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.

"W" design available at
The Monkey Buddha Bazaar
@ cafepress.com

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,

"Quantum Leap in Technology
to Unravel 'Cosmic Web' of Universe"

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

"Brain Model Visualization"

...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.

The Monkey Buddha:
Posts about "Fractal Reality"

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.

Ultraviolet Vision

This design can be found at
The Monkey Buddha Bazaar

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

"Bloons" Game

Everyone's getting ready to celebrate the survival of the human race for one more year...

... & what says 'Celebrate!!!' like balloons & monkeys?

I ended up spending a couple hours on this addicting little game the other day, until I beat all 50 levels. I usually don't spend more than 5 minutes playing a game, but this one sucked me in somehow. I guess a dart-throwing monkey is just way too much fun to resist.

"BLOONS"

(click for link)

Zeitgeist - The Movie

As I said in my last post on Solar Cycles:

"Like many holidays, the origin of Christmas is rooted in man's continuous use of cosmic cycles to establish measures of time."

Thanks to Phil & Abbey for pointing me to this lengthy but revealing video. Having experienced ego-death (resulting in the rejection of man-made social institutions of control) before watching this may be helpful.

Zeitgeist - The Movie

Solar Cycles

This design available at
The Monkey Buddha Bazaar
www.cafepress.com/monkeybuddha

Like many holidays, the origin of Christmas is rooted in man's continuous use of cosmic cycles to establish measures of time.

We are just about at the point in the Earth's orbit around the Sun that is known as the Winter Solstice. This solar occurrence has led to countless celebrations & religious festivals throughout the world such as Dies Natalis Solis Invicti on December 25th - where the Romans recognized the majesty of Sol Invictus, the Invincible Sun. This key astronomical marker is also used as a point of observation in such ancient initiation structures as Newgrange, Stonehenge, Chichen Itza, etc. The seemingly unconquerable Sun has obviously inspired wonder and reverence throughout the history of humankind.

However, in the fractal universe we inhabit, cycles within cycles within cycles are existing simultaneously. As we periodically spin around the Sun, this unimaginably massive star also exhibits patterns of activity that we can directly observe. The more I learn about the Sun's destructive potential I have become concerned about the susceptibility of our pervasive electronic technologies to electromagnetic forces. The possible disaster awaiting the modern world if a solar storm damages important digital infrastructures should be a major priority of the science & tech world.

Seeing the NASA article below really freaked me out because the magnitude of the solar cycle will be at its greatest around 2012, the supposed end of the intricate Mayan Calender's Great Cycle. We are becoming more and more aware of synchronicity in our perception of the universe. The question is whether, as a species, we can become tuned into it fast enough to affect our existence in a positive way...

"Is a New Solar Cycle Beginning?"

Guilty Pleasures

The 2 shows I have considered my guilty pleasures lately have wrapped up this week w/ their season finales & they didn't dissapoint.

Even someone with such high-brow sensibilities as myself is not immune to the pansexual hijinks of Tila Tequila & the queen of nutty bitches, New York. God, I am so entertained by these shows it's ridiculous.

The finales of both shows kept me wondering till the end. New York picked the little white weasel, Tailor Made. They're both manipulative assholes & totally deserve each other. I don't know how anyone can be willing to put up with her nonsense or, even worse, her psycho-sasquatch mother.

I was convinced Tila Tequila was going to choose the firefighting lesbian, Dani, who had become known among me & my friends as "Johnny Pan" due to the fact that she looks like Peter Pan's cousin. However, nervous & effeminate Bobby somehow got Tila to keep him, even though he didn't come correct in any sense of the word. If he would have lost to 'Dani Pan' he would have been the shame of straight guys everywhere.

Thank you Tila Tequila & New York for showing America the mating rituals of insane people. They provided enough laughs and head-shaking moments to keep me tuned in week to week... and I am so much smarter because of it!!!

