Monkey Movies

Saw this on Cynical-C. This is an early step to extending our collective awareness into the realms of other animals' perceptions.

BBC News:
Movie Made by Chimpanzees
to be Broadcast on Television

Winter Blizzard #2

Well I just dug myself out of the 2nd blizzard so far this winter that dropped a couple feet of snow on the East Coast.

My Dad pulled up in his 4-wheel drive truck while I was out shoveling & tried to bust through the snow bank at the end of my driveway. I tried to warn him- he didn't make it far since the wall plowed from the highway was past his bumper! So, I just started by the road w/ all the heavy snow & worked my way back up my driveway to the fluffier stuff.

I actually like getting out in the quiet winter air & getting the workout. Also, getting snowed in gives me an excuse to sleep, play PS3 & generally lounge around.

Here's the view from my front door...

Frontline: Digital Nation

I was watching this excellent episode of Frontline on PBS about the increasingly digitized society that is evolving around us.

Frontline: Digital Nation

All the electronic equipment & software we now use constantly are basically enhanced extensions of our nervous system. The amazing thing about humans is the ability to engineer external reality to solve almost any problem or task.

With electronic technology, though, it is almost a self-perpetuating phenomenon now that we have extended the activities of the mind beyond the confines of our own skulls. The energy of our individual thoughts are leaching out into physical reality like a slime mold oozing out into it's environment.

Compared to the rest of human history, the growth of human knowledge & experience is beyond exponential now. I feel fortunate to be able to witness such a supernova of ideas and creative thinking. The interesting thing is that while the digital mediums of storage and transmission are physical, like the brain, the actual information is still an abstraction- patterns of electronic signals represented from code that is further represented from endless 1's & 0's.

Our creative potentials & informational capacity seems to be surpassing the ability of our organic bodies to handle it all. This is happening simultaneously with the development of augmented reality & artificial neural networks. Biologically integrated computers might one day meld the seemingly opposing artifices we call the "natural" world & the "virtual" world.

Then what?...

Leon Botha "Who am I?"

Boing Boing is one of my favorite websites because of the eclectic variety of items they post. There are alot of cool things I see that compel me to comment here.

There was recently a post about a group of white-trashy South African rappers. One of their wacked videos also feature apparently one of the oldest survivors of Progeria, which dramatically affects the appearance.

The 'raps' & whole 'shtick' of that group is pretty much crap, but an updated post linked to this video of the artist Leon Botha discussing philosophical concepts that is compelling, to say the least.

This was definitely a 'Moment of Zen' for me:

"Who am I?"

The Known Universe

On the great website Information Aesthetics I saw this mind-bending video by the Amercan Museum of Natural History. It is a virtual tour of The Known Universe. It is only in the macro-scale, however, - going from the Himalayas to the outer reaches of cosmic background radiation. I would recommend watching it in full screen HD if possible.

The Known Universe by AMNH

Anybody familiar with fractal images should recognize the similarity to natural forms on the wide scales shown in the video, especially in earths geography & coastlines.

This kind of visualization should give anyone a profound sense of wonder at our situation in this world.

Giga Galaxy Zoom

Zoomable Cell Sizes

Powers of Ten

To see reality in the proper perspective, we have to give up the idea of human existence being 'significant' versus 'insignificant'. Ideas like "nothing matters" and "life is a miracle" can both be true or false depending on your individual outlook & psyche.

Everything literally just 'is as it is'. Life is an eternal mystery that has no 'answer' or 'purpose' as defined by the human mind.

How to Report the News

I've seen this posted all over the place, but it's an excellent video that humorously deconstructs the cookie-cutter production of TV news segments.
In the defense of the news media, the format & technology has real constraints- so you can only be innovative to a point.



Of course, cable news is a much crazier creature than your local nightly news.
Probably the worst aspect of the 24-hour cable news is the "he said, she said" nature of most of the discussion. For example, I tend to agree with Keith Olbermann's politics, but his self-righteous ad hominem attacks are as obnoxious as his 'nemesis' Bill O'Reilly's on Fox. I appreciate intelligent opinion, but just calling people "Worse, Worser, & Worst Persons in the World" isn't news.

I do like to hear what different people have to say, although I take it all with a healthy dose of skepticism. The problem is that instead of using field experts, scientists, or public officials themselves- the "expertise" being tossed around are by people like Candy Crowley, Pat Buchanan, or Bill Kristol. I have never cared- nor will I ever care- what these people, among others, have to say.

To maintain a clear outlook, I try to expose myself to as many sources of information as possible. As soon as you say, "I only trust CNN," or 'I only watch Fox News." you've proved yourself to be an ignoramus. Speaking of which, I read comment threads about politics with idealistic Obama fanatics vs. rabid Obama haters and everything in between.

I have come to the conclusion that as long as we are not jacked into The Hive Mind that there will always be differences of opinion that cannot be resolved through reason or constructive engagement.

It's unfortunate, but we are, after all, basically just monkeys grunting at each other.

Barbara Micarelli (1845-1900)

My Dad has always told me & my siblings that we had a great-great-aunt who founded a religious order in Italy.

