The Events That Defined New York City Skateboarding in 2011: 20-16

Back on it, sorry for the delay. Previous installment: #25-21

20. Blackberry solidifies its status as a “core” video device for skateboard videographers

2011 saw the largest wave of Blackberry-to-iPhone conversions from New Yorkers to date. Even those who swore by physical keyboards eventually crumbled in their stance, and purchased history’s most advanced piece of glass, allowing the iPhone to be seen on at least five out of every seven Tompkins benches by the end of the year. Though progress on smartphones is more rapid than on actual skateboard-filming-devices, this dynamic shift in technological preferences cast the Blackberry into the same core device category dominated by the VX1000. Blackberry loyalists (snobs?) like Paulgar, and other T-Mobile customers have continued to burn the torch for what has become the cellphone equivalent of skateboarding’s favorite “standard definition” camera, by continuing to release core-targeted Blackberry montages to combat the staleness of most iPhone edits.

And if “VHS is the new Super-8,” what is the Sidekick in this equation?

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Can’t Go Skateboarding Day

As most spend the first day of summer / “Go Skateboarding Day” at various skateboard industry P.R. initiatives, Quartersnacks would like to reflect on many of the spots that are no longer with us. We would hypothetically love to go skateboarding today, but the ways of the world continue to make the act of riding a skateboard outside of a designated space more difficult each and every year. (All due respect to all those who continue to advocate for skateparks, but skateparks are not a replacement for street spots. Leave that sort of logic to sixty-year-old city council members, not people who actually skate.) Predictably, many of these places have fallen out of the public’s concern since people have ceased skating there (maybe 2 out of 11 had or have a greater general public v.s. skateboarding public occupancy ratio.) It’s amazing just how much people love to complain when you give them something to complain about, and how little they actually care once the end-point for their desired result happens.

Thanks for the memories.

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