Mash SF, a hardcore group of cyclists, have produced a particularly stunning collection of images from around the world of their tightly-knit community.  The mostly black and white photographs portray their culture and obsession with all things bicycle.  Massan, a prolific photographer of their crew, has amassed a great collection of images on his personal site, including the photographs displayed below in the gallery.  The vibrant society of bike messengers and other worshipers of fixed gear or even brake-less bicycles have bred some incredible media and it’s a pleasure to see the content produced.  The rider and assumed photographer Massan discussed the unique culture in an interview with Freshness magazine,

With the recent spike in interest regarding your passionate pastime and the tools of the trade have there been any ill-feelings toward newcomers and is the original magic being diffused at all by the new wave of riders/enthusiasts?
I mean, its definitely different now because there are so many fixed gears on the road right now. Everywhere you look. Its real easy to hate at this point. Real easy to hate. All I can say is this… If this isn’t popular 10 or 15, 20 years down the line, will I still be riding? I hope so.

How does the international group of riders compare and contrast with the Americans?
It seems like people outside the US are really excited about this and they’re not afraid to show it. In the US, people try and play it down and be cool, but they’re juiced.

There is an intense athleticism to urban fixed-gear riding that cannot be denied yet it maintains the look, and danger, of an outsider’s activity. Why is this seen in the same light as skateboarding was in the 1970’s?
First of all, the average person cant understand how or why you would ride a bike in the city with no brakes. i think that lack of understanding sparks curiosity, which raises questions, and intrigues some and turns off others. All of that, whether positive or negative places a spotlight on this style of riding. I guess now is the time and place, because this has been around for a minute.

The video below is the introduction of Massan to the Macaframa group and after that is the full gallery.

Freshness Feature - MASH SF Rider: Massan

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Sports & Fitness, TV & Film, Transport & Travel, Trends In The US and Bicycle, bicycle enthusiast, bicycles, bike culture, bikes, fixed gear

Most social networks or media sharing sites thrive on their unique offerings or exclusivity, but a new site called thisMoment hopes to bring together their disparate functions into a single portal.  thisMoment offers traditional ways of uploading photos or video to the site, but can also pull in material from other sites like Flickr, Facebook or YouTube.  The interface for thisMoment resembles a Flickr slide show with more options and the comment system is arranged to share emotions under an entry starting with “This moment made me feel…” as well as the usual space for snarky Internet one-line comments.  The content you organize through the site is grouped into related “moments” that are easily accessible in an interactive timeline called your “moment flow.”

While this site could simply be another attempt to take over market share of social networks, thisMoment stands out by encouraging users to use their media on other online platforms, even letting you pull images from related events with a media search engine called the Moment Maker.  The interesting implementation of a timeline gives a calming perspective to our digital lives, sharing a distant past or coming future rather than focusing on constant real-time updates.  The Wall Street Journal’s Mossberg Solution continues,

You can create moments for things that happen in the past, present or future, like an upcoming wedding or birth, and a timeline at the top of the Web site shows where these moments fit in, according to their dates. If you share a moment with someone who is labeled as being in that moment, she can “seize” the moment, adding it to her own timeline. ThisMoment also encourages you to rate your moments on a scale of small to big according to how much they matter to you, though I often forgot to do this, and to label your moments so they can be organized into different categories.

WSJ: Creating ‘Moments’ of Your Life

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Entertainment, Gaming & Social Networks, Media & Publishing, Telecom, Trends In The US, Web & Technology and digital lives, media sharing, online lives, photo sharing, Social Networks, thisMoment, Wall Street Journal, Walt Mossberg

Chipotle, the immensely popular Mexican grill, redesigned and relaunched their iPhone application for mobile food ordering.  Back in January the app was pulled just days after launch due to unknown glitches and design issues.  We didn’t grab it fast enough to review last time, but this new version is certainly smooth.

The app tracks down the closest Chipotle and then you go about building your dream burrito, bowl, taco or salad, throwing in more ingredients than would be polite to ask for in the restaurant itself, even letting you include special instructions.  The menu is quick and intuitive, even allowing for favorites so you don’t have to rebuild your caloric masterpiece every time.  The free application works through Chipotle’s web-based ordering system and marks a new standard for the accessibility of food ordering mobile apps.