The only details he knew, though, was that her name was Barbara Micarelli, and she was born in Sulmona, Italy.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I can actually find websites dedicated to her memory and learn quite a bit about her life.

Mary Joseph of the Infant Jesus

History of the
Franciscan Sisters of the Infant Jesus

Barbara Micarelli was born on December 3, 1845 in Sulmona, Italy.

The order she founded in 1879, when she was 34 years old, was the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Jesus.

Her "clear vision was to dedicate her whole life to the welfare of the poor, the orphans and the abandoned."

Franciscan Missionary Sisters
of the Infant Jesus

I've looked up information about her before out of curiosity, but I randomly came across a current news item that prompted me to post more information about her. Members of her congregation have just commemorated the centennial anniversary of her death:

"Sisters Conclude Centennial Year
of Death of Their Foundress"

History of the Present

I'm no longer the lone 'blogger' my family...

My brother Joe was a history major & has started a blog called History of the Present.

"Pirates: Ageless Search for Booty"

I think it's a great premise since the historical causes of current events are often overlooked for the immediate aspects of a situation.

History was probably my most hated subject in school because of all the dates & memorization. It was just boring to me. Now I eat up knowledge about history with all it's personalities, stories, events, & places.

Post #666 - EVIL!

Kids in the Hall: Pit of Ultimate Darkness


Kids In The Hall - Bobby versus Satan


666:
Number of the Beast

My Blogger homepage is telling me that this my 666th post since I started this blog in 2005.

What evil power could have helped me reach this diabolical benchmark... could it be Satan?!?!

Of course, everyone knows that society has actually submitted to using "The Mark of the Beast" in commerce decades ago & we're all doomed- Right?:

UPC Barcodes: Mark of the Beast?!?

Obama Q&A with House Republicans

Instead of going out, I spent my Friday night in "Political Geek Land", engrossed in the lengthy exchange aired live on TV during President Obama's meeting yesterday with Republicans from the House of Representatives.

Obama Goes To GOP Lions' Den -
And Mauls The Lions

The State of the Union speech was excellent scripted political theater- but this live Q&A between Obama and a roomful of his political opponents was a fascinating interaction of personalities & ideas.

With this week's one-two punch of political showmanship, President Obama has shown he's an intellectual force who was way out of the league of the House GOP. However, the civility of both parties is a testament to the possibility that bitter enemies can exchange thoughts without unreasonable contention.

President Obama Full Q&A

Obama's State of the Union

As I said in a previous post, last nite I chilled out with a beer & food to watch President Obama give his State of the Union speech.

Even though alot of his judgment & politics can be called into question, the guy gives a hell of a speech. It was probably the best political speech I've ever heard, and I'm pretty cynical. Unfortunately, this country is so jaded from individual gratification & superhuman expectations that no one person can possibly please everyone as the country's administrative head.

As an Independent who voted for him, my reaction was overwhelmingly positive to his overall approach. I'm not so naive to think he's going to do everything he talked about or can get the troglodytes in the GOP & corporate wing of the Democrats to work with him.

To me a speech like this is about vision and a sense of leadership as much as specific policy promises. That being said, now Obama's got to roll up his sleeves and keep hammering publicly for the ideals and values he spoke about. There were several things I didn't completely agree with & things I know will probably never get done. However, he is an intelligent leader who appears to be doing the best he can in the bureaucratic madhouse he is operating within. In my expert opinion, Obama is The Man.

For people who just don't like Obama for any reason, I would recommend watching some all too recent video of the 8 year debacle that America suffered under- the George W. Bush/Dick Cheney Presidency. If you actually feel nostalgic about those Dark Ages, then you're simply a masochist. The 20-30% of the country that approved of the Bush Administration are mostly CEO millionaires or People of Walmart.




All I ever heard when the War Monkey spoke was:

Terror, War on Terror, Tax Cuts, Terror!!!!!

OOOhhOOhoooooOOOO ooo OOOoooo aaaahaaaah

God I just found this & it is awesome:

Give me Obama over that idiot any day.

Speaking of idiots, after the speech I was flipping through the cable news circus- watching classic Chris Matthews letting his mouth outrace his brain & Arianna Huffington complaining in her barely tolerable accent.

However, all of these gasbags sounded like Rhodes scholars once I switched to Fox News & heard the shrill voice that instantly assaulted my nervous system. That knucklehead Sean Hannity was interviewing reknown fame-hound, (oops I mean pitbull, or do I mean pit-iful bull-shitter?...) Sarah Palin. What a meeting of the minds these 2 dopes produce when they're together.

Palin's Take on Obama's Address

Why I'm Not Getting an Apple iPad

So Steve Jobs has finally unveiled his portable touchscreen computer, the iPad.

I did a Blogger search at the top of the page & my first post on this blog about the possibility of an Apple branded tablet PC was in 1996 - 4 friggin years ago! That is an epoch in 'computer time'.

It is definitely a cool device that makes me feel like I'm actually living in "The Future". It's basically an upscaled iPhone that is more suited for applications like Internet & digital books. What is really interesting is the huge potential for improvement now that the initial version has been produced.

