Steve Jobs Collage by Charis Tevis for Fortune Magazine

Apple's stock goes in the tank every time someone publishes a rumor that they saw Steve Jobs sneeze at the local Pinkberry. And with Job's unprecedented bow-out of the 2009 Macworld Keynote tomorrow it was bound to happen again; Apple stock dipped 2% on Dec. 30th after Gizmodo published a sensational story quoting an unnnamed source about how "Steve's health is rapidly declining."

So the man himself has stepped in with these words:

Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs
Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve

The oft-celebrated (and just as oft-cursed) British automotive journalist Jeremy Clarkson names the Corvette ZR1 as his automobile of the year. Talk about damning with praise...

And then out of nowhere came the ZR1, which has a supercharged V8 that manages to be both docile and extraordinarily savage all at the same time. I’ve been trying to think of a dog that pulls off a similar trick, but there isn’t one. And anyway, this car is not a dog.
Oh, it’s not built very well. After just three days in my care, the boot lock disintegrated and the keyless go system refused to acknowledge the keys were in the car, but I didn’t mind because there is simply no other car that looks this good, goes this fast – in a straight line and around corners – and that most of the time bumbles about like a forgetful uncle. And when you throw in the price tag of just £106,690 – lots for a Corvette but modest next to a similarly powerful Ferrari – the case for the defence can sit down and put up its feet knowing that the prosecutor simply has nowhere to go.

It is an epic car and I’m only sad that unless the healthcare and pensions company that makes it can be turned around, it will be the last of the breed.

That last comment's going to leave a mark.

Times Online - Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Car of The Year

Illinois Senate Parody Furniture Ad

Leather Creations Furniture - Selling furniture (and chuckles) to a cynical market via a quarter-page ad in the Chicago Tribune on Christmas Day.

In a world full of mass produced identical products, we're always searching for new ways to express ourselves. It is common knowledge that Apple’s online store offers to engrave their products with a short text message. For an even cooler way to mark your turf, check out Engrave! This Portland based company customizes personal electronics in a much more creative way. They use laser engraving and the end result is AH-MAZING. They can even permanently etch in your own designs if you supply them with a vector drawing.

In his latest masterpiece, 808s and Heartbreak, Kanye West turns away from hip hop to make pop music “in an artistic way.” He calls it Pop Art.

"This is not hip-hop music. Taking a sample, looping it and doing all that ‘throw your hands up in the sky’ thing has become such a cliche. Hip-hop is over for me. I sing, not rap, on this album. I now want to be grouped among those musicians you see in those old black-and-white photos - the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles. And I’m not going to get there by doing just another rap album full of samples.

"I’ve had to create a whole new musical genre to describe what I’m doing now and I’m calling it ‘pop-art’ - which is not to be confused with the visual art movement."

Voltage Super Designer, Geoff P, noticed the subtle use of these trendy colors on the album cover art. It appears that each of the eleven tracks is represented by a stripe of color. If you're digging this style, stay tuned for Kanye's fresh new clothing line Pastelle. Loves it!

Function

When you decide you don't like us anymore and need to surf elsewhere. (Noooooo...) There's no need to single, double or triple click in the url bar before you start typing in the web address of your next destination. Just hit "F6" on your keyboard and it's auto-highlighted for you. Go ahead, do it. Do it right now. And then leave. (I knew you would eventually.)

I find this color trend forecast very stimulating. Fashion Industry insiders spotted these sweet hues at Première Vision on creations being unveiled for the Fall 2009 / Winter 2010 season. To stay ahead of the curve, I'm beginning to play and experiment with them now. I really dig the broad selection. Check out the "Spirit of the Season" from Fashion Trendsetter:

Color Trends for 2009

--Seizing on color as a power source to jolt colorful tensions.
--Maintaining equal pressure on liveliness and neutrality and encouraging luminosity.
--Heightening intensity, and circulating energy in a positive, rippling or alternating current.

Spirit of the Season

observing/taking/upsetting
attracting/joking
saturating/rebounding/interpreting to revive a combative confidence and creative boldness
fearlessly experimenting
flaunting fantasy without guilt
being moved by reckless handles
provoking unusual behaviors
running away with heaviness
abandoning consensus
eluding codes/ intersecting references
shuffling aesthetic boundaries
linking technology and an environmental conscience
setting differences ablaze
drawing on fabric and color as generators of energy
strengthening the positive tensions within the fashion whirlwind
thrusting ourselves into the future and radiating with optimism

I absolutely adore these hand-made agenda books, from graphic designer Vikki at Veekee. Inside you’ll find 122 pages with 54 weeks and 13 months hand-drawn out (but undated) so you can start whenever you're ready. Wrapped in vintage silk scarves, each book has silk screened pockets inside as well as the front. Nice heavy paper plus originally illustrated stickers and notepaper too.

All agendas are, very obviously, made with love!

In other news, water is still wet...

Users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer are being urged by experts to switch to a rival until a serious security flaw has been fixed.

The flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer could allow criminals to take control of people's computers and steal their passwords, internet experts say...

..."Microsoft is continuing its investigation of public reports of attacks against a new vulnerability in Internet Explorer," said [Secunia] in a security advisory alert about the flaw.

Microsoft says it has detected attacks against IE 7.0 but said the "underlying vulnerability" was present in all versions of the browser.

Other browsers, such as Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Safari, are not vulnerable to the flaw Microsoft has identified.

Serious security flaw found in IE - BBC

I distinctly remember the great sense of pride instilled by my very first children's book. The moment I closed The Poky Little Puppy, after reading it (all by myself!) from start to finish, I experienced what felt like a life-changing victory.

As a designer, I wonder what kind of impact it would have made if my first children's book was something more like Sparkle and Spin, which was brilliantly illustrated by Paul Rand.

Just imagine... Not only would you learn to read, but it would also expose you to beautiful visuals and typography to inspire creativity and assist in developing your eye for design. Can you believe he created such a modern children's book in 1957? No joke!