Targeted advertising is nothing new. Google keeps track of what you search for and shows you ads based on what it thinks you might be inclined to buy. It’s old hat, but this weekend I saw an interesting application. As I waited to click through the pre-roll ad on a Portland Timbers video, the content caught my attention. Lately I’ve been getting a few skateboard related pre-rolls. I can’t remember for what exactly, it might have been Vans, Converse SG, or possibly Levis with skateboarding, but this one was different. It was a amateur video montage of a kid skateboarding. Low and behold it’s Schaeffer McLean, the same kid form the janky indoor ramp video. I watched the whole thing (Well 99%) waiting for the product placement or a call to action but it never came. The web link associated with the video took me to Schaeffer’s Youtube user page, which is written in the third person, so one has to assume it’s run by his parents. Those video ads aren’t free, someone has to pay for them. So what is he selling? There are two possibilities, either he’s trying to drive traffic to the user channel and generate revenue…

Dead at 65, original drummer and producer for the Ramones. Legs McNeil of Punk Magazine and co-author of Please Kill Me remembers Tommy and the brudders in Spin Magazine. [Source: New York Times]

At first, maybe only marginally skateboard related, but upon closer inspection, this would be like the orthopedic shoes and braces that Forest Gump wore, effectively making it impossible to push mongo. Mongo-bashing aside, here’s the scoop. In 2008 Tomáš Moravec modified a pallet in Bratislava, Slovakia to run on the tram tracks. Unfortunately there’s no close up of his wheel setup. (UPDATE: Close up added) We’ve got plenty of light rail and wood pallets in Portland, I’m just saying… [Source: For the Win via Reddit]

The Daily Mail has photos of a backyard skatepark allegedly built on the property of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Boy do I hate the Daily Mail, they’re always blowing out spots. I’m definitely not telling them about the next pool I find. I know these guys are absurdly rich but this seems like overkill, considering their kids are’t likely to progress to a point where they’re able make use of things like a cradle. What I mean is that it’s hard to progress in the isolation those kids are likely to be skating in. Am I off base here? It looks pretty nice though. Maybe they’ll be hiring pro skaters as tutors. If not, I here GVK is available. Someone out there knows who built this. Is it you?

A skateboarding cop from Green Bay, Wisconsin who bought a board that was hand manufactured in Portland, Oregon by Subsonic Skateboards. Allegedly the board helps him connect with the community. Sure, OK, but the red and blue flashing LED lights he added are pretty silly on a skateboard, considering he’s supposed to be a man of the law and not a cartoon character. The little kids probably like it though. There’s video on The FOX News Orlando affiliate but they forgot to mix the sound in. Strange.

This video made slightly more sense once I remembered Bob was from Brazil, slightly.

This is a Bugle Boy hang tag from 1989 that doubles as a postcard on the back. You know, in case you’re shopping and want to share the experience with a friend or loved one in a different part of the country. “Dear Mom, I’ve got my socks pulled up over my Bugle Boy Jeans and I’m skating in a letterman’s jacket in the middle of the summer. Wish you were here!”

This is CARtoons comic book #22 from April of 1965. Hot Rod Magazine has a brief history of the series, which started in 1959 and unbelievably ran till 1991. Had a hard time finding any info on the series because I was initially searching for “Cartoons comic book” instead of “Car Toons comic book.” More skateboarding inside? I don’t know. This issue is reportedly valued at about $40. – Thanks to Pig City for the scan.

We first mentioned Joe Cialglia back in 2012 when he was named in a lawsuit for fixing skatepark bids and defrauding the City of Los Angeles in the process. Well somehow this slipped by (our crack staff) and we failed to report that in 2013, Ciaglia agreed to pay $65,000 dollars to settle the whole thing, while admitting to no wrong doing and not being barred from bidding on new contracts with the city. While yes, this is old news, we’d just like to take the opportunity to remind you that the skatepark company Joe Cialglia owns is none other than California Skateparks. Check out this article in the LA Weekly for all the sordid details. That’s Ciaglia on the far right wearing the Street League t-shirt in the photo above from LA Weekly.

Steak ‘n Shake is a Midwest based diner franchise. This graphic is only a hastily Photoshopped stock image from their Facebook page, but it’s surprising that they picked up on Go Skate Day on any level. Anyway, “Steak ‘n Skate” flows better than “Skate ‘n Shake.” – Thanks to Tim Jamison for the tip.