May 2008
65 posts
“Doesn’t Wayne realize that “featuring Gym Class Heroes” are...”
– Tom Breihan on this year’s Hot 97 Summer Jam lineup
Carter III: finally leaked!
Going through my first listen of Tha Carter III, arguably the most anticipated album of this 2008, my feelings are good. More thorough review later. That old school Kanye production is sprinkled all over this, which I’ve been missing. More thorough review later, gonna let this marinate a little more. Most notable so far: Tie My Hands w/ Robin Thicke produced by Kanye.
Bear Stearns collapse: just like a movie
Part One: Missed Opportunities Part Two: Run On The Bank Part Three: Deal or No Deal?So I just finished reading the three part WSJ piece on the collapse of storied investment bank Bear Stearns. I completely recommend it, a thoroughly entertaining read all around. Some thoughts: Big round of applause to Kate Kelly for telling the story in such a brisk and entertaining way. It might be a bit too...
Clothing prices go to extremes →
The price of clothing reflects the growing wealth gap by either being cheaper than ever or more expensive than ever. Some choice quotes by Bud Konheim, CEO of Nicole Miller “We as a business cannot afford to have a customer take a second look and ask, ‘Do I need this?’ That is the kiss of death. We’re finished, because nobody really needs anything we make as a total industry. As far as bottom...
I can’t wait to read the 3-part expose on the WSJ’s Bear Stearns collapse. It’s like a movie: Wall Street CEOs sweating it out in their $5000 suits yelling at each other.
Zappos Bribes New Employees to Quit
dihard: That’s right, Zappos offers one-week old employees a $1,000 “Quit Now” bonus if they, well, quit. Now. Per this article about 10% of employees take them up on what the company calls “The Offer.” Bill Taylor, co-founder of Fast Company says “Zappos thinks that’s money very well spent, because they’re really trying to build the organization with the creme of the crop…if you’re willing to...
The Cheated-on, Out-of-work Actor: A Running Diary →
“The Legend of Zelda is too complicated when you’re high.” I found this a really great read, especially the self-loathing. The bit about feeling worse because, “part of you actually gets convinced that you deserved it” is quite an ironic truth. Surprise! An actor I could actually feel sorry for.
Stop being racist, Megaupload!
Megaupload is one of the most popular file sharing websites behind zShare and the now classic Rapidshare. It’s not perfect but I use it quite a bit especially as Rapidshare’s bandwidth limitations put a damper on my pirating. Or I should say I used to use it a lot. They don’t let people from Hong Kong download from them! A bullshit message about how ‘too many people...
Reggie: Obama's man-slave →
Man that is an embarrassing picture to run. NY Times, you cold for that one!
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG X.O. - Grind Baby (ft....
“Ginobili came through like a T1 connection Sunday”
– J.A. Adande, you nerd. I already know what Sam immediately thought when he read(s) that: black people know what a T1 connection is?!
I thought Macs aren't supposed to crash
WTF, I thought Macs were supposed to not crash. This is such bullshit, I had a long post with pictures and shit about the new OriginalFake collection and how KAWS has done a great job in creating a great brand that sells as well as respects its customers. AND IT GOT FUCKING LOST. I want to stab Steve Jobs in the eye. That smug faggot bitch.
Hypebeast needs to quit frontin'
If you check Hypebeast on the regular like I do, you’ll recognize that recently they’ve been expanding outside their bread and butter of streetwear. I respect Hypebeast a lot for everything from spearheading a new generation of DIYers to introducing me to a whole new world of fashion and culture. BUT these new music reviews are just not good. I know there is a rapidly upcoming...
1 tag
Lakers x Zoolander
Internet, you never fail to amaze me.
R. Kelly's Shaggy Defense: 'It Wasn't Me!' →
“In her opening statement, prosecutor Shauna Boliker argues that he ‘choreographed, produced, and starred in’ the nearly 27-minute video. Kelly denies the video is his work. Whoever the videographer may be, his style is utilitarian.”
Busta Rhymes ft. Reek Da Villian, Spliff Star, Lil... →
This is batshit bananas good! The energy is off the hook and everybody actually spits something crazy, even (especially!) Lil’ Wayne. Who, if you’ve been following hip-hop, has been too busy swimming in syrup and autotune to actually do what he’s supposed to do: rap.
Fuck Style →
“We have to see design less like art, and more like engineering.” A great article articulating the thoughts I have had for a while, which is: there is way too much self-satisfying bullshit that passes for design and in my particular case, advertising. As much as I love to see a great crazy ad or beautifully designed product, the majority of the time it serves no purpose than as a...
Nike returns home →
Come on, we all knew this was going to happen. Despite all the great work Crispin has done and the long resume of using kooky(!) ideas to sell things, Nike belongs with the one and only Weiden+Kennedy. I can only imagine this will reignite the spark within Weiden to come up with even more brilliant campaigns like ‘The Next Level’.
Season Finale
“Dan is going to go to Dartmouth, and Serena is going to go to U of F, where she belongs.” All in all, a great finale. I don’t know what some people were complaining about. Hearing Blair say, “I’m the crazy bitch around here” to Harriet the Spy Perky tits run in the Van der Woodsen blood, apparently Who are you? I’m Chuck Bass. Who are you? I’m...
