style. truth. soul.

New

2010-01-04T23:17:00.000-05:00

So this is it. I started a new blog/personal site/garbage dump at benbator.com

Blogger, it's been fantastic, but it's time we see other platforms.

I hope you will all join me there.

Thanks for reading/looking.

B

Decade

2009-12-31T13:32:00.005-05:00

in LA for the start of 2010.

Two Computer Confusion

2009-12-21T17:31:00.003-05:00

Official TFLN Book Page

2009-12-20T22:28:00.005-05:00

It's official. The book page we were contractually obligated to create is up and absolutely beautiful. Eye boners available at tfl.nu/book or book.textsfromlastnight.com

Thanks to @pixelmatrix for doing the design and coding at such short notice too. Good looks all around.

Oh yeah, buy the damn thing!!

Necessity

2009-12-20T21:44:00.004-05:00

Cover Girl

2009-12-16T15:26:00.007-05:00

Kind of amazing to see this actually happen.

When I took this picture I was shooting for CoLA Fashion Week in LA and it's Olivia's thing to bite things in pictures. Just another picture out of the 10,000 I took that weekend.

When we started TFLN and needed a shot for our first banner, so we put this one up just to pass the time until we took more. No matter how many we took, people would always ask us "who is biting the phone?"

Now I wonder why we even bothered to take any more. Fast forward to January 26, 2010 and you can see the bite anywhere books are sold, including:

Amazon, B&N, Borders, IndieBound and Penguin's store.

Thanks again to Olivia for being our resident cultural icon.

Beating the crowd

2009-12-12T18:26:00.002-05:00

currently the daddy of the social media cesspool and a great way to fuck up a job interview before you have it.

twitter is the new (see below) thanks to #trendingtopics

ffffound is obviously where i gather all of the pictures you see anywhere on this blog

On the Vista

2009-12-04T09:22:00.004-05:00

The Queen Is Dead

2009-11-24T09:34:00.003-05:00

Start of the week.

2009-11-22T21:43:00.003-05:00

2009-11-16T00:33:00.000-05:00

Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts.

(Edward R Murrow) via recessionwire.com

In Season

2009-11-03T19:47:00.003-05:00

In LA so I'm missing out on Michigan fall and probably the start of winter. With a closed cottage this winter, this may be as close as I get for a while.

33%?

2009-11-03T19:26:00.006-05:00

Bombs

2009-10-13T01:39:00.000-04:00

Friday Photos: Kick It

2009-10-02T10:47:00.004-04:00

just a way to clear my desktop

2009-09-08T18:20:00.005-04:00

Friday Photos: LA Problems

2009-08-28T16:14:00.002-04:00

Too good to wait until Friday

2009-08-25T21:02:00.000-04:00

via ffffound

The Xx

2009-08-24T00:02:00.004-04:00

Haven't done a music post in a minute (I also haven't written anything on here) so time to change that. After sleeping on Florence + the Machine and Ra Ra Riot beyond their singles, I realized that I should spend a little time out of my day on hypem. Even though NPR featured The Xx back in April, I stumbled on the acoustic and brilliant BBC Radio 1 sessions, so I'm going to just pretend like it's a discovery.

Crystalized (Radio 1 Session)

Also, for a more frequently updated music blog, head to supergoodmusic where RCA (of 8449 fame) is setting up shop as a contributor. Super good indeed.

Not Friday. Photos anyway.

2009-08-23T16:03:00.004-04:00

Yo Liz Lemon, you want to go to the after after after party?

2009-08-19T13:23:00.002-04:00

Santi & GZA @ The Hard Rock Chicago from benjamin bator on Vimeo.

Blackberry video. Just kind of eh. Sick combo though, so just pretend it sounds good.

Holy...

2009-08-19T11:41:00.003-04:00

Shit.

via @bivouac643

2009-08-12T16:09:00.002-04:00

Today

2009-08-06T01:11:00.001-04:00

...was a good day

Been a while since I set foot on a skateboard but this guy is pretty good at it. I guess.

