This and That JibJab

Moving

2009-08-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

This was my first blog. 250+ posts later, it's time to say goodbye.

I'm simplifying and posting the daily randoms here: http://discoinferno.tumblr.com/

=)

What's in a name?

2009-06-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

After reading this intereting post at CyclingWMD, I was anxious to learn about the history of my Gayas pursuit frame. I started by emailing the guy I bought it from, Sung at keepwheelreal, and got a bunch of great leads.

The frame was handmade in DaeGu Korea by SK, formerly named SunKyung, which is now one of the biggest mobile service and oil companies in Korea today. In the midst of the Korean Currency Crisis, SunKyung sold off part of their bicycle business and stopped making Gayas frames in the late 90's.

The name, "Gayas" is derived from the Gaya confederacy (42 CE - 562 CE). With the help of Google Maps I discovered that the city of DaeGu (where the frame was built) resides where parts of the Gaya confederacy once was. In DaeGu, you'll find the Gayasan National Park as well as many other ties to the 12 ancient polities that comprised the Gaya confederacy. These tribes were pioneers of the iron age. Wikipedia states, "The technology of Gaya was much more advanced than that of the Japanese dynasties of the time," and that "archaeological evidence suggests that Gaya polities were the main exporter of technology and culture to Kyushu at that time".

Researching and learning about all of the aforementioned was a lot of fun. Anyone that's into track racing will tell you that frame building is an art form, and that the builders, are held in high regard. Just look at the hype around Japanese NJS track goods. I think it's sooo cool that the Korean frame builders of DaeGu paid homage to their technologically advanced ancestors by incorporating that history into the name of this frame. And what's even cooler, is how the internet makes it possible for anyone to learn about anything, including these gems of Korean history and culture. I knew the intricacies and geometry of my pursuit bike were unique, but I didn't realize it was forged from descendants of the pioneers of the iron age! I'm not worthy!

JibJab Video Tour

2009-05-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Take a tour of JibJab and meet the team in 1 minute 16 seconds, check it out!

Trackstand footy from BikeDayLA

2009-05-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

My friend captured some video of me in the the trackstand competition that went down at BikeDay LA a few weeks back.

BikeDayLA - Trackstand Comp from Joey on Vimeo.

On a separate note, I was able to scrape this video from facebook by:

Opening my temporary internet files folder
Sorted items by date, then by size
Located/copied a large unknown file type (recognized "fb" in the string)
Pasted file to desktop
Renamed file so extension ended in ".flv"
^Success (you will need a flash player)

Tip: I redid step 5, renaming the file to end in ".mp4" to see if picture quality wold improve. It did, slightly... so I went with that file instead.

bike check one two

2009-05-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

Pretty sweet... my pursuit build is getting some featured time on PEDALMAFIA :)

Camping - Lake Isabella

2009-05-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

There were four of us in total, but all my shots w/ people are on film cams and won't be processed/posted for a week or so. Here's a few photos from the iPhone and my trusty point and shoot.

Big Mac smoreBlaha! This is when Diz's car got stuck (so did my Passat, but not as funny when it happens to me)

camp

The last two were taken around 5am, before the Lake came alive with boats and jet skis. It was a fun trip, it's nice to get out of LA and into some nature, but it wasn't long before I was miming fixed lines I planned to put together when I got back. Next time, I'll have to find a way to combine the two - camping x fixies :) Now that's camping!

day 'n' nite

2009-05-21T10:54:00.001-07:00

I love riding in West LA. Tons of spots. Day or night, the weathers always perfect.

Venice skatepark via beavedge

Late night film shoot. Peep the camera crane!

I LOVE HALLE BERRY

2009-05-20T15:38:00.001-07:00

Check out Halle doing the "Halle Berry" on Ellen...

My Gayas Super

2009-05-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

I've posted pics of this build before, but never an all encompassing shot... I was waiting till it was in its "final/complete" form. With the arrival of my new Concor this morning (the final piece), I'm happy to finally and properly introduce, my bike yo!...

Wishbone seat stay | Thomson seatpost | BFF edition Concor

A closer look at the Concor: BFF - Bicycle Film Festival

White Starfuckers on GR-9s and black Toshi doubles

Twitter Battle - Round 2 - Fight!

2009-05-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

This week's Twitter Battle - "Jump Kicks At Work!". What's a Twitter Battle? Good question...

Instructions:

Challenge someone(s) on Twitter to doing something (preferably ridiculous) and call em' out with a twitpic.
Participant has to be holding the camera/phone (no 3rd party photographer help).
That's pretty much it.

With that being said, who won!? ----->>>---- VOTE HERE ----->>>

*polls are now closed, thanks for voting

Chris

^me - Joey

My friends are ill

2009-05-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

The homie George hitting the bank on Main St., one of many spots on the west side.

george LAB from Beaver on Vimeo.

