version3.0

Back from my crazy adventures pretending to be a globe trotting professional mountain biker and there is plenty to catch up on. Here is a little sample of what has been keeping me entertained lately…

• Discovered this stunning set of illustrations from Richard Perez aka Skinny Ships. Incredible!
  
  (via Kitsune Noir)
• The Yes Men have released a special peer to peer edition of their latest film ‘The Yes Men Fix the World’. It includes a deleted scene from the full release (something about them being sued over it). Download it and flick them some cash to help them out with their next crazy project, it will be money well spent.
• Watching this video of Paul Basagoitia ripping his back yard as we tripped around Canada got me pretty pumped up (and also wondering how feasible it would be for me to buy a house with a good chunk of land attached). Also of interest, Trent Palmer shot this using a Canon 7D mounted on a radio control helicopter. How cool is that!
  
• More New Math provides a vast array of life lessons by way of equation.
  
• Pilot Magazine is without doubt the hottest print publication here in NZ right now. They also run a great little blog that is worth keeping an eye on in between the visual feast that is each of their issues (if you can, get hold of a copy of their latest issue). Apparently it is temporary and a ‘real’ site is coming… If that is the case then I can’t wait to see what they have in store.
• How to Write an Advertising Manifesto (aka The Manifesto Manifesto) is an outstandingly astute and witty observation from Kim Mok.
  
  I have to admit though, I do still really want to write a manifesto at some point. The point at which I feel strongly enough about something to write a manifesto about it. Just the word manifesto gets me all fired up. (via Fishing for bats)
• Beautiful print from Anthony Burrill for the intriguing ‘Do Lectures‘ which I would be all over if I was in the UK. Might have to just buy myself a print in the mean time.
  
• Diesel’s new ‘Be Stupid’ campaign includes some of the freshest work I have seen in a while. Up until now the stuff I have seen has mainly been clever copy & killer photography, but they took it experiential with Diesel Facepark, Facebook in the real world. Why? Apparently digital is smart and analogue is stupid, and Diesel says be stupid.
  
  (via Digital Buzz)
• My good friends Matt & Dayna make kids television here in NZ that is often really funny for (kinda) adults. Want proof? Check Matt’s alternative version of BoB feat. Bruno Mars “Nothin’ on You”…
  

• Beautiful & unique installation in the center of Paris highlighting the dangers of unsafe drinking water.
• Bad boy DJ/producer Diplo has written a pretty entertaining account of his recent trip to Cuba. It has rekindled my interest in visiting.
• Tyler Thompson got sick of looking at ugly, confusing boarding passes, so he had a go at redesigning them. He also put the call out for others to do the same. The results are excellent, hopefully the airlines are listening (although our own Air New Zealand actually does a reasonable job in comparison to the Delta one that Tyler started with)
  
  It is also well worth checking out Dustin Curtis’s well thought out redesign of the American Airlines homepage that was part inspiration for Tyler’s efforts.
• Nike has been doing some awesome stuff lately, including this spot for the Nike Free running shoes. Japanese DJ duo Hifana create some wicked beats using the super flexible sneakers. Super cool concept really well excecuted.
  
  You can also check out the making of for a look at how they did it.
  (Via designboom)
• Logorama is an award winning short from French collective H5. It is so great that it opened Sundance this year & picked up the Academy Award in the animated short category.
  
  (via Amber)
• It has been around for a while now, but Slinkachu’s Little People Project is rad. It must be incredible coming across one of his installations “in the wild”.

I picked up a pair of these wicked tobe sneakers on the weekend, and I was super impressed. I had seen a bit of hype about them from a few people, so had high expectations. I am also notoriously picky when it comes to shoes. They definitely delivered.

They have got a whole lot of stuff right, including of course making some killer shoes. Most importantly though I think they have woven their story into their shoes. They are telling their story, and encouraging tobe wearers to tell it to others. A couple of examples:

• Each pair of shoes comes with a number stamped on each of the shoes: 64 on the left (New Zealand’s international calling prefix), and 81 on the right (the year that the brothers behind the project were born – I think).
• The tounge is a whole grid of numbers of which you can choose some (or none) to punch out. For example, you could punch out the date you bought them, your birthday, your girlfriends birthday (they tried to convince me this was a great idea), or some kind of pattern. It’s a nice little way to customise them, and a great little conversation starter when you are showing them off to your friends.

They have also put together some awesome photography and promo videos for their launch, like the one below.

Their launch collection comes in three styles, the 1.6 (kind of a sky top), the 1.0 (mid) and 0.6 (low). They each come in a couple of different colourways, and are all constructed from beautiful Whanganui leather.

I am stoked to see such great design, and such a genuine, well thought out and implemented brand story coming out of NZ. You should definitely buy some.

www.tobe.co.nz