The Save 8449/Summer Supper Club

2009-07-27T19:47:00.002-04:00

Neglected this blog for too long.

Summer edition of @SupperClubLA on Saturday was a success and 8449 will stay at 8449 at least through September 1st. Made watermelon ka-fucking-bobs with basil, cherry tomatoes & a balsamic reduction. Best addition had to be the cucumber-cupped shots/drinks of mint, lemon, lime, vodka and soda concoction.

In LA till the 4th of August, then off to Lolla in Chicago. Now you know.

Stop.

2009-07-10T13:16:00.001-04:00

Two amazing stop motion videos since I'm obsessed. Happy Friday.

The Friend Photo Trend Continues

2009-07-10T12:37:00.002-04:00

Taken by BM. Friend, Musician, sometimes NYC resident and fellow go-er. I'd provide a link to more of her work, but she cancels facebook damn near habitually. These were taken in northern Michigan in the midst of another brilliant midwest summer.

Friday Photos: Buy Weekly

2009-07-10T10:12:00.004-04:00

Sunrise/Sunset

2009-07-07T16:48:00.003-04:00

East.

West.

Bang.

2009-07-02T15:43:00.002-04:00

Posting mainly because she has the same birthday as I do (I was lucky enough to celebrate one with her after a MIA show two years ago), but the art direction is amazing on this. Really reminds me of UUIUU! which is a great supplement to any google reader feed.

Friday Photos: Bonus

2009-06-26T16:33:00.005-04:00

Thursday.

2009-06-26T15:11:00.003-04:00

Angels and Legends.

I Want You Back has always been one of my favorite songs. I just hope that we don't overload on MJ so badly that we need a year break from his work. I won't lie, I was really pulling for his comeback...

Found

2009-06-25T02:15:00.001-04:00

Coming soon.

Fast Fashion

2009-06-25T02:13:00.001-04:00

A.McQueen's SS/10 collection. I'm just going to publish before I have a seizure.

Vacation + Vacation

2009-06-19T13:00:00.004-04:00

Went to SF last weekend for some meetings and a vacation from my vacation. In no particular order:

Sunday went to TD's bosswoman's apt. North Beach Fest was down the block. BBQ, beer and rooftops are always welcome.

OLQM, U of D, MSU, TD, BB

Outside of our hotel, the Clift. The bar in the lobby is the truth.

Chinatown on Friday. Kimono hunting. Traditional sleeves are a tough find.

Only in SF...

Stylin'.

Thanks to TD and MD for putting us up Thursday night and showing us around the town and to our dinner guests on Friday. SF was definitely worth the stop- more to come from LA.

See more here.

Hustlin' With the Lights Out

2009-06-10T13:28:00.001-04:00

static : pulse from Samuel Cockedey on Vimeo.

Supper Club V-Card

2009-06-08T18:24:00.003-04:00

@8449 has it.

I can't really put into words how great the night was (mainly because of the wine), but read all about SC on eightfourfournine.blogspot.com and freshmaninthekitchen.com

AH Has Some Thinking To Do In Ghana

2009-06-08T17:57:00.003-04:00

As I continue the theme of promoting my friend's travel blogs and photos I would like to direct the attention to my good friend AH's Africa Adventure. Ali is currently in Ghana for a summer internship which is incredible in itself.

My favorite part about Ali's writing style is that you can literally hear her talking to herself as she's writing each post. Spend any amount of time with AH and you'll be dying to get a glimpse into her mind, so this is truly blogging gold.

Read, comment and wish her safe travels.

2009-06-05T09:01:00.000-04:00

JDG's Version

2009-06-03T17:08:00.002-04:00

STS friend JDG is in Rome for a while. Guy's got a camera, guy's got an eye. Enjoy more here (they're on FB, you might not be able to see).