However... as cool as I think this creation is, there is no way I'd buy one right now. I'm a professed Mac computer fan, but I'm not an insane Apple junkie. Besides sounding like how a person from Boston would pronounce "iPod," there are significant reasons an "iPad" isn't in my immediate future.

First of all, I don't need one!

Second of all, there are too many limitations in this Alpha version & that loses most the appeal for me. Not being able to multi-task between apps is weak. Not supporting Photoshop, Illustrator, or 3D software is major dealbreaker because I'd want to be able to use them if I'm using this great touchscreen computer. It has some paint app called Brushes, but I'd have to try it out before saying it wouldn't be useful.

Third, I'm not trying to spend hundreds of dollars, given issues #1 & #2.

Fourth, I usually don't buy the 1st version of anything.

Even though it may currently not be worth the money to some (like me), & other touchscreens have already been on the market, it is still a pretty amazing piece of technology. Apple has been successful at projecting their products as cutting-edge, yet intuitively functional.

This is the computer that I have long realized would eventually be pervasive once Apple functionality was applied.

For what it's worth, in my opinion the next revolution in computers will probably be wearable computers w/ eyepieces or retinal bionic implants. (...the iEye?)

After that... the Apple iThink!





After that, the phenomenon we call mankind will experience "i∞", which looks like this.

Howard Zinn: People's History

I heard Howard Zinn died & was reading some of A People's History of the United States that I bookmarked awhile ago.

A People's History Of The United States

by Howard Zinn

Relaxation Meditation

Art by
Luke Brown

I recently saw an article on Huffington Post about the intersection of two topics I consider myself well-versed in: Buddhism and sleep.

A Buddhist Sleep Lesson:
Awakening From The Day Dream

It is an excellent look into the chaotic nature of our minds and the simplicity behind meditation, which is nothing more than looking inside one's self & quieting the mind. The continuous mental chatter of "conscious thought" can be dissolved through focusing awareness- as a result, inner and outer reality can be experienced more deeply & directly.

Of course, I have always been amused by the analogy of the mind to a restless monkey:

Silencing The Chatter :
Taming Monkey Mind In Meditation

Buddhist thought appeals to me because of the awareness by the Buddha & his teaching that there is no such thing as a doctorine of Absolute Truth- which doesn't actually exist in religion or science or anything else, for that matter (...and that's the absolute truth).

Also, it is a fascinating psychological system that has cultivated a mindset that's very different to traditional Western spiritual understanding. Since I really became exposed to the general philosophy of Buddhism in a Religions of the World course back in college, it has continued to be one of many sources of wisdom I try to draw from.

Being a Monkey Buddha, I don't need to sit cross-legged and chant mantras to meditate. However, I do need to cut out the TV, PS3, & computer once in awhile to just lay down & stare at the ceiling or close my eyes and listen to my breathing or the leaves blowing outside. Doing nothing has always given me great satisfaction. :)

Speaking of which, my only plans for tonight is to grab a beer & a sandwich while I watch The State of the Union performance by The Long-Legged Mack Daddy. I'm an avid observer of national politics, so this is required viewing. Last time, a Congressional redneck yelled at Obama, so it could get interesting...

Acoustic Levitation: Old News

Warning: the sound in this video is annoying



This video shows objects hovering in mid-air due to resonating sound vibration. Since I always assume that video or images are fake, I looked into the topic a little more. Acoustic levitation is an area of research that has produced plenty of tangible results.

Livescience:
Scientists Levitate Small Animals

Howstuffworks:
How Acoustic Levitation Works

Of course, we all know that Tibetan monks have already unlocked this ability, so it's kind of old news:

Acoustic Levitation Of Stones

Seriously, though, is this how Edward Leedskalnin built his Coral Castle?!? I'd like to think so.
Perhaps he understood the eternal mysteries of the vibrational forces of the Universe that we are just beginning to comprehend.

There has been speculation that even some ancient megalithic builders had unlikely technologies like electricity, anti-gravity, etc.. Maybe the ancient Egyptian ankh was actually a high-tech tuning fork!...

Adam Crossley on NBC 10

I just posted about seeing a performance in Philly by my friend from high school Adam Crossley.

Adam Crossley Music

Last nite, he played his song Beautiful World for a fundraiser for the Haiti disaster on the local NBC 10 channel. It was pretty cool to see him playing live on TV for good cause.

NBC 10:
Hope for Haiti

That video isn't online yet, but NBC10 has clips up from his performance on the morning show 10!:

NBC 10:
Adam Crossley

Game Review: Bioshock

I recently finished Bioshock for PS3 & it kind of blew me away how sophisticated video games have become.

Gamespot:
Bioshock

Having grown up owning most of the major video game systems ever created, from Atari 2600 to the PS3, I have witnessed first hand the evolution of the art & technology involved.

Playing games like Pitfall & PacMan were adequate back when I was 5yrs old, but even then I had some idea that there was room for alot of improvement.

Experiencing a game like Bioshock is like a whole different universe. Modern games like this one engage the player on multiple levels. There is the intense action of a first person shooter, as well as the intellectual challenge of puzzles & moral choices. Of course, the amazing HD graphics on games like this can make you want to just look around at the virtual environment. As a designer, I am easily enthralled by the detail that goes into the visual aspects of a game. Bioshock's locations have a unique look inspired by early 20th century Art Deco style, but the twisted fate of the place is reflected in the deteriorating facade.

