i sit on unfinished floor, door frame holding me up as i stare eternity in the face. the sun in one room washes the walls in it's soft yellow light which slowly fades to moonlight and back again. the rest of the galaxy beckons through the worm hole in the other room; stardust spiraling toward the middle of the ceiling, disappearing to nowhere. the infinite cold and lack of oxygen make my muscles seize up as i spin outta orbit. the door frame falls to my left and the floor meets me from the right; hurts my head. eternity lays down beside me and reminds me that she knows me as well as i know myself. she looks into my eyes. i look through hers. her gaze stirs my brain into a galaxy of insights+foresights+memories i never remembered or imagined taste so bitter. i pucker. gag. cry. gasp for air. she slides closer to comfort, but her hollow, icy touch only tightens my stomach+throat. i shutter...
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
toys : my mid year christmas list
lomo instant camera : i've always enjoyed polaroid photography. so does she. this camera is like those cameras but cooler. it'll be more of a gift for her, but i'll use it.
lix 3-d printing pen : i sketch. and want to in a third dimension.
i would have funded+bought both of these products if i had any idea what my shipping address would be by their releases later in the year... but since i have absolutely no clue i'll just have to wait and buy them once they're available and i have a new permanent home. more on that later.
lix 3-d printing pen : i sketch. and want to in a third dimension.
i would have funded+bought both of these products if i had any idea what my shipping address would be by their releases later in the year... but since i have absolutely no clue i'll just have to wait and buy them once they're available and i have a new permanent home. more on that later.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
the more my insomnia increases, the more episodes of deja vu i experience, the more day dreams i have, the more my mind races from to-do-list to fantasy to tomorrow's decision to now to last week's regret to an idea to reality to my notebook to my needs+desires+wants and back again (at times near uncontrollably, or so i imagine it would appear to any other mind but my own). but this is also when i'm at my best, my most engaged, my most attentive, my most understanding and in tune and confident and thorough. and at my most creative. so bring it insomnia. sleep is for suckers anyway...
Friday, March 07, 2014
fallin' floyd and animated sex
always love sharing animated shorts. here's a new favourite that speaks to my heart.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Sunday, February 09, 2014
song+dance (fff#18)
flash fiction friday trigger #18 (inclusion): dance, glance, trance, prance, pants
same song. same dance. a week of physical absence and digital lies before she'd prance in the house looking+smelling like her phenomenally intoxicating self. she'd crack a smile, shoot a wanting glance and my boiling rage would roll to a simmer and shortly evaporate away to soft warm happiness; pleased with her safety, her gaze, her touch, her warmth. same song. same trance would come over me every time she would gently slide her skirt from that playful position on her hips, lay on the bed and grab her perfectly shaped ass with that glance once more. i'd go to her. she'd grab a handful of my member and watch him grow from beneath my pants before revealing him and loving us both. we'd come together for the rest of the night. in the morning we'd share each other again, pushing against the tiled walls of our tiny shower stall like we were trying to remodel. for the days that followed we'd share dreams+ideas+laughs, and we'd cook for each other, and read to each other, and taste+smell+love like home for each other.
and as soon i thought maybe she'd stay, maybe we'd stay this time... she'd be gone.
each spell cast was always followed by another spell of absence and each absence helped me build up a resistance to it; like abusing a good drug. and it had become just that; i slowly stopped looking or asking for further digital lying but instead knew building up a tolerance to her drugging and eventually (i'd tell myself) i 'd be free of her spell.
in her absence i'd keep the house clean and the bills paid and the animals fed and the lawn trimmed. in her absence i'd perfect everything for her impending return, whenever it may be. in her absence i'd keep the fridge stocked and cook meals in case she appeared that night to a hot meal that would surely then have her asking herself why she ever leaves my side. at night in her absence her clothes would hang in the darkness next to mine, her dry towel would hang next to my damp one, her cold pillow would lay next to my head; all redolent with her sweet smell. our animals would do their best to fill her void with their love. in her absence my chest would tighten, i'd lay awake and wonder where she was, what she was doing, even if she was happy, but mostly i'd wonder why she kept me under this treacherous spell and when i would grow strong enough to break it.
same song. same dance. spell bound again.
a few mornings later i awake from a warm sleep to an icy cold room. i know before my eyes open that she's gone. i'm alone again with only the hot breath of our panting beast breaking the chill. the beast, thrilled with my open eyes wets my face with it's rank tongue startling all my senses and lifting me immediately to a sitting position where i would better suited to defend myself from it's aggressive love. it means i'll lift my empty dreams and slightly harder heart from beneath my cocoon and to my feet. i smoke a bit of the emptiness, the tightness, the hardness away before collaring me in cotton, it in metal and wandering out into the deepest blue morning darkness. dawn is minutes away.
me+beast wander. we turn a corner. and another. another. the paperboy avoids our side of the street; beast growls anyway. beast shits in the park; i leave it. another corner and the street lights begin to flicker off; the deep blue skies giving way for greens. another corner and another as we turn back onto our street; our little red brick castle just in the distance cast in increasingly vibrant yellows. i have my eyes on the lines of orange+pink that begin to streak down the clouds southeast edge. beast has it's eyes on the ground, searching and sniffing for every other beast available when it suddenly jerks my shoulder left up a driveway. beast's claws scrape the pavement as i resist. beast's ears tell me to listen. i hear only mumbling and then a car door. i force beast from the driveway and toward our castle despite it's continued resistance but as it fights back i glance to see an all too familiar bumper sticker back out the driveway. her eyes go as big as saucers as beast+me stand dumbfounded, heartbroken and hollow that this betrayal has gone on just four little kingdoms away. she considers words briefly but then decides against it. the bumper sticker beats us home. i close the gate to our/my/her kingdom and send beast for water, returning to my cocoon to find it already tainted with her warm wanting flesh.
she tries to sing. she tries to dance. i cocoon myself away from her spells. its cold.
hours later she strikes with her soft, warm dance again. i resist by my soldier disobeys my orders. she attacks him. he fights the good fight and wins and loses. defenses exhausted, we cocoon together and she whispers to me a new song i'd not heard before: a fable of how her adventure to the other kingdom is over, that she's chosen this castle+king and that our magic potion is now brewing a little prince/ss. i have no response. the realisation of her betrayal in such close proximity had hardened me beyond permeation. her spell is suddenly broken. the rehab over. her banishment can occur tomorrow.
we puff ourselves to sleep...
in the morning i'll sing+dance as she packs her bags.
same song. same dance. a week of physical absence and digital lies before she'd prance in the house looking+smelling like her phenomenally intoxicating self. she'd crack a smile, shoot a wanting glance and my boiling rage would roll to a simmer and shortly evaporate away to soft warm happiness; pleased with her safety, her gaze, her touch, her warmth. same song. same trance would come over me every time she would gently slide her skirt from that playful position on her hips, lay on the bed and grab her perfectly shaped ass with that glance once more. i'd go to her. she'd grab a handful of my member and watch him grow from beneath my pants before revealing him and loving us both. we'd come together for the rest of the night. in the morning we'd share each other again, pushing against the tiled walls of our tiny shower stall like we were trying to remodel. for the days that followed we'd share dreams+ideas+laughs, and we'd cook for each other, and read to each other, and taste+smell+love like home for each other.
and as soon i thought maybe she'd stay, maybe we'd stay this time... she'd be gone.
