Trick Meter is an all around excellent short film by Simeon Buncombe featuring skateboarding by Jack Fagan. Even when you think you have it figured out, it still manages to surprise, and surprise again.

[Source: Movies.com] – Via tip from Betsy Gordon

Not to be confused with Jodie Foster’s Army, because, you know, I have to spell everything out since being diagnosed with a phobia of people not getting my very obvious jokes. What are the questions that annoyed Jodie Foster in the 70’s? “Do you have a boyfriend? Are you really a skateboard champion? Did you go crazy after Taxi Driver?” Bonus spread of Lief Garret/Jodie Foster skateboard romance after the jump, and you might as well check out the extensive 2009 Skate and Annoy interview of JFA’s Brian Brannon when you’re done.

Sigmund Freud in a “Yo Mamma” battle in this comic by R.E. Parrish. What’s the latent significance of doing street plants?

– Via Gabe Stoltz on FB

This is the second insurance company advertising pay-per-mile car insurance with skateboard imagery. This time it’s Metromile with a selfie stick, phone cam, Go-Pro, and electric skateboard all in the same ad.

Esurance has a commercial out for pay-by-the-mile insurance, this one specifically tailored to Portland customers, though I’m sure there are other cities too. Not only is there some longboard action in the commercial, there’s a bit of wackyboard footage in it too. Then there’s truBrain, an energy drink the is also supposed to boot your brain. “The world’ first nootropic drink.” I don’t know what the means,I guess I need some truBrain. They’re using skateboarding imagery in social media marketing and on their web site.

– Thanks to Betsy Gordon for the truBrain tip.

I really should have sent this Halloween card to you earlier. I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings.

Kona Skatepark needs work. The owner of the longest running private skatepark is trying to raise money for repairs to the park. The fundraising campaign is incredibly vague on what the 50k is going to be used for, instead pointing to a recent Folio Weekly article that sheds light on Kona’s interesting, sometimes troubled history as it approaches it’s 39th year in operation. For instance, the park declared bankruptcy twice in the first 18 months after opening in 1977. It was in limbo for 6 months before the the current owner’s (Martin Ramos) parents bought it. Economic downturns, wildly unfortunate personal accidents, and some questionable business decisions, all detailed in the article, make public funding for a privately owned skatepark a hard sell. Kona’s place in history and many skateboarders hearts might help it stay alive. Ramos has some interesting ideas to help keep the park afloat, some of which you’ve heard before that haven’t really worked for anyone else…

It’s Wile. E Coyote on a Pepsi promotional drinking glass from 1976. He’s got a sail and an electric fan on his skateboard, but that rascally Road Runner has pulled the electric chord on him mid-canyon. This seems like exactly the sort of thing that would have been in one of these cartoons, but I can’t recall seeing it animated. Maybe that’s because I aways rooted for the Coyote to catch Road Runner.

Reader’s Digest is traditionally found next to the davenports belonging to grandparents across North America, – light reading while you enjoy a highball on the lanai. America. This is Moraga Commons Skate Park photographed by Paul Rickman from Oakland, California. Paul is only 18 years old, what’s he doing reading Reader’s Digest – besides winning photo contests? My mother, a woman of a certain age, sent me these pages out of Reader’s Digest and then quickly became sheepish when I pointed out to her that she had turned into her own mother.

There’s a giant cloud of pompousness eminating from Sebring Revolution, starting with the name of a company whose mission is to “revolutionize the way consumers see, study, purchase, and interact with art, products and media.” Sure… I guess it sounds better than “We make cool stuff.” However, they’ve put together some interesting footage and interactive widgets featuring Rodney Mullen. Be thankful that it looks like NIN video and it didn’t go another route with Dave Grohl and a really earnest interview about how revolutionary Rodney is. Why so bitter, Kilwag, are you jealous of Steven Sebring much? Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t teach write snarky blogs.

– Via Betsy Binckley Gordon on Facebook, who is probably un-friending me right now.