In Bioshock, you find yourself at the bottom of the ocean- in a city called Rapture, one man's utopia gone wrong. The city has degraded due to addiction to a genetic tonic that gives people superhuman powers. There are now zombie-like genetic mutants called Splicers roaming the areas that you encounter. You acquire different superpowers as the game progresses, and you end up having an awesome arsenal of ordinary weapons like guns on one hand & crazy powers like incinerate, freeze, telekenesis, etc. on the other.

The undersea environment gives the game a unique mood that is effectively creepy & very cool. This is enhanced by the occasional rumblings of a large creature in a diving suit walking around, called a Big Daddy. These behemoths protect eerie girls called Little Sisters who harvest the genetic tonic from Splicer corpses around the city.


These Little Sisters are the source of tonic for your powers, so you have to deal with them by either saving them... or harvesting the parasite inside them & killing them- which makes you feel like an evil bastard, but gives you significantly more tonic for your powers. To get to these Little Sisters, though, you have to take down the Big Daddies protecting them, which ends up being a major battle.



The addition of moral decisions & emotional responses to situations give depth to game that really puts you into it. I played through saving almost all of the Little Sisters, but the ending still made me out to be a bad guy, which was weird. Apparently you have to save ALL of the Little Sisters to get the 'good' ending.

My only complaint about the game is the repetitive act of having to 'hack' devices through constantly completing the same puzzle- arranging a maze of pipes with liquid flowing through them. Gets old quick.

The game is definitely challenging but I enjoyed it & thought it was great overall. The 'evil' ending I got kind of disappointing, but the entirety of the game is so exceptional that it didn't bug me as much as it might otherwise.

• The Monkey Buddha's official rating: 8.5

Fun with Sunday Circular Ads

Sunday dinner at my parents' house has long been a weekly event in my family.

I am not usually big on traditions or rituals, but being able to be with the rest of the Micarelli clan every week is a great source of comfort & enjoyment that we all look forward to. Especially now that there is a new little dude among us, it has taken on a whole new level of fun.

Each Sunday we have a similar routine: After dinner we watch The Simpsons or sports, have coffee/tea & dessert, and since my Dad has always bought home a Sunday newspaper, we all look through the retail circular ads.

I don't really shop (other than for necessities), but I like seeing what's out in stores & sometimes get ideas or reference material for design projects I'm working on.
Last week, though, I was more interested in some truly amusing ads for products that are true gems.

First & foremost:

Recently I've been noticing the ads for the Amish Fireplace that have been a recurring source of entertainment for us.

It is actually an electric heater that looks like a fireplace, furnished in a wooden mantle supposedly hand-crafted by Amish workers. What gives these ads special appeal to my sense of humor is the shameless marketing & the classic 'Photoshopped' pictures of the Amish workshops:


This past week, though they came out swinging with a 2-page ad featuring provocative headlines & an Amish business deal taking place right in the Photshopped workshop.

"Amish hit hard by recession"

"CAUGHT ON CAMERA:
Photos reveal Amish secrets
of the miracle fireplace mantel"

I would recommend clicking these images to see the larger versions so they can be fully appreciated:




I'll let the other two items I found speak for themselves. These are things that should not be found in the home of any normal person, but are nonetheless simply awesome.

First, The Redneck Illuminated Christmas Village.

The main trailer ornament was hilarious enough to me, but my sister pointed out in the ad below that there is a whole village of holiday white trash to collect. Wow.


Secondly, I think there was some kind of Wolf & Moon internet meme that must have given rise to this Spirit of the Wild Express wolf train. How many people have enough interest in both wolves & trains to warrant such a completely useless convergence of collectible crap?




So yeah, this is the kind of ridiculousness that I live for...

Adam Crossley @ The Tin Angel

Last night, I had the pleasure to have sort of mini-reunion with friends from high school.

We came to the Tin Angel on 2nd St. in Philly to watch my fellow Delsea H.S. alum & Billboard artist Adam Crossley perform.

Adam Crossley Music

Adam has always been a character w/ a great sense of humor. He has grown into a talented artist, and the intimate venue was perfect for the performance he gave for family, friends & fans that were there.

I went up with my old chums Dan & Don, but saw alot of other people I knew. The place was sold out & Adam gave a great show with amazing music & funny anectodes. He cut it a little short so he could go out & talk to everyone, but he did a superb job.

Dan, Adam, Me, & Don
(My friends are tall.)

After Adam performed, two ladies who go by the name Dala played. They were folksy and had an irresistible sweetness about them. They did a cover of Bad Romance that was neat & they were overall really good, too. I would totally be their groupie. :D

Dalagirls.com

Me & the ladies from Dala

After the show, alot of people went to The Continental for some late night drinks & food. We got to chill in a more private setting which was fun.

Me, Jana, Dan, Adam, & Don
@ the Continental

After that, we went to Triumph Brewery for a beer before heading home. All in all, it was a great night & it's cool to see a friend being such a creative success that can bring people together.