Oh and btw, George is an accomplished wheel builder - hooked up the twisted job on my new 650c. Head over to LAB to get yours.

And peep Cheech's new Spring edit at Mammoth, yeah boyeee!

More from Cheech and company

some pics from my iPhone...

2009-05-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

beer mug on my rear hub

wishbone seat stay

sloping top tube

curvaceous seat tube

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T20:26:00.001-07:00

Ma! Happy Mother's Day!

cycling in the rain

2009-05-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

Love, mom
^My mom emailed me this image with nothing more than the above text in the body of her note. It kills me that he's still clutching to his umbrella like it's going to help. Hilarious, totally made my Friday. Gee, thanks Mom!

BikeDay LA Photos

2009-05-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

I pulled these pics from the photostreams of space15twenty and man-o-lo:

Leslie and Tina

track-stand competition

Efram with the crowd pleaser (winner, best trick)

no shortage of hipsters in LA

Fish 'n' chips

George

yours truly

Brimstone Ridaz

Sandwiches

2009-05-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

One of these is pathetic, while the other, not so pathetic. I'll let you decide...

Check out Scanwiches <-- none of these are pathetic.

Empty parking lots...

2009-05-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

are good to practice in.

from mobile

Seattle

2009-05-04T17:50:00.001-07:00

There are many things I miss about my hometown. In no particular order, here are 12:

Breakfast at Pike Place
Thai Food on the Ave
The things you see as you work your way down to the waterfront
People watching - Westlake, Broadway, Seattle Center
Festivals - Sea Fair, Bumbershoot,The Bite of Seattle
Days spent on the lake (there are many)
Lazy weekends on Queen Anne and Green Lake
The vibe - the city has musical roots, it influences everything
Nature - You're sandwiched between the Olympic and Cascade Mountain Ranges, Mt. Rainier is ever-present, the trees are as big as they come, the air is crisp and water is everywhere
Dick's burger and shake
Summer - Seattle summers are the best kept secret in Northwest
Friends and family

Santa Monica Police Department

2009-05-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

To all LA cyclists: SMPD is going out of their way to target 'brakeless' fixies along Main St. My buddy just got a ticket and mentioned that a passerby said he watched Officer Rosenberg (on motorcycle) issue tickets to cyclists all morning.

Here's what to do:

Gather yourself. Being an asshole doesn't help.
Educate by highlighting your compliance with how "brakes" are defined according to CA Vehicle Code 21201 and demonstrate a skid stop.
Pray the officer is not completely ignorant.

It saddens me that my first post in the month of May (bike month) is of this nature, but in the words of GI Joe, "Knowing is half the battle."

goodies

2009-04-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

cranks: kazane 160mm
chainring: sugino zen 43T
pedals: gr-9
toe clips: starfuckers
straps: toshi doubles
chain: d.i.d.

twisted DT Swiss spokes | velocity deep-v 650c | milwaukee hubs

loving this setup - toshi doubles on white starfucker clips

Marina del Rey

2009-04-23T23:53:00.001-07:00

I turned on the ol' Canon a630 and found a couple sleepers. These were taken from the bike path that runs along the moorage in the marina. It was one of those times when the lighting simply cooperates and you don't have to make many adjustments. I love it when that happens.

Click to go bigger, the picture quality is excellent for a point & shoot.

the magic is gathering...

2009-04-22T22:20:00.001-07:00

I have nearly all the components in place for my next build. It won't be long now :)

In my room

Gayas pursuit frame
Kazane crank set & bb (160mm crank arms)
Sugino Zen chainring - 144 bcd / 43T
MKS GR-9 pedals
19T cog & lockring
Thomson seatpost

In the mail

Concor Supercorsa saddle BFF edition
Chrome 700c fork - Tange

In the LAB

Velocity wheel set: front - silver 650c | rear - black 700c
Milwaukee hubs, black
Headset (I forget what kind), silver
Toshi doubles, black
Oury grips, celeste
17 gauge aero spokes, silver and black
~~Thomson stem~~ Nitto UI-5GX

In need of

Starfucker plastic toe clips
Handlebars?

more vivitar pix

2009-04-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Video: Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill

2009-04-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Danny MacAsKILL = Murder on a trials bike

couple of photos

2009-04-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

before the incident...

Manhattan beach

bar spinning

Ryan and Nancy

2009-04-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

3 more from the Vivitar

2009-04-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

The homies...

More from the Vivitar

2009-04-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

I've got heaps of photos to scan in! Rather than losing a bunch of sleep, I'm going to pace myself and go three at a time over the next week or so. Enjoy...

diz

boardwalk - venice

jamish

Enlarge photos on my Flickr

Sparton Frames

2009-04-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

I broke my Sparton frame in two places. If you were thinking about picking up a Sparton frame for a budget freestyle or bike polo build, consider yourself warned - you get what you pay for.

