PowderJet Snowboards

If you have a couple hundred bucks that you want to spend on a book, I think Surfing by Jim Heimann would be a fine option. If you don't, you can always check out the Wired article summarizing the evolution of the surfboard.

On wave after wave both surfers kept “sliding ass”—spinning out—as they tried to hold an angle across the steep faces. Kelly stared down at his plank during a backyard lunch break that afternoon and came to what now seems like an obvious design appraisal: too much planing surface in the tail section. On the spot, [Empty Lot Boy John] Kelly convinced [Empty Lot Boy Francis] Heath to hand over his still-new Swastika. After setting the board on a pair of sawhorses, he stood for a moment looking down at the board’s stern, and with a determined overhead swing, buried the ax blade three inches into the rail. Both surfers then got to work, transforming the squared-off tail section into something that resembled the tail section of a jet fighter.

Full Article

photo: Bejan Siavoshy

“We haven’t met anyone interested in developing skateboarding in Mongolia,” says aspiring skate shop owner Sergelenbayar ‘Seke’ Batjargal. “If I succeed, I’ll support skating for young people here. I give out my used decks in good condition to kids that need it. I gave away new bearings to someone last month. For now, I do what I can.”

Full article with a grip of videos

Photo: Andy Lee

Lee shoots in infrared, a tricky technique that requires specialized gear. Simply put, infrared light is electromagnetic radiation just beyond the visible spectrum. It’s used a lot in medical and industrial applications, and in astronomy of course. You can buy sophisticated cameras to capture far-infrared waves for stuff like thermal imaging and astronomy, or get away with using a smartphone with the right attachments. But the typical DSLR can be modified by removing the infrared blocking filter and adding an infrared filter to capture near-infrared light. That’s what Lee did to his Nikon D800.

Check some more photos and words

The NY Times has released data for 3,116 cities showing how 2015 compared to previous years. They say around 90% of the cities were warmer than normal, but do we really believe everything that hard data shows. Investigate for yourself here.

photo: oliver chassingnole

Oh! That was another thing! He had like a padded suit underneath his clothes. That was kind of funny. Some sort of elbow pads, knee pads, hip protection, special insoles and stuff. So after he’d made it, Fred was filming him getting all that stuff off and was standing beside him and I said “Whoa? You had all that shit underneath? And he responded, “Yeah man, it’s my armor“. Then Fred turned to me and asked: “What did you have Ali“?
“Me? Umm, a hangover?”

Full Interview

Photo: Warren Richardson - A man passes a baby through the fence at the Hungarian-Serbian border

Check out all the winners selected from 82,951 photos made by 5,775 photographers from 128 different countries.

Click Click

If someone calls me a big-headed bastard or tells me I'm fucking mad, I just feel good.

Full Article

Jake Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, had the place reserved when it burned down in the early morning hours of Dec. 24, according to Vermont State Police.
Carpenter wasn’t responsible for causing the fire — police say his sons and their friends accidentally caused it — but he had the place rented for the whole week.
...
According to police, George Carpenter waited two days after the fire to call an arson tip line and take responsibility, telling investigators he waited until after the holiday because he didn’t think anyone would be working on Christmas.
Snyder said no one from the Carpenter family has reached out to him, either.
“I’ve heard nothing from the family. Not one peep in any way, unofficially or through official channels,” Snyder said.

Full Article