Piper2381

Monday, December 8, 2014

The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History

Title: The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History

Author: John Ortved

Publisher: Faber & Faber

It happens to me every year; I decide to watch a new Simpson’s episode on Sunday night hoping the show has finally turned a tide towards what it used to be. Sadly it never happens, and I’m left distraught over the fall from glory this series has had. What’s amazing is that there are now more terrible seasons than actual good ones. An outsider might question why I’m still a fan despite so many terrible seasons, but the reason is those early episodes were so well made that I became a fan for life.

To help me better understand the creation of the show and why its quality has gone awry, I decided to read The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History. The book was written by John Ortved, a long time Simpsons fan. In writing the book, Ortved interviewed many people who worked on the show and also did extensive research. The interesting thing is the main creator’s of the show refused to be interviewed by him, though admittedly I didn’t see it as much of a problem.

Air Jordan 1 Super Mario Bros.

To celebrate their 30^th anniversary, I think Jordan Brand should release a special edition Air Jordan 1 featuring Super Mario Bros. Both the Air Jordan 1 (unofficially) and Super Mario Bros. were released in 1985, and I have been a fan of both Nintendo and Nike since then. Beyond sharing a birthday together they also share a name; Super Mario was initially called “Jumpman”, the same name of Jordan Brand’s logo.

Air Jordan Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Jordan

Super Mario Bros. Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Air Jordan 23 XX3

The Air Jordan 23 was the last official Jordan signature sneaker I bought on release day. Jordan Brand did an excellent job building up to its release. Sneaker forums were still pretty new and the anticipation they provided for how great the sneakers would be made me interested in them from the beginning. Then the media press conference that featured both Michael Jordan and Tinker Hatfield was icing on the cake. The XX3’s felt important and the hype that surrounded it reminded me of the wonderful years I experienced with the first Air Jordan releases.

The shoes were designed by Tinker Hatfield, who wanted to make an eco-friendly sneaker that didn’t rely heavily on toxic and harmful glues. The result was a sneaker that merged utilitarian stitching with elegant embroidered design in its construction. Tinker, who is known for hidden details even added Michael Jordan’s initials in the stitching pattern. To finish off the shoes Tinker added Jordan’s thumb print to the bottom soles, a feature that not only is creative but is also practical as it provides traction on the floor.

The version I own is the black, varsity red “stealth” colorway released in 2008. The toe box and tongue use a superior quality suede that makes it luxurious. A simple yet aesthetically pleasing feature that I like, is the bright red thread that mergers the uppers with the sole. Although the shoes are beautifully designed, my only complaint about them is that the toe box is too tight. The shoes fit like a glove causing people with wide feet (such as myself), to have pain on their pinky toes. I prefer comfort over style, so unfortunately I can’t recommend these Jordan’s if you have wide feet.