I’m not even sure how this potato clan got into my house, but I’m guessing it involved a grandparent or two, and a trip to the local Target. The Potato Heads are good people, and we’ve had fun playing with this little spud family; but they aren’t part of our routine or anything.

THE GOOD: It’s Mr. Potato Head, so by definition, it’s good. Classic creative ‘choose your own adventure’ type toy that plays well with all ages. Arms in ear holes, eyes in mouth holes – it’s all good. This is an inexpensive toy that does its job.

THE BAD: The only reason I’m reviewing this toy is because something has been bugging me. The ‘Bucket of Parts’ comes with three Potato Heads, but only three sets of each item (eyes, mouths, ears, hats) We get kind of bored with the limited options AND we’ve already lost one set of eyes. How hard is it to throw in a couple extra sets of eyes and mouths, and possibly a nose or two? Just a few more would make a difference. This isn’t like asking for more Potato Head bodies…these extra pieces are tiny, and can’t cost much. Make it happen Playskool.

TAKEAWAYS: Mr. Potato Head is good; more Mr. Potato Head parts would be better.

Ian Davis, 1990.
Popping a huge ollie mute grab down the top three stairs at Clay.

My Sony Vaio S560P arrived without issue from the Best Buy warehouse. I unpacked the box, which included only the laptop, power supply, battery, and requisite paperwork – though it didn’t come with a CD of any kind (cool!) I charged it up, turned it on, hopped onto my wifi network, and I was in business.

THE GOOD :: This laptop is very well built, and feels sturdy despite its meager size and weight. The finish is quality, and the screen is amazing – The XBrite technology is as advertised. The simple layout makes it easy to use, as there aren’t buttons and inputs everywhere < -- a complaint I have of my Dell Inspiron which this Vaio is replacing. It feels great when typing, something I was worried about with such a small laptop. The fact that it is only 4.3 pounds is it's biggest selling point (besides the kickin' monitor), and it closes up and carries very easily. The widescreen monitor is crisp and sharp, and very very bright (did I mention that I love the monitor?)

THE BAD :: The screen drains the power very quickly, and I have to turn the brightness way down to expect any kind of longevity. I would like to see a volume control on the body, but the FN key will work fine once I commit it to muscle memory. The VAIO startup screen has a horribly loud audio file associated with it, and I had to go into the BIOS to manually turn it off. I miss the mouse nub, but am already used to the pad. I had to uninstall some seriously knaggy programs, but this is common with most PC purchases, so I can't blame Sony.

TAKEAWAYS :: I did my research, and this laptop provides exactly what I need: A portable, powerful, wireless laptop that makes typing easy. It's going to serve me well as a wireless terminal, not a desktop replacement. It will also work well as a DVD player for the kids when we are traveling. All in all, I am happy happy happy. I've always been a big Sony fanboy, and so far my first experience with a VAIO has been wonderful.

David Luke, 1990.
Blazing fast tailslide, Adidas at no extra charge.

Pat Rump, 1990.
Ramp to ramp transfer under the covered hallways of CHS.

As every skater knows, finding a public spot that actually allows skating is rare. Even more elusive is the school that allows its four-wheeled constituents to trash the premises on a regular basis. Carmel High School rocked in that regard, and we were allowed to skate there uninterrupted for my entire four years. This was especially important during the long Indiana winters, as CHS had a quarter mile of covered hallways for us to skate.

Todd Hinchman, 1990.
Launchramp-aided wallride at Carmel High School.

Contest Crowd, 1989;
Skate contest in Columbus, Indiana.

Even at local contests, the beatup car was an essential element of a 1980′s skateboard course. After a day of bumper bonelesses and acid drops, what’s a skater to do? Tip that puppy dawg, and smile while you do it.

Jason May, 1989.
Huge rock ‘n’ roll on four feet of vert.

When i opened the mailbox today, a wave of geek-sweats kicked in as I spotted the tiny Hasbro logo on the plain white box. Could it be? Had they arrived? Indeed they had.

My Early Bird Certificate had run its course, and my four throwback Star Wars figures had arrived. I opened the box with the same exuberant excitement I had displayed 25 years ago when my mail-in Boba Fett arrived. R2-D2, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and Princess Leia had come home in all their 2005-sculped glory.

This was a great idea by the Hasbro marketing team – cheers to them for selling us all a piece of cardboard with an attached promise…AGAIN! Genius. I’m off to play…

Ever since my friend Ian was forced to attend ‘gang counseling’ for his work around Indianapolis, I’ve respected the cultural tightrope that graffiti artists walk. Tagging walls incessantly with scribbled initials and symbols is one thing, but thought-provoking social graffiti is another.

Graffiti artist Banksy took his vacation, and craft, to the Palestinian side of the Israel’s infamous separation wall. His inspired pieces offer a glimpse into the power of positive social graffiti – plus they’re just so cool.

Banksy in the West Bank

Unknown, 1990.
Invert on the Kokomo vert ramp.