New York's Mom, Sister Patterson:

Procrastinator's Flow Chart

Wow, do I know the routine on this flowchart all too well... I'm reasonably motivated, but I still tend to wait till the last minute to do things. However, I don't understand how a true procrastinator could work up the ambition to make a chart this detailed!

Click to See Full Chart

Random Star Wars Stuff

I wanted to post some random stories I've come across about my favorite movie saga.

• Top 10 Crazy Star Wars Tattoos

As great as I think Star Wars movies are, I would never be enough of a dork to get a tattoo of any kind of Star Wars imagery. I would definitely never get a tattoo as crazy as the ones on this list.


• Yoda Pizza

This pizza looks as delicious as it does cool. I usually would never think of ripping Yoda's face apart, but in this case its necessary.

Pizza the Hut's Arch-Nemesis

• Star Wars Toys That Never Made It

My friend Dan sent me this link showing Star Wars Toys that are a little too 'real' to be produced. I design a lot of toy packaging, so I appreciate how wonderfully absurd these are.

I really like the idea of an action figure of "The Force," which is an empty box (of course). This silly idea actually encapsulates the crazy dichotomy of the Star Wars phenomenon. On the one hand, the brand George Lucas created is one of the most successful licenses ever & results in all kind of toys, products, and material crap for consumer consumption. On the other hand, the stories and the philosophy behind it have an immaterial essence that affects the soul and mind in a way that transcends the consumer culture we are enmeshed in. This image kind of mashes those two polar aspects together.

I'd buy it!

Pretend to Be a Time Traveler

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

This article in Wired.com claims that December 8th is International Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day. I'm not motivated to actually do any of this, but the ideas are really funny on how to 'celebrate' this wacky concept.

I thought this was really funny:

- Take some trinket with you (it can be anything really), hand it to some stranger, along with a phone number and say "In thirty years dial this number. You'll know what to do after that." Then slip away.

Of course, there's the chance that some of these suggestions may make people report your strange activity to the police, which would really screw up the fun.

Dude! This is What Real Time Travelers Look Like

Phillip Glass: "Geometry of Circles"

I saw this animation linked on BoingBoing.com & I was shaking my head in disbelief. First of all, I remember seeing these segments as a kid when they aired on Sesame Street back in the day. All I remember is that these colorful circles were dancing around to weird music!

Now, I can watch this & recognize the fascinating sacred geometry lesson that was being presented - in a wordless, transcendent fashion. As a designer I have a deep interest in all forms of art theory. By studying all these ideas such as Sacred Geometry, the Golden Ratio, Fractals, etc, we get a more creative view of reality.

This animation specifically deals with the concept of the "Flower of Life" symbol. This is a field of equally overlapping circles that forms a repeating pattern of shapes and lines. My interest in the esoteric background of this ancient symbol led me to design and create the game Da Vinci's Challenge. (My brother & I were joking that I must have been hypnotized by this video on Sesame Street when I was little.) It's interesting to wonder how much forgotten imagery & experiences from the distant past still influences your everyday life.

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar

click below to visit

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar
www.cafepress.com/monkeybuddha

My Golden Compass Daemon - a Monkey!

I don't know too much about The Golden Compass, other than it's supposed to be the atheist's answer to The Chronicles of Narnia. I'm guessing that's an overly simplistic reading of the story, though.

A feature on The Golden Compass website that was linked by Neatorama.com caught my attention enough to visit the site. It is a seemingly meaningless set of questions that help determine the animal spirit, or Daemon, that best corresponds to your soul qualities, or some crap like that.

After trying it though, I have to assume that there really is some type of magic involved, since it revealed my Daemon counterpart to be a wonderful primate by the name of Lysandra, characterized as modest, solitary, fickle, assertive, & flexible monkey. Get out of my head, Golden Compass!

Even The Monkey Buddha has Daemons.

Scare Tactics - Human Rat

I saw this clip on a VH1 "Best TV Pranks" show & it made me laugh out loud.

