Utah Is Serious Business

Utah has just passed a law that makes texting while driving punishable by up to 15 years in prison. From the New York Times:

After a crash here that killed two scientists — and prompted a dogged investigation by a police officer and local victim’s advocate — Utah passed the nation’s toughest law to crack down on texting behind the wheel. Offenders now face up to 15 years in prison.

The new law, which took effect in May, penalizes a texting driver who causes a fatality as harshly as a drunken driver who kills someone. In effect, a crash caused by such a multitasking motorist is no longer considered an “accident” like one caused by a driver who, say, runs into another car because he nodded off at the wheel. Instead, such a crash would now be considered inherently reckless.

“It’s a willful act,” said Lyle Hillyard, a Republican state senator and a big supporter of the new measure. “If you choose to drink and drive or if you choose to text and drive, you’re assuming the same risk.

So I guess the moral of the story is...shit I don't know.

Don't drive through Utah? That's a bit of a laugh considering US Interstates 15, 80, and 70 must each pass through the Beehive State en route to their respective terminii on the west coast.

Don't pass overzealous topical public safety laws to pander to the frenzied masses? Pfft. That's what politics in this country was built on, son.

Don't text and drive? Dammit I guess that's the one.

via gizmodo

Nike SB Blazer Elite x Sub Pop Records

In a little something that the English majors of the world refer to as "irony," Sub Pop Records (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Flight of the Conchords, The Shins, Postal Service to name a few) has released a collaborative shoe with Nike, which those self-same English majors might disdainfuly refer to as "Uber Pop."

The pics you see here are from Hypebeast, and in my opinion the shoe--to use some delicate prose frowned upon by those smug, vainglorious English majors--is fuck ugly.

via pitchfork

Tactical Bacon

Blogs can have theme weeks right? Fuck you I'm having one anyway.

Tactical Bacon is, as you may be able to surmise from the pic, canned bacon.

Tac-Bac, which is a stupid abbreviated name for Tactical Bacon because the "Tac" from tactical and the "Bac" from bacon sound different, and the phonetic result of "Tack-Bake" is uncomfortable and unwieldy, lasts for up to ten years. That's right. Ten years. Fucking ten year-old bacon. 54 strips to a can.

I assume that if one were consuming 54 strips of ten year-old bacon, that person would pretty much have to be living in the post-apocalypse anyway, and therefore taste wouldn't really be a consideration since this would be his or her third-to-last meal; right before rat and radioactive cockroach.

Glenn via gizmodo

DQM x Oakley Frogskins: BACON

Dave's Quality Meat has released this fanciful set of porktacular eyewear today, August 25, in honor of Sir Francis Bacon. Sir Bacon, as you well know, invented the domesticated pig on this day in 1542 by breeding the British Wild Boar with the now-extinct Bavarian Pygmy Ruschershnausen. In honor of his achievement, Le Cordon Bleu named the fattiest, most unhealthy meat on the entire beast after him.

Anyway, only 50 pairs were made, so unless you were over at DQM (7 East 3rd St. NYC) this morning, chances are you're SOL.

via hypebeast

Pitchfork's P2K: The Top 500 Songs of the Decade

Pitchfork is already tabulating its 'best of the decade' albums, and this past week they rolled out their top 500 tracks of the '00s. The list is pretty solid, but of course music snobs can't agree on anything so drink your Haterade and browse the list here.

The top 200 albums are set to be revealed September 28.

photos via pitchfork