Disneyland: What will you celebrate?

Its been awhile. But lets come back on something happy... Its summer. its hot! well atleast around these parts! and ive been wanting to go to disneyland.... now im a total cornball when it comes to this kinda stuff but damn... if you dont find this moving in anyway ... i would call you heartless...

enjoy!

I WANT GOEZ TO DIZNEYLANDS! whos with me!

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Another Ozzy clip? Samsung Alias 2 X OZZY OZBOURNE

Well everyone knows we like new gadgets... And well every now and then some voodoo... Thanks to Stacy Stace for this cool little clip of Samsung's cool new Alias 2 cell phone. And to those wondering.. yes we read every single email we do get!



what you want more?
ehh..

check out SAMSUNG DOT COMZ


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The Making of Lance Armstrong X OBEY X TREK Madone for Giro D'Italia

Shepard Fairey’s Trek Madone being created for Lance Armstrong’s run in the 2009 Giro d’Italia by Trek artist Shane Siedschlag.

Lance’s artist bike series is curated by Jamie O’Shea/Supertouch (supertouchart.com) in an effort to raise awareness for the upcoming “Stages” art show to benefit the Livestrong Foundation that kicks off on July 16th during the Tour de France 2009.

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Official White House Flickr: A Behind The Scenes Look @ OBAMA

The Official White House Photostream's photostream

This Photostream provides an amazing look behind the scenes of President Barack Obama during his tenure of Presidency. Amazing what this photographer can catch with just 1 shot moments, no lighting, and no setup. Alot of these images are very powerful, and i think due to the improvisation of every photo it brings it that much more to life.

I can really appreciate all that Obama and his staff are doing to find new media outlets to spread the message. Its very effective in involving the people around America and giving us these type of insights on how our administration works. This type of marketing takes some of the edge off what was once known as the all powering Government.

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MASH SF haz Vimeo Page On Cycling Vidz

THE REVIVAL from morehartfilms on Vimeo.

.

our favorite renegade cycling bunch set up a video page to share all videos fixie/track related.. check them out.... lots of great ones on there..

http://vimeo.com/channels/mash




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Bay Area GET DOWN! What's Jerkin?

Well.. Another dance craze to report on. Now a few of us from the ¢ollective were in the bay area last weekend for SF BEERFEST, which was totally awesome btw. (Big ups to Agent Adrian for the organization of such a large crew from Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, all over CA.)

So here we were, a few of us in the Westfield Shopping Centre SF / Powell Bart Station Mall. and i was headed out of Bloomingdales with a good friend of mine on the way to check out Clarks or something, and i see a bunch of hypebeast/skater kids straight up just dancing in the mall...

I didnt think anything of it and thought it was just some random crazy stuff. But then i passed these two filipino kids on the escalator (they looked young) and i heard them talking about these other kids (the ones i saw earlier dancing in front of the Banana Republic. And as soon as we stepped off the escalator, he proceeded to attempt his dance moves, which was similar.

It was at that moment i was like WTF is going on... When it all hit me like a MACK truck... THEY WERE JERKIN...



Now here in LA my friends and I have this little inside joke about this song JERKIN by new boyz... One of the good homies would always bump this hard, and now in my car i bump this hard... My favorite Jerkin vid is still with the little kid in the playground on the kiddie slide, thats always funny!

So to all those SF kids i saw in the mall getting down... Go ahead! and get ya JERKIN on!

This is how we get down JERKIN in C-ARSON. South Bay Edition!

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Im On A Bike! - Lonely Island?

well many of you know about im on a boat feat. tpain and lonely island .....

but since most of us here on the collective dont own a boat.. .we really cant relate... but we sure as heck can relate to riding a bike!!!!



gotta love white people doing they thang!!!! here is another classic white rapper!!!
this one is for you mike..











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Lindsay Lohan X eHarmony X FunnyOrDie.com

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile from Lindsay Lohan

my future ex baby momma... god i love you lindsay lohan.....

and yes to those know my type... lindsay lohan would be perfect for me.... gotta love her!

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Leica M8 X Lumix DMC-G1 X Ricoh GR2 ?