I almost think that the guy who's being pranked is acting... but I'd probably scream like a girl & run like hell, too, if I saw this little freak.

Monkey King Game

Nothing like a mindless, cannon-shooting monkey game to soothe the soul.

Monkey King Game

Google Goes Green

Right after I posted about the most promising developments in "Green" Technology, the current giant of the tech world, Google, announced an extensive renewable energy program...

I'm glad I have such powerful influence on these big companies, hahaha.

Google: "Powering a Clean Energy Revolution"

If any organization has the power & money right now to really jumpstart the process to wean humanity off the black lifeblood of Dick Cheney that we call 'oil', it is the company with the motto, "Don't be evil." This is, of course, the direct opposite philosophy of Bush, Inc. - "Be nothing but evil."

Yahoo - "Google's Green Initiative"

Green Technologies

This design now available at
The Monkey Buddha Bazaar
www.cafepress/monkeybuddha

Green has always been my favorite color. One of the reasons is that it is the color of the woods, nature, and plants. I was way ahead of the current environmental movement now known, of course, as "being green".

In light of my last post about the costs of the Iraq war I thought it would be good to show how that money should be used. I've come across some very interesting green technologies that I think have the potential to change human civilization in a major way if adopted on a wide scale. Click on the links to see the articles & the great illustrations.

Plasma Waste Convertor
• I posted previously about Joseph Longo's Plasma Incinerator which I read about in Popuular Science magazine. This is a machine that is as simple in concept as it is revolutionary in function.

Popular Science: "The Prophet of Garbage"

Algae Energy Harvesting
• I saw a show about green tech on the Discovery Channel featuring this development, that is as green as it gets! By farming massive amounts of energy-collecting algae, biodeisel and other products can be created. Perhaps the engineering concepts behind this article on vertical farming could also be combined with this method of algae production.

Popular Mechanics: "Pond-Powered Biofuels"

Solar Collector Sheets
• Just like e-paper, the cheaper this nano-solar technology becomes, the closer we are to having society transformed by its benefits.

Popular Science: "The New Dawn of Solar"

Magnetic Levitation Wind Turbine
• This is an example I'm amending to this post because it is a great example of how modern technology and insightful design can produce leaps in innovation.

Inhabitat.com: "The Super-powered Magnetic Wind Turbine"

Here's a few other green breakthroughs worth mentioning:
• BoingBoing.com: "Micro Generator Feeds off Ambient Vibrations"
• Neatorama: "MIT Students Create Electricity from Grass Clippings"
• BoingBoing.com: "Mushrooms as Insulation Material"

Iraq = 2.4 Trillion Dollars

$2,400,000,000,000

Unfortunately, this figure may be lower than the actual amount of taxpayer money spent on blowing up Iraq. These kind of numbers are barely comprehensible in a practical sense, so analysis like this slideshow on Boston.com can give an idea of the amount of money being dumped into the sands of the Mideast and stuffed into the pockets of corrupt officials & war profiteers.

How can anyone justify an operation that produces at least $9 billion in 'lost' funds? It's outright robbery, and Congress & the rest of our supposedly representative government is either negligent or complicit.

Fellow Americans, we must rise up!!!

No? Oh, okay.

Dancer Optical Illusion

I love optical illusions and visual novelty of all kinds. This illusion of a rotating ballerina kept me busy for a while. The direction which you first perceive the dancer to be spinning supposedly reflects your dominant brain hemisphere.

However, I've confirmed that you can also change the apparent direction. I did this by flicking my eyes away for an instant, by clicking the animation for a moment to freeze it, and by scrolling until only the legs the dancer was shown. The rest is up to your mind changing its perception.

I found this to be as thought-provoking as the Magic Eye images. Something that you are looking at instantly and completely changes form, direction, or context due to nothing other than a change in the perception of the individual. Click below to see the illusion:

AU Herald Sun: "Right Brain vs. Left Brain"

Crisis: Historic Jack Daniels Could Be Dumped!

