Bean 2010/2011

I have posted about Boston based Bean Snowboards before, and they are back again this year with a couple new additions to their lineup. They are still making the Violator true twin park board, and the Commonwealth directional twin all-mountain destroyer. Added to the lineup is the District, a small, light and flexy board for the Groms who want something local and handmade to hone their skills on. But I am most excited about is their Artist series,three boards designed by three different local artists. Each board is in a super limited edition of five, and comes with a signature print. Its really about time snowboards got this type of treatment, which skateboarding seems to have been doing forever. You really cant beat local dudes, making boards with as much locally sourced materials as possible, who do it because that's what they love, not because its their job. Its good to see more and more bean shirts popping up on the east coast this season. Hopefully the trend continues.

Rauh Welt Begriff

Japan takes lots of things to the extreme, and this couldn't be more true than in the world of auto tuning. Its seems for every type of vehicle there is an auto house in Japan that will perfect the art of tuning that specific car. In the case of the Porsche 911, Rauh Welt Begriff is that tuning house. The man behind RWB, Nakai-san, treats each car as a blank canvas. He takes some information from the customer but makes many decisions about the modifications himself, including what color the car will be. The style is definitely extreme, but like it or not, you have to appreciate the dedications Nakai-san has for his cars.

WPA Posters

I posted a little while back about some WPA posters specific to the National Parks. I just found out that a massive collection of posters was digitized and available for browsing on the Library of Congress website. During the 30's the WPA was the largest employer in the country, supplying almost 8 million jobs. Created by the New Deal it was responsible for projects that involved rebuilding and improving public buildings and roads, supplying food and clothing to the poor, and promoting campaigns in drama, literacy, and the arts. Hundreds of posters were commissioned with subjects from community events and travel, to health and safety.