D'Antoni's Knicks: Still Going to Suck (at least... →
“D’Antoni is a man of European culture, refined—or as refined as anyone can be while sporting a frightening pornstache.”
Matty Ice rapes Arthur Blank in the butt →
Boston College’s proud son just took the Falcons for $72 million dollars. Sam thought something was wrong about that. I do too.
Thoughts on HK (so far)
I’ve seen more decently cute girls already than I did the entire summer Big Lo was here. Is this his fault? Cute is as far as I’d go, I blame this on the stick-like bodies of HK women. If Korea is pancake face, this is pancake butt. It’s been raining the past couple of days, but that’s alright. At least it’s not hot… yet. Since my family moved homes, I live...
“The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only...”
– Banksy (via simko)
My favorite bit of all the Buffet Europe shopping trip articles I’ve read today.Among the German companies rumored to be on Mr. Buffett’s shopping list is Haribo, which makes chewy candies in the shape of teddy bears. As it happened, there were little packets of Haribo bears at the news conference, though Mr. Buffett said he knew nothing about the company.“I like candy in general,” he said,...
“Either he’s absolutely demonic or stupid or crazy”
– - Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of black popular culture at Duke University, on R. Kelly Dude, how about all of the above? Anyways, from what I gather from reading about the case, it seems like the Pied Piper is gonna get off. (link)
The Next American Frontier →
Slightly too gung-ho, but considering the target audience (college students facing an uncertain job market and extended recession) it is a great piece. ”The most compelling statistic of all? Half of all new college graduates now believe that self-employment is more secure than a full-time job. Today, 80% of the colleges and universities in the U.S. now offer courses on entrepreneurship; 60%...
Hilary: still just a woman in the end →
This NY Times article goes into how far women have to go in American society. For a perfect example why, let me point you back to this chat I had with Sam.
“I mean no disrespect to handbags either, nor to seven-inch stilettos, both of...”
– Howard Jacobson (via alexbalk)
“The leadership is absolutely, totally pissy in Congress - a real conglomerate of...”
– T. Boone Pickens in his recent interview with Fast Company magazine. True to his Texas roots, Pickens is a straight shooter and thus a great interview.
“Now it’s a win-or-go-home situation. A LeBron James team is never...”
– Lebron James
Nike Sportswear Pack →
Nike is headed for a new direction, bringing true sport knowledge and technology to sportswear. The collection is very simple and basic. I was the most impressed by the varsity jacket, which looks a bit similar to the one Visvim released in A/W ‘07.
Blonde Ambition
We all knew Kanye never liked black women anyways, so now that he dumped his fiance, he gets to chase his true dream: 3 blonde white girls at the same time. Excuse the Perez Hilton. By my account, he has tremendous taste in white girls.
Watchjakehurwitz: I really love this new CH original written by Dan and Sam. It’s just so absurd. I think it deserves to be Dugg if you’re not too busy.“Cause it’s so hard growing tits”
Lil' Wayne ft. T-Pain - Got Money (zShare) →
Edit: Re-upped due to a reader request
Not as mind-blowing as you might think, but I still like it OK. Wayne still needs to drop the vocoder though, it’s not a good look.
A Great Moment in Weed Carrier History →
Police spokeswoman Lotta Larsson says William Lewis was taken into custody early Sunday after a performance with Busta Rhymes in Stockholm. She says police found an unidentified substance in his hotel room. Concert organizer O&P Worldwide says a police drug squad had also raided Busta Rhymes’ hotel room but found no drugs.FYI: A Weed Carrier is the guy in an entourage deemed responsible for...
“It moved from poetry to banality, from red to pink, like a coin that has been...”
– Marshall Blonsky, professor at Parsons, on the downfall of the I ♥ NY logo due to the state’s lax copyright enforcement. (via NY Times) What do we learn here? PROTECT YOUR BRAND! It is the hardest thing to build, and even harder to reclaim once it is gone. Maybe New York needs to...
Mentos + Coke: Largest Ever in Belgium →
Outtakes
alexbalk: A couple of weeks ago we did an Q&A with the great composer John Williams in advance of the new Indiana Jones movie. It turned out really well, but having looked at the analytics for the year, it’s become very apparent to me that Q&As drive almost no traffic, so I think we’re probably gonna have to scrap it in place of “‘And Your Little Dog, Too’: Proctologists Recall Their...
Skate Study House @ Blends →
A copy of the Case Study Houses built with skateboard materials. This Eames lounger is especially sweet.
WatchDipset, please come back.
1 tag
“There is no rule—or only one: Keep the eyes open and do it your way.”
– Karl Lagerfeld
Recap
Gossip Girl this week was a fine hour of television. My favorite parts include: Use of the USB flash drive to store the video Me being right guessing which character comes out of the closet ‘Jealousy clashes with LL Bean pants’ Serena’s hideous cake mask of makeup throughout the episode, especially in the last scene as she’s cryin Buffy’s little sister as a psycho...