each spell cast was always followed by another spell of absence and each absence helped me build up a resistance to it; like abusing a good drug. and it had become just that; i slowly stopped looking or asking for further digital lying but instead knew building up a tolerance to her drugging and eventually (i'd tell myself) i 'd be free of her spell.
in her absence i'd keep the house clean and the bills paid and the animals fed and the lawn trimmed. in her absence i'd perfect everything for her impending return, whenever it may be. in her absence i'd keep the fridge stocked and cook meals in case she appeared that night to a hot meal that would surely then have her asking herself why she ever leaves my side. at night in her absence her clothes would hang in the darkness next to mine, her dry towel would hang next to my damp one, her cold pillow would lay next to my head; all redolent with her sweet smell. our animals would do their best to fill her void with their love. in her absence my chest would tighten, i'd lay awake and wonder where she was, what she was doing, even if she was happy, but mostly i'd wonder why she kept me under this treacherous spell and when i would grow strong enough to break it.
same song. same dance. spell bound again.
a few mornings later i awake from a warm sleep to an icy cold room. i know before my eyes open that she's gone. i'm alone again with only the hot breath of our panting beast breaking the chill. the beast, thrilled with my open eyes wets my face with it's rank tongue startling all my senses and lifting me immediately to a sitting position where i would better suited to defend myself from it's aggressive love. it means i'll lift my empty dreams and slightly harder heart from beneath my cocoon and to my feet. i smoke a bit of the emptiness, the tightness, the hardness away before collaring me in cotton, it in metal and wandering out into the deepest blue morning darkness. dawn is minutes away.
me+beast wander. we turn a corner. and another. another. the paperboy avoids our side of the street; beast growls anyway. beast shits in the park; i leave it. another corner and the street lights begin to flicker off; the deep blue skies giving way for greens. another corner and another as we turn back onto our street; our little red brick castle just in the distance cast in increasingly vibrant yellows. i have my eyes on the lines of orange+pink that begin to streak down the clouds southeast edge. beast has it's eyes on the ground, searching and sniffing for every other beast available when it suddenly jerks my shoulder left up a driveway. beast's claws scrape the pavement as i resist. beast's ears tell me to listen. i hear only mumbling and then a car door. i force beast from the driveway and toward our castle despite it's continued resistance but as it fights back i glance to see an all too familiar bumper sticker back out the driveway. her eyes go as big as saucers as beast+me stand dumbfounded, heartbroken and hollow that this betrayal has gone on just four little kingdoms away. she considers words briefly but then decides against it. the bumper sticker beats us home. i close the gate to our/my/her kingdom and send beast for water, returning to my cocoon to find it already tainted with her warm wanting flesh.
she tries to sing. she tries to dance. i cocoon myself away from her spells. its cold.
hours later she strikes with her soft, warm dance again. i resist by my soldier disobeys my orders. she attacks him. he fights the good fight and wins and loses. defenses exhausted, we cocoon together and she whispers to me a new song i'd not heard before: a fable of how her adventure to the other kingdom is over, that she's chosen this castle+king and that our magic potion is now brewing a little prince/ss. i have no response. the realisation of her betrayal in such close proximity had hardened me beyond permeation. her spell is suddenly broken. the rehab over. her banishment can occur tomorrow.
we puff ourselves to sleep...
in the morning i'll sing+dance as she packs her bags.
Friday, January 24, 2014
the dangerous mind of david simon : tales of two cities
as a fan of david simon's work i happened to have the interesting opportunity to live in or at least near the cities he portrayed in his hbo series while they were in production. i have to admit to living near as i lived in washington dc, not baltimore, during the production of the wire though anyone with experience will tell you that living in one means knowledge of and (at least occasionally) frequenting the other.
for those who may not know, david simon worked the baltimore sun city desk for 12years during which time he wrote homicide: a year on the killing streets and co-wrote the corner: a year in the life of an inner city neigbourhood both of which had their own (mini)series and both of which certainly inspired the wire. after katrina, simon worked with part-time new orleans local, eric overmyer to create treme; the tale of nola's recovering historic musician's neighbourhood.
while both shows embodied their respective cities well my experience with both of them is certainly different. i was already living in new orleans when the creation of treme was announced and over the last five+ years i've gotten very intimate with this city. perhaps had i known baltimore in the same way my views of the wire would more closely resemble those of treme. that being said, i remember an excitement in new orleans when treme was initially announced. the producer of the wire was going to come tell a similar story of our beloved city in the aftermath of our abysmal near death experience; how could there not be excitement? simon had wrote some of the grittiest, true characters ever conceived for the wire, he'll surely do the same with his characters of new orleans. but after the first season, treme was getting mixed reviews from the nola natives. i heard critiques about the show's apparent slow pace or the lack of depth; that the characters didn't resonate with the locals though the events the characters experienced did. others, of course, enjoyed it immensely; glad to see simon capture more than simply gratuitous jazz+gluttony.
for me what differs between simon's stories of baltimore and new orleans is that while the wire told of individuals lives through exemplary character development, treme conversely showed how each character served as interactive piece of the greater whole (best embodied in the season 3 finale; tipitina). the main character in treme was the great city of new orleans. her hopes+dreams, her health+well-being, her trials+tribulations were lived out through her citizens; parts of a greater whole like the arteries+organs of her body - each action a felt though potentially not noticed reaction. the music was her heart, the food was her soul, the politics+crime; her brain. treme mirrored the way i've come to see the city over the years; thousands of interlocking pieces of diner+streetcar+bayou+sousaphone. in that way the show became a great success and i was thrilled that hbo allowed it to conclude... albeit rapidly.
.....
simon's work serves as a bitter look at an american reality all too often cast aside or hidden from plain sight by the media, the aristocrat, the government, and the ignorant which sadly includes... the majority. we are, after all, a country of complacency far too satisfied with our instant gratification.
this post was inspired after searching one of my new favorite websites: dangerous minds. i came across a talk david simon gave at australia's "festival of dangerous ideas" in the sydney opera house. his speech was appropriately titled "my country is a horror show." in it david simon proves himself a dangerous mind, and one worth listening to. check it out.
a few other intriguing dangerous minds links:
istvan orosz art
hitchcock's unseen holocaust documentary
houdini exposed
franz kafta's "it's a wonderful life" brought to you by the new doctor, peter capaldi
grant/hepburn : 5-minute version of charade
for those who may not know, david simon worked the baltimore sun city desk for 12years during which time he wrote homicide: a year on the killing streets and co-wrote the corner: a year in the life of an inner city neigbourhood both of which had their own (mini)series and both of which certainly inspired the wire. after katrina, simon worked with part-time new orleans local, eric overmyer to create treme; the tale of nola's recovering historic musician's neighbourhood.
while both shows embodied their respective cities well my experience with both of them is certainly different. i was already living in new orleans when the creation of treme was announced and over the last five+ years i've gotten very intimate with this city. perhaps had i known baltimore in the same way my views of the wire would more closely resemble those of treme. that being said, i remember an excitement in new orleans when treme was initially announced. the producer of the wire was going to come tell a similar story of our beloved city in the aftermath of our abysmal near death experience; how could there not be excitement? simon had wrote some of the grittiest, true characters ever conceived for the wire, he'll surely do the same with his characters of new orleans. but after the first season, treme was getting mixed reviews from the nola natives. i heard critiques about the show's apparent slow pace or the lack of depth; that the characters didn't resonate with the locals though the events the characters experienced did. others, of course, enjoyed it immensely; glad to see simon capture more than simply gratuitous jazz+gluttony.
for me what differs between simon's stories of baltimore and new orleans is that while the wire told of individuals lives through exemplary character development, treme conversely showed how each character served as interactive piece of the greater whole (best embodied in the season 3 finale; tipitina). the main character in treme was the great city of new orleans. her hopes+dreams, her health+well-being, her trials+tribulations were lived out through her citizens; parts of a greater whole like the arteries+organs of her body - each action a felt though potentially not noticed reaction. the music was her heart, the food was her soul, the politics+crime; her brain. treme mirrored the way i've come to see the city over the years; thousands of interlocking pieces of diner+streetcar+bayou+sousaphone. in that way the show became a great success and i was thrilled that hbo allowed it to conclude... albeit rapidly.