Jon Stewart on the Right-Wing Freak Show

The other night, Jon Stewart had prime material to work with as he went to town on the same set of wackos that I just posted about:

He had the appropriate response to the reactions of Pat Robertson & Rush Limbaugh to the Haiti earthquake.
"Shut your pie hole old man." Amen to that...

The Daily Show:
"Haiti Earthquake Reactions"

The stupid, corny, & weird interview between Glenn Beck & Sarah Palin. I didn't even see the opening segment- which was uncomfortably creepy. I was laughing my ass off, though.

The Daily Show:

"Crazy Like a Contributor"

For the record, I'm embedding clips from Hulu because Comedy Central's embedding code sucks & I don't care enough about programming to figure it out.

Disaster, Dolts & the Devil

Most people are aware of the devastating earthquake that hit an already impoverished Haiti.

Many people around the world are trying to figure out the best way to help, but career assholes like Rush Limbaugh & Pat Robertson have wasted no time using this tragedy to push their own rotten agendas.

Pat Robertson's idiotic theory that Haiti's situation is a result of a "pact with the Devil" is a prime example of the problems with unreasoning fundamentalism of any flavor.



First of all, a horrific event like this makes the concept of 'a loving God' seem pretty ridiculous. It's one of countless horrible situations existing simultaneously around the globe that cannot be squared with the idea of a personal god with our best interests in mind.

The world seems to be a chaotic experience w/ no benevolent deities protecting us.

Furthermore, the idea that Robertson's God would 'allow' the deaths of thousands in retribution for some perceived insult or falling away means that if his petty God did exist, he would be a total jerk. I'd find more comfort in seeing the world as miraculously random. God may create jerks, but 'It' (God) should not have the capacity to be a jerk 'Itself.'


Speaking of jerks, I'm more inclined to believe that Sarah Palin's TV commentating debut on Fox News actually sent out a seismic shockwave of stupid that manifested into a catastrophic earthquake. I would say 'God help us', but there may be nothing that can be done in the face of Mayan Palingenesis 2012.

This particular segment of her recent interview w/ Glenn Beck is dripping with sanctimonious drivel... or as The Pasty One himself says, "Bullcrap!"

2008 Election Madness w/ Sarah Palin

I was watching Chris Matthews jabber over his guests & he was talking about the book Game Change that has all kinds of behind-the-scenes revelations about the last Presidential campaign.

National politics is one of my interests, and this past campaign had very intriguing issues & people. Ultimately, you cannot separate the issues of public life from the myriad personalities debating those issues. Therefore gossip will always be a part of the political world... until we are ruled over by machines.

One particular tidbit I heard about the sassy she-devil Sarah Palin really made me laugh. Apparently besides not knowing a damn thing about American history or much of anything else substantial, she couldn't stop calling now Vice President Joe Biden the wrong name- "O'Biden"!

I thought she was just trying to be cute when she asked Biden "Can I call ya Joe?"- but it turns out she was trying to avoid saying his last name.



The best part is that she actually slipped up & called him "O'Biden"!!!



Sure it's inane, but so is she.
I thought it was a funny subtle moment that speaks to her broader wackiness. Since I didn't have access to polls before the election showing how horribly team McPain were doing, I was scared to death that her crazy ass was going to be running the country...

Palin for President

Monkeys Behaving Badly

If there is one thing that I cannot ever resist, it's monkeys doing funny things.

On The Chive, I recently saw a link to this excellent collection:

"Monkeys Behaving Badly"

The Insane Leslie Hall

I was playing with my little nephew & the kid's show Yo Gabba Gabba! was on. I don't know too much about it other than the human beatbox Biz Markie has been on there.

On the episode that was on, there was a crazy lady teaching a wacked-out dance.

Because of my encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture & Internet memes, I recognized her as the "Keeper of the Gem Sweaters" herself, Leslie Hall.



My Mom didn't believe me that it was actually a woman & was pretty much weirded out by the whole scene... while I was laughing my ass off. (My nephew just kept on playing with his trucks.)

I've mentioned Leslie Hall before when her & other eccentric Internet personalities became advocates for Net Neutrality through classic PSA clips:

WeAreTheWeb.org

Even though her character & 'fashions' that she exhibits are borderline grotesque, I find her to be entertaining in an oddly hilarious way.

If you can handle it, she's also got a Youtube page of pure ridiculousness.

The U.S. Vs. John Lennon

I posted awhile ago about a trailer I saw for a documentary "The US vs. John Lennon".

The U.S. Vs. John Lennon trailer

IMDB:
The U.S. Vs. John Lennon

Tonight I was over my parents' watching the whole documentary with my Dad. He raised me & my siblings on The Beatles. The older I get, the more I realize what a great creative mind John Lennon was. I've always considered him an inspirational figure, but learning about his political activism continues to amaze me. He was willing to stand up & take on the most powerful forces on Earth, the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned about, and the United States government.

The documentary was captivating because Lennon was such a genius and a provocative personality. My Dad & I were discussing the craziness of the day... and how the craziness going on today is so similar. We also noted the lack of any current activist leaders with the idealistic focus, powerful international attention, and cutting intelligence that made him such a threat to the Nixon administration.

