Sydicate Demo Drops (Thoughts on that.)

Despite the cries of blasphemy at the thought of turning an all-time great strategy game into a balls out first person shooter, there is something undeniably appealing about Starbreeze's upcoming remake/sequel/adaptation/whatever of Syndicate. With it's gun-laden tale of futuristic corporate espionage, Starbreeze's Syndicate looks a little like Deus Ex: Human Revolution for stupid people, but add in some crazy weapons and mind-hackingly cool augmentations, along with the involvement of Starbreeze, whose Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness were both criminally under-appreciated, and you've got a stew going.

A co-op demo drops on Xbox Live and PSN today. Hit the jump for a trailer, and later, some thoughts on the demo.

Levi's Vintage: Girding Loins since 1873

Levi's just  out-retro'd everyone. Styles may come and go, but there is an indisputable blueprint for men's jeans: The Levi's 501. The west was still an untamed frontier when Levi's dropped their classic trouser in 1890, at which point Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis had been making jeans for 17 years. Levi's design and development wing, Levi's XX has just launched the Levi's Vintage Website. It's worth checking out, especially the page dedicated to the 501, which features a comprehensive breakdown of changes to the classic fit since it's inception.

It all may seem like a little too much emphasis to put on a single article of clothing, but when you're responsible for *95% of the world's pants, you're entitled to a little self-obsession.

Hit the jump for an awesome comparison chart showing the minute changes that have slowly altered the 501 over time.

HIP HOP IS DEAD

It finally happened. Okay, to be fair, this was a long time in the making, and should come as no surprise to anyone having endured the roughly ten years of pretty abysmal output from the genre. Sure, there were flashes brilliance here and there, but the aughts also bore the artist Chingy, mind you. I knew it was terminal after Little Brother broke up, but I thought we'd have more time... I was wrong. The ailing movement took a turn for the worse after hearing this, and finally succumbed to its injuries surrounded by close friends and family this morning upon learning of the release of G.O.P. campaign tool "Hoot for Newt." I wish I were kidding. Reportedly, the genre's lasts words were, "F'real? Fuck that, I'm out this piece."

Hit the jump for the wackness fraught "joint" that killed hip hop. And before you ask, yes, these kids do hail from Florida.

Lana Del Rey - A story about last summer.

Lana Del Rey first drew my attention last summer. It could have been her gorgeous appearance, or the fact that her lead single was called "Video Games." Whatever it was that drove me to click on a non-hip hop music link, it is an impulse I am eternally grateful I indulged in.

PIFF Lineup Released - The Highlights

The Portland International Film Festival has released the list of films showing at its 35th iteration. Mixed among the typically impenetrable or lethargic independent fare are some true standouts that merit a ticket.

Hit the jump for the list:

Barena Lookbook: The most expensive way to look like a post-war Chinese peasant farmer.

Venetian clothier Barena has released it's lookbook for Spring and Summer 2012, and it's pretty clear that they are eschewing the "boat-life" aesthetic prominent in so much clothing design for what can only be dubbed "boatyard-life." But that's being a little salty; maybe it's that sea air.

The lineup here is actually quite nice. A lot of rough textures, muted colors and dangling accents definitely give off a Long March vibe, but that may just be me being subconsciously swayed by the fact that the models appear to have their feet bound.

Other potential names for the increasingly popular "peasant chic:"

     - Proletariat Chic
     - The Great Leap Fashion Forward
     - Rice Paddy Life

Hit the jump for some highlights, and check out the some extra shots at OEN.

Attention All Trill Ass N****s, Three 6 Mafia To Play Portland Friday 27 January 2012

Yes, that's right. If you weren't already tipped off by the recent rash of pharmacy robberies, Academy Award winning, American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia are, in fact, Rose City bound.

In what is sure to be Portland's most 'throwed' show in recent memory, the group that once ate so many shrimp, they got iodine poisoning (swag) is poised to soundtrack a night of syrup-laden debauchery the likes of which we haven't seen since... well, since the last time Three 6 Mafia came to town. Those of you stockpiling promethazine-codeine for a rainy day, this is your moment, provided it's not expired like our bottle. You had better hightail it to the corner store before they sell out Sprite and Jolly Ranchers though.

Tickets are available here.

Now, for your listening pleasure, we present to you, the official music video for Three 6 Mafia's 'Sippin on Some Syrup'. Enjoy.

