Console kicks
In February 2018, Nike dropped the Paul George X PlayStation crossover kicks.
And now at E3 2018 it seems a bunch of “Xbox spokespersons and key influencers” have been rocking custom Xbox Jordan 1’s.
Both look a bit better than the old Air Force One PlayStations, although some of these Nintendo Vans are pretty dope.
Photo Essay: Sprayfield
José Luis Martínez Limón for Vice:
The clouds part and the theme to The Simpsons plays in my head as I walk among the colorful buildings of “Sprayfield,” a neighborhood that, in recent months, has been covered with elaborate graffiti murals of the most famous yellow family on TV.
700 Sharks In The Dark
A single shark is too clumsy to catch even a somnolent grouper. A pack of them is more likely to flush the fish from its hiding place and encircle it. Then they tear it apart. Seen live, the attack is a frenzy that explodes before us. Only later, thanks to a special camera that captures a thousand images a second, are we able to watch the sharks in slow motion and appreciate their efficiency and precision.
Incredible pictures and story from Laurent Ballesta and his team.
Red Dead 4K: The Redemptioning
In the midst of announcing a massive drop of backwards compatible and enhanced games, Microsoft released a 500MB update to Red Dead Redemption enabling 4K on the world’s most powerful console.
This. Is. Fucking. Amazing.
Most observers reckoned 4K for RDR would never come due to the engineering of the game – many thought the resolution was baked-in for performance reasons. But it seems the Back Compat team at Microsoft are wizards indeed.
So how does it look?
Stunning.
I mean, it’s ridiculous how good it looks. The 360 version (which is also what ran on the initial Back Compat version) was noticeably blurry and shimmery, especially in motion. It still looked great though, and you did get the impression that R* had put a lot more under the hood than the hardware was capable of displaying. And now we know that’s the case.
The result is that Read Dead Redemption is now – again – a joy to play.
More recommended Read Dead:
Finding John Marsden – A wonderful short doc from Polygon about Rob Weithoff, the voice of John Marsden
In depth review (thinreaper) – One of the best game reviews/critiques I’ve ever invested an hour and a half in
Atari VCS
The “VCS” stands for Very Cool and Sexy, surely.
I have a real affinity for this 2600 retro styling – it was the first gaming machine I ever owned (the Jr to be specific). Months and months of mindlessly delivering leaflets around the neighbourhood was all worth it!
And yes, in case you were wondering, I achieved ‘Neo at the end of the Matrix’ level zen-skills at Enduro.
The Atari VCS will be available later this year for between $250-300. That seems expensive.
Citizen scientists discovered a new aurora. They called it “Steve”.
Steve, left. (Krista Trinder)
This new feature differs from the long-studied “classical” aurora in several ways. It can be seen from much closer to the equator than its more famous twin, and it emanates from a spot twice as high in the sky. It was also first described and studied not by cultivated researchers—like those who coined the moniker aurora borealis—but by devoted amateurs. They were among the first to photograph the ethereal streak of purple light, and they were the first to give it a name.
That name is Steve.
We have to go back, Marty!
A little somethin light for @RussWest44 pic.twitter.com/K2oll2EkNi
— SoleCollector.com (@SoleCollector) January 18, 2018
We have to go back, Marty! @TheStarters @TasMelas pic.twitter.com/cw0AU8BxEu
— punyweakling (@punyweakling) January 18, 2018
Social Decay
A gorgeous imagining of social network logos representing defunct brick-and-mortor stores by Andrei Lacatusu.
The Roadhouse
My better half very kindly surprised my on my birthday last week with a brand spanking new Nexus 6P. The camera is great, an in certain circumstances just plain excellent. I love this candid shot I snapped of my daughter waiting for her ‘milk-milk shake-shake’ at The Roadhouse in Fitzroy.
Taken with Nexus 6P, edited in Snapseed.
Ai Weiwei: Forever Bicycles
At National Gallery Victoria. Captured on a Sony Z3 using Google Camera.
Sony Mavica FD-73
Recently I grabbed the demo version of Affinity Designer to take it for a test drive. I decided to take a trip down memory lane and revisit my first ever digital camera, the Mavica FD-73.
Further reading:
Wikipedia
Retro Thing
DP Review
Camera Wiki
The Art of in-game photography
A huge thanks to Motherboard (VICE) for featuring my photography in their recent showcase.
More of my stuff: illsnapmatix.com
Precious memories
“Wait a second! I’m not big boned, I’m just fat!”
Facebook really nailing those poignant memories.
