Sure gas prices are going sky high and the oil company strangle hold is never going to let any type of alternative energy sources be truly developed or made an affordable option, but those woes are nothing compared to what is going on down in Coney Island. With what has to be the saddest and most heart wrenching tail of $4+ gas, Geo Gas Corp. has run out of 4’s and 5’s for their pumps. The hand written fours and fives on Geo’s pumps is enough to make you want to cry. Bring on $6.00 gas so we can help these poor souls out!
BMW is pulling some wild things out of their exhaust with the GINA concept. Ditching the usual metal, fiber glass and plastic skins for your ride, GINA incorporates a fabric liner that can actually change shape. I am not sure if the day will ever come when we see a vehicle like this on the road, but the designs and thought processes that will come from this concept are infinite. Kudos to Bavaria on taking auto designs to another level!
Years ago people used to buy SUV’s for the go anywhere spirit and the get outta my way or I will roll over you attitude. Most of the world since then has evolved to think of SUV’s as the gas guzzling, planet killing, pollution machines that they are. Everyone except Toyota that is. Toyota is out bragging about their “green” ad campaign for their Prado Cruiser (aka 4Runner) running in Semana magazine all over Columbia.
The premise of the ad started off well enough. Print the ads on banana leaves that were going to be destroyed anyway. Aww, how nice of Toyota to not waste totally healthy trees that weren’t going to be destroyed to print on (doesn’t cutting down trees for lumber and paper count as “being destroyed anyway”??). The ad went all wrong however when it chose to promote it’s electric, water powered, run by a gerbil in a wheel, hybrid, GAS GUZZLING 4Runner. Is it just me, or does it seem ironic, ignorant and out dated to use the slogan “Keep in Touch With Nature” on one of your biggest planet killers? They’d save a lot more trees buy just increasing the mpg’s on the 4Runner by 1/2 mpg and making the Prius affordable. It’s probably just easier to pretend - as long as it is selling that is.
Watch the behind the scenes video clip, on the making of this ad, after the jump.
Element is known for pushing the boundaries of skateboard decks to new levels, and this year is no exception with the introduction of the PUSH deck. Lighter than any other board out there, yet some how more durable, a lot of people are calling the PUSH indestructible. I don’t know about that, but by merging carbon fiber and featherlight helium (aka air in the board - picture the sole of your Nike Air’s) construction the board is promising some serious pop.
On the green side, Element only uses wood in the board produced from responsible foresting.
LookNYC.org is the bicycle and motorist safety coalition that has been set up for NYC. I am a big supporter of making NYC bike friendly. First and foremost it means I will less likely be killed when I cruise around with a baseball card in the spokes of my wheels! Second, I like the idea of people riding bikes to and fro and forgoing their cars. Cleaner air, less gas usage and all those nice perks are a good thing for me, you, the City and the World.
The problem I have is that any organization willing to take on such a noble cause, shouldn’t expose themselves to criticism. If you look closely at Look’s advertisement above there are a few, umm how to you say faux pas’s (sorry for the lame verbiage, if I curse in the blogs I am required to put $.25 into a jar here at the Lab). Let me give you the background; this shot is taken on E. 4th St. and Lafayette. The car is heading WEST BOUND on E. 4th St., even though the street runs EAST BOUND ONLY in reality (at least they turned the one way sign around to hide this fact). As the car approaches the NORTH BOUND RUNNING LAFAYETTE, the driver decides to roll into the NON EXISTENT BIKE LANE on the street and turn SOUTH BOUND - HEAD ON INTO TRAFFIC! Then the final stupid move in this advertisement is where it is running, BUS STOPS! I mean wouldn’t it make more sense to have these ads where DRIVERS can see them, not those who are taking a BUS!
Oh and if you think I am making this up, or just plain wrong, check out the directional arrows for these street on Google Maps.
