Crave

Try running to catch a train in these babies.

(Credit: Yatzer)

Were designer Andreia Chaves' mirrored shoes to meet the Mirrored Rubik's Cube, you'd have yourself a look with a capital L. The "Invisible Shoes" are low-cut boots covered in asymmetrical mirrors that reflect the wearer's surroundings and create a different optical effect with every step. Right now, they're just concept footwear, and in the unlikely event they ever make it to market, we're figuring they'll be limited to the likes of Lady Gaga.

Chaves, a Brazilian designer, views shoes as part art, part math. Currently studying form, texture, and visual effects in Florence, Italy, she created a number of wild designs from unusual materials, including the Invisible Shoe and the intricate and dramatic "Prism Shoe," which casts dancing shadows on the ground. Again, probably not something you'll ever see the average commuter wearing, but a striking study in creativity nonetheless.

The Prism Shoe is part origami, part footwear.

(Credit: Ian Murphy, via Yatzer)

(Via Yatzer)

(Credit: Targus)

For today's giveaway, we have the Targus Crave laptop bag. (The "Crave" moniker is just a happy coincidence--it's not related to this blog in any way.) The model in question is the TSB158US laptop backpack, which can accommodate laptops with wide screens up to 16 inches in size. The bag also sports a water-resistant cover and bottom, as well as double foam padding along the laptop compartment for maximum protection.

So, how do you try to win this Targus Crave laptop bag? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Targus Crave TSB158US laptop backpack. Approximate retail value is $50.00.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, December 9, at 6:59 a.m. EST.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 6:59am ET on December 9, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

My GQ pose would be more convincing if I was wearing a watch.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

I've been told more than once that skills learned from video games don't really translate to the real world. To those who have told me this, I can only say: neener-neener-neener.

More and more companies are offering customers the choice to customize the products they buy. Vans, among others, allows you to create your own shoes. Heck, I've even seen a build-your-own-toy-lightsaber kit that I really wanted to buy for my son.

But this is a new wrinkle to me.

(Pause for inevitable laughter.)

The folks at ShirtsMyWay have set up a process in which for about $75 and a few minutes of your day, you can design your own men's dress shirt. Why is this thrilling, exactly? I'll tell you why. Have you ever noticed that roughly 99 percent (anecdotal research on my part) of all clothing stores are devoted to women's apparel?

Seriously, if you're a guy, you've got like maybe four colors and two styles of dress shirt to choose from. I'm not quite the average male, I suppose, but I know I would be more inclined to wear a dress shirt without the threat of death if I got to have some say about what my shirt looked like.

This is where those video game skills come in handy. The process goes roughly like this: you go to the ShirtsMyWay site, and you choose from 25 different fabrics. That's just the first part. Via the site's very user-friendly interface, you will then decide on just about every aspect of your shirt's creation.

It reminded me a lot of playing The Sims. ... Read more

Osaka, Japan-based Eager Co. is developing recyclable cardboard robots to work as mannequins that show off clothing in retail display spaces.

Eager showed off the female D+ropop mannequins at the recent 2009 International Robot Exhibition (iRex) here in Tokyo. They're billed as the world's most environmentally friendly robots because they're made of corrugated cardboard.

The mannequin bots only have a few servomotors but can still move their arms and heads gracefully. Each weighs about 13 pounds and is nearly 6 feet tall. They can also be painted and printed with logos for other advertising purposes.

The dummy bots will go on sale this month in Japan, priced at $5,400 and up. They can be rented for about $1,800 per week.

Eager envisions them being used in storefronts, and at events and other venues to attract attention. The company apparently aims to capture 1 percent of the global retail mannequin market, not easy for an obscure start-up in this economy.

But who knows? If Old Navy can cause a stir with its SuperModelquin mannequins, there's hope for the D+ropop gals.

(Credit: yellowgoat/Etsy)

Here's another fashion accessory to complement your Polaroid-related peripherals collection. This sterling silver Good Time Ring from crafts site Etsy has a slot at the side that allows you to slip your favorite picture into the wearable frame to show off. The creator, Etsy member "yellowgoat," says the ring was inspired by Polaroid photos.

