EYE HEART WARBY PARKER - Stop Motion (HD)

WARBYS
I've become a fan of Warby Parker since hearing about them on TechCrunch. So during a trip to New York City, I decided I would pick up a pair. The $95 frames (+ prescription lenses!), was a deal I couldn't refuse. Their frames are, specifically designed to target the consumer looking to stand out from the crowd. Bold frames, and styles and decent quality.
Warby Parker boasts affordable frames that go against the norm of overpriced brands. They also donate frames to those in need. 
I was actually considering a pair of Moscots while in NYC, but Warby won me over.
Check em out at http://warbyparker.com. (I believe they started shipping to Canada recently.) While Warby Parker has a showroom at the New York office, all the purchases are done online, on their site. They will actually ship a Home Try-on of 5  frames, which is cool.
Enjoy the little animation I shot and edited. The goal of the spot was to match the clean look of the Warby Parker brand. The frames featured in the video are the Winston, with an old fashion fade. Maybe I'll pick up another frame in the future.

This is the last the series of "New York" videos that I've done since my trip.

Stop Motion UNIQLO THREADLESS GAMA-GO RAY-BAN

ALBERT ART STOP MOTION
Some of you may have noticed the little title at the end of some of my new videos, the stop motion ones specifically. The looping spinning hat that you see, is an excerpt from this video. A strange, hoodie and clothing stop motion test that I took. 
Stop Motion is really fun, but quite time consuming!
Enjoy!

Project Glass Google Glasses Gamers Nike Warby Parker

Project Glass, ideal for gamers.

One day, the gadgetry from the world of sci-fi will become a reality, and we're living in that time. With touch screen smartphones, tablet computers, self-driving cars and now the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize contest a $10 million competition, bringing the Star Trek device into the real world. This is definitely an exciting time for new gadgets.


Yet the most exciting  gadget on the horizon is another from Google, Project Glass, Augmented Reality eyewear. This is most definitely not an April Fools joke. Still very early in development the technology would allow  for a HUD interface to appear on the users field of view, which would allow for integrating useful Google tools like Maps, and Google Hangouts, into your eyes without having to hold a phone, hands-free.


Most people seem to be excited for this technology but are equally divided as it could be a big distraction to many. Can you imagine all the stories of people walking into poles, getting hit by cars while crossing the street, getting into accidents while driving? 


Then again, that wouldn't be anything new since many people are just as accident prone with their heads down staring at their smartphones in the streets on top of having music playing with their audio devices.


For the generation who play First-person videogames, or MMOs, we've become accustomed to having information displayed over our virtual worlds. And the majority of gamers have no problems with it.


If Google Glasses were to become a reality, the HUD design would need to be intuitive, elegant, and controllable. You wouldn't want icons popping up randomly that would get in the way of LIFE. You should be able to choose the information you want to see.


I don't think this would isolate people. People are already isolated when they prefer to stare at their phones texting, while listen to music without making eye contact with each other in the streets. At least with Project Glass you're looking up at and discovering the world around you. 


Texting and walking into a fountain...










Whether the technology comes in the form of a projection attachment for use on regular spectacles or entirely new set of eyewear, remains to be seen. IF Google decides to team up with an eyewear company, might I suggest Warby Parker, or Nike? $95 frames from Warby Parker would appeal to the Hipsters, while Nike would appeal to those who play sports.


On one hand you have to convince people to adopt the technology, and another to convince them that they won't look stupid wearing them!






Star Trek TNG.

PARTY! GDC 2012 Super7 Insert Coin PixelJunk 4am

PARTY! GDC 2012 Super7 Insert Coin PixelJunk 4am


Super7 has always been on my list of toy shops to hit up if ever I was in town, I just never had a chance to visit the shop until my recent trip to San Francisco. It seemed like the forces had aligned and I had an opportunity to check it out. Fresh off the plane, I was in a bit of a groggy state, going out into the night and in need of a party. 


