Suck. I'll be be back with more gear, gadgets and great shit for ya'll after these round out.

Jamal Smith...

so, this is by far my favorite kanye song of all time, i listen to it atleast once a day, for sure. Its honestly amazing, and the amount of memorable one-liners throughout this song is ridiculous. especially for crunch time days like this, nothing chills me out more. it sucks but i couldnt find the 12 minute version of the song (the real version) because thats the best one. the last like 9 minutes is him talking about his journey into the ROC. download it, you wont go wrong. anyone who knows kanye (downloading whatever song is on MTV or Much at the time isnt knowing kanye, sorry) but actually goes beyond the hits to listen to kanye, will tell you that this track is amazing. Anyways, without much further delay, Last Call by Kanye West

Tomorrow marks the first of the 6 most important exams of my life to date.
As a result, posting is going to be rather bleak, because i got serious shit to do. Sorry.

After months of fucking around with different little tweaks and stuff of Windows XP, I think ive finally found some shit that i like, i may keep this for a while. PS I KNOW IVE BEEN SLACKING ON POSTING, BUT I HAVE ENOUGH UPDATES, INTERESTING POSTS AND MUSIC COMING AT YOU SOON. Exams...jeez

Thank You for Smoking is a 2006 Golden Globe Award-nominated comedy-drama film satire directed by Jason Reitman and produced by David O. Sacks. It is based on the 1994 novel of the same name by Christopher Buckley. The title is based on the popular saying "Thank You for Not Smoking".

Nick Naylor is the Vice President of and the chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies, a tobacco lobby whose stated purpose is to research the links between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer. Unsurprisingly, the group, funded by cigarette companies, does not find any link between the two. Nick's job requires him to inform the public of these results, as well as defend the rights of smokers. The film follows his career as a talking head for Big Tobacco, appearing in both public speaking engagements and on television programs. Each week, Nick meets with Polly Bailey and Bobby Jay Bliss, lobbyists for the alcohol and firearms industries respectively, for lunch and mutual support. The three jokingly refer to themselves as "the M.O.D. Squad" (alluding to both the phrase "Merchants Of Death" and the television show The Mod Squad).

I felt that the theoretical trailer was too short, so I made my own...check it out.

Faced with a bill to add a skull and crossbones to all cigarette packaging, Nick proposes an idea to his boss, BR to get actors in films to start smoking on screen again as in the 1920s and 1930s, and thus "put the sex back in cigarettes". B.R sends him to Hollywood to meet with superagent Jeff Megall and arrange product placement. Nick elects to bring his son, Joey, on the sudden conviction that they do not spend enough time together since Joey's mother gained custody. As Joey asks about the details of Nick's job during the trip, they bond as Nick teaches him the art of spin.

The movie was directed by Jason Reitman, now 29, who warmed up by making short subjects. What's remarkable in his first feature is his control of tone; instead of careening from one target to the next, he brings a certain detached logic to his method.Nick manages to know what to say and how to say it. What makes Naylor such a brilliant character, and this is very much to Eckhart's credit, is that you're fully aware what he's doing is pretty much reprehensible. However, you go along with him. By the end of the movie, you're actually rooting for him. The man can talk.

Reitman's screenplay is based on a novel by Christopher Buckley (son of William F.), and retains a literary flavor, that is usually transparent in a time when so many current movies are aimed at people who move their lips while they're thinking. Don't know what I mean? Lemme explain, with this exchange between Nick and his young son, who wants help on a school assignment:

Joey: "Dad, why is the American government the best government?"

Nick: "Because of our endless appeals system."

Or, example #2, this nostalgia by Duvall, who plays the Captain (the head of the Tobacco industry): "I was in Korea shooting Chinese in 1952. Now they're our best customers. Next time we won't have to shoot so many of them."

As I mentioned earlier, this is Eckhart's film. He is ably supported by a seasoned cast, including William H Macy, Robert Duvall, J.K. Simmons, Rob Lowe, Maria Bello, David Koechner, Sam Elliott, Rob Lowe, and even Katie Holmes, who manages to hold her own (much like her turn in the recent Batman film). But they're sole purpose is to support Eckhart, who's on screen for almost every second. And he holds his own. Watch him as he turns a talk show crowd who hate him into some sympathetic folk who can't wait to hear what he says next. Then watch as he ably slips into his son's class for career day, to dispense valuable life lessons. He owns every scene, and you can't take your eyes off him. The cast is terrific, but without Eckhart, this film would fall apart like a house of cards.


