Stephen Colbert- Quetzalcoatl, Sarah Palin, & Norah Jones

Stephen Colbert was on a roll last night. I find him to be a consistent comic genius.

He not only threatened the fate of the world in 2012 by remaining defiant of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, but he also gave a pretty ruthless review of Sarah Palin's book.

Norah Jones gave an interview & performed too. Although I wasn't totally blown away by the song she played or her new haircut... she's a talented artist & she's still gorgeous. Also her Dad is a legend.

Sound Spheres

The Physics of Sound

I'm not sure why the idea that sound waves form spheres is "news", since I thought it was common sense that sound vibrations extend uniformly into 3 dimensions.

"Cymatics Scientist Says
Sound is a Bubble, Not a Wave"

As I mentioned a few posts ago, the study of cymatics involves vibrational patterns, primarily of sound. Despite my interest in this area, I still haven't lived up to my 2009 New Years resolution to learn dolphin 'cymaglyphs'.

I'm sure the idea of visualizing these energy waves in space is something that will probably be further realized through augmented reality of some kind. Perhaps there will be something like a 3D version of the iTunes graphic visualizer:



In my browsing the links of the above story, I came to realize that there is a blog devoted to the topic called The Journal of Cymatics.

Here's some other links and a great collage of sound patterns captured as visual images- 100 Monkey Effect: Cymatics

Becoming Human

Nova: "Evolution"

I was just watching a Nova episode on PBS about our current knowledge of human pre-history.

Becoming Human:
Last Human Standing

It's difficult to get a perspective on the countless tribes, clans, & societies throughout history, all around the globe who have contributed to the human story. I imagine overall human evolution as an amoeba-like phenomenon, feeling into the earth's environments to create paths of survival.

The fate of the Neanderthals seems to still be uncertain, but it seems likely that humans simply engulfed & destroyed the less intelligent species. Humans probably encountered the Neanderthals, thought they were inferior beasts and destroyed them. People think of Neaderthals as savage brutes, but humans have proven to be the most successful killing machines ever. Fortunately, our genetic disposition for interconnectedness is greater than our animal instincts of aggression.

Anyway, after mentally drifting through the vast epochs of humanity's unfathomable intricacy for a few minutes... I came to my senses and realized what's really important- Obama bowed to the Emperor of Japan! Why does he hate America so much!?!?!?!?!?

We have evolved... right?

"Mono Nublado"

I was browsing images on DesignFlavr.com & really liked a cool image of a super-sentient simian, similar to my mascot for The Monkey Buddha.






It's a tribal baboon buddha called "Mono Nublado" which I think translates to "Cloud Monkey". The graphic is by Juan Casini from his Animal Collection.

2012 Disaster?

One of my favorite topics to post about here is the ancient Mayan culture.

There has been alot of debate lately with the release of the movie "2012" about the validity of the interpretations that modern man is applying to the Mayan Long Count calendar & whether the end of the Long Count means disaster.

I have always said that the Mayan conception of time and the cosmos was profound, but the end of the Mayan baktun at 13.0.0.0.0 is probably equivalent to reaching the year 2000 in the Western calendar. It most likely is just a marker for an age. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, though, the Mayan time is much more closely linked with cosmic cycles.

There is a part of me, however, that wonders if the wisdom of ancient people was somehow able to understand a cosmic cycle of destruction & creation that modern science has not yet discovered.

Recently I saw that Dave Letterman has cleared up the true nature of disaster the world faces in 2012... & it has nothing to do with the Mayan calendar:




At this point, I would be completely negligent not to bring up

"Mayan Palingenesis 2012"

Zoomable Cell Sizes

One great thing about the computer as a learning tool is the ability to create interactive content that let's you experience ideas in a engaging way.

Information Aesthetics linked to a site by the University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center that is a zoomable scale of microscopic entities. I thought it was a really insightful tool to experience the relative sizes of things to small to experience directly.

Cell Size and Scale

Water Drops in Slow Motion

I saw this video on the Cynical C Blog & it had me mesmerized.

To see such a simple process like a water drop revealing such amazing things beyond our perception shows how little we really have discovered about our world.




Here is another slo-mo video of water drop dynamics, from the Discovery show Time Warp. At one point a drop creates a wave pattern equivalent to the 'Seed of Life' geometric figure I mentioned in my last post.

Quantum Informational Biophysics

This past weekend I was doing a random search for images associated with cymatics, the study of vibration patterns. It's a topic I've been curious about for awhile & for some reason I felt like looking at these amazing visual representations of sound.

One fascinating picture I came across was a pattern that can be seen to contain sacred geometric shapes like the Seal of Solomon & the Seed of Life.


