Is your office less like a workplace and more like a battlefield? Head into the day prepared with the Bolt Action Tactical Pen ($50). Built from anodized milled aluminum, it features a bolt action mechanism that opens and closes the pen tip, an integrated clip, and a flat head in case all the goofing around becomes an actual, "I need to stab someone in the eye" battle.
No matter the size of your team or office, you can up the looks — and functionality — of your workspace with Turnstone Bivi Office Furniture ($TBA). This modular system includes a variety of desks, benches, shelves, cubbies, and storage — including board racks — that are ready to expand and adapt to any and every office need.
We're big fans of Hitchcock here at Uncrate, but even we were surprised by the level of detail found in these Montblanc Alfred Hitchcock Pens ($TBA). Created to celebrate the work of the legendary director, the pens are limited to just 3000 and 80 examples, and feature details like textured lacquer in the cap and barrel that recalls the stairway scene from Vertigo, a knife-shaped clip in a nod to Psycho, Hitchcock's iconic self-portrait sketch on the tip, and 53 hatch marks on the cone in honor of every film he directed. [via]
Are all the various Field Notes and Moleskine options simply not cutting it for you? Then perhaps you should roll-your-own notebook from the options offered by Bound Custom Journals ($10-$50). Available in 48-page softcover or 140-page linen- or vegan leather-covered versions, each one allows you to pick and choose from a variety of page styles, including blank, lined, or grid pages, maps, logs, calendars, contacts, checklists, music listings, storyboards, wireframes, clothing outlines, games, or recipes. What is included — and in what order — is up to you. [Scouted by Brad]
Not to be outdone by the stunning body and performance Cadillac is known for, prepare to revel in the luxury features you’ll find behind the doors of the all-new Cadillac ATS. From the sharp, sophisticated cut-and-sew look, to the available heated seats and steering wheel designed for colder days, to the concert hall quality of the Bose® Premium Audio System, to the available bolstered performance seats (equipped with thigh extenders for added comfort and support), spending hours in the car will be a delight, not a drag.
Further personalize the sumptuous, handcrafted interior to your liking and smart sense of style. Choose from a palette of rich colors—like Light Platinum or Morello Red—for the premium French-stitched leather seating surfaces, complimented by authentic, top-of-the-line wood, aluminum or carbon fiber trim. From exhilarating driving dynamics to modern design that challenges the status quo, the all-new Cadillac ATS is as eye-catching as it is breathtaking.
Learn more about the All-New Cadillac ATS here.
Pull double-duty on your next business outing with the Hankie Notebook ($10). This ingenious invention offers up 60 ruled pages of acid-free paper for your writing enjoyment, while the unique design resembles a folded handkerchief, letting the whole thing hide out in plain sight. Available in white, blue, or red, each with a subtle dot pattern. [Scouted by Shannon]
If you think the name refers to notebooks that look like slices of bread and arrive in "loaf" packaging, well, you'd be exactly correct. The 160-page Sliced Bread Notebook ($60/12-pack) arrives in packs of a dozen notebooks, each stacked together to resemble a loaf of sliced bread and individually numbered so that you can use one for each month, keep track of your notes, or simply continue your crazy routine of only touching things with the number eight on them.
Google Maps may have spoiled your appreciation for old-school paper maps, but one look at David Imus' The Essential Geography of the United States of America ($13-$40) is bound to restore your faith. Created by Imus, alone, over the course of two years' worth of seven-day work weeks, this 50" x 35.3" masterpiece features meticulously laid-out typography, chosen to maximize the amount of information displayed while retaining readability, with emphasis on topography. [via]
It doesn't take a scientist to tell you that sitting on your can all day isn't the healthiest of lifestyles, but if your work requires hour after hour of computer time, what else are you to do? Get yourself one of these Steelcase Walkstations ($4,400 and up). Designed specifically for working while you walk, the Walkstation integrates a treadmill — designed specifically to operate quietly at slow speeds — with an ergonomic, adjustable-height desk, keeping you on your feet and away from the doctor's office.
Any former art school student knows the drag of carrying around a box filled with various pencils, pens, and other tools of the trade. With the Travelteq Pencil Holder (€65, roughly $85) you can ditch the box for a stylish roll — assuming you can make due with color pencils. Made by hand using Florentine Vacchetta leather, this unique accessory has slots cut for 19 pencils, and even includes some high-quality colors from Bryunzeel.
If you're anything like us, you'll be doing as much of your holiday shopping as possible online — and that means lots and lots of boxes. To get all of those open with minimal effort and permanent scarring, we suggest the Slice Box Cutter ($20). A 2011 red dot Design Award Winner, the Slice sports a hand-sharpened, retractable, adjustable-length ceramic blade with a rounded tip to safely and quickly cut through tape and cardboard — but hopefully not the contents — while the unique design ensures your hand stays out of the way. [Scouted by Jerry]
Our favorite notebooks just got a little more... fiery. Designed to serve as a companion for the diligent men and women who have kept watch of our forests for 100 years, the Field Notes Fire Spotter Notebook ($10/3-pack) features "Electric Red" construction cover stock, "FIRE SPOTTER" printed by hand on a vintage Miehle vertical press, three included temporary tattoos, and all-new light-gray "dot grid" interior pages, which may be worth the order all by themselves.
Put your million-dollar app idea on paper with these UI Stencil Kits ($27). With versions for the iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, and the web, the kits consist of a stainless steel interface stencil and a pretty great Zebra mechanical pencil. For perfect wireframing, you'll need to pick up a matching device sketch pad ($14).