Mondo's Planet of the Apes Posters (Now with judgment!)

For years, Mondo Tees have been producing and archiving some absolutely exquisite movie posters and tee shirts. The distinctive style of their prints has led to fame, and presumably, some form of fortune. Their latest endeavor is a series of posters for the Planet of the Apes films to celebrate their being screened at the Alamo Draft House. They teamed up with an All-Star lineup of movie websites (movies.com, Film School Rejects, io9 -technically a scifi blog but get off my back yo- Badass Digest and Collider) to debut the posters, which promptly went on sale and were devoured by the unquenchable maw of apparently wealthy Planet of the Apes fans.

I say apparently wealthy because the six poster set went for $230. The posters are undeniably awesome (with one pretty notable exception), but in all seriousness, what are you really going to do with six Planet of the Apes posters?

Ball out beyond belief is what. Can I trademark B.O.B.B. as a rap name?

Hit the jump for the collection.

A Decade Later, Nintendo tries to catch up.

A week after a Japanese tweeter noticed a suspicious-looking "Nintendo Network" logo on the box art for a game that anyone would be brave to tweet about, Nintendo confirms the existence (or future existence) of The Nintendo Network.

Those with a keen insight to the passage of time will note that a similar service has been offered by both of Nintendo's primary rivals for the better part of ten years, yet the legendary company sees fit to tout features like "Personal Accounts" and "Community Features" as things that make Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console worth purchasing. There are already plans for the network to interface with the already released 3DS handheld as well, allowing for wondrous volumes of downloadable content.

Obviously, Nintendo is pretty confident that the Network will at least turn enough of a profit to make up for any ill-will incurred any time someone sees an RSS icon.


Because, it's like... yeah. Awkward. This was there already, and, like, you took it, Nintendo. I mean, I guess you kinda put an "n" in there, which, it's like, yeah... that's you guys, that's your thing, your letter, but... couldn't you have at least gone with green or something?

[via Kotaku and Joystiq]

It's been a big day for Sci Fi breakthroughs.

First the NYPD and the DOD announce a visual metal-detector straight outta Total Recall, and now word comes through the BBC that a breakthrough has been made in full three dimensional invisibility.

I'm all teched out after paraphrasing that metal-detector article earlier. I'll let the links do the talking.

[Header via Deus Ex: Human Revolution - hopefully real life cloaking has a longer battery life]

Spirit of 77 (review)

The Portland Trail Blazers last won an NBA Championship in 1977.

Interestingly enough, 1977 was also the last time anyone wanted to go to a sports bar. There is something intrinsically repulsive about a building full of people placing the well-being of their mental state in the hands of large men playing childrens' games, blindly glued to the disgusting Americana of an endless array of television sets. The Spirit of 77 aims to change all that. And for the most part, they're largely successful thanks to some incredible design work and a splash of Fooseball.

Sad News: The Goon movie is no more. (Update)

Despite including the above scene, the cinematic adaptation of Eric Powell's AMAZINGLY GOOD (seriously) comic book series, The Goon, is no more. (UPDATE: PSYCHE!)According to Paul Giamatti, who was slated to play the Goon's smart-assed, blank-eyed sidekick Frankie, the production ran out of money. Sad news, but at least the comics are still there. Check them out at Dark Horse Digital.

Hit the jump for the awesome promotional trailer that was put together to sell The Goon on investors.

One step closer to X-Ray glasses

Perverts everywhere rejoice.

So as it turns out, New York has a wee bit of a gun problem. Despite having some of the strictest firearms restrictions in the Republic, New York has been unable to curb gun crime with any satisfying results. The New York Police Department's current method of dealing with the overwhelming handgun population are  random (read: of black dudes) pat down searches. While this technique managed to procure over 800 guns, 88% of the searches performed came up with nothing. The NYPD wants better results, and if they can get those without all that pesky "movement" required when frisking someone, all the better.

Enter science!

Jean Dujardin in GQ

Jean Dujardin. Remember that name. It'll be important to know in the coming years. You could be forgiven for mistakenly assuming that Dujardin's name just recently became relevant thanks to his Oscar-nominated performance as a silent film star faced with the dawn of the talkies this year's The Artist. His turn in the silent film has Hollywood buzzing, and his nomination is just one of the film's ten.