Google shows the source page of a searched image, & I saw that this particular one was from an intellectually dense, but engaging essay from the blog of a chiropractor named Sara Brown http://www.changethechannelstupid.com.

Some of it may seem New-Agey or just incomprehensible to some, but I think humanity is coming to terms with levels of reality that may not be currently recognized by the narrow 'mainstream' science. Anyway I thought it was an interesting read, but I eat up this sort of thinking:

Quantum Informational Biophysics
Towards a Quantum Paradigm
for Biology, Health and Medicine

Fun with Glenn Beck

I try to expose myself to pundits & commentators who I don't generally agree with. It's good to expose yourself to arguments from those whose viewpoint differs from yours. I'm not a Fox News fan, but I 'll watch it once in awhile to get the full spectrum of opinion out there.

However, politi-tainment maestro Glenn Beck is as tough for me to stomach as that bonehead Sean Hannity. I'm as interested in conspiracy theories & hidden history as anyone else, but Beck's trips down the rabbit hole become (for me) either goofy from his over-dramatization or absurd from their incoherence.

I think it's good to scratch the surface & try to understand the connections behind social power structures, but GB is such a pompous ass that the kernels of truth he's trying to sow get lost in a manure heap. It's why on the other end of the spectrum Keith Olbermann turns off so many who might otherwise agree with his views, an inflated ego & a noxious air of self-righteousness.

Anyway, the Top Teabagger, The Mad Hatter himself, was getting it from all sides as Jon Stewart & SNL had fun with his "special" brand of commentary.

"iThink" Tech & The Evolution of the Mind

"I hate this place. This zoo. This prison.
This Reality- whatever you want to call it,
I can't stand it any longer.
It's the smell, if there is such a thing. I feel saturated by it.
I can taste your stink and every time I do,
I fear that I've somehow been infected by it. "
-Agent Smith "The Matrix"

I have been collecting links for awhile about emerging technologies that will inevitably enhance the phenomenon that we call "human consciousness." I think that all of the advancements I'll be listing are leading to the possibility of our minds being augmented by a future technology like my conceptual "Apple iThink."

A couple things led me to finally post what I've found so far. Recently blogger Mac Tonnies passed away unexpectedly, & he was only a few years older than me at 34. His blog Posthuman Blues was a regular read of mine that I enjoyed because of the unorthodox, mind-bending content. It was a great mix of futurism, Fortean speculations, & general weirdness.

The other factor has been my current forced week-long stint at home due to illness. Nothing makes you dream of transcending the mortal confines of the flesh than being seriously sick. I started sympathizing with Agent Smith in the scene above, except he was imagining a trip in the opposite direction- from the digital realm of light into the physical world of the human body.

The mortality & existence of man has been a source of concern since the dawn of time. The Egyptians believed we were spirits of light encased in these bodies. The Gnostics imagined Reality as a type of virtual prison that confines our luminous true selves. The Taoists believe everything is just emanations of the ever-fluctuating, infinite Tao.

Of course, our experience is limited by the sensory nature of our interaction with the world. The universe of information bombarding each of us at each moment is distilled by our physical receptors & organs including the brain. What if we could transcend these limitations? Physics teaches that as a human traveling in a spaceship speeds up and approaches the speed of light, the relative experience of time slows down. However, nothing with mass can actually reach the velocity of electromagnetic energy.

I've always wondered what would happen if the functioning of the human mind were no longer constrained by the chemical & biological processes of the neural connections in the brain. If our thoughts could somehow actually travel uninhibited at the speed of light, how would it affect our perception, & would there even be any perception left as we know it? Perhaps like an inverse, large scale Bose-Einstein condensate, our mind would expand into... everything!

So with these thoughts off my mind, I'll share some fascinating discoveries that have caught my eye- myriad doors all leading to a future in which the human experience may be much different than the limited, localized reality-tunnel that each of us currently knows.

• "Mind Uploading and Mind Children"

• "MIT team develops hi-fi quantum memory"

• Artificial brain '10 years away'

• The Future of Human Enhancement

• Will We Eventually Upload Our Minds?

• Brain-to-brain communication over the Internet

• Multi-contact brain probe can be injected through a needle

• The Psychedelic Transhumanists

• Raytheon's combat simulator offers virtual action in real world

• Scientists hail a thoughtful future with ‘brain-to-brain communication’

• An Input/Output Device for the Brain - Made of Light, Algae, and Bacteria


Here's the Apple iThink concept I came up with:

Apple "iThink" - Upgraded






Apple "iThink" Technical Specifications

• Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x .5 inches

• Symbiosis™ Neural Interface:
Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are one!

• Intel Fusion™ Quantum Processing:
Uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought.

