Mike Giant: Confessions of an Old Dirty Skateboarder
San Francisco based artist Mike Giant has been a fixture in the graffiti, skateboarding, tattoo and illustration scene for years. This past Friday, July 20th he had his first solo show with the FFDG gallery entitled “Confessions of an Old Dirty Skateboarder” featuring tons of new and recent. Black ink is his specialty, and his signature style inspired by Mexican folk art and Japanese illustration is unmistakeable — you know a Mike Giant piece when you see it, and you love it.
“I’m a product of my generation. I grew up through the 80s and was drawn to the punk rock and hip-hop cultures simultaneously,” Giant said in a recent interview. “I threw myself in headfirst. A lot of those things were about personal expression, and also an anti-establishment attitude like, “We don’t need you, we have our won thing.” That’s the backbone of who I am to this day.”
via: Visual News
Images from show: Hi-Fructose
How Your Favorite Sites Are Using Your Data
All of the different sites you frequent on a daily basis are actively gathering facts about you. The rise of social sharing sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Google, Pandora, and Twitter are gathering information as well, and bringing about an interesting change in how our data is being used. Social networks are betting on a future built on a personalized web, an Internet paradise filled with items the virtual you will be more apt to share, pin, tweet, or “like.” With each of those actions you complete, advertisements based off of your preferences are being diverted your way. With a personalized web we’ll see more of what we like, and less of what we don’t.
via: Baynote
TV Roommates
We’ve all had our fair share of roommates. Having the right one can enhance your life tremendously, and account for hours and hours of great conversation and hilarious hijinks. Having the wrong roommate can turn your life into an awkward living hell, where the torment of not getting along, mixed with the continuous stream of passive aggressive notes about inconsequential things will drive you to the brink of jumping straight off a bridge. Because of these possible polar extremes, roommates have always made great fodder for television. Check out the pairings in these illustrations below.
via: MyMove
Grill Master: A Foolproof Guide to Grilling
We’ve all been there before: You cut into your seemingly medium-cooked, char-broiled burger only to find it’s still a little too pink inside. What gives? Many things can affect how long it takes to properly grill perfectly moist and tender meats, seafood, and vegetables. Take the guesswork out of grilling with this guide to average cook times. The guide provides average times for a wide variety of beef, poultry, pork, and vegetable items you might plan on throwing on the grill this summer—all you’ll need is a watch and a meat thermometer.
via: Visual News
Shark Wranglers
Sharks have been one of the most feared creatures of the ocean for nearly 400 million years. There are more than 400 living species of sharks in our world, with over 200 of those species being listed on the World Conservation Union’s “Red List” of endangered species. This new show from the History Channel, Shark Wranglers, will head to the Atlantic Ocean, faring some of the world’s most treacherous waters, to follow Chris Fischer and his crew aboard the shark research vessel OCEARCH, who are on a mission to decode the mystery of one of the planets most notorious predators: the great white shark.
via: History
California Americana: Photography of Harper Smith
Harper Smith’s photos move effortlessly across the landscape of modern California, transporting us to the eras of generations past. It’s a place where the sun never seems to fade, and youth is the omnipresent currency. Swimming pools, vintage and discarded bathing suits, views of the beach through heart rimmed sunglasses, a 60s era convertible red porsche: they all recount a perfect day at the beach. Two lane roads, red rocks, fine sands, scattered clouds, and dry expanses of grass speckled with Joshua Trees capture the splendidness of the empty desert. Sparkling embers, lace tops, blacked out faces, moons, eeriness, and cosmic symbols rule the night. Harper Smith creates a world that exists in the moments when we realize the world around us is overwhelmingly beautiful. Make sure to check her out on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as: harpersmithphoto.
via: Visual News
Explosions in the Sky: Independence Day Fireworks
The Fourth of July is the day in which America celebrates gaining it’s independence from England, and has become synonymous with being the most supreme holiday of the year. When you add alcohol and fireworks, the outcome isn’t always an optimal one; so don’t become another statistic and use safety precaution you turkey! While the majority of injuries come from sparklers and small firecrackers, shooting roman candles at each other and lighting off illegal fireworks that set off car alarms are dangerous — so make sure you find a perfect hiding place that has an unobstructed view of the mayhem so that all of your digits and eyeballs remain intact this Fourth of July.
via: TurboTax
What Your Brand Colors Say About Your Business
Studies have shown that a product’s color influences 60-80 percent of a customer’s purchasing decision, which makes choosing the wrong color a death sentence before your brand ever has a chance to get off the ground. This infographic created by Marketo doesn’t just look at the colors, but digs deeper and looks at specific industries, the colors they choose, and how they affect consumers. See where your business, place of work, blog, or favorite brand falls.
via: Marketo
Facebook’s Most Social Landmarks By City
People everywhere use Facebook to check into places to and share what they’re doing with friends. Based on this activity, here are the top five landmarks in eight of the world’s most social cities.
via: Facebook
The Candy Punk Aesthetic of Rik Lee and His Babes
Drawing pretty girls has been done for thousands of years. The Egyptians lavishly decorated the walls of Queen Nefertari’s tomb — which was the largest and most spectacular in the Valley of the Queens — in honor of her beauty. The Greeks went to war over the beauty of Helen of Troy, and the Romans practically invented wine fueled orgies. But, you know who else knows about beautiful women? Rik Lee, an illustrator and artist living in Melbourne, Australia. His illustrations of pretty girls with wondering eyes, tattooed features, flipped up hood caps, the color pink, and a general air of melancholia — leave you desperate and yearning for more.
Make sure to check out Rik Lee’s site and scope his online store.
via: Visual News