Of course, Dujardin's name has been buzzed about for considerably longer if you ask anyone who has seen the brilliantly funny (and devilishly stylish) pair of French spy spoofs OSS 117 - Cairo: Nest of Spies and OSS 117 - Lost in Rio, in which Dujardin and Michel Hazanavicius (up for best director with The Artist) manage to transcend the spy spoof and elevate it from the shlock that Austin Powers turned into, all while predating the vainglorious misogyny of FX's Archer.

Basically, Dujardin has been killing the game for a minute.

And, as anyone who's seen Dujardin in anything will attest, he looks damn good in a suit. GQ was wise enough to recognize this and has an excellent photoshoot of Dujardin rocking plaid suits like he intends to kill the game then hunt down its family.

Hit the jump for the photos.

Ultimate Salt Presents: The Science of Hipsterdom

A$AP ROCKY'S 'WASSUP' VIDEO PREMIERE

Harlem up and comer A$AP Rocky has teamed up with Global Editor Andy Capper of VICE to produce the video for Rocky’s oblique condemnation of materialist philosophy, ‘Wassup’. Those who can’t be bothered to listen to lyrics, i.e., simpletons like Trent Fitzgerald at Complex magazine, will woefully misinterpret Rocky’s lament against the trappings of material wealth as just another vapid celebration of the very things the song decries, further bolstering my theory that most people in the world are retarded, but I digress. Are we witnessing the birth of a fame-eschewing paradigm shift in hip-hop music!? Probably not. But the video’s still well worth a look.

Hit the jump for the Official Video.

Underwolrd: Generic Subtitle (Review)

Pictured: Kate Beckinsale upon being informed she was contractually obligated to do another one of these.

The Underworld series is one of those rare film franchises that is comprised entirely of terrible films, yet is somehow still in existence. Born out of a post-Matrix desire to see attractive people fly around in patent leather while dual wielding pistols, it has inexplicably clung to life as if it had the willpower and tensile strength of its protagonist's apparel.

It's similarities to the abysmal Resident Evil films are staggering; only it's continued presence is infinitely more baffling, as there was no precedent set by an existing intellectual property. I've even made a nice graph charting their similarities:

Regardless of it's quality or necessity, Underworld - Awakening is extant. So get ready for another round of vinyl jumpsuits, pistols akimbo and blue filters; it's time to review this piece.

The Payoffs of Procrastination

A couple months back I got an email saying that there is a recall on my 1st gen iPod nano.  Something about the possibility of the battery exploding, I think. Now, I figured that I would probably get around to this one eventually, but since my 6-year-old iPod has been just been sitting in a drawer for a couple years, it wasn't really high on my to do list.  That is until now.

Apparently, Apple has run out of their original iPod nano refurbs that they were sending as replacements.  So, what does this mean if you listen to music in fear that your pocket could explode or if you would just like you music player to have fewer scratches?  Apple is still replacing the recalled iPod's, but now you'll get back a current generation nano.  (MacRumors says this may be happening for some; while, my cousin has received his free upgrade already.)

For those of you that have the original iPod nano just sitting around, this is a fantastic deal.  I'm just hoping that Apple doesn't manage to find some old iPod nanos in the next few weeks.

Action Bronson & Static Selektah - "Strictly Business"

Action Bronson & Static Selektah have returned as collabo-buddies. Well Done was dope, and with the first leak from New Jack City: Chopped and Screwed, they've given credence to our awarding Watch the Throne Album of the Year. That shit's influential. That whole mid-song-change-up thing that was all over Throne? Let's just say there's a reason this track is titled "Strictly Business - parts 1 & 2"

By the way, Action's follow-up tweet read, simply, "I am viral video." Follow this cat, now.

[via On Smash]

Movie Posters Reimagined for Different Eras

As cool and amazing and revolutionary as The Matrix was, (suck it, people who are mad that it just repurposed decades-old sci fi themes and meshed them with fairly modern anime tropes) I think it is an undeniable fact that having Bruce Lee replaced Keanu Reeves in the lead role would have substantially improved the film. Not because Keanu Reeves was any more awful than usual, he actually worked quite well for what the role of Neo require, it's just that any movie would be better with Bruce Lee in the lead role.

