Ginger > Root

I'm way into botanically brewed ginger ales and ginger beers these days. They've surpassed an occasional root beer as my favor soda. Stumbled upon this packaging design video my of one of my top three favorite ginger ale/beer brands: Bundaberg.

Top 10 Favorite Cartoons

I've found myself spending way too much time at work talking about vintage cartoons with this guy and it's lead to me thinking about all the cartoons that have influenced me the most over the years. No, as much as I love 'em, you won't find Ren & Stimpy, Beavis and Butt-head or even The Simpsons on this list. This list's all about those cartoon series of yesteryear that were action-packed with after-school awesomeness.

10. Battle of the Planets (a.k.a. G-Force: Guardians of Space)
This was the first series I can remember watching and simply being in awe. I was about 6 years-old when I saw this and I vowed never to watch Sesame Street again.

9. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Here's a little factoid that I totally know just off the cuff. He-Man is actually half Earthling, have Eternian. His mother was a human astronaut who crash landed on Eternia.

8. Speed Racer
Thank goodness for Nick at Nite. They brought this oldie-but-goodie back right at the age for me to still find it both ironic and awesome.

7. Animaniacs
This is the odd ball of the bunch, but you can't deny the greatness of Wakko's constant Ringo Starr impression, Yakko's incredible Nations of the World song and don't forget—this is the show that brought the world Pink and the Brain, Narf!

6. Robotech
I discovered Robotech at far too young of an age and I knew it even at that time... and that's one of the reasons I loved it. It was one of my first real brushes with a pure anime-style and its more mature themes made me feel super smart and cool at such a young age.

5. Voltron: Defender of the Universe
Before a single Power Ranger ever danced across a screen, there was Voltron. Now, I'm not talking about the crazy vehilce-based version. I'm talking about the straight up robeast-shreading mega-droid made up of freaking robo-lions. Let's go Voltron Force!

4. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
When the ultimate action figure finally got its own afternoon cartoon, you better believe I was all in. But let's just set a few things straight: Destro > Cobra Commander, Lady Jay > Scarlett and of course Snake Eyes > Storm Shadow.

3. Transformers
Transformers were the perfect TV show/toy combination. These things were awesome. It's like a Hot Wheel that becomes an action figure?! Gobots were essentially the same thing and came out about the same time, but it was the Transformers cartoon with its epic characters, stellar theme song and unforgettable transforming sound effect that set it apart.

2. Thundercats
Thundercats probably has the craziest premise of any action cartoon ever. I'm mean, just read the show's plot on its Wikipedia page. It sounds like it should be a horrendous show. But I loved it. I dunno if it was the fact that Cheetara was the hottest cartoon babe of her time or that Mumm-Ra is still the most evil cartoon villain ever, but even though this show produced my most dreaded nickname (Snarf!), I full-on recorded episodes on audio cassettes before we got a VCR!

1. Batman: The Animated Series
After Tim Burton's and before Christopher Nolan's the WB released a fantastic, animated version of Batman that's still my fave. It was dark, epic and has to date one of the best Batmobiles ever. When I envision Batman, this is the first version I go to in my mind's eye. Not to mention it reintroduced Mark Hamill again as a cultural icon—voicing an amazing Joker. And that's not an easy task coming from the guy known for kissing his sister and whining the fateful line: "But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!"

Single Speed Campvibes

I've been searching high and low for examples of inspiring, single speed bikes built more for the trail than the road. I was recently lucky to stumble upon this beautiful, custom example designed by Ezra Caldwell for Fast Boy Cycles.

Loving the simple lines, beefy tires and techy disc brakes.

It's raw finish pushes it into that retro-rustic territory that's just so hot right now.The radical custom wooden grips totally seal the deal.

The Civil Wars on NPR

Another great little studio concert that won't disappoint. Is it just me or John Paul White a straight up mix of Jack White and Johnny Depp?

The New Old Adventuremobile

I recently posted about a cool, restored VW Rabbit pickup claiming I could be a truck guy. A commenter aptly pointed out that's technically not a truck. Agreed. But these are. I'm so stoked on these latest Jeep concept vehicles that hearken back to an era off roading before the acronym SUV was ever uttered.

I love this four door, four seat Wrangler pickup called the Brute by American Expedition Vehicles. It's totally reminiscent of a classic, safari-like Land Rover Defender 130CC. All it needs is a green canvas cab over the truck bed. More pics here.

