12-Inch Saya Gives Me A 12-Inch Woodrow

*Boing!*

Blood: The Last Vampire is one of my favorite Anime movies of the past few years. The only thing that could have made it better is if it were about an hour longer. Speaking of longer... Ningyoushi now has up for pre-order the new Limited Ed. 12-inch Saya from the Blood Anime. Here's the scoop on Blood:

Throughout the passage of time and the shifts in backgrounds, a particular war continues to leave its mark on history, extending its influence into the modern world. There are two major groups involved in the ensuring war. The first group consists of monsters known as Chiropterans who can change their appearances into that of human beings. They are actually immortals who feed on the blood of the living. The second group is an organisation known as the "Red Shield", formed to track down these monsters and exterminate them. Otonashi Saya is a high-school girl who lives a peaceful life with her family. The only problem is, she has no recollections of her life beyond that of the past year. However, her happy life will be destroyed by an event that will lead her to her destined fate.

Unfortunately, they don't say who produced this cute little figure. Is it a Medicom RAH? Is it someone else I have never heard of? Only the Shadow knows. The pre-order price is $125 and the estimated shipping date is the end of July 2005(?). I guess they probably meant July 2006. Now they just need a Chiroptera figure for Saya to disembowel. Delicious.

Scüzzy Boomer

Rhymes with Stüssy Zoomer. Okay, maybe not, but it is still pretty cool. UK's online Zoomer aficianado magazine Zoomerzine has teamed with fashion icon Stüssy and designer Ben Wilson to create a one-of-a-kind, Limited Ed. scooter. People here in the US know these scooters as the Honda Ruckus. My friend Ryan has one in white, and let me tell you, they sure are fun. This new Limited Ed. version of the Zoomer celebrates classic western 'kustum culture' drawing from surf, BMX, hot-rod and skateboard influences with custom laser-engraved wood panels and hand-painted pinstripes. Only ten of these bikes will be produced, each individually numbered. They come with a special edition lasered, numbered skateboard and a Kustum Stüssy x Alpha MA-1 jacket. They go on sale Saturday, July 1^st for £2400 at the Stüssy Store at 19 Earlham Street in London. Check out the video and images to see all the work and details that went into this project. Maybe someone over there can pick me up one and have it shipped to the states. How 'bout it? Any takers?

Impossible Camera Touted As Brilliant

I saw this Crop Camera from a project done by a St. Martin's design student in association with Hulger today over on Cool Hunting and it just kind of pissed me off. Anyone who knows anything about optics, the way the human eye works and the way cameras work would know that this thing would not work. I know it is just a concept, but I wouldn't say that it is a particularly good one. Here's why: There is no screen on the camera, just an open space in the middle where the image you are trying to capture would be "cropped". The problem is, there is no defined focal distance. If you hold the camera close to your eye, you could get your entire field of view in the open space. If you hold it at arms length, the area you see in the open space will be much smaller. This, however, would not change the focal length of the camera's lens, therefore making both images appear almost the same when the picture is taken. Being able to "crop" the image with the camera itself might change the image when the camera is held at a specified distance from your eye, but if you move the camera closer or further away from yourself it will change what you see in the open space but not in the lens of the camera. For example, take a regular digital camera and hold it close to your face. Now hold it at arms length and compare the image shown on the screen. They will look almost the same. This is not true for an open frame. If you want proof, take an empty picture frame and hold it close to your face and then at arms length and compare what you see in the frame. Completely different. Of course, the lens on the camera will not reflect these differences in your eye's focal length. If the camera had a screen on it that you could use to view what is in the "cropped" area, then it might be more effective. I suggest just using a regular digital camera and cropping the pictures later in Photoshop. Or you could use the zoom function that is present on every digital camera to crop the image. D'uh.

It's A Nice Place To Visit...

But I wouldn't want to live there. Oh yeah, I do live there. Luckily, I was out and about (filming a concert featuring Classic Case (crap) and He Is Legend (poop) in Greensboro) when the shooting took place. And I thought the ghettos of Savannah were dangerous. Luckily, I don't live with my deadbeat cousin (if I had a deadbeat cousin (wait, I'm the deadbeat cousin)). Also, the shooting didn't actually take place in my apartment complex (Dominion Ramsgate) where the two cousins lived, but in Abbey Court, right around the corner. The men in the shooting were identified as Reymundo Perez-Lopez, 19, and Alejandro Perez-Aguilar, 21. Following an argument about rent money, Perez-Lopez initially walked away, but then returned and shot his cousin Perez-Aguilar three times in the stomach and lower torso and then shot himself in the head. Perez-Lopez was pronounced dead on the scene and Perez-Aguilar is said to be in serious condition at UNC hospital. I wonder which apartment these guys were living in. Maybe I'll be getting some new neighbors soon. At least all of the apartments have security systems. That makes me feel real safe at night.