(LEICA M8 WHITE EDITION msrp: $8 or 9k)

well once again chatting it up with a good friend.. i got drawn in...
wanting more shit i just dont need but really really want.... actually i guess i could use it especially since i use a digital camera every day... however these are less or worker cameras.. and more of bling bling type cameras... and semi-unnecessary

ok...so what do these cameras all have in common??? well they are all digital cameras yea.... that is pretty obvious....other than that....well basically they are all cameras that i just want... why?? welll because they have the awesome ness.. they have the style... they have the name... they have the tech (ok maybe not the best tech but damn good enough)

*edit and to all the leica haters ... please leave the comments of leicas being over priced lumix's/panaonics (btw i added a lumix i also badly want)

ok so back to the cameras...well currently here are two very limited LEICA M8 DIGITALS... im not gonna bore you with specs..because there is tons of info on the LEICA M8... but just appreciate the awesomeness of these cameras.... the top is the special WHITE edt... and the bottom is the LEICA M8 SAFARI edition


(LEICA M8 SAFARI EDITION msrp: $10k)



i am currently a user of a canon rebel xsi ...AND NO... THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.... but its not a LEICA

nope... works great.. lots of lenses... great price.. yadda yadda yadda.....

well then... whats my problem??? well knowing that these other cameras exist.... and me not having any extra money to have them in my grubby little hands!!!!

now in addition to the leica m8.. i also lust for these other cameras listed below...



RICOH GR 2 DIGITAL
why ??? well the ever so popular mini do it all compact semi slr digital camera.... when i was last in japan the RICOH GR digital was everywhere!

and for very good reason... its sleek its sexy... it fits in you pocket.. and its expandable... you can get some great attachements and have some digital SLR power in a mini micro form....

very famous camera seen with the likes of DESIGN GURU HIROSHI FUJIWARA


PANASONIC / LUMIX DMC-G1
why??? ok well micro four thirds thats why... a new standard .. trying to unite cameras digital slrs and new compact cameras.... it seems like a good idea and hopefully it gets implemented... it currently is also compatible with other four thirds system lenses....

micro four thirds is just the newest system to try and unify this crazy camera world in finding a common standard... and i think its a great step in terms of innovation.. however photography is one of those hobbies with some serious retro grouches!!! who hate progress and think.. that if it aint broke.... then dont fix it!!!

the lumix dmc-g1 comes in great colors... and is technically the smallest full functioning slr on the market especially since this camera is without a mirror box... its truly a digital camera... which allows the body to be slightly smaller than a regular digital slr.... but its not really that much smaller...


OLYMPUS MICRO FOUR THIRDS
why??? because micro four thirds... and the way it was meant to be... this camera is the size of a normal pocket point and shoot..

but promising the features of changeable lenses and accessories and etc.. making your once small digital point and shooter a great contender for some serious photography power!!!

this is the ultimate baby.. and i cant wait.. these pictures are quite old so we should be seeing something soon from these guys... but lets just wait and see... if this stuff comes out.. im for sure switching over to micro four thirds... its pretty much what i wanted out of the RICOH GR 2 DIGITAL... but with more support and expandability....



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Claremont 56 X OKI-Ni X Independent Music Label

Claremont 56 is an independent label dedicated to releasing beautiful music that has been lovingly crafted and genuinely felt. The music is released in limited edition format and is collected around the world. Oki-Ni is the premiere fashion boutique from London Uk... what happens when you mix the two?

you get some good music! check it out here...





Claremont 56 has a really interesting blog going which can be seen here

the music mixes are also very nice to listen to while im working on the computer, having in the background, and just enjoying some great relaxing time.. those mixes are free to download on their blog...

i personally havnt had the chance to puchase any of their records, esp after having a talk with agent mike in regards to starting up a record collection....

but i just figure im just way to behind... and just even thinking about the money investment its gonna take to start a audiophile record set up and collection is just making me that more hesitant....

but if i had the time and scratch .... you best believe id have some claremont 56 in my collection! but if you are like me and downloading the mixes is all you have time for.. then do so!!! toss on a pair of great headphones!!! and ur ears will thank you!!!
happy listenings!




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Adult Swim April Fool's 2009... Damn you got me

ok... so i guess last night i wasnt the only one confused when the clock struck 12am.... every year i get april fooled like a chump... and last year it was to 2 very good friends who tricked me into thinking one of my homegirls was preggoz... (damn you els and tes!)

and this year??? well ADULT SWIM... lets just say you REALLY caught me off guard....

so..... as i do every night before i sleep.. i switch the channel over to adult swim for some great late night entertainment.... however this time i was on my computer and typing away as the clock turned midnight and then something happened to my precious late night cartoons!


and apparently i wasnt the only one confused as hell!