Sadly, that casting possibility is not a reality... in this universe. Which leads us to designer  Sean Hartter's Alternate Universe movie posters. Hartter is essentially making movie posters for relatively recent films with design styles and techniques of yesteryear, but what sets him apart from the massive crop of designers retrofying movie posters is that Hartter actually completely reimagines the films themselves, matching stars and directors with their era's poster stylings.

As cool as these are from a design standpoint, the window they open up in your imagination is the real draw here. Shatner in Avatar? Connery in The Fifth Element? James Dean in Drive?

Yes-freaking-please. (Although none could top the combo of Pam Grier and Bruce Lee - just sayin')

(And technically, Gosling did do a pretty good Dean impressive throughout 90% of Drive.)

Hit the jump for some highlights.

Joy Division/Mickey Mouse T-Shirt

This will probably the last time we ever link to the Disney Store, but this Mickey Mouse shirt taking a stylish visual cue from Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album art is worth the visit. I know it would at least be the second coolest Mickey Mouse shirt that Ultimate Salt contributor Alex Clark owns.

Added bonus: The guy modeling the shirt looks like Danny Brown's Korean cousin.

Hit the jump for the original album art, for comparison's sake.

Meet the Latest Joke Rapper Who's Better than Most Regular Rappers

The line between "regular rap" and "joke rap" has become increasingly blurred over the last few years (not talking about Yung Humma). One of the most notable examples of that blurring is Childish Gambino, a blatantly talented rapper, but one who has had to use several tracks to openly plead for listeners to look past his alternate persona as comedian Donald Glover and take his bars seriously. In interviews, Glover has brought up the point that so-called "serious" rap is actually quite funny:

"Look at Lil Wayne, he is very funny! He has punch lines galore, like “my gun means business; the bitch should have a tie on.” But, because of his background people take him serious. I have a comedy background so people struggle to take me serious..."

As Glover points out, a rapper's background is key, if not absolutely integral to how an audience perceives them. Glover's background seems to fit the bill; he managed to escape the hood in a manner rappers claim to strive for: Without turning to drug-dealing or violence. Yet despite being honest about his upbringing, he will never find the mainstream success of a guy like Rick Ross, who has fabricated his way to the top of pop-rap.

If Glover was able to turn an internet sketch series into a writing gig on what was then the funniest show on television, turn that into a starring role on what would become the funniest show on television (different shows - neither of which retains its title) all while earing a degree from NYU and writing and starring in a feature film and still can't get his rise to fame respected, what chance does Cancer Merchant have?

To pork pie or not to pork pie

It would seem that the tides of change are upon us as pork pie hats of all things are becoming more and more relevant by the day. I've counted more of these in the last month than I have pseudo blue collar hipsters, and we're in Portland mind you. Something's afoot. At this rate, I estimate the pork pie hat will have eclipsed the popularity of the slouchy beanie by roughly mid April. Why any self-respecting man would dawn a ladies' hat beats the hell out of me, but hasn't stopped droves of 20 something year old retirees from doing just that.The guys pictured above seem to be making them work, but these are men who play dress up for a living. Okay, Yogi Bear kills it in the pork pie hat, but he is, like, the lone exception to the rule. Will I be extolling the virtues of these hats in six months? Probably. But I'll salt until then. What do y'all make of these pieces? What's the appeal? 

What happened man? You used to be cool.

There is a problem with new cars.  

As car makers have tried to make their cars last longer and more reliable, I think they have lost something: frivolity.  Those things on a car that you’re not quite sure why they built it that way, but man it’s cool.  

Normally, I would never do this: Spider Man/Drive Mashup

As a rule when faced with anything that is completely bullshit, I'm vehemently opposed to franchise mashups (dude, what if, like, Harry Potter was wearing a Han Solo vest and it was like "Harry Solo?!!"), but switching the scorpion jacket for a spider jacket just works too perfectly.

Check out Yale Stewart's tumblr for more great stuff.

And you can't miss his hilarious take on the Justice League as lil' whippersnappers,
Little League.

An Ultimate Salt Original

A Photo Essay

by

Robert Hribernick

Over the past six months, we have undertaken several attempts at infusing vodka. What follows is the photographic documentation of our most recent attempt. As I can still see the words I am typing, and still have fingers with which I can type them, it is safe to say that our efforts were met with rousing success.