Style Truth Seoul

2009-05-27T21:08:00.003-04:00

One of my best and oldest friends is taking a year off to teach English to children in Korea for a year. Since "the swine" is just getting to Seoul, people are sketching out a bit, giving Alex a few extra days to be a tourist.

To document his travels, AB is updating his new blog titled Seoul Caliber. Well played.

little somethings

2009-05-27T00:36:00.003-04:00

ghetto love. via the nylon mag summer podcast.

baby steps back into blogging.

Bold

2009-05-26T14:46:00.002-04:00

summer sparks

10 minutes out of the car

Finally got rid of the 8830, welcomed myself to 2009 and continued my BBerry obsession by upgrading to the Bold. The best part of the whole thing is that I now have a camera without lugging around the G10 (even though it's not that hard to do).

For a 2 m.pixel camera, it's not bad. Expect more photos from the road soon.

I <3 Incognito

2009-05-26T14:36:00.004-04:00

As you know, I'm a fan of the store Incognito in Royal Oak, MI. Their sunglasses can be found all over the place and seen all over the faces of me and my friends.

Now you can check out their blog at iloveincognito.com because clearly, we all do. Keep up with new products, news and other musings from AJ and crew. Worth the add to your RSS, trust.

Wale

2009-05-17T22:41:00.001-04:00

Wale - Lose Yourself from benjamin bator on Vimeo.

I hated 8 Mile. I like Wale. Conflict of interest but I'm okay with it.

Sounds

2009-05-14T00:32:00.003-04:00

Pictures from The Sounds at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit are on Flickr. This is a boring post. The show was anything but.

tell donny i'm blogging and i'll call him back

2009-05-04T21:58:00.001-04:00

Genius. Spotted thanks to AC

Taxi Driver

2009-05-02T16:00:00.001-04:00

Things have been a bit, well, busy over the course of the past week, so STS suffered a little. Just saw this on ACL's twitter and had to post it. Possibly for no other reason than to keep this little blog moving along.

Friday Photos: Never Not Working

2009-04-24T12:06:00.002-04:00

Earth Day

2009-04-22T15:19:00.004-04:00

The upstanding citizens at further soap have a special Earth Day promo that ends at 11:59p PST, so get to it... The concept behind the soap is pretty remarkable. After fueling a 1984 Mercedes with biofuel crafted from the waste of local restaurants, the founder's wife, Megan, recommended that they make something out of the byproduct.

Now further soap is popping up in the restaurants such as Mario Batali's Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza.

Grab a bottle for Earth Day and they'll send you a free bottle and won't even charge for shipping. On Earth Day, everybody wins.

la la lolla

2009-04-21T11:06:00.001-04:00

Passion Pit - The Reeling from Fabio Pessoa on Vimeo.

Passion Pit hype is nothing new, but apparently some people (like AL) have been hiding out in Boston keeping them under wraps for the past few years. Definitely looking forward to seeing their set at Lolla though.

Speaking of that little festival, the lineup has been released and I'm a fan. Although I have heard a lot of grumbling, how can you say this isn't going to be enjoyable? Here's a list of who I'm excited to check out:

LYKKE LI
Peter Bjorn & John
TV on the Radio
Neko Case
Animal Collective
Of Montreal
Crystal Castles
Bon Iver
Santigold
Dan Deacon
Passion Pit
The Knux
Delta Spirit
Boys Noise
Kid Cudi
Crookers
A-Trak
Kaskade
Rye Rye
and whatever else I get dragged to.

Hurry up, summer.

Friday Photos: Almost Reliable

2009-04-17T11:54:00.002-04:00

About Time

2009-04-17T01:18:00.003-04:00

It's no secret that I get most of my music from Pretty Much Amazing.

It's also not much of a secret that I am a fan of Amanda Blank. I saw her last year at Lollapalooza during Spank Rock's set and she killed it. Live rap is miserable, so anyone who can pull it off is a winner in my book. AB's album is now near the top of my list of anticipated albums for the foreseeable future.

