photo: Ty Bush

Aric Blattner- FS wallride- as seen in Couchlock Odyssey

Phoenix skateboarding clothing company, Pyramid Country celebrated the 4/20 with the release of its latest eye candy video featuring skateboarding tricks, 3D art, and a whole lot of weirdness, that's now online.

Pyramid Country includes skateboarders Aric Blattner, Pat Green, Cameron Harper, Ryan Sublette, Marshall Winter, Evan Okeson, Justin Modica, Tyler Franz, and AJ Zavala who teamed up with videographer Jackson Casey and Phoenix artist JJ Horner to put together a 19-minute reel.

Check it out after the jump ...

See also:
- Classic Phoenix Skateboard Spots Featured in Thrasher Magazine
- Adidas Pro Skateboarders Drop into Paradise Valley Skate Park

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http://orbitaltechnologies.ru

For those who really want to get away, Orbital Technologies has great news.

The Private Russian company and lead contractor for the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation have teamed up to create a commercial space station for research and tourism purposes slated to be built, shot into space, and opened in "the near future."

It'll just cost you about $1 million to stay.

See also:
- Seven Rumors About Star Wars and the New Trilogy: What's True and What's Bantha Fodder
- From Above: Photographs by Adriel Heisey at Phoenix Sky Harbor

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Huge: The female spider (Picture: Ranil Nanayakkara/British Tarantula Society)

It's been a rough day for arachnophobes -- news traveled from Sri Lanka this morning that scientists have identified a spider the size of a human face.

Introducing the Poecilotheria rajaei.

See also:
- Scientists Discover Genitalia-Headed Fish
- Scientists Discover Jumping Cockroach
- We're Doomed: Scientists Discover Spiders with Claws

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iamchanelle photography (source: SuTRA Midtown Yoga on Facebook)

If you've looked at a calendar lately, you know that Phoenix's small window of good weather is about to close. Time to break out the yoga mat and get your "om" on at these (almost) free outdoor yoga and pilates classes.

Poolside Yoga at the Montelucia
Get resort-style relaxation without resort-style prices at this complimentary community series. Flow classes are BYOM (Bring Your Own Mat) and will be lead by different instructors collecting donations for a charity of their choice. Classes are scheduled for 6 p.m. March 22, March 28, April 4, and April 12. For more information call the Montelucia at 480-627-3200 or visit the resort's Facebook page.

See also:
- Filmmaker Vikram Gandhi on Gurus, Yoga, and His New Comedy ''Kumaré: The True Story of a False Prophet'
- A Quick and Fashionable Guide to Yoga -- What Not to Wear

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http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news

Earth had its fair share of outerspace scares last week when fragments of a meteorite hit Russia in the Ural Mountains and an asteroid flew 17,200 miles from Earth's surface (a closer pass than orbiting communication satellites).

This morning, NASA released a 72-frame video of the asteroid dubbed DA14, which has an estimated diameter of 30 meters and mass of 40,000 metric tons.

See also:
- NASA is Positive the World Will Not End on Friday (VIDEO)
- NASA May Soon Announce New Manned Missions to the Moon

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Because mother nature wants to make sure we're still paying attention and stocking our post-mayan apocalypse bunkers, news arrived from Chelyabinsk, Russia this morning that a meteor had been spotted zooming toward Earth in central Ural Mountains -- a scene described as a nuclear blast out of a movie.

Almost 1,000 community members have been reported injured by shattering glass that was caused by a sonic wave as the 11-ton meteor exploded about 900 miles east of Moscow, according to Russia's Emergency Ministry.

See also:
- We're Doomed: Russian Mogul Claims Humans Will Be Immortal by 2045
- Best Places to Satisfy Your Inner Science Nerd: Best of Phoenix 2012
- We're Doomed: Scientists Discover Jumping Cockroach

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When motocross superstar Robbie Maddison released his latest collection of signature gear and a stunt/action video this week, we watched the death-defying tricks and massive, air-catching jumps with glossy eyes.

And then we realized Maddison picked a very familiar backdrop.

Off of Interstate 10 in southern Tucson is an aircraft boneyard where military and commercial planes go to rust. In early 2012, big-name New York curators Eric Firestone and Carlo McCormick raided the boneyard, snapped up a series of nosecones and sent them to artists around the country, and purchased four DC Super 3 planes and flew in street art heroes ROA, How & Nosm, Nunca, and Retna to give them modern paint jobs.

Check out behind the scenes footage and our favorite stunts after the jump ...

See also:
- The Boneyard Project: Art Planes in the Tucson Desert (Slideshow)
- The Bone Yard Project: When Planes Become Contemporary Art Canvases in the Tucson Desert
- The 10 Best Art Exhibitions and Installations I Saw in Phoenix in 2012

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Coco Brown

In the spirit of freedom of space travel for all of mankind, adult film star Coco Brown is scheduled to take one giant leap with the help of space tourism company Space Expedition Corporation (SXC).

In March, 2014, the actress known (in circles) for her roles in Black Panty Chronicles 2, Big Booty Bomb 2, and Sperma Hotel will board the two-person Lynx space plane and shoot 62 miles into space. Ticket price: $95,000.

See also:
- NASA May Soon Announce New Manned Missions to the Moon
- Call for Astronauts: NASA Kicks Off Application Process for a New Class of Space Explorers
- Dutch Company Seeks Human Volunteers to Colonize Mars

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https://www.facebook.com/CitySolveUrbanRace

From music to cars, clothing to sporting events, the world is be compartmentalized and reduced into specific niches--and finding the right niche is crucial in making most any event or concept work well.

That said, CitySolve Urban Race planners are calling for all sneaker-wearing pop culture guru public transportation-riding adventure sport math junkie photographers to participate in the Phoenix version of its national race series.

See also:
- Phoenix Idiotarod Brings Surreal Shopping Carts, Crazy Costumes, and Chaotic Fun to Downtown Phoenix This Weekend
- Cycle: February Brings Rides, Races, and Post-ride Hangouts to Metro Phoenix

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Image: City of Phoenix

Erosion can be clearly seen on the portion of Echo Canyon Trail to be renovated.

The new Echo Canyon Trail alignment at Camelback Mountain will add another quarter mile to the popular Phoenix summit climb, easing an erosion-causing steep grade near the start.

The renovation is just part of a $3 million project by the city of Phoenix that will be closing the trail and trailhead near McDonald Drive and Tatum Boulevard from Monday, January 28, until sometime in the fall. It's a long overdue makeover for one of the region's most visited outdoor-recreation spots. Phoenix's beloved mountain park has suffered in recent years from traffic jams in its tiny parking lot and the pounding of millions of footsteps on its rocky flanks.

Cholla Trail, the narrower, more obscure summit trail on Camelback's eastern side, will remain open.

See also:
- Echo Canyon Trail and Trailhead at Camelback Mountain to Close January 28 for Renovations
- Camelback Mountain Parking Options Considered by Phoenix Include No Parking Lot at Echo Canyon Trailhead

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