Local Artist Inspiration: Kendrick Kidd

A few months ago I was scrolling through my favorite site for design inspiration, dribbble.com, when I stumbled across Kendrick Kidd.  His work was awesome and it turns out he lives and works in good old Jacksonville, FL.  If you are a craft beer drinker then you have probably seen his work because he does all the packaging artwork for Bold City Brewery.  His style is very versatile, covering everything from beer labels to skateboard decks and of course the more traditional logo and print work.  Kendrick has become a major source of design inspiration for me and I chose him as one of my two artists to draw aesthetic influence from this semester in Illustration and Rapid Visualization.  You can check our his portfolio here.

Too Much Booze: Kings of Leon Cancels Rest of Summer Tour

Kings of Leon, one of my favorite bands to come around in the past 10 years, is on a slippery slope of self destruction.  This summer's tour has been troubled from the beginning with reports of backstage fights, tour buses being burnt to the ground and at a recent show, the lead singer Caleb walking off stage because he was too drunk and needed to vomit.  They have decided to cancel the remaining tour stops which unfortunately includes the show my fiance planned to attend in Virginia this Saturday.  As of right now the band is stating they will be back on tour in September but the rumors around the blog-o-sphere are saying that they will be taking the rest of the year off, or breaking up indefinitely.

iPad: The Coolest Piece of Technology You Don't Need

My lovely fiance recently purchased an iPad for me and needless to say I have been addicted to playing with it ever since.  However, non-iPad owners always ask me the same question, "Could you use it as your primary computer?"  The answer is "No."  Although the iPad is great for gaming, updating your Facebook page, reading books and even web browsing it is certainly not a replacement for a laptop or desktop computer.  So, if you are on the fence about buying one, keep in mind that you are essentially buying a giant iPhone which is really sweet to own but completely unnecessary if you already have a smart phone and a laptop.

My New TV Addiction: Top Shot

Before I actually watched an episode of Top Shot, I though how exciting can an hour of watching people shoot guns really be.  It turns out that it is really awesome and I now anxiously await each week's episode!  This is not your typical reality show; it features 16 of the country's top marksmen (and women) pitted against one another in a series of shooting competitions.  The weapons include everything from standard Colt 1911 handguns to tomahawks in a variety of different shooting scenarios.  The show keeps the typical reality show drama to a minimum and focuses on the competitions and the instruction the competitors receive from guest experts with that week's weapon(s).  The show airs Tuesdays at 10pm on the History Channel and with the season only halfway finished, it isn't too late to jump on the bandwagon like I did.

A Nikon Prime Lens For Under $200... Yes, Please!

The Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G Lens is virtually the only prime lens on the market for under $200.  A prime lens is a camera lens that has a fixed focal length.  This particular lens has a very large aperture making it ideal for low-light shooting and environmental photography.  Typically a lens of this nature would cost upwards of $400 but because this lens was exclusively designed for entry level (DX) Nikon DSLR's only it is available at this very affordable price.  Needless to say, I plan on buying one this week!

Newest Mini Concept Car: The Rocketman

Mini USA is finally getting back to their roots.... well, sort of.  The newest concept car from Mini is the Rocketman, which unlike the recent models the Clubman and the Countryman is actually as small as the Cooper.  Although the Rocketman is comparable in size to the original Cooper, it is packed with new gadgets and gizmos including a center console screen that displays 3D graphics, a transparent roof and futuristic double-hinged doors.  The Rocketman will also feature configurable seating to allow for two, three and even FOUR people.  Here's to hoping this concept car makes it to production and onto roadways throughout the US because it is awfully cool!

Tough Week for The Celtics and Their Fans

With the Boston Celtics leading the Eastern Conference and all signs pointing to a successful second half of the NBA season, they made a last minute trade before the deadline that left many players and fans stunned.  Kendrick Perkins, who has played his entire career for the Celtics, has gotten substantially better each season and gives 110% in every minute he plays was traded to to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Blogs from all over New England were filled with comments from sad, disappointed and even angry fans.  The Celtics locker room wasn't any different with Kevin Garnett quoted as saying ""It's not even about a teammate. It felt like you lost a family member today, tough day."  Being a Celtic player or a fan is about persevering and that is exactly what we need to do to finish the season strong and take home the title.