Jeep was recently in Moab showing off this modern-retro interpretation of an 80's era J20 pickup. I especially dig the white steel rims and chrome hubcaps. More pics here.

Finally, my face officially melted the moment I saw this modern, forward control Jeep concept. Also on tour in Moab, this amazing monster is a flawless-looking American-made version of a Mercedes-Benz Unimog or a Land Rover Series IIB Forward Control. More pics here.

I want this thing. It makes me want to crawl rocks and winch something out of a bog. Here's to the new old adventuremobile.

Show Don't Tell

Saw this last week and still diggin'. Check out this great collaboration by my doods Mark Rawlins and Dan Christofferson for Owen Jones. Video by Jacob Hinmon.

Pallet has Personality

I'll often attribute personality traits to companies, such as the place I work or the clients and brands I interact with and love. While eating at SLC's newest restaurant Pallet, I almost instantly knew that this joint not only has personality, it has a personality.
Designed my friends over at the cityhomeCOLLECTIVE, the interior takes on a perfect balance of old and new, modern and classic, simple and complex. I love the communal seating layout combined with some excellent tunes that could have been stripped from my own playlists. When filled with folks, Pallet took on the vibe of a hopping yet intimate dinner party.
My understanding is that all the woodwork throughout the establishment is custom and original, which makes everything feel extremely rich and fresh. You get the definite sensation that Pallet was pulled out of Portland or New York and carefully placed here in SLC... like a present.
A great example of Pallet's personality is how perfectly one of its modern plates plays with the classic flatware. The juxtaposition of these elements creates an eclectic style that just flat out works.
Not only is this place designed to impress, the menu keeps up with the decor. I ordered the salmon, which was seared to perfection. And I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that, though not on the menu, Pallet stocks Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Bonus!

Photos by the cityhomeCOLLECTIVE

The Legendary Ralph McQuarrie

The man that define so much of visual iconography that I grew up with passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Ralph McQuarrie was the the illustrator and futurist for the original Star Wars Trilogy and penned some of the most recognizable characters and vehicles in cinematic history. He designed everything, from Darth Vader's menacing helmet and mask to The Millennium Falcon's rough and tumble exterior.

The Falcon is easily my favorite movie vehicle of all time, because despite not looking like much it truly had it where it counts.

Ralph was also the original designer of the costumes and uniforms for characters like Stormtroopers and the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett—imagery that is now influencing the next generation of fanboys.

BMW ///M135i Concept

Dear Bimmer gods, please oh please, let this twin-turbo hot-hatch awesomeness come to our shores!

Bon Iver at AIR Studios

If you've got about 25 minutes to spare, make sure you catch this beautifully shot studio session with Justin Vernon and Sean Carey.

OK Go+Chevy: An Exercise in Awesome

The post-Super Bowl ad chatter has pretty much centered on the clips of stunts featuring the all-new hot hatch the Chevy Sonic. A good looking car, agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners took it and the notion of "advertising stunts" literally to new heights under the mantra Let's Do This.



My fave stunt by far features YouTube darlings OK Go blasting through a 2.5 mile track lined with over 1,800 instruments in a highly-modified Sonic. The car and track were designed to actually play their song entitled: Needing/Getting. It's straight up awespirational. (Yeah, I just made that word up.)

What's fantastic about this form of advertising is that it's NOT advertising. It's just really good branded content, or in other words it's just really good branding. Period. I so wish more brands got this notion. I can honestly say, I dig the Sonic more because I now associate it with the high awesomeness degree of this stunt.

It also doesn't hurt one bit that this song rocks! I've always liked OK Go, but I straight up LOVE this song. What's even more awesome is the fact that they thought to embed a free download of the track into the campaign site. Seriously smart.

There's an excellent behind-the-scenes breakdown of the entire track on the Let's Do This site. Just click on the map on their site and a slideshow launches explaining the entire set up. Kudos to the creative team for capturing these sweet extras.

So for those of you taking notes: encouraging your clients to just be awesome is a totally and completely valid marketing strategy. Don't forget it.

Sundance 2012: The Rockumentaries

Mrs. Kyailty typically chooses our Sundance flicks each year and for 2012, she went 100% rockumentary awesomeness. We kicked of the festival with what was easily one of the most inspirational films I've seen in a long time.

