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:
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.
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.
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
It turns out he is actually an influential politicial guru whose whims are acknowledged by the most powerful administrative body in the world, the U.S. White House.
I'm not really sure what this guy said that was wrong. He called Republicans 'assholes'? That could be only a half-truth... In Beck's case, he's a self-righteous asshole. As far as the 9/11 controversy- I would think that all of the "Big Government"-hating patriots in Glenn Beck's audience would appreciate that Jones questioned the 'official government story.'
Obama and his staff obviously have realized the overwhelming prestige of someone like The Pastey One, who possesses the intelligence & strength of character to call the popularly-elected, Harvard-educated, mixed-race President a 'commie racist'.
That is why the tyrannical, fascist Obama Administration bowed down to the moral force that is - Fox Punditry.
I've commented on him before (& not always negatively) but I recently made myself endure a stupifying clip on BagNewsNotes from his TV show. It made me wonder why Fox doesn't just give David Icke a show.
This is use of the most loose of random associations to make....WHAT POINT?!?
Is there some kind of insidious Commu-fascist mind virus that covertly manifests itself through metropolitan art?
As a professional graphic artist with extensive knowledge of the use & interpretation of symbols, I find this "analysis" by the "Pastey Purveyor of Paranoia" to be bordering on non-sensical. There is no substance between the connections between the symbolic art in NYC & the ideology of the current administration- except that he believes there seems to be something there.
...or maybe he knows these "connections" are absurd... and is purposely trying to short circuit what functioning brain cells are left in his regular audience! Either way his incoherent presentation is insulting to my artistic & rational sensibilities.
Symbolic language can be interpreted literally an infinite number of ways. Sometimes there is definitely subversive meaning embedded into art of all kinds, but sometimes a farmer & worker are just a farmer & worker- not symbols of some insidious foreign ideology.
When I was in 1st grade, my teacher gave me personal assignments that were pretty advanced. I remember one in which I had to describe the meaning of the yellow stars, hammer, & sickle on the red Soviet flag. My aunt was a librarian so I called her up & she helped me. Therefore according to Glenn Beck, my retired aunt & I are communist conspirators.
Seriously, what is the difference between Beck's segment & this video?:
As the human experience continues to expand into the macro scale with developments like the growth of the Internet, we also are creating images of phenomena on the micro scale, also.
This headline from the Daily Mail reads almost like a haiku:
I have to question though what this means in the sense that we are trying to perceive force patterns and geometries more so than looking at solid "things" like bugs under a optical microscope.
This is the 'picture' of the pentacene molecule imaged by an atomic force microscope:
This is the molecule recreated in 3D:
Finally, this is what the atoms look like when you get REALLY, REALLY close:
I learned it was the Birthday of The Internet today - from The Internet itself! (Isn't that like someone you know reminding you that it's their birthday?..)
Of course, the actual date of creation for what has since become the Hive Mind of humanity has been disputed.
However, the initial connection of data-transmitting cables was similar to the first neurons growing in an embryonic brain.
When I was little, the 60's seemed like ages ago. Now I'm like, "1969, the year the Internet was invented was only 9 years before I was born?!?" Ahhh yeah, getting older...
I can say pretty confidently that I would rather been born here in the Information Age than 99% of other known periods of human history.
In my last post I linked to an article encouraging us to disconnect from mass media in order to maintain perspective.
However, like everything in life, this cannot be seen as an absolute mandate, because their are a number of TV productions that are meant to be enriching for both the mind and even the spirit.
The episodes I watched were "FLESH AND BONE" about relics of dead holy beings, and "SHAPE OF THE GODS" about the practical & sacred value of pyramids from around the world.
What's great about the show is that it explores the theme of the episode from the context of many cultures and time periods in a way that is well-produced & fascinating to a polymath information sponge like myself.
I would highly recommend watching the video clips & 'tuning in' to the show for a potpourri of great information about ancient cultures like the Egyptians, Mayans, Tibetans, etc./ religion & the occult/ social customs throughout the world / and an engaging hostess.
