01. Carl Froch in the ring (Above)

“The man they call “The Cobra” is preparing to bite back. Two-time Super-Middleweight Champion Carl Froch is fighting the formidable Andre Ward on Sunday morning at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and GQ.com contributor Luke Monaghan was granted unprecedented access to the Nottingham born fighter as he prepared to enter the ring. Whoever triumphs will take the Ring, WBA, and WBC super middleweight titles. Unsurprisingly come midnight, we’ll be in Froch’s corner…” (GQ)

02. Graphic Design in Boystown U.K.

“When did the UK graphic design scene become so gender biased? Was it a gradual thing? How did we miss this? Which leads onto my next question… Why are male graphic designers so damn competitive about every little thing? Where are the designers that value harmony, balance and level-headedness. The ones that don’t need to be constantly self promoting because they don’t shout about everything they do, they just do it… and it works. I’m guessing they’re still around. They’re just being shouted down by the current ‘boyworld’ of obnoxious geek designers, happier running work down than celebrating anything of any real significance.” (Linefeed)

03. Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011: In Memoriam

“Christopher Hitchens was a wit, a charmer, and a troublemaker, and to those who knew him well, he was a gift from, dare I say it, God. He died today at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, after a punishing battle with esophageal cancer, the same disease that killed his father.” (Vanity Fair)

04. Loro Piana: Quarona factory visit

“My favourite room at the Loro Piana facilities was the first one they took us too: a vast warehouse, 50 metres or so high and stretching perhaps a hundred off into the distance. We stood on a metal viewing gallery about halfway up, watching a mechanised robot scoot along and up to coordinates that had been punched in by a researcher outside. He came back with a small plastic crate full of cones of cashmere yarn. The warehouse contains over 250,000 kilos of the stuff.” (Permanent Style)

01. Hazelnut Macarons with Nutella (Pictured)

Some more delicacies we’d love to try. You’re free to send any leftovers our way, Emily. (What Emily Ate)

02. Wiley shoots for Christmas number one

“The infamously prolific Wiley will close one of his most prolific years yet with a Christmas song.

Titled ‘Cheer Up, It’s Christmas’, it’s about appreciating what you have at Christmas rather than envying what you don’t. In the grime godfather’s own words, “in the black community – I suppose it’s any poverty-driven community – we can either love [Christmas] and accept what’s going on, or we envy our friends at school and we wish we had everything.” (Fact)

03. The Top 50 Albums of 2011

Prepare to get righteously angry about something that doesn’t matter in any way, Pitchfork have released the first half of their top 50 list. (Pitchfork)

04. Froch: ‘I’m not scared of taking a hit’

“Carl Froch will be able to legitimately call himself the world’s No. 1 super middleweight should he emerge victorious Saturday night at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., in the heady conclusion of Showtime’s Super Six super middleweight tournament (9 p.m. ET/PT).

Having previously dispatched Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson in Super Six battles, Froch, 34, will face fellow world champion and favored Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KOs) in the final. Froch (28-1, 20 KOs) recently set aside a few minutes to catch up with ESPN.com and warn anyone considering him an underdog to do so at their own peril.” (ESPN)

01. 3DD Deluxe 3-D Book

“After the big success of their first book, Henry Hargreaves is back and presents the 3DD: A 3-D Celebration of Breasts – real breasts in even better 3D. ‘The compendium of un-augmented pairs comes complete with retro viewing specs to enjoy page after page of topless women. Hargreaves bumps up the quality in this edition with a new two-camera rig and better software that makes for a more life-like final product.” We can certainly see the benefits of 3D for these types of books and are sure many will agree.’ ” (highsnob)

02. The Year In NSFW Music Videos

“About this time last year, we ran an overview of some of the more interesting music videos of 2010, videos that would never have been shown on MTV, but nevertheless represented some fascinating and innovative filmmaking. At the time, we noted that “now that we get so much of our entertainment online, and MTV barely airs music videos anymore, the rules have changed.” (flavorwire)