Everything about this film worked for me. The tone, the pacing, the acting (you might have guessed I liked Aaron Eckhart), the cinematography, the score, everything.It's a well done film, and well worth your time and money. And it keeps you from smoking for 90 minutes. Far more effective than any of those obnoxious Truth.com ads on the TV these days. Thank You For Smoking is very funny, and quite intelligent, which is pretty much more than expected when you go to a movie these days.

[ak] Promo Film Part 1


[ak]-Movie from Neil Hartmann on Vimeo.

Neil Hartmann, a freelance photographer and film-maker, is working with Burton Snowboards to create some promotional film featuring the Japanese [ak] team.

[ak] Promo film part 1 made for Burton Snowboards in Japan, featuring the [ak] Japan team riding at various back-country locations from Hokkaido to Niigata and Gunma. Filming, Watanabe Norihiko, Edit, Neil Hartmann, Graphics, Etsu, Direction, Uemura Yoshinari. Enjoy the ride. Part 2 coming soon.

Next, Inside the NIKE iD Boot Room



While professional football players don’t have the same number of custom colorways as their NBA counterparts, nevertheless they play in the top flight is often rewarded with custom boots made by master craftsman.

Wallpaper* Design Awards 2009

Under the careful watch of a star-studded and influential cast, the likes of Kanye West, Jean Nouvel, Ines de la Fressange, Marc Newson, Sir Ken Adam and Stefano Pilati factored in for Wallpaper*’s Design Awards 2009. The categories include the best new domestic appliance, new restaurant, new private house, new or renovated hotel, new public building, city, men’s fashion collection, women’s fashion collection, new grooming product as well as most life-enhancing product and furniture designer of the year. The whole list of winners and runner-ups can be viewed over at Wallpaper.com.

Finally, Andy Warhol’s Still-Life Polaroids Exhibition

What can you really say about a guy like Andy Warhol...
By far one of the most influential artists of all time, Warhol constantly stepped it up, and his Campbells Soup works are by far some of my favorite works of all time, up there with Elephants by Salvidor Dali.
Which is why i was so trilled to see the Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York displaying a selection of 70 Still-Life Polaroids by Andy Warhol.

To check out the rest, check out Trend Hunter

Samsung touch screen vending machine...

So, i've been super busy lately with school and just getting my stuff back together since i got back from Ottawa, so I haven't really had much time to do many posts.
However, my buddy sent me one of these these two remixes today that i cant stop listening to, and within 5 minutes of him sending me the youtube links, they were already on my iPod. Gotta love that MGMT. Anyways, theres been a hell of a lot of cool gear, art and other stuff released lately so check it out. I've also developed kind of an addiction to "Streetlights" by kanye west.

However though, first off,



MGMT & Justice vs Notorious B.I.G. - Nasty Feel



The Verve, Justice, MGMT, Kanye West & Lupe Fiasco (Bittersweet Electric Sky Touch)

And i still dont know how i feel about this one right here, but check it out...



Lil Wayne vs. The Verve - Bittersweet Milli


Onto the other stuff,

First off, i saw this earlier this morning and thought it was unreal!



Rubik Cube Mosaic Puzzle!

Second, I don't care how much these cost! I'm getting them!



After all the hoopla surrounding his collaboration with prestigious fashion house Louis Vuitton, Kanye West unveils the first design of six from his upcoming sneaker collection. Taking a clean cut approach, the heralded Mr. West pushes out a very well executed deck shoe silhouette. Definitely a good sign of things to come.

While we're on the topic of LV, how about...



To celebrate the launch of Louis Vuitton’s Stephen Sprouse collection, Louis Vuitton will be doing several things which includes redecorating New York’s SoHo Louis Vuitton store, releasing a series of limited edition items as well as hosting cocktail parties at their flagship store.

Haha, and since I seem to be in a string of high fashion brands putting their name on things that have nothing to do with the company, how about some W)Taps coffee mugs?



WTAPS unveils some of their first releases for 2009 with their “Coffee or Tea?” set of mugs. The mugs exclusive to Blackflag feature a collegiate style design which also includes a small statement within the mug’s interior.

Next up, one of my favorite brands, is throwing a new flagship store in Calgary!



Lastly, you can't go wrong with the APC boat shoes...

From the new collection.