Perspective and the Human Condition

What happens when one of the world's great musicians, playing on the most masterful violin ever made, performs incognito before a traveling rush-hour audience of 1,000-odd people? The answers to this social experiment run deep and broad, and make for one of the finest articles I've ever read. Check it out...

Planet B-Boy

Planet B-Boy, a new movie highlighting the proliferation of the most physical of the four elements of hip hop, is screening at a quality arthouse theater near you. Haven't seen it yet, so I can't say if it trumps its stellar precursor, The Freshest Kids, but the trailer at least gives credence to what a lot of hip hop heads have known for a long time: the best that hip hop culture has to offer is happening overseas.

Yosemite!

Just got back from a week of crack climbing in Yosemite Valley with homie Max Joseph of UCD ARC infamy. It was steep, grueling, and delicious. Our timing was perfect - weather was excellent, and crowds were thin or nonexistent. (It's a rare feeling to have places like Cookie Cliff, Reed's Pinnacle, and Church Bowl to yourself). I'm used to being in JTree this time of year, and so the Valley was a bit claustrophobic, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was cheating on a mistress. Our tick list included Commitment, Bishop's Terrace, Sacherer Cracker, Meat Grinder, Reed's Direct, Lunatic Fringe, and some others. Biggest lesson: Rest days are a necessity. Photos posted at right.