Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Pole Camera


1987 Upland Pipeline Combi Pool- I had always wanted to shoot a skate photo with a pole cam. I think I got the idea from a photo a surf photog had shot. I mounted my Nikon FM2 with a 16mm fisheye on a tripod head and mounted that on a mono-pod and hooked up a squeeze bulb shutter release with the hose coiled around the pole. I shot a roll of black and white and a roll of color, one shot on each came out nicely.
I really wanted to get our two shadows in the photo as a reference to show how far above coping Chris Miller’s frontside air was and to show that I was using a pole cam. I think our shadows in the upper right of the photo tells the whole story, I will stop now.

Numerical Tuesdays; 1 + 10 + 1 + 9 + 5 + 23 = CHAMPIONS!

Ryan Villopoto, James Stewart and Tim Ferry (and the Man, Roger Decoster) take the championship at the annual Motocross of Nations in the UK. Photo poached from Giberson's VitalMX. Check it out for all the details on the race.

His camera is bigger than your camera

punched




punched

RIP Ian Hibell - the original adventure cyclist



gotta say that it is pretty f'd up that a guy who can essentially tour all over the world, for 40 years, more or less continuously, gets waxed by a car. predictable? maybe. acceptable? never.

obit. from the economist.

Monday, September 29, 2008

The umbrella says it all....


At Grumpy's DT, late, really late.

Shoes-R-Coffins


Shoes-R-Coff........er, I mean, Cars-R-Coffins.

Bike Snob NYC On The (shhh, whisper it) BL Issue

"This of course raises the question, "When does a bicycle lane's life begin?" If you believe it begins the moment the outline is hastily spraypainted on the pavement, as the conservatives do, then this Saab is already guilty of bike lane obstruction. However, if you hold the more liberal view that a bike lane is not a bike lane until the lines are solid and there are little pictures of bicycles in between them, then I suppose the driver has nothing to worry about."

Read the rest at Bike Snob NYC.

McCain Bails on Letterman



You probably already saw this last week... Awesome Dave.

Michael McDonald Spoke to Me today...through his music

Hey! Have you peeped the web series "Yacht Rock" yet? No? Well, everybody in my small world has been giving me shit for not watching every low-budge, high impact episode. So today I decided to check it out...something good/problem happened.

I'm writing this post from a wifi connection at a Bruegger's Bagels in West Omaha. Why am I here? I don't know - the coffee is horrible and the bagels are... well... they're freakin' Bagels - you'd have to be a neophyte of mankind to jack up a Bagel too bad.

Anywho, I decided to watch the 1st episode of "Yacht Rock" a minute ago - the series that delves deeply into the stories behind the smooth groove music popularized in the late eighties by such glorious musicians as Loggins & Messina, Hall & Oats, Michael McDonald and many, many more.

The 1st episode tells the story behind Michael McDonald's impetus for his masterpiece "What a Fool Believes." The minute I peeled my eyes from the episode my brain nearly exploded due to the fact that "What a Fool Believes" began to play on the Bruegger's Bagel Sound System. No joke.

It all makes sense now.

Paul Newman 1925 - 2008

The Story Breaks


Photographer James Nachtwey is "breaking a big story on October 3rd." I have no clue what this story might be, but you can bet the photos will be amazing and they will likely deal with a serious social subject matter. The images will be on show across all continents, including Antarctica, on LED screens. Find a location near you here. The images and story will be online on the 3rd as well.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

tri-pod! teaser 2

Full length Tri-Pod! video coming in a couple weeks!
Tri-Pod! teaser 2 from SPONTAZY on Vimeo.

Cross Vegas on Cyclofile

Cyclofile has their Cross Vegas coverage up and running.


CrossVegas Cyclo-Cross 2008 from sam smith on Vimeo.

spontazy sundays!


Goodbye material world! from SPONTAZY on Vimeo.

Friday, September 26, 2008

C'mon, just swing on down and drink a hearty totty...

Then purchase a photo that will make your mother cry with a passion you've never experienced.

Curveball!

Play this game for a while and post your score in the comments.

