So I've been sick.
Do you remember the first time you heard the Brainfreeze mix by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist? I was at a friend's office after hours for one of our regular music appreciation nights. Jeff played the Brainfreeze mix for us and I was floored. Dusty Grooves, Raw, Funky, Funny... Hop over to the Brainfreeze Phenomenon site to re-live all the magic. (I recommend a little pre-phenomenon visit to your favourite P2P: search term = shadow cut chemist brainfreeze. It can usually be found in two parts.)
I just started reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan and I'm already hooked. I strongly believe that more energy needs to be spent on teaching science and philosophy at the K-12 level. If I was feeling better I would get into a little rant here about ignorance, crime, prejudice, religion, poverty, education and the mass media. I'll leave this rant as an exercise for the reader.
I have added my Against The Reality submission and a new altered photograph to the images section. Check 'em.
The gf and I are now off to the art gallery.
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Songs of the week (It's been awhile) : Shirley Ellis - The Clapping Song
There was a party last Saturday. Rowlf went on an adventure.
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Canadian and American politicians have been meeting regarding Canada's plan to loosen marijuana posession laws. The U.S. claims it will be forced to slow cross boarder traffic as it will become increasingly necessary to search more vehicles for a substance that is illegal in its country. According to The Globe and Mail it doesn't look like Canadian laws can be loosened any more than they already are.
Why make more laws?
So for once, let's all get along. Canada should not loosen it's laws regarding marijuana, in-fact it should just leave the laws the way they are. That will make the U.S. diplomats happy and I promise not to complain.
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Do you know what amazes me? Nature. I present the following fractal-like images of plants from the cabbage family as evidence of this amazement: Broccoli, Rumanescu cabbage, Broccoflower (close up).
I read about the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players in Vice Magazine a few months ago. They are a father and a mother in their thirties, and a daughter, about eight. They "take people's vintage slides that [they] purchase at estate and yard sales and turn them into pop rock exposes. A concept, that if applied correctly, will change the future of entertainment." The eight year old is the drummer. How cool is that!?!
Stencil Revolution has a great new tutorial up. Chalk + Stencils = Harmless fun.
Bloodwars is a pdf graffiti magazine. Check the new sticker issue.
Invisible Made Visible. (Stickers and Stencils)
Are you an art prostitute?
Noah Grey is a gifted photographer.
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A self-imposed project freeze is required. It's so easy to start new projects and so hard to finish the old ones once I pass from the inspiration stage to the perspiration stage.
The open dialogue on Canadian foreign policy closed on May 1, 2003. The foreign affairs Minister's report will appear on this site once it is released. Until then, check out the available netcasts on Canadian Security, Prosperity, Values and Culture.
I realized today that I have a serious case of pensive envy.
I learned of Louis Wane via Sublimate and I have become mildly obsessed with his schizophrenia induced paintings/drawings. (Large images of two of my favorites: one - two)
Collaboration can be so amazing:
- Against the Reality - Many wonderful photoshop creations. Download the template and submit your own.
- Escalate - Digital photography, new media design and the visual culture.
- Isolation Remix - Designers and creatives are invited to remix any of the photographs provided on this site.
Other people's lives.
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just wonderin... Canada, and I believe most of the western world, is in a bit of a strange situation. Canada's economy requires that our population continues to grow. Birth rate alone isn't enough to increase our population, so immigration is required to keep the numbers from falling. We need to continually increase consumption for things to work properly, for the economy to 'grow.'
knowing that, would it not be in the best interest of Canada's foreign policy makers to ensure that countries where people are emmigrating from remained in such a state that the population was continually trying to leave?
In other words, no matter how much we say we will help another country we have to make sure that the population remains envious of what we have and what they could have, if they were to immigrate here.
According to the way our economy works, we can't have what we currently have, without other people having much, much less...
in the end, is consumption the way to go?
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My girlfriend has totally opened my eyes to the world of cute. Not only is she hella cute, but she would absolutely love the artwork over at Small and Round. Being a Neopets addict she's also going to totally dig these games (Via Sublimate via Milk and Cookies).
For those of you living in Manitoba (Canada) you should really start preparing yourself for the provincial election on June 3rd. Not only is it your duty to vote but it is also important to make an informed decision.
"It is our goal that Running Man Interactive will serve as a catalyst supplying 'basic' observations from the source of ecological problem areas around the world. It's a mixture of travelogue, investigative journalism, video diary and educational program, combining elements of each, in a format open to on-line debate." Click over to
Running Man, Interactive Tribal Journeys.
"Promote yourself, spread your art, get seen in new cities. Collect art from other artists." It's
Sticker Switch. Coming soon to a wall near you.
Speckled paint is yesterday. The
Solipsistic Gazette is tomorrow. What is today?
A
deep ambient techno mix. I haven't had a chance to listen yet, so let me know how it is.
Why do some societies make disastrous decisions?
How about this decision: The 1994 US assault weapons ban expires next year and the Republican-controlled House has
no plans to renew it. Uzis and AK-47s for everyone!
Stereotypography is nice.
I could totally chill with
this guy and his friends.
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A few months ago I posted a link to an article linking the war on Iraq to Saddam's 1999 move to trade Iraq's oil in Euros instead of US dollars. I read a compelling article today that fits very nicely with the concerns and questions raised by the Euros for Oil theory. The gist of the article is that the US is basically bankrupt and on the edge of an economic collapse. There are so many factors involved that I won't even get into it here. It's a bit of a long read but very worthwhile.
And just when you thought things couldn't get any wackier... The Bush administration is asking congress repeal the ban on producing low-yield nuclear weapons. Weapons of mask destruction = Bad. Mini-Nukes = good?
Pigeon John will be at the Avenue tomorrow (Thursday) night along with a pair of Canadian female MCs, (Ndidi Cascade and Eekwol). Also tomorrow, the legendary Skatalites will be playing the West End.
I'll be posting a bunch of new photos to the images section within the next week. Watch for it!
Check out the scrapbook of Noyz319.
Eye for God?
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In the same vein as exploding dog, there is a new beautifully rendered 3D picture posted on Boring 3D everyday. Check out the boring archive too. The minute I saw these images I wanted to learn how to create my own. It turns out that they are created using a program called 3D Studio Max which looks dauntingly complex and powerful. I really think it would be best to explore 3D design sometime in the far future. I have a feeling that it might consume me and I cannot have that. It's almost summer time and I need to get away from this computer.
For a somewhat depressing insider look at the "big studio" music industry check out Mixerman's journal. I now understand why most (all?) major label music sounds the same.
There are lots of evil companies out there. Here are the 10 worst from 2002.
Surreal Superheros. (flash)
Thinking of developing a webpage using CSS? Check out the following resources:
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Turnitin is a plagiarism prevention service. It can, for example, be used by teachers to determine if their students are copying their homework off the internet. I had no idea that cheating had become this high-tech. The Turnitin web-crawler bot visited this site last night. To all you kids hoping to turn in portions of this blog to your english teachers: You have been warned! haha.
I'll be the first to admit that my writing style, grammar and spelling leave much to be desired. As part of my ongoing attempt at self-improvement I found following tools and links:
Collages are fun! (Via
Giornale Nuovo)
So is
existentialism...
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Spring has sprung. I feel as if I am lost in a sea of wonder. It's a good kind of lost. It has been a good week.
Take a look around yourself. The world is full of so many interesting and exciting new experiences. Whether it be the intricate lines of a Japanese woodblock print, the mathematical patterns seen in plants, art found at a local thrift shop, the headlines as seen through the eyes of a visual artists, the video art of an ex-student of my father, or an action-packed flash movie.
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