You might have noticed I haven’t been updating as frequently as usual for a the past couple of weeks. It’s because I’ve been swamped with things in the real world, and I’ve been spending a lot of my S&A time tinkering with a redesign. I got sick of looking at the old site. It had hadn’t changed considerably since 2006 when I launched the blog part of the site. The old look was cobbled together as I went along. It wasn’t really meant to be long term, but things got away from me and it was “good enough.” I almost went with a prepackaged theme, but that would have been too easy. This new one is a work in progress, you’ll notice a lot of missing items that will start to reappear in the next week or so. Some details may change from day to day for a while too. Eventually all the static pages will be brought into the new look as well, but for now it’s still legacy. I’ve got a few little gimmicks I’m considering, like I might make some adjustments under the hood to allow you to chose from a couple different theme variations, including “Skate…

I swear there is more information on the web about the history of Duff Man than there is about Bud Man. This sticker dates back to the late 70’s or possibly early 80’s. I like that someone drew a cartoon character and then used a photostat to insert tiny photo realistic bud cans in his hand. – Thanks to Scott Starr for the scan. Get a web site so I can link to it Scott!

I prefer “Vacuum Cleaner, sucks up Budgie” As seen in the April 2010 issue of In Touch Weekly.

Thrasher shirts for sale in the teenybopper girls store at the mall? We’re not talking Hot Topic, although that would make more sense. This is Forever 21. Two things I should point out, the shirt does not actually appear on the front page of the web site, this is a doctored image. The Thrasher shirt actually appears in their “Men’s” section of Forever 21, called 21Men, which is coincidentally the name of the last years Best Picture winner at the (warning, NSFW) GAYVN awards. Also of interest, price of the shirt is the same as would be if that design were available for sale at Thrasher. I would scream “sell out!” were it not for the fact that you will soon be seeing Skate and Annoy fashions at Torrid. I like that shirt. – I forgot to thank Jordan Harris for the tip.

This is the cover of the audio CD version of Michael J. Fox’s book titled A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future. Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned. I guess it’s a nod to the fact that his most memorable role was Marty McFly. Back to the Future still gets credit for the skateboard boom in the 80’s.

Well now. Isn’t this special? The Sole Skate is a brand new product with a slick new commercial. It’s almost as if there is some money behind the product. Who could that manufacturer be? Why none other than the same folks that brought us the Razor Scooter. Awesome videos after the jump. If you can believe it, one of the professionals actually kickflips one of these things. Aside from just mangling the traditional form of a skateboard, I give these guys credit for coming up with a braking mechanism that engages once your weight is no longer on the board. If you are going to ride an inferior copy of a skateboard, you don’t want it shark biting anyone in the ankles when you fall off it. – Thanks to John Aguilar for the tip.

Well, someone half did their homework. Mongo Grinders is the name of the toys. They are basically little bendable animal figures with suction cups on their hands and feet, and a little skateboard. The skateboard is 100% cheap plastic and the suction cups are crappy too. They did do a google search for skateboard lingo and use it all the packaging and marketing. They didn’t quite get it right though. There’s a fancy web site too, with everything but pictures of the actual products. I’d post some myself but my camera is broken. There’s an indy sticker on that board and a half-assed “save the earth” message tacked on to the whole thing. Skateboarding — like exotic animals and taking care of our environment — can be an interesting and rewarding activity in which to participate, but being smart and safe is the key to avoiding harm and continuing that enjoyment. And remember — planet Earth is our only skatepark, treat it with respect! So yeah, get some Mondo Grinders.

This actually came in as a comment, but it was giving off a viral marketing vibe, like it was a plant. Regardless, this is the kind of stuff I put up on here anyway, so I don’t care. Marketers, there’s no need for subterfuge in a case like this. It’s a pretty cool commercial, that will seem less so once you see the rollerblading version they made for the same campaign. Without further adieu, here is the best Mennen Speed Stick commercial you’ve probably seen. – Thanks to Saintmichel for the tip, if that is your real fake name.

His balls haven’t dropped, but he can acid drop. This is teenie bopper and recent musical guest on SNL, Justin Bieber in Teen Vogue. Man, he looks special in that outfit. [Source: Perez Hilton] – Thanks to Mrs Kilwag for the tip.

Advertising for the Ford Fiesta disguised as street art. I wonder how little kids growing up are going to navigate through the land mines of Madison Avenue as they grow up. In a way I imagine it will roll right off their backs. Maybe it will make them more suspicious of everything. – Thanks to Doug for the photo.