Before you get too excited, although it is technically “real,” it’s just maglev technology, you know, electromagnets that you can buy off the shelf, provided you go to the right store. This hoverboard only works on the platform that houses the electromagnets, and while it can carry some weight, it’s not near powerful enough to hold a human. A clever and fun demonstration of a simple idea, really. The creator Nils Guadagnin says there are also lasers involved to help balance, but I’m not sure how or why they are needed. Video after the jump. – Thanks to Concretin Nik for the tip.

Two weeks left to get your video finished up and submitted to the Los Angeles Skate FIlm Festival. Hammer Surf had one here in Portland what seems like five years ago. I don’t think they ever dod a second one. The festival organizers seem to be in it for the long haul. They even created something called The Academy of Skateboard Filmmakers, which would seem laughable were it not for some of the names on the board which include Stacy Peralta, CR Stecyk III, J. Grant Brittain, Greg Hunt, Ed Templeton, Ricky Bedenbaugh, Bryce Kanights, Jamie Thomas, Mike Manzoori, Fred “French Fred” Mortagne and Ty Evans. Sure, I don’t know who some of those guys are, but overall it seems like very credible choices. June 9, 2010 is the deadline. Details on the official web site.

Used skateboards are getting to be quite a commodity. It used to be you were a poser if you just carried your skateboard instead of riding it. Now I feel like poser because I’m not making stuff out of old skateboards. Art of Board recycles skateboards for furniture and a bunch of other vague things that they don’t really explain, other than to say that they provide commercial/residential interiors, retail environments, display and design, furniture and artwork. They are launching a program called I Ride. I Recycle. to collect boards for recycling at skateshops across the country. UPDATE: Art of Board answers some of your questions: – Thanks to Rick MacDonald for the tip.

In which I recycle things everybody’s already seen. This animation is excellent. – Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.

I’ve milked this single Diesel Fuel ramp shot to death now, but I think it’s gone now that Klutch and Jessamyn Patterson painted a mural on part of it. The piece is 35″ x 90″ and will be raffled at the show opening with $1 tickets. The winner will be announced at 9 PM. Opening Friday, April 9, 2010 from 7-10 PM Someone Gallery 2718 SW Kelly Avenue Portland, OR Music by Cars And Trains at 8PM and DJ monkeytek all night.

On Friday April 9th the HVW8 Art + Design Gallery will be hosting the Heel Bruise book launch for the last batch of Disaster zines. Celebrating its origins in counter culture youth movements and DIY bookmaking, the Disaster zine highlights the art of Lance Mountain, Thomas Yu, and SkyPage. The final edition comes signed and numbered with a Disaster zine tee shirt. Also on display will be a selection of new works from the three contributing artists, and sounds courtesy of Ras Dynamite (aka Lance C. Mountain). HVW8 Production House Art + Design Gallery 661 N Spaulding Ave Los Angeles, Ca 90036

Found this on the Flickr site of designer/illustrator Olly Moss. There is some great non-skateboarding-related stuff there too.

Re: Board is an exhibit of Brazilian skate art that will be opening in L.A. at the Exhibit A gallery on March 27th. Strange thing is, there’s nothing about it on the gallery web site. Friend of the site Mr Coulter is headed down fro the event due to his affiliation with Uncommon, the iPhone case company with a skateboarding fetish. I dunno. Take some pictures or something, would ya?

A Sofia Maldonado has a mural up in Times Square, NYC that has made some locals hopping mad, although you wouldn’t be able to guess why if you only saw the part we’re featuring here. Sonia is of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. She was also involved in a project called Skate My Patria that brought skateboard equipment donations to Cuba in 2009. – Thanks to David Illingworth for the tip

Since we’ve already discussed the merits of natural and synthetic wine corks, I feel we can confidently add modern landscape design our list of high brow topics. I’m not talking about skate plazas or the appropriation of public spaces. I’m talking about how Thomas Dolliver Church, the acclaimed author of Gardens are for People and the father of modern landscape architecture (California Style) who was widely credited with influencing garden and pool design with his influential free form pool in his most famous work, El Novillero. Truth is, he didn’t invent the kidney pool though. He most he was inspired by a visit to FInland’s Alvar Aalto Villa Mairea, which also featured a free form pool. That’s El Novillero above left, and Villa Mairea on the right. So there you have it. Kidney pools were invented in Finland in 1937, not in California, circa 1948. [Source: Intercontinental Gardener] – Thanks to Jarno Väisänen for the tip.