It’s time to get your crayons, markers, paints, and craft box out and submit your hand turkey for the 3rd annual hand turkey illustration extravaganza.

This year we’re doing things a bit differently and instead of submitting your posts to us through email, we’ve created a little Tumblr site for your turkey enjoyment. Check out handturkeys.tumblr.com/ on how to download the template and submit your best gobbler.

For a little extra motivation, there are prizes for 1st through 3rd place, and be sure to check out previous years’ entries for some inspiration. 2008 Turkeys | 2009 Turkeys

Looking forward to seeing everyone’s submissions!

On this brisk fall morning there’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee to warm you up and start the day. It’s finally the time of year your local Starbucks Barista stops asking if you want coffee hot or cold. (I never did buy into the whole iced coffee drink) Granted if you’re not much of a coffee drinker there are many other wonderful warm fall drinks out there.

Some people like to start off their morning with a cup of tea or hot chocolate. There’s this great tea shop call Teavana where they have all these wonderful teas for all different times of day and moods. There’s also tons of health benefits to drinking a cup of tea a day. Not to mention there’s always the classic instant hot chocolate mix, but there’s a simple pleasure to melting down some chocolate and making it from scratch. Messy but worth it. Read the rest of the entry >

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nine years since the infamous day. We can’t help but remember and honor all of the victims, heroes, and their families. But up until now, there has been no real way to visit and pay homage to those who fell nine years ago.

Plans have  been released for the National 9/11 World Trade Center Memorial. This will honor not only the September 11th attacks, but also the February 26, 1993 bombing. According to Silverstein Properties, the World Trade Center site will include 5 new skyscrapers, National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, World Trade Center Transportation Hub, Retail Complex, and Performing Arts Center.

The WTC Memorial design, Reflecting Absence, will consist of two voids in the footprints of the original Twin Towers, which will feature rings of cascading water falling into illuminated reflecting pools. This will be surrounded by a plaza filled with oak trees, and the names of the 2,979 who perished in the September 11th attacks in NYC, Washington DC, & Pennsylvania, and the February 1993 WTC bombing will be inscribed around the edge of the memorial waterfalls. Read the rest of the entry >

This past Wednesday Apple had another special event. They unveiled the new iPod lineup, Apple TV, and iTunes 10. Inspired by the new updates I spent some time in the store and ended up downloading some new apps.

With all these newly acquired apps, I had to figure out how I was going to organize them on my phone and as I began designating apps to folders I started to think about how I defined their specific uses. I began to see themes to the app madness, and it seems like I break them down into the following:

Free: These are the apps that seem interesting at first glance and trigger the ”Why not download? It costs me nothing” reaction. You use it for maybe a day then never open it again. Example: Crazy Lighter, the whole purpose of the app is to make your iPhone appear to be a lighter. It can be useful to pretend your rocking out to some classic rock at a concert but ultimately provides only a cheesy, sorta-funny moment.

Social Life: For all the millions of social networking apps out there that you check multiple times a day. It’s how you stay conceted to your friends. The phone is no longer to call Bob to see how his day went but more to just check his Facebook status or twitter feed. Examples: Facebook, Twitter, AIM – we know the drill here.

iLife Apps: These are the apps that, in common with the iLife suite, run your picture taking, music listening, and video recording life. All very useful, but nothing life or death. The biggest problem with this category is figuring out which is the best Photo app out of the million available – especially when forced with that big decision of should I actually pay for the app or just download the simpler, free version. Examples: Hipstamatic, Pandora, Remote, ShakeitPhoto

Last Screen of Apps I just can’t delete: This is the shoebox in the back storage closet of apps that you still think can one day be useful and dont have the heart to delete. You can always justify why you might need that unit converter someday or the CPK app to order your food on the go but really never use it.

Actually useful Apps: These can really depend on the user, but I personally can’t live without Highrise, Shazam, Mint.com, Pandora, Google, and PayPal.

Is your phone dominated with impulse buy apps or only the select few you really cherish? Any favorites the world should know about? Do you organize by folders, screens, or is it a free for all?

How do you Define your apps?

P.S. Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for some great apps R29 has in development.

One of the most enjoyable things in life to me is music. Not a day goes by without catching at least part of some melody. In fact, there is a belief held by some that music is everywhere and in everything you hear. Think along the lines of Disney’s Tarzan movie and the scene Trashing the Camp where the characters just start banging pots together. Or, there’s the famous composition by John Cage called 4’33’’ where the score (which can be played by any combination of instruments) calls for the performer(s) to remain silent for the entire duration of the piece. You might understand why it’s commonly referred to as “four minutes thirty-three seconds of silence”, and what you really end up hearing is the environmental sounds that surround you. This has become Cage’s most famous and controversial composition.

Read the rest of the entry >