Hasta La Ideas

Coffin shaped skateboards from an artist-run company living to skate and die

Inspired by the gritty streets of NYC and the raw style borne from them, Corpse Corps Boards makes coffin-shaped skateboards fit for the cutthroat mentality of East Coast skating. Founders and lifelong skateboarders Drew McKenzie and Jordan Walczak understand the need to make a product strong enough to hold up to the daily abuse of skateboarding. From its humble beginnings as a DIY art project in McKenzie’s Manhattan apartment, Corpse Corps Boards has evolved into a full-fledged skateboard company now making two sizes of decks and a small run of high-quality softgoods.

Not just another cruiser board, these shred-sleds are meant to be skated—case in point, the images of McKenzie killing it. Available in two sizes—9″ and 10″—with the perfect amount of concave, each deck is made with pure hard rock American maple. The standard 9″ deck is produced on the East Coast with wood sourced from the same legendary distributor that supplied Blockhead Skateboards and JFA in the mid-’80s and early ’90s. These 7-ply hand-screen-printed decks retain the general dimensions of a standard skateboard—31.5″ from nose to tail for plenty of pop.

In an effort to establish an artists’ network of sorts, Corpse Corps Boards’ 10″ decks are created in collaboration with local artists, graffiti writers, punk band members and all-around creative types who run the same seedy streets. Each board is cut, shaped and painted by hand in Brooklyn. Like all Corpse Corps Boards these individually-crafted decks are meant to be shredded, designed to the same length and concave as the 9″ board. In order to preserve the one-of-a-kind artwork, even after a good thrashing, each deck is coated in polyurethane.

To celebrate the official launch of Corpse Corps Boards the minds behind the company are curating a group exhibition featuring hand-painted decks by some of NYC’s most influential artists. “Open Casket” opens Friday 28 October with a party at Lower East Side’s Coat of Arms, showcasing original works from the likes of Nicholas Gazin, Greg Mishka, Bill Connors (top left) and many more.

“Open Casket” runs through 7 November 2011 and all custom-painted decks will be auctioned off after the opening party tomorrow night. Standard 9″ decks sell for $55 while the hand-painted 10″ decks go for $88—not bad for an original work of art. To purchase head to Corpse Corps Boards’ online store.

Fun meets safety in an affordable, made-in-the-U.S. minicar

Driving supercars is exhilarating and the stories of craftsmanship and engineering that goes into them are unparalleled. But some of the most impressive creativity and innovation behind car design can be found among other classes of autos as well. Chevy’s Sonic, the latest contender in the small-car class, is an awesome affordable car with an anticipated five-star safety rating, made right here in the U.S. Eager to see another example of the Renaissance happening in Detroit, I visited GM last week to tour the design center, safety facilities, and of course, drive the Sonic. I was more than pleasantly surprised that the miniature domestic model achieves the dream of safety and sport with a sticker price of $14k.

The Sonic comes in a four-door sedan as well as a five-door hatchback. Both models feature motorcycle-inspired headlamps, a high waistline and a low roofline. This slightly squat stance affords better handling, while a slight increase in width also makes for a roomier interior than typical small cars.

While I had a chance to drive both models on GM’s amazing proving grounds, it was the five-door LTZ with a 1.4L turbo engine and six-speed manual transmission that I enjoyed the most. “The little engine that could” was quite zippy, the steering responsive and the suspension firm but forgiving.

The real test was when three of us packed in the car with John M. Buttermore behind the wheel. Buttermore, the Sonic’s lead engineer, is not only a second generation GM engineer, he’s also a champion racecar driver. The Sonic breezed through big 90-mile-per-hour turns holding the road with little more than a quiet screech from the tires. Adding the weight of a full car of course slowed acceleration down a bit, but not nearly as much as expected. And the suspension quality didn’t vary from when I was driving solo.

Before starting the drive we had a chance to witness a crash test of the Sonic at GM’s safety facility. The test was a 40 m.ph.. offset head-on collision, meaning the driver’s side of the car slams hard and fast in to a massive concrete and steel block. It was over in what seemed like a second and upon inspection it seemed the driver’s compartment remained intact, thanks to the car’s reinforced steel frame and 10 airbags that not only protect the front and sides of the cabin, but also the knee area and headliner as well.

For something small, fun, cheap, safe and American, the Sonic is where it’s at.

The tastiest and healthiest snack food you’re not eating yet

A staple in grain production worldwide, sorghum is slowly making its way from the side stage to the spotlight. It’s easy to grow anywhere on the globe, inexpensive, gluten-free and, with a mild taste that partners perfectly with seasoning, you’re going to start seeing a lot more sorghum-based snack foods in the future. One of the first we have seen, which happen to be extremely satisfying, is popped sorghum, made by newcomers to the snack food industry, Mini Pops.

The snack is made from organic, pesticide- and genetically modified-free sorghum grown in the USA. It also has fewer calories, less saturated fat, less sodium and more protein, calcium and fiber than popped corn does, not too mention being high in iron, antioxidants and heart-friendly policosanols so you can enjoy a light airy snack with your favorite rom-com without any guilt. Nature has also blessed sorghum grains with softer hulls than corn, preventing those awkward moments of sticking your fingers in your mouth trying to pry uncomfortable wedges from between your teeth.

Mini Pops comes in plain and seven other flavors (we loved the Nano Pepper & Herb and the Baby White Cheddar), as well as in bags of raw kernels that you can pop and flavor yourself. Try some with a dash of Lucini’s Organic Limited Reserve White Truffle Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Nudo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Sicilian Chilies for a quick, healthy and low calorie snack.

Mini Pops are available online at the Mini Pops shop or look for a retailer near you. A 16-ounce bag of raw kernels sells for $13 and the six-ounce flavored bags sells for $3.50.