SO WHAT HAPPENEND? well at about 12 or so im not quite sure.. adult swim changed their normal programming to showing some cheezy ass cheap terrible bad acting cult classic soft core porno.. entitled: "THE ROOM" and let me tell you i had no idea what the heck was going on! i never even heard of this movie before.. and its bad... real bad!!!

i mean you guys did not know what you were missing.. i was confused so bad that i was flipping between the two adult swim channels (east coast and west coast) thinking that my cable company messed up and showed some time... however after about 10 mins of watching this film i knew it was a joke from adult swim....

there was terrible dub overs during the sex scenes...

horrible placements of censorship when the sex scenes were happening...

and just the terrible acting all along had me laughing for a good 5 to 10 minutes.... and honestly i was pissed that someone already got me... on april fools... at 12am on the dot.... damn you ADULT SWIM!!!!!

and kudos... because i was seriously pissed i didnt get to see family guy, or morel orel, or robot chicken...


now off to the rest of my 2009 april fools....


ADULT SWIM WEBFORUM: THE ROOM!!!
SOME CONFUSED ASS GAMERS @ G4
PEOPLE CONFUSED OVER AT WORLD OF WAR CRAFT


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SHAMPWN3D? Vince of Sham WOW caught punchin hookers?

Damnit! say it aint so Vince !!! say it aint soo!!!!! ok... so according to the smoking gun.... my seriously favorite tv infomercial spokes man Vince of Sham Wow, was caught punchin hookers in the face... after this chick straight tried to kiss him and bit onto his tounge and wouldnt let go!!!

i mean damn Vince really? you had to punch her in the face?

well according to the cops they said that they immediately can tell that they were both quite intoxicated and then found about $900ish in the hookers purse.

now it looks like ill have to keeep a close watch on BILLY MAYS ... especially with the release of his gangsta remix .... BILLY MAYS BREAKIN YA BACK BITCH!






"ok you seriously didnt think id post about vince and not post his commercial as well ????





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Big Mac! Fillet O Fish! Quarter Pounder! Apple Pie....

This is what happens when you are a superstar and act a fool..... i guess people in paris dont know who pharrell is?



git em skateboard p!



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Another One Bites The Dust! Active Ride Shop Bankrupt

Tough times... Bad economy... unpredictable stock markets.... crazy real estate markets.... etc.... just another one bites the dust! Active Ride Shop has filed for a CH 11 bankruptcy. Which actually means its not all that bad for them... just some good ol protection and reorganization of the company...


About Active:

Established in 1989, Active Ride Shop maintains its position among the top retailers and mail order businesses in the action sports industry. Awarded Surf Industry (SIMA) Men’s Retailer of the Year (2008), #1 Specialty Retailer by the Future Trade, #36 on DNR’s “top 50 most influential menswear retailers.” Active has locations throughout Southern California and delivers catalogs to action sports enthusiasts nationwide. Active Ride Shop sponsors the most elite skateboarders and snowboarders in the world, and is proud of its offering of the finest brands an hottest trends in the industry. For more information about Active Ride Shop, visit www.activerideshop.com.


basically its SO CAL'S premier HYPEBEAST super store!


read on!


Active has closed eight stores during the past few weeks, bringing its current store count to 21. The stores that have closed are in San Diego (downtown, Las Americas and Chula Vista), Mission Viejo, Lake Elsinore, Westwood, Irvine (Alton Parkway), and Simi Valley. Three more stores are on "the bubble" and will stay open if the company is able to renegotiate leases with landlords, Active co-owner Shane Wallace told me in an interview.

ACTIVE CEO Shane said many of the stores that closed did not have time to mature before the economic crisis hit and were "sucking cash from the company." He also said Active opened some new stores too near to older stores and that cluster strategy did not work.

Other new stores, such as Santa Monica, are doing well. "We found we do great as a destination, not as a cluster," he said.

Shane said that he hopes the bankruptcy filing, while painful, will allow the company, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, to begin the healing process and return to being a strong company with 21 stores instead of 29.

now for months i knew this was going to happen... but damn i didnt think that it was ACTUALLY gonna happen!!! ... 1st sign that i knew it was a wrap for ACTIVE was talking with a Burton rep asking why Burton wasnt being carried for the 08/09 season... just a quick simple answer...