.....
simon's work serves as a bitter look at an american reality all too often cast aside or hidden from plain sight by the media, the aristocrat, the government, and the ignorant which sadly includes... the majority. we are, after all, a country of complacency far too satisfied with our instant gratification.
this post was inspired after searching one of my new favorite websites: dangerous minds. i came across a talk david simon gave at australia's "festival of dangerous ideas" in the sydney opera house. his speech was appropriately titled "my country is a horror show." in it david simon proves himself a dangerous mind, and one worth listening to. check it out.
a few other intriguing dangerous minds links:
istvan orosz art
hitchcock's unseen holocaust documentary
houdini exposed
franz kafta's "it's a wonderful life" brought to you by the new doctor, peter capaldi
grant/hepburn : 5-minute version of charade
Sunday, January 19, 2014
lord, help the poor+needy
earlier today i was heading down tchoupitoulas windows down, fresh cool air balancing the warmth of the sun and filled with the sounds of wwoz sunday. slightly lifted i used the particularly perfect blend of sensory stimulation to process+defragment+clear my mind until jessie mae hemphill got my complete attention with this song. simply soulful+hopeful+beautiful. i remained caught in oz's vibe as they went straight into old crow's motel in memphis and i suddenly realised they were praising dr. king. two terrific songs motivated me to want to remember the moment and the tracks to add to a playlist so as traffic backup and i come full stop i pull notebook+pen to jot song titles beneath the others. i drifted a bit closer to the highway before getting to put pen to paper and as i was writing the words "help the poor+needy" i noticed a man approaching with cupped hands outreached. he had no cardboard sign or catch phrase; just a pleasant smile and outreached hands. lord, help the poor+needy. i gave him the 5dollars i had on me and wished him no trouble and safe travels.
while i mention wwoz, it seems that this city's noise ordinance on live music as been postponed once again; if you weren't there the city council protest and mock hearing was pretty powerful on friday. a noise ordinance in the birthplace of jazz? it's as ridiculous as the premise of footloose. dance good while you can.
Sunday, December 01, 2013
time+space
this is what happens with a nearly limitless amount of both in the hands of these guys.
and it's nice to know that someone out there is still working on these ideas. thank you, scientists.
and it's nice to know that someone out there is still working on these ideas. thank you, scientists.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
nolapdbs : an update
nearly 2months after receiving the bs ticket (a warrant is suppose to go out after 1month) and calling nola traffic court for my ticket to post dayaftereveryotherday only to hear the deflating automated service tell me once again that the ticket wasn't in the system and to call back or use '0' to speak with a representative (which i always did); i finally received a tip from one such representative (who i must say were all pleasant each time i spoke with them and were generally always trying to be helpful). the tip; a new # which led me to the clerk's office and a woman who couldn't believe the ticket was issued 2months prior and not yet in their system. fax you a copy of the ticket? surely - against my initial instinct, thinking that if they had lost the ticket i'd be giving it right back to them. a quick phone call minutes later from the voice i'd just left with my faxed ticket; "mr.fool, the officer has been contacted and is on his way in with his books now," she huffed seemingly very perturbed. "the date to deal with your ticket has been extended through december. you'll still need to contact the ticket office to know when your ticket actually gets into our system." i sigh.... "then you can begin payment or get a court date." i sigh again....
"great! because i intend on contesting!"
"okay, well if you keep calling and it still doesn't show up, you call me back."
thanks miss. at least i don't have to worry about the warrant... right?
so i hadn't called back about the ticket. instead i'd just planned to make my way to the courthouse some afternoon in late november to contest for a court date.
5days ago a # i don't recognise hums my phone and i leave to go to voice mail as i do all unknowns. the same # hums again and this time leaves word.
i check.
i have 1 unheard message. first message... a different voice calling from the clerk's office; "mr.fool, i wanted to let you know that your traffic ticket "j7####6" has been voided. you will not have to pay this ticket. missoriginalclerk'sofficeassistant wanted me to call and let you know. i'll be sending a letter to your address informing you of the same. no need to call back. thank you."
yesterday the letter she spoke of was waiting inside on the hardwood when i returned from work.
i assume one of three scenerios. one; that my nagging up the chain led to my good fortune. two; perhaps i flagged an officers lackluster job performance and as a result (or thank you) the clerk's office let me off the hook at a time when 3nopd officers have already made the news for the worst reasons. three; maybe my words to the ticketing officer actually reached him on the day of and he found it within him to void the ticket before turning in his books.
my instinct leans furthest toward one but regardless the reason; i'm pleased and thankful.
drive good.
yesterday the letter she spoke of was waiting inside on the hardwood when i returned from work.
i assume one of three scenerios. one; that my nagging up the chain led to my good fortune. two; perhaps i flagged an officers lackluster job performance and as a result (or thank you) the clerk's office let me off the hook at a time when 3nopd officers have already made the news for the worst reasons. three; maybe my words to the ticketing officer actually reached him on the day of and he found it within him to void the ticket before turning in his books.
my instinct leans furthest toward one but regardless the reason; i'm pleased and thankful.
drive good.
Monday, November 04, 2013
in the rain : acl : queens of the stone age
i sat by the ocean and drank a potion, baby to erase you.
i had lost my friends and pushed forward to stand alone in the crowd 10feet back from center stage. friend1 went to mingle with other music. friend2's energy radiated from further forward to my right, but couldn't be seen, only felt. the sun had completely hidden itself just in time for the stage lights+effects to matter. the darkness meant the band could enter the stage under haze and minimum visibility. lights slowly faded in from behind the drum kit to reveal silhouettes and then proceeded to stream out over the excited crowd. josh raises his guitar pick to the crowd. screams of anticipation. he drops the pick which falls to strike the first note of you think i ain't worth a dollar, but i feel like a millionaire in perfect unison with the fall of the first cool drop of rain on my hand; it's presence infinitely amplified by breaking what had otherwise been a very dry hot day; minus my consumption of costa rican imperial lager+h20. each note seemed to bring with it an extra raindrop until the exponential additions of rain broke into down pour right at the start of track2; no one knows where josh felt prompted to cheer the crowd. "we're here now, don't leave me!" he screamed between verses... no one was going anywhere.
green+yellow flashed in time beautifying the shower. by track4 the energy was lifted to baptismal levels; the rain+sound serving as a cleansing of soul+mind+body. i focused internally a moment, tasting the water on my lips and feeling the kick+bass in my heart. i pulled my heart from my chest and washed it in the energy. i placed it back in it's vacancy and felt restored+rejuvenated+realive.