The Nation

"The U.S. Vs. John Lennon"

Watching the impossible fight he took on for human ideals & peace, as well as the numerous parallels between then & now, helped me get fired up tonight to rant in my last post.


Watch The U.S. vs. John Lennon in Music | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Documenting the Horror of War

While randomly browsing the web, I came across this article by the author of Afterwar: Veterans From a World in Conflict.

OpEdNews
"The Pictures of War
You Aren't Supposed to See"

Reading through the available excerpts definitely didn't help my natural cynicism regarding the brutal realities of human existence. Death & suffering are universal human problems that are exponentially increased through the business of War.

Afterwar:
Veterans From a World in Conflict

People are inherently neither 'good' nor 'evil', both of which are completely subjective judgments exclusive to the human mind. Therefore, I try to maintain a sense of neutrality about the countless events going on in the world. However, the scale of human suffering & death inflicted by fellow humans throughout history can be nauseating to consider. Seeing images or reading gut-wrenching accounts of the products of war - slaughtered children, raped women, & mutilated men- is unspeakably painful and terrible. Understanding that these horrors exist is necessary, though, to keep a realistic perspective about the complex world in which we live.

Warning!:
These links are graphic & f*cking horrible,
but should be seen on every nightly newscast
until people are completely sick of War

Iraq War Images Uncensored

Iraq War Casualty Pictures

Unfortunately, we must bear witness to & attempt to sublimate the worst in mankind if we are to try to embody the higher ideals that the wiser among us aspire to. Fully realizing these countless tragedies of human experience should be frightening. They make us see that life is constant suffering that can never be fully overcome. Despite this, we can take solace in the fact that people will always continue to work for positive change to alleviate even a little of that suffering.

The unthinkable atrocities committed around the world each day by people of every nation are also a startlingly clear indication that the idea of a loving paternal deity, "God the Father"/"Yahweh" (as well as evil incarnate, like a Devil) are fantasies that are like a safety blanket covering our eyes from the truth. What truth?...

The Absolute Truth is... that there is No Absolute Truth.

However, a 'relative truth' is that we have nothing to rely on- except ourselves and each other. Life in this physical realm will always be chaotic, sometimes good & sometimes bad, but ultimately 'meaning'-less in the cosmic scheme of things. I am not a total nihilist by any means, but I've come to be able to hold any number of simultaneously contradictory views in my mind.

For instance, I believe human life is an infinitely precious phenomenon that should be treasured... but life also has no abstract "purpose" other than to exist, so a human being dying is ultimately no different than an ant dying. Some people would say that these two views can't co-exist, but it is simply the way things are.

Despite all my existential bullshit, I am a very empathetic person, so the idea of war & vast human suffering deeply disturbs me. No matter how much of a jaded realist I become, the idea of barbaric violence among people will always cause profound sorrow.

Watching President Obama escalate America's offensive (either meaning of the word is appropriate) military actions has been hard for alot of people because now he, like George W. Bush, is a mass-murderer by proxy. Strong words, yeah, but it's not un-true. I voted for him & think he's dealing with alot of harsh realities. This escalation is antithetical to the beliefs of most people who supported his candidacy on the principle of reversing our aggressive militarism.

I've stated before that I, like any sane person, accept the realistic need for a military to defend the country. Many of my good friends are in the military & the actions of the individual soldier is not my issue. My concern is the overall objectives that these soldiers are dutifully following.

To the country we are occupying, every drone or bomb that takes out a village or innocent children 'by mistake' is a unnecessary murder by The President, the military, & the country as a collective. This may sound anti-American & outrageously unpatriotic... but only to an ignorant jackass with no conscious.

I am not a moral coward & I'm not afraid to look critically at my relatively tiny role either. The reason that our destructive Imperial Oil Wars conducted deceptively in the name of fighting 'terrorism' disturbs me so much is that I don't try to deny that I'm responsible, as well. A bit of my tax dollars go toward every Afghan or Iraqi civilian that is killed by our forces.

Sure, there are degrees of separation between my tax revenue & the acceptable 'collateral damage' of someone in a foreign land, but I do not accept that conceptual convenience. If I do not accept and internalize my role in the causality of inevitable needless death that I pay into, no matter how small, then I might as well be turning my eyes away while pulling the trigger myself. Some might say this is unnecessary worrying over issues way beyond my control. I say it is the ultimate expression of the social conscious that my parents raised me to cultivate & that my sense of compassion forces me to confront.

That is also why I feel compelled to express my thoughts like I am doing now.

I only wish that I could do much, much more
to make the world chill the hell out.

Wade Davis

The first time I heard of anthropologist Wade Davis was reading an article in Discover magazine during my lunch break. He is a very interesting guy, to say the least:

Discover Interview

"From Haitian Zombie Poison
to Inuit Knives Made of Feces"

I just saw a link to a clip from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) on BoingBoing & remembered hearing about him before. He gives a very inspiring talk about the mysteries of human life around the world & our fundamental interconnected nature.



I also saw him on TV awhile back, so by the power of Google I found a clip of the show. It was a History Chanel documentary about psychedelic substances:

New Years 2010

On New Year's Eve I often don't know what I'm going to do until that day.