[via Gizmodo]

Related Posts on PSFK

• Chipotle Launches Mobile Ordering iPhone App

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Electronics & Gadgets, Food & Drink, Retail, Telecom, Trends In The US, Web & Technology, Work & Business and chipotle, iphone, iPhone Apps, mobile applications, mobile food ordering

It appears the act of dropping out is getting harder indeed, on news that post-apocalyptic, counterculture mainstay Burning Man will be connected to the outside world with cellphone service available at this year’s festival. While some posit that the emergence of service is merely a result of increased coverage being provided to the nearby of Gerlach, NV (Pop. 499), the fact remains that an event defined by its manifestations of authenticity, progressivism and escapism, has just gotten a little more, well, conventional.

The SFist envisions the impact from a constant stream of desert tweets and Facebook updates to be the final straw for an event that has struggled mightily to shrug off the mainstream. Still, if the impending load on social media servers is significant enough, perhaps the attendees will succeed in bringing the system down from the inside in an ironic act of shared idealism. Radical, indeed.

[via SFist]

[image via Smoobs on Flickr]

By Scott Lachut | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Telecom, Trends In The US, Web & Technology, Youth and authenticity, Burning Man, cellphone, counterculture, progressivism, radicalism, social media

Though it was a common practice up until the 1950’s, farm stays slowly lost favor in a world of interstates, motels and drive-throughs that transformed the family vacation to a study in modern convenience. But as issues surrounding where and how our food is raised increasingly become important considerations in our lives, city-dwellers and suburbanites alike are beginning to warm to the concept of agritourism once more.

The concept appeals to consumers because it allows them to “rough it” in relative comfort, while experiencing life on a farm at their leisure, in a choose your own chore kind of way. And for small farmers, who often struggle to reap profits from their land alone, it presents an opportunity to subsidize their income and add some free, albeit unskilled labor to their operations for a few days. The packages and rates vary from farm to farm, but typically include meals that come straight from the field to the plate and fresh produce to take home, while more hands-on features like actual farming (many places do charge for this privilege), tours and classes, cost extra.

Rural Bounty and  Feather Down Farms are two resources that list places to stay and visit across the US.

[via NY Times]

[image via Wendy*Darling on Flickr]

By Scott Lachut | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Education, Environmental, Food & Drink, Transport & Travel, Trends In The US and agriculture, agritourism, farming, farms, farmstays, feather down farms, food, food issues, local food, rural bounty, vacation

Joey Roth, a designer based in San Fransisco, recently unveiled a new design for a pair of ceramic speakers.  The simple form contains 4? full-range drivers in a white porcelain and cork enclosure.  For curious audiophiles, the speaker system is based on the Tripath 2024 T-amp and include both RCA and 1/8? connections.  The uncomplicated design is common in Roth’s ultra modern approach and set his products apart from the competition.

Roth built some serious design credibility and got loads of press for his unique, modern teapot design called the Sorapot.  Since that first foray into the professional design world, Roth continues to slowly build the range of his ultra modern product ideas.  The ceramic speakers will go on sale in October through the new online design store, Gselect.

[via Selectism]

Related Posts of PSFK

• Joey Roth Scavenges And Builds Show Booth With Discarded Materials
• Joey Roth Talks To PSFK About Sorapot, Blog-Buzz & The Hustle

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Design, Electronics & Gadgets, Home & Garden, Luxury, Music, Trends In The US and audio, gselect, joey roth, modern design, selectism, sorapot, Speakers

With NASA facing massive budget cuts, the scientific powerhouse must now consider ferrying cargo and astronautics into space through private companies, a first for the agency.  Proponents of the outsourcing idea argue that non-governmental organizations would foot the bill for research and hope to make profit from providing services or creating products with the resulting developments.  As seen at the 50th anniversary of NASA, the research provided by the governmental agency has brought many modern products to fruition.

Private companies must often react faster to developments to stay viable, while NASA relies on huge government expenditure.  While a presidentially appointed commission finds in favor of outsourcing space travel, concerns remain over safety and security of the technology developed privately.  The Wall Street Journal discusses the details involved in the decision,

In the face of severe federal budget constraints and a burgeoning commercial-space industry eager to play a larger role in exploring the solar system and perhaps beyond, these people said, a consensus for the new approach seems to be building inside the White House as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Under this scenario, a new breed of contractors would take over many of NASA’s current responsibilities, freeing the agency to pursue longer-term, more ambitious goals such as new rocket-propulsion technology and manned missions to Mars. Ranging from conventional start-ups to firms created by wealthy entrepreneurs, these contractors would take the lead in servicing the International Space Station from the shuttle’s planned retirement around 2011 through at least the end of that decade.

