Still Spinning Our Wheels

Recently at the L.A. auto show, Ford unveiled the U.S. version of the internationally successful car, the Fiesta. The 2011 Ford Fiesta will be available in coupe and hatchback forms but only in 1 engine option. A weak 1.6 liter 4 cylinder gas engine will be the only option while the rest of the world enjoys their 6 engine options. Show me the diesel! Though you may be mocking the Fiesta for its previous failures, the Fiesta is actually what BP Abu Dhabi world rally team uses and does very well. Swedish driver Kenny Brack used a Fiesta in the X-Games 15 this summer, and beat out more experienced drivers in the popular Impreza and the powerful Lancer Evo. So, though we may be getting somewhere, were not doing it in great speed, style, and were getting bad gas mileage on the way. But, progress is coming.

Blog Culture

Why do we blog? After much thought I have decided that perhaps for me it is a way to fulfill my social interaction needs. Would we blog if well designed social spaces were more abundant in the city? Does any one care what celebrity you were able to sculpt from the lettuce on your burger last week? If you meet someone new at a concert do you feel the need to blog more or less? Are there people who blog every day and never receive a virtual visit from a single reader? Am I more educated now that I've read about all the meaningless garbage you/I found so important today? Why do you blog?

Futsal as a culture

There are dozens of sports in the world that go unnoticed in the U.S. which is a shame really. (I blame vicarious dream living through college football and NFL obsession) Rally racing, Sepaktakraw, Cricket and Futsal are just a few sports that are very popular that we cannot view without very special satellite programming. I am not hating on the U.S. media, I am sure somebody somewhere is whining in a similar way about how they don't have monster trucks. Any way, Futsal is basically indoor soccer on a basketball court with smaller goals and a deadened ball. There is even a World Futsal Cup as well as a UEFA Futsal Cup. Futsal players have a style of their own and typically are soccer fans who are looking for a friendly way to play their favorite sport instead of just spectating it. It is loads of fun, give it a try.

(photo by Mona Hoobehfekr)

Objectified items are art we need.

Gary Hustwit is the creator of the documentary film Helvetica. It is becoming very apparent with his new movie Objectified that he is becoming one of the best video journalist of our time. Objectified permits the viewer to see design from enough different angles to leave you thinking about your own design beliefs in a more educated way than before. If you are the slightest bit conscious of the embodied energy that is in the items you use every day, you will enjoy Objectified. See the trailer here until i can get a copy of my own.

Los Leñateros

In the past five years I have visited the southern area of Mexico on four different trips. The mountainous San Cristobal de las Casas of the state of Chiapas is one of my favorite places. In San Cristobal there is a group of Mayan artisans that run a workshop called Taller Leñateros. The artisans make beautiful block prints and screen printed works of all shapes and sizes. Their books should be considered for global book arts prizes and are examples of historical Mayan literature preservation. They also make the books and prints from the wasted paper products of San Cristobal. I own a copy of the pricey Incantations that is filled with various Mayan literature and block prints for illustrations. you can order products by Taller Leñateros here.

(photo of one of my photos because my hard drive crashed a while back.)

Kickflip Kulture

The kickflip is a skateboard maneuver that has been popularized through various forms of media. Skateboard culture has been on a roller-coaster rise and decline pattern since its spotlighting in the 80's. Since the progression of "sidewalk surfing" of the 60's, a sub-culture of diverse people has managed to survive. Nowadays the skateboard industry has become a billion dollar market with millions of skaters across the globe. Skate culture is so big it now has cultures within itself; alt, hipster, preppy, hesh, fresh, and mashup mixtures of all the styles. One great thing about true skate culture is that its all about skating. Every one is generally on the same team. Despite the existence of the skateboard culture there has been a lack of places to purchase skateboards, wheels, trucks, and clothes. For a few years there has been no where to buy gear in bountiful, but now there is a shop called Annex. It opened its doors on black Friday and I hope it will be here for the skate culture of years to come.

We made a website in class, and this was mine

file:///Volumes/cpack/Sites/PackCslcslotcar/index.html