From the very beginning I was running extra spacers on the left side of the rear hub to address the frame's alignment issues (pulled right) - a minor but disconcerting issue nonetheless.

I pushed this frame hard for over a year and a half and did my fair share of evangelism on behalf of Sparton frames amongst my local bike scene and on my blog/flickr. How could I not? Lugged steel, painted and shipped for below $200! Anyways, I emailed Jorge Espina at Sparton frames (with whom I established rapport on a number of occassions before and after purchasing in October of 07) and for whatever reason... he wouldn't meet me half way. Very disappointing.

Hell hath no fury like an evangelist scorned...

Sparton frame - crimped top tube and cracked down tube

Sparton frame - cracked lug at the down tube

Disclaimer: I wasn't hit by anything nor did I crash. Yes, I was doing tricks but nothing to the extent that warranted this type of damage.

R.I.P.
Oro
10/18/2007 to 4/12/2009

Unboxing my new pursuit frame...

2009-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

I giggled like a wee little boy as I picked Gayas up from the post office this morning. Here's a few pics I took with my iPhone...

Gayas Super

Tange double butted CR-MO stainless tubing
50.5cm st (c-t), 53cm tt (c-c)
650c Fork
Campagnolo headset
Sugino 75 bb
Totally
Awesome

Head is spinning. Can't wait to build!

VCR - 3.31.09

2009-04-01T01:39:00.000-07:00

As always, this week's Venice Chill Ride was a lot of fun. From Windward Circle in Venice we headed up to a party at Bikerowave then made our way to Sawtelle where I ran into my friend Lez.

I met Milo Ventimiglia aka the Green Arrow from episode 1 of Robot Chicken aka Peter Petrelli on Heroes. He's a cool cat, rides fixed! Check out his Flickr for more pics.

VCR happens every Tuesday. Come one, come all!

*note: on 4/12/09 the Sparton frame in this picture broke

Gayas pursuit frame on the way!

2009-03-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

Awwwe yeeaaah :)

via keepwheelreal.com

Sung at keepwheelreal is hookin' up the Gayas pursuit frame above for $650 shipped w/ a campy headset and Sugino 75 BB. Helluva deal! (more Gayas pics)

Oro will not be stripped of components. He will return to track form, which should shave 3-5 minutes off my commute.

thank you jesus

2009-03-31T02:17:00.000-07:00

So my buddy Drew, somehow captured the exact moment in which i caught a mystical bike that was falling from the heavens... which would later come to be known as my bike. Amen.

*note: on 4/12/09 the Sparton frame in this picture broke

The Grates @ Silverlake Lounge

2009-03-29T13:24:00.001-07:00

Great show! (as always)

The Grates are on tour and have two stops in LA. I will try and see them at Spaceland on Monday as well. Here's one I snapped from last night's show with my iPhone..

The Grates

new T :) and for only 5 bucks! :) :)

35mm

2009-03-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I posted a couple new cams I was excited to try out. Check it out!

Holga 120 | 35mm film:

Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim | 35mm film:

I highly recommend picking up a Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim. They're cheap, very simple/easy to use and take great photos. More Holga and Vivitar pics on my Flickr.

Still scanning, more to come...

Local Spots | Santa Monica

2009-03-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's ride through West LA was in good company and perfect weather. In other words, nothing out of the ordinary, but I wanted to share the Gmap below to better highlight a newly discovered part of town and my favorite part of yesterday's ride. Between miles 3 and 4 on Adelaide Dr. you will find joggers, people enjoying ocean vistas and intimate views of beautiful homes scattered along rolling hills with an abundance of greenery. If you get a chance, get out there and take it in. Oh, and don't forget to bring a camera.

Recapping Vegas via iPhone

2009-03-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Had an awesome time in Vegas! I forgot my primary camera was memory card-less but I did take a few with my new Vivitar, that I'll develop/post to my Flick later on. Here's a few shots I snapped with my iPhone then polarized using the Polarize iPhone app...

@ MGM

@ MGM

*forgot to tag this one: Dinner at MGM's Studio Cafe (night 1)

aka - why we were in the middle of the desert (killing ourselves)

kickin' it poolside

Sushi! nom-nom-nom :)

Danny died. But on the 3rd night he rose again (in fulfillment of the scriptures) just in time to walk the strip with us...

Good times :)

Vegas!

2009-03-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

Doing the Vegas with some buddies from Seattle for the weekend. March Madness Vegas style is gonna be siiick! Go Memphis!

deuces!

George...

2009-03-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

is a homie. Built up the white Deep-V in the pics to follow. Here's a few shots from another good sesh at the local spot.

no handed wheelie

Yup, that's my bike and nope can't do those... yet. Bittersweet.

Venice, CA

The Madness '09

2009-03-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

My March Madness bracket (click to enlarge). Go Memphis!

This weekend...

