Joey Roth Rethinks the Moka Pot →

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Joey Roth and Blue Bottle Collaborate to create the mokapot

Joey Roth first came onto my radar in 2010 when I was really into tea. Kevin Rose sat down to talk with Joey about his beautifully minimal tea kettle, the Sorapot. While I really wanted one I didn't succumb to my desire primarily due to the $300 price tag. Since the Sorapot, Joey has designed and released letterpress prints, self-watering planters, lust worthy ceramic speakers, and version 2 of the Sorapot. I've followed Joey's career as he continually brings a fresh perspective on existing products and marries form and function at a level comparable to Jony Ive's design aptitude. Earlier this week Joey unveiled his newest creation and it's all about crafting the perfect cup of coffee directly on the stove. Joey has been working for nearly two years to refine the design and improve the functionality of the moka pot in a way that only he can. He's partnered with California based Blue Bottle Coffee as the exclusive distributor for the moka pot. I look forward to reviewing this new take on making a great cup of coffee when my moka pot arrives in the next week or two.

Simple Desktopia

Earlier today I shared my new iPhone lockscreen online and was asked where it came from.

My Iron Man iPhone Lockscreen

I realized I've kept my favorite desktop/wallpaper site to myself. I think it stemmed from a "first rule of fight club" mentality. I've used Simple Desktops for years and it's absolutely my favorite website for finding fresh, minimal desktop (and mobile) desktops. Today I noticed that they have Mac, iPhone and Android apps.

Mobile

While the iPhone app is $1.99, it is so much better than sifting through other wallpaper apps for the iPhone and the content is incredible. Yes, you can use the website without a problem on your iPhone but the app allows multiple selections to be selected and downloaded all at once. I instantly bought it and would recommend the same if you're looking for a great wallpaper app for your iPhone. I don't currently have an Android device to test with but if it's anything like the iPhone app I'm sure I'd recommend it.

Mac

The Mac version is a little harder to justify at $3.99. This is, of course, unless you like your desktop to change in the background on a schedule with new desktops from the site. You can also flip through the desktops available with a keyboard shortcut which cuts out needing to visit the site and download the desktops you want. I think the app could improve it's worth if Simple Desktops offered online accounts that let you create collections and use the app to limit the scheduled changing of backgrounds to those collections. I could easily see this being really useful for different computers. I'm not sure I'd want this background showing up when I plugged into a projector for a presentation at work; especially if our scholars were a part of the meeting. Customizing the use of scheduled desktop changes would be great with just a little more control.

Conclusion

It may seem weird to pay anything towards a desktop/wallpaper website this is one that I'm happy to do so for. After all, you have to pay for services that you want to have a prolonged existence.