FlickrVision

The widely renowned photo sharing platform Flickr has been cross bred quite cleverly with the Google Earth mapping device in order to create a ‘photo-a-second’ streamed show of freshly uploaded photos and their geographical origins. Sound interesting? Probably will be for the first few minutes until the display wears the eye tired. The quality of photos displayed, both questionable and varied, are of such diverse subject matter that you are likely to be looking at a beautifully depicted ‘Chilean landscape’ one second, then crap mobile snap of ‘Dave’s shag from Saturday night out side the chippie’ the next. Random indeed.

'Green The New Black' and 'How The West Was Won Wearing Sustainable Cotton Jockey Shorts'

Sustainable definitely is the new black. Black, traditionally being a popular ‘non-colour’ amongst skater orientated street wear brands, now faces the prospect of being sidelined, at least for a teeny while, in light of the recently launched Planet Earth ‘Green Label’. Green Label? How boldly must it be spelt out? Although consumers in general seem to be switching on to sustainability and the eco-credentials of brands and product, are the skater ‘skwids’, as I like to call them, ready to mirror the conscious consumer habits of their parents and older folk? Vice magazine seems to think so, as they recently granted a two-page advert spread to UK stockist Route One, who are, quite aptly, self-professed “always first”. At the very back of my mind I hear a little MC style voice ring through with a little " I don't think they ready..." quip. Maybe a touch negative, but more importantly, what do you think? Are the 'skwids' up for being force fed the 'green dream'?

State Of Play has a political say

Details as above. Knowledge is power.

Design Genius

Luigi Colani, currently celebrated at the Design Museum for his works inspired by the most organically sleek forms in nature, is genius. It's a big word, I know, but the guy's got game, for real. His sketch style alone leaves many in the shade. Such a sweetly super choice of colours, something I can't help but be entranced by.
If you havnt felt inspired for a while then take yourself for a trundle down Shad Thames and indulge your visual senses in the many curvacious works of Colani. If the one genius isn't enough, then hit the top floor for Sottsass' collection of bright bold and colourfully live design pieces. End.

Streetwear

To coincide with the launch of a rather interesting book entitled Streetwear by Steven Vogel I'd thought I'd throw this out there: Am I wrong in saying that Lily Allen's recent contributions to the corporate money making machine of the high street are 'streetwear'? If anyone professes to 'be street' it's her, right? Look at the above example, taken from her recently launched capsule collection/collaboration for New Look. The piece in question features a grafitti tag inspired embroidery detail. Grafitti = street, right? So, is it safe to say that frilly dresses on girls are 'street'? I'm confused. Most of Hollywoods A-list wear frilly dresses, yet, they are so far removed from 'the street'. So, how does it actually work? Who decides what is 'street'? More to the point I wonder how Steven Vogel decides what is 'street'. More still, I wonder to what extent the female streetwear contingent feature in the Thames & Hudson produced title. I guess I should take the few sheckles I have in my pocket and invest in a copy, or shimmy down to Borders and rustle through the pages whilst perched on one of their minty green jumbo cord sofas. Better stiill, maybe I shall brave it this evening at the book launch party in Shoreditch, where I would surely have the ripe opportunity to ask these many things of Steven himself. I'd like to settle it once and for all. What, in this day in age, is 'streetwear' and more interestingly, what ISN'T?!

Probably the Best Litter in the World...

Apparently it only cost them £50k in advertising, which is actually a snip for the amount of talk that's gone on around it... Nice.

Back To The Top Of The Pops

Yeah, this one goes out to all you pop pickers out there... word! TOTP, the globally reknowned UK music chart selection show is not, I repeat, IS NOT back! Yep, had all you kidult, 'Guilty Pleasures' going mutha's sweating for a second didn't I ? Didn't I ?! Maybe I didn't. Whatever. There's a guy with a mic and some cd decks who stands in the corner of the George & Dragon pub, Hackney Road on Monday nights. On said nights he does the Top 40 Countdown. "Last weeks highest new entry, this week moves up two places to number 3, it's..." Yes, exactly how you remember it. He does it bloody well, and if you, like many, are sucker for some pop nostalgia then you need to go down and show your support. Last nights highlight: Jermaine Jackson "We don't have to take our clothes off"... what a classic. Storming!
The George & Dragon, 2-4 Hackney Road, Shoreditch (Where else?!)