reunited with friend1, i found myself fulfilled, content, at peace, joyful.
walk good.
i had lost my friends and pushed forward to stand alone in the crowd 10feet back from center stage. friend1 went to mingle with other music. friend2's energy radiated from further forward to my right, but couldn't be seen, only felt. the sun had completely hidden itself just in time for the stage lights+effects to matter. the darkness meant the band could enter the stage under haze and minimum visibility. lights slowly faded in from behind the drum kit to reveal silhouettes and then proceeded to stream out over the excited crowd. josh raises his guitar pick to the crowd. screams of anticipation. he drops the pick which falls to strike the first note of you think i ain't worth a dollar, but i feel like a millionaire in perfect unison with the fall of the first cool drop of rain on my hand; it's presence infinitely amplified by breaking what had otherwise been a very dry hot day; minus my consumption of costa rican imperial lager+h20. each note seemed to bring with it an extra raindrop until the exponential additions of rain broke into down pour right at the start of track2; no one knows where josh felt prompted to cheer the crowd. "we're here now, don't leave me!" he screamed between verses... no one was going anywhere.
green+yellow flashed in time beautifying the shower. by track4 the energy was lifted to baptismal levels; the rain+sound serving as a cleansing of soul+mind+body. i focused internally a moment, tasting the water on my lips and feeling the kick+bass in my heart. i pulled my heart from my chest and washed it in the energy. i placed it back in it's vacancy and felt restored+rejuvenated+realive.
reunited with friend1, i found myself fulfilled, content, at peace, joyful.
walk good.
Friday, August 30, 2013
alan lomax
alan lomax was one of the greatest collectors and documenters of folk culture in the world. for the majority of his life he traveled the planet recording the local music and interviewing the local natives. those 17,000+ recordings have finally been digitised, more than a decade after his death, and absorbed by the united states library of congress and are now readily available online at the association of cultural equity. just start at the beginning. it means you get to start with the calypso anyway.
walk good.
ps. this here sidebar worthy.
walk good.
ps. this here sidebar worthy.
brain games
i'm a science geek, but you already knew that. i always say, even though it's not always true, that my favourite sciences are astronomy and cognitive sciences (eg: neurology) likely because we know so little about each. this post is news about the latter.
two american researchers working at the university of washington have successfully conducted the first human brain to brain transmission (liking cbc news these days). previously successful with rats, these too scientists sat at opposite sides of the university's campus and using the internet, the sender controlled the receiver's hand. swim caps. diodes. video games. yet another instance of the future made present; of science fiction made reality. it's amazing and terrifying as the future tends to be.
in yesterday's future we can implant jaws that were printed in 3-d, grow ears+noses from stem cells, and now brains too. yep, we grow brains. these miniature brains will only grow so large with the absence of blood+oxygen. still, scientists believe these brains may give vast insight into rare diseases and better explain how new drugs affect the brain. again with the amazing and slightly terrifying; the freaky but incredible.
adding these two interesting articles a day later.
insomniacs lose focus. i've experienced that though must say when my brain keeps me up in the wee hours i always seem to be focused+driven.
poverty affects mental ability, influences critical thinking and decision making.
two american researchers working at the university of washington have successfully conducted the first human brain to brain transmission (liking cbc news these days). previously successful with rats, these too scientists sat at opposite sides of the university's campus and using the internet, the sender controlled the receiver's hand. swim caps. diodes. video games. yet another instance of the future made present; of science fiction made reality. it's amazing and terrifying as the future tends to be.
in yesterday's future we can implant jaws that were printed in 3-d, grow ears+noses from stem cells, and now brains too. yep, we grow brains. these miniature brains will only grow so large with the absence of blood+oxygen. still, scientists believe these brains may give vast insight into rare diseases and better explain how new drugs affect the brain. again with the amazing and slightly terrifying; the freaky but incredible.
adding these two interesting articles a day later.
insomniacs lose focus. i've experienced that though must say when my brain keeps me up in the wee hours i always seem to be focused+driven.
poverty affects mental ability, influences critical thinking and decision making.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
nolapdbs
friday morning i headed to work; magazine street becomes camp and with the park on the left and the international school of louisiana on the right i drove the left lane at the requested 20milesperhour with the rest of the commuters motoring to work. well beyond school grounds (100meters+) a sudden smash of brakes and warning red from the suv in front of me had me smashing mine and rather than jam them to a full stop inches from her tailpipe i quick check the right lane, make lane change and proceed to gather speed as to not slow that lane too. just as i was about to cross melpomene, a cop who was already busy writing up another motorist looks up from his ticket pad and jumps out from in front of his cruiser and nearly into the path of my vehicle, banging on the side+trunk; evidently not pleased with his morning or my ability to transport myself about town.
i thought briefly about continuing about my trip to work (and probably should have) but thought better of it knowing that driving off would certainly bring penalty once he checked the cruisers on-board-camera for my plate#, so i obliged the officer and spun my car around to sit on the corner of melpomene+camp. it was about 8:45a. the officer (i won't name him now, but perhaps after future installments to this story) was curt to say the least. "license, registration, proof of insurance." i obliged. "i'll be back," off to his cruiser to check me for warrants. i have none. he returned to my car window with my information and then very plainly informed me that i was driving 30mph in a 20mph school zone, that i was following too closely to the car in front of me and that i failed to signal. he handed me a citation for all three 'violations.'
"sir," i tried to be polite, "you were just writing a ticket. you didn't see all that. the car in front of me smashed their brakes, of course i was close. i did signal. and you certainly didn't clock me from outside your cruiser."
"sign here. you can protest it with the court if you like."
i do like. and i fully intend to. dude shit on my friday morning simply to fill an end of the month citation quota he hadn't yet reached. traffic cops, i've been told, have to meet #s like any other form of solicitation. as he began to walk away from me i said "excuse me sir, you give no favor or grace for the fact that i simply could have just kept driving? i wouldn't had stopped had you not got my attention by banging on my car."
"i didn't bang on your car," he said anxiously and then walked away.
i felt like telling him to get laid.
added 9.43p: initial research+calculations project approximately a $857 fine.
i thought briefly about continuing about my trip to work (and probably should have) but thought better of it knowing that driving off would certainly bring penalty once he checked the cruisers on-board-camera for my plate#, so i obliged the officer and spun my car around to sit on the corner of melpomene+camp. it was about 8:45a. the officer (i won't name him now, but perhaps after future installments to this story) was curt to say the least. "license, registration, proof of insurance." i obliged. "i'll be back," off to his cruiser to check me for warrants. i have none. he returned to my car window with my information and then very plainly informed me that i was driving 30mph in a 20mph school zone, that i was following too closely to the car in front of me and that i failed to signal. he handed me a citation for all three 'violations.'
"sir," i tried to be polite, "you were just writing a ticket. you didn't see all that. the car in front of me smashed their brakes, of course i was close. i did signal. and you certainly didn't clock me from outside your cruiser."
"sign here. you can protest it with the court if you like."
i do like. and i fully intend to. dude shit on my friday morning simply to fill an end of the month citation quota he hadn't yet reached. traffic cops, i've been told, have to meet #s like any other form of solicitation. as he began to walk away from me i said "excuse me sir, you give no favor or grace for the fact that i simply could have just kept driving? i wouldn't had stopped had you not got my attention by banging on my car."
