Getting Stoked for the Oscars?

Who will win the Oscar fight for Best Original Score? John Williams or Arcade Fire? I never thought that contest could possibly exist. Enjoy this clip from the scoring of Spike Jonze's in-the-not-too-distant-future film Her.

Volkswagen Bio Runner Concept

Back in 2008 I stumbled on this cool concept sketch of a futuristic VW Baja-style racer called Bio Runner. I saved some pics of it on my hard drive and stumbled on them the other day wondering why the crap I never posted them anywhere. The Bio Runner was one of the award-winning designs to come out of that year's LA Design Challenge and I just can't get enough of the spectacular image of the Syd Mead-ish future it paints.

The concept features an athletic vehicle with limbs that can respond to various terrain types and basically lean into turns. It's supposedly powered by dual-turbine engines that can rev up to 500,000 rpm's and drinks bio-synthetic jet fuel. So apparently it's not a hybrid?

I love that the creator went to as far as to envision things like the support chopper delivery system, a Speed Racer-esque spy drone and even a Red Bull sponsorship. This kind of creativity reminds me so much of building crazy LEGO vehicles as kid! Speaking of LEGO... man, I gotta go see that flick already...

Here are some additional images to geek out on:

Branded Content Done Right

Been having some really interesting conversations with folks lately about the dos and don'ts of brand content. There's a such a fine line and a balance that needs to be achieved in order to make something that'll really resonate with—not just anyone—but the right audience of brand evangelists who'll then spread the good word on your brand's behalf. 

This short film about Justin Vernon from Bon Iver does just that for Red Wing. Thanks for the heads up @Upto12.

The Future Is Now

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to sit behind the wheel of a brand new BMW i3. Sure, its not the sexiest beast on the road, but there is nothing out there that feels more connected to the future of automobiles. Watch this little flick and you too will feel like the future has arrived.

Play the Road

So I'm a little late to the game on this one, but I just stumbled on this pretty stellar experiment concocted late last year by Tribal Worldwide in London for the launch of the 2014 Volkswagen GTI. Partnering with musicians from Underworld along with sound designer Nick Ryan and producer Yuli Levtov, Tribal created an application that translates the movement of the car into an original musical arrangement, essentially making the GTI a musical instrument and the driver both the musician and composer.

Taking the values generated from the speed, direction and acceleration/deceleration of the GTI—complex algorithms (a.k.a. robots) translate the data into some hauntingly beautiful tunes that perfectly accompany your driving style in real time. Here's some pretty fantastic behind the scenes footage... now if they can only determine how to make this a public app!



And here's a live-drive performance. Enjoy!

My Everyday Carry (Well Sorta)

A couple of days ago I snapped a quick pic of my ideal "everyday carry" (EDC)  and I was stoked that earlier today it was featured on one of my fave blogs, aptly named Everyday Carry. Even though not all these items are always on my body all at once, here's the breakdown anyway:

• Tsovet SVT-LX73 Automatic, custom leather strap by Greg Stevens Design (GSD)
• Apple iPhone 5, iFrogz Natural Cover Koala
• 2013 Volkswagen GTI key, custom leather fob by GSD
• Parker Jotter Stainless Steel 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil
• Opinel No6 Folding Knife with Oak Handle 
• Custom leather wallet by GSD
• Field Notes 48-Page Memo Book
• Ray-Ban New Wayfarer Classic in Tortoise

2013: A Year in Review

Top 3 Favorite Albums

3. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

The Kyality Kids might love this album even more that I do. Standout track: Doin' It Right

2. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

Wasn't sure if I could play these guys at work without getting eye rolls from the hipsters until this album came out. Standout track: Don't Lie

1. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

I literally knew this was my fave album of the year from the first strum of the first, standout track: I Should Live in Salt

Top 3 Favorite Movies

3. Gravity

This jaw-dropper of a 3D spectacle will most likely dissuade an entire generation of kids from ever wanting to be astronauts when they grow up. Standout scene: 13-minute opening shot

2. Star Trek Into Darkness

Even though this flick didn't seem as epic on my second viewing, my opening night experience still ranks with the best of the best. Standout scene: Cumberbatch's monologue

1. The Kings of Summer

A classic indie sleeper that perfectly defines my ideal kinda flick. Standout scene: The pipe dance... not to mention I worship their Tumblr.