• Holographic Data Storage:
The iThink’s tiny internal holochip has a staggering individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes (1000^8), for seemingly infinite augmented memory

• Intra-neural Communication:
Mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want to send or recieve instantly over the wireless iThink global network

• Perceptual Immersion:
Images, sound, & other data are projected virtually into your sensory fields by directly connecting into your brain’s activity

• Integrated GPS and Google Earth:
Receive directions and location information anywhere on the planet, and the ability to be located in case of an emergency

Halloween 09- "Luke & Yoda"

Since my last post was kind of somber & I've been miserably sick for a couple days, I'll post something that brings a smile to my face, at least.

For Halloween, my sister got my little nephew a Yoda costume & I was recruited to be Luke Skywalker.

My brother-in-law has a backpack he uses to carry the baby when they are on trips, which was perfect for the "Dagobah Training" look.

The family & neighbors all got a kick out of it. As a life-long Star Wars fan, I thought it was fun & pretty awesome.

Death, Grief, & Monkeys

from National Geographic

Although I usually try to focus on humorous monkey stuff, existence is unfortunately not all fun & games.

I was interested in this National Geographic photo showing our 'primitive' genetic cousins trying to silently comprehend the unknown void that is Death.

Although it is impossible to completely put into words, the phenomenon of grieving loss on some level will one day be understood to exist among all social animals. As much as the death of a member of the community is a loss of another, it is also a loss of part of one's self that identified and connected with someone else.

It is a sad scene & an reminder that we are also animals made of flesh that will cease to function one day. Beyond that, it's all a bunch of speculation.

There's an article giving some background on this incident:

The Story Behind Our Photo
of Grieving Chimps

Chimp Talk Show Host

Sometimes, serious times call for seriously funny monkey groping:



seen on Picture is Unrelated

Gigagalaxy Zoom

Nothing puts the paradox of life's simultaneous triviality & miraculousness into immediate perspective like contemplating the infinite vastness of the physical Universe.

On Neatorama I saw a link to a site I bookmarked that let's you zoom into various sections of our Milky Way galaxy. Of course, a galaxy - immense beyond human understanding - is still just a dust speck in the larger cosmos.

Gigagalaxy Zoom

Zooming into the different areas, each representing thousands of light-years, I began to think of a post I wrote about the similarity between large-scale galactic formations & the brain's neural network: "The Universal Mind."

I started imaging an unending fractal reality where 'the Universe' was actually an incomprehensibly large 'mind'... the galactic clusters forming neuron-like structures. Individual stars and planets would be nothing more than elementary particles. However once you zoom down past the level of our brain cells & atoms, perhaps whole universes are continuously contained beneath our threshold of perception. This unending progression may continue up & down the scale, ad infinitum.

See also:

• "Insignificance?"

• "The Hubble Ultra Deep Field"

"Oh my God, it's full of stars!"

The Undead Dick Cheney

Halloween must be getting closer...the forces of darkness are growing!

As I caught Chris Matthews saying tonight, Dick Cheney is like Freddy Kreuger- he's a blood-thirsty monster that just keeps coming back again & trying to frighten everyone around him.

(Update: It seems that provocateur extraordinaire Florida's Rep. Alan Grayson shares my sentiment of viewing Cheney as nothing but a detestable vampire.)

On the cable news channels earlier there were clips of Cheney admonishing Obama's approach to foreign policy.



The first thing that struck me was the pure hubris of this war-mongering, oil-stealing dungeon master who has personally caused so much chaos through his brute reaction to the world.

The second thing that struck me watching montages of Bush & Cheney during their time in power was how glad I am to have those evil bastards gone from the White House. Unfortunately, Cheney at least feels the need to keep forcing his horrific scowl into the public discourse.

It was appalling to watch the group of ghoulish men such as Reich Marshall Rumsfeld & the President of Cheney's Fan Club huddle around Cheney as he accepted whatever bullshit award his fellow neo-cons were giving him.

In my head, it conjured up the image of Springfield's Republican Party on The Simpsons- which includes GOP favorites such as Rush Limbaugh, the Rich Texan (big stretch there), Mr. Burns, & Dracula...

The Abominable Art of Pageant Portraits

I've seen examples of ridiculous retouched pageant portraits being pointed out before, but my artistic pride has now compelled me to comment on this.

Following a link on BoingBoing led me to a website I saw branded on one of the photos.

Their retouching examples actually aren't bad, but I don't get this twisted technique of "enhancing" glamor portraits of kids until they look like this:


I understand the digital artist is probably just trying to appease an exploitative & tasteless white trash client who thinks this is really cute in some f*d up way, but I also find this dreadful on a number of levels.

Child pageants are grotesque enough, with South Park even ridiculing the idea. However, the idea of plasticizing your child's face into a surreal mask-like beauty portrait is just beyond my ability to appreciate.

