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Here is a collection of Vans and the Places They Were Found.

Videographer, Khalid Mohtaseb captured some remarkable footage of the aftermath from the earthquake that struck Haiti. The footage which was captured on a Canon 5D Mark II was shot just a week later.

Here is a beautiful journey through Thailand and Cambodia that was captured on the Canon 5D MarkII.

Here is a fascinating read on Moscow’s estimated 35,000 stray dogs. One grouping has taken up life in the subway system, where a select few have actually learned to ride trains.

The people of Haiti need as much help as possible after an earthquake struck at the heart of their nation. The images of loss and suffering are heart wrenching. Here is a list of reputable NGOs who can immediately put your donation to good use. This is one of those moments in history where the world must do more than just sit back and watch events on a television. Lets be good to one another.

This is a nice poster of the neighborhoods that make up Brooklyn. Other cities are available too.

Check out this great writing house that author Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) persnally built in the back yard of his Vermont home.

Pictory curates submission-based series of photo-works that tell a story. This collection’s theme is Overseas and Overwhelmed : 25 Stories of Culture Shock. The story on visiting Berlin in 1974 is pretty fantastic.

Imagine buying a building and discovering a prohibition-era bowling alley and speak-easy in the basement.

Jason Koxvold’s large format landscape photography is not to be missed.

The changing landscape of NYC has long been of great interest to me. I came across this piece about the Eagle Clothing factory space which is practically in my backyard. I hope this sign stays exactly where it is for a long time to come.

The Selby curates images of creative people in their homes and their work spaces. Some of the more famous participants include Michael Stipe and Tom Wolfe.

Here is an interview with photographer Alec Soth. And here he discusses the making of his Niagra series and how the theme of love is at that play.

J. Bennett Fitt’s photo series entitled No Lifeguard on Duty seems to appropriately echo the mood of this grey Fall day.

I’ve found the perfect piece of Brooklyn real estate on the market to call home. Now I just need that 25 million dollar loan.

NYC public housing rules are now outlawing people from owning large dogs. The ban goes so far as to name specific unwelcome breeds including rottweilers, doberman pinschers and of course pit bull or pit bull mixes. I find this scenario to be problematic on many levels. Such measures amount to plain old discrimination and propagate misinformed and misguided views about these animals. On the very block where I live, we have several pit bulls that couldn’t be any more loving. I myself owned a rottweiler for fourteen years who earned the love of all of my neighbors. It is clear that these rules were enacted out of fear, but reading between the lines it is not hard to see that the fear stems not from the animals themselves but rather the owners. Some folks are terrified of young people of color and even more when they own a pet that has been unfairly portrayed as a vicious killer. Smells like good old-fashioned racism to me.

Here is a photo collection containing 204 images that compares places in Normandy during WWII to what it looks like now.

Particularly because I was born in The City of Brotherly Love, I am with all of my heart absolutely ashamed with Philadelphia today. It is an atrocity and an insult to Ben Franklin’s legacy of founding the first American library in Philly that the cities politicians would allow their public libraries to close. Perhaps I don’t know the political climate in the state of Pennsylvania well enough, but I do know that it is simply unacceptable to allow the greatest record of our culture and past to be treated as though it were so disposable.

In a perfect world, I’d have a weekend cabin home on a lake that would look like this or that.

The crypt directly above the one in which Marilyn Monroe eternally rests was recently up for auction on ebay and brought in several bids in the millions.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have something of a yearning to open a proper old-world gentleman’s barber shop in the neighborhood in Brooklyn that I call home. Perhaps it is some sort of omen that I’ve discovered another beautiful shop that is quite similar to what I have in mind.  I discovered The New York Shaving Company while strolling around Nolita.

Dumpster-diving has a whole new connotation. An NYC based real estate developer is experimenting with how to utilize unused space in the city. He has rented a land plot adjacent to my neighborhood and outfitted it with a few swimming pools made from converted industrial dumpsters.

Jacob Holdt is a photographer of Danish descent. He began hitchhiking across the US in the 1970s armed with a small camera. A theme emerged. His massive body of work includes photos shot around the world, but it is his intimate gaze into social class structure of America that strikes me as the most fascinating material.