ACTIVE doesnt pay their bills!

pretty much they built faster than they can earn... large pretty stores.... fully stocked... awesome locations.... but just not enough income to offset all those huge bills!!!


word on the street is that ACTIVE owes BURTON like over 2 million alone in unpaid bills.... so what they do? come in.. kick down the door... and take back their shit...Interestingly, only BURTON is on the list of secured creditors...Secured creditors get payment priority in a bankruptcy.

werd up BURTON.. handle biz.... i hope other clothing lines aren't seriously affected by the fall of ACTIVE... here is a list of who owes what

Annual Revenues
3/31/07: $58.9 million
3/31/08: $61.8 million
3/31/09: $59.9 million (projected)

Annual net income (loss)
3/31/07: $368,356
3/31/08: ($2 million)
3/31/09: ($7.7 million) projected





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REMEMBER THIS!? Smiles & Southstar VS JaRule and Ashanti

for some reason i cant stop playing these two songs.... i dont know if i hate both equally or it bugs me that both used the exact same sample and were released at about the same time....




if anyone knows where smilez and southstar are.. please have them holler at me.. haha..... i miss yall two...

ok not really...





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Mercedes x Brabus G-Wagon GV12 Bi-Turbo

Damn its time for a new car! If Darth Vader had a kick ass car in los angeles... it probably would be this one.... or maybe even this one... (darth vader stuntin?)

anyways this car pwns too hard...and its pretty much agreed that darth vader is such a pimp that he'd be rolling pretty hard like on some hollywood stuntin... what recession im rich.... get outta my way cuz u bout to get hit kinda pimpin......

i have a soft spot in my heart for kick ass SUVs and the G wagon is my ultimate ... so when one of my favorite aftermarket tuners (BRABUS) announced this car... i nearly fell out of my seat....



World Debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2009: The World’s Most Powerful Off-Roader – BRABUS G V12 S Biturbo with 700 hp (690 bhp) / 515 kW and 1,320 Nm (973 lb-ft)

BRABUS G V12 S Biturbo: The world’s most powerful off-roader comes from BRABUS (www.brabus.com). It is built by hand based on the latest Mercedes G-Class. The exclusive five-door is powered by a BRABUS SV12 S displacement engine. Like all special models of BRABUS – recognized by the German Vehicle Registration Agency as a vehicle manufacturer – the BRABUS G V12 S Biturbo comes with a comprehensive luxury package. The ultra-powerful 4x4 starts at 379,000 Euros.

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10 Design Rules of Dieter Rams: What the hell are some of yall thinkin!

(hmm... is IMITATION really the sincerest form of flattery???)

10 Design Rules of Dieter Rams from Braun in the 60's:

• Good design is innovative.
• Good design makes a product useful.
• Good design is aesthetic.
• Good design helps us to understand a product.
• Good design is unobtrusive.
• Good design is honest.
• Good design is durable.
• Good design is consequent to the last detail.
• Good design is concerned with the environment.
• Good design is as little design as possible.

now what kinda self proclaimed "pretentious-cool-guy trendy-hip-new-innovative-design-tech-pop-music-political-social-super-blog" would we be if we didnt pay some type of tribute or homage to one of the great industrial designers of this century ..DIETER RAMS.... and his basic rules of design that every "so-called/wannabe-photoshop-fashion-intrawebz-design-nut" out there should memorized wait...no... scratch that.... they should have it tattooed on their foreheads! so that every it will always be on their mind!! and shall never forget!!!

now to truly join the elite ranks of those "blogs/websites" truly in the "kNOW" consider this blog entry as our official ... "We have arrived! Sorry we're late!"

more after the jump....



Ok i have a confession to make. I originally had this post geared toward a "design snob hater-ish" type point of view... But as i finished a few rough draft lines and constantly erased and re-written many sentences, phrases, lines, paragraphs etc..

i finally stopped and said to myself... this isnt the way i want this entry to go down...

and instead of just being the usual pretentious "I'm better than you and you suck" kinda blog entry... i want this post to be more of a tribute to great design and just a simple reminder to people that Dieter Rams had it right.... he broke it down very easily for anyone to understand...(KISS) and I believe that great design can come from anywhere and anyone....



