.

It’s important when working to have a space that allows us to feel at ease and represent our personality. In the creative world, our ability to be innovative and find that “moment of inspiration” is determined by our environment and the energy around us. With that said, we set out to look for workspace options that can help create an optimal environment that reflects our personality and makes for a more comfortable and productive environment.

Analog Memory Desk

Perfect for those who prefer pencil and paper before any other option. 1,100 yards of paper that serve as a place to jot down notes or sketch that spur of the moment idea. In a time where life moves at such a furious pace, its great to have a place to keep our most important inspiration and details at a moments notice.

Refold Desk

Constructed from recycled cardboard, Refold offers an innovative and sustainable approach to our workspace. Believing in the need to generate a real change not only in the environment, but in our personal spaces as well, Refold offers a standing desk for people who sit all day at work. Working while standing can help combat a sedentary lifestyle while encouraging physical activity, without interrupting your workflow. You can customize the appearance of the desk anyway you like, taking advantage of the cardboard surface, it’s like a blank canvas. It can be assembled and disassembled in a matter of minutes and is completely portable.

Worknest

Our mood and needs are variables in our daily lives; having the ability to shape them to improve our work is important. The Worknest’s modular pieces allow us to add or remove elements according to our needs or mood. Worknest is a fully customizable modular desk that allows us to optimize our work environment to our specific needs.

Hope you guys liked this post and got inspired to update your workspace. I’ll be sharing more stuff every week. Stay tuned!

Post by Luis Palencia - Threz

SOURCES
kcamara.com/ANALOG-MEMORY-DESK
refold.co
behance.net/gallery/9025739/WORKNEST

PHOTOS
Analog Memory Desk - kcamara.com/ANALOG-MEMORY-DESK
Refold - refold.co
Worknest - behance.net/gallery/9025739/WORKNEST

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THE BUS PICKS:

March 27, 2015

AFFORDABLE DWELLINGS –
THE CONTAINER HOME

Happy Friday Everybody! I’m so excited to share today’s post with you. Recently, I acquired this amazing book called Superlight, which has gotten me thinking about the possibility of owning a house that’s not just beautiful and well-designed but also affordable and ecological. Surprisingly so, it seems that it is not that crazy of an idea. Today’s Bus Pick is exactly that, low budget housing, particularly shipping container homes!

Housing solutions have always been something that interests me deeply. Currently, I live in NY and owning a house here is aaaah… well, not really a possibility, but living in NY has actually taught me a lot about ecological living. For instance, NY is the US leader in the practice of urban agriculture, combine that with the fact that most people commute using only public transportation and the fact that people live fairly close to everything and you have the ingredients for a very ecological urban plan.

So, with all this in mind I’ve been on the lookout for a future home. A home that could offer: proximity for commuting (or great public transportation), affordability, good design and the use of as many ecological practices as possible. I know it sounds like an impossible list to use as my expectations and maybe they make me sound a little utopian in my beliefs but if you bare with me I promise I will show you that it really isn’t impossible!

First up is “Containers of Hope” A housing project by Architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe with a woping total cost of $40,000USD! Yes, yes you read right $40,000USD. Saxe would be the kind of architect that would be perfect for my dream home, for he is famous for his innovative uses of materials in his projects; uses that offer both low cost and a recycling/ecological benefit. Containers of Hope in particular is a one bedroom, 861 sq. ft. home and was built using two disused containers which where then taken to the final location and modified on site. Built with the Costa Rican tropical climate in mind, similar to that of Miami, the house is so well ventilated that it’s actually enough to never have to turn the air conditioning on. The best news is that Saxe offers the full set of blueprints and photographs for you to use to construct this same project or to use as a basis for your own for just $950. How’s that for affordability!?