Head to @pmablog or RCRD LBL to get Might Like You Better

photo courtesy of the guy's website at the bottom of the photo.

The Real Lost Tribes of New York City

2009-04-16T22:18:00.002-04:00

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

Ever wonder what the unheard voices of NYC have to say?

or...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see a fire hydrant speak?

via @joshspear

Baker's

2009-04-16T16:22:00.004-04:00

On 8 Mile and Livernois there is a piece of Detroit on the brink. Just look at the back of this shirt and try and say Baker's Keyboard Lounge should be shuttered. Then go there and order the catfish. Seriously.

I'll be revisiting on Sunday afternoon with CC, GA, AL and others and this time I'll bring my camera to show what I'm on about with this place.

Re: Launch

2009-04-13T00:05:00.001-04:00

It's been no secret recently that I've had my hand in a few cookie jars. One of which happens to be a little website called Texts From Last Night (TFLN if you're into abbreviating things).

The only reason I'm writing about it again is because we just redesigned the damn thing with the help of some amazing designers and developers. We're not entirely done and still have some surprises coming, but until please check out TFLN and really use it. Send all your feedback, positive and negative to me at bb@textsfromlastnight.com and we'll use it to improve the final version.

You can also become a fan on facebook, follow @TFLN on twitter or just send your texts to text@textsfromlastnight.com.

Also, thank you to everyone who posted about TFLN on their blogs, facebook status, twitter, whatever- it's greatly appreciated.

Vid = 1000 Photos

2009-04-11T15:16:00.003-04:00

M83 - We Own the Sky from David Altobelli

Kanye West-Street Lights(SPEC) Dir:Mills Miller from MillsMillerMedia

Since I was moving while I should've been posting Friday Photos, I'll repost these shamelessly off of Kanye's blog. I never really enjoyed music videos because I feel like they push you to visualize a song a certain way, but these are definitely watchable.

Finding What's Missing

2009-04-10T11:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the Silk remix of "Good Life" by Kanye. Sometimes a remix is good not because it rethinks the mood of a song, but rather because it assumes how it was supposed to be.

I Don't Like My Hair Neat

2009-04-09T23:51:00.003-04:00

Tiga "Shoes" from AlexandLiane on Vimeo.

Nothing At All

2009-04-08T21:55:00.001-04:00

yes, please.

get the song here.

How It Should Be

2009-04-05T16:59:00.004-04:00

Got into town and went to the first bar without a line which happened to be The Well.

MB came out for the occasion

The Don keeps his empties in check.

You can still walk in the middle of the street no prob. Still Detroit after all.

Detroit version of birds.

JC was very interested in women with similar tastes in signs.

Coach's Corner. We won btw. Things got a little blurry.

Obviously not saving their energy for the riots.

Greektown. Ate something that somehow was worse on my stomach than the day beers.

East Breslin Center.

Traffic was unreal. Then I realized this is how it should be on a normal Saturday night.

Some angry drunk woman threw a drink at me and my friends for enjoying the game so the light is kind of blurry in the city shots. It's okay now but when I saw these shots I wish I would've just let the girls fight her.

Going to the 'ship on Monday. In case you missed this (via the skigh walker):

The Moment

2009-04-05T09:38:00.002-04:00

"This isn't about the end of commerce or the end of marketing or news or entertainment. All of the above are finding new expressions online, and in time will flourish thanks to the very digital revolution that is now ravaging them. The future is bright. But the present is apocalyptic. Any hope for a seamless transition -- or any transition at all -- from mass media and marketing to micro media and marketing are absurd.

The sky is falling, the frog in the pot has come to a boil and, oh yeah, we are, most of us, exquisitely, irretrievably fucked."

