Who does this guy Adam Miller think he is, William Spencer? Backflip off seven stairs, sort of hippy jump style. Circus trick? Yes. Crazy hard terrifying? Yes. Watch the cringe inducing slam video to get an idea of the dues this kid paid for his 15 minutes of fame.

– Thanks to John Aguilar for the tip.

These are skateboards allegedly benefiting the Strummerville foundtation. I say “allegedly” because I can find no mention of them on the official Strummerville site, and the site for Australian-based Blank Skateboards shows the art on flat prints, not skateboards. I actually approached Strummerville about 5 years ago in hopes of releasing a graphic with the royalties going to the foundation, but they never got back to me, and I didn’t follow up.

[Source – The Clash Blog]

Underexposed is a film by Amelia Brodka focusing on the plight of women in the professional skateboarding arena.

At a time when women’s skateboarding seems bigger than ever, there seem to be fewer opportunities for girls to pursue the sport. How can this be changed?

Underexposed explores the past, present and future of women’s skateboarding. It focuses on the current uprise of female skaters by featuring footage of girls ripping all over the world.

The film couples skate footage with interviews from the top marketing and media professionals of the skateboarding industry. Interviews include the heads of: Thrasher, TransWorld, Etnies, Toy Machine, SkateOne and Hoopla.

By exploring the business side of skateboarding, Underexposed seeks to figure out how to generate more opportunities for women in skateboarding.

The first pubic screening of Underexposed is February 14th, 9:00PM at the Fry St Theater (1210 W. Hickory) in Denton, Texas as part of the Thin Line Film Festival

I spent most of yesterday in a hospital yesterday. Turns out my wife has a blood clot in her leg but she’s going to be alright. There’s a boatload of new construction at Legacy Emanuel, including art in the courtyards, as seen here. The dark part on the right is grass and the other end is a mirror image.

Yes, intentionally misspelled. Nova Scotia has draconian skateboard helmet laws affecting riders of all ages. Fines start at $140 and count as traffic violations that auto insurance companies can, and have used to drop coverage for people. Go sign a petition.

[Source: Slap] – Thanks to Josh Burt for the tip

On this edition of counterfeit board of the month we have a Jim Thiebaud bootleg that surfaced in Portugal on the local equivalent of Craigslist or Ebay, or something, Custo Justo. ON the left is an actual Jim Thiebaud model from SMA, circa 1989. On the right is cheap knockoff.

– Thanks to Samuel Silva for the tip.

It is what it is. Ambivalent Skateboarding Fraternity. Skater: Kai Hillebrand. Photos: by Alex “Foley” Concept by Gonzalo Lizama and Roberto Cuellar. Art Direction: Roberto Cuellar. Location: Berlin, Germany. Year: 2012. More from Roberto.

– Thanks to Jerome for the tip.

CNN has a photo spread by Mike Belleme on what they call an “inside look at street skating.” There some cool shots in there mixed among a lot of photojournalism-style shots that would be called “lifestyle” in a different context.

– Thanks to Jeffrey Roenning for the tip.

Rodney Mullen visited the Smithsonian (on invitation) as part of the Lemelson Center’s informal initiative to build relationships with skateboarding’s innovators. Your response may be “What the what?” Or at least, what is the Lemelson Center and why do they care about skateboarding? Technically, it’s the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, and it was established in 1995 under the larger umbrella of the Smithsonian Institution. But why skateboarding? According to deputy director Jeff Brodie:

Most associate invention and innovation with technology and science, but the Center often explores other unexpected places where invention and innovation flourishes—like skateboarding. This wide exploration is critical to fostering an appreciation for the central role invention and innovation play in the history of the United States. It also makes our work extremely interesting, fun, and exciting as we meet, collaborate, and explore the world of invention and innovation with all types of people.

And it doesn’t end with Rodney Mullen’s interview. They are planning an event to coincide with National Go Skateboarding Day called Innoskate, which will be “a major public festival that will celebrate invention and creativity in skate culture.” Watch Rodney’s interview and read a little bit about what happened behind the scenes thanks to our spy in the Smithsonian Betsy Gordon. (Thanks Betsy!)

Two photos of a spot that amazingly enough was not built for skateboarding. Storm water management done the right way, somewhere in Austin, Texas.

– Thanks to Brianna Vance for the photos.