Got My First Tattoo

well not me, but the cat who does the lovely BeerorKid blog and he did the logo of Williams the pinball maker, I have been toying with this logo too as a tattoo - of course I'd flip mine over and make it an "M". Williams is hands down my favorite pinmaker too. Nice job!

Hunger Games - Before and After Photoshop

, ummmm, I'll take the curves anytime. I guess it's done fairly well but skinny is not the right answer. Jennifer Lawrence in GQ - before and after airbrush and tweak.

Rob Delaney's Take on High on Fire

As you know, I am a huge fan of High on Fire as well, good work Rob!

10 Brands That Will Disappear in 2013

Each year, 24/7 Wall St. identifies 10 important American brands that we predict are going to disappear within a year. This year’s list reflects the brutally competitive nature of certain industries and the reason why companies cannot afford to fall behind in efficiency, innovation or financing.

Using Lightening to Make Glass Vase

this is so cool

Table for Summer

oh I like this one

Vinyl Killers

New Miller 64 Graphics

LOVE THIS

Punch Top Can!

this is awesome! Miller, please share this patent with my favorite flavors!!

Mr. DIV

this is a sweet TUMBLR site.

Nicolas Jaar

I LOVE Nicolas Jaar. I pick up every single piece of vinyl he makes, THIS is awesome

. Musician and owner of record label Clown & Sunset, Nicolas Jaar, has just released a new collection of tracks entitled Don't Break My Love, not on CD or vinyl, but on a small aluminium cube called The Prism… Don't Break My Love is a 12-track label showcase and the 4x4x4cm cube it is released on (above) sports two holes (headphone sockets) and four unlabelled buttons. Jaar tells us that it as well as vinyl, the small metal cube will be the primary format for future releases on Clown & Sunset.

Matthew Cusick

Painting with maps, so good!

Restaurant Mental Health Code Violations

Some of these are great, especially if you've worked in the industry. FTA: "Customer over the age of thirty-five is told by server that chocolate dessert is “tight,” “off the hook,” and also “the bomb.” "Party of seven all wearing flip-flops in plain sight."

Record Store Day

Interesting article on Record Store Day I .did not go this year for the first time. I did have some family stuff going on but I could have made some time if I wanted to. I saw the 2012 RSD as quite different than past years. This year seemed much more about labels and distribution not about bands or special releases. Just lots of stuff repressed as a release - but not much in the weird B side kinda thing department. Jack White did some interesting things as he always does but more stuff like repressing the Misfits Walk Among Us on colored vinyl..... bah. Hopefully next year they will get back into the spirit of releasing things that are B sides and other oddball things.

How to Enjoy a Turntable Without Obsessing

Buying records is easy. You can find them by the milk crate at yard sales, for a few dollars apiece in used record stores. But buying the instrument needed to listen to them, a turntable, is a different matter.

I'm Loving THIS

Sushi with lazer cut seaweed

the RISE of VINYL

really great article on records by Joe Petro. FTA:
"Think about the last time you decided to listen to music. Now think about the last time “listening to music” was the sole activity you were engaged in. By this, I mean the music was not just accompaniment to some other activity, like commuting to work, surfing the Internet, or cooking. Obviously music can compliment all these things well, but it can also be great on its own.

Anyway, my guess is that it’s been awhile since you put on an album, laid down on your bed, and listened to it for 45 minutes. If I’m correct, I suggest that you try it out. And if you don’t think you have the self-control to do it on your own, maybe buy some fresh vinyl and give it a spin."

the World Broken Down by Religion

killer infographic

Full size here.

Jack White Releases New Flexi by Balloon!

Three weeks prior to the April 24 release of his debut album Blunderbuss (Third Man Records/Columbia), Third Man Records has premiered the as yet unreleased Jack White album track "Freedom at 21" exclusively via 1000 flexi-disc records attached to helium balloons launched from the label headquarters in Nashville on April 1st, 2012.

Nice Interview with Derek Riggs

How do you feel about The Number Of The Beast sleeve 30 years on? Many people would say it’s the definitive Iron Maiden artwork – would you agree?

I turned out a lot of pictures back then. I did them and they shot out the door, then I never saw them again. Really that picture is just one more in a very long line of pictures that I did in the 1980s. I am a professional illustrator and I don’t get emotionally attached to my pictures. They are just the means for me to earn a living. For me to become attached to a picture would be rather like a carpenter getting attached to a chair. It’s a bit ridiculous really.

I don’t know if it’s the definitive Maiden cover. That’s not my call really, that’s up to the fans. I did a load of pictures for Maiden, they covered a vast area of subject matter. I am not sure what would make one definitive and another one not. What defines Maiden’s covers? I don’t know, the first one I guess, the one set the place for Eddie. All the others followed that first one.

I wish I had more time to paint it, I could have done a much better job. Maybe I should do a new version, now that I have more time to do it. I could do it the way I really wanted to. Or maybe I can’t be bothered… What do you think I should do?

read the rest in here