Top 3 Favorite TV Shows

3. Mad Men

Still some of the best writing for television ever. It's hard to know how they'll keep it up. I think a time machine jump to the '80s would be awesome. Standout episode: For Immediate Release

2. The Mindy Project

Thanks to Mindy Kaling's sense of humor, I feel like I'm still pretty much getting my weekly Tina Fey fix. Standout quote: "I fell asleep watching Amelie, and when I woke up, I had spilt so much red wine on me that I thought I'd been shot." 

1. Happy Endings

There's a part of me that's almost glad this under-the-radar, laugh-out-loud super-Friends series was cancelled after its second season (correction third season!). No chance of it ever going stale. Standout character: Max Blum

Top 3 Favorite Cars

3. 2013 Audi RS4 Avant

Simply the most amazing station wagon to never make it stateside. Standout feature: A pay-to-play relaxed limiter taking its top speed from 155 mph to a whopping 174 mph!

2. 2013 BMW M135i

The venerable Chris Harris calls this car the best bang for buck on the planet. Standout feature: Supercar performance, hot-hatch looks

1. 2013 Singer 911

Want a brand new classic Porsche with modern day performance? Well if you've got 6-figures and can wait in line for a few years, Singer's got your dream car. Standout feature: It's a new, old 911!!!

Top 3 Favorite Designs

3. Topo Designs

Topo Designs is Colorado's response to Portland's Poler Stuff and their line of retro #campvibes are colorful, functional and fun. Standout product: Klettersack in Coyote

2. iOS 7

It's insane to me that half the world gets to upgrade their phone to become the most amazing, high-tech device on the planet… for free and still manages to complain about it. Standout feature: In-app parallax

1. Petrolicious

Thanks to the Clason's—both Josh and Becca—we now have the best auto enthusiast site around, full of quality content and tasteful graphic/motion design. Standout film: One Car To Do It All

Kyle Style Guide

In about 8th grade, I became a little bit obsessed with a gal that worked at the Gap, which made me extra conscious about fashion and for a while led me to think I wanted to be a fashion designer. In fact, I concepted my own line of clothes that year called… 'Kyle Style' of course. Since then I've always thought a lot about what I choose to wear. 

Recently, we met some friends at a restaurant and my buddy actually asked if I could help him dress better. I was flattered and thought he was joking, and he may have been. But it made me think about what could be some tips I could share with him… hence the Kyle Style Guide.

Get Uncomfortable
First things first gents... style is not about comfort. It's about achieving the optimal look. This means wearing clothes that are more of a tailored, tighter fit (a.k.a. lose the baggy sports jerseys).

Keep It Classic
Stick to tried and true classic threads and avoid crazy cuts. Be sure to have at least one of each of these: red plaid flannel shirt, well-worn chambray shirt, tweed blazer, Levi's denim jacket, zip-hoodie, v-neck sweater, wool sweater, field coat, soft fitted tees and some basic Levi's jeans.

Levi's Lovin'
On that note, when selecting your denim... seriously, stick to Levi's. You could potential spend hundreds on designer jeans and they won't stand the test of time as well as a solid pair of good, old-fashioned red tabs. I recommend sticking to either 508, 511 or 514 cuts. 

Layer Up
Once all your basic pieces of apparel are in place, you can mix and match. But most importantly, start layering. Don't be afraid to go as deep as three to even four visible layers. Trust me on this one.

