For all you drivers out there, stay aware. For all you cyclists, brake free ;o)
Archive for the ‘stuff we like’ Category
Get creative, start daydreaming
September 7, 2008
Every time we slip effortlessly into a daydream, a distinct pattern of brain areas is activated, which is known as the default network. Studies show that this network is most engaged when people are performing tasks that require little conscious attention, such as routine driving on the motorway, reading a tedious book or listening to someone really boring. Although such mental trances are often seen as a sign of lethargy — we are staring haplessly into space — the cortex is actually very active during this default state, as numerous brain regions interact. Instead of responding to the outside world, the brain starts to contemplate its internal landscape. This is when new and creative connections are made between seemingly unrelated ideas. So get creative, start daydreaming….
Yellow elephants in underpants
August 25, 2008
Chinatsu Ban’s beautifully crafted work features elephants and human figures floating against Japanese washi paper backgrounds or in front of candy-colored stripes. Rendered delicately and with a childlike touch, Ban’s endearing characters are frequently shown wearing underpants.
Asked why she chooses elephants and underwear, the answer lies in the comfort they provide:
“It’s scary to imagine that someday I won’t exist in this world anymore. I am troubled by the urge to run away from this fear. Elephants and underwear make me feel safe”.
Brilliant!
The Book of Surfing
August 24, 2008
Surfing is one of those sports infused with a mysterious aura. A cult sport. One with defined traditions and cultural connotations. Michael Fordham’s The Book of Surfing puts all that into perspective. With sections on the roll of surfing in film and art, surfing legends, cultural constructions and generally riding a board, it’s a pretty complete effort. Those of you who haven’t been on the waves, but fell for Riding Giants (or if you’re older Endless Summer) will surely get great pleasure from the books pages.
MASH SF
August 24, 2008
The emerging subculture of urban riders has been documented by Mike Martin, best known for his fine art and his commercial photography for clients including Nice Collective, Adidas, and Nike, and Gabe Morford, a highly respected skate-boarding photographer. Modeled after skate and surf videos, MASH SF takes a look at the style of fixed gear riding in San Francisco, providing a glimpse in to the skills and culture of these SF riders.
Nike dunk creator
August 22, 2008
Head on over to the NSW website and check out the new Kicks Creator function that uses a Dunk High for the template… You get the chance to really show off your skills, it’s like iD on steroids! Then you get to post them in a gallery and battle other designers…
Once you’re in the NSW site you’ll also find a bunch of other neat content as well.
YAKKAY
August 15, 2008
Every once in a while someone takes something mundane, sprinkles a little magic dust, and shazzam! creates something very cool.
YAKKAY have done just that with thier range of bicycle helmets with a difference. . . .
Alex Messenger photography
July 29, 2008
I came across the website of Alex Messenger today. I’ve climb with Alex from time-to-time, and have always known he’s leading the way in the art of climbing photography, but had never taken the time to look at Alex’s website. His site contains some stunning photography from the recent Climbing Works International final. The images capture perfectly the haunting solitude a climber experiences when pushing themselves to their limits. Keep up the good work Alex.
Old Man Of Hoy – BASE 1st Descent
July 25, 2008
Roger Holmes, Gus Hutchinson-Brown and Tim Emmett made the first recorded BASE jump descent of The Old Man Hoy at 9.00pm, May 14th, 2008. This film of their adventure, dedicated to Gus Hutchinson-Brown who sadly died in a BASE jumping accident in Austria after this film was made.
You can read an account of their adventure by Tim Emmett at the Planet Fear website
New Lundy climbing guidebook
July 23, 2008
Paul Harrison’s new guidebook to Lundy is now in print. It has been fourteen years since the last guidebook to the island was published, and for many of the island’s devotees it has been a long wait for this second edition. However, the new guidebook is great. Its high production quality , coupled with the fact it contains almost double the information as the last one has made all the waiting worthwhile.
Lundy is no ordinary climbing area. It is one of the best places on earth for sea cliff adventures. Fittingly, Paul Harrison, assisted by Simon Cardy and Neil Dickson, have created a guidebook like no other. Harrison has spent more time climbing on Lundy over the past two decades than anyone, and his encyclopaedic knowledge of the island’s cliffs. His knowledge gives this book a clarity and consistency that few other comprehensive guidebooks have achieved. Cardy’s superb maps and photodiagrams are an invaluable new resource for Lundy climbers too. Many of the photos that illustrate them have been taken from the sea, giving an overview of the most complex areas (such as the Old Light cliffs) that will save newcomers to the island getting lost in waist-high bracken in search of the classics. Cardy had also re-drawn the maps from the 1994 guide at a larger scale and in colour, and these will further assist Lundy first-timers. Neil Dickson, the man responsible for Lundy’s first and only E9, has compiled an excellent and engaging Chronology that replaces the traditional essay-based history section. The entire book is illustrated throughout with outstanding images by a variety of photographers. In short, Lundy , 2008 is a modern day climbing guide classic. This guidebook defines a new standard for Climbers’ Guides.
