San Diego’s got no culture. San Diego is a tourist town. San Diego is a nice place to retire.
Meanwhile, cranking away under those well-worn clichés, the city’s creative edge is its best-kept secret. San Diego Magazine and Sony Electronics have partnered to tell the stories of the people building that culture from the ground up.
First up: Mike Lynch, founder of San Diego’s Imperfects
“San Diego is a cultural sleeping giant.”
Mike Lynch made a name for himself by finding the crook in the straight line. Born and raised in San Diego, he skated the beach town alleys, surfed his brains out. He rode the same boards we all did. But when you stare at something long enough, you see other potentials. So he set up in garages, strapped on the mask, and remixed the classic shape. His funky, asymmetrical boards looked like mistakes, and rode like a dream.
Mike’s imperfections grew beyond the board. He tweaked the surf and skate wear (shirts, jackets, pants, you name it). He just opened a showroom in one of the greatest, grittiest beach towns in the country: OB. He shapes and sketches in the back, hangs with new friends up front. It’s a creative space for local culture, created by a local.
This is his story. Shot on Sony FX6 and Alpha 7S III in Ocean Beach.
To learn more about Sony’s WH-1000XM5 Wireless Industry Leading Noise Canceling Headphones, click here.
San Diego’s got no culture. San Diego is a tourist town. San Diego is a nice place to retire.
Meanwhile cranking away under those well-worn clichés, the city’s creative edge is its best-kept secret. San Diego Magazine and Sony Electronics have partnered to tell the stories of the people building that culture from the ground up.
Episode 2: Iydeen Younis, Photographer
“English is my third language, so I’m not always comfortable expressing myself in words. Photography lets me communicate with everyone.”
Photography as a language, a universal translation. Iydeen Younis knows this well. Her family was relocated to San Diego when she was five years old after their village was destroyed. As a young kid who didn’t speak the language, the camera was how she spoke. She used it to document her family’s new life.
Iydeen’s parents wanted her to become a doctor, a lawyer, something big and stable and safe with some important-looking letters after it. But she felt the need to tell people’s stories, capture rare moments, document good work being done. Now she shoots in kitchens across the city, like @cicciaosteriasd, helping the people of the food and drink culture translate what they’ve created.
This is her story. Stay tuned for more. Shot On Sony FX6 and a7S III cameras at Ciccia Osteria in Barrio Logan.
To learn more about Sony’s Alpha 7 III full-frame hybrid camera, click here.#Shot On Sony #SonyCommunity
Finding a gift that feels truly personal can be surprisingly difficult. In a sea of generic options — flowers, gift cards, candles, and the like — Xplosion Box offers something more lasting: a customized keepsake built around the photos, messages, and memories that matter most.
Founded by Southern California entrepreneur Jay Vijay, Xplosion Box LLC creates fully customized explosion gift boxes that arrive professionally designed, printed, assembled, and ready to gift. Each box opens layer by layer to reveal personal photos, heartfelt messages, pull-out albums, origami-style photo pockets, and hidden notes, turning a simple gift into an emotional reveal.
The brand was built for people who want to give something meaningful without spending hours printing photos, cutting paper, folding cardstock, or assembling a DIY project. Customers simply choose a box, upload their favorite photos, add personal messages, and the Xplosion Box team transforms those details into a polished keepsake that feels thoughtful, personal, and beautifully made.
Xplosion Box offers personalized gift boxes for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, proposals, bridesmaid gifts, long-distance relationships, and thoughtful “just because” moments.
Customers can choose from flexible customization options starting at $27. The Mini Surprise Box includes 10 photos, three message cards, and one hidden secret note, while the Mega Surprise Box offers a fuller keepsake experience with 40 photos, three message cards, and one hidden secret note.
What sets Xplosion Box apart is its high level of customization combined with convenience. Filled with personal photos, custom text, decorative details, and layered surprises, each box gives customers the freedom to create a gift that feels one-of-a-kind — without having to make it themselves.
At its core, Xplosion Box helps people turn favorite photos, stories, and words into something tangible: a keepsake that can be opened, revisited, and remembered long after the occasion has passed.
Chemotherapy and radiation have long been considered gold standards of cancer treatment, but they can cause severe side effects. A promising new approach called theranostics—a combination of “therapeutics” and “diagnostics”—could offer patients with certain types of metastatic cancers new hope. It’s a two-step process that uses a drug that binds to specific receptors on cancer cells. Advanced imaging detects this radioisotope, allowing doctors to then use a second radioisotope that binds to the cancer cells and destroys them. Click here to learn more about how specialists at Scripps Cancer Center are using theranostics.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
