Been MIA for a couple of weeks so got some backlash when it comes to my words of the day. As you might know/have read, (almost) every single day – when I don’t forget – I post a word of the day on twitter, inspired by my Urban Dictionary Calendar.

Conintuing the tradition in 2012 with a fresh stack I reckon I need to do a quick catch-up for my slacking. What follows are some of the best words I saw the past weeks

nap mouth - The bad taste in your mouth just after waking up from a nap.

time vampire - Something or someone who literally sucks your time like a vampire sucks blood.

seat gypsie - A person or group of people that travel from one unclaimed seat to another (normally at sporting events) because their cheap asses couldn’t fork up the money for better seats. Said people are forced to move once seats are claimed by the rightful ticket holders.

nomonym - When you eat something and it tastes like something else.

cheappuccino - Any of the wide variety of flavored coffee drinks offered at convenience stores that can be purchased for less than half the price of a coffeehouse cappuccino.

X-rayted - TSA rating for airport, naked body scan images.

thrift whore -  person who shops at many different thrift stores, thereby often finding wonderful deals.

testicular fortitude - balls, guts, intestinal fortitude

dweet - Twitter tweet sent when drunk. A drunk tweet

airport vultures - Passengers waiting to board a plane who stalk around near and clog up the boarding gate before a flight, regardless of where their seat is or when boarding actually is.

masturdating - Going out alone. I.e. seeing a movie by yourself, going to a restaurant alone.

party claim - Objects left at a party may be claimed by the host.

pornocchio - A person who embellishes their sexcapades to sound cooler.

economic vegetarian - Only eating Vegatables because you can’t afford to buy meat.

dish envy - Sudden, intense longing and regret derived from watching a particularly appetizing dish being delivered to a nearby table.

Oh, and yesterday I tweeted the classic ‘ass antlers’ (known as tramp stamps amongst the general public) courtesy of @Gammet

A type of tattoo, usually worn by women, on the lower back and branching upwards from the buttcrack. From the original German “Arschgeweih”.

Now its been 2 weeks that I’ve been more or less locked up at home, doctor’s orders to rest the arm/shoulder. No work & hardly any play means I’m a pretty dull boy right now. At least I’ve come to the point where I can type a couple of sentences efficiently without massive pain. Getting round online one-handedly *pun intended* ain’t all that efficient by the way .

Anyways, collected some of the instagrams we took along the way and hope to hit the slopes once again next year as this season might be too soon considering the projected recovery.

My main companion is a trusty MacBook Pro and my Kindle E-reader which got a new custom made felt ‘owl’ cover.

Besides that I spot my Golden Half camera and some film, a spork, moleskine notebook, handkerchief, scarf, earplugs, usb cigarette lighter plug, markers, lip balm/chap stick,  broken ipod (which urgently needs replacing) and an ear light which regularly comes in handy. Also as I’ve just moved I’m carrying around  a measuring tape, has come in handy on a regular the passed weeks. Lighters, pens, … and a toothbrush finish off the clutter more or less.

Latest addition is a Duracell usb charger by the way. Got my hand on the larger version and have been testing it for a while as my iphone is not that reliable anymore. You can easily charge a variety of USB-powered devices with it and the battery itself recharges through a wall socket at home. I can only repeat that its a comfort having back-up power on-the-go in this day and age. Previously I had been using my PowerMonkey (and still do sometimes), but Duracell offers a battery that can handle any device through its own usb cable.

Besides all the other stuff I’ve also got copies of The Word Magazine‘s & Subbacultcha‘s latest issues. Worth a read!

Now as I’ve shared my junk… what do you carry around on a daily base

Over the weekend a couple of friends and myself started contemplating our roadtrip for 2012′s summer. Having considered several options our mind has set on ITALY and more specific Tuscany where we’ll be looking to rent a place for a week.

So, give us the boot but also give us your Tuscan travel tips & experiences as we are total novices when it comes to the region.

Gunshots, people running mad in the street and lots of cheers yesterday as Spotify deployed  its services in Belgium. Or was it just twitter and my facebook wall that got flooded with Spotify related content? All I know is that lots of people were giving Spotify their praise while other unhappy hipsters were calling the music service evil and complaining about some ads that passed by every now and then?

I must admit I had been using Spotify, through a loophole in their system, for a while already. It was accesible, without any ads in between the streams, as they still had to officially get started in Belgium. Now the people from Spotify blessed  me with a premium account. No ads, unlimited access to their service on- & offline … I will extensively use this throughout the next weeks, test their service in on the road with the ol’ trusty iphone, … but reckon I already know the outcome as I have already learned that € 9,99 a month for unlimited access to their database on- & offline is not a lot of money.

For the readers who haven’t tried it out, its pretty easy Just hit the download Spotify app button, install and log in with your facebook account (OH NO, not my facebook account?! Yes, you can only log in with you facebook account and it works like a charm.) Next all you have to do is sit back and enjoy some fresh or older tunes.

“We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists“ is an upcoming documentary on Anonymous and the history of hacktivism. Expect this.