"i didn't bang on your car," he said anxiously and then walked away.
i felt like telling him to get laid.
added 9.43p: initial research+calculations project approximately a $857 fine.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
project be
monday evening i took the opportunity to venture out to the florida housing development deep in the recesses of the 9th ward; abandoned since hurricane katrina unleased her wrath back in 2005. demolition is set to begin soon to make way for new, but before they're gone local artist brandan 'bmike' odums has taken the opportunity to turn many of these empty galleries into project be; a collection of graffiti paying tribute to leaders+motivators+creators, complete with uplifting quote+verse. his work has inspired other artists to join in the creation and this old community suddenly has the new life as a museum of very modern art.
there is no telling when the demolition will begin but in the meanwhile the walls inside this fenced in community are pulsing with +vibes, powerful art, and the words of common.
during the visit i met several good souls braving the broken glass+crumbling steps to either create or admire but most importantly commune with each other and i realised at a point that the art had made this abandoned housing development a safe place to share+express ideas; it is safe place to be.
below are some of my photos from the day. you can find more by following the project be link above.
below are some of my photos from the day. you can find more by following the project be link above.
walk good.
ps. some friends+i are talking to go back to create own. if do, more sooncome.
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
flying lotus videos
flying lotus has this cool sound, but his videos are visually stunning. check this one and then a few others.
putty boy strut.
tiny tortures.
and this short clip about flying lotus' cosmogramma album appeals to me greatly.
putty boy strut.
tiny tortures.
and this short clip about flying lotus' cosmogramma album appeals to me greatly.
Friday, August 02, 2013
years since birth
people have always worried about my earthly age more than i have. for many years when questioned i'd have to figure the math before answering. i seem to have more of a handle on that these days if for no other reason than to avoid a dumbfounded look when i can't answer immediately. as a child i was allowed 3birthday parties at 5, at 10, and at 15years old. i waived the last one; by then celebrating seemed wasteful.
my theory has always been that each day your a year older than you were a year ago so celebrate everyday, not one day.
something is changing though. i'm half way through 30 suddenly and feel as though i'm only now awakening. awakening isn't really the right word. it's a safe word i use to keep from stating the reality. the reality is that i'm only just now beginning to chase my dreams, which isn't quite the truth either. i suppose the truth is that i'm only just now beginning to believe in myself; in my ability to succeed at more than the mundane. i'm only, at 30.5years old, just finding out that what i have to share with the world is real+beautiful+brilliant. my ideas, my art, my effort isn't for not. it matters. but most of all it can make a difference. it can better the world around me.
you see, like many people, i was trained not to chase my dreams but to chase a living. to work toward satisfactory. to survive. a mediocre job and roof overhead was suppose to be enough. and i'm great at that... the surviving part. if everything in this world goes to shit, look for me... i'll be the one thriving through it all; surviving. though being satisfactory and surviving the way i do isn't enough. i'm not accomplishing nearly what i'm capable of.
what i have inside of me can be a light of good+worth+wonder. i can change norms with my ideas. i can expand minds. i can leave a mark. as a friend so wonderfully put just recently, it's about time i become the eye of the storm. i spinning into it just now... hold on. these winds are gonna get strong.
spin strong.
my theory has always been that each day your a year older than you were a year ago so celebrate everyday, not one day.
something is changing though. i'm half way through 30 suddenly and feel as though i'm only now awakening. awakening isn't really the right word. it's a safe word i use to keep from stating the reality. the reality is that i'm only just now beginning to chase my dreams, which isn't quite the truth either. i suppose the truth is that i'm only just now beginning to believe in myself; in my ability to succeed at more than the mundane. i'm only, at 30.5years old, just finding out that what i have to share with the world is real+beautiful+brilliant. my ideas, my art, my effort isn't for not. it matters. but most of all it can make a difference. it can better the world around me.
you see, like many people, i was trained not to chase my dreams but to chase a living. to work toward satisfactory. to survive. a mediocre job and roof overhead was suppose to be enough. and i'm great at that... the surviving part. if everything in this world goes to shit, look for me... i'll be the one thriving through it all; surviving. though being satisfactory and surviving the way i do isn't enough. i'm not accomplishing nearly what i'm capable of.
what i have inside of me can be a light of good+worth+wonder. i can change norms with my ideas. i can expand minds. i can leave a mark. as a friend so wonderfully put just recently, it's about time i become the eye of the storm. i spinning into it just now... hold on. these winds are gonna get strong.
spin strong.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
analog facebook
introducing analog facebook:
simply fill a 3-ring binder with any type of paper, pick up a polaroid camera (yes, they still make the film) and the adhesive of your choice. now, when you meet new people you can invite them to be your friend without having to wait for an acceptance. a friendly handshake will confirm your bond. if they accept your verbal friend invite snap their photo with your camera, then go all andre3000 on it. in the meanwhile invite your new friend to enter his/her name and mailing address (the minimum info required) and then all additional information on one of the sheets of paper in your binder. be sure to recommend their birth date, their education+employment history, their likes in music, movies, books, activities, other... and then finally insert the photo you took of them in the top left corner. boom! analog facebook friend acquired! well... don't just sit there! post something clever on their analog facebook wall or at least like their photo by taking a photo of your own thumb and attach it below their profile pic. now, simply do this with every single person you meet in the real world and watch your analog facebook friends pile up! it won't be long before you have official analog facebook binder bags filled with official analog facebook 3-ring binders; the truly popular will need our official analog facebook binder wagon, so they can keep all their analog facebook friends close. when you bump into your analog facebook friends be sure to have them update their page and let them your comments on their previous statuses while you, of course, update your page in their analog facebook.
need to send your new friend a message... not to worry, their analog facebook page has their mailing address. a quick handwritten message, an envelope and a stamp and you'll be messaging your friend in 3-5days... or weeks.
what more could you ask for? hurry, start analog facebooking now! it's trending...
simply fill a 3-ring binder with any type of paper, pick up a polaroid camera (yes, they still make the film) and the adhesive of your choice. now, when you meet new people you can invite them to be your friend without having to wait for an acceptance. a friendly handshake will confirm your bond. if they accept your verbal friend invite snap their photo with your camera, then go all andre3000 on it. in the meanwhile invite your new friend to enter his/her name and mailing address (the minimum info required) and then all additional information on one of the sheets of paper in your binder. be sure to recommend their birth date, their education+employment history, their likes in music, movies, books, activities, other... and then finally insert the photo you took of them in the top left corner. boom! analog facebook friend acquired! well... don't just sit there! post something clever on their analog facebook wall or at least like their photo by taking a photo of your own thumb and attach it below their profile pic. now, simply do this with every single person you meet in the real world and watch your analog facebook friends pile up! it won't be long before you have official analog facebook binder bags filled with official analog facebook 3-ring binders; the truly popular will need our official analog facebook binder wagon, so they can keep all their analog facebook friends close. when you bump into your analog facebook friends be sure to have them update their page and let them your comments on their previous statuses while you, of course, update your page in their analog facebook.
need to send your new friend a message... not to worry, their analog facebook page has their mailing address. a quick handwritten message, an envelope and a stamp and you'll be messaging your friend in 3-5days... or weeks.
what more could you ask for? hurry, start analog facebooking now! it's trending...
