hustler of culture

Dying to See "Son of Rambow"

There are a few reasons why I'm dying to see 'Son of Rambow':

1) I grew up running around in the woods. Along with my ET posse, we engaged in a lot of similar imaginary activities. I'm sure at one point in your life, you have probably wanted to make a film like this. Big ups to anyone who can actually dig up your old Indiana Jones/Rambo/Predator Betamax home videos!

2) Garth Jennings is brilliant and witty and I want to support all his work, especially an indie flick!

3) "Make Believe. Not War." is the best tag line ever.

4) Nostalgic 80s soundtrack, hair, and wardrobe.

5) I love coming of age stories with boy lead characters. I have always related better to them.

6) Proof that 'Rambo: First Blood' impacted my generation and not just me and my siblings.

This movie couldn't arrive in theaters fast enough!

“Bids 4 Beats” Online Auction (05.05.08 - 06.01.08)

NextAid and cMarket Present
“Bids 4 Beats” Online Auction
To Benefit Orphans Affected by African AIDS Pandemic
May 5, 2008 – June 1, 2008

NextAid, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit humanitarian organization, and cMarket, the leading provider of charitable online auction services, will once again collaborate to produce the second annual “Bids 4 Beats.” The auction will raise awareness and funds through the global electronic music community in support of NextAid’s mission: to implement sustainable solutions to the challenges facing African children. “Bids 4 Beats” will commence at 8:00am PST on Monday, May 5, 2008 and close at 6:00pm PST on Sunday, June 1, 2008. In 2006, “Bids 4 Beats” raised more than $12,000 from online bidding, resulting in total proceeds of over $24,000 due to bids matched by a private donor. This year, the auction includes items from previous auction supporters, such as Glacéau, who has generously donated a year’s supply of VitaminEnergy drinks, and Rane, a manufacturer of audio gear, as well as new contributors including music recording software developer, Cakewalk, who has donated the award winning virtual instrument, Rapture. Online partners supporting this event include Fusicology.com and Remix Magazine.

To reflect the sustainable element of NextAid’s initiative, the catalog will include donations from leading players in technology and “green” living in addition to items of great interest to the international dance music scene. Biddable items are accessible through this web site: www.nextaid.cmarket.com.

LA - Stoked Sessions LA Fundraiser (04.19.08)

Congrats to Annmarie and Ryan!

April 4, 2008 - 7:49 p.m. - Burbank, CA

Congratulations to Annmarie and Ryan for finding love and for letting us share their joy! We wish you all the best for the years to come!

LA - Land of Plenty Career Day (03.21.08)

Party People:

The Land of Plenty is cohosting the first annual Career Day (2008), a show and event that brings student artists together with professional art directors in the skateboard industry.

Come by and check out painted skateboards and other work by 20 of Southern California's emerging artists, meet some cool people and help raise funds for the LOP Skateboard Foundation. From 7 to 10pm this Friday (March 21st) at:

Alex Cheung's Gallery
938 1/2 Chung King Road
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Lot parking available at King Valet (981 Hill Street)

See you in Chinatown,
Greg

Lift 08: Final Thoughts

I loved Lift! If you had to choose one tech conference to attend in Europe next year, choose this one if you're looking for a unique and personal experience. Capping out at about 700 attendees, I engaged in plenty of inspirational conversations about technology today and tomorrow with my new found friends and industry peers. Yes, I had to act cool around a lot of impressive people but it wasn't hard to do. Everyone made the conference feel cozy. Simply said, all is welcomed at Lift whether you're a technologist, venture capitalist, tinkerer, designer, or student. And if you come with a good attitude and an open mind, you'll get back three fold. Don't believe me? Check out my slideshow and see for yourself how great a conference can be!

James Bond Movie Scene From Legos

February 20, 2008 - 6:41 p.m. - Venice, CA

Meg and Jonathan's kids constructed the latest James Bond movie environment with their Legos. If I had had this many Legos as a kid, I probably never would've gone outdoors.

CERN Revisited

February 9, 2008 - 10:24 a.m. PST - Geneva, Switzerland

One of the highlights of attending Lift 08 was the invitation to visit CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory. With a dozen tech colleagues I was offered a tour of the LHC, the world’s largest particle collider. I know, lots of Guinness Book of Records sounding descriptors right? Well... it's kind of hard to explain what it's like to visit a place like this. The kid inside says, "Oh man, it was soooo cool!" while imagining some Michael Bay-inspired explosions. And there are plenty of big adjectives to describe this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but it's best described casually as hmm, physics camp for adults?! I mean there was so much to absorb, learn, hear, see, and even touch. Reflective of the kind of questions an AP physics student might ask, my crew just fired away. Our very patient guide, Dr. Bilge Demirköz answered each question as best as she could in layman's terms. In truth it was all quite complicated and difficult to follow however it was extremely engaging. Believe me, she gave us an amazing, enthusiastic, and memorable tour!

FYI, my camera died the day before our visit, so I was left documenting this experience with my BlackBerry Pearl. Surprisingly, the photos turned out pretty okay. If you ever find yourself in Geneva, you should try to visit this facility. I'm told that it won't be open to the public for much longer as they start new experiments but it's definitely worth a try. Enjoy my CERN album:

Lift 08: Cool

February 8, 2008 - 3:05 a.m. PST - Geneva, Switzerland

Hope

From Shepard Fairey on Obey Giant:

I believe with great conviction that Barack Obama should be the next President. I have been paying close attention to him since the Democratic convention in 2004. I feel that he is more a statesman than a politician. He was against the war when it was an unpopular position (and Hillary was for the war at that time), Obama is for energy and environmental conservation. He is for healthcare reform. Check him out for yourself www.barackobama.com. Proceeds from this print go to produce prints for a large statewide poster campaign.

Thanks.
-Shepard

Anyone interested in helping out please email info@obeygiant.com with OBAMA as the Subject Title for instructions. This screenprint is 24 X 36, edition of 350. Available next Wednesday, January 30th.