Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Everyone Forever

When trying to track down the origin of that crazy flourecscent guy in my last post, I was led to Everyone Forever. This site has alot of really cool stuff on it, with a few things I've seen before -

like the mind-bending film Fantastic Planet,




& the uniquely surreal art of Josh Keyes.


...as well as the consciousness -expanding video Galaxies:

LittleDagger.org - ??????

I don't remember how I came across this wacky page a few days ago, but it's literally crazy. It is like an actual visual representation of complete lunatic's mind. There's barely anything on the page that makes even a bit of sense, & it's pretty awesome.


I am so used to trying to create designs for readability and coherence in the mass market, that seeing a schizo mess like this is almost refreshing. It kind of reboots my creative sensibilities while my brain implodes & goes "WHHHAAAAAAAT??????"

Visual overload of any kind, good or bad, tends to fascinate me. Speaking of visual overload, I was looking on FFFFound! to see if that's where I saw this. Not only did I find another ridiculous image that causes instant visual overload..... I also found the maniac whose evident madness, I believe, has manifested into HTML through littledagger.org...


"C'mon biaaaatch!
I dare you to jump into my mind!!!!"

Monday, January 28, 2008

Dubya's Last State of the Union

Apparently The War Monkey is giving his last ceremonial speech, which I'm sure will be a complete waste of time for everyone. I might watch some of it if I'm in a self-abusive mood.

Perhaps we should be grateful that the planet Earth is still in one piece after 2 terms of this maniac & his puppetmaster, Dick Cheney (who, like all humans, is but a puppet himself).

Speaking of Emperor Cheney, I can also say - as much as I consider him the antithesis of everything I stand for - that I'm glad that nothing happened to George W. that would have given Cheney & Co. a chance to impose martial law & take over. There are so many horrible scenarios possible when those who sow fear, death, & discord have such power.


Anyway, to counter the propaganda and blatant lies that will be filling the airwaves, I have to get some rants off my chest. The fact that I am still subject to this scumbag after 8 years has got me all fired up:

• Not even counting the rest of their administration, Bush & Cheney alone have committed so many criminal & immoral activities that most people would be sentenced to generations in jail. I don't think they will ever be held into account. They have perpetrated scandal after scandal to the point where it's impossible to focus on a single aspect of their illegal activity while they are in office & so the corruption train continues steamin' ahead with everyone distracted by election primaries.

• The idea that the President or VP can't be called out or prosecuted for the madness they have created because of the "dignity of their office" is just bullcrap. They are human beings just like us & I'm not obligated to give one bit of respect to a arrogant, incompetent jackass with the blood of millions on his hands who disrespects the entire human race just by speaking.

• Along the same lines, I have to say "America, Right or Wrong" is a slogan for fools. America is an abstract concept that doesn't even really exist in a physical sense. The geo-socio-economic idea we call America is defined by the actions and priorities of various systems... that are usually engulfed by corruption. Therefore, it is only logical that America could be an entity that is partially represented by immoral, wrong actions & people. Agreeing with the government at all times is not patriotic, unless a retarded sheep is considered the patriotic standard. I guess some people would rather believe in some nice, shiny ideal that is obviously nonsense instead of facing the difficult realities of the given situation.

• Our whole political system is garbage. The very idea of a President is simply a watered-down monarchy. Infinite human potential is being wasted due to the complete insanity of the political, economic, & justice systems. Although my tone is overly pessimistic in this post, I am optimistic that the exponential amount of knowledge and participation resulting from the internet will continue to be a positive force for change - as long as the existing flow of unlimited communication is not 'regulated' to discourage free thought.

• My first choice of the top 3 Democrats would be John Edwards, but it doesn't look like he's getting the support Obama & Hillary are getting. It doesn't matter, anyway. The next President is going to be faced with a situation similar to being at the bottom of a mile deep pit of elephant dung with only a plastic spoon to dig out. Add to that countless Republican politicians & pundits screaming over the edge at you for not getting anything done. It should be a real hoot.

• War in general is immoral, but especially war of aggression against civilian populations.