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
genius greenious
hadda post before i lost it...
portable solar energy. they bes' run this shit across the globe right quick. too smart.
portable solar energy. they bes' run this shit across the globe right quick. too smart.
please welcome to the stage... ghostface killah (and other musical awareness updates)
ghostface rocks a mic. i've literally loved everything the man has done. he can do it all, including his new stage show that accompanies his new album, twelve reasons to die; a collaboration with american composer adrian younge. the album is nice and deserves a proper listen. i'd see the show if it came this way.
tyler, the creator is the next big ting in hiphop. he's controversial. he's talented. he speaks freely. people hate him and he's cool with that. he's been called a satanist after his album goblin which i can't speak to since i haven't heard it; having only caught up with the scene since his latest record, wolf, drop. one listen through drop and you'll feel the same way. he's on the come up. listen close to track 6, answer, where he imagines a phone call with his father.
the beatles have a new album! okay, they don't have a new album but if the beatles of the late 60's were producing music today it would sound like tame impala. their latest release lonerism is excellent. i doh know what else to say but check it.
scientifically accurate spiderman and scientifically accurate ninja turtles. stumbled upon these while pulling youtube music links. ridiculous.
boy did we get lucky. new daft punk is out. pharrell produced it. nuff said. (video is not surprisingly pretty weird)
i doh needa link anyting i doh think, but major lazer's free the universe is bes' as expected. it has barely left my ears since it drop.wind up
anyway>
there's so much more: flaming lips, alt-j, jt, kid cudi... i could go on. like i said, i'ma hafta send you more music sooner or later.
i'll leave you with something from local nola. a project called bloody sunday sessions where a film crew and band mount up onto a horse drawn carriage that parades around the french quarter while the music happens. the result is pretty awesome. go to the sessions tab and check out treme brass and/or edward sharpe. good stuff.
fete on. walk good.
tyler, the creator is the next big ting in hiphop. he's controversial. he's talented. he speaks freely. people hate him and he's cool with that. he's been called a satanist after his album goblin which i can't speak to since i haven't heard it; having only caught up with the scene since his latest record, wolf, drop. one listen through drop and you'll feel the same way. he's on the come up. listen close to track 6, answer, where he imagines a phone call with his father.
the beatles have a new album! okay, they don't have a new album but if the beatles of the late 60's were producing music today it would sound like tame impala. their latest release lonerism is excellent. i doh know what else to say but check it.
scientifically accurate spiderman and scientifically accurate ninja turtles. stumbled upon these while pulling youtube music links. ridiculous.
boy did we get lucky. new daft punk is out. pharrell produced it. nuff said. (video is not surprisingly pretty weird)
i doh needa link anyting i doh think, but major lazer's free the universe is bes' as expected. it has barely left my ears since it drop.
anyway>
there's so much more: flaming lips, alt-j, jt, kid cudi... i could go on. like i said, i'ma hafta send you more music sooner or later.
i'll leave you with something from local nola. a project called bloody sunday sessions where a film crew and band mount up onto a horse drawn carriage that parades around the french quarter while the music happens. the result is pretty awesome. go to the sessions tab and check out treme brass and/or edward sharpe. good stuff.
fete on. walk good.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
world book night #2
happy world book night #2, sweet trini!
this year's book to was bradbury's fahrenheit 451. as a child this was one book that made me love to read and immediately think of all literature as terribly important. to potentially gift a similar experience to another is an honour.
20copies boxed up. passed by the secondary school too late to dish 'em out before school bell ring but found 3young boys, aiden, andre+alex (ages 8,9+10) waiting for the public bus to head to their primary school. i approached and offered them each a copy. it went down like this:
"hey, fellas. how are ya'll? you wanna good book?" books already in hand.
all 3boys replied "yeah!" with a moderate amount of excitement. i hand them the book.
"what's is it?"
"fahrenheit 451. do you know why it's called that?"
"no." "nope." alex stays quiet.
"because that's the temperature at which paper burns."
"oh?" confused looks. "so why is called that?"
"it's sci-fi." all their faces light up.
"i love science." says aiden. "i read all kind of science and fantasy fiction." says andre, looking like a young malcolm x. alex still a bit skeptical says "so what's it about?"
"it's about a future based not too far from our own where literature has been outlawed and books are now destroyed instead of created. the firemen who used to save lives and put out fires..."
"start them!" andre proclaims. "he burns their homes and everything, doesn't he? cool!"
"that's right!" i state, immediately impressed and a bit stunned by his answer.
andre, a little proud of himself, asks "are you gonna come back around?"
"well, i hope so. we'll see each other again someday, i'm sure."
they all thanked me enthusiastically and i headed into the job. those were the best 3books i gave away all day.
17copies left... a work day later, i pass by the students of the secondary school still awaiting parent-pickups and invite 'em to take a copy of bradbury's novel. they were gone in less than 5minutes. most of the students were absolutely interested and appreciative for the free book though not one questioned why i was able to give them away for free (i told them anyway) and only 1 turned it down.
the experience of giving to kids was bes'. they were interested+excited+grateful to be given something for nothing. some were even thrilled it was a book. at least 2youths told me they've "always wanted to read this." i hoping them 2 and at least one other read the damn thing, or they at least give it to someone who wanna.
the experience was in stark contrast to last year where i hadda plead with other grown adults to even gimme time a day before they eventually accepted a free book. most figure there hadda be some catch... "what kinda ting you selling attitude?"
seems as we age we learn to expect that nothing free, that there always a hidden agenda, that we, by nature, are selfish beings and act accordingly. and this by all practical reasoning and in my experience is pretty much true. the human condition so poor that we find ourselves flabbergasted when someone truly do for no other reason but to do good. i often feel ashamed+sickened by that condition; like a disease we damned to pass to the next generation. as though there is no hope for them. they doomed to retreat to selfishness. there will be no enlightenment, no advancement, no renaissance. human beings will just continue to slip further into ourselves. but world book night flips that on it's head. publishers+libraries+bookstores+givers coming together for the joy of sharing literature with the masses; no selfish tendencies, no payment, no reason but a pure one; giving art. alex+andre+aiden made my art giving experience one i'll remember. and they remind me to hope for the future. minds like theirs can make the difference.
"always do right. this will gratify some people and astonish the rest." - mark twain.
this year's book to was bradbury's fahrenheit 451. as a child this was one book that made me love to read and immediately think of all literature as terribly important. to potentially gift a similar experience to another is an honour.
20copies boxed up. passed by the secondary school too late to dish 'em out before school bell ring but found 3young boys, aiden, andre+alex (ages 8,9+10) waiting for the public bus to head to their primary school. i approached and offered them each a copy. it went down like this:
"hey, fellas. how are ya'll? you wanna good book?" books already in hand.
all 3boys replied "yeah!" with a moderate amount of excitement. i hand them the book.
"what's is it?"
"fahrenheit 451. do you know why it's called that?"
"no." "nope." alex stays quiet.
"because that's the temperature at which paper burns."
"oh?" confused looks. "so why is called that?"
"it's sci-fi." all their faces light up.
"i love science." says aiden. "i read all kind of science and fantasy fiction." says andre, looking like a young malcolm x. alex still a bit skeptical says "so what's it about?"
"it's about a future based not too far from our own where literature has been outlawed and books are now destroyed instead of created. the firemen who used to save lives and put out fires..."