Flint Michigan's guide to underwear stickin' out

For all you guys too cool to pull up your pants, if you go to Flint Michigan, you could get a citation for having your undies hangin' out. Here's your infraction guide.

mmmmm, warm bread

Understanding Engineers - Take One

Two engineering students were walking across a university campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"
The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday, minding my own business, when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike, threw it to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."
The second engineer nodded approvingly and said, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit you anyway."

Understanding Engineers - Take Two

To the optimist, the glass is half full.
To the pessimist, the glass is half empty.
To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Understanding Engineers - Take Three

A priest, a doctor, and an engineer were waiting one morning for a particularly slow group of golfers.
The engineer fumed, "What's with those blokes? We must have been waiting for fif teen minutes!"
The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such inept golf!"
The priest said, "Here comes the greens keeper. Let's have a word with him." He said, "Hello, George! what's wrong with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?"
The greens keeper replied, "Oh, yes. That's a group of blind fire fighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime."
The group fell silent for a moment.
The priest said, "That's so sad. I think I will say a special prayer for them tonight."
The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my ophthalmologist colleague and see if there's anything he can do for them."
The engineer said, "Why can't they play at night?"

Understanding Engineers - Take Four

What is the difference between mechanical engineers and civil engineers?
Mechanical engineers build weapons and civil engineers build targets.

Understanding Engineers - Take Five

The graduate with a science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an engineering degree asks, "How does it work?"
The graduate with an accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with an arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"

Understanding Engineers - Take Six

An engineer was crossing a road one day, when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess."He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket.
The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week." The engineer took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket.
The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a Princess, I'll stay with you for one week and do ANYTHING you want." Again, the engineer took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket.
Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, and that I'll stay with you for one week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?"
The engineer said, "Look, I'm an engineer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog, now that's cool."

RADISKULL & DEVIL DOLL

these guys rock the house.

Another Name For Friday — XTC

If you could buy just one bike in 2009...


... what would it be?

Great Lakes Surfing


greatlakesurfing.com

Thursday, September 25, 2008

dance

That Giant Sucking Sound!

Up yer boit!

"His brisket is beyond."

Sarah Silverman on getting your Jewish grandparents to vote for Obama.

See more Sarah Silverman videos at Funny or Die

Gettin' the word out ...


Got this photo from last fall in this month's Dirt Rag. Campfires and margaritas?

Ukulele Shaft

laugh it up.

y'all heard the full Showalter album? oh, good, i figured you had! well for that one person who hasn't, here is a video clip of one of the tracks from the album, its pretty good.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Cycloflie Is U.S. Cyclocross

Cyclofile did an amazing job following a bunch of the elite American cyclocrossers through their season in 2007, and it looks like they're primed and ready to do the same in 2008.
Check out last weekend's Washington races below and get ready for weekly updates. Cool shit.


2008 Star Crossed/Rad Racing GP Cyclo-Cross from sam smith on Vimeo.

WiiWiiWiiWiiWiiWiiWiiWiiWiiWii
WiiWii
WiiWiiWiiWiiWii
WiiWii
WiiWiiWiiWiiWiiWiiWii

Wii

Listen to some Music?

furniture made from skateboards



Some fancy ones

My bad



During The Good Life Gravel Adventure I came across a lost rider from Kansas City. He had flagged down a car driving by to ask for directions. That's when I realized I had made a mistake on the cue sheet. 58th should have been 56th. Damn it!

After apologizing and getting that rider back on track I knew I had to wait for the rest of the riders to let them know where to turn. Unfortunately, the last few riders were probably an hour or so back and I was out of water. Six helmets full of large rocks later I had a solution.

The rest of the riders made the turn correctly, but didn't see the arrow. WTF. The damn thing was seven feet long!

Hump Day Funk — The O'Jays

who's your daddy?

The all mighty dollar, of course.

"Federal Reserve Board: As the nation's central bank, the Federal Reserve derives its authority from the U.S. Congress. It is considered an independent central bank because its decisions do not have to be ratified by the President or anyone else in the executive or legislative branch of government, it does not receive funding appropriated by Congress, and the terms of the members of the Board of Governors span multiple presidential and congressional terms."

