Geometric Inspiration

I recently saw Sufjan Stevens on his eye-popping Age of Adz tour, an ode to an illustrator named Royal Robertson. In the midst a 15-minute monologue, which I generally can't stand, I thought of some illustrations that I grew up with on the wall of our family room. They were these very geometric pieces of old cars and hippies. And though I was kind of annoyed at the length of The Soof's rambling, I was inspired to learn more about the person behind these illustrations from my childhood. (Feel free to click on any of the images to enlarge.)

Turns out they were drafted by my mom's uncle, Donald E. Anderson. Don was a heavily-decorated officer, serving in both WWII and Korea. He also was a hard-working man at Mountain Fuel, a community activist and interestingly enough, a partner in the war bonds business with actor Jason 'Fatman' McCabe. But more than anything else, Don was a caring uncle who loved to draw.

Don implemented a geometric illustration style, using a ruler and a T-square, as well as architectural stencils and a wide variety of pens and markers. His subjects were characters of the time, folk singers, soldiers, hippies and often himself. But he also created geometric abstract art as well. Nearly everything was drawn with straight lines, other than the perfect circles that pepper his pieces and the occasional unaided, hand-drawn textures.

Don had a unique strength at capturing the personality of each of his characters. He defined those personalities through expressions and details in fun, unexpected ways. He was able to geometrically represent the wrinkles, disheveled clothes and patchwork hair that comes along with characters with character.

Don passed away February 6, 1976 of a sudden heart attack at the age of 49, just 7 months before I was born. Yet I was inspired by him every day growing up through his delightfully quirky illustration-style. I spent much of my youth sketching my own characters, while sitting directly under his. There's no doubt he was one of the many influences that led me to a career in the creative field.

Thanks, Uncle Don.

Against Dumb

Smart Car, with the help of the stellar mograph shop Buck, recently launched this vibrant campaign, simply called: Against Dumb. To put it plainly… it's smart. Using detailed design and dialed dialog, they've perfectly captured the essence of micro-car driving as well as a bit of mid-century modest mentality.

Calvin Klein Countryman

This matte black MINI Countryman was designed for the 2010 Life Ball by Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa. Click on any pic to enlarge.

Very aggressive looking, despite it not being an S.

Loving the simplified grille and blacked-out Xenon headlamps.

Looks like Francisco's stoked on them too.

Bonus Color Scheming: Light White

I'm dreaming of a light white Christmas.

Is Ted Better Off Dead?

As many of you know, Mrs. Kyality and I have forfeited cable for a sweet combo of Hulu and Netflix and based on some key recommendations, we started watching Better Off Ted on Netflix Instant. After two short seasons, ABC pulled what was easily one of the smartest, funniest sitcoms on TV. But in a massive marketing blunder, barely anyone had ever even heard of Ted prior to it being cancelled.

We just finished both seasons and literally started them over again. Why, you ask? No missteps. Due to being cancelled prematurely—Ted falls into the honorable camp of shows like The (British) Office and Extras. It's short, but tighter than tight. Granted we would have loved some real closure, nevertheless Ted was never subjected to an off-the-rails season. Its cancellation guaranteed it a flawless record.

Think about this season of The (American) Office—sure there are funny little moments—but the story arc feels completed. And you watch new episodes thinking, haven't I seen this one before? The idea of the decade-long sitcom is better off dead. Some argue LOST was too long, and some say not long enough. At least JJ and crew fought for a solid ending and won, or else we'd still be wondering what that black smoke's all about.

So check out Better Off Ted, or even buy the complete series when it comes out on DVD. Watch it. Gift it. It won't disappoint. Ted rightfully deserves a place on your shelf right next to your copies of Arrested.

Fast, Fixed, Fun

I'll be the first to admit that the whole fixie movement is bit unbearable at times, but photographers like Brenton Salo still manage to get a casual observer like me pretty pumped.

That's a serious jump for a fixed gear.

Loving the tones here.

Cross-processed 35mm double exposure.

