While it's not the type of craftsmanship we typically feature, there's a deep admiration for the commitment involved in pulling this off. Not to mention the 50+ hours of programming this requires. Enjoy the holidays.
Okay, sure, it's his most stressful time of year and technically he's immortal. But, still. Not a good look, Santa.
During my sophomore year of high school our locker rooms were undergoing renovation, which meant that our phys-ed curriculum was limited to activities that could be performed in street clothes and without working up a sweat. That year we competed at a leisurely pace in archery, croquet and bocce. As enjoyable as those games were, the true revelation was uncovered in the pits - the rustically simple horseshoe pits.
It's probably not common (or even healthy) for 16-year-olds to consider their mortality so intently, but as I tossed ringer after ringer one spring day, my fears of growing old fell away. For - with all apologies to our friends in North Beach - horseshoes is the ultimate old man game. The idea of finding an enjoyable pastime that could be played well into my stooping days was oddly liberating.
Unlike the mental disorder that accompanies the game of golf, or the meteorology obsession that comes with being a skier, horseshoes has an almost meditative level of simplicity and speaks to the thriftiness of my New England roots. No wonder that the avatar of Yankeeness, George H.W. Bush, was such an acolyte of the sport.
Not that the game is the exclusive province of one region. Horseshoes is arguably the most democratic of sports. Any time that "close" is "good enough" in a game, it's impossible for elitism to take root. And in the West, where our lawns are just waiting to be reclaimed by the desert, a horseshoe pit is "close enough" to landscaping.
While it's a game of skill, it often feels like a game of chance, and it's impossible not to consider luck when the game is named for a talisman. If you're in need of some good fortune in your life, enter our Bit of Luck Contest on Facebook. Our fans will vote on essays and the winning entry will receive a Bit of Luck Horseshoe Necklace. To celebrate our first contest we're giving everyone 10% off every item in our store. Just enter the code LUCKY at checkout.
Forbes.com partnered with local-oriented (and San Francisco-based) social network Nextdoor.com to compile a list that they've titled, "America's Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods." The criteria includes data points such as coffee shop density, food truck prevalence (and Zagat scores) plus the percentage of residents engaged in artistic pursuits. Because there's no way to quantify authenticity over posturing, some will find this a list of "Neighborhoods to Avoid at all Cost."
Because of our interest in locally owned businesses and independent craftsmen, we thought it was worth cataloging the neighborhoods that fall within Fog + Foundry's footprint, and highlighting a couple of our favorite outposts within those neighborhoods.
1. Silver Lake (Los Angeles)
2. Mission District (San Francisco)
Photo credit: Flickr user Thomas Hawk
The hipster roots run so deep in places like Kilowatt and the Elbo Room that it's surprising the Mission isn't at the top of this list. A sustained mix of racial and economic demographics and a pervasive funkiness should keep the Mission in hipster Mecca contention for another decade.
F+F recommends: Hogs & Rocks, Mission Bowling Club, Ritual Roasters and Paxton Gate.
3. Williamsburg (Brooklyn)
4. Wicker Park (Chicago)
5. Pearl District (Portland)
Photo credit: Flickr user Thomas Ngo
Includes the second highest concentration of coffee shops on the list but luxury condo development is outpacing cheaper rental options for the creative class.
F+F recommends: Teardrop Lounge, Andina, and the excellent Filson Flagship and Powell's Books will help sustain your denial about how much it rains in Portland.
6. H Street Corridor (Washington D.C.)
7. East Austin
8. Capital Hill (Seattle)
Photo credit: Flickr user Jbhthescots
As with San Francisco's Mission, this neighborhood long ago cemented its hipster bona fides. Dense housing, more coffee per square block than any other entry on this list and enough students to keep the counter-culture fuel burning.
F+F recommends: Quinn's Pub, Porchlight Coffee, Elliott Bay Book Company and of course, Taylor Shellfish Farms at Melrose Market.
9. The Uptown (Oakland)
Photo credit: Flickr user Russell Mondy
The newest addition to the hipster discussion, Uptown's growth has been fueled by the restoration of the Fox Theater and the greening of nearby Lake Merritt. Much of its hipster credibility comes from its large farmer's market and the Starbucks-level density of marijuana dispensaries.
F+F recommends: Flora, Plum, Aroma Bakery & Cafe and the eclectic Cafe Van Kleef.
10. Warehouse District (New Orleans)
As the Eastern span replacement of the Bay Bridge chugs along, ten years into the process, artist Leo Villareal wants us to turn our attention to the Western span where he would like to stage a massive light sculpture. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower's 100th anniversary lighting, Villareal plans to drape the bridge with more than 25,000 LED lights for a flickering light show to celebrate the Bay Bridge's 75th year of service.
Visit The Bay Lights web site for additional artist renderings and to offer your support (or voice your opposition) to this large scale art installation. Below, watch as Villareal describes his vision for the bridge.
1952 Republican Convention, Chicago
Despite what each party's press team may say, the presidential nominating conventions are not for public consumption. They're designed to further stir up their respective rabid base, satiate political junkies and give fact-checking organizations a late-summer workout. There isn't an honest presentation of a nominee's platform for independent and undecided voters to take in. They're better off watching the conventions through the filters of The Daily Show or Twitter.
The truth is, though, they've been this way for a long time. Press opportunities designed to offer a wooden candidate the chance to showcase his softer side; pageants for preening wives and adorable children; generally carnival-like parties complete with celebrity cameos. In all these ways, so thoroughly American.
1956 Republican Convention, San Francisco
1956 Democratic Convention, Chicago
1960 Democratic Convention, Los Angeles
1964 Republican Convention, San Francisco
1964 Democratic Convention, Atlantic City
1968 Democratic Convention, Chicago
1968 Republican Convention, Miami
1968 Democratic Convention, Chicago
1968 Republican Convention, Miami
One of the first rules of running a business is that you gotta eat your own dog food. Despite my cofounder blogging about overcoming his own aesthetic objection to using an iPhone case and despite the fact that we carry three gorgeous leather cases from San Francisco-based Scabby Robot, I continued to navigate life with a naked iPhone. And this week I paid the price.
Cruel timing, what with Apple Kremlinologists triangulating September 21st as the release date for the iPhone 5. Adding insult to injury is a recent TechCrunch story on Apple's previous generation iPhone buyback program. For the next three weeks I'll be forced to soldier on with a pre-Crash Blackberry.
I wish I could say that living without a smartphone has made for a richer life, that I've discovered new beauty in the world around me, or become more contemplative. But I'm still fuming that yesterday I wasn't able to snap a picture of the car with a Lionel Hutz-themed vanity plate.
1900 - Paris
With Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee taking the Gold and Silver medals in the Decathalon yesterday we thought we'd take a look back at the Track & Field stars who came before them. As the 30th Olympiad comes to a close this weekend, whose 2012 performances will you be looking back at years from now?
1908 - London
1912 - Stockholm
1956 - Melbourne
1972 - Munich
1984 - Los Angeles
1988 - Seoul
Photo credit: Michael Galinsky
Moving westward across the country in 1989 photographer Michael Galinsky captured these vignettes in malls from Long Island to North Dakota to Seattle. Last year he scanned in a selection of his photos and ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to turn the collection into a book.
Shot with inexpensive equipment, the images have a simple, gritty feel that further enhances the sense of distance between that summer and today. What's striking about the photos when taken together is how indistinguishable the communities are. Aside from our iPhones geo-tagging images, would the same be true today?
