I don't know which is more impressive, that street rider Danny MacAskill can pull off these tricks, or that he even thought of trying them. Obviously, when this man looks at a street he sees something very different than the rest of us. The description refers to his 'imaginative lines' but it's almost urban alchelmy - creating something entirely new from pieces that were previously unnoticed and unrelated. Thanks, Brett.

Years ago, I would religiously watch the weekly 'alternative' music show on MuchMusic, the Canadian video channel. After all this time, one episode still sticks out in my mind: the night The Cramps took over. Whatever my teenage definition of ' weird' was before I was exposed to a Cramps video marathon, the parameters were definitely expanded afterward. My favourite part was the band's lead singer, Lux Interior, explaining the genesis of their most infamous video: angered at a seemingly senseless bit of censorship, their record company rep sent them out to make a video where "not one frame would be acceptable." The resulting video for "Creature from the Black Leather Lagoon" succeeded admirably. (Just in case the preceding paragraph didn't clue you in, the link is really, really NSFW). (Also, how hilarious is it that Canadian television would show this video on a fairly regular basis?)

While I never became a diehard Cramps fan, the image of Lux Interior striding around in that video never fully left my mind. Who knew that a man in a leather g-string could be a symbol of artistic integrity? Lux Interior died yesterday, and it looks like he didn't change a bit over the past 30 years.

Okay, here's an odd question: has anyone ever organized a classical music concert? I'm thinking of a show that requires an orchestra, chorus, children's choir as well as a pre-recorded noise track. That's a lot of people, and I'd also require a venue with good enough acoustics to make it worth it. As for the aforementioned orchestra, how do you go about hiring an entire orchestra? And once you've found a suitable, willing orchestra, how much would such an endeavor cost? I can't even begin to guess...

photo by rogiro.

It seems like pretty much all of Canada and most the U.S. has been blanketed with snow in the past week. My response to this meteorological inconvenience has been to swear off the outside world all together and increase my hot chocolate consumption. We all do what we must.

Lucky for us, Aly Lenon (or 2 Pie) had a more creative reaction to the weather. While the rest of us were embarking on grueling DVD marathons, he was busy inventing a new kind of street art - the snow print. I don't know if Seattle gets some kind of rare super-snow, but I've never seen such clear and detailed imprints. But maybe I've just been to worried about keeping my face *out* of the snow all this time.

Via Wooster Collective

Arkitip, purveyors of the finest printed hipness have a special offer on now - the chance to grab all of their 2008 issues together as a set. The array of goods this will net you is truly mind-boggling: A 3D viewer with image reels from design group Wood Wood, a limited edition print from Evan Hecox, a specially printed book of Ryan McGinness' work rendered in fluorescent colors. All this AND a full-issue retrospective on the work of Peter Saville that shouldn't be missed.

In these days of uncertainty and fear, one question is weighing on the minds of millions: what will be 2009's color of the year? Thankfully the wait ended last week when Pantone representatives emerged from conclave and declared Mimosa the color of the future. Described as embodying "hopefulness and reassurance in a climate of change," expectations have been set high for this humble warm yellow. On my uncalibrated monitor Mimosa looks like a deep, warm and bright yellow, verging on orange. It should pair nicely with Blue Iris, 2008's color of the year. Which leads me to make a prediction of my own. Also hot in 2009? Sweden.

I've noticed this style of lettering popping up in magazines over the past few months. The piece on the left is from British Vogue's September issue. On the right is the cover of Barney's holiday mailer. Initially I thought the effect was vaguely 3D, or meant to mimic how 3D printing looks when you've forgotten the glasses. But it's actually more like the look of slightly off-register printing from back when everything had to be color-separated and set by hand.

The four-color jumble of the Barney's headline reminds me of when I used to play with the color proofs left over from the prepress department, making psychedelic collages from supermarket flyers. (Those were the best, since the cuts of meat looked especially bizarre when rendered in yellow and cyan). It's funny to think that process disappeared long enough ago that we're seeing retro references to it now. If someone would only just print this style on cheap newsprint, the look would be complete.

Among the many brilliant things in his book, The Myths of Innovation, Scott Berkun includes a list of negative things that every innovator will hear. I suggest using it as a checklist. How many have you heard? How many have you heard today?

The List of Negative Things Innovators Hear

• This will never work.
• No one wants this.
• It can’t work in practice.
• People won’t understand it.
• This isn’t a problem.
• This is a problem, but nobody cares.
• This is a problem, and people care, but it will never make money.
• This is a solution in search of a problem.
• Get out of my office/cave now.

But remember: the only thing worse than hearing this stuff everyday is never hearing it. Because if nobody hates your big idea, the idea isn't big enough.

I've never felt sadder about living in a landlocked Canadian province than I did when I saw this story about a giant Lego man washing up on a beach in England. Even more upsetting is the knowledge that with each landlocked day, my chances of ever simply finding a free-for-the-taking, full size Lego man are further reduced. I can only hope that one of the children in the photo has the good sense to grab that yellow giant and RUN. The Law of the Briny Deep favors the quick and the devious and, as any prairie dweller can tell you, this chance will not come again.

My cousin spent the better part of two months forcing a group of Lego Bionicle figures to perform the Thriller dance. This is the result. Hey, I guess when the muse strikes, you just have to go with it. Still, I'm glad it turned out to be so cool, because otherwise I'd be a little worried about him