Kyality: a blog about music, movies, tv, cars and design

OK Go+Chevy: An Exercise in Awesome

2012-02-11T14:45:00.018-07:00

The post-Super Bowl ad chatter has pretty much centered on the clips of stunts featuring the all-new hot hatch the Chevy Sonic. A good looking car, agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners took it and the notion of "advertising stunts" literally to new heights under the mantra Let's Do This.

My fave stunt by far features YouTube darlings OK Go blasting through a 2.5 mile track lined with over 1,800 instruments in a highly-modified Sonic. The car and track were designed to actually play their song entitled: Needing/Getting. It's straight up awespirational. (Yeah, I just made that word up.)

What's fantastic about this form of advertising is that it's NOT advertising. It's just really good branded content, or in other words it's just really good branding. Period. I so wish more brands got this notion. I can honestly say, I dig the Sonic more because I now associate it with the high awesomeness degree of this stunt.

It also doesn't hurt one bit that this song rocks! I've always liked OK Go, but I straight up LOVE this song. What's even more awesome is the fact that they thought to embed a free download of the track into the campaign site. Seriously smart.

There's an excellent behind-the-scenes breakdown of the entire track on the Let's Do This site. Just click on the map on their site and a slideshow launches explaining the entire set up. Kudos to the creative team for capturing these sweet extras.

So for those of you taking notes: encouraging your clients to just be awesome is a totally and completely valid marketing strategy. Don't forget it.

Sundance 2012: The Rockumentaries

2012-02-02T21:30:00.009-07:00

Mrs. Kyailty typically chooses our Sundance flicks each year and for 2012, she went 100% rockumentary awesomeness. We kicked of the festival with what was easily one of the most inspirational films I've seen in a long time.

Searching for Sugar Man is the larger than life story of the late-'60s, early-'70s singer-songwriter named Rodriguez, whose albums fell flat in the US. However, those same tunes found their way through all kinds of economic sanctions into South Africa at the height of Apartheid. Within the confines of this then police-state, Rodriguez's music fueled the anti-Apartheid movement among young Afrikaners.

Rodriguez became bigger than Elvis. But no one outside of South Africa knew it and everyone inside figured that since no new albums were being produced, he must have gone down in a literal blaze of glory. The stories of his death grew more and more elaborate over time and inspired two South African sleuths to search once and for all for Sugar Man.

Ironically, Rodriguez's album Cold Fact was released domestically just two months after Simon & Garfunkel's epic Bridge Over Troubled Water. It barely had a chance. In a strange twist of fate, a film called Under African Skies also premiered at Sundance this year. Mrs. Kyality caught this doc about Paul Simon's controversial Graceland album recorded in Apartheid-laden South Africa.

We wrapped up our Sundance fest with Shut Up and Play The Hits. Though entered in the documentary category, this was without a doubt a straight up concert flick. It beautifully covers the final LCD Soundsystem show at Madison Square Garden and captures the day after. Interlaced throughout the film is an amazing interview between pop culture expert Chuck Klosterman and LCD frontman and creative force James Murphy. I love LCD Soundsystem and I loved this flick, but there's not doubt you'll question Murphy's motives. Was he in for the art or did he actually get out of it for art?

Yeah, pretty much one of the coolest previews ever.

Dream Home, Actual Auto

2012-01-21T21:13:00.014-07:00

I'm typically not a sucker for straight glass and steel. I like a bit of wood grain and exposed brick mixed into a mod home.

But when you get my exact same vehicle tucked up under it's carport, I must admit even a stark, minimalist joint like this starts feeling all warm and cozy. Click here for a full panorama of this shot—it's totally worth it.

Notice the checkered MINI Challenge decals and familiar murdered-out rims.

Looks like this Clubman might have a room mate, probably not a minivan with melted crayons in the back cup holders. Click here for a pano of this one too.

Who needs privacy anyways? Click here for one final panorama. Enjoy!

The Muir Project

2012-01-14T09:13:00.004-07:00

Talk about some great content creation, well done JMT. Can't wait for spring!

Beamers Never Looked So Good

2012-01-06T06:54:00.002-07:00

This beautifully shot vid is a must watch. BMW motorcycles in Italy? Awesome.

2011: A Year in Review

2011-12-30T10:06:00.022-07:00

Top 3 Favorite Albums

3. The Black Keys - El CaminoThe Who Stripes? The What Stripes? Standout track: Gold On The Ceiling

2. Wilco - The Whole Love
The boys from Chi-town go back to their roots. Standout track: One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

1. The Dodos - No Color
What could be better than a stellar new Dodos album? One featuring Ms. Neko Case. Standout track: Don't Try and Hide It

Top 3 Favorite Movies

3. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
JJ and BB easily made the best action flick/BMW commercial of the year.
Standout feature: Scene Stealer

2. Super 8
Two parts Goonies, one part E.T. and a pinch of Cloverfield. Standout feature: Coolest kid cast

1. Senna
This fantastic found-footage doc couldn't have been cast any better if you tried. Standout feature: Editing masterpiece

Top 3 Favorite TV Shows

3. Mad Men
Through Clios, crazy pitches and all-night creative sessions, we get a taste of a 60's agency start-up. Standout episode: The Suitcase

2. Parks and Recreation
Tom Hatherford and John Ralphio bring new meaning to the words "entertainment media conglomerate." Standout episode: The Fight

1. Friday Night Lights
The final season of one of TV's best series leaves you with wet eyes rather than clear ones. Standout episode: Always

Top 3 Favorite Cars

3. Hyundai Veloster
The rise of Korean auto body design is well on its way. Here's to hot, little hatches from anywhere. Standout feature: Stealth 3rd Door

2. MINI Coupe
Easily the coolest, least-functional MINI to date. Standout feature: The reverse baseball helmet

1. 1 Series M Coupe
BMW's M Division creates a super sexy semi-sleeper. Standout feature: 335 horsepower 3.0-liter, in-line 6 cylinder engine with TwinPower Turbo technology

Top 3 Favorite Designs

3. Fuzzco
Between their sweet design, inspiring workspace and humble abode, they've been on my radar all year long. Standout feature: Responsive web design

2. Poler Stuff
The world's highest standard of stuff. #campvibes Standout product: The Duffaluffagus

1. Bell & Ross vs. Panerai
A perceptual battle of the aviation timepieces rages within. Standout feature: Helvetica ampersand embossed in leather

A Very Timber! Christmas

2011-12-26T15:08:00.003-07:00

Each year I post a selection of my Christmas gifts. This year I've mixed my favorites with some recent acquisitions. Loving my new Poler Cuffed Beanie, Timex Weekender, red boot laces scored at Journey's, Levi's 514 Rigid Denim, Old Navy Flannel and a Green Inspired New York notebook. These lumberjack-ish duds are joined some seasonal faves, my classic, homemade Chex Mix and Fentiman's Botanically Brewed Ginger Beer.

Pursuit Mini

2011-12-22T22:36:00.007-07:00

This just in. Pursuit Systems, Inc. has released their "incredibly quick and agile [camera rig] with compact dimensions." With a description like that, you better believe their rig is affixed to a MINI.

(via @southernj)

Scene Stealer

2011-12-19T16:54:00.002-07:00

Helvetibike

2011-12-16T09:21:00.003-07:00

I've always felt that a cleaned-up single speed bike is like a piece of graphic design and motion and apparently Borja Garcia Studio agrees. They've just released photos of a new bike they hope to produce: the Helvetica Bike. The whip will be created for the 55 year anniversary of the founding of Max Miedinger’s classic typeface.

Their reasoning is simple: "Because we love Helvetica. We love swiss spirit. We like precision, purity and clarity. And Helvetica, the swiss typography, represents this complete design-lifestyle."

Happy Little Trees

2011-12-10T07:21:00.016-07:00

Growing up, when there were absolutely no cartoons left on TV, I'd resort to one last option before giving up and finally doing something else. I'd watch a serene, globe-haired hippie named Bob Ross teach folks how to paint happy, little trees. Though this landscape oil painter from The Joy of Painting passed away in 1995, his relaxing painting vibes live on.

I recently snagged a new accessory to the iPad called the Nomad Brush—a paint brush-style stylus. I was stoked on the clean design of both the product and packaging and the construction of the brush totally complements the industrial design of the iPad. Most definitely stocking stuffable.

After finding a couple of painting apps that the Nomad site pointed me toward, I started what was going to be my masterpiece. And sure enough what did I immediately start to paint? Happy. Little. Trees. It was pure, unfiltered instinct on my part. And I'll admit, the process of digitally channeling my inner Bob Ross was completely therapeutic.

I scored the dual-tipped Nomad Compose, and I found myself using the short tip on my iPhone, doing quick little sketches at the airport while waiting for a flight. Very relaxing. There's just something calming about holding a brush in hand and creating with actual brush strokes. It trumps digital finger painting, for sure.

The Kyality Kids love it too. All I needed to do was hold up the brush and the iPad. Thanks to their complimentary design, it instantly registered with them what to do. They just yelled AWESOME and then I didn't see the iPad again for well over an hour. Apparently they made a happy, little kitten.

Some quick tips. I'd recommend paying for a less expensive painting app than opting for a free one. The quality of the app has a lot to do with the overall digital painting experience (though the free ones are fun too). And you'll learn quick not to press too hard with the Nomad's longer brush tip. When spread out, the fibers read as multitouch-points and zoom into your canvas rather than paint on it.

Bottom line, if you're ever feeling a little stressed, perhaps shut down the new Twitter app, grab a brush and light up some zen-like moments by painting some happy little trees.

MINI Coupe In Motion

2011-12-05T09:55:00.002-07:00

Satisfy all your MINI-in-motion-madness with this one folks.