03. 30 Freakiest Ads of 2011

“You’ve watched the 10 Best Commercials of 2011. Now, it’s time to slip into something less comfortable—the 30 Freakiest Ads of 2011. There’s a wide variety this year—from the gross to the creepy, the goofy to the terrifying. We’ve got celebrity actors (Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kristen Schaal, Kate Moss) and celebrity directors (David Lynch, Darren Aronofksy).” (brandweek)

01. Ann Greene Kelly, New York (Pictured)

Backyard Bill’s back with another shoot. A bit shorter than usual, but still great. (Backyard Bill)

02. Sartoria Vergallo: A visit to Varese

“There are a few provincial bespoke tailors in the UK, but not many. Italy has more, though again far fewer than there used to be. The advantage of a provincial tailor is normally a quiet preservation of tradition; and price.” (Permanent Style)

03. Hot Button: A challenge for Jones?

“It’s time to face facts. After Saturday night’s neckchopping of Lyoto Machida, it’s clear that Jon Jones’ level of offense is unprecedented in mixed martial arts, outside of Anderson Silva’s otherworldly assault weapons. Machida had some intriguing successes in the first round, but once Jones flipped the switch in the second stanza, it was Machida’s body collapsing like a demolished building.” (ESPN)

04. 20 Years On: Public Enemy’s Apocalypse 91 The Enemy Strikes Black Revisited

“When the greatness of Public Enemy is discussed – which is often, for the band were, and indeed still are, one of the most consistently inventive, provocative and excellent outfits of the recorded-music-as-business era – the focus inevitably falls on their second and third albums. It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back routinely turns up near the top of the all-time lists assembled by people who care about ensuring their opinions are thought sage; Fear of a Black Planet, its follow-up, is actually its better, though its sonics had been well enough trailed and it perhaps therefore lacked the element of surprise. Yet the band’s fourth LP is almost always overlooked.” (The Quietus)

01. You Say You Want a Devolution?

“For most of the last century, America’s cultural landscape—its fashion, art, music, design, entertainment—changed dramatically every 20 years or so. But these days, even as technological and scientific leaps have continued to revolutionize life, popular style has been stuck on repeat, consuming the past instead of creating the new.” (vanityfair)

02. Art-School Ads Brilliantly Parody Anti-Drug PSAs

“If art is your drug of choice, you’ll appreciate these wonderful print ads from Team Detroit for that city’s College for Creative Studies. Each parodies the kind of overwrought, family-in-crisis anti-drug PSAs that we’re all so familiar with. The spoofs work so well, of course, because many parents do see art as an unhealthy choice, an addiction liable to lead their offspring to nothing but starvation and despair. The tagline is: “Talk to your kids about art school.” Shame there isn’t one that reads, “I learned it by watching you, OK?!” A bunch more after the jump. ” (adweek)

03. Madaus: Fart

Here’s a nice print campaign from Madaus, a medicine helping people with their ‘gas’ problems. (creativecriminals)

04. An Apple Gift for the Holidays: Free Beatles (Book) on iTunes

More than a year after the Beatles came to iTunes, Apple’s digital store remains the only place you can legally download the band’s music. And now, if you want some Beatles but don’t want to pay for it, Apple can help you there, too: The company is giving away a free Beatles e-book. “Yellow Submarine” is just what it sounds like — an illustrated version of the band’s 1968 movie, which is both trippy and kid-friendly (so British!). The book was first published in 2004, but the new version features interactive goodies like song samples and bits from the animated movie. (allthingsd)

01. Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay (Pictured)

“Product designers Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay launched their studio Raw Edges in 2007. After having studied together at London’s Royal College of Art and working collaboratively on a design project in China, Yael and Shay knew it was about time to start their own thing. The Israeli couple have a very unique approach on design –utilitarian but at the same time playful and outstandingly creative. When you look at the duo’s exceptional furniture, you can tell how much imagination and ingenious talent emerges from the fusion of Yael and Shay’s minds.” (Freunde Von Freunden)