Originally spotted at AdAge via Core77

Friday Photos: +1

2009-04-03T18:07:00.005-04:00

Speaking of Obams

2009-04-02T15:14:00.004-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Our boy did quite well at the G-20 today and the Dow is over 8,000 (at the moment). Even Romney is trying to get the GOP behind you (at times). Mr. President, if you want to kick a cig with me when you get back, I won't tell anyone (and I don't even smoke).

Oninja

2009-04-02T11:27:00.002-04:00

When I cast my vote last November, this is exactly what I had in mind.

10 for Q1

2009-04-02T01:06:00.002-04:00

PMA just released their Top Ten of Q1 2009 and I'm feeling indulgent. Then I realized that most of these are on their lists. That realization prompted me to not care and just push "Publish Post" anyway. I almost made it all Vampire Weekend and that new MGMT band but I found a few more... Enjoy.

10. Tiga - What You Need

9. Wale - Chillin'

8. Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You

7. Mos Def - Life Is Good

6. Animal Collective - My Girls

5. Phoenix - 1901

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hysteric

3. Rye Rye - Bang

2. Metric - Satellite Mind

1. Peter Bjorn & John - Nothing to Worry About

Remixes/Mixtape releases:

10. Drake - Lets Call It Off

9. Lykke Li - Little Bit (Villains Remix)

8. La Roux - In For The Kill (Foamo's Skream Remix Bootleg)

7. Little Boots - Meddle (AC Slater & DJ Skeet Skeet Remix)

6. Kid CuDi & Wale - Look Up In The Stars

5. Drake - Successful

4. Kid CuDi - Man on the Moon

3. Lily Allen - The Fear (Duke Dumont Remix)

2. Röyksopp - Vision One (MMMathias remix)

1. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Emil & Friends Reworking)

'09 started strong. All we can do is hope it continues to do so.

I didn't post links to the songs because they all expire. iTunes doesn't expire though and I'm sure you can find your way on hype machine. copy+paste away.

...And for those who don't:

2009-04-01T15:42:00.001-04:00

For those of you who actually "work":

2009-03-31T20:12:00.001-04:00

Summer Shorts vs. Staying Recession Proof

2009-03-31T00:36:00.003-04:00

While I can't say I'm the biggest fan of shorts, sometimes they are just the right move. These from LOVA (spotted at selectism) are pretty damn good. The main question is whether to buy or to attempt to recreate. The real question is: what would Robert Billions do?

In related LOVA news, their Summer '08 film is still watchable. Thanks to SV for the guidance.

No Rush

2009-03-31T00:14:00.003-04:00

Spotted this over at behance.net and I'm a fan.

There are a million ways to pretend to be organized. We are bombarded constantly with new tasks, but there is always one overarching goal for the day. What's special about this calendar is the lack of space to write the meaningless and mundane. Instead, you're forced to prioritize and focus on what's important, which is probably a goal in itself, right?

Personally, as soon as the alert is gone from my blackberry, it's out of my mind. I probably need this more than I care to admit.

What You Need

2009-03-29T00:55:00.004-04:00

JOYRICH CoLAFW from ViDoL on Vimeo.

Found this on vimeo and thought I'd post to begin to wrap the CoLA FW posts.

The song is "What You Need" by Tiga and I can't turn it off. Definitely stealing this song for a video in the future.

Also for a bonus Sunday morning/Saturday night gift, the other song I've been looping is "The Reeling" by Passion Pit (thanks to PMA).

"A retreating beauty amid chaotic glamor"

CoLA: Friday Recap

2009-03-27T03:27:00.003-04:00

CoLA FW: Friday Recap from benjamin bator on Vimeo.

I realize I did this backward, but that's just how it worked out. The video above features Eksempel, Fremont, COA and B.SON from the March 20, 2009 shows of CoLA Fashion Week.

Also, thanks to Kristin @ BLEACHBLACK for posting the Saturday Recap as well. Good looking out.

Distraction

2009-03-27T00:42:00.002-04:00

I'm all about dressing like a grandpa, but this one came out of left field thanks to the impeccable eye of SS.