 

Kid Robot & Swatch have been a favorites of mine for a while so I could not have been more delighted to see yet another collab as this take place. I had been longing for one of my own for a while … et voila

Its Frank Kozik‘s (his name by creating full-color silk screened posters for various legendary rock bands of the 90s) contribution to the collection. ”I wanted to make the designs as clean as possible,” he explains “I like Swatch for its plastic future sense.”

As Flava Flav‘s iconically states “What time is it?!”

Still owed you this post:

Couple of weeks ago I spent a weekend in Hasselt for the Street Art Festival surrounded by a great line-up. Coincidence has it that I happened to help out Mymo with here massive piece. Operating the bucket, painting where possible. Besides that some other great pieces got shape. Full set overhere but thought I should share a couple of them here …

A first for me and a great festival overall.

Mymo

Resto

Oli-B x Billy x Resto x Bue the Warrior

Polak x Locatelli

DinDin

Aryz

Also, as I have been getting questions/requests over the past 2 weeks I thought I should enlighten everyone that I did leave the StreetArtBelgium.com thing. Our paths were clearly going other ways. Several people had warned me for certain elements while starting our efforts, and in the end it seems they were right on this from the start.

Stuff has been done, stuff has been said, a story which has several sides to it, so I wish not to get strangled in between. Besides that I could not find myself within the way things turned out, kicking someone off a mutual project without discussing this amongst everyone does not float here.For that reason I decided to quit all efforts within the project and for what its worth, I regret it had to turn out this way as we had something nice going as a team. Personal side of the story available offline for the those interested.

For those of you who wish to support the festival and see it return once again, please join the facebook page which will keep you up to date on what happens in the future.

Also, on a final note, Oemebamo shot a great overview/recap of the festival. Hope this will return next year or the near future.

Met A Squid Called Sebastien for the first time while organising Youthwatching several years back. He would join in with several others at the end of the day, expo some of his work, … 

Couple of weeks back we met again over some coffee at Ghent’s Vooruit. He had just returned from the 9000miles tour he did with several other artists. Told me I should check the following book I just remembered (*note to self*) and also come check out his expo at ArtSpace Leguit (which previously also hosted one of our #youngscum get togethers).

If you’re in Antwerp this Friday, definitely go check his guest expo + live painting by 9000miles featuring:

Steve Locatelli
Stanislas Lahaut
Jan Opdekamp
Nadia ‘Cymo’ Oussehmine
Digsville Music
Third Digit

The expo itself, which brings a collection of new works on wooden sufaces made in the course of 2011, will run untill the end of the month. Check the preview below & the facebook event for further details and go see them fatties!

Artspace Leguit

Leguit 23

http://www.artspaceleguit.com/

Images courtesy of 9000Miles

This has been in the make for a while. Already great work by everyone involved.

For all additional info visit http://streetartbelgium.com/ or feel free to contact us.

Over the weekend I payed Utrecht a quick visit. A wedding with friends, a 30-45min walk through the city before. Snapped some stuff on the way to the ceremony though …

Roadkill.

Urban knitting.

Cowboy or indian? What were you? I was a cotton candy cowboy.

Work in progress, launch is imminent.

In the meantime check our facebook or twitter.

Went to my very first Brussels Girl Geek Dinner yesterday as sakoche for the ma’am (yes but no, our previous big day out did not count as a real BGGD I reckon). Something about cyberpads at Samsung’s dig I was said and so we head out to Vilvoorde.

Seems they’re launching a new tablet, a bigger one than their previous tab because size does matter in this case. What else did I remember about it all: it runs flash and basically does everything you expect it to do.

Girl geek dinners are awkward in a way, not because you are surrounded by cute girl geeks, but because just like at #youngscum and other online/offline gatherings you know certain people are there but you just can’t put a face to their name (although you really want to say “hello”) or you happen not to really bump into eachother.

Leaves me with an awkward feeling time and time again :s ans yes, I am no hero when it comes to strangers. Its one of the reasons I love living in the city, the anonymity.

As my mother always thought me to thank people: cheers Samsung and the other sponsors for a nice evening.

[Picture taken & sent with a Samsung 'Galaxy 10.1' Cyberpad]

“There is no algorithm to define cool, you just know it when you see it“. – Anonymous hipster.

I have been meaning to digitalize a selection of analog photos for a while now. This is one of the first scans I got sent to see if I was happy with the result. Cracks me up every time I see it and looking forward to see the full collection. I’m betting its gonna be priceless.

Tilting, just when planking & owling became to ridiculous for words …

[extra, extra, read all about it]

A sausage fest, gone horribly wrong.

[Work by Kati Heck]

Onio, Ox-Alien, Rotterdam

Each and every day I walk by this mural. Its en route to our offices. Peeps better have a good look as it might just be your last chance to see it as demolition work has started …

Update: seems this wall will remain intact till at least September.

So, its official, we now have our own 22 curators under one roof as last night (the 22nd of June) at exactly 22:22 hours 22tracks launched its BE counterpart. For those of you who are unfamiliar with 22 tracks, we had previously mentioned this musical weapon of choice a while back #youlaggards.