The only criticism I can speak of is that, as a traditional Egyptologist, Ms. Kooney asserts the narrative that the Great Pyramid of Giza was a burial chamber for King Khufu.
I have already addressed the "Meaning of Life™" & recently saw the Dalai Lama's own excellent response to this idea that our lives have some ultimate "purpose."
To avoid over-simplifying the problem, he splits it into an ultimate aspect and a practical aspect.
After he finishes picking his nose while thinking about it...
He says:
• "On a deeper level, I DON'T KNOW..."
• "but the immediate purpose of life is EXISTENCE!"
This is simple, penetrating wisdom that is one of the reasons I consider the Dalai Lama a major influence on my own views.
Some may find those answers to be totally obscure, but it is as close as human language can get to the essence of the situation.
Of course, like any religion or sect, there are sides of Buddhism that can be considered 'dark', but these aspects of life can be understood & sublimated like anything else.
You learn in school that the days of our week are named after Roman & Scandanavian gods. However, for some reason, the entire concept of having these periods of time named after ancient gods started seeming strange, like I was thinking about the cyclical Mayan & Aztec day glyphs.
Our perceptions of time and the descriptive terms such as days, seconds, weeks, etc, are taken for granted, but really have a huge influence on every aspect of how we experience life.
Although I grew up writing & drawing with my left hand, when I went to in college all the computer lab mouse pads are set up on the right side of the computer, so I just adapted to using my right hand.
Now, as a professional, I still always use my right hand for the computer mouse, but write & draw w/ the left. So I've evolved into ambidexterousity.
When I heard about this funny holiday, I immediately thought of 2 diametrically opposed principles...
On the other hand, I've also always been curious about the reasons for the sinister connotation of the left hand. I always felt that being left-handed was unique in a cool way.
A Danzig song I used to rock out to in high school, Left Hand Black, embodies that darker side of the coin:
My brother saw G.I. Joe and liked it. I'm not too interested in seeing it, but I used to love the toys & the TV show when I was a kid.
My parents had a yard sale this past weekend & in cleaning out the attic, we pulled out boxes of G.I. Joe stuff that made up a big portion of me & my siblings toy collection.
Especially being mostly a toy & game designer now, I can appreciate how cool those action figures and vehicles were.
Anyway my friend sent me this video full of hysterical cameos & overall silliness. The costumes & obscure references are really well done, though.
One of the many websites I visit for interesting stories & information is called "Reality Carnival". Its is simply a list of thought-provoking sites by author Cliff Pickover.
I've seen alot of good stuff on there but recently a few links really caught my eye...
Jon Stewart is definitely great, but even I wouldn't go quite THAT far, even rhetorically. However a recent Time poll showed a result that I can agree with, even though Stephen Colbert might disagree:
I almost never watch the network news, and I'll change the channel if the cable news is airing what I consider to be worthless content.
The world we live in is often absurd & approaching the news from a strictly serious, respectful angle only gives a false sense that the many clowns(<Warning: Clicking here may cause nightmares) in public life are "serious" & should automatically be given respect.
Comedy Central's political comedy lineup is a great because there are plenty of smart, funny people who appreciate an irreverent look at current events. Satire is a sublime form of information that can have a powerful effect on public opinion. Although he tends to play the simple goofball alot, Mr. "Stewart" is in a very unique position to expose, humiliate, & scorn the most powerful people on earth with no real consequences. He's the modern political court jester for the entire country. It's a pretty awesome thing when you think about it....
I was never under the illusion that remnants of America's collective "Bizarro Bush" mentality (or lack thereof) would completely disappear after the last election.
Unfortunately, life is messy & there will always be countless disagreeing viewpoints that may seem crazy to other people. I try to balance on that tightrope of viewing things from a cosmic, Dr. Manhatten-esque perspective, while always simultaneously trying to internalize the endless practical "real" concerns of humanity.