The best part is- if you read the customer's comment for the above photo retouching, the dirtbag pageant mom from Tennessee doesn't even buy a print- but requests only the free sample even after admitting to being a total pain in the ass!!!

"Thats great. I would like the Free 8x10...I would like to just say thanks for making the changes...Sorry for all the changes. but ya'll have worked with me and are very nice and kind. I hope to receive by next weekend so I can have them for her Nationals and will let everyone know where I got hers done at:):) Thanks once again and have a nice Day:)" Candace R. - Goodlettsville, TN

Even though I think the photo work is a disgrace to Art, it's still physical labor! So to have someone be really picky, but then not even give you the business must be frustrating.

Looking for more examples of this bizarre art form, I came across this website that lets you move the cursor over the photo to see the "before" picture. Weird.

Having done alot of photo retouching for both clients & family, I can say the work that goes into it is not easy. For example, my parents' prom picture below was one of the more challenging photos I fixed up for my Mom's recent birthday slideshow. However, just because I can appreciate the time involved in such work doesn't mean I can justify the distasteful objective of the 'pageant portrait' idea.

My Parents' Prom Photo Retouched
Paul J. Micarelli & Karen (Sheridan) Micarelli

"The Warning" Before the "Meltdown"

The title of this post refers to a couple of excellent features from PBS regarding America's recent economic situation.

Yesterday I came home from work tired from a frantic day where I was miserable w/ a sore throat & slight fever. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I turned on the TV & ended up getting sucked into a revealing episode of Frontline. It examined the complex world of unregulated "black box" financial markets that have resembled a high-tech underground gambling den.

Frontline:
"The Warning"

I've always seen Alan Greenspan as a scoundrel who was the High Prophet of Greed. He conveniently waited until he retired to publicly realize that his entire worldview of unrestrained free-market capitalism was "wrong." By then, his all-powerful deity, The Free Market, had viciously ravaged the economy of not only the entire country, but the whole world.

I also have to wonder if Obama would have surrounded himself with the likes of Larry Summers, Robert Rubin, & Tim Geithner if he had seen an exposé like this... if he didn't know about it all already.

Despite personally having a strong aversion to most things involving numbers & finance, I have occasionally commented on the state of the economy in general terms. Although the system of capitalism is an effective tool of social exchange, unregulated free-market corporatism has been proven it can be a parasitic monster. I think it's pretty obvious to the average person that the American citizens have been robbed repeatedly by financial institutions who are supposed to provide them a 'service'.

There were items in the news today that show the ideological gap between Washington, which ostensibly represents The People, vs. the bankers on Wall Street, which only represents God Money.

On the one hand you have The White House trying to grab the reigns on the ravenous capitalist beast:

NY Times
"U.S. to Order Steep Pay Cuts
at Firms That Got Most Aid "

On the other hand, you have the Kings of the Marketplace who want to maintain the unbalanced status quo:

"Goldman Sachs Analyst:
Income ‘Inequality’ Will Lead To
‘Prosperity And Opportunity For All’ "

Finally, on the PBS website for "The Warning" I saw a link to a feature called "Meltdown" which is a continuing look at the financial industry.

When I clicked to the page, I was pleasantly surprised to find the most recent item to be about Monkey-nomics:

Economics for Monkeys

I have this great idea for a 'Grooming-based Derivative Market'!

Monkey Business

I have been feeling pretty crappy this week & have been concentrating on serious topics in my posts - a bit of monkey humor is in order.

Seen on The Chive:

Rethink Afghanistan

Awhile ago, I saw Robert Greenwald on the cable news shows promoting his film "Rethinking Afghanistan" about the complexities regarding the occupation of Afghanistan, & I finally got around to watching most it.

As our country's leadership currently debates the correct course of action, this gave me a little more insight into the different factors.

It is an incredibly messy situation with few solutions. All I know is that every time we destroy innocent life, we have lost.. because we have become the very thing we fight. That is undeniable.

The website for the film has it conveniently broken into segments:

"Rethink Afghanistan"
Videos

Like the rest of his films, Greenwald is obviously approaching the situation from a progressive viewpoint. Regardless of whether we are coming at the problem of war from a 'liberal' or 'conservative' point of view, it is vital to try to understand & witness the culture we are affecting.

As Sun-Tzu declared:

"If you know the enemy
and know yourself
you need not fear
the results of a hundred battles."

One clip that caaught my attention was of Florida Rep. Alan Grayson, who has gained alot of attention for his rare mix of being a Congressional Democrat w/ balls.

I liked his humanist perspective on the fundamentals of our 'being' that are often lost in the politics and grand schemes of war.

Ouroboros

Secrets of Alchemy

An ouroboros is an image of a serpent-like creature eating it's own tail & forming the most fundamental shape- the circle.