Check it: Archetype - short film

Visual effects supervisor Aaron Sims showcases his talents in this short film about a robot warrior who decides he no longer wants to serve his primary functions. Intrigue ensues.

The usually modus operandi for visual effects gurus showcasing their work with a short film is to include a lot of technical wizardry, but to only hint at something resembling a story. Sims bucks that trend, and is able to develop the main character pretty succinctly, and the result is a nice little short that showcases his storytelling abilities as much as his special effects prowess.

But you've gotta lose the super-zoom at the beginning, dog. That's never been cool.

[spotted on twitch]
[Aaron Sims' website]

 

K'naan "Nothing to Lost ft. NaS"

Not really feeling this song that much. But I've been on a Nas kick lately, and if you're desperately seeking something that sounds exactly like K'naan's World Cup Anthem "Waving Flag," it'll do the trick.

K'naan has some talent, and this one starts off sounding like it's going to be a quiet little banger, but then it goes all sing-song, World Peace and kinda loses it. I bet several layers of the beat are actually recordings of doves flying around with olive branches in their beaks.

And whatever talent he may have goes out the window on his second verse, dropping hashtag bars like: "Thought you new me? Well go back and delete it/I'm in every joint this year. #Orthopedic?"

Come on man.

Check it: Der Nurburgring Infographic

From: carbuzz.co.uk 

Carbuzz, which is some sort of British car-buying site, has put together an awesome infographic compiling a map of one of the world's most famous race courses with key statistics about it's history and topography. It's been featured on Top Gear multiple times, as well as in top-tier racing games like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo. I imagine the 26 Euro fee for a public lap is well worth it, provided you don't end up as one of the 3-12 annual fatalities. (Doesn't that seem like a pretty wide spread to be considered an "average?")

Regardless, few things that kill three to twelve people a year are as cool as the Nurburgring.

[spotted on jalopnik]

The Salties (Best Rap Album)

After three harrowing weeks of epithet-laden deliberation in Ultimate Salt’s situation room, adjourning only for the exigencies of burrito eating and self-abuse, we’ve finally reached a tenuous compromise that should satisfy both casual fans and aficionados alike.

So, without further ado, I present to you US’s 2011 winner for best album…

The Enigmatic Allure of Mac Miller and The Ominous Future It Portends For Generation Y.

Let me start out by saying that I love vapid party rap as much as any 16 year-old kid on his first of many Mac Dre kicks. That is to say that Thizz Entertainment has sound tracked many of my more ‘stewie’ nights. Anyone who doubts my veracity need only glance at my iTunes “Top 25 Most Played” playlist, on which you’ll find a number of party rap staples, among a number of other lesser known but still totally hittin’ odes to hedonism, a brand of hip hop which in a rather lamentable turn of events has all but erased the once stalwart subgenre that was socially conscious rap.

Avoid Ghetto App - For When the Block is just too Hot

Microsoft Patent does what Our Education System Never Could: Keep people off the street.

words Robert Hribernick

On January 3rd, 2012, Microsoft patented a new system for GPS devices that will allow pedestrians to avoid bad weather and unsafe areas. Why pedestrians would have to worry about localized weather shifts is not something the patent discusses.

But overall, that seem like a pretty useful idea. I mean, I'd like to avoid bad weather and WAIT. What do YOU MEAN, "UNSAFE AREAS?"

That's right. The software uses recent crime statistics to divert users away from areas in which they are statistically more likely to get shanked, shot and/or heated, merc'd or "ridden on."



Already dubbed the "Avoid Ghetto" App, Microsoft's latest has sparked some hilarious responses, along with, as is usually the case when the national media so freely uses the word "ghetto," some serious accusations of racism.

Resident Evil 6 Debuts (prodution slowed by the fact that developers can't aim and code at the same time.)

On the same day as the release the pathetically poor Sony commercial that had some Resident Evil: Retaliatbutionogenesis footage slapped on, Capcom has answered the SlimShadyian call, "Will the real Resident Evil please stand up?"

And now lumber forward.

Hit the jump for the debut trailer and post-game analysis.

The world's most poorly acronymed film festival is back (PIFF 2012)

The Portland International Film Festival. Sounds good on paper, but then you get to the acronyming (which is a verb now, by the way) and things fall apart. PIFF just doesn't quite work. Whether it brings to mind a certain brand of superior cannabis or a mixtape upload site almost certainly named for said superior cannabis, PIFF is definitely not the way to go when it comes to accruing prestige.