• Invading a sovereign nation, bombing citizens & calling them collateral damage is the most heinous and brutal form of state-sponsered terrorism. Crying "They did it to us first!" is childish, and in the case of Iraq it is also factually incorrect. It is also a fact that the British & American military have been just as eager to terrorize innocent people as any militant organization, and even more so, simply because it is lucrative business for military-industrial war profiteers to kill as many foreign people as the American conscience will tolerate. The fact that Congress & the American people aren't demanding an end to this particular horrific charade every single day makes us all complicit in the ongoing destruction of an ancient culture & the forced subjugation of its people.

• Speaking of the military, with robot armies in the first stages of deployment and scientific cybernetic research accelerating, it is only a matter of time before such trivial concerns as who is President of a particular country, or how well he is doing, will cease to matter. We will either be in a Terminator-like hellscape or, preferably, a digitally enhanced techno-democracy that produces progressive ideas and positive action.

Whew!

Well, the Daily Show is coming on,
so I must end this little rant about one billion words short.


To sum it up......Right back at ya, jerk-off.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Why is President Bush So Awesome?

I randomly came across this cool video that asks random people the absurd question:


This is kind of like asking "What part of prison camps are the most fun?"... There's a sort of general understanding among most people that the basis of the question is ridiculous.

Bush is understood by the majority of humans on planet Earth to be part of an immoral criminal enterprise and responsible for inconceivable human suffering. Therefore, after 2 terms, only the most ignorant and sociopathic members of our society still find any redeeming qualities in this scandalous administration & its degenerate figurehead.

What is so great about this video is it shows the spectrum of human experience through their varied reactions to a generally (but not universally) accepted value judgement - in this case, the consensus that George Bush is a horrible President.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

The Legendary Jack Daniel's


This article originally from mental_floss documents some interesting stories about the great American whiskey, Jack Daniel's.


The visually distinctive bottle, besides being shaped to prevent rolling during shipping had symbolic meaning:
"...the square look reinforced the idea that Jack was a square dealer who put honest work and high standards first." Amen.

Unfortunately the great Jack Daniel died as a result of kicking a safe out of anger - which needless to say is a stupid way to die.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Presidential Paintball

A couple fun games featuring America's best & brightest (politicians, of course) doing what they do best... attacking each other & causing chaos.

I played this Presidential Paintball game a couple times as John Edwards, but kept running out of ammo against Mitt Romney.




Games at Miniclip.com - Presidential Paintball
Presidential Paintball

Hillary, Obama, Giuliani & more play paintball for the USA Presidency!

Play this free game now!!

Here's another oldie but a goodie, since you can box Dubya in the ring:




Games at Miniclip.com - Presidential Knockout
Presidential Knockout

Knock the opponent out of the election.

Play this free game now!!

Fun Art Stuff

I consider myself a knowledgeable & skilled artist,
but these seemingly simple little games I saw on i-am-bored.com
were pretty tough - even for a pro like myself, haha.

• The first link is a quiz, where all you have to do
is type the names of as many colors as you can think of.

There's 256 color names altogether (Pantone numbers don't count!)
& only managed a measley 30-40 answers....

How Many Colors Can You Name in 5 Minutes?

• The second is a game callled Dupligon. You are shown a shape & you have to copy it exactly.
It is tougher than it sounds, I only scored a few "A's" even though I played through pretty quickly...

Monday, January 21, 2008

Vintage Computer Pictures

Computers have only recently gotten to the point where the capabilities & usability are more rewarding than frustrating. Apple Computers has prevented my world from being a Microsoft Windows hell, for which I am eternally grateful.

As a creative professional who relies on the superior functionality of my Mac's at the studio & at home, just the thought of having to deal with Windows gives me a headache. I've talked about my introduction to computers through a Window 3.0/DOS PC in the early 90's. Even then, I knew that there had to come a day when computing would get past such limited function & archaic modes of operation.

I came across these vintage photos from the dawn of the personal computing era. It made me even more thankful that I wasn't stuck in a time having to use that really primitive technology. I'm sure, though, that in the future, people looking back through the Universal Digital Archives (using their implanted bio-chips) will wonder how we tolerated non-quantum processing & non-instant creative processes.

