Andy Kaufman was before my time but if what I read about this feud with Jerry Lawler and that “Man on the Moon” movie were any indication, this guy was a walking laugh factory. He blurred the line between the stage and his personal life and often times it was difficult to figure out if he was serious or if you were a victim of yet another one of his pranks. Perhaps one of his most controversial stunts involved challenging women in a comedy club to come on stage and wrestle him. He offered a $1,000 reward to any lady that could successfully pin him. He taunted the women with some pretty sexist, but admittedly hilarious, remarks. It’s clear if you understand Kaufman’s sense of humor that he was simply trying to entice them to join him.

Legions of women from across the country responded to the call, resulting in a barrage of hate mail (and love letters) from would-be contenders. Kaufman kept all of them and two of his colleagues Lynne Margulies and Bob Zmuda have compiled them into a book. “Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!” is available Dec 1. From the preview I’ve seen, it does not matter if you were around when Kaufman was ruling the comedy circuit. You just need a brief intro into his wrestling stunt and then the pictures and letters do the rest to paint the picture of a legend.

Loving this new track by two of my favorite musical artists Lykke Li and Thom Yorke of Radiohead fame.  Via Kanye West (or whoever is blogging on his behalf).

Related: My exclusive interview with Thom Yorke!

Easily some of the most unsettling photographs I’ve seen in a very long time– but oddly important to spread around. Artist and photographer Chris Jordan always nails the point.

These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.
To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world’s most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

This is sickening. Something needs to be done about dumping in the oceans. Via QBN

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you should know that clean water is one of the major issues plaguing the world right now. You guys helped Josh donate a well via Charity Water and last month, I was in Central Mexico scouting locations for a filtration system for a local elementary school. On a smaller scale, clean water is just as important to an individual whether you are hiking or simply in a foreign land where the quality is questionable. Enter the SteriPEN Adventurer. The pocket-sized unit weighs only 3.6 oz with the batteries. It uses UV light technology to purify 16 oz of water in 48 seconds or a full liter in 90 seconds. It uses lithium CR123 batteries included which have a shelf life of 10 years and work in extreme cold conditions; this means you can truly toss this tool in your bag and forget about it until you need it. The Adventurer’s probe is protected by a quartz sleeve and provides insulation in cold water. For your convenience, the optical LED also serves as a flashlight for emergencies. The unit provides 8,000 UV treatments which will likely last a lifetime for
most people. The Adventurer works in containers with a minimum 1.7 inch
diameter and retails for $99.95.

Great looking Acronym collection for the Fall and Winter. It reminds me of Burton’s Analog stuff. You can check out more coverage by Eugene Kan at Hypebeast.

Twistedfork is the portfolio of designer/illustrator Dan Matutina from the Philippines. Talented fella! A few of my favorite images after the jump. Check him out.

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On my flight out to Hong Kong from New York earlier this week, I had the pleasure of trying out Cathay Pacific’s new business class seat for the first time (at my own expense). Spending 16 hours on a plane is never fun, but I have to say, it went by in an absolute flash this trip and it was all because of the seat.

I’ve written about all kinds of aircrafts, seats, classes and long-haul international flying options– and I’ve got to say these new fully-flat seats on the 777-300ER Cathay planes are some of the best I’ve ever experienced.

As background, it’s important to know the difference between “fully-flat” and “lie-flat” seats. There are plenty of airlines that will give you a lie-flat seat, but they angle it at the ground to fit more in the cabin. These slanted seats constantly feel like you’re sliding down them– and you’re always thinking you’re going to fall right off. Fully-flat seats are, well, completely flat. Horizontal to the ground and most like your bed at home (or, they certainly try to be).

Layout wise, the business class on Cathay Pacific is most like Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class. The herringbone style lineup gives extra privacy when you recline it into a flat bed– and although it feels a little sardine-like at times, it feels good to have walls up on both sides of you while you sleep. Design wise, there’s not much to say. It isn’t much to look at (that’s not the point), but it’s soft and comfortable in all the right places and allowed more than enough room for me to stretch out fully with room to spare.

The entertainment system is also worth mentioning– as I think it’s the first setup I’ve ever seen which easily rivals (if not beats) Virgin America’s highly technical and impressive system in the USA. Entertainment was shown on a massive moveable HD wide screen. One gripe of most planes is immovable screens– but not here. A complimentary noise canceling headsets was also included. I was able to watch Star Trek in all it’s glory, create a good playlist for the trip, and choose from what seemed to be easily more than 100 on-demand movies and TV shows to make my selection.

