2013 started off in the crapper for me. I’m just now emerging from a fog of strep throat that has had me laid up since New Year’s day. Here’s hoping your new year is better than the promise of a slick red curb covered in skate stoppers. Absurd Family Skate photo on Instagram. Hey! Get off my curb man!

Konstantin Butz is probably the first person ever who tried to analyze the phenomenon skate punk from an academic point of view. He wrote his doctoral thesis about it, which – in a slightly revised version – became this book, entitled Grinding California (transcript Verlag 2012).

Yes, a retread of last lear’s video, but let’s not take that as foreshadowing this year’s content. Lots of exciting things planned for 2013, this time I mean it! Thank you for reading Skate and Annoy! http://youtu.be/WRNhx6nC4GM

JamCopters are high end platforms for building radio controlled helicopters with cameras. Both the copters and the filmmaker Jan Minol of Samadhi Production come from the Czech Republic, and yet no Marek Litinsiky… To me the “making of” video is more interesting than the Firefly final edit, but there are breathtaking shots in both versions. Definitely some post processing noticeable, but I don’t think that takes much away form the end product. There are a couple people here in the Northwest dabbling in helicopter cams with skateboarding as well. (Exhibit A, B, and C) LED’s skateboarding and helicopters after the jump. [Source: Hypebeast]

Brianna Vance, somewhere in Texas: Photo by Wes Chmielowski. Feeble. Say what you will this is the only time you’ll see me skating half naked. Took this photo for Creature they sent me a swim suit and I didn’t want to take a regular photo like all the other girls sent in of them just trying to look hot. I decided I was doing a skate photo. It is a skateboard company after all. I asked her before posting it. She knows the context. She’s not a regular reader, but that’s no reason to be an ass in the comments people. Bonus non-objectifying shot after the jump.

Over a year ago MC drew a comic that mentioned the possibility of the backyard ledge spot. Domi Gammon had already built one in his… well, it’s his parent’s house and it looks like the front yard, actually. He built it so he’d have someplace to skate when he visited his parents. Looks super solid.

When are those lazy, good for nothing skateboarders going to stop mooching off all the hard work of the BMX community? Dirtboarding courtesy of Volcom. For pics and a brief description, follow the link. – Thanks to Garric Ray for the tip.