WSJ: “NASA May Outsource Amid Budget Woes”

[via SlashDot]
[image via NASA]

Related on PSFK:

• World’s First Space Elevator Docked in Australia?
• 50 Ways NASA technology Changed Your Life
• Virgin Unveils Spaceship

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Design, Electronics & Gadgets, Finance & Money, Science, Transport & Travel, Trends In The US, Work & Business and nasa, obama, outer space, Space, space program, space shuttle

To help track Washington DC hospital patients in the event of a disaster, the US Government is exploring the use of RFID tags to locate them in real time. Nextgov reports that the radio frequency identification tags, which if they’re battery powered, can have a range of about 300 feet, can assist in locating people (with an accuracy rate of 95 percent) during crisis situations when every second can be critical.

Many hospitals already use RFID to track supplies and other assets, but using the technology to follow people is a relatively novel practice.

Nextgov: “RFID tags eyed to track Washington-area patients in case of disaster”

[via Harvard Government Innovators Network]

[Image via Daily RFID Co., LIMITED]

Related on PSFK:

• Twitter+RFID Equals One Futuristic Cat Door
• RFID-Enabled “Smart Cane” to Assist the Visually-Impaired
• RFID Bracelet Helps You Remember

By Dan Gould | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Electronics & Gadgets, Health & Beauty, Trends In The US and emergency, hospitals, RFID, tracking

In the true spirit of DIY culture, skillshares operate under the notion that access to education is a right rather than a commodity and that everyone has knowledge to share, making every individual both a student and a teacher. Their mission is to bring people together and create a reciprocal community based on learning, sharing and doing. A quick internet search reveals groups already formed in both Boston and Austin, but nothing in the NYC environs, until now.

Brooklyn Skillshare’s inaugural event will take place October 10th at the Gowanus Studio Space, offering classes on topics that range from kombucha brewing and butter churning to bike repair and screen printing. Organizer Meg Wachter came up with the idea after attending a skillshare in Boston. Noting the endless supply of talent and artistry alive in Brooklyn, she wanted to provide a similar outlet.

The one-day gathering is open to the public and tickets will be available for a sliding scale donation of $10. In an effort to keep costs down and ensure future endeavors, the group will be holding a benefit show and bake sale Glasslands on August 28th.

[via Brooklyn Based]

[image via ramsey_everydaypants on Flickr]

By Scott Lachut | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Education, Trends In The US, Youth and austin, Boston, Brooklyn, Community, sharing, Skills, skillshare

After Polaroid announced it was stopping production on the iconic camera technology, avid fans have struggled with the news, making fake Polaroid apps popular and even going so far as to create The Impossible Project to purchase all remaining film production material in a Dutch factory.  Now, after Polaroid moved on to digital versions, Urban Outfitters will soon sell a limited edition kit include the last production run of Type 779 instant film and Polaroid ONE600 cameras.

Only 700 sets will be sold and hopefully the Impossible Project can get the production of film up and running by next year so these retail collections won’t be the last of the original Polaroid lineage.  The kits are spread across US and UK stores, though finding one will mean wrestling with the die hard fans out there.

[via Gizmodo]

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Electronics & Gadgets, Entertainment, Finance & Money, Media & Publishing, Retail, Trends In The UK, Trends In The US, Youth and gizmodo, impossible project, iphone, iPhone Apps, polaroid, urban outfitters

In the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, a CBS advertisement features the first video player embedded in a print magazine.  The tiny video screen automatically plays when the reader turns to the two page spread promoting the coming fall lineup of CBS shows.

Americhip developed the paper-thin hardware and the loud video begins after a brief pause when turning to the page.  The battery powered technology allows the player to show up to 40 minutes of video, including sneak peaks and featurettes.  The advertisement will only be featured in magazines sold in the New York and Los Angeles markets.  For those not able to see the video-in-print magazine in person, here’s a brief and painfully clamorous video of it in action:

<object width="480" height="385" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/fgJ6DA50thw&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fgJ6DA50thw&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/></object>

[via Boing Boing]

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Advertising & Branding, Electronics & Gadgets, Entertainment, Media & Publishing, TV & Film, Trends In The US, Web & Technology, Work & Business and CBS, embedded video, Entertainment Weekly, magazine, video-in-print

Richard Fine and Nathan Frank sent us a set of their new products the other day. The guys have evolved since they launched their original Help I Have A Headache pack and their new range covers cuts, sore feet, sneezes and tired eyes. Taking the products back to basics and presented in plain English, they are wrapped in compostable materials: molded paper pulp and bio plastic from corn resin. They also fit perfectly in that narrow cabinet in your bathroom. With the attention to detail plus the cute messaging throughout the packs we can’t wait for our next little sting of pain so that we can apply these.