Regardless of its acronym, the Portland International Film Festival has always brought it, as it were, with the lineup of unreleased international films, and it's back to make dismal Portland February bearable once again. It goes from February 9th to the 25th, and is housed in theaters primarily around downtown Portland.

Why Max Payne 3 is (curently) 2012's only must have game.

 Max Payne was a great game. Max Payne 2 was a great game. Max Payne 3 should be a great game, right?

Well, despite its pedigree, it's going up against some impressive odds. First of all, the original dev team at Remedy has moved on to a new series featuring another bluntly named protagonist, Alan Wake. A new team handling a storied franchise can always be slightly treacherous. Second, it has been eight years since Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, quadrupling the number of years between the series' first two installments. In a world where gamers are frothing at Activision's teat for yearly re-skins of Call of Duty, an eight year layaway can't say much about the demand for the under-appreciated Max Payne.

His name says it all: David Dope's GIFs

If you thought GIFs were merely another medium for memes in the murky Internet underworld, David Dope's tumblr will make you think otherwise.

Or they'll give you some pretty nasty flashbacks if you've ever dropped acid and tried to play Asteroids.

Either way, it's easily the coolest non-boob related tumblr I've seen in a while.

[spotted on Design Envy}

We need to talk about Portlandia.

More specifically, we need to talk about how we need to stop talking about it.

How does a great summer spot fair in winter? (Violetta Review)

The experience of pensively sipping a machiato at a sidewalk cafe while an entire city flows past you is a distinctively European one. In the United States sidewalks are narrow, people are in a hurry, and the city flowing past tends to be considerably less picturesque than European counterpoints, forcing outdoor seating areas to be crammed into a fenced-in backlot, if they exist at all.

Wes Anderson tries to out-Wes Anderson Wes Anderson.

Not satisfied with the glut of Wes Anderson spoofs strewn across the interwebs, Wes Anderson himself has decided to follow up the fantastic The Fantastic Mr. Fox with the most Wes Andersonny thing you will ever see, and prove, once and for all, that he invented quirkiness.

It's the trailer for his latest, Moonrise Kingdom.

Kalil Kash - "Soul ft. Otis Clapp & Cavalier"

I stumbled across Kalil Kash on the sixtyone about two years ago; you know, back when it was still usable? Admittedly, he had completely slipped my mind until today, when one of his tracks popped up on Kevin Nottingham.

The dude is sick. A crazy talented MC, with a nice soulful beat.

Kalil Kash feat. Otis Clapp & Cavalier - Soul by Kalilkash

[Spotted at Kevin Nottingham - good find]

Schoolboy Q - "Grooveline pt. 1 ft. Dom Kennedy &Curren$y"

Black Hippy collaborator Schoolboy Q, who was loudly praised just last night by Ultimate Salt favorite Action Bronson, drops a new track featuring ol' Spitta and Dom Kennedy, with Lex Luger handling the beat. 


As can be expected from guys with songs like "Bet I got Some Weed" (Q) and "Smoke Break" (Spitta) the track is chill as fuck. I don't know if a track has come this hard with the chillness before. I don't even know if this counts as chill anymore, because it brings the mellowness with such fierce determination.

But it's Friday. You ain't got shit to do. Sit back and let this one wash over you.

ScHoolboy Q - Groovline Pt. 1 Feat. Dom Kennedy & Curren$y Prod Lex Lex Luger #HnC 1-14 by TopDawgENT

SIDENOTE: Action Bronson and Curren$y are ferociously battling a war for best Twitter account ever.

Alternate Scarface Posters

In addition to its being completely misinterpreted by an entire generation of rappers, Brian de Palma's Scarface has become a mainstay in modern cultural unconscious largely thanks to the staying power of its iconic poster. You might recognize it from every dorm room you've ever been in. You know, it's the black and white one sandwich between the Bobs, Dylan and Marley?

Anyway, Scarface is overrated. Had to get that off my chest. If I wanted to watch someone being an asshole for 3 hours, I'd watch the GOP debates or maybe create a loop of Gary Shapiro. It does have a pretty cool poster though.

Buzzfeed has a collection of some different takes on creating a poster for the film. It's interesting to see some other designs go up against the famous Scarface black and white. I posted some highlights after the jump, but check them all out.

