haddadadad

Several years back my college skating club tried its best to spread its skating knowledge on the internet, only to be halted by our server dying. The webmasters had no backups of our site, and everything was lost. I’ll try to get that info back up onto this site, possibly with more experience! That’s what happens as years go by, right? Let’s start with ordering your skate size.

A lot of local stores have an extremely limited selection of skates when you don’t live in a big city. The internet has a variety of reputable skate stores to choose from, and even Amazon and Ebay has a shit-ton of skates to offer. Brands of skates, just as in shoes, pants, and other clothing, tend to have different fits. Today will provide some insight in particular brands.

I’m sticking to recreational skates as I have had the most experience with them. These are the skates that people tend to generically think of when the words “rollerblades” and “inline” pop up in conversation. These skates are made for casual skating, street travel, and exercising. “Fitness” is another named associated with them, and some versions focus on the drag of lower level bearings to get more of a workout. I will not be delving into fitness skates for that use per se, but they are a part of the culture.

Before getting into each brand, you should know the parts of the skate that your feet will contact.

Parts of the skate

Most recreational skates today are made with an inner, cushioned boot and a hard shell that connects to the frames. Parts of the cushion are attached to the shell while others are free to give as you move. Beginners’ and cheaper skates tend to have the hard shell all over the skate to provide a more stable environment for untrained ankles and feet. The stiffness the plastic provides teaches the skater’s muscles how to stay in position while moving, strengthening the necessary parts, eventually leading to safer ankles. Without the support, those who are less sport-inclined are more liable to end up with a sprained or broken ankle.

The frames are the track the wheels and brakes are connected to on the bottom of the boot. They range in length based upon how big of a wheel will be used. Bigger wheels = longer frames.

The clasp on the ankle can be at different levels depending on the specific designated use of the skate as well as what is in style. The Velcro strap over the instep of the foot helps tighten the skate after being laced up by zipcord or shoelace.

How a skate fits

A skate needs to fit similar to a running shoe. The soft boot needs to be small enough to keep your foot secure during strides but leaves enough space to not create weird pressure points on your arch, toes, heels, or instep. The clasps on the ankle part need to be snug. How snug depends upon the location of the clasp in relation to your ankle as well as how thick the cushioning of the inner boot is. The higher up the clasps are on the leg, the less snug they should be. If your clasps are clicked too tightly, you will get excruciating shin splints and your feet may start hurting along with your shins while skating. The shin splints take a few days to recover from. I suggest avoiding them because they hurt like hell.

Da Brands

Today we’re going over the three big brands for recreational skates: K2, Salomon, and Rollerblade. Sizing in relation to shoes will be based on running shoes like Adidas and Asics.

K2
This brand gets first dibs as it was my first pair of legit skates. K2s are true to shoe sizing. I have wider feet than the average female, and their mens skates fit my feet well. I tend to gravitate towards mens athletic shoes to avoid the width issue, and it serves me well with this brand. I have been told by those with womens skates that they also fit true to size.  The softboot is thick and fits like a hiking boot. The ankle clasps usually require a tighter click at their lower height. Their skates are built well, but parts like the velcro strap and the laces break down with heavy use. My laces and straps broke after a year or two of constant use. The laces are easily replaceable… the strap is a bit harder.

Salomon
This Danish brand pretty much stopped its production in the United States in 2005-2007, and according to their website, they no longer make skates I’ll look into it.  If you have the option of trying them, I suggest you do. The skate is fairly light overall, very breathable, and built with care.  The Salomons I own are a womens sizing, and I find the skate half a size larger than true shoe size. I wear a 9.5 US Womens, so I ordered its Mondopoint conversion (26.5 cm), and the boot is a little loose all over. The boot is wider than average, too wide for my own foot, and I have a bit of space at the toe, leading me to rate this brand at a half size larger than printed. So, for you, buy a half size smaller than your actual shoe size and you should be fine.

Rollerblade
Having not owned a pair of my own, I’ve gone by what my Rollerblade-owning friends have told me. Their skates tend to be much larger than standard shoe sizes, up to one and half sizes larger. I’m not sure how wider feet fair in their boots. I’ve never heard complaints about how their skates fit. Order at least one size smaller than your shoe size.

Anyone have anything else to add? Any other brands you fancy or have experience wearing?

Surprisingly, Infant No Match For MMA Fighter deadspin

*disclaimer: Art is good to have in your life, even if you suck at it. I’m glad that folks with even minute inborn talent strive to make pretty or ugly things for their enjoyment. Don’t expect me to always enjoy it with you. It can be a therapeutic stress reliever, a break in the day-to-day grind to make art photos. If you don’t have an eye, you need to learn how to get one. Own up and respect will always stay up with your zeal for photography. This rant is for those who do not own up.