These products are available in the US at Rickt’s New York and will soon be available on Virgin America flights and at Target’s Red Hot Shop.

Help Remedies

Related On PSFK

Video: PSFK Conference NYC: Building Healthy Brands With Heart
Richard Fine Of Help Talks To PSFK
(Pics) Help Remedies’ Radical Window Ads Use Real People

By Piers Fawkes | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Design, Featured Articles, Health & Beauty, Trends In The US and first aid, headache pills, Healthcare, nathan frank, packaging, Product Design, richard fine

Royal Pains, a new show on the USA Network, follows the course of a fictional doctor who makes house calls to the rich and famous.  House calls are a foreign concept to most modern health care professionals, but in Manhattan there is a so-called “concierge doctor” named Ronald Primas who whips around the city in a luxury Range Rover with a bag full of necessary instruments.

Dr. Primas, 49, has a group of wealthy longtime patents who crave this unique attention in the comfort of their own homes, but Primas also ventures out to make house calls for as little as $200.  While Dr. Primas believes the USA Network show is based on his practice, a spokesman insists it’s based on a similar doctor in the Hamptons.  Regardless of the history of the new show, it’s nice to know there are some doctors out there with a bedside manner that caters to your own cushy bed.

[via USA Today]

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Finance & Money, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Luxury, Science, TV & Film, Trends In The US and concierge medicine, Ronald Primas, Royal Pains, USA Network, USA Today

Concert Hands

Concert Hands, a new product for teaching music, hopes to assist musicians struggling to learn the piano by gently guiding fingers to the correct keys with a system of finger sleeves, pulses and software.  The rather cumbersome series of wires and wrist pilots will introduce music to those that learn best through direct muscle memory.

The system uses software that converts a song file into a key combination for the piano that a controller box then distributes to the wrist and finger pilots.  The repetitive motions stimulate muscle memory and apparently work well with anyone from 8 to 80 years old who doesn’t want to learn a song through understanding music or having to hire an instructor.  For a slightly retro explanation of the “Augmental Musical Instrument Technology” check out their promotional video below:

[via technabob]

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Education, Electronics & Gadgets, Music, Trends In The US, Web & Technology and Concert Hands, piano, Pianos, pulse, teaching music, technabob

In her book Payback, Margaret Atwood writes that loans are “like air, it’s all around us, but we never think about it unless something goes wrong with the supply.”  The similarly intangible internet is expanding to bring a pawnshop to consumers struggling in the United States.

Enter Internet Pawn, a new website that offers a range of loans based on personal assets.  Simply FedEx your valuable and the company will determine their value and offer a loan ranging from $500 up to $250,000.  The loans can take as little as 24 hours to be approved and after the loan is returned, the items held as collateral are returned.  If a customer chooses not to repay the loan, the items are sold and any remaining difference is returned to the customer.  Most loans last approximately six months and it will be interesting how this experiment in web-based pawn works in a struggling marketplace, it certainly worked for Cash4Gold.

[via Murketing]

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Advertising & Branding, Finance & Money, Luxury, Retail, Trends In The US, Web & Technology, Work & Business and Cash4Gold, internet pawn, loans, Margaret Atwood, microloans, pawn shops

Nate Page, an artist based in New York City, recently unveiled a new series of magazines with different layers carved out that are on display at the Jen Bekman gallery.  Page removes layers from magazines and billboards, revealing the rainbow of colors behind the images.  These topographic assemblage designs focus on eyes and strip away the collections to their core.

In the artist statement, Page describes his desire to investigate the dichotomies between materiality and images, occupied space and presence, and potentiality and reality.  He transforms the everyday objects into personal expressions and informs his work with “personal memories and consumer culture angst.”

[via Beautiful/Decay]

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Entertainment, Fashion, Media & Publishing, Trends In The US and Jen Bekman, magazine art, magazines, Nate Page

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)  awarded more than $10 million to defense contractors working on intelligent binoculars (not pictured) that utilize the users brainwaves to filter relevant visual information. While details of the project are obviously hazy, the developing technology hopes to capitalize on the unparalleled ability of the human brain to differentiate between battlefield objects and movement.

A soldier’s ability to spot a threat will help train the binoculars to recognize pertinent information and bring it to the attention of the user.  The high resolution wide-angle binoculars will feature electrodes inside the helmet to monitor brainwaves and through ongoing use, will improve the results displayed.  The Associated Press has more,

Dr. Robert Shin, assistant professor of neurology and ophthalmology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said the brain is constantly processing images but most get filtered out.