2009-03-16T00:58:00.000-07:00

was awesome! Lots and lots of cycling, and took a bunch of pics with the new cams in beautiful weather/lighting - really excited to see how the shots develop. Here's a few stills from a movie capture my friend took as I was keo spinning along the boardwalk in Santa Monica:

Have a great week!

New Cams

2009-03-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

I got two new cameras today - A Holga from my buddy Feaver, and a Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim from ebay. I'm looking forward to taking a break from digital and testing these out.

Check the aesthetic:

Vivitar Flickr Group
Modding Holga to shoot with 35mm

Hope Rides Again

2009-03-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I participated in the Hope Rides Again ride through Hollywood. Tons of cyclists, great atmosphere, free schwag from Nike, Lance Armstrong led the pack, it was a lot of fun! Here's a few images from the night (mostly from mobile).

"GDS Fixed", hahaha, trust me... you don't want to know!

Hundreds if not thousands strong, set and ready to go...

Lance!

2 miles of Sunset Blvd closed down for the event

Bike valet after the ride. Time for the afterparty...

Lance's bike

Monster bike. See the teeth? Supposed to symbolize eating up the asphalt.

Custom Livestrong gear on display

There was an open bar at the afterparty. I tried this 'bondi blonde' beer for the first time. Only at an event like this would you find a low carb beer with no preservatives and even some protein!

The QA/panel with Lance was cool, you can watch video of it here. GO LANCE!

Keo Curry

2009-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite cyclists. Always killin' it. From Seattle. Nuff said, now watch...

VIMBY - Keo Curry

I will be there.

2009-03-04T12:56:00.001-08:00

Screenshot: Lance Armstrong's twitter...

2 mile ride through Hollywood this Saturday benefiting the Children's Hospital. Thanks to George from LA Brakeless for the heads up! As I understand it, there's 500 open spots; the LAB and O20 each get 50 dedicated spots at the front of the pack next to Lance... that's where you'll find me :)

*update 4/6 - adding event flyer:

Day n' Nite

2009-02-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

Good steez, cool video art and progressive sounds... keep an eye out for Kid Cudi.

Day N Nite - KiD CuDi

Venice 2.26.09

2009-02-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Cruising along the boardwalk with my friend Galen during lunch, here are a few images I shot from my bike as we made our way to Subway.

Friend me on dailymile

2009-02-26T00:52:00.000-08:00

I've gone on a bit of a fitness tear lately. I recently acquired the Perfect Pushup, an Everlast pull up bar (I hate pull ups!), an ab roller and started running again. All of this on top of my daily 20 mile bicycle commute. There was no real reason or motivator behind my recent increase in activity other than the feeling of simply needing to do it. Although, I think the call to action may have something to do with my body finally adjusting to my extended commute since moving to El Segundo. In any case, the exhaustion from my commute is no longer "enough", and it feels good!

Whether your daily hustle is big or small - if you're actively taking steps to improve your fitness level then I recommend joining dailymile... recording how much you kill yourself:

is fun
motivates you to kill yourself tomorrow
motivates you to kill yourself harder tomorrow
motivates people around you to kill themselves

Get at it! And then friend me :)

Images from February's Crank Mob

2009-02-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pics from last night's Crank Mob. Sorry about the blurry photos, a lot of these were taken while riding.

Crank Mob - 2/21/2009

This band awaited the mob in the middle of an Albertson's parking lot. I didn't catch their name but the lead singer was hotter than hot. When I got there, they were covering Shit Luck by Modest Mouse, and then the police came...

*Edit 2/23: The band is Professor Calculus - check em' out

Hern and friends

The ride concluded at a curious location. The spot, an Asian Imports warehouse by day, dance hub by night. "FMLY presents Booty Shaking w/ Daedelus, Free the Robots, and Intricate Machines " - link.

Good, clean, fun - Crank Mob

Another Wednesday night...

2009-02-19T01:20:00.003-08:00

riding my bike through Venice and Santa Monica.

full size

"girls on bikes" posts are so hot right now

2009-02-18T15:00:00.001-08:00

Anyone else notice the blogospheres a buzzin' with "girls on bikes" posts!? Anyways, just doing my part...

Ooh! And let's not forget about her.

Oro 2.0

2009-02-17T23:17:00.000-08:00

Just installed the following upgrades a few minutes ago:

All-City plastic double toe clips
Izumi chain
Toshi double straps
Cinelli toe strap buttons
19t cog

*note: on 4/12/09 the Sparton frame in this picture broke

Its been raining...

2009-02-17T22:57:00.000-08:00

But today, the sun came out right smack in the middle of the day. I diem'ed the carpe ;)

Outtakes

2009-02-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

LOOKBOOK.nu - I'm thinking about participating. I haven't decided if I'm going to use anything from this set of photos but as they saying goes, never say never. Till then, only sharing the blurry stuff. Take it or leave it.

happy belated valentines

2009-02-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

'Hey Fixie' by rat-a-tat-tat

Does this count?