I’ve been toying around with the idea of opening up an old world nostalgic barber shop in Brooklyn - something of a fantasy project really. There is a perfect tiny storefront located just one block from my apartment and on the walk to the subway. The space which is perfectly sized for a two chair operation has been sitting for many years unused and off the market. I just noticed that there is now a sign indicating that the space is available for lease. I also happened upon two other old world shops in the past week which are both eerily similar to the kind of place I want to open. While Tommy Guns is really more of a hair salon dressed up as a fancy barber shop, Freeman’s Sporting Club is something of a men’s lifestyle company which offers clothing and tailoring in addition to their grooming services. Aesthetically speaking, both shops are absolutely intriguing and would make for a fine film set. However, the shop I’d like to open would not only be quaint and modestly priced, but would also boast the skills of elderly gentlemen who have spent a lifetime perfecting their trade. And of course, they would be uniformed in a proper white collared barber’s coat with their names embroidered. Maybe I’m onto something.

As the unemployment rate in the US approaches 10%, Japan is struggling to keep their robots employed. We all know how dangerous an out of work population can be. Could this spell the beginning of the robot -vs- human war that many have said was an inevitable future?

Here is a photo series of 100 Abandoned Houses.

(via What We Do Is Secret)

There was once a time when skateboarding was considered counter-culter in the US. This was while I was growing up. No skating signs were posted just about everywhere. The image of a teen with a skateboard came to represent a punk ethos. Times have changed. I remember reading a few years ago that in the US more children own skateboards than baseball bats and gloves. I probably shouldn’t be surprised to see that skating has seeped into cultures of underdeveloped nations like Uganda. Check out these fantastic photos documenting an East African skate park.

(via WMIG)

I’ve just returned from some R&R in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The island and people are simply beautiful. The mellow town is painted with colors that are muted from the sun’s persistent baking. Stray dogs and cats are never too shy to beg for scraps. Iguanas bask in the heat, but would prefer to go unnoticed. The otherwise quiet town hums with the buzz of mopeds. Often families of four or five can be seen getting about that way. At night, front doors are left ajar and people can be seen sitting on curbs talking or huddled around TVs that have been placed outside to watch the football game. Sol cerveza and Coca Cola cool the blistering heat.

Tomorrow marks the official opening of the first section to New York’s High Line Park. The project which has taken a long time to come to life, sees a large stretch of defunct raised subway tracks on Manhattan’s west side transformed into a one of a kind park.

Indoor rock climbing is coming to Brooklyn. Seeing that Brooklyn Boulders will be located just down the street from me, I may have a new hobby. Rumor has it that there is also a local class on butchering and another for beer making with the brew master from Six Points Craft Ales. Adult hobbies are so awesome.

1984, Peter Feldstein photographed the entire population of Oxford, Iowa (676 people). Twenty years later, he came back to update the portrait series.

Nadav Kander is a photographer who shoots both people and places. His diverse body of work includes portraits of people ranging from Obama to Kissenger and Pele to Bertolucci. He has photographed the the Yangtze River, the Arcticle Circle, Chernobyl and explored the human form as a landscape.

The BKLYN Yard on the Gowanus Canal is kicking off their season opening with an event today called Parked. Several of the cities best food truck vendors will be present. Earlier in the week. I eyed up the gourmet ice-cream truck and it looked rather fantastic. And I know for sure that the huarache vendor is drool worthy.

While everyone else worries about swine-flu, I’ll be taking advantage of the discounted travel costs. If Conde Nast Traveler thinks Hotel Secreto is one of the 50 best hotels in the world, I’m more than pleased to spend a week in Isla Mujeres.

I just discovered the work of photographer, Carl Wooley. His photo series of places at night explores similar territory to work by Todd Hido, Dan Holdsworth and Will Govus.

Signs of American Life is a photo series that documents photographer, Stephen Tamiesie’s travels across the rural American landscapes.

A CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE HAS GONE MISSING

As some of you may already know, my very dear friend and an exceptionally talented poet, professor and father, Craig Arnold, has gone missing on the small volcanic island of Kuchino-erabu-shima while on a creative exchange fellowship. An independent expert search and rescue group is on the island looking for Craig until the 9th, but the official search by Japanese authorities has been called off. They believe that military assets would make the search very efficient and effective, and we hope the consulate will move forward with the possibility of engaging local US military/DOD assets in the search at this stage. Please help us contact your local Congressional delegation and encourage them to support the consulate in this effort. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE CONSULATE OR EMBASSY - THEY ARE BUSY WORKING VERY HARD FOR US AND WE NEED THEM TO BE ABLE TO DO SO, WITHOUT DISTRACTION. THEY HAVE BEEN EXCELLENT PARTNERS IN THIS PROCESS. PLEASE CONTACT SENATORS AND CONGRESSPEOPLE.

WE NEED EVERYONE’S HELP contacting their local congressional delegation and asking their assistance in encouraging the Fukuoka consulate to engage local US military/DOD assets on the ground in Japan. They have been thinking about it and we respectfully request them to move forward with that as quickly as possible. (To donate to the fund, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/cofj63)

Right now, what we need most is for everyone to contact your state Senators NOW:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Calls and faxes are most efficient, e-mails are important too.

When contacting your Senators:

Please include a request for US military assistance from the local bases.

An example of a letter and of the kinds of things one might say over the phone are included below. Feel free to edit, but please take care not to give out inaccurate information. Thank you so much for your help.

Dear Senator _______,

I am writing to you to express my concern for an exceptionally talented American poet, Prof. Craig Arnold. He has gone missing on a small volcanic island in Japan called Kuchino-erabu-shima while representing his country on a U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission’s U.S.-Japan Creative Artists Exchange Fellowship. Craig, an experienced explorer of volcanoes, never returned to his inn after leaving alone to visit the island’s volcano for the afternoon. As a concerned constituent, I respectfully request that you please contact the U.S. consulate in Fukuoka and the U.S. Embassy in Japan and urgently request that they continue the search for University of Wyoming Professor Craig Arnold using local U.S. military and D.O.D. assets, specifically those on Okinawa.

Prof. Craig Arnold has made a profound, significant contribution to American arts and letters. He is also an inspiring and deeply caring father, brother, son, and much beloved by his family and his partner of six years, Rebecca. He is a generous and devoted friend and teacher to many. We have reason to be hopeful, as the small independent search-and-rescue team on the island has picked up Craig’s trail, and a little bit of rain has given us hope that he might not be too dehydrated. But time is of the essence. The island is small enough that an extended search performed by experienced searchers WILL lead to Craig’s discovery, but we understand that more searchers on the ground are needed immediately.

Will you please keep me informed of action being taken to continue the search? Thank you.

Sincerely,

Please join this facebook group to support the search effort.
Here is more on what you can do:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=73877053262&ref=nf

Here you can read Craig’s travel blog that he had maintained until the evening he went missing:

I’ve long suspected that many of the store-front fortune tellers scattered throughout NYC might actually be facades for brothels to those in the know. These ragtag little setups almost always are run by young women whose ages seem to range from their teens to early thirties, but never older. Often, the entrances to the setups require a trip through a seedy stairwell. The ones at street level usually seem to utilize only a fragment of a larger space which is curtained off to the public. Within a few blocks of my brownstone are several of these spots. The first real indication that the palm reader around the corner might be a prostitute was that she would persistently ask me if I wanted my fortune told, day in and day out. Patterns began to emerge. She would only attempt to indulge me in her services if I walked by alone. Then came the pregnancies. Every nine months or so it was clear that she was yet again an expecting mother. She has now been pregnant so many times that I’ve lost count. Last night on my way home from dinner, I noticed the detail that would certainly substantiate my suspicions. Parked in front of the storefront was a glitzy candy-apple red Bentley. Two large goons dressed in suites flanked the entrance to the building. Almost as if I were watching a slow-motion scene in a movie, a large figure also dressed in a suite appeared from the gaudy vehicle and stepped through the doorway.

Utilizing time-lapse photography and what appears to be a shift-tilt lenses, a photographer named Keith Loutit manages to make people seem like toy miniatures placed in colorful landscapes. These films are documents of twelve months of life in Sydney.

(via kottke)

These abandoned villas in Taiwan may not look like the vacation destination originally intended, but they sure would make for a great location to shoot a film.

