[An occasional update on what some of us are listening to now. - Ed.]

If you know me, you know that I LOVE music. I’ve lost track of all of the shows I’ve seen, maxed out my hard drive because it’s full of music, and wake up to songs playing in my head.  The Black Keys (one of my favorite bands) are coming out with their newest album in two weeks—on May 18th—and I’ve been listening to them non-stop in anticipation.  If you haven’t heard the single Tighten Up from their upcoming album Brothers, you’re missing out.

We love music. We love Portland. We love bikes. And that’s why we love Blind Pilot. Here is a great trailer for a documentary about of one of our favorite bands who took their tour on the road in 2008…by bike. Riding down the coast from Vancouver to San Francisco. These guys (and Katie) are a truly inspirational bunch. They just wrapped up their last tour in Portland with shows that benefited p:ear and the Oregon Food Bank.

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A few weeks ago, The New York Times wrote an article about the death and hopeful resurrection of Polaroid film. In the Netherlands, a small group of Dutch scientists are working tirelessly in an abandoned Polaroid factory to reinvent the film that so many photographers have come to love and now cherish. The New York Times Lens blog later asked readers to send in their own Polaroids. Check out the overwhelming response here.

Reduce, reuse, recycle.  It’s a pretty simple concept that most of us think about on a daily basis but for some reason, when it comes to the “reuse” part, I’m stumped. The great people at Real Simple magazine have a feature called “New Uses for Old Things” highlighting creative ways to reuse every day items. Check out their latest “10 New Uses for Old Plastic Bags.”

You’ve probably seen hundreds of them on the back of a train or at a
boat yard, but what if someone told you that an old shipping container could
someday become your dream house?

A few months ago, our good friend Ian Momsen told us that he was planning a six-month bicycle tour across the US. After a fleeting moment of envy, we knew that exciting adventures and challenges were ahead for this fellow Portlander. Ian’s objective for this trip is to connect people with places across the country through his photography and writing while leaving the smallest carbon footprint he can. Hitting the road with only a few key items”his bicycle, trailer, tent, computer, camera and solar panels (to charge his electronics)”the trip began.

Now, a month and half in and covering over 2,000 miles, Ian’s journey is taking him much further than he had ever imagined. Keeping a daily blog filled with rich descriptions and colorful images of the road, he’s able to bring us along on his amazing ride.

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