2009-02-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

Trying to get a standing, one-footed, no-handed trackstand...

Trackstands - El Segundo, CA from Joey on Vimeo.

Playing with the SnagIt editor

2009-02-06T13:32:00.001-08:00

I created this while enjoying a couple slices of cheese from Dagwoods. Nothing too fancy, just tweaking the hue levels.

click to enlarge

Have a good weekend!

Pea Pals

2009-02-03T10:13:00.001-08:00

JibJab launched its Valentine's Day content last night! This is my favorite Valentine's Sendables cartoon :)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Stomach: "Wahh, I'm all grumbly and anxious. I'm gonna make you second guess all your decisions." LOL!

Mashups!

2009-02-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to a lot of mashups lately. GirlTalk was my segway.

Since 2005, BootieLA has compiled their favorite mashup tracks of the year. "BootieLA" stands for boot-leg Los Angeles. It's a good place to sample mashups and there's more than likely a Bootie-hub for your city's mashup scene (BootieNY, BootieTokyo, BootieLondon, etc). Anyhow, here's a few tracks I handpicked from BootieLA's 2005-2008 favorites. Enjoy!

First Class vs Coach

2009-02-02T18:41:00.001-08:00

Dunn Dunt Dunnnnt!

2009-01-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

Fuji apple + Gorillapod + PostIt =

No need to panic, I've dealt with problematic fruit before.

Heroics

2009-01-30T00:51:00.000-08:00

farf to gap from Joey on Vimeo.

At the end of Rose St.

2009-01-29T13:26:00.001-08:00

There's a mini pier that cuts about half way across the beach,

Barack posters are hanging from every other window,

and Liz's bro's art is hanging from powerlines.

night ride along the westside

2009-01-28T01:01:00.000-08:00

A few friends of mine met up at the Jab last night and went for a little ride around Venice and Santa Monica. We mashed a couple hills, practiced tricks and drank Tecates at Muscle Beach. Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday night...

Chris on Main. Learns trackstands later that night.

Drew popped his wheelie cherry

Diz learned that he's out of shape... but not for long

over PCH

QuadCamera for the iPhone...

2009-01-26T12:56:00.001-08:00

I purchased the QuadCamera iPhone app for $1.99 earlier this morning then went for a walk during lunch.

QuadCamera's ui is slick and easy to use. It can shoot;

2x2 (shown below)
4x1 (shown below)
4x2
8x1

It has a self timer and easily goes from color to grayscale with a couple touches. And the capture sound it makes is quite satisfying. Very, very nice app. I look forward to testing the QuadAnimator.

The west side is the best side...

Wico Bikes

2009-01-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

The economy is bad, times are hard... or so I've heard. That doesn't mean you can't afford to ride fixed. If you ask me, you can't afford NOT to. Over the past year, Bikes Direct has been the main if not only player for complete budget track bikes. But more recently, a new player has entered the game - Wico. We knew absolutely nothing about them other than what we saw on craigslist, so we made a trip to Downtown LA to get the 411.

Wico - Suite 411 in a crazy building in DTLA

Wico is a pretty cool operation - imported from Asia and manufactured in the same factory as FUJI bikes. The process was simple; come in, pick your size, pick your color, pick your bars/grips and you're out the door for $300. At an upsell, you can also change the colorways on a few components. Patrick Winget runs the show. He can help get you rolling without breaking the bank. Call him at 818-618-6794 to arrange a visit to the showroom. Oh, and did I mention they powedercoat? I saw a gold flake job on a set of Weinmann's and Patrick mentioned a custom half black/white job he recently did for a customer. Something to keep in mind...

We stopped by DRIF LA, while Patrick was fixin' up Diz's new bike at Wico.

from DRIF

Back in Venice, later that night - Diz's new Wico (right)

Chris's new Giant - skids and Tecate in Venice, Beach

Venice Chill Ride - 1 Year Anniversary

2009-01-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

The Venice Chill Ride is fun and tonight's 1 year anniversary ride was no different. We took the O.G. route - Venice to Diddy Reese in Westwood and back.

uncomiro and cience are talented photographers, these photos are from their Flickr streams...

VCR meets every Tuesday, 7:30 @ Windward Circle

Westwood

I don't know who this is but he had bar spin wheelies on autopilot

me, about to keo spin

George from the LAB bunny hops this guy, then later on, gives him $5 to keo spin off his back. George gets it first try, crazy!

Yep, that's a "Where The Wild Things Are" t-shirt, need I say more?

Friendly people and nice bikes, VCR - 1/20/09

JibJab Alehouse

2009-01-17T13:52:00.000-08:00

We're doing big things at JibJab and not just on the business front. Here's a few photos from our humble abode in Venice.