My Cars So Far

2011-11-29T21:38:00.014-07:00

I was raised in a family that was quite fond of small, European cars and yeah, that kind of thing rubs off. About 10 years ago I snagged a cherry red 1975 BMW 2002. "The Whispering Bomb" just does something to you. It's able to produce all of those amazing driving sensations at relatively low speeds. It's just fun.

In 2004 I lucked into a lightly-used 1999 ///M Coupe as my daily driver. It's a car that elicits one of only two responses. People either absolutely love it or totally hate it. No matter what anyone thinks, you can't go anywhere in that car without every STI-wielding sweet bro trying to take you off the line.

I owned both the 2002 and the ///M Coupe at the same time. It was actually way validating. When someone asked me about the Coupe, they always initially came off a bit skeptical, like I was just some young punk. But when they found out I also had a 2002, their demeanor would totally change, like... oooh, you're not just some punk kid—you're an enthusiast. (Eh, I was kind of a punk kid actually.)

As much as I dig the ///M Coupe, it was clear that wasn't the ideal fit for my personal style. I traded her in for a brand new 2006 MINI Cooper S and fell in love. Driving a MINI, you find out quick that it's an amazing balance of sport, economy, luxury, style and most importantly personality.

When I switched from the ///M to the MINI—of course there was a power difference. However, and I've discussed this with others who have made a similar switch, the MINI is just such an even and all-around balanced driver. You can have fun in every gear. And on the one set of twists on my way into work, I swear the MINIs go just as quick around them (with a little more control even).

Once I got the MINI another surprising thing happened. I didn't drive the '02 as much any more. It's like the MINI fulfilled both my sporting and retro needs at the same time. We decided to sell the '02 to a kid with some decent mechanic skills. He's taken good care of it. We sold it for exactly $2,002.00.

I thought I'd graduated to the ideal vehicle up until I saw the very first images of the Clubman. With the right accouterments, I feel like my 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman sports an amazing combo of both approachability and aggressiveness. Mrs. Kyality thinks it's cute, yet I still get approving nods from guys in GTIs.

Jerry on Porsches

2011-11-24T10:18:00.003-07:00

For those of you who don't already follow the amazing Motoring Con Brio blog, check out this fantastic clip of Jerry Seinfeld pontificating about his favorite cars. No clue how I didn't stumble upon this sooner! Great find.

What's in your bag?

2011-11-14T13:44:00.006-07:00

So I recently ordered a Large Cafe Bag in Cocoa/Wasabi from the Seattle-based company Tom Bihn and I absolutely love it! I've searched far and wide for a simple, clean-lined messenger bag (in brown) that fits my on-the-go job requirements. I'm constantly doing day trips from SLC to places like LA, SF and PDX.

The streamlined nature of your Cafe Bag is perfect. It fits everything I need to cruise through airport security, do a couple of client presentations and carry the little extras that make flying more enjoyable. I snapped this pic and it was recently featured on the Tom Bihn blog.

Here's what I pack on a regular basis:

• Large Cafe Bag (in Cocoa/Wasabi)
• MacBook
• Incase Neoprene Sleeve
• MacBook Power Adapter
• Apple Remote
• Zebra Stainless Steel Pen and Mechanical Pencil
• Moleskine Classic Pocket Squared Notebook
• VGA Adapter
• DVI Adapter
• Skullcandy Full Metal Jacket Ear Buds + case
• Stack of Business Cards
• Keys to MINI Cooper S Clubman
• iPhone 3GS + iPod Sock
• iPhone Earphones + iPod Sock
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• USB Power Adapter

Mind the Gap

2011-11-05T22:50:00.011-06:00

I'll admit it. Growing up, I was a true blue Gap guy. This was prior to the Old Navy years, when the Gap was all about simple, stylish, affordable clothes. Then came along the Gap that ironically was trying so hard to not be Old Navy, while doing everything it could to be Banana Republic. It wasn't long until the Gap became a bland, soulless brand. I even let a couple of years slip by without ever stepping into a Gap store.

Then their logo debacle went down. I decided to see what the Gap had been up to. Stuffed in the middle of a rack, I discovered a denim shirt (technically it's a chambray shirt) that was reminiscent of the clothes the Gap was creating back in its heyday, circa '92.

It was new, but old. It was dressy, yet casual. It was perfect and flawed. I had to have it. I can honestly say it's become my favorite article of clothing. I've worn it to business meetings on Madison Ave. and I've crashed in it for a Sunday afternoon nap. It literally goes with everything—shorts, suits, slacks and selvedge.

If the Gap simply took a look at this particular product and began patterning other articles of clothing after this concept—they'd be able to both simplify and grow simultaneously. Think about it, the perfect khakis, the go-to sweater, the wear-anywhere jacket. The Gap simply needs to focus on clothes with character. And let's face it, if they had just redesigned their logo to match this tag, they'd probably have been good to go.

This sucker's electrical!

2011-10-15T14:53:00.008-06:00

I'm pretty sure this one doesn't require 1.21 gigawatts. But thanks to the Texas-based outfit in Humble, if you're in the market for a what basically boils down to a brand new, all-electric DeLorean to build your time machine out of, you're in luck.

Talk about an auto design that just does not go outta style. The DeLorean looks as classic and futuristic today as it did when it rolled off the original assembly line in 1981. And man, crazy how the iPhone looks completely at home within the interior!

But maybe I've just partial due to the site we just finish.

My Everyday Carry

2011-09-27T21:21:00.009-06:00

I'm a big fan Everyday Carry, a.k.a. EDC. Its a blog showcasing user submitted pocket dumps of exactly what people carry on a daily basis. Here's the breakdown of my very own EDC, click here to enlarge.

• Leather Wallet
• Field Notes Memo Book (Graph Paper)
• Parker Jotter Stainless Steel Mechanical Pencil
• Nixon Rotolog (Walnut)
• iPhone 3GS
• iPod Sock (Best iPhone protector ever)
• Von Zipper Kickstand Sunglasses
• Key to 2009 MINI Cooper S Clubman
• Wedding Ring

The whole EDC culture is based on emergency preparedness, which is pretty cool. I actually dig my EDC—but I don't carry a blade or pack heat so guaranteed it'll never get featured. And I guess I'm also pretty much screwed come the morning of the zombie apocalypse.

I Could Be a Truck Guy

2011-09-15T22:32:00.008-06:00

I like to kid around that I'm the only guy on my street who doesn't own a truck, a gun or a dog. Yeah, I'm not so much a fan of trucks in general. But I spotted a VW Rabbit-based pick-up on the way to work the other day and it inspired me to find these cool snaps.

Love that the bike's paint job matches and they've both got blacked out rims. With this set up, I think I actually could be a truck guy.

The Jetta's not half bad either.

Holy Selina Kyle on a Batpod, Batman!

2011-08-31T12:56:00.008-06:00

This just in via @jeremywchase. Production photo of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, perhaps escaping with the Batpod? Not so sure how I feel about this yet.

UPDATE: So based on this recently released pic, I did a Google search and discovered that pics of the Tumbler have been snapped paparazzi-style at The Dark Knight Rises film shoot. I have to admit I'm pretty bummed out. I'm mean, I've been a staunch supporter of the Tumbler being Batman's first version of the Batmobile. But let's face it, it was blown up. Based on all the Lamborghini action in The Dark Knight, I was seriously hoping for a Lambo-based Batmobile to make its appearance in the final installment. Something like this concept by industrial designer Slavche Tanevsky:

The Great Tumblr Experiment

2011-08-21T14:50:00.022-06:00

One year ago today I started an experimental photo blog on Tumblr. I was inspired by a couple of curation-style Tumblrs, and I wanted not only to learn more about that blogging system but how I'd do as a Tumblrer myself. I'd already amassed a decent collection of cool pics, so I determined I'd post one a day. In fact I only missed a couple of days when we were camping (or unfortunately in the hospital). Here are some of the insights, rules and posts I made along the way:

Curation of Cool
My posts started off being random things I like, the Millennium Falcon, MINIs, etc. I was surprised how heavily influenced (for better or worse) I was by the community. My Tumblr evolved specifically into photos only of cars, motorcycles, bikes, architecture, industrial design, fashion and celebrities. No more, no less.

The Parameters
I noticed over time that I started unintentionally and subconsciously creating a set of image guidelines and parameters for all the photos I uploaded. For instance, all the pics are landscape rather than portrait. I never posted a black and white image. I also posted photos with tons of woodgrain, which became almost an ongoing theme.

Color Scheming Prior to starting my Tumblr, I did a little experiment on the Kyality blog where I paired products with the factory MINI colors, which I called Color Scheming. I found myself connecting one day's photo to the next via color, tone or texture. If you check out my archive, you can actually see some cool evolutions, juxtapositions and color patterns over time.

Celebrity Sundays I started doing this pretty quickly. Every Sunday evening throughout the year, I've posted a pic of a celeb (typically a music or movie star) in what I considered a Kyality-style pic. My favorites are all less polished, more real shots of famous folks in some cool, architectural environment.

Notes vs. Comments Systems like Twitter and conventions such as likes and notes are basically killing comments on blogs. For instance, though this post may be read a few times, chances are it won't get a single comment. The notes system in Tumblr is pretty amazing, you can actually see content—for lack of a better term—go viral. The most comments I've ever received on a single post on this blog is around 8 (with at least one of them being me). The image from my Tumblr above has 126 notes (consisting of likes and/or reblogs) and counting.

Proper Citation After some friendly banter with @upto12 and @wanken, properly citing my sources whenever possible became a substantial effort throughout the year. I'm actually shocked how little this is focused on within the blogosphere. Even more shocking is how social media is more or less set up to celebrate the sharer of content rather than the creator. My experience on Tumblr spawned this post on the StruckAxiom blog.