This article (titled after the mystical symbol) that I saw on Reality Sandwich is a nice summary & philosophical perspective of 20th century art.

"Ouroboros"

Creating art is a metaphysical process & it can't truly be studied or understood without appreciation for the spiritual dimension of it. This is something every practicing artist already knows.

Bardo Thodol

As I was writing my last post about the Mayans & looking at different videos, this one caught my eye. It is a documentary about the Bardo Thodol which I have mentioned before.

Althought the text is usually referred to as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a more accurate translation is "Liberation through Hearing in the Intermediate State."



I have had a few near-death experiences of differing character. One time I experienced what I can only describe as a Clear Light state. There was actually no consciousness, no sense of self, no thought, just permeating white light.

Although my "bardo state" was ultimately a function of my brain activity, I came to completely understand William Blake's quote:

"If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is - infinite."

2012 Isn't the End of the World! (...hopefully)

"2012 Isn't the End of the World,
Mayans Insist"

Ancient Mayan civilization is one that I never get tired of learning about. Despite the astonishment I feel when trying to understand their cosmic systems, I can't really buy into this idea that there is some sort of 'Doomsday' scenario that will fall exactly on a specified date.

Supposedly, the date December 21, 2012 is the end of a cosmic cycle that the Mayans called a baktun (144,000 days). I tend to think that this is just a measurement like our century & millenium, which means time will probably continue on after 2012- just like after "Y2K."

The Long Count and 2012 AD

However, there is a part of me that wonders about the greater significance of these meticulously calculated astronomical cycles.

Western measure of time is disconnected from the longer, yet regular workings of the universe. Beyond the solar year of 365 days, our measures of time are basically arbitrary.

Despite our exponentially expanding knowledge base, I think ancient people like the Mayans had a much different sense of natural time and the infinite nature of the universe.

Ancient American Astrologic Masters

Hating on Peace

I knew when I heard that President Obama had unexpectedly won the Nobel Peace Prize that people would be very surprised. I also knew that it would absolutely infuriate the usual unreasonably cynical cretins who simply can't stand Barack & his novel ability to speak in complete, coherent sentences.

With my own ears, I heard people questioning "What has he done?!?"... so I knew the legion of short-sighted & self-centered buffoons in the media would be predictably disparaging this amazing honor for America, it's President & it's people.

TPM:
"Right Wingers Pitch Fits
Over Nobel Peace Prize"

"Waaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!! Booooo-f*cking hoooo!!!!"

The idea that Obama hasn't "done enough" to deserve this award is infantile. Barack Obama has literally reversed the entire world's perception of America & it's purpose in the world. Many feeble-minded pundits have been crying that "This is just recognition for not being George Bush!" That is a perfectly good enough reason to get the award!!! We went from having a dry-drunk, half-retarded, belligerent asshole in charge of the world's most powerful military, to someone with the intelligence & eloquence to miraculously reverse the world's seething and justified hatred for the War Monkey and his money & death-worshipping neocon cabal.

The only reason an American should be opposed this honor is if they are a war-profiteering defense contractor or a partisan Republican crybaby. This is a clear win for America.

Of course, there is the fact that this Nobel Peace Prize recipient is waging two inherited wars of extreme logistical & strategic difficulty with continuing civilian casualites. Even I had to ponder the situation deeply to reconcile this paradox. Luckily, I constantly entertain paradoxes in my mind, so it's not that difficult to accept.

The Nobel committee has obviously partially awarded this as a motivation for America to pursue as peaceful and non-destabilizing of an agenda as possible. Also, the depth of vision for a progressive world that Obama has presented on behalf of mentally stable Americans has obviously inspired enough people worldwide to warrant this honor.

Predictably, this recognition, and the adulation that comes with it, will provide fodder for those who believe that Obama is really an agent of manipulative evil- & perhaps the archetypal Anti-Christ himself.

I'll be the first to say that anything is possible- he just might one day sit on a throne in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem as the Satanic King of the World.... but I doubt it!

For now, I think Obama is an amazing leader that America & humanity desperately needs at this critical time. I'm proud to have voted for the guy & hope that he can continue his agenda of trying to reverse the massive failings of rule by America's regressive 'right-wing' movement.

"OBAMA!"

Socialism!

CafePress: The Monkey Buddha Bazaar
"Socialism!"

First of all, let me say that I'm a fan of Barry. His job is one that I would not want under any circumstance, because of the inhuman problems & schedules involved. I've said that I haven't been a supporter of all his policies, but I believe he's doing what he thinks he can to steadily improve things from the nearly decade-long disaster of Bush's regressive, plutocratic rule.