For me, the true test of any airplane seat like this is simple. Did I sleep? Like a baby. 11 hours worth (with no pharmaceuticals). A highly recommended seat, and treat.

If you know Dot Allison's past, you know her as for dance floor friendly tracks. Just a brief walk through her history, she headed up the band One Dove in the early nineties and became known for igniting the whole acid/pop/electro whatever scene. She went solo and pushed that sound through a few phases which leads us today when she dropped Room 7 1/2 on my lap. Dance beats turn into whispers of poetry and soft strums of a guitar. Sweaty ravers are just memories and old conversations. The record sounds like the weekend she stayed in, woke up early, wrote songs and didn't look back. I love artists who have eras in their body of work. Dot is definitely entering a new one with Room 7 1/2 and I'm totally digging it.

The album is up on itunes (both U.K. and U.S.) today and if you're in London head to Rough Trade Records on Brick Lane tonight for a little record release party. Things kick off about 7.

We’re neck-deep in a vampire renaissance. First, there’s True Blood, the Alan Ball created series that imagines Bon Temps, Louisiana as a place where strange and supernatural creatures aren’t just a result of second cousins marrying. And then there’s Twilight — the impossibly popular teen fiction books that make being really pale and aloof look cool. Who will make sense of this creepy pop culture movement? Dan Bergstein from SparkNotes has created a chapter-by-chapter blog that’s distills Twilight (and now the sequel New Moon) down to its ridiculous essence. Vamp fans love it because Bergs eviscerates their stories with a loving hand. I love it because it’s just damn funny. If you’re in either camp you should be following this. If you have no idea what I’m talking about you’re probably a man over 40.

Gorgeous looking All Court Premiums designed by Fragment Design (remember that interview). Available August 22nd and August 29th. Via Hypebeast and welcome to enter my closet this season.

It might be the weather, the water, or the love with which it’s made, but regardless of the cause, the fact remains that the gelato is just better in Italy. Most gelaterias in Rome are pretty amazing. Of course, there are ones that are sub-par too (Blue Ice is the chain you’ll run into frequently). But for true craft gelato, the only choice is San Crispino. For the last couple of decades it’s been the gelateria that’s stayed true to the art of gelato, using only fresh, local ingredients and constantly striving to innovate new flavors. In the past 24 hours I’ve been to their location by the Trevi fountain three times. Here are my flavor combos: strawberry and Barolo wine (made with a 15-year-old bottle), honey and ginger & cinnamon, and hazelnut and plum. I’ve only scratched the surface and I’m already addicted.

Absolutely love this Unofficial Into The Wild Title Sequence by student Jurjen Versteeg. One talented dude. Thanks Mike!

Antony Hegarty’s voice will give you goosebumps guaranteed. The tremolo and emotional croon is the kind of thing that can sound cheesy and over dramatic if it’s not done perfectly. Thankfully, it is done perfectly. Antony and the Johnsons showcase the frontman’s ability to sing us an honest and sad, yet uplifting song, the single entitled ‘Aeon’. The true stunt, however, is the B side that sideswipes you. Equally somber is the band’s cover of Beyonce’s ‘Crazy Right Now’, a pop hit turned inside out, making a perfectly played out song listenable again. Remember the Michael Andrews and Gary Jules cover of “Mad World”? Exactly.

We often have to throw out our expectations when it comes two piece rock bands. From the circular smash noise of Lighting Bolt, to the dance pop vibe of Death From Above 1979, to Hella pre-expansion, there’s clearly a lot you can do live and on record with just two guys. There are countless and ever varying examples. In most cases, however, the stripped down composition is apparent. The effort is placed in utlizing the lack of manpower and not in building it into grandeur that sounds like more than eight limbs are doing the work. Canadian duo Japandroids call themselves ‘garage rock’, that vague description more applicable to a style than a sound, but carry big punch. It’s not so much the songwriting as the creation of big sound that drives their debut LP Post-Nothing. A thorough listen to a couple of tracks will give you the idea- check it out.

I lived in Bangkok from age zero to thirteen and only realized I took true Thai food for granted after I spent some time in the US. Yes, it’s true that there’s plenty of Thai folk working their culinary magic right here in America (especially in New York), but I’d given up hope for perfectly authentic Thai food until I experienced SriPraPhai, a little spot in Queens that made me miss home more than ever. The place is not exactly fancy, but that just adds to the effect, reminiscent of the Thailand I remember where the best food is at street level and won’t cost you much. While I’ve always favored beef noodle soup, that’s about the most basic thing on the extensive menu, which includes obscure items from every region. Go there once and take a Thai person with you. They’ll agree, the proof is in the spicy som tam.