All in all, the Great Tumblr Experiment was pretty fun. Will I continue to post? Yes. Will I post more than once a day? No. Will I worry about posting everyday? Probably not. Finally, here are some cool Tumblrs to follow if you get a sec: anchordivision, convoy, thefashionator, beeteeth, valeriejar, mwaissmann, everydaycarry and analogdialog. Enjoy!

Clean Clubman

2011-08-13T14:34:00.006-06:00

Finally got the Clubby detailed and snapped these pics at the new Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church design by Sparano + Mooney Architecture. Enjoy.

An Open Letter to Netflix

2011-07-30T15:10:00.006-06:00

Dear Netflix,

I want to let you know that I support the fact that you recently announced that you need to increase your rates, you have every right to do so. However, due to your serious lack of content on Instant play, you're forcing a digital-forward guy like myself to go back in time and use discs again. I don't get it. Would it not make more sense to give folks who want to be fully streaming a way to supplement your extreme lack of streaming content via discs without having to have two full, separate and equally-expensive plans?

The choice to separate these plans is a clear step backwards in the way I live my digital life style. In the past, I've converted many friends to your service, mainly due to how progressive you've been. I can no longer claim that, I will no longer refer you and it honestly saddens me. In fact, this act has forced me (one of your past tried and true brand evangelists) to sincerely apologize to multiple recent referrals who made large scale hardware investments and content service changes (at my behest) based on your previous set up. It really put me in quite an embarrassing position.

In September, we will only be accessing the disc delivery portion of your services because we love exceptional content. We've very much enjoyed many of the docs, foreign films and TV programming you have on Instant, however we like great, mainstream flicks as well. So you have relegated us to discs yet again. Please figure out a way for a digital-forward customer like me (who has an iPhone and an iPad and also loves exceptional quality content with access to anything and everything) to use all of your services without enrolling in separately managed programs that do not currently equal one another in quality of selection.

Just let me be clear. I (and probably everyone else out there) get that your rates will inevitably go up over time. I do not have issue with that. But again, due to your overwhelming lack of quality content on Instant play, you are currently not in a position to separate your plans (as though they are equal to one another) and attempt to position it as a benefit to me. It's actually a massive inconvenience.

Here's a quick take-it-or-leave-it suggestion: if you have to separate the two plans for structural reasons or whatever, fine. But for those of us who want and use both services in order to supplement each other, give us a slight discount for using both. It would seriously help soften the blow of a price increase in these bleak economic times.

One final thought. Just be awesome. If you strive to look at your customer and PR choices through the lens of 'awesomeness' you won't run into this type of bizzaro snafu again. Cuz let's be brutally honest here, this recent announcement is not awesome.

Sincerely,

Kyality

Why did I ever sell my BMW '02?

2011-07-20T12:32:00.001-06:00

Father's Day Haul

2011-06-19T21:38:00.007-06:00

It's always fun to see what Mrs. Kyality and the Kyality Kids drum up for Father's Day gifting. This year, it all started with some TRON: Legacy goodness: a model of Kevin Flynn's light cycle and a die cast light jet. Then more Jeff Bridges awesomeness in the form of a Crazy Heart DVD and things rounded out with a Voltron tee shirt and a baseball glove to play catch with the boy. Apparently, there's one more goodie on the way. I'll keep you all posted.

UPDATE: This just in... the rest of my haul. Click the pic to check it out:

Batmobile Live

2011-06-17T16:01:00.006-06:00

The latest Batmobile on one of my fave blog, BatmobileHistory.com, is pretty fresh design by Gordon Murray. Apparently DC had it created for is foray into stage events with Batman Live. It's no Tumbler, but absolutely says Batmobile. Apparently Motor Authority dismissed it as "awful."

It's definitely not the worst Batmobile ever. I mean seriously, have you SEEN Batman Forever?

Celebrity Sunday

2011-06-05T21:04:00.012-06:00

I've been working an image-a-day Tumblr experiment for a while now and I've settled into the tradition/habit of posting a cool celebrity photo every Sunday. I'll be honest, it's tough to find decent ones the fit the Kyality style. But this week I came across this awesome photo shoot with Jude Law for the the fashion brand Dunhill. Cool stuff.

Denver Dining, Steuben's Style

2011-05-29T14:39:00.010-06:00

Last weekend Mrs. Kyality and I got to visit the Mile High City to see a U2 concert that we'd purchased tickets for nearly 18 months ago. The concert was good, but the urban exploring was fantastic. Based on a tip from my friends at Changethethought™—we hit up a great place called Steuben's.

Steuben's was a classic old stomp in Boston and was reopened recently in Denver with amazing environmental design, a fantastic menu and a delicious brand. Korn Design delivered exhaustive, consistent branding with a perfect balance of both modern and retro vibes. And seriously, their Cubano is probably the best sandwich I've ever had ever. Period.

Scion City Safari

2011-05-14T22:53:00.015-06:00

No, you don't see too many Japanese cars on this blog. But I came across this Scion xB pickup concept a couple of years ago by designer Sage Vaughn. And I'm amazed just how often I think back to it. I totally dig the tan/black motif. And if for some strange reason I ever find myself needing a utility vehicle of some kind, I'll be sure to sport some minimalist vector graphics on it.

The New New Beetle

2011-05-07T09:41:00.008-06:00

For the last few weeks, I've been getting a ton of questions about my thoughts on the design of the newest version of The Beetle. Though I've kind of dodged the question, I haven't meant to seem evasive. I've merely been gathering my thoughts and some interesting questions have arisen.

First and foremost. I dig the new design. Yes, I was a big fan of the original New Beetle, especially the Turbo S. I loved its iconic, minimalist geometry and UFO-like stance. I also totally get where VW is going with this new design and its serious hearkening back to Dr. Ferdinand Porsche's first "peoples' car."

I really like its lines, the fact that it can graceful accommodate 19-inch rims and its sporty retro vibe. But these design choices come with some repercussions. This is a decidedly more masculine car than the New Beetle, which beckons the question: Who is VW targeting with this one?

I think we can all agree that despite some cool trim options over the years, the New Beetle has been come somewhat of a chick car with the Golf/GTI platform becoming VW's bromobile. This newest version of The Beetle is more of a man machine and for the most part, I think VW is targeting, well… me. I mean here I am, driving a sporty retro racer. If this is VW's attempt to win me over then I'm confused, isn't the GTI already meant to do just that?

Though I can totally geek out over VW's design choices with The Beetle, I just can't see myself behind the wheel of one. There are just too many hot hatches and cool cars in line before I'd ever consider The Beetle. This list consists of multiple MINIs, the BMW 1-Series, the Fiat 500, the Audi A3, and even the Mazdaspeed3 for heaven's sake. We'll have to see what accouterments The Beetle R brings (a move which I question as well), but I suspect my feelings won't change dramatically.

The bottom line is that In a hyper-competitive small car market, VW needs to focus on who's really driving their cars and stop adding to its own competition.

A Fixie Out of Water

2011-05-02T21:46:00.006-06:00

The Kyality Clan made a weekend trek down south to Zion National Park and I snapped this pic of this fantastic fixie. Love the geometry of this whip and even though you'd think this rod belongs in the urban jungle, it seemed to fit just fine among the red rocks. Click here to enlarge.

Arcade Fire in Our Lovely Deseret

2011-04-21T14:56:00.007-06:00

As of last Monday, I've had the pleasure of seeing Arcade Fire live for the fourth time. The first two were on the Neon Bible tour, Red Rocks in Denver and in Lehi, UT. Last year, I saw them in Portland and finally in Orem, UT last week.

At first glance, you'd think that the Portland and Red Rocks shows would be amazing—and they were. But for some reason, the Utah shows have been absolutely outstanding. In fact, the Lehi show from a couple of years ago still ranks among one of my favorite concerts of all time. I kinda thought it was just a fluke. However last week's performance proved that Arcade Fire rocks a little bit harder in the Beehive State.

At both Utah shows, frontman Win Butler has mentioned that he'd often visited his Grandfather in Sandy, UT growing up. Yeah, Sandy—talk about the suburbs. There's definitely an air of nostalgia and even excitement as he reminisces. And other than a handful of d-bags making a ruckus near the front of the stage, the concert-going crowd at these shows have been way into it. Not too many peeps who are too cool to completely rock out and sing-a-long sans inebriation. I just hope Arcade Fire keeps coming back to the Crossroads of the West and that I'm around to see 'em.

Land Rover Defender X-Tech

2011-04-03T10:24:00.011-06:00

Land Rover is re-releasing the classic Defender as the X-Tech Limited Edition.

Simple, timeless design starting in the mid $30k's. Not bad. Hopefully some other manufacturers follow suit.

Album Review: The Dodos' No Color

2011-03-29T13:17:00.004-06:00

What do you look for an a band's third major album? I'm going to go with refinement. All bands have those first random little records that you discover after the fact. It's typically their first label album that piques our interest. It's their second big album that hopefully takes their style, expands it and melts our faces. Now it's the third that we expect a certain level of cleanliness, polish and yes, refinement.

The Dodos' latest major album No Color is the perfect third installment. It takes the band's energetic, experimental sound and applies a degree of tightness that still manages to capture their driving, frenetic sound. The real power and pleasure of the the album comes in the form of grace notes supplied by none other than Ms. Neko Case. There's wisdom and pose there that's a perfect juxtaposition to Meric Long's pseudo naivety.

The track that proves this theory the most is without a doubt Don't Try and Hide It. This song, like many others on the album, gets stuck in your head in a good way. You enjoy waking up in the morning with this song still ringing in your ears. Bottom line: Go try it, don't fight it.