I've been too distracted with killer robots to realize that there are other horrific things going on, like this heart-wrenching story:

"Historic Whiskey Could Go Down Drain"

In one of the endless examples of law enforcement defying common sense and good taste, Tennessee "authorities" might pour hundreds of bottles of the crazy person's liquor of choice down the drain. Some of the bottles of whiskey is over a hundred years old & as Christopher Carlsson, a spirits collector, said, "A lot of these bottles are priceless. It's like having a rare painting."

I think Kyle MAcDonald's response if the rallying cry for this travesty:

"Punish the person, not the whiskey," said an outraged Kyle MacDonald, 28, a Jack Daniel's drinker from British Columbia who promotes the whiskey on his blog. "Jack never did anything wrong, and the whiskey itself is innocent."

It's enough to make me want a shot of Jack Daniel's whiskey...

If you look close,
you can see a tear of pure whiskey on his cheek.

Apple iTablet 'Confirmed' by Asus

After my last post, I don't go to sleep with my mind full of tortured biomechanoid hybrid creatures... Instead I'd rather dream of the day when a (non-invasive) touchscreen Apple iTablet will make its way into my hands. The iPhone (that I refuse to switch to AT&T for & spend $400 on) is basically a ubiquitous teaser to what could be the last personal computer I ever need. I might be forced to a buy a Mac Mini soon for practical purposes, anyway, but speculation like this is slowly driving me mad...

Engadget: "Apple Tablet 'confirmed' by Asus?"

Oh crap, I didn't even click through the link to the more detailed story on CNET with a picture that makes me want to put my hand into the screen:

"Apple Tablet PC is Real, Says Asus"

Robot Wars: Rise of the Mothbots

When I wrote the post about Britain's delayed Skynet launch, I forgot about another insane development I saw in the buildup to a possible Terminator sequel, that takes place in the real world. Recently I've been noticing news about purely robotic military developments. However, like cockroaches & monkeys, the moth is the latest biological creature to be assimilated into the silicon borg engulfing our planet. I have always had a love and curiosity for science & technology, but damn, this shit is just crazy.

"Mothbot: Moth Controls Robotic Vehicle"
technovolgy.com

Behold, the soul-destroying, godless realities of Mothbot & Robo-roach:

"Heeeeelp ussss!!!! HEEEELLLLPP UUUUSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!"

"Snowflake" Pattern Generator

www.zefrank.com
Snowflake Generator

I would consider this fun virtual toy more of a Hypnotic Mandala Generator than a Snowflake Maker. Whatever it's called, it's pretty cool. Going from the 2D to 3D Rotate gives some indication of the complexities presented by our multi-dimensional existence.

It reminded me one of the great book, Flatland, where 2 dimensional beings must try to imagine the extra dimension from which a sphere was appearing and disappearing into. In only two dimensions, the sphere appeared to be a point expanding into a line and shrinking back into a point. The thought of the theoretical extra dimensions of our reality is enough to make your head spin.

"Hyperspace Oyssey"
Dr. Michio Kaku
(one of my favorite authors)

Breaking Robot Army News: "Skynet" is Delayed...

Rarely does a story cause feelings of both hope and dread, but this is one of them. I've been one of the people taking notice of the growing threat of a unstoppable cyber-army of our own creation. So, I was relieved to see on neatorama.com that the UK delayed the launch of a military communications satellite named Skynet. It was, of course, either named by British scientists with a sick, apocalyptic sense of humor or with their heads up their asses.

What I find dreadful is that this is only a singular omen of the possible "Technocalypse" that awaits us if we don't somehow start practicing better "Cybernethics". (The fact that both of those words in quotes are already used online is almost as scary, though.)

"Skynet Military Launch is Delayed"

"It's Only a Delay...

We're Coming."

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar - Now Open

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar

Well, I have been trying to get an online store started on Cafepress.com, and I've finally got a few designs up & the basic setup done. I added a link to the top of my list on the side of the page. Hopefully, I will be motivated to continue generating more creations if I get some shoppers through ads & word of mouth.

