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The Impossible Cool

A simple idea beautifully delivered.

A friend of one of the guys at the office pointed us in the direction of this blog.  'The Impossible Cool' as it's called.  One man on a mission to collect the words and pictures of the world's coolest people. And you know what, whether you agree or disagree with who and what is on there, the whole thing works.  Makes you want to see the art and copy in an exhbition for real.  Check it out at theimpossiblecool.tumblr.com/

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Categories Art Tags culture Design Fashion General

By Juan on 28/7/09

The 10 Dive

"You have to shake the tree to strengthen the roots."

Forget the golden boy status, the squeaky clean image, and the nations renewed expectation ahead of 2012. For now just think about that last dive and how he pulled it off, 4 perfect 10s, when all those more experienced souls around him faltered. Matt Mitcham the Olympic champion can’t have seen it coming, but the philosophers among us certainly could.

In June this year Tom Daley moved schools on account of bullying. He has spoken of threats to break his legs amongst those painful memories. He has since moved schools, and is much happier for having done so, but the extent to which the challenges of the months up to June helped him stay strong in the final moments before his last dive are, according to some, not to be under-estimated. The old adage tells us ‘ what doesn’t kill us make us stronger’. The mental strength that Tom showed in delivering the perfect dive when he needed it most tells us a lot about the young man’s character, and it provides further weight to the popular belief that when we suffer we grow stronger, a strength that can help us in all manner of ways down the line.

Now a World Champion Tom is under no illusions as to what lies ahead. He has to now work closely with his coach, Andy Banks, to introduce new dives with a higher degree of difficulty if he to deliver gold at 2012. His current series has a lower degree of difficulty than his rivals, meaning he has to dive nigh-on perfectly and hope that his competitors do not. Daley admitted the prospect of a new dive could be challenging to create and apply himself to. Above all, learning a new dive is intimidating but he insisted that positive thinking and trust in his coach would stand him in good stead. As he faces up to his new challenge he would do well to remember that although he has been shaken hard in life already, he has overcome his challenges, and become the new oak of the UK diving fraternity. For Tom Daley on a diving board there shouldn’t be anything he can’t do.
 

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Categories Sport Tags Endeavour General

By Juan on 22/7/09

So Many Festivals

If you buy a ticket for Scunthorpe you should know you're in trouble.

With so many festivals now advertised in shining lights throughout the UK summer there's always the chance of getting stung by a ropey one.  There's no doubt this small piece of creativity captures the essence of how it can go wrong.  Artists at the BBC take a bow.

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Categories Tags Art culture Music Fun Media

By Juan on 19/7/09

One Word 'can'

Iron Man Hawaii and a very special kind of love and determination.

The story goes like this ..........

One day a son asked his father: "Dad, would you run a marathon with me?" The father says: "Yes," and they run their first marathon together. Sometime later the son asked his father again, "Dad, would you run another marathon with me?" and again the father says: "Yes, son," and they run their second marathon together. After the marathon, the son asked his father: "Dad, would you like to do an Iron-Man Triathlon with me?" (Iron-Man = 4km swimming, 180km bicycle, 42 km run). And again, the father says, "Yes."

This is a snapshot of their story.  One word ; 'can'.
 

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Categories Tags Sport Endeavour General

By Juan on 11/7/09

2 Wheeled Inspiration

If we say 'Bicycle Race' do you think Tour De France or late 70s glam rock classic?

As The Tour De France moves into its 3rd week and its final 1000k, all the talk is of Contador's brilliant hill climbing, Cavendish's sprinting prowess, Wiggins' podium prospects and Armstrong's revenge return in 2010.  For my part as I get on my bike and head out for a session I'm not actually thinking of these determined souls, but instead, I'm thinking music. Not what to play on my ipod but what music might have been inspired by the race itself in the same way that life in general inspires art...

The Tour has of course given rise to a host of popular tracks - none of any distinction until Kraftwerk had a hit with 'Tour de France' in 1983 – described as a minimalistic "melding of man and machine".  You make your own mind up.  However, the one I should have guessed I didn't ; Queen's bicycle race as inspired by the Tour passing under the window of one Freddie Mercury in 1978.  On that basis alone I can't wait to find out who or what provoked the creation of Fat Bottomed Girls, the next track on that genius Greatest Hits album...

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Categories Tags Sport Music Endeavour General

By Juan on 9/7/09