This one is electric powered instead of gas powered, and has more car club appeal. The Skate Scepter guy must be pissed, although I’m sure he’d win in a race. Check out the Electric Crusier. [Source: Gizmodo]

Friends of Pier Park heard from a Parks representative “…this past summer many people using the park have been given 30-day exclusion notices because of breaking leash laws and drinking laws. Specific rules about park use will be posted on the new kiosk. He will also speak with the head of park security, about more enforcement.” A cop also mentioned this to me when he saw all the empties we had collected after the Pier Park Anniversary session. So watch yourselves. It would suck to get banned from the park. I think you can get a picnic permit if you are having a party there. Check with Parks.

Sheesh! What does it take to get some culture around here? Sure, we had a mini ramp outside of City Hall for a couple of hours, but nothing like this. In Liverpool England there is a nonprofit group called A Foundation whose purpose is to “to support the development, production and exhibition of contemporary visual art and, in particular, to focus on the enrichment and regeneration of Liverpool through culture and the arts.” How are they doing it? By hiring Simparch to install the Free Basin as well as a yet unnamed 40 foot wooden full pipe, which is rare, to say the least. I think there is one at Skatopia, but that may be it. Made using a similar construction method with a complex layering of multiple wooden spines and ribs, the full pipe’s impressive structure echoes a hull in dry dock. Hey, whatever you have to tell them to get it paid for… The best part is, the structure will be open for free public skating during gallery hours, from October 19th 2007 to April 20th, 2008. Details and consent forms can be found at A Foundation’s Drum ‘n Basin Greenland Street programme page. Hey UK readers.. let’s…

Danimal called my attention to an email from Vancouver-Clark Washington Parks & Recreation that I’d been meaning to follow up on. They added a couple of new skate spots in addition to the “Extreme Sports Park” at Pacific Community Park. I meant to go check them out, but Sam over at SkateOregon already has. He’s got site photos, map links, and links to the appropriate Parks & Rec pages with history, construction photos, and other details. No need to repost that stuff here, so head on over to SkateOregon. Vancouver Washington has three “skate spots” now. The one at the top is at Tenny Creek, and looks the most promising. It’s simple but has a lot to offer. I think we may be approaching the day where these things get built out of habit instead of as an exception. Screw the good old days – these are the good old days!

Does that background graphic look familiar? The article is an interview with a well-known fly-fishing personality. I wonder if he has a dark history – he does suggest he might have to kill the interviewer if forced to reveal his fishing plans. thisisfly.com is a web ‘zine targeted at dudes who like to get radical with a flyrod. I am told that the east coast saltwater scene is a more thrill oriented than the freshwater scene. I wonder if these guys are into the PBR rather than the single-malt scotch and briar pipes.

No, not Mike Tyson the ear-biting tattoo-faced psychopath, but Tyson the Skateboarding Bulldog. He’s going to be on Oprah on November 6th, and Harpo has posted a schlocky preview of it on YouTube. Oprah’s got a tight lockdown on the way her image is portrayed, right down to denying others the ability to embed the videos, so you’ll have to leave the friendly confines of Skate and Annoy to watch it directly on YouTube. She does have her finger on pulse of popular culture though. After this very timely TV appearance of the popular phenomenon known as Tyson the Skateboarding Bulldog, I hear she’s going to have exclusive animation of that dancing baby from 1997.

Yes, we’ve mentioned Google Maps Street View before, but it’s still good to make a note when various skate spots come online. Here’s a peek at perhaps the world’s most famous skatepark. Burnside never looked so clean. Thanks to Grumpy Joe for the tip.

Eastpack and Red Bull footed the bill for 6 DIY concrete spots in Austria. These aren’t full sized spots, but rather single modifications to existing spots or sometimes creating a new spot by providing an approach to a previously unskateable spot. Nothing earth shaking, but cool nonetheless. There’s a short video clip by Niki Waltl that covers 2 days, 6 spots and more than 1000 kilometres by car. A few of those spots look like left over anti-tank barriers from the war. It is Austria, you know. Download it here. It looks like these guys made it happen.

Here’s the progress (Note: Click On Pictures To See In True Form). News of the concrete being poured are the talk of the town, early next week they plan to trowel. Check out the plans, a slight change to the last post.