This blog is mainly for my own amusement & mental release, but I'd like to be able to get my art out there in a meaningful way, as well. Click below to visit "The Monkey Buddha Bazaar":

Animated Vader Drawing

I was testing out my new Epson CX8400 scanner/printer I got on sale, so I decided to scan a simple pen & ink drawing exercise I did in college (see above). It's a progressive line drawing of the infamous mask of the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. Once I digitized it, I decided to use Adobe ImageReady to create an animated GIF (click on image below). The age of motion graphics is really only beginning...

Iraq - An Intergalactic War?

Since my last post was about aliens & war, I had to post this wild article I came across. It turns out oil, Israel, and money aren't the only motivating factors behind the Iraq invasion...

"Researchers Suggest Iraq war was Centrally Motivated
from an Extraterrestrial-inspired Religion"

This editorial gem summarizes various other theories/stories I've seen which suggest that the land known as Ur, Uruk, Babylon, Mesopotamia, The Fertile Crescent, The Cradle of Civilization, the Garden of Eden, & now called Iraq was once an epicenter of extraterrestrial interaction with human beings. Here's a link to a much more detailed account of our mysterious alien-influenced past: The Babylonian Brotherhood.

Were the ancient sky gods, depicted in legends from around the world, some kind of beings from another world or dimension? Is the visible return of these advanced races through inter-dimensional portals in sacred areas of the world an imminent possibility? These questions are much, much too crazy for me to even pretend to answer, but I find them to be fascinating & terrifying to consider. The one thing I've learned is never rule out anything as completely impossible. It makes the world to be a much more interesting place. At the same time, though, I can never completely believe any of this kind of out-there creative speculation. I guess I'm a weird mix of skeptical pragmatist and open-minded conspiracy buff.

The Reptilians: Humanity's Historical Link to the Serpent Race

"The War of the Worlds" Cover Designs

The War of the Worlds - Book Cover Collection

Although I'm fortunate to have a job with a high creative output, I am also a passive sponge for the infinite world of design & visual information. Therefore, it's like finding a treasure trove when I come across something like this awesome gallery of cover art from a century of "The War of the Worlds" editions.

The whole collection is filled with art inspired by a story of technology, war, space, and the fear and wonder of our own fragile situation in the universe. There are so many cool covers, but here are a few that I think are really great for really different reasons:

left to right: 1899, 1975, 2003

Monkey Wars

As if the imminent Robot Wars weren't bad enough to add to the state of global chaos...

Now it seems that monkeys in India (who obviously haven't realized their Monkey Buddha nature) are engaging in vicious attacks that are being answered with bigger monkeys, trained by humans! Here's the article BoingBoing linked to:

BBC: "Monkeys Attack Delhi Politician"

Of course, the invasions of Afghanistan & Iraq could also be considered "The Monkey Wars"-

Comedy Central's Lineup is Gold

Tonight Comedy Central has had a lineup of the hands-down funniest shows ever created. The multi-episode "Imagination Land" South Park story is the craziest TV possible, with appearances by the multitude of characters. The cast of Imagination Land's esteemed Council of Nine is hysterical by itself: The Narnia Lion, Morpheus from the Matrix, Popeye, Jesus, Wonder Woman, Zeus, Gandalf, ummm.. Luke Skywalker, hmmmm, c'mon memory... &... someone else. Anyway, Sarah Silverman's Program is living up to her stand-up & real-life sense of humor. Then there's the greatest show pairing ever, The Daily Show and Presidential Candidate Stephen Colbert. Comedy Central has put together an awesome night of programming.

The really revolutionary aspect of all these shows, though, is the unfettered creative freedom to express the craziest and most taboo human ideas and experiences. By revealing the absurdities of the human condition, great comedy frees the soul by breaking down the psychic confines of the thought structure known as the ego.