02. Combat Jack on Loon, Pt. 1

(Note from us: This isn’t new, but it’s still very interesting). “It’s not supposed to be like this, you know. As I’m watching the Al Jazeera clips this weekend with Amir Junaid Muhadith wax poetic, beard, kufi and robes in place, I’m thinking how much of an actual superstar he really is, is supposed to be. Chauncey Hawkins that is, the man I know as Loon. Out of almost everyone I represented in the music industry, Loon was probably the most natural, the most likely to succeed, as they say. The only thing making sense is that he is actually on national television. Not that converting to Islam is anything out of the ordinary for rap artists. Just the whole thing playing out like a scene from a bad movie. Then I start playing the movie back from the beginning.” (Daily Mathematics)

03. The artist now known as Prince remembers glyph fondly

“Prince is set to bring his royal badness to Canada this week for this most in-depth tour of Canada since 2002.

The Welcome 2 Canada trek, a continuation of a North American tour which began nearly one year ago, finds the seven-time Grammy Award winner at his peak in terms of performance. His concerts regularly run close to three hours, with no shortage of notable moments from his band, the New Power Generation.” (Vancouver Sun)

04. UFC 140: Jones vs Machida

“”UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida” is an upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event, scheduled to be held Dec. 10, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The main event is the light heavyweight championship match between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida.” (ESPN)

01. Shiny Squirrel Pop Up to Ppen in Boston at Stel’s – December 10th

“I am opening my 3rd location for one month at Stel’s on Newbury St in Boston with local blogger, N’East Style. We have some old favorites and new designers including Forestbound, Corter, Ursa Major, and vintage home goods from Buckshot Sonny’s which is the brainchild of All Plaid out & Joe Gannon.” 334 Newbury St. Boston (stelsboston> shineysquirrel)

02. Garrard x Bombay Sapphire Limited Edition Bottle

“In this holiday season, legendary Bombay Sapphire gin has joined forces with the oldest house of jewelry in the world to reveal a royal gift sold in limited edition. Bombay Sapphire Gin celebrates its 250th anniversary with a dazzling jewel signed Garrard: a prestigious bottle of crystal cabochon royal for a legendary gin, unique and subtle.” (viacomit)

03. Apple Submits Revised Plans and Renderings for Apple’s New Campus

“As noted by iPhoneinCanada, Apple has submitted revised plans for their so-called “Spaceship” campus proposal. The massive new campus is expected to provide Apple with approximately 2.8 million square feet for up to 13,000 employees. Steve Jobs personally presented the original plans to the City of Cupertino in June. ” (macrumors)

04. Behringer iNuke Boom

10,000 watts. $30,000! “Yeah, we know. Another day, another iPod Dock. But unlike the one sitting in your bedroom, the 8-foot by 4-foot Behringer iNuke Boom ($30,000) probably won’t fit on your nightstand. Then again, it won’t win any awards for classy product names either. Inside the 700 pound stereo beast, the iNuke has been endowed with 10,000 watts — no, it’s not April 1st — of ear-dissolving power. Behringer, who you may know from their lineup of sturdy pro-audio gear, will have the iNuke Boom on display at CES 2012, just in case you didn’t think it was real. Let’s just hope they kick it off with Regulate.” (gearpatrol)

01. The Story Boot Project by Manitobah Mukluks

“Launched as an initiative to help Aboriginal communities achieve self-sufficiency, Manitobah Mukluks introduced the “STORYBOOT Project” , a collection of mukluks and moccasins designed in partnership with Aboriginal designers from across Canada.” (above)

02. Report: Lana Del Rey Live in New York

“However uncomfortable she was, she seemed genuinely excited about her debut record, Born to Die. Backed by a full band, she played six unreleased songs from the album, narrating her feelings about each. Gleefully presenting an uptempo new song titled ‘Summertime Sadness’, she explained that it’s one of her favorites on the album. When it was finished, she told the crowd, ‘I know you don’t care. [But] you’re going to fucking like it on the record.’ ” (pitchfork)

