I’ve always liked capturing footage of me and my friends skating, boarding, jumping, etc. A couple of early jackasses ourselves, Jay and I have footage from the mid-1980s of falling to frozen earth from 10 feet off a half pipe. OK, actually Jay is the one who bailed and I merely zoomed in on his face to capture the pain. See that’s the problem – one of us had to miss the action/pain in order to capture the moment, but this is no longer the case.

In March Bitness reviewed the ATC2K camera, but seeing that this is the season for giving and the price seems right, be sure to also check out the GoPro Hero cameras. Quick release helmet, vehicle and wrist (waterproof enclosure) cameras capture nearly an hour of 3 megapixel digital footage (513×384). A time lapse mode (every 5 seconds) and adjustable sound recording levels can maximize storage on a 2GB SD card.

I know plenty of peeps who would grab one of these . My friend Dan already has a camera on his motorcycle helmet and posted a video of him doing 174MPH. Should he total himself and need a new one, it’ll be for his wheel chair or coffin.

Source: Lawrence

Bitness contributors have taken some serious slams. I have video of Frank biting through his lip and nearly knocking himself out skateboarding in the half-pipe. I convinced Jay when we were younger to do a front-flip off my parents deck – I promised to do it if he did. He landed on his back and I took off running. I screwed-up snowboarding by missing a simple air called a slob. I sailed over the middle of the half-pipe, landed on my back and knock myself unconscious. Once I tackled Dean into a bar we had in our college apartment. A stone lamp landed on his head. Adding insult to injury, just a few weeks later a pissed off girlfriend clocked Dean on the head with her phone.

If we had wearable d3o laden gear we would have fared much better. ‘d30 (dee-three-oh) is a specially engineered material made with intelligent molecules. They flow with you as you move but on shock lock together to absorb the impact energy.‘

The best way to show you how incredible this stuff is, is to show you a video, enjoy:

Every once in a while there comes along a product that is so futuristic, I feel lucky to have witnessed it in my lifetime. I’m still waiting for time travel and a chance to book my ticket to Mars, but for now at least I have d3o. If you’re reading d3o, I’m drinking the koolaid and ready to go to work.

Posted by: Lawrence

When I was younger my oldest brother Paul made a series of movies with my father’s 8mm (film). He remade Airport 1975, complete with the crash scene (planes with straws glued on them and strung-up in the garage). I was cast in the role of Sam, the Jerry Stiller character who sleeps through all the action. Dressed in my suit I leaned-up against the rakes while the other kids ‘acted.’

Probably one of the funniest things Paul ever shot was a video from our dog Reggie’s perspective, running through the house with the camera at knee level. Something about that movie cracked me up and I watched it over and over. I like first person (or dog) point of view film making, which is why I want the ATC2K Waterproof Action Camera from Oregon Scientific.

Attach it to the handlebars of your bike or strap it to your helmet and capture digital video in 640 X 480 VGA (standard NTSC) at 30 frames per second to an internal SDA card. The ATC2K comes with accessories that allow you to strap it to other gear as well, a windsurfer perhaps, it is waterproof up to 10 feet! The ATC2K is also shock resistant, takes only 2 AA batteries to run (lithium batteries recommended for cold environments) and measures 4.25L x 1.75D x 2.25H (in).

Although currently out of stock, the ATC2K can soothe your inner Spielberg for only USD $129.99. You can request to be notified when they become available, but for now start planning and storyboard your next glade run, wipe-out, downhill attack, Eskimo roll, rappel or simply strap it to the dog for a good laugh.

Balance sports have always been a passion of mine. Skateboarding, snowboarding and climbing (which has just as much to do with balance as it does strength and agility). Slack lining is a great way to develop balance and core strength, but there are myriad other ways including balance boards.

Growing up, my bestest buddy Jason had a Bongo board. The both of us took a few spills in the garage, but eventually couldn’t be budged off the damned thing. Flash forward 15 years later and I’m living in Newport, RI – home of the Rolo Board. Everyone in Newport knew about them and the inside joke was a Rolo Board sticker was as good as a parking pass (Newport being a tourist trap, the police generate a windfall from parking tickets).

One Fall President Clinton was in town and I was lucky enough to meet him. As he worked his way down the meet-and-greet line, I saw people give him small gifts. I deftly searched my pockets (no reason to alarm the secret service) looking for something – anything to give WJC. I had a fresh stack of Rolo stickers – my friend Scamp was tight with the guy making the Rolos – so I handed one to the President explaining the importance of the sticker – what with it being from a local small business and all.

“Watch this,” he told me. “Somebody give me a Sharpie!” The White House photographer produced a Sharpie in an instant and our 42nd president signed the sticker with a flourish. We posed together, with me holding the Rolo sticker next to the man who wasn’t bad at balancing a budget. I gave the sticker to Scamp so he could give it to his friend. I thought it would be a cool and he might pin-it-up on the wall. The next day I had a brand new Rolo board as thanks.

The Rolo board was a big improvement from the Bongo of yore (note: Bongo makes modern versions now as well). With a concave deck and upturned nose/tail as well as bungees that hold the dowel in place you can ride it in two positions. Skiers, yoga enthusiasts and beginners straddle the dowel and snow/skate/wake/surf boarders set the dowel along the length of the board – directly under foot.

Balance boards are used by the NFL, the US Olympic team, NHL and other professional and elite sports organizations. They’re used to help avoid injuries and to help people recover from injuries. Grab one, start on a rug or grass in the straddle position and you’ll soon realize the benefit on the slopes, in the waves or wherever you put balance and core strength to the test.

For those of you not ‘in the know’ a slackline is used primarily by climbers to develop balance by walking the length of tubular nylon webbing (usually 1 inch thick) ala the Great Blondin. The difference between tightrope walking and slacklining is that the slackline, although tight as a drum, flexes and moves – a true test of balance.

How high the slackline is up to the slacker. I set mine up about 3 and a half feet high between trees in the backyard – just high enough to dislocate a shoulder and close enough to the back door so my sobbing is heard from the house. Dean Potter and other accomplished slackers like to go a little higher – like the 2,500 Lost Arrow Spire Gap in Yosemite. Much like myself in the backyard, Dean did Lost Arrow without a tether (yikes).

Just as bouldering was initially used to develop explosiveness for climbers, slacklining has become a sport all its own. More and more surfers, boarders and other balance sport enthusiasts are setting up between trees. Some purchase slackline kits, which greatly simplifies set-up and break-down. I rolled my own with a three carabiner pulley system.

Check it out and start slacking (slacker) – Mr. Cash ain’t never walked this line.