A Toy With My Name

I got an e-mail from My Plastic Heart today letting me know about some new figures that they have in for pre-order. They are Andrew Bell's Zliks subterranean creatures. And they have my name, well, my nickname... sorta. When I was going to school at Savannah College of Art & Design my nickname was 'Lik'. And these are Zliks. Close... very close... maybe too close. Anyway, these are cool little creatures that remind me of a much more disturbing version of that classic Muppet Show skit with the little aliens that popped up out of the ground. Same idea, not nearly as bloody. The Zliks come in three flavors, Oil, Psycho [pictured above] and Natural. Obviously, I like the bloody Psycho version the best. They match my blog colors. All of the Zliks are on pre-order for $46.⁹⁹.

Pickles!

In 1966, the nation that gave birth to the Beautiful Game was finally crowned World Cup^TM champion. Stolen shortly before the tournament, there was almost no trophy to award. Fortunately, a dog named Pickles sniffed out the trophy under a London hedge. Celebrate the '66 World Cup^TM champions and national hero Pickles with this collection.

Yep, that's right, just like a story out of a Disney® movie, a dog saved the World Cup^TM in 1966. Sounds like the plot of one of those horrible Air Bud wastes of film stock. You can show your support for England and its favorite pup Pickles by purchasing one of these fine, Limited Ed., long-sleeve Adidas football jerseys. They don't appear to be up on the Shop Adidas website yet, but keep checking back for your chance to celebrate a very furry piece of footie history. I really just like them because they match the colors of my blog. And with the U.S. out of the running, this is the only way I can root for an English-speaking team.

They Did It!

The Carolina Hurricanes pulled it out in game 7 at home in Raleigh on Monday night to win the Stanley Cup! What an amazing season. North Carolina finally has its first professional sports championship. It is truly an outstanding accomplishment. Something the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets (now Charlotte Bobcats) couldn't attain. Come on fellas, step it up. The Panthers had a chance last year and in the 2003-04 season, but blew it both times. At least we know hockey! Go 'Canes! Redneck hockey at its finest. It was great seeing Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina center and team captain, hefting that enormous cup over his head as he skated around the ice. Congratulations Carolina!

Anyway, now that I have gotten that out of the way, I must apologize for my lack of posts recently. I was out of town last week at my cousin Scott and his lovely new bride Magnolia's wedding at the Bryant Park Grill in New York City. It was a wonderful, beautiful affair. Not too large, only about a hundred people. The ceremony was very sweet and took place on the roof-top patio of the grill overlooking Bryant Park. After the ceremony, Hors d'Oeuvres and drinks were served on the patio and then it was downstairs to the restaurant for dinner and dancing until one o'clock in the morning. The band was great, playing mostly fast and funky, but throwing in the occasional slow song for couples' dances. They even busted out some Stones and G 'n' R for good measure. It was the only time I have ever seen a band play an encore at a wedding. I was so exhausted from dancing all night, I couldn't even make it to the after-party. I should have pictures up soon if anyone is interested. Until then, you can click on this beautiful family portrait of all of the cousins [pictured below] and view my dad's photos from the wedding.


Now I will get back to what you are probably actually here to see: The toys, the shoes, the prints, the statuary, the etc. Just give me a few minutes to get my bearings. See ya' soon!

Whatever It Takes

While everyone else in the world has their attention firmly focused on the World Cup, us crazy backwards rednecks down in North Cackalacky have our eyes steadily situated on the Stanley Cup. Yep, that's right, rednecks love hockey! Who woulda thunkit? Of course, if you look closely at a redneck and a hockey player you will notice some striking similarities. For example: lack of teeth, surly disposition, always holding a stick, etc. Now Redneck Hockey paraphenalia may not be Limited Ed. (I have seen it all over town), but it is sometimes hand-made. Of course, if you are not willing to make your own bedsheet-turned-Redneck-Hockey-banner, you might consider purchasing one of these fine Redneck Hockey [pictured above], Property of Caniacs or Puck Edmonton t-shirts. They are all quite stylish and made out of cotton. Cotton, people! You can't beat that! And you can't beat the 'Canes. Just like you can't beat a redneck. Dumb bastards just come back for more. Go 'Canes!

12-Inch Votoms?!

This makes me happy in the pants. Ningyoushi has available for pre-order the new Limited Ed. 1/12 scale Strong Bacchus Scopedog figure from the anime war epic Armored Trooper Votoms.

One hundred years have passed since the Gilgamesh and Balarant star systems first exchanged fire in a galactic war that began as a territorial dispute and eventually tore the entire Astragius Galaxy in two. Hundreds of worlds and billions of lives were consumed by this devastating war. The development of the Armored Trooper, a new form of powered armor, escalated the conflict to unprecedented levels of violence.

Now, after a century of warfare in which neither side was able to claim a decisive victory, a cease-fire has been declared and the promise of peace hangs in the future. But a conflict that has lasted so long cannot end simply. Those who have lived their entire lives in battle have never known peace, and there are others who stand to profit from continued hostilities.

It is during the last stage of the war that this story begins, in the darkness of space near a small asteroid on the edge of the galaxy...