The worst part of the deal is the fact that it is physically impossible to please every group & faction in the country, no less every individual. Obama is getting called a Socialist, Facist, Nazi, communist, Muslim, Islamo-fascist, & whatever label sounds sufficiently anti-"American".

Like any public official, Obama's philosophies & policies can be categorized with any disparaging label, as long as a rationale can be given. It doesn't even need to be a logical or justifiable rationale as long as other people buy into it.

This whole thought process led me to wonder if Obama, the Master of Propaganda himself, could be so persuasive that he actually smoothed-talked "Socialism" into seeming like a patriotic American value!?!

I've been wanting to make a crazy sort of Bizarro anti-propaganda poster that combines iconography of Soviet communism with the red, white, & blue of the good ol' USA.

The inspirational, yet appropriate, slogan "We are All in This Together" came to me as a way to offset the negative connotation of "Socialism." Then, I heard Obama use that exact phrase in his TV health care speech! At that moment I thought, "Ok, well that settles it. I gotta make this stupid thing..." So, I sat down recently & put this poster together one night last week.

I tried to make it as visually 'American' as possible- with flag colors, stripes, stars, a font similar to our currency's. The pose & spikes of the star crown resemble the illuminating Statue of Liberty. Beams of compassion for his people stream out from the heart area while he holds the O Sun logo at his stomach, pregnant with possibilities for the Republic. (or maybe he's just playing ball in front of a crowd?...)

The patriotic & positive tone of the poster twists the perception of Socialism as a negative force against American society into a proud American virtue.

On the other hand, the stars and strong red color could also give the sneaking suspicion of Communist activity lurking just below the surface. (I might as well point this out, since Glenn Beck would probably figure it out anyway.)

The stars also form a subtly menacing barbed wire-like border, while the big star behind Obama's head make devil horns that can only be explained by the fact that Obama is The Anti-Christ. Of course, the focus of the image is our deceptively friendly El Presidenté, surrounded by the adoring Liberal mobs that blindly follow our Dear Leader. He's an evil trickster, that Obama!

Anyway, this was just an absurd, fun idea to get off my mind & into the Internets.

The link at the top of this post takes you to the product page on my Cafepress site: The Monkey Buddha Bazaar

Visualizing the Aztecs (& More)

It is amazing to watch modern technology evolve. One mind-expanding application of archaeology & computer science is the virtual reconstruction of ancient sites & ruined cities.

Like I said in my last post, ancient cultures are a huge interest of mine. Being able to directly visualize historical scenes around you would be crazy. Imagine having a neural-networked Apple iThink transmitting signals that could link right into your brain's visual system to virtually immerse you in an environment. You could walk around an ancient temple and have a 3d model superimposed on your perspective of the area.

Anyway, that would seem to be one possible outcome of emerging technologies that are being used to re-create lost cultures like the Aztecs and map existing 3D structures using thousands of photos:

"Visualizing the Aztecs"


"Entire Cities Recreated
from Flickr Photos"

Trip to Chichen Itza

So far, I've only been out of the country once- & it was one of the best times of my life. My family all took a trip to Riviera Maya in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in 2006. I posted a summary of our vacation when I got back.

"The Mayan Experience"

The highlight of the trip for me was our day trip to the ruins of Chichen Itza.

Ancient cultures have always been a source of fascination for me & the Mayan civilization of Mexico is one that sparks endless curiosity in my mind. I was just watching Apocalypto again at my parents' house the other night on an HD movie channel. I still think it is a stunning depiction of classical Mayan society.

Seeing the remains of this unique culture firsthand was an experience I'll never forget. I have alot of great photos that I'll have to upload soon. My brother took video of the site as we walked among the amazing ruins & has finally uploaded a couple segments he edited to his Youtube channel- MicProsVideos.

The first video shows some of the resort & the drive to the site. The second video highlights the footage of Chichen Itza itself.

Mexico - Puerto Aventuras & Road to Chichen Itza

Mexico - Chichen Itza (Mayan Pyramids)

Bernie Sanders Unfiltered

Both the greatest & worst thing about the Internet is that everybody can have a voice.

You have your skoalrebels giving their barely coherent opinion, but you also have voices of reason, too.

Bernie Sanders is the Independent Senator from Vermont & the first Senator to identify himself as "socialist." Regardless of what labels he or anyone decides on, he always makes rational points regarding the issues being discussed when I seee him on TV.

On disinfo.com I saw a link to his Youtube episodes titled "Senator Sanders Unfiltered":

pissed off as hell obama needs to be inpeached

If there was such a thing as an "Anti-Monkey Buddha," this guy might qualify.

I saw this enlightening video on BoingBoing & can understand why a representative (as opposed to a direct) democracy was formed.