This is definitely a golden age of artistic expression. As a professional artist, the infinite sea of creative novelty engulfing the human race can be overwhelming to consider. I mean, how can you come up with something more original than a fat little asshole like Cartman freezing himself so he can awake when the Wii is released, but goes too far into the future & is captured by various science-worshiping factions including a race of intelligent otters?!?!

Come with us, Time-Child...

Ghetto Fried Chicken by Ms. Peachez

My friend Dan forwards me some wacked out stuff, but this might take the cake. I can't help but post this madness for posterity & my own amusement.

The Weng-Weng Rap had a certain amount of coolness to it. However this music video is nothing but crazy. I actually wasted a few seconds of my life and read some commentary about the negative racial & gender implications of this apparently highly-controversial piece. My argument would be that this video is as offensive as a whoopie cushion. It is so silly and laughably insane that it makes the human species as a whole look stupid... which makes it great.

Regardless, I would not get near this maniac, or anything that 'it' was cooking! Where the hell are these kids' parents at?!?!

"Fry That Chicken" by 'Ms. Peachez'
(...who appears to be a chicken-crazed
ghetto transvestite of some sort).
Oh well - turn up the bass, grab a drumstick,
and get down with Ms. Peachez!

"You like the wing? Yep!
You like the thigh? Yep!
You like the white meat? Yep!
You like the leeeeg? Yep!"

Stephen Colbert for President

Sorry Dennis Kucinich & Ron Paul, but my true ideal candidate has parted the pool of contenders- like a modern political Moses.

Stephen Colbert for President

I was watching the Daily Show, & Stephen Colbert announced... the possibility... of choosing.. whether or not... to run for President. 15 minutes later, on his own show, he made the big announcement. Although I would rather have an insightful artist/satirist as a leader than a corrupt politician/CEO/lawyer, some are wondering "can he take the heat?"

I think he should really campaign as a write-in & win the whole goddamn thing. Unfortunately, like Howard Stern's failed bid for Governor of NY, I don't think the brilliant comedic mind of Stephen Colbert is destined to lead us into a 'truthier' future from the Oval Office, which is currently being used as a monkey cage.

Speaking of Stephen Colbert & The Monkey:

The Growing Robot Army

A few months ago I posted about the coming Machine Wars that threaten the very future of humanity. I was horrified, but not surprised, to find that the size and scope of the Cyber Army is expanding to the point of no return. God help us all. No, really... HELP!!!

As an exercise in complete futility,
I am going to link again to Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.

washingtonpost.com
"Dragonfly or Insect Spy?
Scientists at Work on Robobugs."

wired.com
"Navy Plots Unmanned,
Heavily Armed Fleet"

Data Backup for the Apocalypse

The one thing that's always bothered me about keeping a blog is the impermanence of the media.

In the event of a much-anticipated Armageddon / End Times / Singularity, the work of millions of people would disappear. Perhaps we are in the process of developing a Hall of Records type depository where the recorded thought patterns of humanity can be stored.

I saw this on boingboing & thought that it's as good a start as any.

Nuclear Hardened Data Center

Of course, in the face of a cosmic cataclysm, such precautions (along with the rest of the entire human legacy) will be erased like a drawing in the sand.

If things become so bad where this type of backup is needed, people aren't really going to be worried about screwing with computers...

Movie Spoiler Graphic

Taking graphics to a lighter side, I thought this T-shirt graphic was funny.

One sign of great art is a maximum amount of meaning packed into the design. Looking at this collection of spoilers uncompresses the vast amount of info that these movies contain. Even though I'm not an avid movie-goer I can figure most of these out.

Threadless Spoiler Tee

Death & Taxes

"Death & Taxes" is a visual representation of how our tax money is allocated by Congress.

Being the militaristic empire that rest of the world has learned to despise, half of our tax dollars are put toward the "Defense" Department... where valuable resources & bright people's minds are wasted finding new ways to murder other human beings.