Another drive by camera phone shot, that is. This spot looks kind of fun, right?

Simple and too the point. This is a drive-by phone cam shot of a wall in North Portland that was taken last November and it looks a lot different now. Shot of the Week.

This Hydro commercial imitating a video game is a nice low tech complement to the high tech pinball game we saw earlier with the Mountain Dew setup. Not much for actual skating, but it is a great example of low budget creativity. In one section stuntman Alex Midler is riding one of those led boards. If your autism talent is remembering obscure skateboard marketing facts, you may remember Fruit Shoot put together a beginners skateboarding guide for the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts new (at the time) “Street Sports” merit badge back in 2008. Two versions of the Hydro commercial after the jump. – Thanks to Keith “method” Ayers for the tip.

Southern Oregon action in Medford this Saturday with food, music, raffles and skating. That doens’t sound fun at all… Proceeds going to the Medford skate park.

Mechanical skateboard rides are the new bounce house. They come in Canadian (top) and American versions too. Photos from Extravaganza Entertainment and Galaxy Multi Rides. – Thanks to Boy Ipoh for the tip.

Ironic that the self proclaimed “Longboard Mega Ramp” is dwarfed by the “regular-don’t-call-it-short” board mega ramp, even though the wheelbases on the regular mega ramp are significantly longer than boards they would, uhm, regularly ride. So it’s big to be sure, but not a mega ramp by any stretch. Actually, I remember there’s a mini mega ramp in eastern Oregon or Washington that is about the same size as this one, ridden with ordinary skateboards. I guess it’s all about the marketing. My favorite part of the video is where the guy talks about wanting to take early grabs to the next level. It does look like fun however, regardless of what size board you ride. Brought to you by Original Skateboards. – Thanks to Seth Grossman for the tip.

This is no dam relic. This spot somewhere in Canada has been sessioned for 30+ years and is allegedly still a go. I found this picture while trolling Facebook, and the owner coincidentally happened to be a reader. – Thanks to MIlo for the pic.

Apparently the did let four wheeled freaks in the pool. And yes, I agree with the reader comment who finds the fact that they plastered “The Pool” all over everything. I get it. Everyone gets it. It was built in a pool. The place probably still reeks of chlorine. They must pay their branding managers well. Skate footage courtesy of Caught in the Crossfire after the jump. – Thanks to Keith “method” Ayers for the tip

Some people like to geek out on skateboard paraphernalia, while others like to geek out on intellectual property rights. Our worlds have collided. If you know Zorlac you probably know it was sold some time in the late 80’s, with Jeff Newton remaining on in some capacity, but the company definitely had an altered vibe. Some time in the next decade the brand ceased to exist for all intents and purposes. Some time after the millennium Jeff started up Gringo skateboards, using some similar imagery and marketing, and then suddenly Zorlac reappeare, but with Newton at the helm again. I wondered how he gained control of the trademark, or if he was just barging it since no one else seemed to be using it. Back in 2000 Rob Mertz was quoted in Transworld Business (summarized here) about the apparent retiring of the Zorlac brand, right about the same time all the old school guys and collectors were coming out of the woodwork. The phrase “Smooth move Ex-Lax” seemed appropriate at the time, but eventually Syndrome wasn’t going to take it, ahem, sitting down. Property, intangible has an interesting piece on the battle for the Zorlac trademark that Newton apparently lost.…