Fifty People - One Question: Where would I wish to wake up tomorrow?
Asked in Brooklyn & London.

The interior furnishings of Amsterdam based ad agency Nothing are entirely created out of cardboard.

Here is a photo series shot in Pripyat, Ukraine. The abandoned town had once been home to many of the workers at Chernobyl and was evacuated after the disaster 23 years ago.

Read about the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo and Sleeping Beauty, an almost pristinely preserved mummy of a two year old girl who died in 1920 of pneumonia.

In an effort to reduce traffic congestion, NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg has introduced plans to turn section’s of Broadway into a pedestrian walkway in the Times Square and Herald Square areas. The idea seems to be solid and has found very little in the way of opposition.

My friend and musical collaborator Erik Snyder is an extraordinary photographer. He recently went on a trip to Louisiana to shoot a project entitled Kingdom of Heaven.

This past summer we saw many images of China’s new shiny architecture proudly on display for the world during the Olympic events. One of the structures that had been frequently seen in newspapers and on TV was the China Central Television Complex. Part of the CCTV complex was the soon to be opened Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The building has been completely destroyed in a fire accidently set by stray fireworks from the annual Lantern Festival that marks the first full moon of the Chinese New Year. Here are more images of the building ablaze. Remarkably the incident only claimed one life, that of a firefighter.

While in art school, I use to visit Kim’s Video on St. Mark’s Street almost daily at one point. I would watch two to three films a day. The store provided me with an endless library of hard to find selections. So it is fair to say that Kim’s Video has played a huge role in providing me with a film education outside that of my cinema studies in college. Regrettably, St. Mark’s has morphed into something of a typical shopping experience and video rental has become an impossible business forcing Kim’s to close. Even worse, when Mr. Kim offered up to donate his collection upon a few conditions, nobody in the city could make a realistic offer. The good news it that the collection will not go to waste and is being sent to Italy for a rather interesting archival project. It is unfortunate and frustrating that with all of the space in this city, nobody could make an agreeable offer to preserve part of our culture.

The Abode of Chaos.

NYC love expressed through LEGOs.

Grand Luncheonette is a short documentary about an old-world hot dog shop that use be located in the heart of Times Square. I remember when I first moved to NYC and walked by this place. It was one of those special spots that makes you think, “they don’t make them like that anymore.” The film was directed by Peter Sillen and edited by Brett Nicoletti.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! It’s cold out. I’ve got a feeling we are in for an endless winter in NYC. I wish that I were back in Costa Rica right this instant.

The miserable economy has everyone concerned with good reason. I’m going to try to stay very optimistic despite my urge to share this photo series of bankrupt offices by Phillip Toledano.

My barber Kosta is a charming man in his late seventies who originally comes from Greece. I generally stop by the shop once a week for a touchup, but mainly to see that he is okay and to shoot the breeze. Truth told, I often don’t understand everything that he is saying word for word through his thick accent; though I usually catch the jist. Last week, I mentioned that I heard that there was rioting and problems in his homeland. Suddenly I couldn’t grab a word other than “bullshit” repeated over and over. He clearly was angry. Here are some photos of the events currently taking place in Greece.

I recently discovered Greg White’s photography. While he clearly is interested in using geometric forms to shape his compositions, it is his cold pristine lighting that has caught my eye.

Japan: Robot Nation is a short expose style short film that explores how the nation may go about dealing with a quickly dwindling population. When people are too exhausted from work to have sex and reproduce, who will run the factories or take care of the elderly? Japan is on track to have too much work and not enough people to do it. Allowing for greater immigration is one approach to solving the problem, but a rather unlikely answer when considering the historical view of outsider’s in a such an ethnically proud country. However, in a culture that is already fascinated with anthropomorphisising so many different kinds of non-human characters, daily interaction and dependence on robots may not be such a huge leap.

Click around Richard Power’s photo portfolio of architecture and you will be certain to find a dream home. The abode below is looking pretty good to me right now.

The work of photographer Jeff Brouws resonates with me in a strong way. His images feel like moments lifted from one of my favorite films, Wim Wender’s Paris,Texas. His photos are often of built environments in flux and void of people.

