First, before I start telling you the reason for the new design let me welcome you to TCL's new design and layout!! So now onward,  let's get into a little bit of the design and the reason for the change.

Since I created the blog back in 2009 I wanted to make it a place for me to remember awesome things. As it went on I got more into it and changed the name from Damion DJ and Producer Blog to something that matched what my blog was about. So I changed the design back in 2011 and changed the name to The Collective Loop.

So here we are 4 years later since the last update and I felt that it was time for a makeover. The Collective Loop is a place where art, design, music, technology and more collectively loop, but that doesn't mean the design can't After contemplating, I decided that I wanted to change the layout to look more professional, interactive and all around still have a minimal feel.  I was able to find all this with the new design.

So tell me what you think of the new design? Look around and see all the changes
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TCL New Design:

TCL Old Design:

It may be a little bit expensive, but you would definitely be the talk of the town riding around. The Marbel Electric Skateboard ($1,199) weighing in at 9.9 lbs. and goes up to 20 MPH, 10+ mile range and a mobile App to control your board. They claim "lighter than any electric vehicle in the world." It has enough power to go up to 20 MPH, will take you 10 real world miles per charge. It also only takes 90 minutes to fully recharge.

The deck is made from Carbon Fiber and Kevlar, and is only 30 mm thick at its widest point. Finally, the board will connect to your smartphone, allowing you to customize various features like its top speed and acceleration. Check it out on Kickstarter and the expected delivery is in January 2015.

I stumbled across this artist recently and thought his work was not only inspiring, but a great example on how beautiful upcycled art can be. Haroshi, a Japanese skateboarder turned artist makes these masterpieces out of old skateboard decks, and even uses broken hardware for the interior of his three dimensional pieces. If you have ever skateboarded, you know how quickly you can accumulate a stack of broken decks. Nothing goes to waste, I like Haroshi's style. Check out more of his work here.

Since May is "Bike Month" let me introduce the Skylock ($159), its a smart lock that has a theft alert system that sends a message to your phone when someone touches your lock for an extended period of time. Messages are sent via bluetooth or via Wi-Fi. "Using Bluetooth Low-Energy, Wi-Fi, and an accelerometer.

Skylock pairs itself with a smartphone to be contextually aware. Through this connectivity Skylock can keep cyclists safer by comparing accelerometer data from a smartphone to its own and determine when a rider has been in an accident. In the event of a severe impact Skylock will send a push notification to see if the rider is ok. If they fail to acknowledge the notification within a set number of seconds, Skylock will automatically determine that the rider is seriously hurt and alert emergency responders so they can come to the rider's aid as quickly as possible."

Those of you that follow The Collective Loop know that I'm a huge fan of Tycho a.k.a (Scott Hansen) and his graphical designs and music. So I wanted to share his new official video of "See" from his album Awake that was directed by GMUNK.

The visual and magical journey through this video is something that I would expect from Tycho.  Even the wood style geometrical props used within. Each movement and sound correlates to give an experience that is surreal but at the same time intriguing and wondrous. So hats off to you Tycho and GMUNK.

Tell me what you think of this video? Also check more on Tycho's music page.



See is from the album Awake released March 18th, 2014 on Ghostly International.

Tycho - See - Credit List

Director: Bradley G Munkowitz
Assistant Director: Ian Colon
Executive / Line Producer: Andrew Devansky
Concept: Bradley G Munkowitz, Ian Colon, Joe Picard
Director of Photography: Joe Picard
1st Camera Assistants: Magaera Stephens, Noah Hassie
2nd Camera Assistants: Dakota Wilder Smith
Grips / Lighting: Tej Verde, Dakota Wilder Smith, Patrick Walsh
Props design and fabrication: Conor Grebel, Mike Williams
Practical FX design: Conor Grebel, Mike Williams
Lead Actress: Hannah Helena Bjørnø
Lead Actor: Eone Darke n' Cray
Makeup: Melissa Capistrano
Production Company: Ground Control UK
Executive Producer: Michael Stanish
Editors: Bradley G Munkowitz, Ian Colon
Post Facility: Glassworks UK
Colourist: Matt Hare
Flame Artist: James MacLachlan
Process Photography: Dan Cowles, Maris Curran, Dakota Wilder
Process Editorial: Cyrus Tabar
Camera Rentals: Chater Camera, Keslow Camera
Equipment Rentals: Little Giant Grip & Electric
Extra Special Thanks: Autofuss + Bot & Dolly, Ghostly, Tycho

Visual Candy for the day. Enjoy the aerialscapes of German photographer, Jakob Wagner.  I'm a sucker for visual scapes of ariel parts of the world that I might not never see. He does a great job on his enhanced textures and shadow detail, while still make the images clean and natural. I recommend checking out more of his portfolio.



Source: Iso50

The Lunecase is a smart iPhone case that has the capacity to receive notifications from the iPhone and display an icon accordingly to the back to let you know when you've got a new message or incoming call. The geekest part is that it’s powered by electromagnetic energy, which is emitted and surrounds most devices, including your iPhone. In short, it doesn't need any batteries and it doesn't need to be charged to power up. The Lunecase Eclipse is currently up on Kickstarter, where a minimum pledge of $39 will get you one of these.  Get more info from Kickstarter.

Tech Gadgets and Bicycles, need we say more? This is another great idea that was made into a reality via Kickstarter and just in time for Bike Month! The Orp is a combination of a high decibel bike horn and a beacon light. Yes, it's cute but don't let the looks fool you; Orp means business when you press down on the wail tail, at 96 dB the Orp demands attention.

I took Orp for a 40 mile test ride last night and I'm really impressed by it. The 2 LED lights are surprisingly bright (87 lumens each) and the friendly sound (72 dB) came in handy while cruising down crowded trails. Making the Orp USB rechargeable was a nice touch too, carrying batteries is too much of a hassle for my minimalist ways. Tory and his team did a great job with the Orp, this thing is Orptastic. Check them out here.

No more waiting to get a plug in the airport or the coffee shop.  Why not use this GoPlug Bag? The GoPlug Charging Bags($130+) which are currently looking for funding on Kickstarter. The GoPlug is not just an ordinary set of bags that can be used to carry your travel essentials and gadgets, it also comes with a battery pack that has enough capacity to charge your phone up to six times and your tablet up to two times, and doubles the life on an average laptop on a single charge. Find out more information here.