I had this idea a while back, and it was so damn simple to make I don't know
why I didn't do it sooner. Having used some other options, I thought
something simpler like this would work better for me, so I whipped up a
tester. It gives you a few options in one. Grips down, grips up, and you can
also turn the camera 90-degrees and tuck one grip into your armpit for
stability on the quick. Using this rig with a Zacuto style eye-piece makes
things remarkably stable.

And yes, those are Duo BMX grips. Got to keep it real. Really simple to make
if you're into the DIY style thing, and you can adjust the size to your fit.
The top is a a piece of 1 1/4" x 1/8" steel flat stock. Then two pieces of
1" tubing welded to that for handles. Basic hole in the center for 1/4-20
tripod screw. More holes can be added for extras.

Once I get it figured out cost wise, we may put a few in the YoBeat store,
as well as the low-angle handle I posted in a previous post, for people
who want something simple, cheap, but functional. Though to avoid patent
issues we may call them back scratchers, or specialty shoe horns.

A catalog modeled after the Bible? Wow. That's bold. And I'm not even religious.

Last week, YoBeat.com, the snowboard site which operates out of my studio in
Portland, had a bit of an altercation with Burton Snowboards. An
advertiser's attempted power trip to control editorial turned into Burton
employees leaving anonymous hate comments from Burton's IP address, which we
easily traced. You can see some of the details here.

At one point over the course of the week I used the phrase "God Complex" in
reference to Burton. But then, this weekend, an ex-Burton employee (a
lay-off from earlier in the year) had the companies 2010 catalog sitting
out. I almost shit myself when I saw they modeled it after the Bible. Gilded
page edges, the whole bit. The Good Book? Jesus Christ.

I guess I was right.

(download)

Click here to download:

Oh_we_get_it_now_if_you_write_.zip (590 KB)

So, for some reason in all the funny drama of Burton Snowboards employees talking shit / trying to get YoBeat to pull the story on the Burton Fall Bash (a glorified family picnic) of its site, we failed to notice the new issue of Frequency Magazine had just arrived.

Frequency is a great magazine. We love it. But our excitement had turned to the Burton fun about how "you're not supposed to write about the private  function that is the Burton party." It's private we've been told. The media isn't really supposed to go there.

So imagine our surprise when we discovered that the new Frequency has a six page story on the Burton Fall Bash and the Burton Family. But wait, you're not supposed to write about it? I mean, that's what the Burton-created anonymous comments were criticizing YoBeat for, right? In other words, this is fucking amazing and makes me laugh.

Careful Frequency staff, you're about to get a shit-storm coming your way when the cool-aid drinkers catch wind of this one! I mean, you made them look like a nice happy family. How dare you put them in the public limelight like that!