I first encountered Edward Burtynsky’s work at a show curated by the Brooklyn Museum of Art. There is an emotional paradox one feels when looking at his massive prints. The images are so beautiful and crafted with a masterful eye for detail. And yet, these photos are documents of how industry has changed our visual landscape. Burtynsky gave a TED talk a few years back which is certainly worth checking out. Additionally, a documentary entitled Manufactured Landscapes on the photographer’s work was released last year.

Square America is a web-archive of found snapshot photos dating from the 1890’s-1970’s. These extraordinary images present a unique window into the past.

My laudromat has lost their lease and now I have to start using the old spot again. The down side is that it is a longer walk and the lady who works there is a real grouch; I mean the type that kids are afraid to go near. On the other hand, her husband pictured below is one of those sweeter than sugar people that always has a smile plastered to his face. He once let me do a test shoot there at no charge. Time to go pick up some laundry. I wonder which one I’ll encounter today.

I just got the chills looking at Todd Hido’s photo series Homes at Night.

If you live in Brooklyn and happen to be a beer guzzling foodie like myself, you should know about Grab. The small specialty food shop opened just a few months back in Park Slope. They have a wonderful selection of cheeses, meats, chocolates and beer. And now they offer beer growlers featuring different brews each week. Today I stopped in for bread and olive oil and John Hodgman let me cut in line in front of him.

At the other end of the Slope is Bierkraft. Much like Grab, they offer an amazing assortment of specialty food items, however they’ve been around for many years now. While both shops are worth knowing about, Bierkraft does boast a larger selection of beers and chocolate, as well as a more pleasant staff.

I just found out about the Chinatown Soccer Club. The league has been around since 2002 and is comprised of creative people whose passions off the pitch range from careers in design and writing to photography and skateboarding. The squad includes accomplished artist Ryan McGinness and skateboarder Mark Gonzalez. Apparently these guys take their game seriously, playing in the mornings before work and go late into the cold season. I so want in. Where do I sign up?

I’ve lived in the south end of Park Slope, Brooklyn for 8 years. The neighborhood is fantastic and the location is ideal. Just a few hundred paces away the neighborhood changes names and becomes known as Gowanus. As a musician who has rehearsed in Gowanus for many years, I was pretty excited when a watering hole called Bar Tano opened up just across the street from my studio. Little by little this industrial area built along a polluted canal is beginning to transform.

The latest news is that two music venues will be opening up in the neighborhood this fall. I’m told that The Bell House will be something very special. Knowing that the venue’s proprietors did a bang-up job with another local bar-venue called Union Hall, I have no doubt that the space will be a success. A hop skip and jump away, a 6200 square foot warehouse has been converted into Littlefield. I guess this is all very exciting. I’m just wondering how long before the Williamsberg hipster population discovers the neighborhood. Between the too-cool-for-schoolers and the hideous over-priced condo buildings going up, I may have to start searching for a new place to call home. European suggestions anyone?

Kim Holtermand is a photographer from Denmark who takes fantastic photos of landscapes and architecture.  Environments in my dreams often look like some of Kim’s night photos; so no wonder I like the work so much.

Scientists have unearthed a large grave site containing remains from two separate Stone Age civilizations dating back to the Sahara Desert’s green period. One particularly moving discovery was the grave of a mother embracing her two small children (see below).

A few nights ago, I met a group of other directors at a little summer roof party. One of the directors, Joe Stevens was telling me about a short documentary that he recently finished. The film’s focus is on a group of teens in Queens who have taken to rigging big stereo equipment to their BMX bikes. Coincidentally, yesterday I came across a nice bit of press on the project. Made in Queens looks quite interesting.

Despite the popularity of boxing as a means to stay in shape, the number of proper boxing gyms in NYC has plummeted over the years. This weekend, I spent a day filming in the world renowned Gleason’s Gym in DUMBO. The environment is simply inspiring. Every angle of the gym provided a visual feast to the camera’s lens; the walls are wrapped with the faces of champions.