With Bruxelles added, the guys behind it all are right on track with their global expansion. We’ve been fans since day one and can’t wait to see which cities get added to the magical list of 22 in the near future hopefully.

On the Brussels roster we find Lefto (World Vibes), Deg (Techno), Sound of Stereo (Electro), Murdock (Drum’n Bass), … amongst many others. Our favorite selections right now are the tropical selection by Funky Bompa & the moody selection by @Nosedrip (although we also got a nice taste of dubstep).

22 selections means there’s something to float everyone’s boat, so keep an eye (or even better ear) on them lists.

Made this Knack Weekend’s black edition nº 4 on Outdoor & Ecoliving which features a part on different ‘communities’. Heard we were asked to enlighten a little something about young scum and love, lots of love it even seems.

At your local paper monger right now. Thanks for the mention Knack as it turned out to be a nice edition.

Seems a few spare hours in Ghent and hooking up with Bue results in the following. Read all about it at Insaland.

Unfamiliar with Insa’s work? Have a look overhere.

Based on how objects slowly deteriorate and wear down.

Hong Kong is home to more than 7 million people. Amongst the high rise apartments, product designer Michael Leung founder of HK Honey, has created his own space bringing nature back into the metropolis one box at a time.

HK Honey is an organisation of Hong Kong beekeepers, artists & designers who aim to communicate the value of bees to the human food chain & the benefits of locally produced honey. With a network of bee farms and a design studio, Michael and HK Honey harvest local honey & design products and services relating to urban beekeeping.

If there’s one thing I own lots of its T-shirts. I guess I’m not the only one here when it comes to drawers filled of these cotton/polyester bundles of joy. There even was a time when I used to mess around with ink and rollers myself, printing custom stuff. Messy work.

It always amases me though how little people know about the process of printing shirts. Happened to stumble upon the following clip a while back but thought we ought to post it overhere while cleaning up my bookmarked folder.

Rewind 8 hours earlier: we’re hitting the club. Drinking, dancing, drinking, some more drinking, … you know how that goes. Sweaty club, bodies touching other bodies, people working their livers in overdrive, finishing it all off with a kebab at the shop on the corner (maybe a Bicky Cheese if you’re in BE). You know how it works.

Now its Sunday afternoon, messenger window pops up, “What you doin’?”. You answer in a split second: ‘Nothing, lazy Sunday all the way’.

That’s when it hits you: staying in and enjoying the peace and quiet can be bliss. Some time off, to do what you always wanted: nothing. Nada. No ratrace, just bliss. Ordering food in. A movie in the background, while you fall asleep in the couch. The cellphone ringing, letting it go over to voicemail. Once again, you know how that goes.

Well, in life you’ve got people who enjoy chilling and then there’s people that …

Note from the editorial staff: Yes, we know its Monday.

A new spot opened its doors in Ghent last weekend: nº 13.

A contemporary home which will be open for 13 weekends and this until june 13. Better keep an eye on the planned activities as they promised to do some cool stuff before closing them doors for good. This Saturday a Red Bull Music Academy Q&A [you have to register for this btw] with Morgan Geist, Retro/Grade and Fredo for starters.

I first really read about JR with his 28mm project a couple of years back. Saw stuff popping up on the interwebs and loved the way it made people think about situations time and time again. Its that subtle form of social criticism that makes JR one of those artists that keeps drawing peoples attention and I reckon you ought to watch the clip below. Its an introduction on the TED prize winner.

and if you want to find out more I suggest you also read this piece in the NY Times on the man’s life & work. Or how one man has one wish to change the world.

The project was created by Joris Debeij, a European currently residing in LA, who wants to document the city through portraits of intriguing and unique personalities living there. Each single one on people who found a specific niche for themselves in a city of millions.

Enjoy the selected clips, we know we did.

Salvador Preciado has lived in East LA for most of his life. Growing up, he always was impressed by the tattoos worn by local gang members and he later decided to become a full-time tattoo artist. Sal is now the proud owner of El Clasico Tattoo, a tattoo shop in Echo Park.

Sean Martin has been riding bikes for over ten years. He started out on a BMX and now feels “one” with his fixed-gear bike while riding through the streets of LA.

Imagine this: There are mature fruit trees planted and cared for all over your neighborhood, so you can just pick fresh fruit and enjoy it as you walk down the street, without ever needing to go hungry. The guys of Fallen Fruit started 7 years ago as a one-time project that involved mapping out the locations of public fruit trees.

Smoking, an addiction like many others. Besides smoking I reckon the interwebs is yet another big addiction us humans have been continuously developing. Some more than others. A need to be connected, 24/7.

Remember how, once upon a time (about two/three years ago) so-called smartphones were something you could see business people typing away on whille enjoying their laté in their local Starbucks? Hammering away, pinging each other, … And then something happened. Smartphones suddenly became a must have item.

Strangest thing, how people become dependant on a piece of plastic. Something of which science hasn’t even decided on if its signals damage our body just like smoking does.

Sometimes I ask myself: how did we do everything before this all? Right, we planned everything out.

I wonder if I would survive a period of total offliness. I guess not. Hi, I am ****** and I am an addict.