Hipsters, you've been put on notice. Girls in bowties are the new guys in bowties. Cute is the new irony. Fuck the rules.

No One & Everyone

2009-03-27T00:27:00.003-04:00

Spotted thanks to CS

This is painfully true. Too bad I just can't quit you, twitter.

CoLA: Saturday Recap

2009-03-26T03:31:00.001-04:00

CoLA FW: Saturday Recap from benjamin bator on Vimeo.

Scenario

2009-03-26T02:21:00.002-04:00

It's been a while.

I am very aware that, as a full time blogger, I should actually update this blog. Recent activity outside of the internet has made this somewhat difficult, but will be shared soon.

Before I get to the next few, I need to thank some people for making the next few things possible: EK, RA, BM, DM, JK, MB (without your trust with a certain item, I would've been severely limited in capturing the weekend).

Today was a huge day for TFLN & CoLA. I'm privileged and honored just to be a part of them.

Heads up.

Round II

2009-03-21T21:42:00.000-04:00

Photos soon.

Friday Photos: Live From 8449

2009-03-20T14:02:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow

2009-03-19T19:04:00.001-04:00

NOMO

2009-03-16T22:15:00.008-04:00

On Friday last week PB and I took G to see NOMO at The Blind Pig. These guys are amazing live- no matter how great they sound on their albums, they outdo themselves in person. Their sound isn't something you hear everyday and it's reason enough to make me wish I practiced piano (or any instrument for that matter) more as a kid.

If they play anywhere near you, don't miss them.

Friday SXSW-URBAN OUTFITTERS SHOWCASE Austin, Texas
Sunday BANKS STREET New Orleans, Louisiana
Tue Mar 24 THIRSTY HIPPO Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39401
Wed Mar 25 THE EARL Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Thu Mar 26 GREY EAGLE Asheville, North Carolina 28801
Fri Mar 27 ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL WASHINGTON, Washington DC 20002
Sat Mar 28 WORLD CAFE LIVE Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Sun Mar 29 UNION HALL Brooklyn, New York 11215
Mon Mar 30 JOE’S PUB New York, New York 10003
Tue Mar 31 MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
Wed Apr 01 THE GREEN ROOM Montreal, Quebec H2W 1Y8
Thu Apr 02 EL MOCAMBO Toronto, Ontario M5T 2G8
Fri Apr 03 HOWARD’S CLUB H Bowling Green, Ohio

See more photos from the show here.

Type, Face.

2009-03-16T03:29:00.003-04:00

Received the movie Helvetica as a gift a week ago and was initially excited to watch, but couldn't justify sitting for 1:20 to watch a documentary about a font. Now that I've watched it (and even revisited a few segments), I highly recommend it.

It's not about Helvetica in the sense that it's a history of the font or a documentary on how it came to be. The film is really about how a simple, clean font started multiple movements in design, branding and communication while the general public was greatly affected yet essentially unaware. In a sentence: everything we interact with is shaped by and delivered to us by vehicles that we largely take for granted.

One point the film overlooked is that the homogenization of font selection has forced writers to step up. If 85% of what people see daily is in one font, with essentially one look, the job of the actual writing becomes paramount. The task of standing out is now in the hands of something possibly meaningful, not the perceived message dictated by the design.

Wow. I sound like AM radio. Watch the movie. Get inspired. Do something.

Jesus Called, He Wants Your Thriller Album

2009-03-16T02:26:00.004-04:00

Purple Diary is a blog that I found thanks to SV and now it's pretty much all I look at.

One Year Off

2009-03-13T12:08:00.004-04:00

So last year pretty much blew for music. The biggest story of the year was how a nearly two-year-old song by M.I.A. became the pop anthem of the summer. Although some memorable works were released (Cut Copy, Bon Iver, Lykke Li, etc.), I, for one, was disappointed.