This boxing gym is a place of pure inspiration. Though everyone from Muhammad Ali to Mike Tyson have trained in Gleason’s, a novice can easily see themselves hitting the bag there even if only for a good workout. The sweaty smell of the air is the perfect accompaniment to the worn ropes on the ring and fading paint on the lockers. The gym is clearly a melting pot of race, gender and age. Boxers range from small children to men well into their fifties. And while I was there to shoot one particular female fighter whom had recently won the Golden Gloves Tournament, I was overwhelmed by the number of ladies training tough as nails. Like the boardwalk of Coney Island or the small shops of the Lower East Side, Gleason’s Gym is one of the very special old-world parts of New York that simply can’t be replicated.

Thank you for all of your help and generosity Bruce & Fire.

A 600 person capacity music venue combined with 16 lanes of bowling is coming to Williamsberg this Fall. The venue called Brooklyn Bowl will boast a menu created by Blue Ribbon, a very celebrated series of eateries in the city.

We’ve all heard stories of photographers going to great lengths to capture the perfect photo.  But why do this…

Plans for the world’s first rotating skyscraper are under way with the goal of finishing the building in Dubai by 2010.

Here are 30 amazing satellite images of the earth. Below is an image of a 45,000 square mile desert in Iran known as Dasht-e Kavir.

Michael Cook is a Toronto based urban explorer. He maintains the website Vanishing Point.

This is a website about spaces that exist at the boundaries of modern control, as concessions to the landscape, as the debris left by economic transition, as evidence of the transient nature of our place upon this earth.

Check out an interview with Cook on BLDG BLOG.

I have a neighbor who is keen on making paintings of places in New York. He is drawn towards subjects that represent an old world, places that are hanging by a thread to exist. Yesterday, he told me about a graveyard for tugboats that exists in Staten Island. Apparently, there are literally hundreds of boats docked in their final resting place. Some of these ships are wooden tugs dating back to the early 20th Century. Curious to see what these may look like, I found a flickr photo-set that someone had taken of the area. I also, found some info on a short film made about this very place.

The Blur Building was designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro for the 2002 Swiss Expo. I’m not so sure that I really understand the project’s intent, but it sure looks cool.

A gallery of images from this year’s “Running of the Bulls” week in Pamplona, Spain. Culture seems like an absurd excuse for such a barbaric game that is built entirely on machismo. So every time a person is gored by the animal, my congratulations to that bull.

When I retire, I’ll need many cases of wine and a second home with a view away from everyone.

(via Make No Sound)

Many of us will walk through life never really knowing “what we want to do with ourselves.” Others may discover late in life what their great passion is. For some folks dog grooming is where its at. But how does one become a dog groomer? If you live in New York, you go to the New York School of Dog Grooming. Documentary director, Amy Nicholson, made a very surreal short film called Beauty School about this very institution.

I’ve always been very proud of my Philadelphia roots. The city has always been a great center for art and artists. Just walking around one can’t miss the rich culture of mural making. Check out this photo slide show of some of its most known street murals.

Like it or not, the Brooklyn Ikea will be opening in my backyard in just a few days. An event like this won’t come without a whole lot of press and advertising.

Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons is now an amusement park ride.

The Gowanus section of Brooklyn is a rather unique area nestled between Park Slope and Carrol Gardens. This industrial neighborhood along a canal has become home to artists of all types. Tomorrow the Gowanus Canal Conservatory hosts the Gowanus Goes Green Festival.

Many people in Shanghai are wearing pyjamas in public and they aren’t trying to make a fashion statement.

(via kottke)

My train ride home last night was miserable. Then I realized it could’ve been worse.

Who are you calling a lesbian?

Philadelphia. Barack verse Hillary. Nope. The real question is Geno’s or Pat’s?

In The Graduate (1967), there is a famous line in which Dustin Hoffman’s character is advised upon his college graduation, “I’ve got one word for you. Plastics… the future is in plastics.” And so it is true that plastic has changed our world, but not always for the better. There is a highly polluted section of the Pacific Ocean estimated to be about twice the size of Texas that has been referred to as “Garbage Island.”

The largest outdoor flea market in New York City has just opened in Brooklyn.

Artists Arakawa and Madeline Gins designed a house intended to extend life. What does this mean? According to Gins, when living in this home “everyday you are practicing how not to die.”

Is it possible for a tidal wave to freeze?