Although house parties are fun, I like getting out somewhere like a club to make it feel like a real celebration.

This year I went to The Roxxy on Delaware Ave in Philly & it was pretty cool. I was with a group of people, so that usually helps make it a good time.

This was the middle of the dance flo0r. I had to get a picture of the crazy disco balls:



Celebrating the end of the 2000's w/ shots all around:



I'm pretty sure I was having fun by this point:



Here is a photo of what the club actually looked like by 2AM :

Insane Video Montage

I figured I'd start the New Year off properly... with pure video mayhem.

Warning!:
DO NOT watch this video unless your brain can handle 10 minutes of disturbing, crazy footage that degrades the very nature of humanity.



Seen on iambored.com

The First Decade of 'The Future' is Now Past!

The title above shows how seriously I regard the concept of 'time.'

Although it's fun to celebrate the passage of time w/ various holidays & milestones, it's good to keep in mind that it's mostly arbitrary. Humans compartmentalize information, so defining cycles of time has been a historic necessity.

The measurements based on natural cyclic activity, like a day & the year, have a basis in physical reality. The Western world's higher measures of time, like a decade & a century, are completely conceptual- defined by numbers in the mind of man alone.

The 1st decade of the 21st century has (unfortunately) been defined to much of the world by the living disaster whom the US Supreme Court selected as President in 2000. Although probably meaningless in a cosmic sense, for us mortals on Earth this has been the decade of George. W. Bush.

This past decade since I graduated college has been fun & positive overall for me personally. However, the shadow of evil that was 'Bush/Cheney Inc.' was a constant threat of The Apocalypse that I could have done without. To their only credit, I do appreciate the insights the horrific conduct of their right-wing cabal gave me into my own moral perspectives.

Although obviously a little bit dramatic, Time Magazine has captured the mood with their retrospective:

The '00s: Goodbye (at Last)
to the Decade from Hell

I am under no impression that this coming decade, or the future in general, will be free of the ignorance, brutality, and insanity that has defined Homo Sapiens since we were first genetically engineered by the Anunnaki. :)

What I am optimistic about is the fact that mankind as a whole seems to be exponentially increasing both it's scientific knowledge and it's global awareness, to offset the knuckle-draggers among us. The universe is a dance of balancing forces, & as man's progressive nature grows, the extremity of man's regressive elements will grow, as well.

The physical world will always consist of both happiness & suffering, no matter what year it is. What we as individuals should concern ourselves with is simply being a positive, or at least neutralizing, force in our particular experiences from moment to moment.

Now, it's time to party...

Christmas Merryment

I was helping Santa & his 'helper' loosen up while he stopped over in Philly, the night before Christmas Eve:


This Christmas was alot of fun. My generation, which is already an army of cousins, is now expanding the family with their own children. It's another wave of life, full of new experiences.

My little nephew is a source of constant entertainment & brought alot of excitement to Christmas. After dinner, he was devouring an Italian pizzelle cookie and lost a huge piece of it on his forehead. He started feeling around looking for it, much to our amusement:


I also played a joke on my sister that was pretty good. She has been asking my parents to get her a Roomba robot vacuum for years. Therefore, I decided to be a total jerk & make a fake box w/ realistic graphics for a "Broomba".

Inside the box, there was just a dustpan & brush w/ the 'iRobot' logo on it. She opened it & was really excited before realizing it was a joke. My Mom felt bad about the idea of fooling her like that, though, & ended up getting her a real one anyway.

Christmas Time!

Well, the Holiday Season is upon us. I'll be too busy to post anything till later this weekend- so I'll leave off with this daytime trash TV imagining on the Immaculate Conception:

"Until Next Time, America"

Winter Blizzard 09

My backyard looking like a frozen Dagobah.

The East Coast got hit with a big storm this weekend. When you get to be older, the snow is just a huge pain in the ass.

Around 2 feet of snow got dumped on S. Jersey this weekend. On Saturday afternoon, I was out shoveling the 8-10 inches that had fallen in my driveway... figuring it would be less to do if any more came down.

However, the next day at least another foot of snow had fallen & the snowplows created a 3ft+ wall along the highway in front of my place. I started kind of late & realized I'd have to dig in 'turbo' mode to get most of it done while it was light out.

Some of my friends drove by while I was shoveling by the road, but there was no place to pull in. They just took a minute to laugh & claim that I wouldn't be able to clear the chest-high plowed snowbank by myself.

It's safe to say it was the most snow that I've shoveled in along time, but I cleared the driveway by the time it got dark.

Here's an album of photos showing the unusual amount of snow:

Photos: Winter Blizzard 09

I took this picture Saturday while it was snowing- before I cleared the area the 1st time:

Sunday I came out to find everything I already cleared... covered back up & MORE:

Santa NO!

After Christmas shopping for my family tonight I'm beginning to get in the holiday spirit..

There was a link to this site on Neatorama of a random collection of crazy, bizarre, & disgraceful Christmas images.

I would not recommend it if you are sensitive about The Spirit of Christmas™ or human decency in general.

Santa, NO!

Of course, the twisted Santa & elf from the classic "A Christmas Story" were in there.