Now then.

A lot of people in the world get fancy cameras and sort of know how to use them. A lot of them take pictures of “serious” things and think they are serious photographs. A lot of these people are sorely mistaken that their images are high quality. While I did not major in photography, I did fancy it quite a bit and focused on DSLRs, though originally trained on a film SLR in black and white. That’s right. I have black and white cred. Light that shit on fire, Shoshannah. I know when my images are shit, and I know half if not most of them will not be acceptable to be viewed by others’ eyes.

I’m sick and fucking tired of people who just take a picture and think that it’s art. There is a HUGE difference between taking a scrapbook snapshot and taking a good picture, and there is another large gap between and interesting picture and a plain one. Just because the fancy camera can take the picture for you doesn’t mean it’s a good picture.

1. Taking a goddamn picture of a goddamn river is not art. Taking a goddamn picture of a goddamn river at an interesting angle creating an engaging perspective is. Taking a picture straight on of something is a record maker, like cataloging what a thing looks like in a reference book. You want something people pay for? Fucking make it interesting. The exception to this is that there will always be people buying skyline pictures that are flat and boring. This goes for any type of landscape, with a general focus and little depth being created. These pictures are for street vendors. These pictures are shit anywhere else.

2. Taking a goddamn picture of a goddamn dog is not art. It’s a picture of a dog. Make it interesting: the dog is making a funny face, the body is engaged in motion, its fur is prickled, the main focus is the dog, the dog is not the center of the image. Capture the moment. Again, taking a straight on, centered picture is BORING. It does not tell a story.

3. Taking a goddamn picture of a dog-gammed model is not art. You want a model that gets into it, that feels the energy of the surroundings or can fake the feeling when there isn’t one. You want a model that activates the entire image. Is the model the focus or is something else in the picture? Fucking decide and focus on it, and hire someone who can act and can provide an essence in need of capturing.

4. Taking a goddamn picture in super fucking focus is a good way to get punched in the face. OH LOOK AT ALL THIS BLURRY SHIT, THERE’S ONLY ONE THING TO LOOK AT OOO ART. Fuck you, pretentious shithole, if the composition of the image is blah, Gaussian blur will not save your ass. Speaking of composition and putting the focus of the image at the center of the picture:

5. Centering your object is another good way to get punched in the face. Composition is that thing I keep mentioning and not explaining. COMPOSITION = the arrangement of the objects/scenery/models/colors/distances within the frame. If everything is in a row, it better mean something or else your picture blows ass. Should composition be messy? Only when it’s called for. Elsewise, your mission is to get the eye to move throughout the image, bonus points to those with an intended ending gazing point. If you put the main focus in the center, the eyes do nothing. There is no discovery. STOP CENTERING SHIT I HIGHLY DOUBT YOU ARE RECORDING LIFE EVENTS FOR AN ENCYCLOPEDIA.

6. PORTRAITS ARE NOT EXCUSES TO MAKE GENERIC IMAGES. Your job is to freeze that moment in time, and make it a good one. That’s it. Regardless of where you are taking the picture, it’s your fucking job to highlight the warmth/coldness/glow/emptiness and general emotion of your subject, and to do it in a fine focus that highlights their qualities without using that low focus shit that flattens the image onto the page. You want to forget that photograph is flat. You want that person to come off of the paper.

I don’t care how nice your camera is, if you are using it for anything other than “this camera is awesome, look at what it does!” you damn well better appreciate your technology and use it properly.

I’m a little slow on the worldly draw. I’ve only just heard about this Toyota recall, and it was because I read a sports blog that has a Sexy Mailbag. Through the lolz I find out that the United States Congress has decided that it needs to make a Japanese car company look bad. Naturally I can no longer locate the Deadspin article I glanced at for two seconds.

The Toyota Camry is the most generic car in the United States. I can state this with confidence without proof (but I found it anyway.) The Camry hybrid is manufactured within the United States borders. That means Toyota pays Americans to build their cars. I’m not exactly sure why Congress has decided to skewer the image of Akido Toyoda and the Toyota company other than to hurt some Japanese people’s feelings and reinforce the outdated idea that all “foreign” companies are evil. Maybe a smidge.