“There is a level where the brain can identify things before it ever makes it to the conscious level,” Shin said. “Your brain says, ‘It may be something.’ But it might not realize that it is something that should rise to the conscious level.”

[via Next Nature]

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Design, Electronics & Gadgets, Science, Trends In The US, Web & Technology and binoculars, brainwaves, DARPA, optical technology

Wired’s Bryan Derballa recently published a photo essay on the growing moped communities around the country and their passionate fascination with the fuel-efficient, but ailing, and often discarded, motorized bikes.  Derballa’s three week immersion into the moped culture involved a run-in with the police and a group ride through Times Square.

The vibrant moped community in Brooklyn is centered on a little shop called the Orphanage in Greenpoint.  The group support the little collection of bikes rescued from obscurity and repairs them to sputtering, though working, order.  The mopeds often top out at 30 miles per hour and the little two-stroke engines pollute more than their larger counterparts, but more and more people are falling in love with these forgotten machines.  This subculture, like much of the so-called hipster culture, thrives on the use of outdated technology like typewriters or NES consoles, though the moped community boasts a strong online forum.  Beyond the Orphan gang of Brooklyn, there are moped “gangs” in most major US cities, including the Creatures of the Loin in San Francisco, the Puddle Cutter of Portland and Hell Satans in Richmond.

Wired: “Rebels Without a Hog: Inside Brooklyn’s Moped Gang”

By Nicko Margolies | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Automotive, Environmental, Transport & Travel, Trends In The US, Youth and Brooklyn, Bryan Derballa, moped, new york city, the orphanage, Wired

We had an opportunity to visit the new Mets Stadium, Citi Field, over the weekend and have to admit, walked away feeling a bit ambivalent about the current state of America’s past time. While the space itself was certainly impressive  and well-designed, featuring clear sight lines from virtually anywhere in the park, along with a number of family-friendly baseball-themed areas from batting cages to a miniature stadium for kids, it seems like a small consolation considering the rather exorbitant prices being charged for everything from bleacher seats to hot dogs.

Which may be nothing new, but was an even harder pill to swallow given the fact that it felt like everyone there was being forced to pay twice. Tax money aside, not only was every fan in attendance helping to pay for these improvements with their wallets, but with their attention spans as well. This stadium might be one of the most well branded pieces of real estate in the entire state, both in terms of physical and mental space.

During every half inning, at least one, if not several promotions were being broadcast throughout the ball park and shown up on the giant screen with a chance for lucky fans to win branded merchandise. While at the same time advertisements were literally being shot into the stands in the form of t-shirts blasted out of bazookas. Even the blimp languidly floating up above sported an enormous digital display that would have smacked of “Blade Runner“-esque dsytopia, if not for the blazing sun.

And while this attitude seems a bit at odds with the notion that a day at the ball park should be one of excess and escape, despite our reservations, we were all ready to dive head first into the experience, which for us is as much about the food as it the game. But even the eating proved to be a trickier aspect than one would think, providing some of the most interesting revelations of the day.

The standard fare - from sausages and beer to ice cream and soda - was well represented, along with higher-end options from popular New York City venues like Shake Shack and Blue Smoke thus elevating the refrains of “buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks” to whole new price points.

But no matter what price you were willing to pay for your meal, every item, haute or not, came with the added cost of calories. As part of NYC’s push to get its residents in the mindset of daily allowances, the Mets have stepped up to the plate, posting nutrition information on all the stadium’s menus, making the idea of shelling out $7.50 for a Bud, doubly taxing.

Thankfully, they’ve offset these choices with healthier selections like fresh fruit, which from the looks of the well-stocked displays (no one was buying) and location in the back corner of the stadium, appeared more for the illusion of health than for any real conscious decision to promote thoughtful alternatives. So while it’s hard to call it effective, it certainly is an effort. And as much as this renewed attention to health is admirable, on top of everything else, it only serves to drain a little more joy out of going to a game.

But no matter how much the experience may be co-opted by corporations and city officials, there’s still something undeniably special about the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd. Something that can never be quantified by price tags and calorie counts.

By Scott Lachut | © PSFK, 2009. | Article Link | Comments | More stories in: Arts & Culture, Entertainment, Featured Articles, Food & Drink, Opinion, Sports & Fitness, Trends In The US and advertsing, America's past time, ball park, baseball, calories, food, game, heatlh, Mets, stadium