"start them!" andre proclaims. "he burns their homes and everything, doesn't he? cool!"
"that's right!" i state, immediately impressed and a bit stunned by his answer.
andre, a little proud of himself, asks "are you gonna come back around?"
"well, i hope so. we'll see each other again someday, i'm sure."
they all thanked me enthusiastically and i headed into the job. those were the best 3books i gave away all day.
17copies left... a work day later, i pass by the students of the secondary school still awaiting parent-pickups and invite 'em to take a copy of bradbury's novel. they were gone in less than 5minutes. most of the students were absolutely interested and appreciative for the free book though not one questioned why i was able to give them away for free (i told them anyway) and only 1 turned it down.
the experience of giving to kids was bes'. they were interested+excited+grateful to be given something for nothing. some were even thrilled it was a book. at least 2youths told me they've "always wanted to read this." i hoping them 2 and at least one other read the damn thing, or they at least give it to someone who wanna.
the experience was in stark contrast to last year where i hadda plead with other grown adults to even gimme time a day before they eventually accepted a free book. most figure there hadda be some catch... "what kinda ting you selling attitude?"
seems as we age we learn to expect that nothing free, that there always a hidden agenda, that we, by nature, are selfish beings and act accordingly. and this by all practical reasoning and in my experience is pretty much true. the human condition so poor that we find ourselves flabbergasted when someone truly do for no other reason but to do good. i often feel ashamed+sickened by that condition; like a disease we damned to pass to the next generation. as though there is no hope for them. they doomed to retreat to selfishness. there will be no enlightenment, no advancement, no renaissance. human beings will just continue to slip further into ourselves. but world book night flips that on it's head. publishers+libraries+bookstores+givers coming together for the joy of sharing literature with the masses; no selfish tendencies, no payment, no reason but a pure one; giving art. alex+andre+aiden made my art giving experience one i'll remember. and they remind me to hope for the future. minds like theirs can make the difference.
"always do right. this will gratify some people and astonish the rest." - mark twain.
Monday, January 21, 2013
the event
i know i said less videos, more content, but you love these shorts as much as i do. this one is wow. walk good.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Sunday, October 07, 2012
the ambivalent man must certainly die of self strangulation. calloused hands clenching neck; left fighting right for position. tighter until he gags. tighter until he coughs. tighter until he collapses. lungs begging for freedom. sucking for air. blood fiendishly begging for oxygen. shallow breaths. deeper breaths. he regains consciousness. regains focus. regains strength. regains determination. regains contempt; falling back to knees. battling hands as they again squeeze down on esophagus. doomed to repeat the process. damned to survive death. dying to live. fighting to die.
Friday, September 07, 2012
dragged out drugged out art
hadda post this myself so i doh lose it. thanks sweet trini. click the sketch.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
attack of literacy
this is the jersey i wore in the previous world book night post. i'm posting it for you because it's awesome.
laugh ouch loud
last night, i became abundantly aware that, perhaps, i shouldn't watch the daily show or the colbert report while nursing busted ribs. laughter hurts and at the moment is certainly not the best medicine.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
world book night
this experience was brought to me by world book night.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
fff #40
bare, beer, bier, bear
he never thought a beer at a familiar bar and a drive through a familiar neighbourhood would lead him to his bier. he left the bar that night arm-in-arm with best intentions and his beautiful, cherry blossom scented date. he closed the passenger door gently behind her as she tucked her dress between her thigh and the seat of his new avalon, smiling sweet at him for showing such gentlemanly character. nina simone's i can't see nobody leaked out the cracked windows, dancing with the warm late summer breeze as they drove toward mid-city. a left on canal and a right on bank street found them in front of her camelback home. sweet olive trees filled the air with their wonderful aroma as he walked her to the front door, stopping a step below her terrace so their lips could meet briefly without her straining her neck. a bear hug around his waist and a soft smile followed before he watched her disappear behind heavy oak and listened carefully to the satisfaction of safety behind lock+chain.
his heart still flooded with the warmth of her lips he began plotting their next moment together before he had returned behind the wheel. he drove off, stopping at the corner of north galvez+bank to stare in his rear view fondly at her porch light. suddenly her light disappeared behind an ominous shadow. the shadow split in two and each quickly filled each side view mirror. he hit the gas and sped through the intersection before he heard the first shot; gun fire from the two shadows. a second shot shattered a car window, but he never heard a third. his avalon veered off the road, through a banana tree and into the front room of a newly renovated shotgun home.
by the time the ambulance arrived he was gone.
now, the bullet still lodged in his brain, he lay stripped bare on cold metal. his sharpest grey suit hangs near anxiously awaiting their infinite rest together. his bier will be surrounded by flowers and loved ones. just a closer walk with thee will lead the procession to grave. he'll be buried holding a bible, and covered in cherry blossoms and the tears of one heart-broken woman.Monday, April 02, 2012
the black keys
on last day of march and the first perfectly hot day of the year i stood in woldenburg park, new orleans, louisana, usa with tens of thousands of other people all there for the same purpose: the black keys' music. i've been a little obsessed with the black keys for a good while now and would easily consider pay serious $ to experience them live. amazingly enough, on this day we were all getting drunk+lifted in their presence for free... all thanks to the ncaa final four basketball tournament being in town (thanks college basketball!).
their often percussion heavy blues rock live was incredible and the best energy i've felt all year. i left high off the vibes and felt great all day (residuals resonate even now). this radio1 show is nearly the same set list as i heard, though i must say that the outdoor venue was much higher energy+volume than in the lounge. the lounge show is still awesome. enjoy.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
a little song+dance+dearphotograph
good stuff below.
song.
dance.
...and then get down with die antwoord. i mean if you aren't already.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
speak now or forever lose your voice
daf, delayed auditory feedback was originally designed to assist those with a stutter; click the link for a brief example. it's a brilliant+wonderful way to relief the stress of speaking with a stutter, particularly in a public forum... there's even an app for that.
this technology, as so many do, has a terribly negative side. it can be controlling. deafening. silencing. and has the power to eradicate free speech completely. read this article: shut up.
how do you silence an entire population?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
books without borders
borders bookstore announced today that they will indefinitely sell their remaining assets, lay off 11,000 employees and close their last 399stores. some say, they simply bought too much high priced real estate that they couldn't unload when necessary, but most believe the ebook (and their late arrival to the ebook game) is to blame for the implosion of borders books. it's the advancement of that 'e' that has continued to ruin print that for centuries was sure to stand the test of time. newspapers and magazines continue to see a steady decline in circulation since today one can generally find all their news online and with the addition of the ebook, bookstores, small+large, used+new are beginning to see it too.
proprietors of the kindle, the ipad, the nook and the ebook argue that its better for the environment than traditional books containing pages made from paper. "paper comes from trees, ya know, we saving trees." (a direct quote from a kindle user during a discussion about real books versus ebooks.) another user told me they liked how small and compact it is... "it's easy to carry around," she said. "it's the size of a book, huh?" i said. "yeah, but now i don't have to have shelves of books cluttering up my house."... i stand dumbfounded. cluttering up shelves? if that's how you perceive books, then lady, i think you're missing the point.
i personally can't stand the idea of ebooks. in fact, they scare the hell outta me. take a look at this image from newsweek magazine a year ago (pay close attention to the carbon emissions of each).