From factcheck.org

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

through the viewfinder

you, too, can paint over your retirement


p.s. see you this weekend, Nebraska.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Search Engine Rap Battle

Google vs. Yahoo y'all!

Good Riddance to Summer

I hate the summer. Good Riddance to it and thank goodness for Autumn starting today. Get out there and enjoy the nice weather. It doesn't last long.

I'd rather be on my bike than Interbike...

A sticker in the top secret test lair at QBP.

If you're at the show, look me up in the Surly booth. You can buy me a drink.

fistful of yen

Editing these clips....Without a doubt, a very long/hard process

Sunday, September 21, 2008

spontazy t-shirt pack!

Photobucket

spontazy sundays!

A man, a board, a camera, a tri-pod! I'm making a little skate vid of myself thats all self shot. Here's a teaser.
Tri-Pod! teaser from SPONTAZY on Vimeo.

My Mistake

Earlier this week we said that skaters were running the world.
Strike that.
Greed is running the world. Skaters are just providing the commentary.


Head nod to tha tap.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Friday, September 19, 2008

plastic dominoes are cool. Dominoes pizza is meh...

Photos from Monolith Festival


I shot Monolith Festival last weekend at Red Rocks. I captured 1200+ images of 27 bands on five stages in two days. I was pleasantly surprised by a few bands, and came away from the festival with some new favorites. Highlights for me were Band of Horses (THE set of the weekend for me!), Silversun Pickups, Avett Brothers, The Kills, The Whigs, Vampire Weekend, Atmosphere, Del the Funky Homosapien.

Here's a few photo journals. More coming soon...
Silversun Pickups
Vampire Weekend
Atmosphere
Del the Funky Homosapien
The Whigs
The Photo Atlas

Photo: Brian Aubert - Silversun Pickups - Sept 13, 2008 - Monolith Festival - Photo by Mitch Kline - www.mitchkline.com

R.I.P. Jimi

Jimi passed away on this day in 1970.

yeaarrrrrrr, to much rum mate

2.5 hour layover in Phoenix,
kinda bored...

Lebron James loses in H.O.R.S.E. against warehouse worker

Shiver Me Timbers

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Mash X Lance

Lance Armstrong with the Mash SF crew. View the video on the Mash site. Via: Supertouch.

Julien Valee

Sorry I'm late to the party today everybody, I was too busy checking out Julien Valée's work.

This one's my fave. (Quicktime warning)

Internet Gets a Vocabulary...

HOLY SHIT!

"This celebrity chef scam is workin' out pretty good."


"If somebody walks outta hut or house or whatever and offers you the only chicken they have for their family for the whole week and you say that you cannot eat it because you don't eat meat, why don't you just say, 'Go fuck your mother.'"

Paraphrasing Anthony Bourdain last night at Kimball hall.
Congrats Matt and Karen. Happy 14th.
Congrats Butch and Katie. You guys hold it down in the most gangsterish manner.

The Crosso's Back

Nope, this is not -KW's bike... I got my own Chili Con Crosso built, just in time for the Good Life Gravel Adventure this weekend. It's the same one I raced last season, but it's been torn down and sitting as a frameset since the end of 'cross season last year. To say it's good to have it back is an understatement too. I can't believe how light and responsive the CCC is! Amazing.

After ripping the derailleur hanger clean off his own bike on the Tuesday night ride (courtesy of a big stick in his rear derailleur), Fob's gonna' race my Salsa La Cruz in the GLGA, so both of my 'cross bikes will be out on the road Saturday. Pretty cool...

Hope to see lots of you out on two wheels this weekend -- it's going to be a beautiful one!

