The Vehicles of Wes Anderson

I've always enjoyed the way Wes directs vehicular action. This supercut shows just how precisely he puts together his brand of forced perspective moving shots. I have no idea how I didn't come across this video sooner. But I am glad that I discovered it eventually.

Juiced GTI

Wow. The folks at Vossen have done it again. This excellent vid not only showcases an absolutely epic hot rod, but also demonstrates the inspirational power of magazines—which I can totally relate to.

This great little site captures all the content to come out of their epic Limerock shoot and more.

Indigo-go Moodboard

Safari 911 Redux

I stumbled onto this video featuring Leh Keen's cherry red Safari 911—not too dissimilar from the LuftAuto Safari 911 I recently posted about. I can't get enough of these crazy rally cars. I want want want want one.



Immediately after finding that vid... I then discovered this one!

Raise the Roof with the BMW 530iX Enduro

I was flipping through my trusty Flipboard today and I stumbled onto what is easily the coolest BMW I have ever seen. The 1993 E34 BMW 530ix Endure prototype is the perfect combination of Bavarian Burner and Weekend Warrior. This is the automotive equivalent of a retro rolltop backpack.

North to Alaska

Here's a quick little vid of some of our adventures a-way-up north. Loving this old-timey track "North to Alaska" by Johnny Horton.

Orangina Moodboard

The Seeker: A Safari 911

I can't get enough of this car, this song, this dude's other car, his house, I could go on. Gimme more please!

Germany, etc.

I just got back from a 10-day trip with my pa through western Germany, a day trip to Amsterdam and several days in Switzerland rolling around the Zürich area. Amazing, right? TOTALLY mooched off his biz trip. While I was there, I snapped a bunch of pics. But I also took about a hundred short 5-10 second videos.

I've strung them all together here and added a track that I have zero licensing rights to... "Nantes" by Beirut. Hope you enjoy!

Crafted Cousteau

If you know me, you probably know I'm a massive Life Aquatic fan—a film that's openly inspired by the life of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Well this new biopic, entitled L’odyssée, looks like a total winner to me as well. Can't wait to see its stunning widescreen format on the big screen.

The Art of Curation

When I heard that Flipboard's founder/CEO, Mike McCue, would be speaking at this year's Cannes Lions festival... I knew we'd have to come up with something special to help spread the word. Luckily, the amazing Becca Clason was available... well, sorta.

Becca was just about to go on a break to have her first kid but she was able to just barely sneak us in. Mike's session is on the future of curation and he's being joined onstage by a curator from The Whitney. We decided that a combination of both gadgets and art supplies would fit the bill. I was completely blown away by Becca's own curation skills as she carefully selected each and every item.



The whole piece was handcrafted and photographed to capture our hero shot. Then the next day, she started her time lapse by removing each and every piece in a very specific order. Sure enough... I got this text from Becca moments later...

"My water just broke in the middle of the shoot. Haha. Josh helped me finish the shoot, but we're on the way to the hospital now."

You know... because life. Thank you Becca for being SUCH a trooper and we're so glad we got to be part of Ira's big day. Congrats.

And vote here to see Flipboard's session (and Becca's work) live streamed to the world.

The Ultimate Batfleck Batflick

It’s official. Sounds like Ben Affleck will be writing, directing, and starring in his own standalone Batman movie. If you’re like me (and most people I’ve spoken to) Batman V Superman was barely tolerable. But the parts I tolerated the most were all about the Batfleck. I'm really into his version of this old, grizzled, fraying-on-both-ends Batman. 



I dug his Brucefleck, the Batmobile, the Batcave, the Batwing, his Batbulter, and especially his Batfighting style. In fact I’ll go as far to say—this is my all-time favorite live action version of Batman. Yes, better than Bale for sure, and even better than Keaton. Bold, I know. But that’s sincerely how I feel. And with thrillers like The Town and Gone Baby Gone sitting soundly in his filmography—I am convinced that standalone Batflick by Batfleck can and will be awesome.  

So what could it be like? Well, here’s my wishlist, prediction, my stab at what a Batfleck Batflick could and should be:

A Small Movie
First things first… this is what I’m gonna call a “small” Batman movie. This is not about saving the world. It’s not even about saving the city he loves, though that is where it all takes place. It’s all about saving someone (not Rachel!). And it all happens in a single night in the streets and on the rooftops of Gotham. And for the record, I really preferred good old Chicago doubling for Gotham from The Dark Knight.