However, I do amazingly agree with skoalrebel that the government should not make whiskey-flavored tobacco dip illegal. That's just un-American.

20 of the Worst Designed Websites

As a commercial artist, my usual instincts are to design for maximum visual harmony. In college one of my professors said that you have to know the rules to break the rules. So, examples of really "bad" art & design often amuse me since it's all subjective in my mind, anyway.

I forget where originally I saw this now, but this link has 20 really good selections of horribly designed websites:

"20 of the Worst Designed
Websites In the World"

Somehow, this list missed a completely chaotic, bizarre, & schizophrenic creation that I came across a while ago:

www.yyyyyyy.info

Bacon is Good for Me!!!

Youtube is really an amazing thing.

It's definitely one of the greatest creative tools ever developed.
My brother has a Youtube channel & it's a wonderfully free medium. Ordinary people now have tremendous power of self-expression that such an accessible service provides.

Of course, the main reason Youtube exists is to provide mind-boggling, crazy, entertaining content:

Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama

Weng Weng Rap

Mz. Peachez - Ghetto Fried Chicken

Starfish Hitler, Dictator of Hell

Experiencing God With Reverend Alicia

In my random web browsing, I came across another absolute gem in the Youtube diamond mine. This video is from the ridiculous show "Wife Swap" & this little bastard has had enough of his temporary "new" mom.

Someone made a comment about the kid in the video saying that he's a real-life Eric Cartman, which is right on.

"Bacon is Good for Me"

To ensure this videos place in the Pantheon of Youtube Classics, a parody has been made in the form of a spectacular remix that made me laugh out loud. I came across this on Ebaum's World.

I defy you not to sing "Bacon...is good for me!" in your head after hearing this:

BACON IS GOOD FOR ME - THE REMIX

This is as good as the other memorable episode of a wife-swapping show... the gross crazy ultra-religious lady staying in the house of a Punk Rock type family:

Kids in the Hall - Communism!

I saw this classic Kids in the Hall skit on local Philly blogger Atrios's website (whose logo I supplied).



Now we all know where Glenn Beck got the inspiration for his broadcast!

Top 10 Reasons
Not to Advertise
With Glenn Beck

The Daily Show & Colbert Report's
Best Glenn Beck Moments

I'm sure Dave Foley's character in that video could similarly sway some of these geniuses:

Reality As You Know It Does Not Exist

Holographic Reality
and the Universal Mind

I saw this mind-bending video on The Teleomorph regarding the nature of this lightshow which we call "Reality":

GOP Rallying Against Net Neutrality...

...aaaand they're done!

Wow, that was quick.

I was going to comment on the handful of Republican reps who've stated opposition to measures supposedly ensuring Net Neutrality.

GOP Senators Declare War
on Net Neutrality...

By the time I started writing this post though, I Googled the latest news about it & saw this-

"Senate Republicans
Scrap Anti-Net Neutrality Push"

I'm surprised these buffons actually recognized how insanely anti-Democratic such opposition would seem.

To me, the more open & free-flowing the Internet is, the faster progress will take place.

H.A.H.A. - "Haters Against Howard Alliance"

I've been a huge Howard Stern fan since I was a teenager. I originally bought Sirius satellite radio mostly so I can listen to his show, although the music content is great, too.

A few years ago, there was a Howard Stern Film Festival, so my brother & I put together a skit in which we were the fanatical right-wing leaders of an anti-Howard Stern organization called H.A.H.A: "Haters Against Howard Alliance".

I posted about our entry when we first made it, but now that my brother has a Youtube channel, Micarelli Productions, he uploaded the video:

H.A.H.A.:
"Haters Against Howard Alliance"

Glass Microbiology

On BoingBoing I saw a really cool convergence of art & science:

Beautiful Glass Sculptures

of Deadly Viruses and Bacteria

The clear forms are beautiful in their own right, but the bit of text accompanying the article made me think a little deeper about the ideas being conveyed.
These glass representations are visually pure in the sense that microorganisms don't possess perceivable 'color' like they are often shown in illustrations or enhanced images.

We rely on visualization to conceptualize phenomena outside our range of normal vision, like viruses that are artificially colored or Hubble pictures of nebulas that are enhanced by NASA.

Ultimately, everything is just our perception.

The artist's website has more amazing images of the various sculptures of viruses & bacteria:

Luke Jerrum:
Glass Microbiology

Making Fun of the Gay Fish, Kanye West

Was it just "Insanely Obnoxious Interruption Week"?

I try not to disparage other people, but when you're a jerk, you're a jerk.
Kanye West and Rep. Joe "You Lie" Wilson have together shown that being a selfish, loudmouth fool is a quality that truly transcends race & culture.