In this full-time blogger's opinion, 2009 has already surpassed 2008 in notable music releases. In what I hope will be an ongoing trend, I present to you two more in the '09 onslaught:

Kid CuDi - Switching Lanes (sharebee)

Metric - Sick Muse (right click)

Friday Photos: Endless

2009-03-13T11:06:00.005-04:00

Turn Everything I Got Into Techniques

2009-03-12T20:18:00.003-04:00

Röyksopp's new album "Junior" has dominated hypemachine for the past few weeks for good reason. I'll keep this short mainly because you already know why I'm posting this song.

Miss It So Much (ft. Lykke Li)

Drowning

2009-03-12T01:42:00.005-04:00

Two photographers, Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre, ventured into some of the most incredibly sad causalities of Detroit's decline and shot a beautiful piece for Time magazine. It's hard to look at, but sadly it's something we need to face.

It's hard to imagine my high school becoming the next St. Margaret Mary School or the Fox looking like the picture above, but it appears that nothing is safe in the stalling Motor City.

Article here, photo is obviously from it.

They Are Phoenix

2009-03-12T01:07:00.003-04:00

Was mid post when DG rolled in and I got sidetracked.

I am way too excited about this album. I also wrote a really small draft of this when I was in the car and thought my mobile updates had to be approved...

Anyway, the new Phoenix is coming soon and the singles are popping up already. First was 1901, released on their website (wearephoenix.com), which in my opinion is euro-pop perfection. Now we get "Lisztomania" which is, well, just listen. It's like that. May 25 can't come soon enough.

Bonus: Amerie - One Thing (Siik Remix): because of the beat. And because it was posted in '05 on Soul Sides. Worth being late.

Röyksopp - The Girl and the Robot

Tweets Is Watchin'

2009-03-10T11:28:00.006-04:00

Was going to do a full Chicago post but then I kind of got over it and figured that the feeling was mutual. Instead I want to talk about Twitter. Yes, I'm going there.

In the past week, it seems that something clicked and people joined the micro-blogging/time-wasting service in droves. I don't know what prompted this and I don't care, because now I actually have people that I know in real life following me. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely enjoy seeing what strangers are up to, especially if they're even remotely humorous, but I am so tired of the constant plague of the "social media guru".

If you're on Twitter, you already know who they are. They claim to make their livelihood by helping you "connect", "engage", "enhance your personal brand" and other tired buzzwords used by full-time bloggers everywhere. They have pictures of their children on their backgrounds along with every possible link, phone number, email address and street corner where you can find them, if anyone cared to try. They are hyper-available, negatively interesting and mind-blowing disappointments. Instead of creating something interesting, they simply attach themselves to the thoughts of others, re-tweeting their lives away.

Every Friday I'm inundated with messages of people to follow, cutely hashtaged "#followfriday. They're normally people that are somewhat worth following and watching, but will put you to sleep by Sunday. Instead of that, allow me to share some of my recent favorites, namely those that actually make me laugh or at least point me in the direction of something worth my time.

@juliaroy: agent at undercurrent nyc

@skighwalker: your favorite blogger's favorite blogger

@thearabparrot: the p

@thefatjew: no idea who this actually is, but amazing

@penelopetrunk: author who makes twitter actually sound eloquent

@ryan_leslie: artist, producer, follows no one but is decent to keep up with

@pmablog: pretty much amazing

@maddow: everyone's girl

@qoolquest: ?uestlove of the roots

@philipbobby: because he's my brother

@8449: your 8449 is hanging out.

@TFLN: because I think it's in my contract to mention it.

Simply put, Twitter is the endless swirl of the social media toilet. Drink out of it if you're a dog or add to it as you see fit.

Sooner

2009-03-09T01:49:00.003-04:00

I'm running on maybe 2 hours of sleep at the most, so this is another short post. Wound up at Tempo again at 4a with MB this time since we got stranded/wandered away from our group. Ended up drinking coffee long after we finished breakfast until we noticed that people were coming to get breakfast dressed for church, not the bars.