Land Roving

It's a lesser known fact but MINI's weren't my first British vehicle infatuation. I was actually introduced to the flick The Gods Must Be Crazy at a fairly young age and from that moment on, I loved the classic Land Rover. Throughout high school, I couldn't envision myself driving anything else in life.
Rovers are the ultimate combination of safari and sophistication. I was never really into Range Rovers or Discovery's/LR3's. I was into their trucks, not their SUV's. There's a big difference. Rovers are simply the never-say-die torque monsters that still manage to ooze this amazing notion of refinement.
The classic Rover saw a couple Series of incarnations with loads of configurations until it gave up its leaf-sprung suspension for coils and became known as the Defender. The only Defender I ever really dug was the super-crew Defender 130 (as seen above). But my true love was the Series III with the spare tire on the bonnet (as seen below).
Back in the day, I remember Normality and I taking the BMW 2002 across the Hudson River in NY to this Land Rover restoration shop called Roverworks. A couple of guys and their dog imported/smuggled rundown versions from around the world and brought them back to life. I'll give you one guess what the dog's name was.
It was Rover, duh.

Hot Box Halloween

From the moment I first saw Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, I began seeding the idea of my son being the character Ash as "White Cape" for Halloween. The Kyality Kid agreed, but only if he could have the bandit hat "with the stars, not the one made out of a sock." Duh. Click here to enlarge.

I mentioned this to his crafty auntie at Team Boo over the summer and she actually did the dirty work for us and made an amazing bandit hat that was delivered as a sweet b-day present last month. So enjoy the ultimate Fantastic Mr. Fox Halloween costume!

Remember, it's the pull back that matters.

Meaner Beamer

Let's just get this straight. A BMW automobile is called a 'Bimmer' (pronounced BEE-mer) for short. However, a BMW motorcycle is called a 'Beamer' (also pronounced BEE-mer) due to the single beam of light from its headlamp. At least that's what my padre Normality taught me. And this is easily one of the meaner Beamers that I've ever come across.

This 1963 BMW R60/2 is a knobby, murdered-out monster machine that feels totally old-school and post-apocalyptic-futuristic all at the same time. Enjoy.



(via TheCoolist)

Window's Vista

I've had a longtime love/hate relationship with Dwell Magazine. I canceled it last year, but someone recently gifted me a subscription. I typically thumb quickly through the unrealistic and unattainable, but in their 10 Year Anniversary Issue I spotted a dwelling that can only be described as Mid-century Modest.

The curbside view on this flat-roofed gem is understated to say the least. Overgrown and weatherworn, the front façade simply says 'simple'. Which I love. While the tan 1970's Bavaria silently screams 'taste'. Which I love even more.

The interior on the other hand, though still simple and tasteful, is an exercise in where and when to indulge. They opted to cover the inside in basic 70's-looking clay tiles—the exact same tan as the Bimmer mind you—which is striking (but it's not like they went with marble). Yet every interior item points toward the place where they actually dropped some dough—the back wall or the lack thereof.

The owners eliminated the back wall of the humble home entirely and opted for an opulent 26-foot-long, 18-foot-high sliding glass door that opens the entire interior to a unique view of LA. There's no TV in the house, the view is their flat screen and a beautiful vintage record-player is their soundtrack. Thanks Dwell, for inspiring us with this one. See a full slideshow here.

Arcade Fire vs. James

Within the past two weeks, I've been fortunate enough to hit two of the best shows I've ever seen—both quite different from one another. A week and half ago, thanks to @Upto12, I was able to see Calexico and Arcade Fire at the Rose Quarter in Portland. If you haven't heard much about this tour yet, our friends from up north have basically been lighting up and burning down nearly-filled colosseums across the nation—and this night was no exception.

Though it started out with a couple of very "good" tracks from their newest album The Suburbs—it wasn't 'til opening strums of the fourth song Haiti that they fully came alive. Their energy-level, passion and riotous rocking only increased from that point on. Seeing them live (again) only validated Upto12's point from a recent discussion.

Though I absolutely love both The Suburbs and Neon Bible—it's the tracks from Funeral that send me (and everyone else in the venue) straight into rock concert bliss. It's not that they're necessarily better tunes—they simply perform them in a way that is undeniably exuberant. The proof's here.