Anyway, here's my favorite image from the bunch. It really is almost scary to me, & not just because the kids look insane as they stare at each other instead of the game they are suppose to be playing. The clunkiness of the equipment, the dreadful graphics, & the sheer crappiness of it all compared to today's tech is pretty crazy:

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Macworld 2008 - "Yawn."

Despite being my hands-down favorite brand, Apple & it's boss, Steve Jobs, didn't really impress me with their product announcements this week... & it seems that I'm not the only one.

The Macbook Air is just a thin laptop & in many ways, it's a step backward. There isn't an optical drive in it & the gestures that were created for the iPhone's touch screen are relegated to a touchpad. Woo-hoo. If it weren't so expensive maybe it would be more appealing .

Apple's fixation on the fact that it is thin enough to fit in a manila envelope is a dumb marketing angle. In fact, someone already made a parody commercial mocking this useless selling point & the generally uninteresting nature of the new Macbook.

"Macbook Air Parody Commercial"

I'm really just bitter because I was hoping that Steve Jobs & Co. would leapfrog off the technology developed for the iPhone to finally release a Mac Tablet computer. Foiled again!




Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Soul Caliber IV - Vader & Yoda

I've been waiting to get a PS3, but my brother got one for Xmas, so it's easier to hold out for now. However, I've said that once Soul Caliber IV and The Force Unleashed come out, I might end up giving in pretty quickly to getting my own magic black game machine.

I just saw that in addition to probably being all-around kick ass like the previous Soul Caliber titles, the next one will include Star Wars characters. The only ones that have been revealed are Darth Vader & Yoda, but hopefully they'll actually have more in the game.


Even though it is kind of strange to pit the fantasy/medieval fighters of Soul Caliber against the sci-fi Star Wars lightsaber masters, I'll still play the hell out it. What they should do is take the great fighting engine in Soul Caliber and create an actual Star Wars fighting game w/ Jedi, Sith, & melee fighters. Things have come a long way since the old PS1 game Masters of Tera Kasi, & I think it would make an awesome fighting game to add to Force Unleashed and the Battlefront 3 game that I assume is coming.

For now, though, I can definitely live with this:

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Colorized Classic Sculpture


I posted a link before about the discovery that classical white marble sculpture from ancient Greece, Rome, etc. were actually painted with vivid colors.

It really does make you look at these familiar masterpieces in a different light. It's almost like we've been admiring only the 3D wiremesh of a CGI screen before figuring out how to turn on the textures.

I think, though, that the sculpture that able to be viewed up close would have been painted in an even more subtle & realistic way than the bright flat color shown on the reproductions.

Links:

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Ralph Wiggum in 2008!

This Sunday's episode of The Simpsons didn't spend nearly enough time dwelling on the endless absurd possibilities that could come from Ralph Wiggum's presidential candidacy.

With promises of hope like-
"The only boom-booms will be in our pants,"
little Ralphie radiates the innocent, slightly-moronic optimism that America needs.

Since Steven Colbert seems to be out of the running,
President Wiggum is the next best fictional candidate.

To celebrate Ralph's brilliant strategic maneuvering,
I threw together this campaign poster in Photoshop, much to my own amusement:


I also just saw that Fox has actually set up a tentative campaign website with another cool Ralph '08 poster:

Monday, January 07, 2008

The Gods of Comedy are Back


Despite the ongoing writer's strike, the Jon Stewart & Steven Colbert were back on the air tonight.

I'm not sure exactly how the show production is functioning at this point, but they are doing exactly what makes the shows & their hosts so great. The program is being used to advocate for the cause of the creative staff vs. the corporation - on the company's own airwaves!!!

The irony & effectiveness of this use of the situation is absolutely brilliant, which is why I watch the Daily Show & Colbert Report every night.


Barakhenaten

Since I was talking about Barack Obama in my last post...

For some reason, when I look at Obama, I can't help thinking about how much he resembles the sculpture I've seen depicting the Pharaoh Akhenaten. In Ancient Egypt, Akhenaten banished the many powerful temples & priests of the Egyptian mythological pantheon. He did this in order to establish a unified theology based on the veneration of the life-giving solar essence, Aten or Amen-Ra.

Of course, taking away the influence of established institutions & people in power tends to piss them off.