The 5-Series GT Never Looked So Good

2011-03-14T21:32:00.008-06:00

The Italian fashion house Trussardi gave the at times awkward-looking BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo a much-needed make-over for their 100th year anniversary. Complete with designer luggage, custom leather driving gloves and tad-too-serious driver, this Hot Chocolate grand tourer is actually looking like quite the canyon carver. See additional pics here.

Color Scheming: In Practice

2011-03-12T13:37:00.014-07:00

Last year, I did a little blog project throughout the year that I called called Color Scheming. The concept was to match cool objects of desire with MINI Cooper factory colors. It was way fun to put together the compositions and yesterday my co-worker g.lock turned me on to this fantastic example of color scheming in practice. It comes to us from high-end golf glove manufacturer G/FORE. Check out some of their colorful collections. Feel free to click the pics to enlarge.

TRON: Uprising Trailer

2011-03-05T10:59:00.006-07:00

Digging the trailer for the new Disney animated series TRON: Uprising starring voice talents of Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore and none other than Paul Rubens! Looks like a great combo CGI and some traditional character animation.

MINI Rocketman Concept

2011-02-22T16:16:00.014-07:00

This just in... sketches and renderings of MINI's forthcoming Rocketman microcar concept:

The King of Cool Commercial

2011-02-15T14:56:00.003-07:00

Even the King of Cool did commercials. Awesome music by the way.
(via Monoscope)

May the Force Vee-Dub You.

2011-02-05T14:49:00.004-07:00

Thanks to @darthvader I was lucky enough to catch this vid just as it hit triple digit views. The Kyality Kids have probably watched this a dozen times already. I just can't get over how well this little actor nailed the emotions—I can't not envision my little Kyality Kid under that helmet.

UPDATE: Not does this kid act like my boy—he totally LOOKS like him when unmasked.

Sundancing 2011

2011-02-02T21:36:00.007-07:00

Thanks to an amazing selection of documentaries this year, Mrs. Kyality and I had an excellent Sundance 2011. No, we didn't manage catch Hobo with a Shotgun… or any other narratives for that matter.

Senna
We were way lucky to catch Senna—the story of Ayrton Senna, perhaps the greatest race car driver who ever lived. This doc was told solely through archival footage and had the perfect cast of characters, the ultimate hero, the ideal villain and an ensemble that you couldn't even begin to write. It played out as though it was unfolding before your eyes. This is definitely a must-Netflix-kind-of-movie.

New Frontier
StruckAxiom was the main sponsor for Sundance's New Frontier interactive installation exhibit at the Salt Lake Art Center. There were some pretty amazing installation pieces including Arcade Fire's The Wilderness Downtown, James Franco's Three's Company: The Drama (complete with your very own can of Tab) and StruckAxiom had an installation of our own—a touchscreen display that aggregates Tweets and Gowalla check-ins from all the Sundance venues.

These Amazing Shadows
We wrapped up our 2011 Sundancing with another doc called These Amazing Shadows—the history of the National Film Registry. Since 1989 the Library of Congress has been archiving 25 films a year. They range from award-winning features to music videos, experimental films to home movies. Each registry selection reflects a truth of its time or a standout artistic vision. Definitely a movie-lovers movie. The great news is that you can vote here for your favorite films each and every year!

Moto Music Vid

2011-01-29T16:24:00.007-07:00

So now that I've got a Twitter account for random musings and a Tumblr blog for a pic of the day, it seems that more and more videos are surfacing on this particular blog. And I think that's good thing. This is a way cool moto music vid by French production company HUSH for the track "Frankie's Gun!" by The Felice Brothers. More videos of this caliber or better will be coming as I discover them—enjoy!

I'm a Sucker for a Hot Hatch

2011-01-22T12:30:00.007-07:00

My dad Normality turned me onto this a couple of days ago. Rarely am I that into supercars, let alone a Ferrari. But I'm always down with a hot hatch and this certainly qualifies. The Ferrari FF has four seats, four-wheel drive and a roof-line only a mother (and me) could love. Definitely reminiscent of my beloved Z3-based ///M Coupe. Check out the vid of this thing in action through a variety of conditions and terrain:

How'd I Miss This?

2011-01-16T19:41:00.006-07:00

Loving this official music video for Daft Punk's Derezzed. Sure, I'd seen the TRON: Legacy mash-up set to this tune, but this original music vid perfectly bridges the first flick with the second. Enjoy.

2010: A Year in Review

2010-12-28T07:35:00.029-07:00

Top 3 Favorite Albums

3. The National - High Violet Who would have ever thought that an album about spiders, ghosts and zombies would make for such great make-out music? Standout track: Conversation 16

2. Beach House - Teen Dream One cup of Nico, a teaspoon of Cowboy Junkies and a dash of The Beach Boys. Tasty. Standout track: Walk In The Park

1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs Face it, if this had been The Fire's first album, it'd be No. 1 on your list too. Standout track: Rococo

Top 3 Favorite Movies

3. How to Train Your Dragon Sure, Toy Story 3 and Tangled are fantastic, but do they have Toothless? That is the question. Standout scene: Hiccup and Toothless learning to fly together

2. The Social Network Apparently the answer to the question, "Can a movie about coding and IP lawsuits be compelling?" is hell yes. Standout scene: The tilt-shift rowing sequence set to In the Hall of the Mountain King

1. Inception Indie-thriller vibe meets ensemble-cast blockbuster in Christopher Nolan's super cinematic dream-sequence within a dream-sequence (within a dream-sequence). Standout scene: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's flying/falling fight scene

Top 3 Favorite TV Shows

3. Better Off Ted This award will have to be accepted posthumously. Better Off Ted is already dead, but it went out with a flawless record. Standout episode: The insult algorithm in The Impertence of Communicationizing

2. Friday Night Lights Who would have guessed you could go from loving the Dillon Panthers to absolutely despising them within a single episode? Standout episode: Henry Saracen's funeral in The Son

1. LOST Thanks to LOST's final season, the term "flash-sideways" is now and forever part of our collective consciousness. Standout episode: Richard's backstory in Ab Aeterno

Top 3 Favorite Cars

3. Toyota Sienna This Swagger Wagon is out to make minivans just as cool as MINIs. Standout feature: Hot Hatch-like lines

2. VW GTI I mentally cheat on my MINI with this car more than any other. Standout feature: Those gorgeous 18-inch alloys

1. MINI Countryman Bringing MINI back to the rallying world with 4 doors, 4 full seats and 4 wheel drive. Standout feature: MINI Connected Infotainment System

Top 3 Favorite Designs

3. The Wilderness Downtown HTML5 meets the mates from Montreal in a Google Chrome Experiment gone gangbusters. Standout feature: Geolocation personalization

2. Naked Bikes Fixie shmixie. Derailleurs can be cool too. Standout feature: Repurposed inner tube fender

1. TRON: Legacy It's stylish, digital, classic and progressive all at once. The looks, sounds and motion of TRON: Legacy set the tone for this year's design community/geekdom in general. Standout feature: Flynn's mid-century modern bach pad

Kyality-Style Christmas

2010-12-26T08:41:00.007-07:00

Well, we just had ourselves another Kyality-Style Christmas that included everything from reading material to musk. Mrs. Kyality added to my Design Museum set with Fifty Chairs That Changed the World and even though I love the packaging of Kenneth Cole's Vintage Black, the original Black is a far tamer scent. And apparently she's cool with me learning how to mix the perfect Old Fashion thanks to Mad Men: The Illustrated World. I'd just prefer to mix a Root Nog instead. Merry Christmas everyone and thanks for reading.

The New ///M Coupe

2010-12-20T11:17:00.010-07:00

As a former Z3-based ///M Coupe driver and former 2002 driver—for me, this is easily the most exciting vehicle for 2011. Click on the pics to enlarge.

Love the re-imagining of the front and rear, especially the wide-body, flared wheel-wells.

Nearly the same proportions of the original E30 ///M3. Niiice.

Geometric Inspiration

2010-12-11T07:32:00.014-07:00

I recently saw Sufjan Stevens on his eye-popping Age of Adz tour, an ode to an illustrator named Royal Robertson. In the midst a 15-minute monologue, which I generally can't stand, I thought of some illustrations that I grew up with on the wall of our family room. They were these very geometric pieces of old cars and hippies. And though I was kind of annoyed at the length of The Soof's rambling, I was inspired to learn more about the person behind these illustrations from my childhood. (Feel free to click on any of the images to enlarge.)

Turns out they were drafted by my mom's uncle, Donald E. Anderson. Don was a heavily-decorated officer, serving in both WWII and Korea. He also was a hard-working man at Mountain Fuel, a community activist and interestingly enough, a partner in the war bonds business with actor Jason 'Fatman' McCabe. But more than anything else, Don was a caring uncle who loved to draw.

Don implemented a geometric illustration style, using a ruler and a T-square, as well as architectural stencils and a wide variety of pens and markers. His subjects were characters of the time, folk singers, soldiers, hippies and often himself. But he also created geometric abstract art as well. Nearly everything was drawn with straight lines, other than the perfect circles that pepper his pieces and the occasional unaided, hand-drawn textures.

Don had a unique strength at capturing the personality of each of his characters. He defined those personalities through expressions and details in fun, unexpected ways. He was able to geometrically represent the wrinkles, disheveled clothes and patchwork hair that comes along with characters with character.

Don passed away February 6, 1976 of a sudden heart attack at the age of 49, just 7 months before I was born. Yet I was inspired by him every day growing up through his delightfully quirky illustration-style. I spent much of my youth sketching my own characters, while sitting directly under his. There's no doubt he was one of the many influences that led me to a career in the creative field.

Thanks, Uncle Don.

