I arrived safely in Dalian. I think if I squint, I can see the forbidden coasts of North Korea from here. Only kidding (sort of). Dalian is actually a pretty good looking city at night.  Very modern and well lit up. All the sites you would expect to be blocked, well, are. So much for Tumblr-ing. After all that travel and no dinner I went ahead and ordered some dumplings from room service. Wish me luck?
We have quite an affinity for those with affection for the sounds of our gaming past. Even more so when that blast of 8-bit aural goodness is accompanied by a visual feast centered around another one of our childhood favorites, Lego. 8-bit Trip, a video from unsigned Swedish pop outfit rymdreglage goes totally Gondry on us with ever-so enticing results. The action is a roller coaster of karate chopping, eye-popping goodness mixed with doses of pac man and general gaming fever. It’s truly a sight to behold.
Together we raised $5,000. $5,000 that builds a well and provides clean drinking water for a community of 500+ people.
Dozens of you stepped up and donated to make this possible (more than 100 in total). Names I recognize, familiar names I’d seen around, and names I’ve never seen before.
You all rock.
Each and every one of you has helped me reach my goal and were an integral part of something bigger, something special, something with meaning beyond words.
My wish has been granted. Thank you for your support.
With gratitude,
Josh
P.S. That was easy, right? Got a birthday coming up? How about you build one as well?
Thanks to my friends at Aston Martin and Gotham Dream Cars, I wont be blogging much today. I’m on my way to pick up a DB9 Volante for the weekend. You can follow more constant updates of my experience on Twitter.
A good vinyl toy should be more than a status symbol or dust collector: it should connect with you as an art form, and in an ideal situation, you should feel something. When I look at Andrew Bell’s upcoming O-No Sushi figure, I feel the polarity of consumption: desire and guilt simultaneously. Based on Andrew’s Never Look Back artwork, these toys will be one of the must-have items of the San Diego Comic-Con and summer in general. Each figure (exclusive blue and standard red) has articulated limbs, severed tentacles, extra eyes, sushi, bowl and terrific packaging. This is the second sushi toy I’ve reviewed in as many days. Sushi toy trending? Check out many more snaps of O-No Sushi here. � More delicious pictures after the jump.
Inspired by modern ruins and the spirit that remains alive inside of them, Geometry of Ruins seeks to simultaneously provoke feelings of hope and its death. The multimedia show by Tyger creator Guilherme Marcondes and his artist wife Andrezza Valentin—both from Sao Paulo and now living stateside—goes from an art center in Sao Paulo that was never finished, whose mystical what-could-have-been promise is amplified by a superimposed eclipse on fire, to a video installation with dozens of tiny screens flashing frenetic images and mimicking the city’s grid layout. I love the couple’s concept of using structures as literal skeletons in which to frame imagination. The show runs till July 11 at Flux Salon in Venice, CA, the wonderful little gallery by Jonathan and Meg Wells (of ResFest fame).
Our pals at Jack Threads are holding a big 24 hour sale for Shades of Greige starting tomorrow at 12 noon. Pieces will include dress pants, jackets, dress shirts, ties, and more. All merchandise also ships within 48 hours, so no long wait times for your sale goodies. Not into Shades of Greige? Next up, KR3W, WeSC, Sabre Sunglasses, 10.Deep and Analog. Not a member? You can signup to become one for killer deals on top tier brands in the streetwear and contemporary fashion market.
Ladies and gentlemen: We haven’t reached my goal yet, but we’re getting closer. And I’m not going to stop talking about it until we do. With more than 100,000+ readers, I’m convinced we can do a lot of good together. $1.00 from each and we’d have 20 wells by now. Anything helps, really.
To those of you who have supported so far, thank you. You are all awesome.Â
Did you donate and want a link to your site, company or project here? Forward me your Paypal receipt to feedback[at]joshspear.com and I’ll give you a proper shout out and full link here.
Today is my birthday, 25 years to be exact. While I really do want to let it pass quietly (I feel old), I also want to do some good. Want to send me a gift? Figured you might. How about you just donate to Charity Water instead. I’m giving up my birthday, and it’s all I want from you: A $25 donation means only 200 of you (and there are thousands of you out there) need to pony up the cash so we can team up and build a well.
Only $5,000 builds a well that provides clean drinking water for 250+ people for more than 20 years.
After more than a year together, our very own Jonathan Stern is, well, no longer our very own Jonathan Stern. Cat’s out of the bag, he has moved on to a dead-sexy job as Senior Editor for the Food Network Magazine– and we’re very happy for him. It’s a great place for him to explore his fanatical obession with all things edible, and a good opportunity for us to sit back and reflect on how far this blog has come. Thanks for all your support and hard work Jonathan, and good luck!
So, naturally now I’m left a bit short-handed day to day. What are we going to do? Well, for now, I’m back to running the show. Watch this space, things are changing, uh oh.
We've all been there. A good night out, a drink or five, some break downs in judgment, and then the inevitable drunk-texting begins. The convenience of technology and the loss of your normal social filter can quickly lead to disastrous text messages. The full, ego-crushing, game-killing embarrassment will only become totally clear when you wake up the next day…
Now there's a site to document all these moments of textual genius. Combining the brevity of Twitter, the fails of Fail Blog, and the “I'm glad that wasn't me†scenarios of F My Life, Texts From Last Night is simple. Read, scroll, and enjoy. If you've got some text gold of your own, you can add it to the site. With gems like “I cant find my shoes, my wallet, or my keys, but I know where your sister is†and “Trimmed my pubes and broke your paper shredder. Separate events.â€, the awesomeness pretty much speaks for itself.
Building a rapidly growing Twitter following and with over 20,000 Facebook fans in just a few months, again the ease and brilliance of user-submitted content makes another big time online hit. People like to know what other people think and humiliation is universal. Wrap it up in text-length portions and share online and you've got pure gold. It's only a matter of time until the first “Texts From Last Night†book shows up on coffee tables.
After more than a year together, our very own 