Tim - stocking the new beer fridge

New stein rack - something like 40+ steins when it's full

Half full or half empty? Trick question - it doesn't matter cuz my face is on it, yeehhaaawww!

Oh and and we've also got a sweet new lounge area in the works... couple couches, a La-Z boy and big screen with a Wii. Now if I could just get a zip-line from my desk to the bike racks...

learning keo spins

2009-01-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today, I practiced keo spins instead of eating lunch. Basically, I got em' but I need to whip these around for a bit longer before they're legit...

Watch @ Vimeo

Icon Aircraft's A5

2009-01-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

It's exciting to see consumer aircraft becoming more practical/affordable.

The A5 is

$139,000
Takes off and lands at 45mph
Amphibious (take off/land in water)
Easily transported/stored in small spaces (wings fold)
Scheduled for production in 2010.

To that end, how much longer till we're zipping around like the Jetsons?

"Ultimate Flying Machine" video from WIRED...

Obam'ify Yourself

2009-01-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

This is fun. Upload a photo and Obam'ify yourself at Obamicon.Me

HolgaNizer

2009-01-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

I went for a walk today and ended up at the beach. There's never a shortage of things to shoot in Venice...

I petted a 12yr old Timber wolf named Sasha. The owner said her diet consists of butter and meat. This photo doesn't do em' justice but her paws, they were enormous.

small world - ran into my friend Henry and his new Cutter.

I don't have a Holga, yet. These images were created using the HolgaNizer.

Mighty Muggs!

2009-01-13T09:51:00.001-08:00

My new Storm Shadow Mighty Mugg keeps trying to kill my Spiderman Mugg but luckily his spidey sense tips em' off every time. Looks like they're at it again, isn't that just precious?

Mighty Muggs!

tilt-shift photograpy

2009-01-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

What are tilt-shift photos? Tilt-shift style photos are pictures of real-life scenes that are manipulated to look like miniature toy-model photographs. My friend Aaron put me onto another cool photo app that does just that.

After testing the TiltShiftMaker photo app with a couple images on my desktop, I couldn't wait to take my camera out and go shoot! Here are a few shots I took during lunch and edited with TiltShift.

cool name for a street

I was going to turn this photo monochrome except for the yellow on his dunks but then I thought the blue sky and the rich mapley goodness of his board were offsets too good to omit and decided to leave it in living color.

Ballin' in Santa Monica, CA. If you haven't noticed yet, the TiltShift app let's you select the area of focus. For this shot, the focus goes right across the middle versus the next pic below where the focus goes straight across the top.

Watch for em!

on my fixie

Here's a good example of how the TiltShift app micro-sizes the subjects making it look like a photograph of a model

cute girl on a swing

Vegas Weekend

2009-01-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

I'm back from an impromptu trip to Las Vegas and am still screening/exporting pics from my camera to my Flickr but here's a few that are safe to share ;)

the view from Club Tao at the Venetian

Tony, the Birthday boy getting lei'd

The homies after Cirque du Soleil. We saw Mystere, it was pretty good but not as good as "O". Sorry about the blurry img, I was laughing.

Tony's patio

What a weekend, it's time to rest. I'll upload more pics from my trip to Vegas later this week.

My 2009 New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

Video blog
Get a friendlier blog url and move off of blogger
Pick up rock climbing
Get back into tennis
Camping w/ friends
Less drinking
Go 'beer tasting'
Make time to date someone seriously
Run a 5k
Floss everyday
Budget
Write more 'paper' letters
Take more photographs
Play more chess
Take a cooking class
Read a book a month
Design a font

Poladroid

2008-12-29T17:52:00.000-08:00

Poladroid is a fun/free photo app that I love - poladroid. Drag and drop your digital pics and a few seconds later you have polaroids! It's fun to use too! I took a screenshot of my desktop so you could see it in action. Notice how the pics are less developed as you move left to right? That's because they take a minute to develop, just like real polaroids :)

I've been patiently waiting for the Windows compatible version, it was released a couple days ago and now I'm Poladroid'ing everything! Here's a couples examples...

Taken with the fishy lense on my Canon a630. Dropped the pic into Poladroid and blam...

how cool is that?

There's a mirrored window at the corner of Main and Rose; I took this with my iPhone as I was on my way to the beach to have lunch. See the white bag? There's a burrito in there. When I got back to my desk, I emailed the photo to myself then ran it through Poladroid AND another cool app - Toy Camera, which added a little noise and some edge effects.

Hell Yeeeah!

White Christmas

2008-12-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

from mobile

headed to Seattle...

2008-12-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

To spend time with the family and battle Yetis. Seriously, it's snowing like it's going out of style up there and my friends tell me these things are running amuck!

You're on borrowed time Mr. Yeti.

Don't act like you're not impressed...