Pictures of the weekend in Chicago are on flickr already, so head to the page to see more of the shows (N.A.S.A. and Dan Auerbach), the city and the people that made this weekend what it was.

New In Town

2009-03-08T15:43:00.002-04:00

Leaving Chicago in a few minutes. Beautiful weather on Friday turned to misery. Pictures and full recap soon.

Friday Photos: A Quiet Life

2009-03-06T01:10:00.002-05:00

Runnin' In Place

2009-03-06T00:00:00.002-05:00

"100 Yard Dash" by Raphael Saadiq from Perception on Vimeo.

Old man style is coming back. This isn't the first time I've said it either.

Also, you can get the song here.

Lives of Crime

2009-03-05T14:02:00.004-05:00

Off to Chicago in the morning to see Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys) and N.A.S.A.

Other reasons for going to one of my "favorite" cities include:

- a lobster hot dog at Lockwood (which consists of lobster and scallop mousse molded into the shape of a dog, pear tomatoes, leeks and green bell pepper curls). Might as well.

- 60 degree weather by 2p.

- trashing R.C.'s new condo.

- reuniting with A.B., J.M. J.D., Chuck Bast, Pilla, Hunto (?) (anyone i forgot should call me)

- continuing the photoshoot for TFLN (you text, i take a picture. it's my new policy)

- i'm due for a road trip

Bear Witness

2009-03-02T01:44:00.006-05:00

Photography is a funny thing. There's no one way to take pictures, but every once in a while there is someone who takes it a step further and opens a few doors.

PB discovered 13thWitness years ago and seeing new pictures on 13thwitness.com was like a birthday gift. Recently, Timothy McGurr sat down with hypebeast.com to talk about the mind behind the pictures above.

Check out his interview and click the links above to see part of his vast collection. Below is a shoot he did with Nike for Steve Nash's foundation.

Steve Nash - The Showdown from 13thWitness™ on Vimeo.

Watch, learn, create.

Breaking It Up

2009-02-28T19:42:00.005-05:00

I think everything has already been said about the Rihanna/CB drama. Apparently they're talking. Or together. Or something. I'm on team whatevs on this one. But as far as this particular track is concerned, I'm for it.

Perhaps Seinfeld put it best: "the best revenge is living well".

Rihanna "Whipping My Hair" (via PMA)

Friday Photos 02/27/09

2009-02-27T14:05:00.004-05:00

Hustlin'

2009-02-26T20:54:00.002-05:00

Recession Proof with Bobby Bailout. Coming soon.

111

2009-02-26T16:33:00.002-05:00

First discovered Blame One back in the days when a summer job meant 20 hours working at the golf course and the remainder of my days and nights on the lakes of northern Michigan. My friend NJ (who starred in the now-infamous Summer Movies) and I had Blame's first EP permanently in the dash of the boat on repeat in '04 thanks to NJ's brother. We used three songs in the movie that came out in '05. Since, it seems that he either fell off the map or was working on something big. If you were wondering, it was the second option. Check it out below:

Blame One (ft. Blu & Exile) - Wonder Why (via Nah Right)

100 Days, 100 Dances, 100 Locations

2009-02-26T10:36:00.001-05:00

BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.

If you told me a year ago I'd be posting videos of asian kids dancing I would've laughed at you. Look at me now.

Flow Sweetly, Hang Heavy

2009-02-25T00:08:00.005-05:00

I feel like it's part of my job to update this with a song that I can't turn off. In this case it's the Yeah Yeah Yeahs new track "Hysteric" which is kind of a mellow introduction to their newest effort coming April 14th. It seems to be a pretty dance heavy album judging by the current selection on Hype Machine and that's certainly not a bad thing. While not much of a departure from the YYYs of past days, it looks like it's a wise investment.

Hysteric (@hypem.com)