A Different Villain
Next, this is not about The Joker in any way, shape, or form. We’ll let Suicide Squad and its inevitable sequel(s) handle that particular storyline. Oh yeah, there is also zero origin stories being told, for Batman or the villain. This film is a Hitchcockian mystery thriller showcasing Batman’s first entanglement with... The Riddler.

In this movie The Ridder is a brilliant, but unhinged master thief who’s just arrived to pillage and plunder the richest of the rich, but knows he must first trick, catch, and eradicate the Bat if wants to have his way with Gotham’s elite. He also attempts to manipulate Batman into eliminating the competition in the process... calling back to an almost Hush-like vibe.

So again, in a single night we see Bruce Wayne uncover and decode a riddle-based clue, which leads him to another and another—in a sadistic scavenger hunt all throughout Gotham. Bruce quickly surmises that whoever’s leaving these cruel clues already knows he’s Batman. So he quickly dons the cape and cowl and uses the Batmobile as his base of operations for the night, as he speeds from clue to clue in a race against the clock.



Much More Batmobile
Let me take a quick second here and talk about the Batmobile. So I didn’t not like the Batmobile in BvS. It worked for that movie. But I’m a HUGE fan of the Batmobile from Batman ’89. And I thought Nolan was for sure setting us up for the next Batmobile to be Lamborghini-based once it was featured so prominently after the destruction of the Tumbler in The Dark Knight. If you check out The History of the Batmobile fansite, you’ll see that there’s been hundreds of different Batmobile configurations over the years and the vast majority of them have been based on sports cars, including Lambos. 

For this new Batflick—Batman, will definitely need a sports car-based Batmobile, as he’ll use its amazing handling while cruising around Gotham at top speeds and avoiding any collateral damage. In fact, the Batmobile itself will actually feel like a central character in the story. The movie will be full of mind-blowing chase sequences as Batman chases the villain and in turn gets chased by cops. We’ll see lots of gadgets and gear—tons of hand to hand combat, and zero gun usage by the Bat. 




The World’s Greatest Detective
One of Batman’s primary titles is “The World’s Greatest Detective” and filmmakers constantly seem to forget this. I see very cool, very classic Batman movie here. It’s a small standalone thriller, all happening within a few hours on night. It’s got stakes. It’s action packed, but it’s also got a suspenseful twist. It’s highly focused on a single foe, who’s complex, charismatic, twisted, and ingenious—brilliantly portrayed by none other than... Casey Affleck. And it’s simply called: Riddle Me This.

Happy Campers x North Trip

A few months before starting at Flipboard, I stumbled onto what soon became one of my very favorite user-curated magazines called Happy Campers. It's an awesome collection of VW camper van stories and adventure mobile articles that really just nail it for me. 

The day I started at Flipboard, I was asked to share a couple of magazine that I love to read—so naturally I mentioned Happy Campers. Little did I know that it's co-authored by fellow Flipboarder and designer Ashleigh Maule-Ffinch and her hubby Thibault Mauras-Cartier. 

I've since somehow weaseled my way into becoming a contributor as well, but my finds are nowhere near as good as theirs and Thibault came through with a winner today. Check out the fantastic video above. I'm going on a couple

Green Machines Moodboard

All of it. Now. Let's do this.

Flipboard. Power your perspective.

During my short time here at Flipboard, I've had the chance to help on several amazing projects. And today, we're launching one of my faves! One of the beauties of Flipboard is that it can be many things to many people. I love this multifaceted functionality and this is a peek into how Flipboard manifests itself for power-user Adam Reineck, a San Francisco-based industrial design director.



Adam leads a team of designers dedicated to crafting solutions to humanitarian needs around the world. He uses Flipboard to power his team’s imagination, creativity, and global perspective. But Adam is more than just a designer. He’s a cycling enthusiast, a passionate foodie, and loves to travel. And outside of using Flipboard to strengthen his design skills—he also leverages it to fuel all of his interests. 




And finally, this video proves without a doubt that yes oh yes, hipsters love Flipboard too.

Vossen's Flawless 3er Wagon

I'm not exaggerating in anyway shape or form when I say that if I had all the money in the world... this is the car I'd drive. Zero hesitation. 



If you dig this video, check out Vossen ambassador Joey Brezinski and his stunning Audi A7.

Esprited Away

Loving yet another beautiful video from the fellows at Petrolicious. This time I'm digging the stunning interplay between this 4-wheeled machine and its 2-wheeler soul mate. More pics and concepts here and here.