2008-12-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

christmas party

2008-12-14T23:43:00.001-08:00

I went to a Secret Santa/White-Elephant Christmas party this weekend. It was a potluck. I made a vegetarian jambalaya, salmon and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

My friend Ashley turned out to be my secret santa and totally hooked me up!

American Apparel v-neck
The new Kanye CD, 808s & Heartbreak
Autographed HappySlip photo
GameStop gift card

Thanks again :)

Good friends, lots of food, Christmas music, games and presents. Here's a few pics...

me and Ashley (my awesome secret santa)

Christmas reds

Jaeden and Jerrald

2.5lbs of Atlantic Salmon marinated in soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon pepper and garlic powder for 4 hours then baked to perfection.

potluckin'

MJV

There's my jambalaya! (on the left) It was my first time making a jambalaya. I used a soy based ground beef substitute, mixed it with rice, bell peppers, diced tomatoes and green chillies.

I like this shot of Chris and Chewie with the same expression on their faces, lol

Cheers!

More christmas party pics

almost killed my cam

2008-12-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

Went for a ride during lunch today and attempted to stall this bench by the beach. Front wheel comes too close for comfort...

Stay tuned, I feel the lunch-break hussle comin' on.

Buttery Mondays

2008-12-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

First day on fruit boots in over eight months... had a blast! I managed to lace a buttery fakie to front savannah right as the lights went out. My friend Cheech is behind the camera and gets intro song credits :)

Butter

NOEL Lights at the Venice Canals

2008-12-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

I pass through the Venice Canals to and from work everyday, but tonight I had to stop and take a few pics of the evenings festivities.

Noel Christmas lights

Night was in full effect when I took this. Seriously, it was dark. I waited till there was no traffic and left the shutter open for 15 seconds.

6 second shutter

A car drives by with the shutter at 10 seconds.

This shot was tricky. At 6 seconds (shutter), I had to hold this trackstand as still as possible or become a big blur.

ripped shirt aka speed flaps

New PAC bag. Still love my chrome bag but I go with my PAC when I need to hold more stuff.

A random mini-Christmas parade, an LAPD sleigh escorted by police cars blaring Christmas cheer from their radios

fishy

Halo 3 - Flash Kick!

2008-12-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

This is cool. Anyone who has ever played a first person shooter can appreciate any instance in which the y-axis goes inverted... it just doesn't happen!

We don't know how it happened. But yesterday, my friend took the best chapter from Guile's notebook and brought it to Halo 3.

red team attempts to plant bomb on Sandtrap

flash kick! please believe it.

'the business' brought to you by chewbacca rrrll

I wonder if this movement is exclusive to Elites or if Spartans can do it too? I didn't find anything after a quick Google search but perhaps it's a recent upgrade/easter-egg Bungie pushed unbeknownst to the general halo community. Okay, done geeking out (for now).

Matix Team Signing at Active

2008-12-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

The Matix team had a signing at the Active in El Segundo this weekend. I was in the area and managed to take a couple pics with my iPhone.

Daewon Song (in the beanie) - arguably one of the most tech skaters of all time

Santa Claus throwing Matix goods in front of the shop

more iphone case

2008-12-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

I got the dark gold iPhone 3G case from 'more.'. It came with a free mirrored screen protector, which I was looking forward to photographing but it didn't survive my numerous apply-remove-reapply attempts so I tossed it. For the record, it did look really cool, but I'm not too bummed about it. For long-term screen protection, ZAGG's "invisible SHIELD" ftw.

So far, the case has held up nicely. The hard plastic makes it easy to slide in and out of your pocket (the main reason I didn't go with a silicone case) and if you've got the lightsaber app, the metallic shine really ups your game when you're swinging your phone around like this guy.

Noel Collection Metallic Series

side view

how I'd look with a flat-top

new pickups

2008-11-30T18:07:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'm a Laker fan and I also ride fixed. Hence, my latest pickup from smeeze, the LA Fixed t-shirt.

support Vinny

Nachos!

2008-11-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

My old late night burrito, enchilada and taco joint just became my nacho joint.

post Crank Mob fix'ins

Go Lakers!

2008-11-09T23:38:00.000-08:00

I went to my first Lakers game this weekend. It was against Houston. We killed it, 111 to 82. Kobe put it down (as usual), Farmar was getting dunks (a rare but welcome sight), Vujacic and Ariza showed up (this is Laker basketball and I'm lovin' it), an alley-oop to Gasol then Odom chimes in with a 3 (lights out, my mind is officially blown)! The whole game was a highlight reel... I could get used to this.

Gasol & Kobe

LA, undefeated at 5-0

Spotted!

2008-10-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

Spiderman riding along the beach! Taking pictures of himself (as usual). He was headed North at approximately 7:30am... I'm betting he was going to the Daily Bugles satellite office in Venice.

pedaling fast, real fast! ya know, spider strength and all that...