People are already comparing Barack Obama to JFK... The problem with being a voice for institutional change is that you become a target for powerful institutions that do not operate within the boundaries of morality held by the individual human soul.

Anyway, maybe a President Obama would also shake up society out of it's intellectual slumber.
As I've said, I think almost any of the candidates would be a positive improvement.
Only time will tell...

Political Thoughts & The Solution to Disasterous Presidents

As I'm watching the news surrounding the Presidential primaries, The current buzz from the hive mind is about the momentum behind Barack Obama's campaign.

I wish any one of the Democrats (and Ron Paul on the Republican side) could take over right now & at least put the brakes on the Dubya Disaster Express. I've said before that Dennis Kucinich has the most insight & the most noble ideals. However, since I don't live in a world where insight & compassion reign supreme, I would be very happy with Edwards or Obama in charge. The moral substance of both of these guys is evident if you listen to their ideas & solutions. As far as Hillary, I'd prefer her any day to the current usurper, & as a woman I think she'd bring a very different perspective, but America really needs to avoid political dynasties from now on.

Speaking of Obama, I got a forward at work talking about Obama's history & the insinuations that he's actually a jihadist in disguise because of the influence of Islam in his past. Besides obviously being a smear email, the message said that the information it contained was found by Snopes.com to be true. Of course, I took 1/2 a friggin' second & actually looked up the message on Snopes.com, where it debunked that very same email!!! That drives me absolutely up the wall, because other lazy fools look at it & go - "Oh no! Obama is going to turn our country into one big mosque!" The worst part is, that is the #1 most popular item on Snopes right now, so if you forward that email, you must be an idiot or a political operative.

I have spent a fair share of blog space since George W. Bush took office (what now seems like eons ago) venting about the mind-numbing incompetence & criminality of his administration. At this point, my mind is... well, numb from the chaos the War Monkey & his petro-military cabal have caused to the human race. They have caused or magnified disaster after horrifying disaster with no consequences, other than having the collective hatred of the human race directed toward them.

One answer to the problems caused by having an incompetent jerk-off in office would be to get RID of the office of the United States Presidency altogether!!! The idea of having just one person as a figurehead in a "democratic" society is completely retarded. Why not institute an "Executive Council"- made up of 2 members each from the major parties and 1 independent seat, for a total of 5 members? Majority rules on decisions like the Supreme Court & this guarantees no single ideology will run the executive agenda. Unfortunately, this solution is so logical that it is guaranteed NOT to be implemented - or even considered. Sure it means a little more bureaucracy as a result, but the benefits would outweigh many negatives that I can think of.

It would be a proud day if America became one step farther away from being a monarchy/military theocracy - because as a society now, we're not even close.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Exploring the Quantum-Mind-Universe

After yesterdays post about fractal art, the recursive nature of reality must have been on my mind.

I saw this story on Raw Story earlier,



...Which reminded me of some tech news I saw on Infosthetics a few days ago:


...Both of which reminded me of comparisons I've made before about the structure of reality at different scales, from the quantum to the cosmic.


All the scientists and data visualization experts are coming to realize that the quantum world, the mind, and the universe are all exactly the same thing. Perhaps a consequence of our perceptive realities expanding into each other will be an infinite interconnection of intelligence that surpasses any form of 'reality' that we can imagine.

What if the mind becomes fused with the light machines known as computers or even with the base energy of the universe itself & one can multi-task one's consciousness at the speed of light?
What will existence be like when you can simultaneously communicate, create, and learn in a virtual space with no limitation of linear input? Modes of thought experience will obviously be much more un-linear and vast than what the sensory-driven mind is currently capable of conjuring.


Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Fractal Art Winners 2007

"Simple Thing"
by Philip Taylor

2007 Fractal Art Contest

These amazing visual creations are based on the mathematical idea known as fractals, which are a source of endless fascination for me.

It's cool to see these amazing artworks given a forum to be presented, compared, & even judged by the father of fractal geometry, Benoit Mandelbrot.

Although not showing the same skill as the contest entries, I'm adding a few of my own fractal images here. I have to get an online gallery of my artwork up soon...

(click for larger image)


Illumination

Shaman's Mask

Blacklight Dream #3