Super7 is a well known Kaiju figure shop with a side of Japanese Star Wars figures, and limited print graphic tees. I knew the place was cool, I just didn't know how awesome it was until I got there. 


With the Game Developers Conference in town, they threw a party for the launch of their new line of gamer tees called 'Insert Coin', so I jumped at the chance to check it out. After a sardine packed BART ride from downtown, and a walk through a dark street towards Haight St., (fearing I would be stabbed), I found Super7. Then I realized, I could have just taken the bus! (Their previous location had been in Japantown, and is now located on Haight.)




The party was packed with art fans spilled on the side walk.  Sony's PixelJunk 4am was being demoed at the event. Using the Sony Move controller, users can create and layer sounds and beats using the visualizer on screen. The experience has been described as similar to the music process of a DJ, transitioning through beats, with the ability for people to spectate. 


The visualizer is like an instrument, with button inputs creating different sounds, when the controller is waved around, or whether buttons are held then released. I could definitely see the depth in program like this. Though I don't think was a way to save out the audio into a convenient format to create and share. (PixelJunk 4am was also set up on the Expo floor at GDC, Sony booth.)


The Insert Coin tee designs were all pretty creative, taking retro gaming and design and slapping it on a tee is a tall order, but these artists did a great job. Unfortunately, I didn't pick up any of the gamer tees, and instead opted for the In-N-Out secret menu tee by artist Josh Herbolsheimer. Fans of burgers should appreciate this.











The boys and girls over at Super7 were very chill. Keep up the good work guys!


Check out the pics from the event!

http://super7store.com

ADDRESS

Super7 Store
1427 Haight St (@ Masonic)
San Francisco, CA 94117

Kicks: Chaser Napa Grey, my first Alife sneaker purchase, possibly my last.

Not that I don't like em. They feel pretty comfy, and have some pretty good insoles. The design, though clean and simple, is pretty nice and good quality all around. Call me out of the loop in fashion, but I had no idea what Alife was, up until a friend of mine told me they opened up a shop here in Vancouver, in the super hip district of Gastown.

The streetwear fashion boutique has made its way to the west coast of Canada, so I decided to check it out. No surprise, I wasn't too wowed by the stores current lineup of sneaks. It seems as more of these high-end sneaker lifestyle stores open up, the designs start going downhill, either over designed, under designed, or just impractically designed, or just UGLY designed. You have to ask yourself... this is what I'm paying for?! Alife, a brand out of New York and backed by many a celebrity from John Mayer to Wu Tang, have a retail and distribution philosophy that they feel sets them apart from the other brands out there.

"Strictly New York Shit"... yeeeeah.... shoes made in Korea, with denim washed in Japan. How authentic New York is that? I know its next to impossible to find shoe and clothing factories that aren't in Asia, but still, a Korean kid is making your overpriced shoe! It's not actually worth that much, and it's unavoidable regardless of brand name. The price we pay for style. That's what I hate about fashion, and how streetwear has become just as pricey as the other mainstream brands. Hip hop fashion has become mainstream, leaving behind the whole humble history of coming from the streets. Can low income people afford this stuff? Nope. What would someone do to take part in this fashion frenzy? Stab someone for their shoes? Yes. So while the people with money can afford this stuff, the people who cannot, may result to criminal actions to get themselves a pair. That's not a generalization, it's being realistic. I went to high school with kids who stole from their jobs as retailers, and tried reselling that stuff to students.

These Chaser shoes came with additional Red and Blue laces, on top of the grey ones (which I replaced with white Laces in the pictures)... If I wore these in Compton California, I'd probably get some deathly stares. It's a good thing I'm in the safety of wannabes and posers in Vancouver, who regurgitate fashion from other cities because this city simply has no unique style of its own.

I still can't get past the tendency of typing "Alfie" instead of Alife.

Please don't tell me this is the next Fubu??? Whatever happened to Fubu anyway?

Related: Sneaker Confidential, Alife on Label Lab.