Against Dumb

2010-12-01T16:10:00.002-07:00

Smart Car, with the help of the stellar mograph shop Buck, recently launched this vibrant campaign, simply called: Against Dumb. To put it plainly… it's smart. Using detailed design and dialed dialog, they've perfectly captured the essence of micro-car driving as well as a bit of mid-century modest mentality.

Calvin Klein Countryman

2010-11-30T16:16:00.010-07:00

This matte black MINI Countryman was designed for the 2010 Life Ball by Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa. Click on any pic to enlarge.

Very aggressive looking, despite it not being an S.

Loving the simplified grille and blacked-out Xenon headlamps.

Looks like Francisco's stoked on them too.

Bonus Color Scheming: Light White

2010-11-22T22:46:00.003-07:00

I'm dreaming of a light white Christmas.

Is Ted Better Off Dead?

2010-11-20T10:13:00.005-07:00

As many of you know, Mrs. Kyality and I have forfeited cable for a sweet combo of Hulu and Netflix and based on some key recommendations, we started watching Better Off Ted on Netflix Instant. After two short seasons, ABC pulled what was easily one of the smartest, funniest sitcoms on TV. But in a massive marketing blunder, barely anyone had ever even heard of Ted prior to it being cancelled.

We just finished both seasons and literally started them over again. Why, you ask? No missteps. Due to being cancelled prematurely—Ted falls into the honorable camp of shows like The (British) Office and Extras. It's short, but tighter than tight. Granted we would have loved some real closure, nevertheless Ted was never subjected to an off-the-rails season. Its cancellation guaranteed it a flawless record.

Think about this season of The (American) Office—sure there are funny little moments—but the story arc feels completed. And you watch new episodes thinking, haven't I seen this one before? The idea of the decade-long sitcom is better off dead. Some argue LOST was too long, and some say not long enough. At least JJ and crew fought for a solid ending and won, or else we'd still be wondering what that black smoke's all about.

So check out Better Off Ted, or even buy the complete series when it comes out on DVD. Watch it. Gift it. It won't disappoint. Ted rightfully deserves a place on your shelf right next to your copies of Arrested.

Fast, Fixed, Fun

2010-11-13T07:33:00.013-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that the whole fixie movement is bit unbearable at times, but photographers like Brenton Salo still manage to get a casual observer like me pretty pumped.

That's a serious jump for a fixed gear.

Loving the tones here.

Cross-processed 35mm double exposure.

Land Roving

2010-11-06T21:32:00.014-06:00

It's a lesser known fact but MINI's weren't my first British vehicle infatuation. I was actually introduced to the flick The Gods Must Be Crazy at a fairly young age and from that moment on, I loved the classic Land Rover. Throughout high school, I couldn't envision myself driving anything else in life.

Rovers are the ultimate combination of safari and sophistication. I was never really into Range Rovers or Discovery's/LR3's. I was into their trucks, not their SUV's. There's a big difference. Rovers are simply the never-say-die torque monsters that still manage to ooze this amazing notion of refinement.

The classic Rover saw a couple Series of incarnations with loads of configurations until it gave up its leaf-sprung suspension for coils and became known as the Defender. The only Defender I ever really dug was the super-crew Defender 130 (as seen above). But my true love was the Series III with the spare tire on the bonnet (as seen below).

Back in the day, I remember Normality and I taking the BMW 2002 across the Hudson River in NY to this Land Rover restoration shop called Roverworks. A couple of guys and their dog imported/smuggled rundown versions from around the world and brought them back to life. I'll give you one guess what the dog's name was.

It was Rover, duh.

Hot Box Halloween

2010-10-27T20:27:00.014-06:00

From the moment I first saw Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, I began seeding the idea of my son being the character Ash as "White Cape" for Halloween. The Kyality Kid agreed, but only if he could have the bandit hat "with the stars, not the one made out of a sock." Duh. Click here to enlarge.

I mentioned this to his crafty auntie at Team Boo over the summer and she actually did the dirty work for us and made an amazing bandit hat that was delivered as a sweet b-day present last month. So enjoy the ultimate Fantastic Mr. Fox Halloween costume!

Remember, it's the pull back that matters.

Meaner Beamer

2010-10-20T16:06:00.011-06:00

Let's just get this straight. A BMW automobile is called a 'Bimmer' (pronounced BEE-mer) for short. However, a BMW motorcycle is called a 'Beamer' (also pronounced BEE-mer) due to the single beam of light from its headlamp. At least that's what my padre Normality taught me. And this is easily one of the meaner Beamers that I've ever come across.

This 1963 BMW R60/2 is a knobby, murdered-out monster machine that feels totally old-school and post-apocalyptic-futuristic all at the same time. Enjoy.

(via TheCoolist)

Window's Vista

2010-10-16T06:48:00.012-06:00

I've had a longtime love/hate relationship with Dwell Magazine. I canceled it last year, but someone recently gifted me a subscription. I typically thumb quickly through the unrealistic and unattainable, but in their 10 Year Anniversary Issue I spotted a dwelling that can only be described as Mid-century Modest.

The curbside view on this flat-roofed gem is understated to say the least. Overgrown and weatherworn, the front façade simply says 'simple'. Which I love. While the tan 1970's Bavaria silently screams 'taste'. Which I love even more.

The interior on the other hand, though still simple and tasteful, is an exercise in where and when to indulge. They opted to cover the inside in basic 70's-looking clay tiles—the exact same tan as the Bimmer mind you—which is striking (but it's not like they went with marble). Yet every interior item points toward the place where they actually dropped some dough—the back wall or the lack thereof.

The owners eliminated the back wall of the humble home entirely and opted for an opulent 26-foot-long, 18-foot-high sliding glass door that opens the entire interior to a unique view of LA. There's no TV in the house, the view is their flat screen and a beautiful vintage record-player is their soundtrack. Thanks Dwell, for inspiring us with this one. See a full slideshow here.

Arcade Fire vs. James

2010-10-10T15:38:00.008-06:00

Within the past two weeks, I've been fortunate enough to hit two of the best shows I've ever seen—both quite different from one another. A week and half ago, thanks to @Upto12, I was able to see Calexico and Arcade Fire at the Rose Quarter in Portland. If you haven't heard much about this tour yet, our friends from up north have basically been lighting up and burning down nearly-filled colosseums across the nation—and this night was no exception.

Though it started out with a couple of very "good" tracks from their newest album The Suburbs—it wasn't 'til opening strums of the fourth song Haiti that they fully came alive. Their energy-level, passion and riotous rocking only increased from that point on. Seeing them live (again) only validated Upto12's point from a recent discussion.

Though I absolutely love both The Suburbs and Neon Bible—it's the tracks from Funeral that send me (and everyone else in the venue) straight into rock concert bliss. It's not that they're necessarily better tunes—they simply perform them in a way that is undeniably exuberant. The proof's here.

Five days later Mrs. Kyality and I caught the James sound check and show at a ridiculous new venue here in SLC. Despite the drab, cinder-block box that is The Complex, the classic Brit-Poppers—visually stunned by the SLC fandom—put on an amazingly energetic and spontaneous show. A minor equipment failure led to an impromptu unplugged session and later a guitar solo was forfeited for a fantastic feedback fight with a fiddle. It's these kind of nuances that make a little concert in a crap venue end up as one of the best yet.

MINI WRC

2010-09-30T18:43:00.007-06:00

MINI is re-entering the World Rally Championship fray with this new Countryman-based setup. Check more photos from the Paris Auto Show here.

A nice nod back to the original, Monte Carlo-winning flavor.

MINI Scooter E Concept

2010-09-23T10:43:00.005-06:00

What the what?? Adrian van Hooydonk from the BMW Design Group introduces an awesome electric urban transport. MINI design cues galore!

Diablo vs. Kyle... Chandler, that is

2010-09-19T08:32:00.007-06:00

This is a must-see interview for any FNL fan. I pre-apologize for some of the language—still, it's a fantastic clip. Thanks to Mike Arauz for posting this one.

Top 10 Favorite Seinfeld Episodes

2010-09-14T22:24:00.014-06:00

10. The Soup Nazi - Season 7, Episode 6

"Jambalaya!" - Newman

9. The Comeback - Season 8, Episode 11

"Well, the jerk store called, and they're running outta you." - George

8. The Jimmy - Season 6, Episode 19

"George is getting upset!" - George

7. The Race - Season 6, Episode 10

"I choose not to run!" - Jerry

6. The Dinner Party - Season 5, Episode 13

"Look to the cookie, Elaine. Look to the cookie." - Jerry

5. The Pool Guy - Season 7, Episode 8

"Why don't you just tell me the name of the movie you've selected." - Kramer

4. The Chicken Roaster - Season 8, Episode 8

"Is someone there? Mr. Marbles?" - Jerry

3. The Puerto Rican Day Parade - Season 9, Episode 20

"This time, advantage Varnsen!" - Jerry

2. The Strike - Season 9, Episode 10

"No, please! Denim Vest! He's smoothing it!" - Elaine

1. The Little Jerry - Season 8, Episode 11

"It's chestnut with auburn highlights!" - Elaine

BMW Bobber

2010-09-10T13:13:00.003-06:00

I'm totally digging this bobbed-version of a BMW R80. It's clean and modern, yet dirrty and retro all at once. Click here to enlarge.

Beach House Dining

2010-09-08T09:23:00.004-06:00

Last Thursday, Mrs. Kyality and I made a last minute, snap decision to catch the Vampire Weekend show that night. They did a great job, but the opening act easily stole the show. I actually hadn't heard of Beach House prior to that night, but later that same night let's just say I snagged all their albums off iTunes.

Beach House is a genre-defying band, nearly unclassifiable. When you hear them for the first time, there's two relatively conflicting vibes happening all at once. You think to yourself, wow I've never anything like this. At the very same time, you can't help but think that they sound oddly familiar.

