September 24, 2009 by traveler.

Since the Segway hasn’t injured enough users, Honda has released a motorized, self-balancing unicycle to really amp up the hurt. You know it’s up to the task, because Honda included the balancing skills of their Asimo robot. (Fall 1, Fall 2).

Wow- I can close my eyes and picture all the fractured ankles. If you enjoy laziness and danger, the new U3X is a dream come true.

———
Check back soon for the second part of my Cairo/Giza photologue.

Posted in Tech, Junk, Weird, Video, Toys, Funny, Design, Gear | No Comments »

August 23, 2009 by traveler.

Wow- that was a long drought. Sorry for the delay. I am back and better than ever (perhaps) and ready to bring you more. Keep an eye out for my latest Photologue. But first…

Do you like Legos? 80s Videogames? 8-bit Music? No? Well, if you did, you would totally dig this Youtube masterpiece. And it was so easy to make- only 1500 hours of work! What could be easier?

There is so much to love in this video, but I particularly enjoyed the Karate Champ references. If you liked this post, you may enjoy my Lego Mario post. And the 8-bit trip video even included a hint to my next Photologue post. Here’s a clue- it is the scene with the pyramid. Oh wait- that’s a terrible clue. Yes, my Photologue features my trip to the Great Pyramids of Giza. Stay tuned.

Posted in Video, Art, Weird, Toys, Nintendo, Style, Retro, Design, Games | No Comments »

April 27, 2009 by traveler.

These are just waaay too good to pass up- a collection of face painting done by artist James Kuhn.

Evil gremlin

Gizmo

Bellydancer

KISS

Toad

Shark

Sweet, huh? And there are TONS more…check them out.

Posted in Weird, Art, Video, Design | No Comments »

December 31, 2008 by traveler.

Happy New Year!!! A celebration like this deserves some good tunes. Lemme fire up my Microsoft Zune…hmm…that’s odd. It seems to have frozen. Wonder if anyone else is having that problem. Aahh! It’s Z2K! Oh crap, what if the reason it is frozen is because it is linking to all the ‘red ring of death’ XB360s and they are preparing to sprout laser cannons and take over a la War of the Worlds!

Thankfully there is a solution. Shoot- I sure hope there isn’t an i2K on the way. ::Shudder::

Posted in Junk, Business, Tech, Apple, Design | No Comments »

December 27, 2008 by traveler.

I know, I know…in my last post I said I was too full to post more today. Thankfully my coma lapsed long enough for me to give OuttaLeftField some long-awaited TLC.

This new design will allow OLF to face the new year in style. I’d love to hear what you have to say- drop me a line.

Uh oh- I feel that food coma coming back. Stay tuned for more post-holiday treats.

Posted in Travel, Art, Doing Good, Design, Style | No Comments »

December 8, 2008 by traveler.

Mirror’s Edge. If you haven’t played it yet, do yourself a favor. Seriously. The game is great- more of a first-person platformer than a standard FPS. When you play this game, you will find yourself saying these phrases over and over:

1. Holy crap this game looks incredible. Now THAT is art direction.

2. I fell off the @&#%ing roof again?!?! How is it possible to plunge to my death this many times in a row?!

3. I’m getting shot and I have no idea where I’m supposed to go. GO GO GADGET RUNNERS VISION!!!

Mirror’s Edge, is totally worth the purchase, but it does have some minor issues. The physics are tuned fairly realistically, with momentum playing an important role. Momentum is only useful, however, when you have a clear path ahead. In the game, you rarely have a clear path. Once you get past the first chapter, levels are complicated enough that you will probably have to stop and look for the next move. This can be particularly frustrating when you are getting shot at. Since you have no default weapon and trying to disarm enemies can lead to a quick death, running is usually your best option. For first-person shooter fans, this is NOT your general instinct. It took me awhile to stop trying to attack enemies and instead outmaneuver them. Once I started to do this, though, I ran into more problems.

You will get gunned down while trying to find an exit many times. Then you respawn and work your way back to the spot only to get shot up again trying to move forward. So I replayed the same stretch over and over, dying just a little further than the last time. Eventually you will find the path and move on. But for a game based around the concept of flow, some levels severely block your flow.

Aside from these gripes, the game is totally fun. The ‘free running’ gameplay combined with first-person perspective and terrific visuals make for an excellent game. Just know that you will set a world record for falling to your death the thousandth time.

Posted in Video, Design, Games | No Comments »

July 30, 2008 by traveler.

Johnny Cupcakes is opening his LA shop this Saturday! Fans have already been camping out in anticipation. I wish JC well and can’t wait to see the store when I’m back in town. In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for the teaser webisodes:

Johnny Cupcakes LA shoppe: Webisode #3 from Johnny Cupcakes on Vimeo.

Speaking of designers opening stores, Gama-Go’s store membership drive ends tomorrow!!! Last chance to help raise funds for the store and pick up some sweet merch (I recommend their ‘Casual Encounters’ level- excellent giclee). Help GG reach their goal and sign up today!

(Thx to Flickr’s HeySandra for this awesome pic!)

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June 22, 2008 by traveler.

I’ve always liked the street art/graffiti aesthetic. From stenciling to characters to lettering, graffiti/street art encompasses some of the most energetic and inspiring works in the art world. Too bad many people don’t consider graffiti part of the art world. If you played word association with 100 random people, I bet at least half would immediately say “vandalism.” A new form of street art emerged which may break that association.

Clean Graffiti, or Reverse Graffiti, creates art by cleaning dirty surfaces. How does this work? Check it out…

Pretty clever. And the Reverse Graffiti Project is sponsored by Green Works (from Clorox)? Wow. Who would’ve thought a cleaning company would help produce a graffiti project? Keep an eye out to see if this is a sales gimmick or future art trend.

Posted in Art, Doing Good, Video, Design, Environment | No Comments »

May 21, 2008 by traveler.

We are quickly approaching June, and we still have cold, rainy weather. What’s going on? Thankfully, there is a new advancement in umbrella technology ready to save us all. It is called Nubrella. Get it? Kinda like New Umbrella. At least they didn’t call it Dumbrella. Check out this thing in action.

Yeahhh. You’ll laugh at mere mortals with their ancient umbrella technology while you are safely cocooned inside your hands-free bubble. Thank goodness its hands-free…you’ll need a free hand to flip people off when they (invariably) ridicule you.

Check out the video at 00:29. The guy walking down the street in a black suit with his nubrella looks vaguely familiar…what does that remind me of? Oh yeah- I know…

Dark Helmet, baby!

Posted in Tech, Video, Design, Funny | 2 Comments »

May 4, 2008 by traveler.

I love this Lego Mario- what a great way to show your nerd cred. I learned how to make this through the Youtube video below:

Personally I think that Mario looks better with black hair than blue (Mario with a blue moustache?!) If you have the legos, give it a try. If you don’t have a pile of legos lying around, you can find most of the necessary pieces in a Lego Large Brick Box.

There are tons of other Youtube lego creations online. Some ambitious youtubers even posted videos of some more complicated Nintendo designs. Check out these Super Nintendo creations:

If I can find the time, I should really use some extra lego pieces to create another “statue”.

Posted in Nintendo, Toys, Video, Design, Retro, Wii, Games, Pics | No Comments »