Carbon Based

Daily Bread

A showcase of things we've done, things we like and other random rantings...

31.12.06

Quote of the Day

"The subtlest reason that pop music is so flavorful to our brains is that it relies so strongly on timbre. Timbre is a peculiar blend of tones in any sound; it is why a tuba sounds so different from a flute even when they are playing the same melody in the same key. Popular performers or groups, Dr. Levitin argued, are pleasing not because of any particular virtuosity, but because they create an overall timbre that remains consistent from song to song.

“Nobody else’s piano sounds quite like that,” he said, referring to Mr. [Elton] John.

“Pop musicians compose with timbre. Pitch and harmony are becoming less important.”

- from the nytimes article, Music of the Hemispheres
posted by carlito sway at 13:27 0 comments


28.12.06

Quote of the Day

"I became bored there, too [designing for jean patou in paris], and I quit and tried to go back to school, but that didn't work, so I spent two years mostly on beaches – I guess I studied life."

-karl lagerfeld, remarking nonchalantly on his formative years. i wonder if thats where he perfected his dark sunglasses / tan / pony tail image?
posted by carlito sway at 03:41 0 comments


Bike Porn: GOLD GROUPO!


k, so, not really sure i would actually... could actually do anything with this, but for the shear insto-pimp factor, it has now become easy to instantly bling your bicycle.

made for Euro-Asia Imports (EAI) my MKS, Nitto And Suzue, and sold by Milwuakee Bicycle Co., this is the "Limited Edition Gold Groupo." a bit too cheeze for my usual tastes, i think its the idea of being able to get a set of matching items all at once (including hubs, no less) that i like... or something

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posted by carlito sway at 02:41 0 comments


25.12.06

Happy Birfday Jesus! ~1,970! THATS OLD!


that said, spyker, maker of rediculoid expensive (and extremely feminine) exotic cars out of holland, has introduced a bicycle. it costs 16,000 usd. made of titanium, carbon fiber and fiber glass (wtf?), its basically just a bicycle that had every part custom made for it. although, only 50 will be made, i suspect the profit margins are like 95% or so, seeing as none of that technology really costs that much.

the one random part, however, is what looks like a fixed or single speed rear hub. its actually a 14 gear INTERNAL rear; those gears must be so close ratio you cant even tell when you shift- hopefully theyve included a 2-gear hop in the shifter... else all youd be doing is shifting all the time...

also worthy of note, its interesting how the fixie aesthetic has worked itself back upstream, so much so that extreme high-end bicycles are looking to reach their inherent no-nonsense minimalism. to bad it costs as much as a car- evidently, they have some ways to go.

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posted by carlito sway at 13:42 0 comments


23.12.06

Techno: Slow on the Go.

With the release of the DSC-T50, Sony has relinquished almost all of its "hard-buttons" for a much smoother, dynamic touch screen interface. I assume this is indicative of a slow trend towards (at least in some cases) a soft GUI (where hard is a physical button), allowing the approaching "do it all" device of the future to come that much quicker. While cellular phones seem to be approaching this nexus, they still dont do most of their intended uses very well. The advent of a face that is entirely touch screen means that much more added flexibility to this device, aiding transition from, say, video playback to video phone to video recording.

Im hoping this device will come, come shortly, and im hoping ill have one. How sick would it be to have some minimal device that does games, plays movies, surfs, conferences and provides GPS for when you cant find that party your friend told you about? Im just hoping some good design hands (and minds) eventually get behind it, so we wont be suffering from the "1,000 button remote" syndrome that our current understanding of "do it all" machinery promotes. On the right are the two newest remotes to enter my parents house: CD / MP3-CD Player (left) and DVD Player. Its quite clear that they subsribe to two different schools of thought (even the thickness of the left remote is just over 1/3 of the right one). The Sony universal remotes are even scarier, but at least they actually are intended to control multiple devices; the one on the right is for one device. ONE device.

