Onelargeprawn
Human beings are capable of so many things, and being awesome is one of them. Here is a compilation of different clips that shows how very crazy, athletic, and awesome we can be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKWoPlL2B8I
[via Kottke]
Recently we showed you Tom Guilmette’s fun experiments with the Phantom range of high speed cameras. Keeping with the theme that everything looks better in slow motion, former bodyboarder Chris Bryan, captures the art of surfing at 1050 frames per second. The surf filmmaker travels to exotic locations and uses the Phantom cameras and a custom housing (the whole setup is reportedly worth USD 300,000!) to catch the wave riding action from some very creative angles. Have a look at his slow-motion show reel below, be warned though, it gets a tad NSFW at the 11-minute mark (spoiler: (_)(_)).
[via Kottke]
Little did I know, but a hoon is a derogatory term used to describe someone who likes to drive fast and/or dangerously. Ken Block is known as a veritable master of hoonage and in his latest video, Mr. Block makes the backlot of Universal Studios his playground. Shot in an explosive Hollywood style, Block is on fire as he crashes his modified Ford Fiesta through buildings, avoids animatronic sharks, and runs circles around a Segway-driving simian. If this is your kind of thing, then here’s nine minutes of Ken Block doing what he does best in GYMKHANA FOUR: THE HOLLYWOOD MEGAMERCIAL.
[via +Scott Beale]
Embarrassing as it is, I have to say that the main reason I know of the existence of capoeira is Eddy Gordo and his pretty granddaughter, Christie Monteiro. You may recognize them as fictional characters from the virtual fighting game, Tekken.Of course, very real people practice the art form that has its roots in 16th century Brazil. Some people regard it as a martial art and some think it a sort of dance. Others call it their religion.
Onelargeprawn reader and lazy gamer Nick de Bruyne sent in this video of local capoeiristas in Pretoria, South Africa as they go about performing some of the graceful, flowing actions in their Capoeria Mei Lua (Half-moon Capoeira) class. Check it out below.
What struck me most about the video is the wonderful musical accompaniment. The song is entitled Pedir o Axé, and as I’m told by Nick, the twangy sounds are created from a rudimentary instrument called a Berimbau. It looks a bow with a calabash tacked on, and you play it using and a stick and a stone (or coin).
[via Nick de Bruyne]
What happens with you combine Hayduke Midlfinger Sr., a wingsuit, and a GoPro film camera? A flight of fancy in the French mountainside.
http://vimeo.com/15694550
Find two more vertigo-inducing videos, Ground Effect and Adorable Kitten Sneezes, after the jump.
I’ve always imagined parkour athletes as terribly slim, lithe creatures that are able to bound from obstacle to obstacle with poise and grace. It seems, however, that all shapes and sizes can do it. Doing it well is another matter, as seen in this clip from “Hardcore Parkour” where a gentleman attempts a stunt that does not go according to plan. Shit happens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peFmeArb76c
Update: Professional zombie survivalist Zombie_Phil has informed us that is not a fail but a highly coordinated stunt by Nasty The Horse, an ex-gymnast renowned for his testicular fortitude . You can find more of his “cup-less nut shots” on Youtube. The Horse is also on Twitter.
[via TheKervynator on Twitter]
What I know about Formula One comes directly from Wikipedia. It’s not like I dislike the sport, but I use it more as tool to further a different agenda. My significant other, Lucy Furr, finds the roaring sounds of Formula One to be soothing and it is not long before she is asleep on the couch. This accords me precious free time to play my console games. Win!
Irish graphic designer, PJ Tierney, is clearly much more interested in Formula One. And to this effect, he has created a great set of posters for the 2011 Formula One season, featuring all of the 19 circuits that defending World Champion Sebastian Wobbler and other manly gentlemen will be racing on. Tierney incorporates various racing motifs and colours and elements from the flags of the different host countries. Have a look at his Formula One 2011 Poster Series after the jump.
You’ve seen the reckless Moscow run where a Yahama R1 rider diced in and out of traffic. We return to the city, this time for a less speedier but equally dangerous hobby, that of drifting.
This short film created by DragTimesInfo will have you know that when accountants are not busy fiddling excel spreadsheets at work, they’re out on the town fiddling with gear knobs and generally being awesome. Check out Moscow Drift below.
[via The Awesomer]
Flight is just not for the birds. Airplanes do it too, so do sky divers, and BASE jumpers like it as well. And according to Red Bull, snowboarders are big proponents of it too. The energy-in-a-can company has joined forces with Quicksilver to create a movie that follows a bunch of powder-obsessed sportsmen madmen as they travel the world and take their passion for snowboarding to greater heights.
The film is called The Art of Flight and this is the official trailer. It’s snow porn at its finest, enjoy.
The Art of Flight is set to release in September of this year.
[via Bangers and Nash]
Remember the compilation of terrible freerunning fails and bails? If not, refresh your memory here. As a foil to that, we happened upon a trio of videos that display how the tricks and spins that distinguish free running from parkour are supposed to be done.
The first video, a showreel for British free running team Storm Freerun, contains displays of awesomeness by the team’s current members, although it could have done without all the posturing in the beginning.
The second compilation is by the outfit 3RUN, so-called because of the three disciplines they are excellent at – free running, parkour, and martial arts. It’s a little nauseating in the beginning but if you fight back the vomit, it gets better.
The next clip is the reportedly the world’s best free running compilation, volume 3. It’s relatively entertaining and only brought down by the horrible sounds of Evanescence.
If you have a favourite free running video that you’d like to share, do let us know.
[via NickdeBruyne on Twitter]