All I'll say is that he should have taken a hard look at himself when South Park destroyed him with the "Fishsticks" episode, featuring perhaps the funniest & most humiliating diss possible. I can't listen to his crappy songs without starting to sing "Gay Fish" in my head. Unfortunately he hasn't gotten a grip on his ridiculous ego & it cost him any last bit of public respect.

I would mostly like to forget about this "Jackass" as our Dear Leader correctly observed, but I saw a collection of Internet Memes with Kanye West that was too crazy to pass up.
It's great how quick people make these kinds of parodies-

Internet Memes w/ Kanye West

Longwood Gardens, PA

On Saturday, I took a trip with my parents, Big Paul & Karen, to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

I was really looking forward to going- despite the light rain- & it ended up being much more impressive than I expected. Since I love nature & art, this was a truly enjoyable experience. Besides spending a relaxing day with my parents, I got to take in a feast of visual wonders.

My main objective was to take alot of photography. I ended up taking over 200 pictures & uploaded most of them to my Google Picasa album. The hi-res images are public under a Creative Commons license. They can be zoomed, downloaded, or you can press the "Full Screen" button for a slideshow:

Paul Mic:
Longwood Gardens, PA

It's hard to pick favorites from the set, but here are some I really like:

From Longwood Gardens, PA

From Longwood Gardens, PA

From Longwood Gardens, PA

From Longwood Gardens, PA

From Longwood Gardens, PA

The Obama-care Speech

Well, I know alot of people are critical of President Barry, but I still think he's The Long-legged Mack-daddy!

I don't agree with several policy directions so far, but I think as a figurehead for American society & a functional executive, he is an improvement- to say the least. If you don't agree, watch clips of Dubya's greatest hits. I have no doubt that there are people who think John McCain & Sarah Palin would have made this country better, but there are also people like THIS, so anyway...

Obama's address last night mostly was to give a sense of purpose to the whole healthcare debate.

It has to be understood that the Obama administration is one piece on the chessboard of global human society. They can't be blamed for the entirety of these ongoing complex issues & Obama himself can't be expected to blow everybody's minds with some sort of supernaturally wise solution that makes everyone's eyes glaze over with wonderment.

Speaking of eyes glazing over, I knew when now-historic maniac Rep. Joe Wilson yelled out to everyone's disgust, that people would be freaking out about it. Even if you legitimately think that Obama's policies are going to be troublesome for the country, do you have expose yourself as a raging undisciplined ass to the entire planet of other human beings? Now Glenn Beck is going to have to be completely nuts to top this guy.


Barack is a better man than me. If that idiot yelled during my speech, I'd point at him and yell back, "Shut Up, Bitch!!! I'm talkin' now you sorry fool!!!"

On a slightly more serious note, If I was Obama I'd ban health insurance companies altogether (no offense to insurance companies). Then reallocate all the responsibility & personnel to *GASP* The Government.

"..but that's invasion of privacy & I don't want gov't in my business!" would be one silly argument against gov't run health care.

Do you have a SS# or driver's license? Get a grip, the gov't already knows citizens key info, so at least keep it in the hands of one source instead of various corporations created to make money off the very well-being or sickness of people. I would argue that gov't is the main modern entity that should hold collective responsibility over the health of the population. The entire concept of private or for-profit health services is pretty bizarre.

Of course, Obama is trying to (rhetorically at least) tread the noble middle path that addresses concerns of all parties while achieving what he believes to be an overall goal. I would personally favor an even more "liberal" approach & my approach would be that of the great progressive voice in Congress, Dennis Kucinich.

Kucinich responds
to Obama’s health care address

Another great advocate for a single-payer system in this country is Rep. Anthony Weiner who has been a forceful & logical guest on several of the news shows to explain what Obama should have really been pushing for all along.

Joe Scarborough meets his match
in Rep. Anthony Weiner,
single-payer's newest Golden Child

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

HypnObama

It was the strangest thing...

As I was driving home from work, I saw crowds of schoolchildren with zombie-like expressions marching down the road holding their fists up in the air & wearing red berets. They were chanting, "Socialism! ...All Hail Obama! ...Socialism!"

What the hell is going on?!?!?!?!

*Update:
I think I found the answer on Crooks & Liars -
Today, it turns out that all the innocent children of America were exposed to

HypnObama!


Baltimore Sun-
"Only Thing Political
about Obama Speech
is the Controversy"

Monkey Music - for Monkeys

On io9, I saw an item about specially designed music that can sooth or agitate monkeys.

Monkeys Get a Groove On,
but Only to Monkey Music

Despite the fact that they are generally immune to human music, they respond to music based on vocal calls of their own species.

One weird thing that's mentioned is that the only clips of human music they reacted to was being calmed by Metallica!?!

*A great song about the horrors of
primitive monkey warfare