This is actually one of the most normal-looking Santas on the website:

Droopy Dog on "The DC"

I was going to embed this clip in my last post, but it wasn't online yet. It was classic Jon Stewart mockery. The health care montage & Joe Lieberman bit had me laughing.

The Daily Show:
"The DC"

Big Issues

I often hear people complain that "society is going downhill."

People have probably been saying that since the first societies were formed. In reality people are as brutal, selfish & ignorant as they've always been, but the problems societies face today are more complex than in the past. On the upside, our collective capacity to solve problems is greater than ever.

There is no doubt that the number and scale of problems facing mankind seem huge. The constant info stream available to every person with the most basic network connection has compounded everyone's awareness of the entire globe.

Another effect of The Web is that a multitude of voices are now able to weigh in on any given subject. This is neither good nor bad, but it's a complex phenomenon that's clearly affecting the existing perceptions and power structures around the world.
Unfortunately, despite public outcry the for-profit insurance companies & the various financial swindlers sucking the lifeblood out of people have shown that they won't be swatted away by our pesky "democracy" anytime soon. Not while they're so firmly attached to their Congressional hosts.

There are answers to these big problems, but they require vision & action even more bold than President Hopey-Change w/ his "liberal" Democratic Congress could ever muster. It can be infuriating for informed citizens to see a cumbersomely ineffective system of bought-off bureaucrats only nominally fixing the crushing problems we face.

To illustrate the chain of causality that has to be intelligently addressed on any big issue, here's an example:
As far as health care is concerned, I should be able to visit a doctor or hospital & get any health care I need without any concern for payment whatsoever, no less needing an insurance company to pay for it. The existing system is legally-sanctioned racket, since in a truly enlightened society health care should be the most basic right of any human- citizen or not.

How would such a socialist utopia exist? The only feasible model is through taxes. How else is any functioning government supposed to be funded? The current problem is the particular system of taxation. People's personal income & owned property should not be taxed, but I say tax away on sales of luxury items & non-essential items. That is also how you get a piece of any illicit money out there that wouldn't be gained through income tax. I was just watching a news segment with 2 economists proposing a flat consumption tax in place of the current tax structure. The tax code is one of the things that any President w/ balls would scrap and reboot.

I prefer to think in generalities on these questions of social policy, since there are millions of people out there who could work out details. This is where Obama has come up short so far. He hasn't really brought down the hammer in a forceful way & said:

"This is how it's gonna be,
& here's what we're gonna do.
Do you love America or not?!"

Even though they were blatantly wrong on the issues, that is one attribute that Bush, Inc. used to its advantage - the ability to be unyielding S.O.B.'s! By not calling out the very integrity of all Congresscritters who block his agenda, Obama's allowed room for antics like those of America's Droopiest Senator, Joe Lieberman aka Senator Palpatine.

Of course, when considering the important issues, it's also important to realize it is all fleeting & crazy anyway. That's where watching The Daily Show & Colbert Report can give me a laugh and the proper perspective.

Stephen Colbert: Afghandyland

Last week Stephen Colbert had a funny segment featuring the ridiculous Dept. of Defense graphic titled "Afghanistan Stability" that I had just posted about.

He also introduced a mock game "Afghandyland" that is as much of a disaster as the real thing.

Pantone Color of 2010: Turquoise

Photo: Roland Wooster

Continuing on a design theme, the art geek in me was glad to see one of my favorite colors named as Pantone Color of the Year-

Pantone Color of the Year 2010:
Turquoise

Pantone Unveils Color of the Year for 2010:
PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise

I prefer "cool" colors & particularly aqua/turquoise hues because they remind me of water & the sea while also lending themselves to futuristic color schemes combined w/ chrome or metallics.

Pantone is definitely a useful color-matching system that I use often at work, but I'm so bad with numbers that I only know a few specific swatch numbers.

My top 3 colors would be
1. Black
2. Turquoise
3. Olive Green

Metallics are always cool too, but they are kind of separate.

Afganistan" Stability" Graphic

I saw this chart on Talking Points Memo & it's a mind-boggling representation of the craziness of just 1 of our military endeavors, the occupation in Afghanistan.

Feel Better Now?

No! I feel like my head's spinning! As a designer who prefers simplicity & clarity, this chart is like tying my eyeballs in a knot. Bless the poor team from PA Consulting that had to come up with this madness.

Imagine

The message hasn't been lost... but the world can nevertheless be a real hellhole.
We could use more insanely idealistic hippies with a powerful mind & voice these days:




There's been alot of new 'Beatlemania' recently w/ the release of Beatles Rock Band & their remastered albums.

I'm usually really bad w/ dates, & time in general, but I've always remembered Dec. 8th for being Jim Morrison's birthday & the dayt John Lennon being killed. Maybe they're easy for me because it's also my brother's birthday, but the anniversary of John Lennon's death hasn't stopped affecting people around the world.

Thanks to my Dad, I've always been a fan of The Beatles & Lennon in particular. His sarcastic but creative insight made him one of my personal idols. It's a shame he couldn't live on to futher inspire the world, but such is life & death. His light shone bright while it lasted.