Those of you wielding freshly-sharpened pencils should bookmark/del.icio.us Core77’s Hack-2-School Guide immediately; packed to the gills with humor and frank advice for the classroom to dormroom — and everything in between — from designers, teachers, retail folks and editors (such as yours truly), it’s essential reading for everyone pursuing a design education and definitely worthwhile reading for those past that stage as well. Any/all praise and thanks should directed towards Allen and the rockstar team at Core77 for putting together such a phenomenal resource for future designers.

Darin Hager of Boston-based Heyday Footwear dropped us a line over the weekend to introduce us to some of his company’s newest styles, and we’re almost as excited as he is over what Spring’s got in store for sneakerheads. The SS08 collection features a lot of the same goodies we normally find compelling about Heyday’s collection (namely, a fresh approach to sneaker-design that results in an athletic/workboot hybrid and semi-subdued colorways), with a few surprises to mix things up. I’m liking this Rumspringa low, mainly because it’s just a good-looking shoe, but sort of because I think it would look amazing on a pirate. Also, in a heartwarming update for for all you home shoppers: The Heyday online store just went live this weekend, so it’s now possible to grab some of their Fall collection without getting out of bed. Woohoo, the only thing better than that is (was) Labor Day.

The Easyglider, dubbed a “sports vehicle”, is designed by a company of the same name out of Bern, Switzerland. The heart of the vehicle is the battery powered front wheel; it’s controlled via a motorbike-like interface on the long handle which includes a twist throttle and handbrake, along with an LED display for battery status. The vehicle also features a detachable rear platform which makes it function much like an uber-scooter, or it can be used sans-platform with a skateboard or a pair of inline skates. Easyglider claims a surfing or snowboarding like experience — hence the “sport” vehicle I suppose — when riding the scooter. Their site also features images of the Easyglider performing off-road, a venture clearly not intended for the faint of heart.

They’ve won a slew of awards for the design of the vehicle and have even arranged for a series of classes through one of their dealers ranging from beginner to advanced, just in case you happen to be in the Canary Islands any time soon. For the time being, the only US outlet is in Beverly Hills, but it looks like they’re well on their way toward securing further distribution. I doubt it will be terribly long before one of these shows up parked next to the Segway at some NY office building.

While I hesitate to go so far as to call this an ad — Cadbury themselves call it a “piece of content” — it’s definitely, well…different. And weird. And entertaining. I mean, who doesn’t love to see a gorilla absolutely rockin’ out? If I saw this floating around YouTube without the branded sign-off, I’d be passing it on to everyone I know. It IS pretty sweet, but notice the “if” mixed in there. This is where the ad-guy in me speaks out, this just doesn’t work for me as branded content. It has NOTHING to do with Cadbury chocolate. It doesn’t build their brand in my mind. It doesn’t make me want to eat chocolate so badly that I’m going to run across the street to buy some. In fact, I’m not even sure it makes me remember what brand is at the end of it. So if you’re gorilla-crazy or just want a good chuckle, by all means check it out…but personally I’ll be a little annoyed if it shows up on the short list next year in Cannes. What do you think?

Somewhere in my weekend web travels (and to start your week of the same), I stumbled across Mumble Magazine, an e-zine dedicated to street & contemporary culture, particularly within the realm of skateboarding. The clean layout and simple graphics really invite you into the page and make it easy to explore a wealth of content ranging from video interviews to free online music, to book reviews and skateboard deck designs.

Mumble also features a weekly cartoon series called Mumbleville done by none other than “we have no more descriptors for how awesomely awesome this guy is,” Jeremyville. And, while it’s not clear exactly what the connection to Mumble is, clicking on “shop” in the top right corner will take you to an online store called Umbrella which has a bunch of fun t-shirt designs, books, and art prints. Definitely worth a look or three.

I am so psyched; Jonathan Wells, founder of the hugely successful digital film festival Resfest that I make a point to never miss, is readying a new annual event with a distinctly West Coast feel at the end of September in Los Angeles, christened Swervefest. With the backing of Fuel TV, he’s coaxed Beautiful Losers co-curator Aaron Rose on board to organize the art segment of the multi-discipline festival and that alone is a good indication of how well-attended this is going to be; Rose’s pals Ed Templeton, Geoff McFetridge, Mike Mills and others will showcase their work, while film entries include Anton Corbijn’s Ian Curtis biopic, Control (the #1 reason I’m going — gotta dig out my black clothes from my goth days) and Doug Pray’s new documentary, Surfwise. Brazilian baile funkers Bonde Do Role and indie rockers The Black Angels will lead the music program. In between the shows, patrons can attend workshops and lern how to customize a skate deck or the basics behind screenprinting.

Count me in. Tickets go on sale for the Sept. 28-30 festival soon. Click here to watch the trailer.

I’m digging the illustration work of Colby Nichols, the silent half of the Substratum Apparel line. An Art Institute of California graduate and now San Diego resident, Colby’s love for the line and shape mix with his humor and passion creating complex stories that guide us to the very core of his strange brain. Strange indeed, but quirky, entertaining, and often silly as well. Check out some of the prints, apparel, and other goodies in his little online shop.

The quirky Danish design group Normann Copenhagen is at again. In this range of products, entiteld Form, they brought in the African/Swiss designer Charles Job. He makes egg timers (left), egg slicers (right), and salt and pepper shakers (not shown) look like works of art. All inspired by the shadows on a photograph. Really stellar and intelligently designed daily objects.