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--> The Metapoll. Take it.
Things That Look Like Other Things.
Counterfunctionality (A Gallery).
MLK BLVD: Open-source photography project: Contribute to the Flickr pool; browse the blog.
"Where Were You?" Annual.
Titans of Finance: True Tales of Money & Business
. With Josh Neufeld. Now available for the iPad! Go here.
That’s right, it only has one hand. Courtesy of Coolhunting: “German watchmaker Klaus Botta’s design makes seconds and minutes irrelevant; with the Uno, be on time-ish.”
Earlier low-utility watches here, here, here, here, and here.
The Consumed Facebook Page. I started this in connection with my NYT Magazine column, and intend to maintain it until further notice. 
Imagining implausible uses for unpopular places. A project in collaboration with Ellen Susan and G.K. Darby.
Great creative writers invent stories about thrift-store objects. A project in collaboration with Joshua Glenn.
Letters From New Orleans, by Rob Walker. 
Foreward to Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits
Introduction to Ad Nauseam: A Survivor's Guide to American Consumer Culture
Essay for OBEY: Supply & Demand - The Art of Shepard Fairey - 20th Anniversary Edition
Consumed column about Obama as muse is included in Obama: The Historic Journey.
A piece I wrote way back when for Slate is included in Sponsorship: The Fine Art Of Corporate Sponsorship/the Corporate Sponsorship Of Fine Art
Gary Hustwit's industrial design documentary Objectified.
Anne Elizabeth Moore's book, Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing, and the Erosion of Integrity.
Kaya Oakes' book, Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture
Elizabeth Currid's book, The Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art, and Music Drive New York City
Kim Fellner's book Wrestling with Starbucks: Conscience, Capital, Cappuccino
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Reader Comments
If I’m not mistaken, Moss (http://www.mossonline.com/) used to sell a gold-plated plastic watch. That is, it was a crappy watch covered in gold, completely obscuring any function. But it told time in an invisible, on-the-inside kind of way. They don’t seem to have it for sale any more though.
It reminds me of the gold-plated McDonalds “coke-spoon” that caused a bit of a lawsuit type of ruckus awhile back.
speaking of great watches:
http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2007/09/the_mr_jones_ac.php
Aaron — I like the sound of that Moss watch. I googled and googled but came up empty. But yes, it’s right up my alley.
Orli, thanks for the link — although, strictly speaking, I wouldn’t say that I was speaking of “great” watches. I was speaking of useless ones.