Booth Babes Cause Controversy, Hilarious Explanations at CES

The BBC posted a piece about the practice of electronics companies hiring models to "promote" their company's booths at tradeshows like the currently underway Consumer Electronics Show. The practice goes something like this:

1. Find a hot woman.
2. Dress her in small amounts of fabric.
3. Have her stand near/hold your product
4. Have her talk to creeps who would normally just stare at her from afar.
5. (Optional - if you're nice) Pay for any counseling that may be required after Step #4.

It's pretty clear that this is not exactly a pillar of gender equality, and the tech writers interviewed in the BBC video outline how ridiculous the booth babe concept is, but the star of the show is definitely Consumer Electronics Association CEO Gary Shapiro. His time on camera is brief, but he makes the most of it, dropping gems like,

Get Down with the Nazi hunters: Danger 5 heads for the airwaves.

After a near-perfect 5 part webseries run, Dario Russo's Danger 5 is gearing up for a television run in its native Australia. The World War 2-if-it-happened-in-1965 spy spoof is Russo's follow-up to his dementedly funny homage to Italian B-movies, Italian Spider Man. Which, if you haven't seen, you should probably see --> Right her.

While the full ten episode arc of Italian Spider Man was never quite able to regain the stylishly unstylish fervor of its opening episode, Danger 5: The Diamond Girls is absurdly funny throughout. It's like if Team America: World Police made babies with OSS 117 - Cario: Nest of Spies.

Hit the jump to check the latest promo for Danger 5, as well as the first episode of the webseries, Danger 5: The Diamond Girls.

On the Radar: Binary Domain

As more and more people become aware that the advent of a technological singularity is rapidly approaching, it's been fascinating to see the stream of narrative works dedicated to the usurpation of the human race by our own inventions as the dominant species on the planet.

Unfortunately, very few people telling these narratives seem to be able to view artificial intelligence as anything beyond the whole "killer robots" concept, leading to an endless stream of Terminator (I swear it's coincidence there has been so much Terminator stuff today) and The Matrix one-offs, instead of the in-depth explorations of artificial intelligence that literature has provided.

James Bond 50th Anniversary

In celebration sure to irk purists everywhere, MGM is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise. Purist rage may be incited because the anniversary marks 50 years of Bond in film, despite the character's first appearance being in Ian Flemings Casino Royale in 1953.

To "celebrate" (see: make a shit-ton of money) MGM is releasing a Blu Ray box set of all 22 Eon Productions films, which excludes 1967's painfully misguided spoof Casino Royale, and 1983's litigation-inducing Never Say Never Again. Of course, all this leads up to the fall release of the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall, so as soon as you buy the massive box set, it becomes incompete! Yay capitalism!

Hit the jump for some deets (sorry) on the set itself, as well as a stylish, if Lazenby-light, trailer for the collection.

Jon Connor - Go Get Season 2 Just Blaze on the track

In keeping with the Terminator theme of the previous post, the heroically named Jon Connor hops on a Just Blaze beat to drop a nice reminder to pick up his Season 2 mixtape. Which you can do here.

[via Real Hip Hop Head]

GTA IV Terminator Mod

While playing Grand Theft Auto IV, I've often remarked, as I slowly march into a squadron of SWAT teams, absorbing hundreds of bullets directly to the dome, that Grand Theft Auto is the best Terminator game ever made. Someone with significantly more programming/design expertise clearly agrees with me, and has modded GTA IV to reskin the player as the iconic T-101.

Added bonus: The game's stilted, mechanical animations now make so much more sense!



[spotted on Kotaku]

Big K.R.I.T. x Clams Casino

Genre-defying producer Clams Casino of "I'm God" fame reworks Big K.R.I.T.'s Moons & Stars to his liking, eschewing his decidedly darker sonic aesthetic in favor of brighter tones and relaxed hues here. Sounds like summer to me. Peep game. (via Fader)

JFK Flatline T (Bean Dip)

As someone who already owns way too many t-shirts, I try to avoid buying any more of them unless absolutely necessary. This Bean Dip JFK design is the definition of absolutely necessary. But there's only one left that I can find, and it's a large, and you know I rock that medium.

So hurry up and get some mediums back in stock! 

Bean Dip's website is worth a look, some cool shirt designs over there.