Nearly every song on their latest album, Teen Dream, is addictive in its own way. In fact, many of the songs start off one way and end completely different, like two songs squished into one. And both are awesome. The standout tracks of the night were Take Care and Walk In the Park—both of which prompted some amazing head-banging from Mademoiselle Legrand.

Listening to Beach House is like a fine dining experience. Each song is like a bite with tons of flavors to identify. Each flavor is a familiar vibe and it's fun to pick each of them out. For me, the ingredient list of Beach House is as follows: one cup of Nico, a teaspoon of Cowboy Junkies and a dash of The Beach Boys. Tasty.

I have beef. Let's fight.

2010-09-01T21:39:00.008-06:00

Strangely enough, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World totally slipped under my radar until it was well into theaters. It even came out on my b-day and instead I let Mrs. Kyality convince me to see Eat, Pray, Love. But on Saturday, we were able to snag a sitter for The Kyality Kids for a couple of hours in the afternoon and caught it.

I'm a huge fan of George Michael Bluth, Hot Fuzz and graphic novel adaptations, so once I figured out what this show actually was I was stoked to see it. And it did not disappoint. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the perfect combination of graphic novel meets video game meets anime meets teen angst flick. Not to mention the music rocks too.

Though I was generally a fan of the Wachowski's adaptation of Speed Racer—it seems like this flick's visual effects and motion graphics accomplished what the Wachowski's were attempting. The effects were just tight and the fight scenes were both clever and epic. I can totally imagine Andy and Larry (or is it Lana) watching Pilgrim and going—ahhh, crap.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is easily one of the coolest flicks of the year, so go check it out and get there early enough to catch the treatment of the Universal Pictures logo animation. Good stuff.

My Photo-A-Day Tumblr Experiment

2010-08-28T16:14:00.010-06:00

I have a pretty substantial hobby collecting what I think are pretty cool pictures from online. And of late, I've become a fan of some sweet Tumblr photo-blogs. Some of my faves are ryjohnson, Convoy and Please Don't Shake Me. So with all that in mind, I've decided to start my own simple, little Tumblr photo-blog. I plan on posting a photo each day and in true Kyality fashion they'll be pics about music, movies, tv, cars and design. You can follow the imagery action at: kyality.tumblr.com

Enjoy!

Friday Inspiration

2010-08-20T09:40:00.006-06:00

Digging this photo of the BL House by Studio Guilherme Torres. I could totally rock that car if I had that house. See more pics here.

In Keeping With Tradition...

2010-08-14T22:45:00.012-06:00

In keeping with the tradition of posting the rad gifts I scored for my b-day, I've put together a quick list of this year's awesomeness. Mrs. Kyality got me "MINI Concept For The Future", which is the book that BMW put together commemorating the MINI Traveller Concept that the Clubman is based on.

The Kyality Kids (with help from mom) got me L.L. Bean Day Sailor Sweater, the Threadless 108 References to LOST tee, "The Office" Christmas Special (British version of course) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition). Click here to enlarge the images above.

Oh yeah, and Upto12 also got me the LEGO Star Wars Mini Figures Magnet Set with Battle-damaged Darth Vader, Snowtrooper and Shadow Trooper.

Not a bad haul!

Not Awesome

2010-08-12T08:15:00.002-06:00

So this is what happens when a really sneaky curb catches you (ironically) on the way to a MINI gathering. Thank goodness the doods at Wheelwerks open early.

Speed Weaponry

2010-08-07T15:08:00.005-06:00

I'm totally digging this custom, hand-built track bike by Hunter. Especially loving the Zipp "Speed Weaponry" it's rolling on. (via Monoscope)

Telephoto + Concert = Megadork

2010-08-02T21:18:00.012-06:00

So I brought my Rebel and telephoto lens to The Dodos and The New Pornographers to SLC's Twilight Concert Series last week. Fantastic bands. Fantastic show. So so shots that barely made the megadorkiness worth it. Nevertheless, here's the best of the bunch. Just click 'em to enlarge.

Meric Long shredding on his ultra-beat-up hollow-body electric.

Logan Kroeber keepin' the beat at a mind-bending tempo.

Keaton Snyder's got the easiest gig around. This is him bowing(?) a vibraphone just before he drooped himself over the fence and started scopin' for hoochies. Nice tee Buster.

On All Levels

2010-07-18T16:53:00.014-06:00

Third time's a charm. Mrs. Kyality and I didn't think we'd have the opportunity to see Christopher Nolan's epic mind-bender opening weekend. But when the chance presented itself, it took last-minute phone calls to three sitters before we were jumping in the Clubman on the way to the theater.

Sure there's been some fantastic looking trailers and lots of Twitter hype around this one—but you have to wonder, in a summer of suck (other than TS3)—is this flick as great as they say? The answer is: Yes… on all levels.

Inception is Nolan at the top of his game. When you look at his filmography thus far, everything he's done up to this point has prepared him in some way to make this movie. He set the stage for himself with indie thrillers like Memento and ensemble-cast blockbusters like the Batman reboot. He's stayed true to his brand by growing it ever so slightly—one film at a time—unlike M.Knight who's obviously staggering as he strives to slip free from sleeper-hit stardom.

But Nolan nails it and the proof is in the details. Even though the cast is chock full of stars, he uses them like honed tools. Drawing on each of the actors' inherent baggage to round out his characters' backstories completely worked for him. For instance, when Ellen Page enters the screen, our minds automatically sprinkle a little bit of Juno's nobleness onto her character.

He goes as far as to use Edith Piaf's classic anthem "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" as a thread throughout the film. That's of course a song that was masterfully delivered by Marion Cotillard when she took home an Oscar for her portrayal of none other than Edith Piaf in the magnificent biopic La vie en rose. Again, choices such as this add degrees of depth and detail.

Finally, you can't talk about Inception without mentioning the effects. Sure, you've heard how awesome they are, but what you perhaps haven't heard is how essential they are to the story. Nolan takes no cheap shots with his use of visual effect, minimal CG and intricate action sequences. They are mandated by the story. Even his gratuitous use of beautiful slo-mo shots are technically being shown in real-time from the perspective of the characters. So get your movie fix filled with this smart, satisfying epic that nails it on all levels.

PS: I also loved the Hans Zimmer score and the awesome alpine siege sequence.

Gibersonian Wallpaper

2010-07-16T23:47:00.004-06:00

So I just cropped this sweet photo by Leah Giberson of some of her latest work. It's set up as a 1400 x 900 wallpaper. Click here to enjoy!

Top 10 Favorite TV Cars

2010-07-11T07:16:00.015-06:00

While developing my Top 10 Favorite Movie Cars list, I noticed that tons of movie cars started as TV cars, which inspired the list below. Enjoy!

10. "The Monkeemobile" 1966 GTO convertible - The MonkeesMy dad, Normality, always talks about seeing this one in person as a kid. That kinda thing sticks with you.

9. "Crockett's Ferrari" 1986 Ferrari Tesstarossa - Miami Vice
Growing up, I wasn't allowed to watch Miami Vice so this car always had some mystique surrounding it. Not to mention, it has a way cool rear view mirror.

8. "B.A. Baracus' Van" 1983 GMC G-Series - The A-Team
A kidnapper van never looked so cool.

7. The Jon Voight Car 1989 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible - Seinfeld
"Everybody's talkin' at me, Can't hear a word they're sayin' [George improvises] Just drivin' around in Jon Voight's car…"

6. "KITT" 1982 Pontiac Trans Am - Knight Rider
Now if this car woulda just shut up, it might have made my top 5.

5. "Mr. Bean's Mini" 1977 MK IV Mini 1000 - Mr. Bean
Yes, I want a padlock on my Clubman.

4. "The General Lee" 1969 Dodge Charger - The Dukes of Hazzard
Way cooler than Starsky's Tornio—I'm mean who needs doors that actually open?

3. "The Mach 5" - Speed Racer
Best Speed Racer quote: "If we crash The Mach 5, I can't win!"

2. 1983 Ferrari 308 GTS - Magnum, P.I.
You're only allowed to drive these things if you have a mustache.

1. "The Batmobile" 1955 Lincoln Futura concept - Batman
Holy mother of all TV cars Batman!

Lord Vader, Your MINI Awaits

2010-07-04T23:42:00.008-06:00

MINI just announced a facelift and engine upgrade to the current Cooper line-up. Improvements include added horse-power, new vents, LED rear lights, new color schemes and more.

This JCW version is particularly Sith-like in nature, no?

Top 10 Favorite Movie Cars

2010-06-26T21:13:00.037-06:00

Not long after I published my post on my top 10 fave car chases Mrs. Kyality challenged me to come up with my top 10 favorite movie cars. Here's what I've got, hope you like it. Top 10 favorite TV cars coming soon!
10. "The Tumbler" – Batman Begins/The Dark Knight
Leave it to Christopher Nolan to create a believable series reboot where the origins of the Batmobile stem from a fa-reaking tank! Sure, many Batmobile purists were borderline offended that Bruce Wayne wasn't modifying some sports car—but there's still room for that in the third installment—remember this one sustained "catastrophic damage" and Batman ejected via the Batpod. The best part about this vehicle is that it works and is real. Nolan refused to rely on CG and therefore The Tumbler makes the cut.

9. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT – Ferris Bueller's Day Off
I was introduced to this movie unbeknownst to my parents at a fairly young age by family friends—you know—one of those defining childhood moments. And from that point on, I've ALWAYS wanted to steal a red convertible from my friend's parents' mid-century modern home. Seriously, who hasn't thought that after watching this flick? And no, running a car in reverse does NOT remove its miles.