How bout' that sunrise!? Happy Halloween!!!

iJoey2.0

2008-10-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

For the past month I've been weighing the iPhone 3G against the G1. I also considered waiting to see what might become of Nvidia's Tegra UI for mobile devices. But I just got out of contract and had to make a decision, now, right now, the gamebraker... the App Store. Sooo many apps! I know, old news, but until you dig in and experience it for yourself it somehow isn't real.

Initially, the apps didn't blow me away. After following tweet after tweet and reading countless posts about the hundreds of apps launching everyday, I became desensitized. Virtual lightsabers and beer apps, okay cool, you've got my attention but I'm still on the fence over here... Kevin's Qik demo, and what this meant in terms of scale/potential for future apps is what pushed me over. The grass is definitely greener.

old vs new

Title credits: Andy O.

Happy Birthday Oro!

2008-10-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

It was last year in the midnight hour of today's date that I posted, "Orochimaru meets pavement". We've done and seen a lot over the course of a year, covered a lot of ground and made a lot of friends. Some of my favorite memories include...

the daily commute
smokin' fools on the daily AND at the races
getting clips w/ friends
VCRs and Crank Mobs

After cleaning the chain and a bottom bracket tune up, it's time to open presents!

new Strong-V track grips by CHOICE

new Turbo saddle by Selle Italia

r.i.p. flite saddle, you were awesome and will be missed.

Me: what're you doing on the couch?
Oro: it's my birthday, i do what i want.
Me: happy birthday.

*note: on 4/12/09 the Sparton frame in this picture broke

new pad, new bike rack...

2008-10-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

A conversation between a boy and his bike.

Me: "Hey Oro, what's up?"
Oro: "Me."

"the leondardo" bike rack

*note: on 4/12/09 the Sparton frame in this picture broke

Winter Is Coming

2008-10-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

nataliedee.com

On the move...

2008-10-06T00:16:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been hectic but the new apartment is finally starting to come together. Here's the time lapse, complete with play-by-play...

1. Pack it up: All my shoes, one suitcase.

2. Put the goods in the truck.

3. Set the tone early with your new neighbors by unpacking to gangster rap.

4. Use the move as an opportunity to upgrade your life. I did so by ditching the old twin-mattress on the floor bit (college habits die hard) and picking up this slice of heaven. 'The Advantage Bed' by Tempurpedic, please believe it!

The 100 Push-Up Challenge

2008-10-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

I did it!

It wasn't pretty but on Sep 30th I did 100 consecutive push ups thanks to the hundred push ups training program. Now, I will show off this digital badge of accomplishment...

Wanna do it?

RVCA X Cinelli

2008-09-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

New pick ups! The screen on the front reads...

"In 1984 I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge to meet Gary Fisher, who almost lived in a pioneer hovel, and we went to hear the Dead, skipping the lines (MTB power!). We didn't talk much shop, but a short time later the first Italian, and maybe the first European, MTB was born.

Today I'm back in San Francisco with RVCA, and I'm sure there will always be good music for those who know how to listen. Art, design, technology, rock, it's true that I have changed the bike some, but the best part is that she changes herself, whether I like it or not. Today young artists dress her up like a bride and then strip her, delicately or madly, but always with love. In Italian we call them fissati, fixated, another way of saying maniacs. I like working with maniacs, art is mania, obsession, just like music is mania, bikes are mania.

You'll never catch the perfect bike because she will always be faster than you, though the guys from RVCA go faster than most, and I hope to stay in a permanent breakaway with them, with Cinelli. I've changed the bike, yes, but she has also changed me. Thanks, my bride.

Antonio Colombo

front

back

Rick's Tavern

2008-09-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

I was walking down Main St. earlier today during the hour of lunch, looking for a suitable place to pick up where I'd left off in 'eclipse' (book three of the 'twilight' series)... my journey led me to Rick's Tavern. I used to come here semi-regularly but burritos have taken over my life as of late and I'd almost forgotten it as an option altogether. They do this thing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 'Burger Madness', it's sort of like a burger happy hour and despite the allusion to mad cow disease, I knew I was going to order a veggie burger anyways so I happily posted up at an open table in the corner and dove into my book.

I'm enjoying the 'twililght' series and 'eclipse' is no exception. But to stay on point, the reason I'm posting my lunch time adventure is to share the glory of Rick's $5 dollar burger. The thing is legit and so are the waffle fries that come with it. If you're ever in the area and are looking for a budget lunch and happen to be in the mood for a burger and it also happens to be either a Tuesday or a Thursday... now you know what to do.

Burger Madness

West LA - rollerblade edit

2008-08-06T12:48:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I've never posted this! Here's a rollerblade edit we made back in 06'

West LA - rollerblade edit from Joey on Vimeo.

Rollers:

Collin Sanders
Cheech Sanders
me

Oh how I miss those days...