Accessorize
Add a classic set of accessories into the mix. Acceptable items include: knit beanies, scarfs, baseball caps, driver's cap, simple sunglasses, gloves or ties… but not all at once. don't go more than two deep with these.

Non-fancy Footwear
Stick to the same classic, timeless principles when dealing with your feet. Have a pair of each: leather boots, leather dress shoes, Converse All-Stars, classic running shoes and a pair of rubber 'locals-style' flip-flops. 

Color Scheming
Color can be tricky. Always defer to keeping it simple. I use a lot of greys and browns and default to brown leather accessories like my belt, boots, watchband, and wallet. Typically reserve your color accents for shirts and socks. Unless you're Upto12, then you can go ahead and wear green pants.

Hope this is helpful. Check out some stylish examples of these principles here. And follow Tim Melideo from the Stay Classic blog for other great looks.

Desert Outlaw

Loving yet another Magnus Walker vid by the creators of Urban Outlaw. This teaser is epic, inspiring and awesome. Enjoy.

Sunrise GTI

So I recently woke up in time to snap a pic of my GTI just as the sun popped up over the Wasatch Front. The GTI wasn't particularly clean that day, but hopefully the awesome lens flares I captured make up for it.

Fictional Seinfeld Movie Posters

One of my favorite running gags on Seinfeld has always been the awesome and hysterical fictional movies the gang would go see. Apparently NextMovie and Old Red Jalopy brought a handful of these imaginary masterpieces to life through a series of modern movie posters. Click on any of the sets below to enlarge.

Even More Magnus

So, if you haven't guessed already... I can't seem to get enough of this guy. His vibe, creativity, style and thoughts on cars and driving just get me goin'! 

Watch this and you'll wanna get a Porsche like tomorrow. Oh and wait, there's more...

Sunrise Shot

Been geeking out on this incredible VW + fixie sunrise shot by Mayday Garage. Stay tuned for some VW sunrise shots of my own.

JCVD + Volvo

This is just one of those epic, yet beyond simple TV spots that's just weird enough to work. Enjoy.

I'm Stung

It's rare that some serious 'merican muscle shows up on this blog... but this recent piece from the good old Drive Network is worth a gander. The Sting Ray has always been seeded in the back of my mind as the ultimate Vette. And with a new Sting Ray making appearances across the auto mags and auto blogs of the world... it's important to take a moment and remember the first one.

No Rush to See Rush

Got the chance to see Ron Howard's latest flick Rush, the epic story of Formula 1 rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Don't mistake the title of this post as a negative judgement call on this one... it's a stellar, beautiful movie and you should definitely go see it. I was on the edge of my seat more than a couple of times, but if you thought it was due to intense racing scenes, you'd be wrong.

It's still a powerful story and a very cool film. However, if you're looking for a nail-biting racing-strategy car-flick, Rush may not fit the bill. Here are two Netflix instants that you may wanna check out first.

Senna
This fantastic found-footage doc couldn't have been cast any better if you tried. 

Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts
A Jason Statham-voiced doc about the massive Audi/Peugeot rivalry at LeMans.

To Dock or Not to Dock

Some folks, like myself, are dockers. We love positioning our little iDevices as yet another screen in our beloved Mac setups. Others just don't get it. They leave their Ive-designed devices packed in their pockets. Well this little number—designed by my buddy Jeremy Saxton—perfectly positions your second screen.

Happy Birthday Porsche Style

No comment on this one folks.

Back to the Knight Rider

When it all boils down to it, this blog is all about intersections. Here's a perfect example of movies, TV and cars colliding. It's a legit redux of Back to the Future meets Knight Rider. Enjoy.

Automotive Zoetrope

Not to be confused with American Zoetrope, the smart marketers at Forza Motorsport create an automotive zoetrope to tout the game's 5th edition. This life-sized, McLaren-powered flipbook animation makes for what is easily one of my fave commercials of the year thus far. Thanks for the heads up JamFactory!