You know how you’ve been doing something for a long time? Like, a really, really long time. I’ve been doing skateboards for that long. I’ve wanted a tool since I started. I finally made it. It’s a drilling fixture for baseplate holes in skate decks. I’ve actually needed this several times in the past few … Read moreThat tool you’ve wanted for about 35 years.
This project was a fucking wormhole. I didn’t want to go down it but it’s gravity was just too strong. It was also a perfect example of the engineering process and how it goes, for better and worse. I started riding skateboards for real in 1984. I was 14. Sure, we played with toy skateboards … Read more1984
I am a critic. The clip below is from the Screen Junkies Honest Trailers and it got me thinking this afternoon. After a savage “Everything Wrong With:” from CinemaSins, and back and forth discussions with critics at ComicCon; Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts joined the fun with the Screen Junkies crew to help make this critique of his … Read moreI am a critic
I’m really excited about this. So is Windy. I’ve been lamenting not having a van for a while. When I was younger, I had a Chevy G20 van (1989?). It’s what I moved away from the Boston Area in. Eventually landing in the bay area after a year in Colorado. It was awesome. After a … Read more$vanlife
Last winter, I bought some modern snowboard gear. New board, bindings, and boots. My old stuff was bordering on antique, 1997 era stuff. Ronen (my friend) wanted to help me enter the modern era and I took him up on that. We got some nice prices on some stuff that was good enough and I was … Read moreFancy Footwork
On Sunday, November 9th 2014, Herb Neumann died. It was cancer that took him down. He was one of the toughest guys there was but just one thing was tougher. I never met Herb in person. Over the years I learned a lot about him. He was a legend in the New Jersey/NYC area. He … Read moreHerb Neumann
I’ve been working on this for a while. Nothing serious, just picking at it. Most of my skating these days are done around campus at work or on odd days in San Francisco or when I travel. I love skating so much. Even as I get older, nothing makes me smile quite like stepping on … Read moreThe adult skateboard
Here’s something fun and useful. I love when I get to get all math-y… A long time ago (2006), I put a blurb up on my wiki. It was a re-post from long ago that I had posted onto a skateboarding message board, probably back in 1998 or so. My web site, wiki, and now … Read moreReverse engineering curves – The Sagitta
I had some old Independent 101 mm skate trucks laying around and a set of wheels collecting dust. I figured I’d put them to work. An Indy 101 mm truck is very narrow. Typically, you’d be using side set wheels in a modern context to make these work for anything but a child’s board. I … Read moreSkinny little bitch
I’m a known hater. I love some things though and one of those things is skateboards. Riding them specifically. Because of that, I really don’t like stupid gimmick skateboards like the 4 foot longboards or toy plastic novelty decks that have become all the rage lately. The pain inside me that occurs when seeing people riding … Read morePutting a skateboard together…properly
This is a post long overdue. Way back in 2001, I was in San Francisco and Oakland visiting for a west coast marriage reception for my new wife and I (a long since dissolved affair). I had needed to move back to Massachusetts to pick up the pieces of the family business after my father … Read moreThe PVD R3 Slalom Truck
The other day, I was having a conversation via Facebook with an old friend, Dave. We were talking about something having to do with his new bicycle. This and that. At some point, he flashes a picture on the message saying “Hey! look.” I was blown away. A world from so long ago… It was … Read moreOld school.
When I talk about a long skateboard, I’m usually talking about something very different from what most people are talking about these days. Let me first make a clarification. There is a longboard that is used in real skateboard racing, downhill and slalom. I’m not talking about competitive skateboards used in these specific racing … Read moreWhen I talk about a longboard…