Mike’s Typo

Memorial weekend. Forget what the holiday is really about - now it’s the opening of Summer. None too soon either. Let the party begin. Santa Cruz is not to be outdone. Party we will this weekend. Boardwalk is open and ready. Steamer Lane will be full of longboarders as the 24th annual Santa Cruz Longboard Club Invitational takes place. What about an air show - Watsonville brings you that. If that isn’t enough, how about a good ole’ fashion beach volleyball tournament. There is an open men’s and an open women’s division. I don’t know about you, but there is just something about a couple of gals in bikinis diving, jumping and spiking the ball that seems like Summer. Thinkin’ about a ride to Santa Cruz this weekend? Don’t leave us out, we’ll be here kickin’ with some cool ones. Join us.

Editorial note: I thought the photo was insanely inappropriate to use. But, my editor (a women) suggested that it was the only image that would convey the despicable nature of this culture of male-dominated, bikers degrading women for amusement. Was she putting us down? I still feel bad about including this picture (and it’s full size version accessible with a simple double-click) just to get you to read my blob posts. Being an equal rights blobber it seems only fitting to include an inappropriate photo for our better halves. Damnest thing is - I can’t find one. Send yours in to me and we’ll post the best. And, please accept our apologies. My editor made me do it. Honest.

What to call this.  Or, really even how to describe it.  Other than to say it is quite entertaining.  And, creative - in a warped sort of way.  Enjoy.  A big thanks to our Texas editorial office for sending us this link.  (That’s right, the Typo is going national!  Somehow we’re stuck in Texas.  Dam this is a big state.  Help!  Which way out?  South, North, East, West - it’s all just hot and flat….)

It happens every time.  Well, not every time.  But, with all too much frequency.  A friend.  Or a reader (001 - 005).  Someone - will send me a link to something outrageously cool.  But, shit, the Typo just left over the Internet airwaves.  So, I’m left with a deli-ma.  Hold this really cool “thing” for the next issue OR send out an EXTRA edition of the Typo.  So, given the fact that I really blew it this time and forgot to change the date and the Typo number (a cardinal syn in publishing), I’m sending this out again.  This version will call the “a” version (sorta like an EXTRA) and it’s been corrected and we’re adding a pretty cool video.  If you are a U2 fan you’ll really appreciate this.  If not, but you dig beautiful guitar work - check this out.

Oh - a thousand pardons for all the typos you find.  That’s why I named it the Typo.

Last week or so there’s been a lot of horse news with the disaster at the Kentucky Derby.  You might have missed this story though - “horse throws rider and takes off for the barn.”  Doesn’t sound all that interesting until you add these tid-bits: rider is a cop and they’re in the middle of NYC.  Now you got my attention.  Seems they released the horses name (Aldo), but not the officers.  Hmmm.  I guess they figured the guy would get to many cards and letters.  The NY Daily News does a nice job of summarizing the events and getting quotes from observers.  Check out the story.  It’s good for a smile, maybe a quick lol.

Afterthought:  Googled the above subject to find the link to the story and up pops another “cop on butt” story.  This time it’s in Golden Gate Park.  Turns out this dates back to 2001, and it’s in the M&R investigative column in the SF Chronicle.  This particular column is a good read - funny, in a sad sorta way.  Nothing changes except the clock.

When YouTube was bought by Google, I thought, “Why?”  This video answers that question in spades.  Nearly 2 million people have watched this soon-to-be-divorced New York newvo-rish nail her soon-to-be-single husband.  Wow.  That’s all I can say.  Talk about getting even.  I’m gonna sell this gal a Harley.  Oh, and it’s worth noting who the soon-to-be ex is.  He’s the head pretty good sized, fairly well recognized company.  He never saw it comin’.  Can you say “candid camera.”  YouTube - the new way to get even.  Or, maybe a bit ahead.  This gals no match for most of us.  You go girl!  Watch this and be thankful our problems are smaller.

Got an email from a friend yesterday.  Great link to a video “test.”  It takes about 15 seconds to watch this video.  When it’s all done, it’s quite an eye opener for motorcyclist and bicyclists alike.  Highly recommend this.  Then pass it on to those folks who drive cages.  Can’t say anymore, I’ll give it all away.  Watch this.

I came across this site and well, an hour later I was still snapping away. Ok, ok. Seems Taco Bell has put this site together that allows you to be the photographer on a “swimsuit” photo shoot. When I heard about it I wasn’t that excited. Then I tried it, I was hooked. I am a photographer, so I thought - I should be good at this. But, it’s remarkable difficult to get a couple of good shots. So, you keep clicking away. Then you start over and try again. The model’s name is Daniella, and well, she defies description. Even if you’ve never take a picture in your life, you’ve got to give this a whirl. Fun, entertaining - you know the typically Internet time suck. But, hey, you’re reading this!

Oh, and when it’s all done, you can download your photos. Make one of them your screensaver. Or, whatever.

Gotta go. I’m late for my next shoot!

TED. That’s the sold-out, lovefest of free thinkers of the world that happens later this week in Monterey, CA. I’m a bit pissy because I didn’t get one of the coveted 1,100 invites. Course, had I gotten the invite, I’d be walking around with my coffee can asking for donations to send me to TED - it’s $6,000, plus room, food, greens fees, etc. So, I’ll be sulking and watching the speakers online. You might remember an earlier post about one of the recipients of the TED prize - James Nachtwey. If you haven’t seen his video presentation, I still recommend it.

The rumors for this year? Well, one of the highly anticipated speakers is Al Gore. He presented his global warming talk a few years ago - before it became a movie. Peace prize in hand, he’s got a new presentation, and no one is saying what it’s about.

The whole event is sorta a who’s who of the entertainment, technology and design industries. As one PR piece mentions, it’s a gathering to cross-pollinate ideas and gain inspiration from presentations on the latest developments in sciences and the arts. Hey, on that cross-pollination thing. Maybe they can spend a few nanoseconds talking about the bee problem or what to do with that quagmire of plastic floating off Hawaii, or….

Signing off: pissy cause I got passed over.

In the dog-eat-dog-world (yuck) of today’s blobbing, you know you’ve arrived when you beat Fake Steve Jobs (FSJ) to a story. We reported here yesterday (or maybe it was the day before) that there was a grass roots effort to pump some life back into Hillary’s campaign. Today, FSJ came out with the same story. It’s fun to be first!

Whew. Arms a bit sore from reaching around to pat myself on the back. I gotta confess. It’s our great staff of Internet scavengers that grind away everyday to feed me with stories worthy. Sorry FSJ, you get what you pay for when it comes to staff talent. Way to go team!

Say it isn’t so. Can it really be true that the typeface you pick says so much about you that it ultimately determine your success? A recent article in The Boston Globe, had a few “type geeks” take a look at the type faces/fonts that our current batch of presidential wanna-bees are sporting to capture your interest. Very interesting. I recommend the article. And, not just because they may be close (very close) to predicting the outcome. A special thanks to Richard Miller, a fellow type-geek and world-class designer, who pointed out this article to the Typo editorial staff.