iPhone 4 Run Over by a Car!!

While driving around Saturday morning with Cocof0sho, we saw an iPhone just laying in the middle of the road, face down.  Running out onto highway traffic and retrieving it, we realized it had already been run over, multiple times perhaps. We plugged it in, wondering if it may still kinda work.....nope! Although the screen was completely destroyed (but surprisingly still sticking together like a car windshield), look at the back, it's intact! I think the thin yet protective carbon fiber-esk decal kept it in one piece, even though it's also made of glass....


What's the lesson here? Don't drive with your iPhone dangling out your window while driving? Maybe. Don't just throw out your old iPhone out the window like a cigarette butt just because you've recently upgraded to an iPhone 4S (not really an upgrade) and you're rich enough to just throw it out the window of your Ferrari? Also a maybe.

I think the real lesson here is that no matter what you throw out the window of a moving car, if it looks like an iPhone, you're not really littering, because some fool will eventually pick it up!!  Hey, maybe we can plug it into a computer and download some personal pictures? Cocof0sho? Anything interesting?

Palindromic Graffiti Logo at Emily Carr?

Walking past this graffiti outside Emily Carr Institute on Granville Island, something struck me about it, so I quickly took the picture and moved on.  Weeks later, as I looked back, I examined it, wondering why I liked the way the person decided to break the word ATTACK in two lines.....very cool I thought.

The top ATTA is a palindrome, and even the double T looks like the Greek letter Pi, which is also palindromic in shape. As a palindrome, there's this balanced look to the ATTA, almost iconic or logo like. The CK along the bottom is pretty cool too because it's a repeat consonant like the double T in ATTA, both the C and K making the double K sound in English.  

Aesthetically, the roundness of the letter C really adds to the overall balance of the rest of the letters, as the other letters are all made with straight lines.  The kerning on the two lines, how the cK actually touches the ATTA makes it clear that this is meant to be a single word or symbol, not two.  Even the angle of the A's work with similar angles on the letter K as well, and the cK reminds us of an iconic brand, only adding to the strength of this logo-like graffiti. Over analyzing? Yes. Just a kid with a spray can who had 15 seconds to make it count? Probably.

Do You Give a Hoot about Truck Graffiti?

I've been noticing graffiti on white trucks lately, and I don't know if it's true graffiti, or if the owners are allowing random artists to spray their trucks.  This one looks like a commissioned job.  I thought it was cute. Owls are pretty cool. Big headed birds. Although this owl can actually change his face to look like a bat when it senses danger or competition. Insane!!

Ken Doll Reporter Backlit Backwards Portrait

I was walking through Gastown with my wife on our way to our newest favorite coffee shop, when we ran into a TV crew setting up.  Even from behind you can tell this reporter has the perfect height, perfect build, perfect hair, perfect sized hands, perfect posture....need I continue? I like backwards portraits, and I liked the way he was standing, or perhaps it was posing? He was actually frozen like that, as if he's practiced that stance many a times in front of a mirror perhaps? The spot light masked his face somewhat, but you can still imagine his impeccably handsome face. In fact, the guy walking to the far left couldn't stop starring!! Ha ha!!

Very Clean & Translucent Fiat 500 Ad

I enjoy creative advertising.  This one isn't spectacular, but it was really clean, and since it was on glass, you get double the exposure for the same price!!  Look at these other really creative bus stop ads.  I like the last one by 3M with the stacks of money!!

SLR Top Panel LCD Screen Door Sign

When I worked in the sign industry, most people's outside door sign was pretty basic: store name, hours of operation, phone number and e-mail address. When I saw Hans Sipma's door sign, I was blown away! Why didn't I ever think of that?!? Very cool Hans! 10 bonus points! And it's the old school SLR top panel I think, as more and more manufacturer's are getting rid of the top panel LCD, a residual from the old film days when nothing was shown on the back panel (that's where the film went). Check out his website too (click on his name above). Cool pics.....

Drink Water Week Advertised on a Toilet?

I posted this on Twitter a week ago but decided not to post on my blog, but now I change my mind! Bike to Work Week, yes. Butt Out Week, yes. Mental Health Awareness Week, yes. But Drinking Water Week? Isn't this just common sense? And how about not just a week, but for the rest of our lives!!  Drink water people!! I also thought it ironic that the advertising for Drinking Water Week was on the side of a public toilet.... leaves a bad taste in your mouth, no?

Evil Genius Sideshow Bob Makes an Alley Appearance!

I like how the rust on the dumpster matches the red brick of the building. I've been noticing more and more dumpster art recently as I walk the alleys.....it makes sense to find Sideshow Bob in a dark alley planning his next evil yet elaborate revenge plan against Bart.  Look at that evil-scheme smile!!

Old Beetle, New Beetle, Blue Beetles

I happened to notice two blue VW Beetles parked across the street from each other, 30-40 years apart in age. Even the blue is pretty close in tone isn't it? The major difference? The yellow stained mags of the old Beetle.... reminds me of old tea stained teeth!!

Crow Highway Mural in Strathcona

Another spectacular mural in the Strathcona areas of Vancouver.  This one stood out because of the black-and-white with  blue sky colour scheme, as well as the fact that the woman in the mural is Asian.  After doing some research, I found out that Mrs.Lowe is the name of the woman, and her daughter Vanessa, an artist, still lives in the building and contributed to the mural.  Click here to find out more information about the mural, the artists, the original picture that the mural is based on, and an unobstructed view of the entire image.

As for my pictures, it was hard to get a straight on shot because the side of the building itself is fenced in, and all along in front of the mural is parked cars.  So I took some shots along the outside of the fence, as well as from within the parking lot, trying to find unique angles. 

The top image I decided to monochrome the entire mural so as to simplify the busy fence and parked cars. Notice how it looks like she's looking over the fence? The second image, I cropped out the vehicles along the bottom and changed the angle of the image to line up to the building across the street. 

Thanks to Vincent Dumoulin, Vanessa Lowe & RestART for the Crow Highway Mural!!