I guess id go as far to say that i have a true design fetish... where my daily life is consumed with the obsession of deciphering and understanding what really makes a 'great design' a 'great design'. and only wish that one day the things i design have a spot in this great universe... and wether im at work or at home... i find myself looking at all the great ones who did it before me, sit back and think.. how the hell did they do that? and then look around me... and ask.... what the hell are some yall thinkin??!??


(enjoy some of dieter rams most awesomest things)

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Damn... Finally? The New Simpsons Show Intro?

Wow... after 19 years? SRSLY? ok... im a cartoon nut.. every night i watch adult swim and the simpsons... its just how i roll.. and fall asleep actually.... Now im watching the new SIMPSONS episode (and if you lost count we are on season 20 episode 431 "How the Test was Won" currently on right now..

and its actually pretty good.
Now will i go as far as saying that the SIMPSONS are back? well.. ill just say that its alot better than i thought it would be... and i think that alone is pretty good for something that is 20 seasons and 400+ episodes in....



Im pretty sure for the rest of my life ill watch cartoons.... which may be good or bad.. who knows... haha..
its pretty trippy to see the simpsons in a whole new light, especially for a retro grouch like myself...

if it aint broke ... dont fix it....

but some may argue that the simpsons was "broke" and well deserving of some fixin". overall im very happy that they decided to go with new graphics, drawings, stories, and intro.... hell even as im writing this... the simpsons have announced some great fortune...

media outlets report that "The Simpsons," television's most famous animated dysfunctional family, is poised to become the United States' longest running prime-time show, US media said Friday.

After more than 450 episodes, the program's creators have been asked Fox, the studio behind the show, to do two more series of antics from Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Maggie, the Hollywood Reporter said.

That would make the series the longest running prime-time program, ahead of the western "Gunsmoke" which ran between 1955 and 1975, it said.

The yellow-tinged cartoon family debuted in 1990 and has long since surpassed "The Flintstones" as the longest running animated series.

Although many other programs have been running for longer, they are largely news and current affairs programs, or shows that air outside prime-time.

Fox said actors responsible for the characters' instantly recognizable voices have agreed to stay on for two more years.
The next series is to begin in September, with at least one more to follow in 2010.

In 2007 a feature film documented the family's exploits to great box office success.





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True Audiophiles make their own cables! Mogami x Cardas x Calrad wire

Ok... well maybe not... but as a true audiophile freak and hobbyist i thought hell why not learn how to solder and stuff like that so here is my first attempt at making my own audiophile quality wires for my new GRADO headphones..

now why make your own cables?
1) because Radio Shack sucks!
2) because true audiophile quality cables can be very expensive
3) well DIY is so "chic" right now... :P
4) DIY SUPPORTS AMERICA!
5) its fun to do and have that satisfaction that you made your own cables
6) well why the hell not...

parts used

MOGAMI w2528 wire
CALRAD stereo 3.5 plug
CALRAD mono 3.5 plug
CARDAS QUAD EUTECTIC SOLDER ( this stuff is seriously amazing... low melting point, easy easy easy to work with.... i wish i just had an unltd supply of this stuff)

way more info on diy audio stuff after the jump!



Now there are tons of great resources here on the web to get you started on little DIY projects like this... youtube has great videos , such as other websites like head-fi.... and personal websites/blogs such as mike from DIY MIKE...

assistance in my whole process was provided by the intrawebz very own DIY MIKE... thank you again mike for your awesome site and SUPER AMAZING personal help!


after a few more practice wires and or combinations of wires (such as pure copper stranded vampire wires or silver plated copper wires) i think my next project will be an amplifier at some point. a Millet "starving student" amp ? or even a PPA 2 amp?

now if i could just read schematics id be golden!

HERE IS A PIC OF A COMPLETED MILLET "STARVING STUDENT" HYBRID AMP... aka... millet mini amp.... or budget millet amp.....




HERE IS A POPULATED PPA 2 AMP BOARD.....



HERE ARE SOME MORE PICS OF MY COMPLETED CABLE












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RIDE REVIEWZ: Collective Co @ AMGEN Tour of California 2009

two of us from the collective co. and some friends went out to support lance armstrong on his return to pro cycling and the tour of california... check it out...



yes this was my first attempt at video editing and recording... not bad from an iphone and standard mac software right?

camera: apple iphone 3g
recording software: cycorder
editing computer: apple macbook 2.4 core 2 duo
editing software: imovie / ilife 09 / itunes




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