8. 1932 Ford Coupe – American Graffiti
Before George Lucas' characters were piloting the Millennium Falcon, they were rollin' in a yellow Deuce Coupe. In his coming-of-age masterpiece he lays forth a language of roguish heros, unsuspecting protagonists and high-powered chases told through a series of vignettes, featuring a group of teenagers and their cars within a single night in August 1962. Here's some Lucas trivia for ya, the hot rod's license plate reads: THX 138. Nice little bit of intertextuality.

7. 1973 (Australian) Ford Falcon – Mad Max/The Road Warrior
As a teenager, I discovered the sci-fi section of the Video Bin, a video rental joint a mile or two from my home. I began combing through the classics, everything from Planet of the Apes to 2001: A Space Odyssey. I also came across the Australian series based around Mad Max and his pre- and post-apocalyptic adventures. This car has become the pinnacle of road rage rat rods and has been alluded to by many including filmmakers like Tarantino and the like.

6. "Eleanor" 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – Gone In Sixty Seconds
Okay. I admit it. This one might be the odd-ball out in this list. The remake of Gone in 60 Seconds kinda sucks. But there had to be a Mustang in the list and since I gave Bullitt the No. 1 spot in the car chase list, I felt that this car could effectively represent the pony-car segment. Plus, let's face it—it's a gorgeous car and ANY automotive enthusiast can instantly identify her by name.

5. "The Dragonfly-mobile" Modified 1968 Citroën DS – CQ
Roman Coppala's fun homage to pulpy late 60's sci-fi flicks like Barbarella and Danger: Diabolik features a sweet little chase scene with one of filmdom's lesser-known movie cars: The Dragonfly-mobile. The second I saw this flick, I noted this car as one of the greats. It's quick, it's European and no car has been better suited for an actress/model like Angela Lindvall to rally in.

4. 1964 Aston Martin DB5 – Goldfinger
My dad, Normality, had a die-cast model of this car sitting on his dresser throughout my entire childhood. And let's be brutally honest for a moment—no other vehicle within the longest movie franchise ever has even come close to its iconic image, barrage of gadgets or pure, classy cool factor. Not a one. This car will forever be THE definitive spy car, ejector seat and all.

3. "The Jaguar Hearse" 1971 Jaguar XK-E – Harold and Maude
Mrs. Kyality introduced me to this quirky flick in which Harold a morbid 19 year-old played by a young Bud Cort falls in love with a happy-go-lucky 79 year-old played by an old Ruth Gordon. In the film, Harold who drives a hearse for fun is given an amazing silver 1971 Jaguar XK-E as a gift to help him cheer up. He takes a look at the sports car and a look at the hearse and a few tools sounds later we have one of film's most beautiful and unique movie cars. This car has definitely influenced my tastes as two of my own cars have been described as being similar to it. Namely this one and this one. This movie also has an amazing soundtrack by Cat Stevens.

2. Tim Burton's "Batmobile" – Batman/Batman Returns
This one was a tough one to not put in the No. 1 slot. Even the classic Batman fans admit this is easily the most beautiful Batmobile to date. But is it my favorite movie car? That was the question. I was 12 years-old when Tim Burton re-imagined Batman for the masses. I saw it on opening night and I vividly remember Michael Keaton as Batman saying, "Get in the car" and Vicki Vale replying: "Which one?" The crowd went insane at the first glimpse of this vehicle and it's been one of the definitive Batmobiles ever since.

1. "Doc's Time Machine" 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 – Back to the Future
All I have to say is this: not only does this car's stainless steel construction make flux dispersal possible, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? The DeLorean as a car was always trying way too hard to be cool. The DeLorean as a time machine on the other hand is as cool as cool gets. You don't even need to have seen the movie to know that this thing could easily set your tire tracks on fire and catapult you throughout the space/time continuum.

Another Year, Another Awesome F-Day

2010-06-21T23:14:00.005-06:00

Mrs. Kyality and the Kyality Kids out did themselves this year for Father's Day. I scored a rad amp stack tee, Monty Python and The Holy Grail on DVD and for all you 50 Dresses That Changed The World fans out there—I got the newest installment from the Design Museum—50 Cars That Changed The World. This brilliantly designed book contains gems such as: the Citroën DS, the BMW 3 Series, the original Land Rover and of course the original Mini. Pretty aws.

Not Retro, Original

2010-06-16T06:46:00.006-06:00

In 2008, BMW recreated it's 1972 2002 tii to pimp the release of it's 1-Series tii Concept. Most folks just wished they'd just re-release the original rather than simply give a new model a retro name. Specialized has done just that.

Specialized has re-released their classic Reynolds 520 frame and dubbed it the 2010 Langster Steel Frameset. This is not retro, it's the original created once more—and it comes it white. Check out this totally beautiful and inspirational rendition pictured above. I love the simplicity and cleanliness of this little whip.

This Is Not a Joke

2010-06-11T08:45:00.004-06:00

Apparently MINI (and their friends at BSSP) has challenged Porsche to a race... a race with a 911 nonetheless. Here's what they have to say about it:

We have challenged the Porsche 911 to a race. Why? Maybe it's because we're tired of them always getting the best valet parking spots right out in front. Maybe it's because their owners wear too many pastel-colored sweaters draped over their shoulders. Or maybe it's because we're just plain crazy. Whatever the reason, we've challenged Porsche to race their 911 Carrera S against our MINI Cooper S. We've picked a fight with Goliath.

Pretty awesome. Though I choose not to Facebook, you can sign the petition to encourage Porsche to accept the challenge here.

UPDATE: Looks like Porsche has already declined. Bogus.

To Fix or Not to Fix

2010-06-09T10:52:00.007-06:00

I came across this bike, the GT Gutterball, while grabbing some more not-so-thorn-resistant tubes at my local (mostly mountain) bike shop. The entire staff was stoked that someone was actually interested in one of their non-mountain bike models. They made me take it for a spin—riding fixed takes some getting used to for sure. I almost got bucked! And then they offered me a hefty discount. I was seriously tempted—then I went on a ride on the Sirrus with Upto12 in Yosemite last week and was definitely grateful for the gears.

It's a beautiful bike—whaddya think?

The Book of LOST

2010-05-29T08:30:00.004-06:00

In the beginning there was Jack. Ever since I started this blog, thoughts and updates on LOST have been a fairly standard feature. Well, the end of an era is upon us and I thought it'd be nice to take a look at the series finale and what it meant for the show as whole. Don't continue beyond this point if you're still a potential watcher of the finale or a hater of it in general.

In regard to the finale, the dialog was fantastic—Hurley and Sawyer were cracking me up. Desmond was in full force, and I got my "I'll see you in another life brother!" even though it was delivered by Jack. It was fantastic to see Jack and Kate do a bit of tongue wrestling. And you had to love the Jack super punch.

As for what it told us about the show on the whole, I loved that the island and everything that happened on it was in fact real. There really was a magic island in the middle of the Pacific, period. I thought it was a totally intriguing and bold twist to make the show overtly religious. I loved that it was all about Jack and his, for lack of a better term, eternal progression. And I loved that in true LOST-ian fashion we didn't get all the answers—in fact, I felt it was telling us that it's not the little details that matter in the eternal scheme of things.

It seems to me that in the end, LOST was more or less a parable for life and I get that not everyone got it or liked it. Isn't that what a parable is all about anyway?

Color Scheming: Burnt Orange

2010-05-21T21:52:00.006-06:00

Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

PS: Unless I find some more stellar images, this is the last post of this series and to celebrate I've created this wallpaper image. Enjoy!

Click it to enlarge. Grab it to download!

Maybe Iron Man Should Fly Solo

2010-05-15T15:26:00.007-06:00

As a Kyality Kid myself, I never had more than a flirtatious relationship with actual comic books. I mean, I always loved Batman, but that obsession mainly stemmed from reruns of the campy 1960's series, Tim Burton's films and Batman: The Animated Series. As far as actual comic books go, I probably never owned more than a dozen or so and only a third of them were Marvel. And of those, they were all either Iron Man comics or The Avengers. I always viewed Iron Man/Tony Stark as Marvel's version of Batman/Bruce Wayne—millionaires, no super powers and lotsa cool tech. So when the first Iron Man movie came out in 2008, I was stoked and enjoyed it enough to buy it.

Last night we caught the sequel and though I wasn't overly impressed (not like The Dark Knight follow-up to Batman Begins)—we still had a great time at the movies. The dialog is witty, the action sequences are fun and pretty original and the CG (especially the digital scans and imaging of Stark's central computer, JARVIS) is fantastic. Iron Man has easily become Marvel's best motion picture franchise.

Personally, I think there's some danger ahead for this franchise by co-mingling it with the rest of the Marvel universe. The Avengers is a rotating team of heros who have from time to time included characters such as Captain America, Thor, The Hulk and even The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and Wolverine. The trouble is this—the Iron Man flicks have been really good—now this story is looking like its about to get mixed in with the likes of Marvel's other hit-and-miss franchises. Thank goodness that in the comic books, Daredevil declined to join The Avengers.

Color Scheming: Lime Green

2010-05-06T13:46:00.001-06:00

Not a MINI factory color, but fresh nevertheless.

An Automotive Education

2010-05-02T13:30:00.009-06:00

I've always said that my love of European cars stems almost entirely from my upbringing. Out of curiosity, I recently emailed my dad, Normailty, and asked him to hook me up with list of all the cars my family drove—both foreign and domestic—from the time I was born until I went to college. It's actually pretty interesting. And just to be clear, even though the first one was a '73 Beetle—I wasn't born until '76.

1973 Volkswagen Beetle (Red): 1973 Volkswagen Bus (Two-tone Tan/White):

Normality and Kyality doing some auto-bonding.