Gold Dust Moodboard

I'm diggin' the golden glow of this dusty, desert-inspired imagery I've uncovered over the last little bit.

The Ideal $300 a Month Car

A good buddy of mine (who's also one of the only people who actually read this blog) just got a $300 per month car allowance. He's asked me what new (or relatively new) car would I go for with a payment in that vicinity. So here's my quick hit list of cars that strike the balance between sport, style, usefulness, economics, and fun:

5. Volkswagen GTI

So yeah, despite VW's current turmoil, I'm still a massive fan of this car. It's a fast, fun, near-perfect vehicle and is more or less the first option that comes to mind. No surprises here.

4. MINI Cooper S 4 Door
I've recently been spotting some new 4 door MINI's and I kinda dig 'em. Now I'm not talkin' about the Countryman or the new Clubman. I mean the Cooper S 4 door. At first I hated the idea of this, but seeing them on the road, with a pair of bikes strapped to the top, I kinda love this wagon-esque super Cooper.

3. Fiat 500 Abarth
The Abarth (pronounced either ah-BART or AY-bart) is the perfect pocket rocket. It's fun factor is through the roof and would be an absolute blast to own for a bit... mainly because I haven't yet : )

2. Ford Focus ST


I'm really intrigued by this little guy. It's way too fast for it's own good. It's agile AND functional and you can't find a single auto reviewer who will talk crap about it. Not to mention it looks fantastic with a bike rack.

1. Hyundai Elantra GT + BMW G650 GS 
Let's face it, a base model Elantra GT is by no means a bad looking ride and it's beyond affordable too. So much so that you can probably swing a payment on a G650 GS as well and still be close to on budget.

It looks like a fun little combo, if you ask me.

2015: My Tenth Annual Year in Review

Ten years ago I started a blog about music, movies, TV, cars, and design and that same year I decided to do a quick review of my top three favorites in each category. I've loved creating this list each and every year since and here are my picks for 2015. Enjoy!

Top 3 Favorite Albums

3. Individ - The Dodos

The Dodos not only dropped one of their best albums yet in 2015, they put on a face-melter of a tour. Standout track: Confidence

2. Depression Cherry/Thank Your Lucky Stars - Beach House

What band releases an amazing, full-length album and then two months later drops another? Beaccch Houssse from Baltimore, that's who. Standout tracks: Space Song and One Thing

1. Every Open Eye - CHVRCHES

My kids know every lyric to every track, 'nough said. Standout track: Never Ending Circles

Top 3 Favorite Movies

3. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Who would have thought that after coming off of stinkers like Man of Steel and The Lone Ranger, these boys could out-Bond Bond. Standout stuff: all of the cars and clothes.

2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I'm still completely shocked at just how sold I am on the new squad. #ThanksJJ Standout performance: Daisy Ridley as Rey.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

Only a movie with this much high-octane could possibly beat out one of the best Star Wars flicks yet. Standout vehicle: Imperator Furiosa's War Rig

Top 3 Favorite TV Shows

3. Daredevil

This show feels so much like the street-level Batman I've always wanted. Standout episode: Cut Man

2. Mad Men

It was full-on surreal to be working on Madison Avenue during the last season of this one. Standout episode: Lost Horizon

1. The Last Man on Earth

Finally, a non-formulaic foray into post-apocalyptic awesomeness. Never in the history of television has a show been as insanely unpredictable as this one. Standout episode: Alive in Tucson

Top 3 Favorite Cars

3. Jeep Renegade

Not only is this little rig riding the #adventuremobile wave perfectly, its TV commercial pretty much has the most serendipitously catchy tune of all time. Standout feature: Awesome colorways.

2. Volkswagen Golf R Wagon Wolfsburg Edition

This one woulda easily been numero uno if you could actually purchase it stateside. Standout feature: It's the total package, even despite all the diesel drama.

1. Volvo V60 Polestar

The V60 wagon wins the day. Its flawless Euro-stance and hatch is actually available at a dealer near you. Standout feature: Polestar Blue

Top 3 Favorite Designs

3. Vintage Overland Caravan

Nothing says adventure time like a rugged teardrop in tow. Standout feature: Chrome caps

2. New Balance 574 Botanical Garden

It's the New Balance retro running shoe that says I'm fun yet sensible, stylish yet approachable, daring yet down-to-earth. Standout feature: The botanical tongue.

1. Levi’s x Pendleton Trucker Jacket

If I had $400 bucks to blow on a denim jacket, it'd definitely be this one. Standout feature: Its sick Pendleton print.