Searching for Sugar Man is the larger than life story of the late-'60s, early-'70s singer-songwriter named Rodriguez, whose albums fell flat in the US. However, those same tunes found their way through all kinds of economic sanctions into South Africa at the height of Apartheid. Within the confines of this then police-state, Rodriguez's music fueled the anti-Apartheid movement among young Afrikaners.

Rodriguez became bigger than Elvis. But no one outside of South Africa knew it and everyone inside figured that since no new albums were being produced, he must have gone down in a literal blaze of glory. The stories of his death grew more and more elaborate over time and inspired two South African sleuths to search once and for all for Sugar Man.

Ironically, Rodriguez's album Cold Fact was released domestically just two months after Simon & Garfunkel's epic Bridge Over Troubled Water. It barely had a chance. In a strange twist of fate, a film called Under African Skies also premiered at Sundance this year. Mrs. Kyality caught this doc about Paul Simon's controversial Graceland album recorded in Apartheid-laden South Africa.

We wrapped up our Sundance fest with Shut Up and Play The Hits. Though entered in the documentary category, this was without a doubt a straight up concert flick. It beautifully covers the final LCD Soundsystem show at Madison Square Garden and captures the day after. Interlaced throughout the film is an amazing interview between pop culture expert Chuck Klosterman and LCD frontman and creative force James Murphy. I love LCD Soundsystem and I loved this flick, but there's not doubt you'll question Murphy's motives. Was he in for the art or did he actually get out of it for art?


Yeah, pretty much one of the coolest previews ever.

Dream Home, Actual Auto

I'm typically not a sucker for straight glass and steel. I like a bit of wood grain and exposed brick mixed into a mod home.

But when you get my exact same vehicle tucked up under it's carport, I must admit even a stark, minimalist joint like this starts feeling all warm and cozy. Click here for a full panorama of this shot—it's totally worth it.

Notice the checkered MINI Challenge decals and familiar murdered-out rims.

Looks like this Clubman might have a room mate, probably not a minivan with melted crayons in the back cup holders. Click here for a pano of this one too.

Who needs privacy anyways? Click here for one final panorama. Enjoy!

The Muir Project

Talk about some great content creation, well done JMT. Can't wait for spring!

Beamers Never Looked So Good

This beautifully shot vid is a must watch. BMW motorcycles in Italy? Awesome.

2011: A Year in Review

Top 3 Favorite Albums

3. The Black Keys - El CaminoThe Who Stripes? The What Stripes? Standout track: Gold On The Ceiling

2. Wilco - The Whole Love
The boys from Chi-town go back to their roots. Standout track: One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

1. The Dodos - No Color
What could be better than a stellar new Dodos album? One featuring Ms. Neko Case. Standout track: Don't Try and Hide It

Top 3 Favorite Movies

3. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
JJ and BB easily made the best action flick/BMW commercial of the year.
Standout feature: Scene Stealer

2. Super 8
Two parts Goonies, one part E.T. and a pinch of Cloverfield. Standout feature: Coolest kid cast

1. Senna
This fantastic found-footage doc couldn't have been cast any better if you tried. Standout feature: Editing masterpiece

Top 3 Favorite TV Shows

3. Mad Men
Through Clios, crazy pitches and all-night creative sessions, we get a taste of a 60's agency start-up. Standout episode: The Suitcase

2. Parks and Recreation
Tom Hatherford and John Ralphio bring new meaning to the words "entertainment media conglomerate." Standout episode: The Fight

1. Friday Night Lights
The final season of one of TV's best series leaves you with wet eyes rather than clear ones. Standout episode: Always

Top 3 Favorite Cars

3. Hyundai Veloster
The rise of Korean auto body design is well on its way. Here's to hot, little hatches from anywhere. Standout feature: Stealth 3rd Door

2. MINI Coupe
Easily the coolest, least-functional MINI to date. Standout feature: The reverse baseball helmet

1. 1 Series M Coupe
BMW's M Division creates a super sexy semi-sleeper. Standout feature: 335 horsepower 3.0-liter, in-line 6 cylinder engine with TwinPower Turbo technology

Top 3 Favorite Designs

3. Fuzzco
Between their sweet design, inspiring workspace and humble abode, they've been on my radar all year long. Standout feature: Responsive web design

2. Poler Stuff
The world's highest standard of stuff. #campvibes Standout product: The Duffaluffagus

1. Bell & Ross vs. Panerai
A perceptual battle of the aviation timepieces rages within. Standout feature: Helvetica ampersand embossed in leather