Sounds very similar to the conflict in the Middle East, except it takes place in outer space. Anyway, this fully-articulated Scopedog figure stands a whopping twelve-and-a-half inches tall, features over 300 individual parts, removable armor plating, a GAT-22 heavy machine gun with removable magazine, an extra set of hands, rotating telescopic lens, special internal spring mechanism for simulating an arm punch and stand-by mode, concealed wheels in the base of the feet for gliding, and the cockpit opens to accomodate seating for the Chirico Cuvie action figure (sold separately). Pretty sweet! This item is scheduled to ship in August, so get your pre-order in now.

Yertle Would Be Proud

Fugitive Toys has the new Jeremy Fish-designed Limited Ed. Silver Turtlecamper available for pre-order on their website. These skull 'n' Winnebago-covered vinyl turtle toys are limited to only 350 pieces, stand 4 inches tall, 6 inches long, and feature six points of ball-jointed articulation. What a sweet way to travel!

Spank 'Em!

I was checking out the classified section on the Arts Ramble website and stumbled across an ad for WALLspankers.com, another website devoted to "sticker culture, graffiti, street art, design, artist exposure, worldwide community and having hella fun." I really like the concept behind this site, though. It is pretty simple, but cool. You can submit your black and white sticker ideas to them and then other members of the community can download your stickers and "spank" them around their hometown. Then, like Shepherd Fairy's Obey Giant stickers, your stickers will be in places that you have never even been to. WALLspankers will also be publishing a quarterly 'zine featuring sticker designs that you can take to your local copy shop and have them photocopy so that everyone gets their stickers up everywhere. It is a pretty ingenious idea and it is just starting out, so if you are interested you can get in on the ground floor. The website is still under construction, so they don't have the downloadable designs up yet for printing, but they do have a gallery section where you can view artist's designs and graffiti pics. I have plenty of sticker ideas already in the works, so I am glad I stumbled across this site. I can't wait to get my stickers spanked in places that I have never been to before! I really just like spanking. So dirty.

This Side Up

I got an e-mail from Wootini today letting me know about an upcoming exhibit opening this Friday, June 9^th at 7pm. This Side Up started as an idea on a Gigposters.com forum last year and has turned into a travelling exhibit of artwork created on square pieces of cardboard by 56 artists from around the world, most of whom are active members of the online rock-art community. A book containing all of the artwork from the show is in the process of being published. There will be a copy at Wootini to view and they will start taking orders for the book next week. A portion of the proceeds from the book and art sales will be donated to national and local homeless charities. Some of the artists will be on hand for the opening. There will also be snacks, drinks and records spun by DJ's from "Family". Check it out if you get the chance. I might even be there drinking free keg beer and trainspotting the record selection.

Erik Nasinnyk On Erasoul

I was stumbling blindly about the internet this afternoon when I happened upon Erasoul.com: experimental abstract hip-hop, down-tempo, electronic, photography, art, and design. I have never heard of these guys before, but they've got some pretty nice stuff on their website. They are an online store and symposium for the exchange of music, photography, paintings, and design. They have everything from new music reviews and links to music on last.fm to Mr. T t-shirts for sale. They also have prints of photographs taken by Erik Nasinnyk, one of Erasoul's artists. But even better than his photographs are Erik's paintings and drawings, which can also be purchased from the Erasoul website. I really appreciate his abstract, graffiti-inspired style, like in the painting Mindset II. My favorite work of his is a new commisioned piece, Propagation, that he is featuring on deviantART.com [pictured above]. His work has been featured this year at the L'Autre Galerie in Montreal, the 3 Feet High exhibit at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey and at the 2^nd Annual Skateboard Show at The Unknown Gallery in Salt Lake City, Utah. Like the photographs of André Adamsbaum that I featured in my last post, Nasinnyk's dark yet whimsical work is comparable to that of Robert Rauschenberg and the early paintings of Willem de Kooning.

Phrench Photography

My dad sent me a link to the work of French photographer André Adamsbaum, the cousin of one of his students in the Aesthetics of Digital Photography class he just finished teaching at the Duke Institute for Learning in Retirement. The site features abstract photographs of graffiti from around Paris; close-up pictures of tagged, painted, textured surfaces that almost appear to be abstract paintings due to their close proximity to the subject and the way the images are cropped. They remind me of the combine paintings of Robert Rauschenberg: Bed and Canyon for example. Adamsbaum's website needs a little work, but his photographs are beautiful. Unfortunately, I don't speak French, so I can't really interpret anything in his artist's statement or let y'all know where you can get copies of his work, but if Anne were here I bet she could help with that. Oh well. Maybe she'll post a comment. Until then, just sit back and enjoy the pretty pictures.

Update: as per Anne's instructions, I checked out the Dictionary.com translation and figured out you can get copies of his prints in either A3+ (300 x 428 mm) or A4 (204 x 291 mm) sizes on archival-quality paper printed with archival-quality ink. Prints are Limited Ed. and signed. Price and availability upon request. Send e-mails to André at adamsbaumphotos [at] aol [dot] com.