July 18, 2008
Here’s an interesting look at the beginning of hip hop culture.
Martha Cooper was a photo-journalist living in New York City when she first began documenting the origins of B-boy (short for break-boys) and hip hop culture. While other New Yorkers at the time saw this movement as a trite, uninspired or even offensive fad, Martha found a new form of expressing art. Through her camera lens we recount the infancy of hip-hop culture, from the alleys and subways of New York to the masses beyond the boroughs.
July 18, 2008
Last weekend a couple of friends and I drove up to Mount Washington for some mountain biking. I’d only been once before, and this was my first time on a hill with chair lifts.
I have to say, those lifts really make a difference. It was great to start out fresh on my first run. We went down about seven times throughout the day, and I had a blast. I find mountain biking a lot more daunting than most other sports I’ve tried, because it sucks to fall on rocks, but it’s such a great feeling when you’re flying down a path and around corners.
Here’s a video of me riding. I still suck, and I really messed up that first corner, and I have some really obnoxious sounding brakes that I was riding all day, but it’s still fun to see. One of the guys I went riding with has an HD camera we can bring up next time, so you’ll be able to see every detail of my slow, slow riding.
It’s a really expensive sport that I can’t really afford right now, but in the next couple of years I think I’d like to get more into it. It’s great fun, and good exercise too. Plus the body armour looks bad ass.
July 10, 2008
A while back I posted the MP3 of M. Ward’s great “Poor Boy, Minor Key”. Here’s someone’s cover of the opening piano piece, which I liked a lot.
Turn down your speakers or stop the video at 1:33, though, as the guy screams into the camera. I nearly fell out of my chair when watching it the first time.
June 24, 2008
I remember this creeping me out as a kid…
[via]
June 22, 2008
This video makes me happy.
Here are some of his outtakes:
Where the Hell is Matt? [via]
June 5, 2008
Before seeing that Messiah video I posted earlier, I’d never heard of Derren Brown here in Canada. It seems he’s had quite a few interesting television specials. Here are a couple of clips:
This next one features Simon Pegg, which immediately makes it great.
June 2, 2008
PZ Myers at Pharyngula posted the beginning of the BBC special Messiah, in which Derren Brown travels from England to America to try and convince five paranormal leaders that he possesses the powers they apparently practice.
It’s a fantastic programme that really shows how people can be easily manipulated when someone knows how to pick the right targets, read people, and plant suggestions. It’s fascinating to watch.
My favourite bit comes near the end, when he makes a small audience and a professional medium believe he’s contacting the dead. I can ignore, or even see the entertainment value, in fortune tellers and palm readers, but I absolutely despise spirit mediums. It warms my heart whenever someone takes time to expose them as frauds. There are a lot of disgusting ways to make a living in this world, and taking money from people by pretending to relay messages from their dead mothers ranks quite high, as far as I’m concerned.
The Hip Hop Files