Vegetable of the Day: Butternut Squash




Black Bean and Butternut Squash Tacos with Sweet Port Wine Salsa

1 can black beans (rinsed/drained)
1 butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 soft corn tortillas
Port Wine Salsa (see recipe below)
Cilantro sprigs for serving
3 Serrano chiles, seeds removed if desired, diced
Crema, creme fraiche or sour cream for serving

Warm the black beans separately over low heat. Cut the butternut squash in half crosswise at the narrowest point. Cut each half in half again lengthwise. Peel each section with a vegetable peeler or a flexible sharp knife. Use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds and strings. Cut into 1/2- inch dice. Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add olive oil. When it smokes, add squash cubes and toss well. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper. Saute over high heat, tossing frequently, until browned outside and tender but not mushy inside, about 10 minutes.
To serve, heat tortillas quickly one by one in a very hot dry skillet, about 10 seconds per side. Assemble tacos by spooning in black beans, topping with sauteed squash, salsa, cilantro sprigs, diced Serranos, and cream. Roll up and serve 2 per person.

Port Wine Salsa
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup port wine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 medium white/red onion diced or 10 medium shallots, peeled and diced

Combine the vinegar, wine, brown sugar, black pepper, mustard, chile flakes, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the shallots/onion and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes or until thickened.

all i listened to in 1994 (for good reason)

Boris The Sprinkler (She Digs My) New Wave Records

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

such clever racism

Time to watch the bullshit spew from the mouths of some seriously ignorant grown men.

she is perfect/funny

Hump Day Funk — Curtis Mayfield

work


man, i sure do love me some home improvement projects.

carved out an area in the garage. hooked up a shit radio. working on a cabinet for the kitchen. 24deep x 40wide x 60tall.

Dave in America

My Euro friends like to make fun of all the fat Americans, so they sent these shots of Dave before and after his trip to the USA.

Awesome

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Spontazy! shirts

Got some shirts in today, hit me up if would like to get one!Photobucket

Numerical Tuesdays... 1 x 24 = perfect


THIS is an accomplishment; 24, 35 minute + 2 lap motos on some of the roughest dirt terrain in the US, totally dominated by James Stewart. He won every single moto to collect the MX Outdoor Championship two full races before the season even ended. WON every single moto. Check this interview on Steve Giberson's VitalMX site. Here's another thing over at the NY Times. Don't count on this record being tied for a looooong time.

(Props need to go out to Ricky Carmichael, who was the first to acquire a perfect season in 2002.)

through the viewfinder

get yer 'cross on

speaking of local 'cross pictures ....


this is scanned image of yours truly at the 1994 (i think) nebraska state "cyclocross" championships (held in april, of course!!). team kaos hosted this event to satisfy our uscf club requirements. i think only one person had a 'cross bike and it might have been borrowed from rokke. i'm pretty sure we had the barriers set beyond the uci maximum. like 30 inches or something crazy.

if memory serves correct, schlake got first, mod got second, and i got third. maybe 20 riders showed up across all categories. wow things have changed - and for the better that is for sure!

except for that jersey. i still have it and still wear it.

duality of humanity



Shepard Fairey had an opening the other night for a new batch of work.

I took some pictures.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Spud Gun

When I was about 13 or 14 my dad and I made a spud gun like this one. We had some good times building the thing and shooting fruit and vegetables across the lake. Does this make me sound like a redneck?

and the capital of nebraska is lincoln!


And here they are a couple of nights later in Denver taken by photo extraordinaire Mitch Kline.

VW

Here is what we saw last weekend in Lawrence, KS. What an amazing band.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Usavich

I know it's not Thursday yet....

Wed. Night 7:30 pm Anthony Bourdain, Kimball Hall. Just found out on Sat. tickets still available.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Huckabee likes fried squirrel

The Stuborn Negotiator

This is in China. Apparently the owner of this building 'knew' someone in higher government. You can imagine the rest.

I'm gonna shoot'm in the tootles

five albums

Five albums in my ears this week.

The Dirtbombs - We Have You Surrounded






Mike Ness - Under the Influences






The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound






Young Widows - Old Wounds






Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies

Nice Young Tender Squirrel Melts

It's kind of cute, I'll put his little tender butt in the pot.
-Sarah Palin would approve.

Mitch Hedburg

Another Name For Friday — Joe Jackson

not to be meant in bad taste

think about it...

Thursday, September 11, 2008

a new use for reminders


EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

key chain digi

I picked up a key chain size digital camera yesterday. So far it's taken some trippy photos.
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