03. Humidifiers

“This collection of ceramic humidifiers, produced by Italian company Il Coccio, is a tribute to the historic piece, designed by Achille Castiglioni in 1998. Eight different designers, including such celebrities as Giulio Iacchetti, Patricia Urquiola, Denis Santachiara, Alberto Meda and others, contributed to the project. All pieces follow Castiglioni’s minimalist aesthetic and explore the idea of using the existing radiator as a base. The objects sit on, hang from, or wedge behind it, creating an interesting dynamic between two elements.” (minimalissimo)

04. Matt Singer Lighter Covers

“Matt Singer’s single-stitched leather lighter covers turn the ubiquitous Bic fire-starter into an item worth holding onto. The former Jack Spade creative director peddles the small sleeves from his eponymous online shop, but the playful Qbert and giraffe patterns gracing his latest designs were created exclusively for the Tumblr-based retailers Of A Kind and sell as a set for $40.” (coolhunting)

01. Official: Jeep shows Wrangler Nautic concepts in Paris

“For those with a love of the ocean and a heady wind at the sails, there’s the White Jeep Wrangler by Style & Design. Said to be inspired by sailboats, the White is highlighted in chrome, which covers the 20-inch chrome wheels, seven-slat grille, door handles and trunk hinges. The interior is swathed in Navy White leather with wooden-deck-style coverings for the floors, dash, console, doors and gearlever.” (autoblog)

02. Nissan Leaf to get inductive charging, lose its stem in 2013

“Nissan has big plans for the still-budding Leaf. The Japanese automaker lit up its impressive Leaf-powered Smart House at the Tokyo Motor Show last week, but also demoed its wireless charging solution for a much smaller crowd at the company’s Oppama factory. The device uses electromagnetic induction to transfer power between a charging pad and a receiver on the bottom of the car, with an efficiency level between 80 and 90 percent — simply park your EV directly above the system to begin charging, and monitor progress on the ground transmission unit’s control panel.” (engadget)

03. Audi Social Media Spokesman Criticized for Tweeting Behind the Wheel

“An image of a spokesperson affiliated with the auto industry resting an iPad on his steering wheel while driving has created a stir online as automakers ramp up efforts to bring greater awareness to the dangers of using technology on the road.” (mashable)

04. Volkswagen Unveils Its Plug-in Hybrid AWD Cross Coupe Concept at the Tokyo Auto Show

“Volkswagen has just revealed its new plug-in hybrid AWD Cross Coupe Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, and it displays the direction the company will be heading in its design for future vehicles. We love the raked angles that flow back to the unique taillights, but the really impressive design is under the hood, where VW has packed two electric motors paired with a direct-injected, turbocharged engine and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.” (inhabitant)

01. Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Show in Chicago – this weekend

“The 6th Annual Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market in Chicago will be held December 3 + 4, 2011, from 11am – 6pm, at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse! Always free-to-attend and featuring over 150 of today’s best makers of handmade goods, our cozy holiday shopping spectacular will also feature hands-on crafting activities and food from some of our favorite local eateries! Warm wintertime libations will also be available!” (rcf)

02. Brooklyn Night Bazaar – December 15-17

“Opening night kicks off with a DJ set by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) for the DFA opening night party. Venerated music blog BrooklynVegan curates our second night of music, and Brooklyn’s finest, The Hold Steady, headlines our finale bash on December 17. The Bazaar’s performance venue will be ticketed while the market will be free to the public.” (bkbazaar)

03. Buddha Machine iPad App

Awesome! “The Buddha Machine is a palm-sized plastic box that plays meditative music loops composed by Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian.” (itunes)

04. Chemical Brothers Release Live Film

“‘Don’t Think’ was directed by the duo’s long-term friend and visual collaborator Adam Smith, and is a 20-camera recording of the duo’s performance at Japan’s Fujirock festival. As well as just filming the stage, it features offstage cameras following crowdmembers around for that authentic, smokey, chemical-soaked festival experience – all from the comfort of your cinema seat.” (thequietus)