The USA Today reports that customer support is dropping. 60% of Toyota owners surveyed said they would purchase a Toyota again, down ten points from a previous survey, yet the brand loyalty continues to trail Ford and Chevy closely in the States. The “American” brands are pushing hard to stay ‘Merican and be bigger and better. How’s this for bigger: in 1996, Ford’s recall of their Explorers affected over 7.6 million units, 2.6 million more than what Toyota is recalling today. “The malfunction in question gave it the less-than-favorable moniker ‘Ford Exploder’ as the ignition switches were found to be defective and could catch fire, overheat or otherwise malfunction. Nearly 8 million cars were affected and Ford recalled nearly all its cars manufactured between 1988 and 1993.” (USA Recall News) Also, in both 2005 and 2009, Ford had other recalls for 4.5 million units each of those years, almost doubling what Toyota is recalling now, for cruise control malfunctions that could lead to fires while parked. As in, not in gear. Or moving.

People getting hurt and killed due to a stuck accelerator is definitely a serious matter. So is a car being too tall for its width and flipping when changing lanes or maybe tires exploding while in motion. Ford Explorers with Firestone tires were considered time bombs when I was in high school. Jeep Wranglers are notorious of flipping, yet they have an established fan base and they continue to gain new buyers.

Cars being recalled is part of the natural cycle of their lives. Is it awesome? Negative. Does it happen? Yes. They usually have a glitch that people rarely hear about. Car companies do have web pages now set up to look up their vehicle models and whether or not they have a recall on a part, and if they don’t tell you, you can easily look it up. The information is available. It’s up to the consumers and owners of vehicles to look up their possession’s reputation and technical information. It’s always been like that. Machines have faults sometimes. They’re made by humans. That’s why we have mechanics.

What struck me the most:

“We had a great deal of faith in something that was stamped ‘Made in Japan,’ that it was of the highest reliability, and [you’ve] injured that thought process in the American public.” Pennsylvania representative Paul Kanjorski

Thank you, Mr. State the Obvious, for reminding Toyoda what kind of image-damning fiasco this recall has turned into. Here’s what I’m saying. It’s unfair of my country’s government to bully a car-maker, especially one from a first-world company, especially during the Olympics, and especially when it’s the job of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to keep automakers in line. Akido Toyoda had enough respect for the government’s wishes to come overseas and sit before a giant committee of people giving him dirty looks and telling him what an awful successor he is for his grandfather, and he disgraces the image of his country. This recall isn’t a movie, this is real life. It would be nice if the government of the free world would cut out the drama and get to the point, which supposedly is making safe vehicles. Unless of course the point is to save GM’s ass.

This isn’t the first major recall to happen, nor will it be the last one. Maybe helping them move forward to make a better product would help make our streets an overall safer environment.

Sources:
Mr. Toyoda Goes to Washington National Post Feb 27, 2010
U.S. is cast as villain in Japan LA Times Feb 27, 2010
Toyota buyer loyalty starting to slip in face of recalls USA Today Feb 26,2010
Cause of Sudden Acceleration Proves Hard to Pinpoint Wall Street Journal Feb 25, 2010
Autos: Sonata, new sixth generation sedan scripps Feb 25, 2010
Ford Recall Puts Toyota Recalls in Perspective US Recall News Feb 16, 2010
Toyoda Takes Hot Seat CBS News Online Feb 24, 2010
Ford Explorer Rollover
Attention shifts from Firestone to Ford Explorer St. Petersburg Times June 17, 2001

Jeffrey Thomas decided the Disney princesses needed some jazzing up, comic book style. So he did. Here’s a few of my favorites, cropped. You can see them in full as well as the rest at his blog o art.

While some of them are just the characters drawn with grimaces and lack pupils, others are freaking creepy, like Cinderella. Jesus Christ.

Twisted Princesses: A Darker Take on Disney comics alliance
Twisted Princess the art of jeffrey thomas

i’m sorry.

the pens beat the caps 6-2 in the seventh game of their conference semi-finals. hoho! they will next be facing either the boston bruins or the carolina hurricanes.

must. find. versus network.

Saturday the cuz showed us the beach towns around the San Diego area. Beach towns are little places along the shore that have their own bit of beach land to their name; they’re like little suburbs of the greater San Diego area. We began our journey in the little shopping area near chellchelle’s apartment. She gets a fancy pants McDonald’s. No really! It’s a working concept model McDonald’s. We were assured that no matter how fancy this McDonald’s is, In-n-Out Burger’s taste will win our hearts and tastebuds over. Sure, Chelle. If you say so. After nomming bagels, our tour guide took us to the beaches. Stores, restaurants, bars, and galleries galore. There are a LOT of art galleries in these places. Some were super upscale, others were more crafty and cut it close labeling themselves as actual galleries. I think those ones called themselves malls of some sort to cover their hides. We visited Del Mar, La Jolla, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Solanas Beaches. Encinitas was the most intriguing to me, but La Jolla has seals. Lots of seals! and mussels as we caught the shore at low tide.

Only after hanging out with the seals did we see that we are to be warned! They are quite ferocious!



