Play the Road

So I'm a little late to the game on this one, but I just stumbled on this pretty stellar experiment concocted late last year by Tribal Worldwide in London for the launch of the 2014 Volkswagen GTI. Partnering with musicians from Underworld along with sound designer Nick Ryan and producer Yuli Levtov, Tribal created an application that translates the movement of the car into an original musical arrangement, essentially making the GTI a musical instrument and the driver both the musician and composer.

Taking the values generated from the speed, direction and acceleration/deceleration of the GTI—complex algorithms (a.k.a. robots) translate the data into some hauntingly beautiful tunes that perfectly accompany your driving style in real time. Here's some pretty fantastic behind the scenes footage... now if they can only determine how to make this a public app!



And here's a live-drive performance. Enjoy!

My Everyday Carry (Well Sorta)

A couple of days ago I snapped a quick pic of my ideal "everyday carry" (EDC)  and I was stoked that earlier today it was featured on one of my fave blogs, aptly named Everyday Carry. Even though not all these items are always on my body all at once, here's the breakdown anyway:

• Tsovet SVT-LX73 Automatic, custom leather strap by Greg Stevens Design (GSD)
• Apple iPhone 5, iFrogz Natural Cover Koala
• 2013 Volkswagen GTI key, custom leather fob by GSD
• Parker Jotter Stainless Steel 0.5mm Mechanical Pencil
• Opinel No6 Folding Knife with Oak Handle 
• Custom leather wallet by GSD
• Field Notes 48-Page Memo Book
• Ray-Ban New Wayfarer Classic in Tortoise

2013: A Year in Review

Top 3 Favorite Albums

3. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

The Kyality Kids might love this album even more that I do. Standout track: Doin' It Right

2. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

Wasn't sure if I could play these guys at work without getting eye rolls from the hipsters until this album came out. Standout track: Don't Lie

1. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

I literally knew this was my fave album of the year from the first strum of the first, standout track: I Should Live in Salt

Top 3 Favorite Movies

3. Gravity

This jaw-dropper of a 3D spectacle will most likely dissuade an entire generation of kids from ever wanting to be astronauts when they grow up. Standout scene: 13-minute opening shot

2. Star Trek Into Darkness

Even though this flick didn't seem as epic on my second viewing, my opening night experience still ranks with the best of the best. Standout scene: Cumberbatch's monologue

1. The Kings of Summer

A classic indie sleeper that perfectly defines my ideal kinda flick. Standout scene: The pipe dance... not to mention I worship their Tumblr.

Top 3 Favorite TV Shows

3. Mad Men

Still some of the best writing for television ever. It's hard to know how they'll keep it up. I think a time machine jump to the '80s would be awesome. Standout episode: For Immediate Release

2. The Mindy Project

Thanks to Mindy Kaling's sense of humor, I feel like I'm still pretty much getting my weekly Tina Fey fix. Standout quote: "I fell asleep watching Amelie, and when I woke up, I had spilt so much red wine on me that I thought I'd been shot." 

1. Happy Endings

There's a part of me that's almost glad this under-the-radar, laugh-out-loud super-Friends series was cancelled after its second season (correction third season!). No chance of it ever going stale. Standout character: Max Blum

Top 3 Favorite Cars

3. 2013 Audi RS4 Avant

Simply the most amazing station wagon to never make it stateside. Standout feature: A pay-to-play relaxed limiter taking its top speed from 155 mph to a whopping 174 mph!

2. 2013 BMW M135i

The venerable Chris Harris calls this car the best bang for buck on the planet. Standout feature: Supercar performance, hot-hatch looks

1. 2013 Singer 911

Want a brand new classic Porsche with modern day performance? Well if you've got 6-figures and can wait in line for a few years, Singer's got your dream car. Standout feature: It's a new, old 911!!!

Top 3 Favorite Designs

3. Topo Designs

Topo Designs is Colorado's response to Portland's Poler Stuff and their line of retro #campvibes are colorful, functional and fun. Standout product: Klettersack in Coyote

2. iOS 7

It's insane to me that half the world gets to upgrade their phone to become the most amazing, high-tech device on the planet… for free and still manages to complain about it. Standout feature: In-app parallax

1. Petrolicious

Thanks to the Clason's—both Josh and Becca—we now have the best auto enthusiast site around, full of quality content and tasteful graphic/motion design. Standout film: One Car To Do It All