Then we have the amazing Meka homes. Meka is a group of architects and engineers that create modular living and work spaces that are available to ship to customers worldwide. They offer prefabricated homes with total cost starting at just $85,500USD. These are homes that are built using modular units that fit the same measurements as shipping containers and can therefore be transported just as easily. Plus, all their models are guaranteed to be modern, functional, green and quick to fully set up. Just to show you how trust worthy they are, their latest project was the Tesla Motors modular showroom. My two favorite models of theirs are the Thor 960 and the Hela 1280.

So there you go, not so impossible after all! I’ll keep my search up and share more as I find but I think that with these two projects in mind we can begin to really believe that good affordable housing is possible. After all the best design solutions should be intended for everyone to enjoy.

Till next Friday,
<3
Dani

Post by Dani V Sanchez - Good Manya

SOURCES
Superlight, rethinking how our homes impact the earth by Phyllis Richardson
fiveboroughfarm.org
benjamingarciasaxe.com
Meka World

PHOTOS
Containers of Hope - benjamingarciasaxe.com
Meka - Mekaworld.com
Meka - jetsongreen.com
Meka - decorationstyle.net

Comment

1 Comment

THE BUS PICKS:

March 20, 2015

Truth Beauty

Hi Everyone! I’m Dani, Art Director here at El Autobus. I’m here to talk to you about “The Bus Picks” our first ever column for our BRAND NEW BLOG!… Yes, we got a blog! It was time, wasn’t it? We really have some great surprises and ideas in mind and we can’t wait to share them with you. So stay posted and follow us on this lovely little journey we are on!

Now back to The Bus Picks. The Bus Picks is a series where we feature innovative products, designs, projects, ideas, campaigns etc… Last week we started posting about it on our Instagram and we got a lot of people interested in it, including ourselves, so that got us thinking “why stop there?”. If we really want to share the incredible projects that inspire us day to day, then heck maybe we can immerse into them even more and really show you why they really are so incredible. So here we are!

Beauty Lies Truth Kickstarter

Today we want to talk to you about this amazing project called #TruthBeauty, a project started by Harvard Business School MBA student Jessica Assaf and Alexis Krauss from Sleigh Bells. Truth Beauty is “a curated collection of the safest, highest-performing and most affordable skincare and makeup products on the market”.

For this project they have partnered with Baggu and over 10 women-owned beauty brands (get the full list at the bottom of the post) to create two kits: a skincare essentials kit for both men and women ($50) and a makeup essentials kit ($55). Both are on pre-sale at kickstarter. But, what really makes this project so special is their continuous efforts to improve the beauty industry, which has long been run by corporate giants who put dangerous chemicals in our products.

So, if you’re passionate about the environment and/or your personal care products (I know I am!), I highly recommend that you take a look at the project. I actually ended up ordering both bags as a birthday present for myself! I will share and post about them as soon as I get them, because I really think it’s important for us to see that as customers we have a lot of power. If we only buy good products, those made and sourced in good ways, then we support everything around them and by doing that we make the world a little better. We can really make such a big difference by not buying all those damaging products and buying eco-friendly ones instead.

Get on over to their site truthbeautylies.com to find lots of info about these dangerous chemicals, what they are and what they are doing to us and the environment. There you will also find a really great guide that lists all the brands and products that are not only safe for us to use but they are also really, really good for you!

Brands on Essentials kit: Au Naturale, EO, SW Basics, Ilia, Pomega5, Alaffia, Jane Iredale, Shamphree, Beauty Counter, Baggu

Post by Dani V Sanchez - Good Manya

SOURCES
huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/16/truthbeauty-kickstarter-non-toxic-makeup_n_6876538.html?1426513862&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000035
beautyliestruth.com
kickstarter.com/projects/1231418826/truthbeauty-safe-effective-affordable-beauty-produ

PHOTOS
Jessica Assaf & Alexis Krauss - Kickstarter: #TruthBeauty
Baggu - twitter.com/baggu
SW Basics of Brooklyn - elizabethstreet.com
Ilia - salebite.com
Beauty Counter - huffingtonpost.com

1 Comment