a year later, the ebook has a much stronger hold on its market and is beginning to strangle the competition. while ebooks hold a mere 9per cent of the market, ebook sales climbed 164per cent last year and are downloaded more than any other media, second only to mp3s. so as ebooks continue to take a hold of the market, will we eventually loose bookstores all together? or will the ones that survive be like those we find in terminal c of the airport; big authors, big titles and less and less abstract, unconventional, enlightening works? would ebooks, then, force the production of more cookie-cutter novels, formulamatic+predictable, designed to sell? and if there are no book stores, would libraries slowly dissipate too? would future generations have to look at books from behind museum glass? would they even know what bound pages feel like to their fingers? and perhaps most importantly to me, if all books are digital, would some works deemed "controversial" begin to simply disappear; lost deep in the digital nether regions of the data/space continuum, forever hidden from us by the incalculable number of packets+pages strung together to make up the already blinding world wide web? would those of us with those books eventually become fugitives? could bradbury's vision be coming true? will we one day hide his farenheit 451 beneath the floorboards beside the words of orwell and huxley, and have to fight to protect them?
i can't understand why people are in such a hurry to go digital. what's so wrong with analog anyway?
Thursday, July 07, 2011
catching up with the foolish
after reading about a friends discovery of a band i've listened to for a few years now, i suddenly felt like a bad friend or least ashamed of not doing my universal job as an artist to spread art...
so below i've embedded several songs from artists i've been listening to recently. hopefully you find some good vibes that you hadn't already heard.
first the band that caused this post: lcd soundsystem, dance yrself clean - listen to the whole song. it grows on you.
radiohead, lotus flower. what can i say, it's thom yorke dancing himself clean in his own way. it's a great track off their latest; the king of limbs.
black metal by my morning jacket. this band is consistantly reinventing themselves. their sound grows+morphs with each album -- they never sound the same way twice.
stephen marley, made in africa. i could post each song off his latest album, but here is track1, side1 just in case you hadn't heard yet.
i'm a huge dangermouse fan too, so here is revenge (featuring the flaming lips) off his collaboration with sparklehorse entitled dark night of the soul. dangermouse's label rejected the album (what were they thinking) but after sparklehorse member, mark linkous, died in early 2010 emi (sparklehorse's label) released the work as his last. dangermouse also released a album this year, collaborating with italian composer daniele luppi on rome with vocals by norah jones and jack white.
finally, if you aren't high on theivery corperation, perhaps you should be. they vibe with the beat of my heart. they can bring me up, cool me out and get me off. their music can satify any situation. the cosmic game is a great track, but there are so many more... listen to several.
okay, i'm including two:
enjoy.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
rsa animate
if you haven't seen them; these are amazing. adapted animations from a series of lectures at the royal society of arts, like my favourite: choice, by sir ken robinson.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
what dreams may go
i haven't dreamt in quite a while; or at least not remembered one anyway. 10years or more of no dreams. i'd accepted that i was one of those people who simply never remembers their dreams until suddenly about 4months ago, i awoke with a dream in my head. it's happened more and more as of late and some of them are just weird, ridiculous, insane yet creative projections. what follows are the notes of easily the oddest dream i've had in the last 10+years. *yes, i may make it a full story eventually. no, i'm not looking for any 'what does it mean' critiques.
i'm homeless. walking along the side of some country highway in near pitch black darkness. patches of tree then farm then field then tree line the beat up road. an old faded red pick-up truck drives by and comes to a stop just 100meters in front of me. weary as i approach the vehicle, i look into the passenger side window to see only a cigar light up the driver's face. a farmer; he tells me he can put me up and offers me work. with not too many other options available to me i accept...
when we reach the farm, he says there's a small house just the other side of a gated brush field down a dirt path where i can stay the night. the work will come in the morning. the field is washed in moonlight but the tall brush and many trees provide plenty of contrast. it's eerie; like something out of a hitchcock movie (or "alfred hitchcock presents"). and my visible breath means the temperature has dropped significantly. i'm just happy to have a place to stay. i wonder about how nice it might be and if perhaps it might have a heater, or fireplace. i walk down the longer than expected narrowing path as it becomes clear no truck or tractor had been on in quite a while when i suddenly come across an animal i'd never seen before...
the animal: stood about waist high. had a body like a small deer but not as lean, though still hoofed and moved like deer; dainty, graceful, nimble. the creatures fur was more like a bear than a deer; thick and matted. and the face was more like a friendly teddy bear except the mouth contained a big set of even spaced, sharp teeth reminiscent of a bear trap. more creatures appeared. some of these creatures had antlers which resembled a pair of rabbit ears sitting atop an old television; one longer than the other, but they were wooden and sticking straight out of the top of their head. more and more and more of these fascinating creatures began to present themselves to me. like a herd of sheep they gather around me 'til i have to shoo them from my path just to continue toward the end where i'll find shelter. they don't seem afraid of me and beyond teeth that could easily kill, give me no reason to be too afraid of them.
as i get to the end of the field i see no home, no structure of any kind, until i turn back toward the path to see a small dog house size structure made of wood and rock tucked in the shrubs. my first inclination isn't to simply turn and leave but instead i think "this is what its come to" as i crouch down, crawl in, and close the wooden door behind me. it is cold and wet and it i realise quickly that if this is the house i'm to stay in the work i'd being doing in the morning wouldn't be worth it either. i'd rather spend the night walking toward the next town than stay here and head back toward the gate figuring i might find another place to stay.
i crawl out of the structure and attempt to stand collapsing as if suddenly my legs are too weak to carry me. try as i might, i continue to find the mud beneath me. what the fuck?!
panic rushes over me and i begin crawling toward the gate as fast as possible through the mud and creatures which are now my height or taller. once tame, they suddenly begin to become aggressive with me and each other; snarling and head-butting and trying to bite. some of the creatures stop right in front of me and i have to use whatever strength i have left to forcibly push them out of the way. this continues all the way to the gate. i notice the gate closed as i approach and my panic becomes outrage.
i rattle the gate like an innocent convict tugging on bars as i yell for the farmer, for anyone to rescue me from this place. with my yells the creatures begin to snort like mulls and pound their hooves, lowering heads and rushing me like rams. i yell. i scream for help. one creature impales me with his antlers which break off in my side and i writhe in pain.
i give up on the gate and the farmer and turn back toward the structure, needing shelter from the creatures now as much as the elements. trailing blood back down the path the creatures aggression subsides and they even seem to listen as i verbally direct them from my path like a dog obeying master. it seems like hours before i get back to the structure, crawl in and lay on one side, holding the other to try to stop the blood.
the creatures suddenly continue with their aggression, clawing and butting at the door. i close my eyes as if its all a dream and begin to yell 'go, you go, please go.' there is a strange straining on my vocal cords and i figure the wet cold weather is giving me a cold, but the strain gets tighter and tighter until my 'go go' sound more like 'gaww, gaww.'
i grab for my neck with my hands but instead just jab my throat with my smooth newly formed hooves. now losing my sanity while confronted with the supernatural i examine the rest of my body to find new matted fur and the begins of two sticks growing from the top of my head. and in the midst of my life's greatest panic it suddenly occurs to me that i'm becoming one of them and that perhaps all the creatures here started out as one of me; a man or woman down on their luck.
...i wake up... weirdest dream ever.
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