1980 Dodge Omni (Copper)
1973 BMW Bavaria (Red):
1973 Ford Pinto Wagon (Ketchup Red) Awesome!

1974 BMW 2002 tii (White):

JessInTheCity and Kyality getting dirrty.

1974 Renault LeCar 3-door Hatch (Orange): 1974 BMW Bavaria (Tan)

1980 Toyota Corolla SR5 Liftback (Yellow)
1975 Renault LeCar 5-door Hatch (Navy Blue)
1980 Saab 99 2-door (Navy Blue): 1988 Dodge Caravan (Charcoal Grey)
1976 BMW 2002 (Cherry Red):

This is a pic of the actual car guest starring my little bro Snizzle.

1988 Chevrolet Nova (Silver)
1973 BMW 2002 (Blue)
1990 Volvo 240 DL (Black): 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee (Metallic Blue)
1988 BMW M5 (Black): So figure that we had least two cars at any given time and you can see that I've always been exposed to a healthy dose of Euro-autos. Fun little list. Now you know where my sickness comes from. Thanks Pa.

Color Scheming: Laser Blue

2010-04-27T22:40:00.002-06:00

Laser Blue. Almost as cool as Laser Cats.

From iPad, on iPad

2010-04-24T08:09:00.015-06:00

So as you may or may not have read in my previous post, the exec team at StruckAxiom, in an effort to bring us up to speed with the latest in technology, gave everyone brand spanking new iPads. Yeah, it was pretty much crazy awesome. After spending a week with it, here are my first impressions.

This post is also prompted by the fact that I forgot my MacBook's power cord at work yesterday. Therefore, I'm composing this on the iPad, which is an interesting experience in and of itself. In fact, for some reason, I can only seem to write directly in the HTML editor, weird.

Anyways, I think I'm starting to get it, the iPad that is. Just the other night we were catching up on some shows via Hulu on our iMac. I was just doing some couch-browsing on the iPad, when it was time to start the next show. I quickly launched my Rowmote Pro app, which serves up an iPad specific interface, and fired up the next show from the same device I was just surfing on. Having an iPad is either going to be very awesome or it's going to induce all new levels of laziness.

Mrs. Kyality, who until now, hasn't had a wireless browsing device at home is way excited to get her Grey's on, without subjecting The Kyality Kids to unhealthy degrees of McDreamy exposure.

I had convinced myself that due to the fact that I rock both a MacBook and an iPhone that I couldn't really see an iPad fitting into my personal digital lifestyle. I still don't really see it fitting that well, it's definitely built for someone whose sole connectivity is a desktop. But so far, it's been a superb wireless device and an awesome entertainment system control panel.

UPDATE: I actually had to save this post and complete it on our desktop in Firefox. Apparently, the Blogger CMS hates Safari. There's prolly an app for that now that I think about it.

Color Scheming: British Racing Green

2010-04-22T10:55:00.001-06:00

Git yur Brit on.

Toothless: Inspired Vehicle Design

2010-04-18T10:50:00.012-06:00

So the execs at StruckAxiom surprised the crew Thursday with a couple of things. We all got to go see How To Train Your Dragon, since we worked on the killer Flame It site. BUT just before that, they literally busted out brand new iPads for the entire company—to keep. For reals.

So before I conduct an in-depth review of the iPad, I definitely wanna take a moment and touch on what was in my opinion a landmark film for DreamWorks. From my understanding, How To Train Your Dragon had a rocky start in the studio, until it was helmed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (of Lilo and Stitch fame).

HTTYD has an obvious based-on-a-book vibe, but other than some heavy references to some more backstory we weren't necessarily getting, it is about as tight as a family film can get. The characters are memorable and charming. The production design is fresh and intriguing. And the creature design is straight up inspiring. Especially the creature design of The Night Fury: Toothless.

Throughout the film, I couldn't help but feel like the creature design of Toothless was heavily based on principles of good vehicle design. With headlight-like eyes and a jet fighter-like stance—Toothless was all too familiar to me. During the film I even caught the designers' allusion of Hiccup's tail-flight-contraption-pedal to an Imperial Speeder Bike's throttle pedal. But it wasn't until my drive home from the theater that I realized that if a MINI had a personality—it'd be much like that of Toothless. I seriously wonder if any of the creature designers drive one. I found this excellent interview with Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, which includes this great description of Toothless:

"So [Toothless] has to do a great deal of acting and that’s one of the guiding principles behind his design, that he be frightening and a bit of a Stealth Fighter in their world, but also have the design elements that would make him friendly and cute and really adorable when it comes time to really get to know him."

Now read it again, and think of a MINI.
See? Crazy huh. Okay, fine. I'll admit it. MINI's aren't just cool, they're also cute.

Airstreamed

2010-04-12T22:26:00.004-06:00

This is Leah Giberson's latest archival giclee print of a beautiful painting she completed in late 2009. The original was painted with acrylic on top of a cut up printed photograph and canvas mounted to a wooden panel. The original photograph by Terry Bone can be seen here.

Check out my posts on Leah's mid-century modest works here and one on a pretty amazing Airstream refresh here.

Color Scheming: Pepper White

2010-04-07T20:54:00.003-06:00

Bland is the new black.

Cut To The Chase: Top 10 Favorite Car Chases

2010-04-03T10:59:00.020-06:00

The car chase holds an almost sacred position in the realm of all things Kyality. I have a few criteria that qualify genuine car chases. First, they must involve more than one car—not a car and train (The French Connection) and not just motorcycles/a helicopter (The 2003 Italian Job). Second, the cars must be cool ones (duh). And finally the chase must be unique, with exceptional driving, awesome editing and stylized camera angles. These Top 10 fit that bill:

10. The Italian Job (1969)
Sure the actual chase in this flick isn't the most dramatic, but you cannot watch these Original Minis make their getaway and not smile.

9. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Not only do we have a MINI, we have a minivan as well. Fun to see one in action.

8. The Blues Brothers (1980)
This is the number one car chase cluster-cuss of all time.

7. Who Am I? (1998)
Trust me on this one. Jackie Chan-style acrobatics in a car. Does not disappoint.

6. Duel (1971)
Spielberg's first flick. This made-for-TV masterpiece is the definition of suspense on wheels.

5. Death Proof (2007)
Tarantino creates an homage to the car chase that will melt your face (or at least grind it off with tire tread).

4. The Hire (2001)
BMW's compilation of short car chase flicks gives us some of the best car chases ever recorded and put Clive Owen in the driver seat of the rest of his career.

3. The Bourne Identity (2002)
The best Mini car chase has got to be in my Top 3, right?

2. Ronin (1998)
This is the ultimate Euro car chase flick. Nothing else comes close, 'cept of course, The King of Cool.

1. Bullitt (1968)
The grand-pappy of all car chases. Steve McQueen's almost biblical automotive epic defines all that is the car chase. Check out The Selvedge Yard's full breakdown here.

Color Scheming: Midnight Black

2010-03-26T08:48:00.003-06:00

Lord Vader... we are honored by your presence.

Noodle, 2D, Murdoc and Bruce

2010-03-19T21:55:00.005-06:00

Take a sec and check out the Gorillaz new vid 'Stylo' sporting a sick car chase, fanastic CG and the actor with the best gun face ever.

Color Scheming: Mellow Yellow

2010-03-09T21:21:00.003-07:00

They call me Mellow Yellow.

Next Bondmobile

2010-03-06T13:56:00.003-07:00

It's been three days since I stumbled upon this and I'm still thinking about how great this modern update of the classic Roger Moore Bond car is. Can't wait til the next Bond! Get the full story here.

Best In Show?

2010-03-03T21:38:00.009-07:00

Check out these sweet program covers for 2010 BAFTA Awards by graphic designer Travis Coburn. Click here to enlarge. Via: g.lock

If I Ever Had to Roll in a Japanese SUV...

2010-03-01T21:16:00.006-07:00

The Infiniti FX Limited Edition is a special model that will be launched by Infiniti in Western Europe in a series of just 100 units. If I ever had to roll in a Japanese SUV, I'd totally rock this. The profile of the FX has always slightly reminded me of my beloved ///M Coupe. Loving the matte black "turbine" wheels.

Color Scheming: Hot Chocolate

2010-02-23T21:09:00.005-07:00

Would you like some whipped cream on that?

UPDATE: For everyone who's asked about the two-tone Clubman, a full photo set can be seen by clicking right here.

The harder the life, the sweeter the song.

2010-02-21T21:01:00.007-07:00

Ever since the first Jeff Bridges flick I saw as a kid—Tron, obviously—I've been a staunch Bridges fan. (Jeff not Beau, duh.) Growing up, I also loved him in movies like King Kong, The Fisher King and Tucker. I kinda saw him as another Harrison Ford, which comes in handy once you see Harrison Ford on TV with his ear ring, ugh. I've always loved Jeff's delivery, it's completely genuine—you think, yeah that's how I woulda said that.

For a Bridges fan, Crazy Heart was as good as it gets. He completely throws himself into the Bad Blake character, singing the songs himself, playing the guitar himself and probably nearly drinking himself to death. Crazy Heart is also a music fan's film. There are definitely some "Once-like" moments, though the cool rawness of Once isn't present. The T-Bone Burnett tunes are simple and fantastic. You want to own the soundtrack after seeing it, for sure.

The the rest of the cast is surprisingly compelling as well. Robert Duvall is classic. Maggie Gyllenhaal has another consistently hot-or-not showing. And out of nowhere, Colin Farrell delivers an oddly perfect performance as Tommy Sweet, Blake's prodigy. Bottom line: Crazy Heart is a tough story to watch unfold—but if you're a Bridges fan or a music lover in general, it's worth a gander for sure.