Combining this much potential power, with an apple designed casing sound about as delicious as a bean, cheese and rice burrito does when you live in england.
posted by carlito sway at 16:31 0 comments


21.12.06

Bike Porn: Blue Steel

could this be it?

could this be the moment many people have thought about waiting for?

probly not. but it can be momentous; any time a peice of machinery is adorned with metal that is colored something other than, well, metal color, well, this is a time to rejoice.

well, goddamnit, rejoice!!!!

anyways, this was procured from alpha bicycles, a nice christian bicycle store on south santa fe, in vista, in san diego, in california, in the united stated, in america, in the world. they sell lots of beach cruisers and bmx components. luckily, most bmx components fit most fixed gear needs, simply because the tolerances and mechanics are almost the same. (course, one is gayer than the other, but that usually depends on what rider your asking.)

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posted by carlito sway at 02:30 0 comments


16.12.06

Quote of the Day

The Summit Public House

There's a public house (a.k.a. pub) in nearly every neighborhood or town in Great Britain, where they function as a hangout for the locals and as a center for the community - sort of like church, but with beer instead of god.

-from summit public house . com, some joint i take to be recomended by the greater cycling community of seattle. (its the only pub that cranked mag links to off their front page.) that tag line would make an excellent t shirt...
posted by carlito sway at 19:36 0 comments


14.12.06

Word of the Day: Magalopolis

"The SanSan megalopolis is a name for a chain of metropolitan areas in western California along the coast extending from San Francisco to San Diego. It contains almost all of the population of California, a little more than 36 million people, excluding only some thinly populated rural and desert areas. The Greater Los Angeles area contains about two-thirds of the total population."

-from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SanSan. the most common "megalopolis" is referred to as "BosWash," centering arround nyc and extending from boston to warshington, district of columbus.
posted by carlito sway at 15:01 0 comments


13.12.06

Stylin: SoCal Kruizer

its beaches, babes, barbeques and beers- and thats just the winter parties! but what, you may ask, about the bikes? how about a wholesome beachcruiser? single speed, no cable lines, no extra nothin, cept maybe a bit of style to help boost your brownie points...

the only thing i can think i would do to this 100 buck cheapy from taiwan, is drop the chain guard, and chrome out the wheels. as in, 1000 spoke style. yeah... now i just need a pomp (quif) wearing buxom-bombshell, and the outfit is complete.

(and no, i do not own this one, i just like it...)
posted by carlito sway at 15:12 0 comments


5.12.06

Alleycat NYC: Sketchycat

some of the sketchyest riding ive seen filmed, save for maybe ted shred bombing california street on a brakeless, FREEWHEELed bianchi pista... things to notice: 1) unbarred entrance to ACTIVE crosstraffic intersections... yikes, 2) hand signals from riders ahead (even though they are competing), 3) any of the myriad close calls, 4) skitching (holding car for free ride), and 5) the overall actual need for a freewheel in ny...



also an sf montage of the skid competition, featuring, and i could totally be wrong, about 2 seconds of IAN HEIMLICH, at 1:53-1:55, directly followed by ted shred:




k, so since im at it, heres the ted shred bit. better sound track n editing, but not as...erm, "complete" as the first



and finally, more SF footage, care of the first documentarian, lucas brunelle...



posted by carlito sway at 20:36 1 comments


4.12.06

My Room, the Used Part Bin.

since my future is very bright, i cant really see into it, so, when i leave this land of angels, i dont really know whats happening next for me. i mean literally, i dont have my passport back yet, and i have no idea what the status of my visa extention is... so, in leiu of a potential unintended move out (ie, i get to cali, and cant come back) i sorted through my room today, to deal with all the stuff one accumulates while living. much to my supprize, the corners of my rooms held more parts than i even thought i knew i had:

17t track cog
1 lock ring
18t freewheel
65-44 cinelli criterium bars with
matching cinelli 115mm stem
no-name 80mm stem
1 well-worn / loved bmx brake lever, bright red, right
1 shimano 105 brake lever, left
1 set (2) campy dual action brake / shift levers
~6 miles of brake and shifter cables
~6 miles of brake and shifter cable housing
1 set (2) sks mud guards
1 set (2) BRAND NEW white specialized bar wrap
1 BRAND NEW vredestein white-treaded 700x23c tire
1 vittoria tire, semi-used
1 old grubby track chain
1 BRAND NEW campy 111 english thread, centaur bb

add a few more bits, and ive got the equivalent of a rain deck!
posted by carlito sway at 18:24 0 comments


2.12.06

Wrecking, High, Speed.


lately, lady luck languished languidly, lol... lol...
posted by carlito sway at 01:21 0 comments


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