The ring's face measures 1.1 inch by less than an inch, and accommodates prints of only about three-quarters of an inch by three-quarters of an inch. Yes, that is small, but it's definitely a unique piece of jewelry that every Polaroid-devoted shutterbug should have in addition to the candle, paperweight, and mirror. Unfortunately, the ring currently appears to be sold out.

(Source: Crave Asia via Gearfuse)

(Credit: Daily Relish)

Most camera bags these days can hardly be called a fashion statement. Many look drab, though Crumpler has a couple that sport psychedelic colors. Still, at the end of the day, all these bags shout, "I'm a camera bag!"

A photographer/blogger on Daily Relish saw the need for a more fashionable alternative, and worked on a line of bags for female photographers who want both style and function. According to her, it took two years of research, including trials, before she came up with the final design.

Looking more like handbags that woman would tote along when they head out for shopping, these bags have Velcro-removable compartments so our female shutterbugs can arrange the compartments to fit their equipment.

There's just one catch. The bags aren't in production yet. But you can sign up to be on the mailing list to be notified once these stylish carriers roll off the production line.

(Source: Crave Asia)

You may not know it, but deep within the ivory towers of hospitals a debate is raging over the future of the doctor's necktie. One company has turned the debate into an opportunity with a tie whose stain-resistant coating actually thwarts microbes.

Safety Ties come in various patterns, including this brick red/maroon style with silver/gray stripes.

(Credit: SafetySmart)

Much evidence has emerged in recent years that doctors wearing ties might actually cause as much harm to patients as doctors who don't wash their hands. In one 2004 study of 42 doctors and medical staffers at the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, almost 50 percent of the neckties were host to bacteria that can cause pneumonia, blood infections, and more.

I'm no squirmy person, but that's just gross.

In 2006, the British Medical Association suggested that medical personnel no longer wear "functionless" items such as neckties that carry "superbugs."

And this summer, the American Medical Association considered Resolution 720, which pushed for a dress code that addresses the issue of neckties, long sleeves, and other clothing items and accessories "implicated in the spread of infections in hospitals." Implicated! This has gotten serious, folks. (A committee wants more evidence before bringing the resolution to a vote.)

But because many doctors are publicly pushing for the preservation of the necktie, which is the cred equivalent of gold grills for rappers like Flava Flav, April Strider of SafeSmart in Florida has put her money on a compromise: the high-tech, antimicrobial tie.

Is the doctor's necktie making you sick?

(Credit: alacoolk/Flickr)

Strider tells the Wall Street Journal that the coating "repels bacterial contamination." She even designed the ties with a graphic print of the H1N1 influenza strand, among other "doctor themes," a lovely twist of irony as she manages to put germs on her germ-free ties. Strider's already got a major client in Wilson Memorial Hospital, near Dayton, Ohio, where some docs are wearing polo shirts but others prefer to stick with ties.

A big "oh well" to all the (probably younger) doctors hoping to do away with the necktie altogether. Hey, you could always try Portland, land of the laid-back workplace. Of course, then you'd have to grow a beard, which is a bit like farming your own colony of happy bacteria. At least that H1N1 tie is currently on sale, marked down from $44.95 to $29.95.

(Credit: PetaPixel)

I already own a couple of camera/photography-related tees, and I have to say they are some of my favorite wear. But looking at the roundup of such clothing put together by PetaPixel makes me want to hit the links and get even more.

My favorite of the 21 shirts in the collection has to be the above "oh, crop" design, which takes a leaf out of Adobe Photoshop's crop tool. The camera display panel shirt looks pretty awesome, too, and I'm still trying to figure out which dSLR display it copies. Of course, there are plenty of T-shirts on the market now that have a camera hanging around the neck, but that's so passe.

(Credit: PetaPixel)

(Credit: PetaPixel)

(Source: Crave Asia via PDNPulse)