After our beachy endeavor, Chelle took us to the best place she knew: In-n-Out. Mom and I had been told repeatedly how wonderful the fresh made burgers are, how awesome the special sauce tastes, how yummy the fries are, and our final decision?



AWESOME SAUCE. It’s a great burger. The menu has three burger choices: the double double, the cheeseburger, and the regular hamburger. These burgers taste like the kind you make on your grill in the backyard with a hint of “this was made in a fast food joint.” The big thang with these guys is they don’t freeze their meat. Unfortunately for people like me, In-n-Out is a California-based restaurant, as in only in California.

So ended our Chelle-hosted tour, day one and a half of San Diego’s beach communities.

Here’s a map for those of you who are keeping score at home!

I will admit that I have been ignoring the articles sprinkling on the internet every couple of days as to whether or not Watchmen will be released on time. I’m already dealing with Harry Potter being released at a later time even though I don’t want to see it and the Twilight whores clogging every internet tube available. The Wolverine movie’s upcoming unveiling keeps hope alive (do NOT fuck up Gambit’s portrayal, so help me christ). Mostly.

BUT NO MORE MUST I EVADE THE SCARY WORDS for Fox and Warner Bros have decided with money (WB to Fox) and other things. The movie is to be opened, as planned, on March 6, 2009. The official statement will be released today to soothe the world’s nerds’ nerves.

Woot. The nitty gritty from The Hollywood Reporter:

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the deal is said to involve a sizable cash payment to Fox and a percentage of the film’s boxoffice grosses; Fox will not be a co-distributor on the film, nor will it co-own the “Watchmen” property, but it will share in revenue derived from it. The studios released a joint statement last night [Jan 14].

“Warner Bros. acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography,” the statement read. “Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith defending against those claims.”

Fox sued Warners in February, claiming copyright infringement based on agreements the studio had with producer Larry Gordon. Feess ruled Dec. 24 that Gordon did not secure proper rights to “Watchmen” from Fox before shopping the project and setting it up at Warners.

Feess’ decision prompted settlement talks to heat up because Warners faced the prospect of an injunction stopping its March 6 release of the $130 million comic book adaptation.

If you like having your browser take up all your RAM, check out the Watchmen website to see what the characters look like. Let’s get all our ducks in a row:

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans January 23
Watchmen March 6
Monsters vs Aliens March 23
Dragonball: Evolution April 3
Wolverine May 1

Am i missing anything?

yay for ontd
chud
THR
Warner Bros official website for Watchmen
imdb for movie opening dates

The latest summer Olympics in Beijing saw the international introduction of the LZR Racer suits by Speedo. Michael Phelps wore the suit and got 8 medals. He wasn’t the only one breaking records wearing that thing. So I hear.

Now the kiddies in college and even younger are seeking out the perishable suits at 550$ a pop. The suits are in top form for three meets. After that, the quality drastically falls. Part of their awesomeness is how they fit the swimmer like skin. It stretches after being used and peeled off a few times. Budgets are stopping many teams from getting a set uniform, but those with the money can acquire them. Coaches and committees alike fear there will be a great divide between those competitors with the means and those without. Though the suits have not been scientifically shown to improve performance, the outcome of the Olympic Games this year is leading folks to believe otherwise.

Speedo is offering discounts to some NCAA teams to help combat cost, but many are asking for a ban on the suits in amateur events. An even worse outcome of this mess: kids quitting the sport due to financial issues. How bogus. As reported by the Washington Post, USA Swimming has already banned the suits for 12 years of age and younger. What makes this thing so great, other than look fanfuckingtastic on swimmer bods? Gizmodo’s Jack Lotus gave the lowdown in back in August,

The seams are ultrasonically welded together and the Hyrdo[sic] Form Compression system holds the swimmer’s abdomen and other bits at an optimal position for streamlining. The suit is made up off three pieces, which were cut from a three-dimensional pattern to hug the body more closely. Word on the street is it takes about 15 minutes or so to squeeze into this marvel of modern swimming pool engineering.

It looks like the suit’s awesomeness is equal to a brace for an ankle or a wrist. It provides external support for the muscles and joints with the tension of the fabric. Certain parts require more strength than others due to the nature of the muscle being covered, like the gluts or apparently the hamstrings. The tension is the best when the suit is new, and it breaks down the more it is used and stretched. Wraps suck after a few weeks of constant use. They lose their elasticity. Wraps don’t cost several hundred dollars, though.

People commenting on the article in Deadspin have decided that to end this coming separation is for swimmers to compete in the nude. Works for me.

buy your own suit!
Speedo’s fancy website special for the Racer
washington post article
deadspin article
gizmodo
USA Swimming’s official website