Five days later Mrs. Kyality and I caught the James sound check and show at a ridiculous new venue here in SLC. Despite the drab, cinder-block box that is The Complex, the classic Brit-Poppers—visually stunned by the SLC fandom—put on an amazingly energetic and spontaneous show. A minor equipment failure led to an impromptu unplugged session and later a guitar solo was forfeited for a fantastic feedback fight with a fiddle. It's these kind of nuances that make a little concert in a crap venue end up as one of the best yet.

MINI WRC

MINI is re-entering the World Rally Championship fray with this new Countryman-based setup. Check more photos from the Paris Auto Show here.

A nice nod back to the original, Monte Carlo-winning flavor.

MINI Scooter E Concept

What the what?? Adrian van Hooydonk from the BMW Design Group introduces an awesome electric urban transport. MINI design cues galore!

Diablo vs. Kyle... Chandler, that is

This is a must-see interview for any FNL fan. I pre-apologize for some of the language—still, it's a fantastic clip. Thanks to Mike Arauz for posting this one.

Top 10 Favorite Seinfeld Episodes

10. The Soup Nazi - Season 7, Episode 6

"Jambalaya!" - Newman

9. The Comeback - Season 8, Episode 11

"Well, the jerk store called, and they're running outta you." - George

8. The Jimmy - Season 6, Episode 19

"George is getting upset!" - George

7. The Race - Season 6, Episode 10

"I choose not to run!" - Jerry

6. The Dinner Party - Season 5, Episode 13

"Look to the cookie, Elaine. Look to the cookie." - Jerry

5. The Pool Guy - Season 7, Episode 8

"Why don't you just tell me the name of the movie you've selected." - Kramer

4. The Chicken Roaster - Season 8, Episode 8

"Is someone there? Mr. Marbles?" - Jerry

3. The Puerto Rican Day Parade - Season 9, Episode 20

"This time, advantage Varnsen!" - Jerry

2. The Strike - Season 9, Episode 10

"No, please! Denim Vest! He's smoothing it!" - Elaine

1. The Little Jerry - Season 8, Episode 11

"It's chestnut with auburn highlights!" - Elaine

BMW Bobber

I'm totally digging this bobbed-version of a BMW R80. It's clean and modern, yet dirrty and retro all at once. Click here to enlarge.

Beach House Dining

Last Thursday, Mrs. Kyality and I made a last minute, snap decision to catch the Vampire Weekend show that night. They did a great job, but the opening act easily stole the show. I actually hadn't heard of Beach House prior to that night, but later that same night let's just say I snagged all their albums off iTunes.

Beach House is a genre-defying band, nearly unclassifiable. When you hear them for the first time, there's two relatively conflicting vibes happening all at once. You think to yourself, wow I've never anything like this. At the very same time, you can't help but think that they sound oddly familiar.

Nearly every song on their latest album, Teen Dream, is addictive in its own way. In fact, many of the songs start off one way and end completely different, like two songs squished into one. And both are awesome. The standout tracks of the night were Take Care and Walk In the Park—both of which prompted some amazing head-banging from Mademoiselle Legrand.

Listening to Beach House is like a fine dining experience. Each song is like a bite with tons of flavors to identify. Each flavor is a familiar vibe and it's fun to pick each of them out. For me, the ingredient list of Beach House is as follows: one cup of Nico, a teaspoon of Cowboy Junkies and a dash of The Beach Boys. Tasty.

I have beef. Let's fight.

Strangely enough, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World totally slipped under my radar until it was well into theaters. It even came out on my b-day and instead I let Mrs. Kyality convince me to see Eat, Pray, Love. But on Saturday, we were able to snag a sitter for The Kyality Kids for a couple of hours in the afternoon and caught it.

I'm a huge fan of George Michael Bluth, Hot Fuzz and graphic novel adaptations, so once I figured out what this show actually was I was stoked to see it. And it did not disappoint. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the perfect combination of graphic novel meets video game meets anime meets teen angst flick. Not to mention the music rocks too.

Though I was generally a fan of the Wachowski's adaptation of Speed Racer—it seems like this flick's visual effects and motion graphics accomplished what the Wachowski's were attempting. The effects were just tight and the fight scenes were both clever and epic. I can totally imagine Andy and Larry (or is it Lana) watching Pilgrim and going—ahhh, crap.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is easily one of the coolest flicks of the year, so go check it out and get there early enough to catch the treatment of the Universal Pictures logo animation. Good stuff.