Although I hate the idea of labels (I'm registered as an Independent), my social & political sensibilities would probably be characterized as Progressive, although many things aren't so clear cut. for example, in economics I consider capitalism to be a practical system, but also believe there should be extensive regulation & oversight... Not only are there gray areas, but I try to see the whole spectrum of color, too! :)
I've always considered myself someone who appreciates wisdom, integrity, humor & creative thinking. That's why when people like the 'birthers' or 'health care rabble-rousers' come to my attention, my overwhelming instinct is to think, "these ignorant fools are focusing their anger in the totally wrong direction."
Not to say that Congress, or even Obama, shouldn't be taking heat for their decisions. However, people freaking out about "Socialized Medicine!" just end up seeming like disruptive shills for Big Insurance & Pharma. Those are the only players with a stake in maintaining the status quo of an immoral & impractical profit-based health care system.
In a way, it is good for elected officials to see The Mob passionate & pissed off... but not if it only serves to prevent intelligent dialogue and problem-solving from taking place by shouting ideological talking points.
The hysterical, ridiculous woman at the end of this clip whining about Obama's birth certificate & "getting her country back" made me want to smash my own head in. When she started screaming the Pledge of Allegiance along with the rest of the hollering f*cktards, I realized this was truly DEMOCRACY™ in action. In the age of Youtube, any emotionally-charged ignoramus can made his/her completely misinformed opinion be heard by millions! God Bless America!
It's all good though- because like I said, life is messy, & there will always be arguments until we are all subdued into "The Collective". It's better for people to be able to have a voice, as long as there are also other voices that can all variously dispute, agree, or state their total indifference. These "town hall" events, though, are starting to seem more like the Sarah Palin hate rallies.
I feel that all the nitwits wasting their time complaining that Obama hasn't proved he's a U. S. citizen should take the time to get to better know their hyper-ventilating leader:
Even if somehow there was a vast conspiracy to cover for 'Barry the Manchurian Candidate', I don't think that screeching wig-wearing freakazoid would've been the one to uncover it. Besides, after her 'Kenyan Birth Certificate' has been proven to be a truly inept forgery, Ms. Taitz has hightailed it back to Tel Aviv, Israel. Perhaps she knows her remarkable hackery is about to turn into a splattering shitstorm, or perhaps she is the Mossad's worst agent provocateur ever.
Whatever.... let the idiocy continue. It makes me feel like an enlightened genius watching people get worked up about the latest FoxNews-driven outrage.
Speaking of which, I'll end my rant about the sad state of political discourse by saying that Glenn Beck has accomplished an unimaginable feat.... By calling Barack Obama, the mixed-race President, "a racist"- he outdid that bonehead Sean Hannity by saying the most obnoxiously, astonishingly idiotic turd of verbal crap I've experienced in recent memory.
I've always realized that money is fundamentally an abstract tool, that is only as (relatively) good or evil as the actions of the people using it.
After all, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Money is a necessary & defining characteristic of human society, but unfortunately human greed must inevitably exist side-by-side.
The problem is that once you get to the massive volume of 'money' that governments & central banks deal with, it begins to resemble a super-human abstract game that has real risks. It's like the South Park epsiode where they brilliantly showed the inside of the Treasury as a game wheel w/ a decaptitated chicken.
It's been interesting to see that Eliot Spitzer, who resigned after his embarassing revelations, has come back out swinging at the financial sector. Now that he has nothing to lose, he can talk about the real dirt that is going on while most people & their government turn a blind eye.
I heard him talking on one of the news channels about different policies & I thought he was right on... even if it's tough to get past the sickening image of hookers & tube socks.
People who advocate for a completely unregulated free market are also advocating for human slavery- because that is the logical consequence of reducing all of life to commodities.
Around 2000 when I was a design student, computers had already been the primary design tool in the industry. Even though we were using Mac OS9 & Photoshop 6 back then, I could appreciate what a powerful ally the Apple computer is to a designer, or any creative person.
Despite spending 90% of my time as a designer on the computer, I've still become familiar with tools that have been used since the pre-digital design era. The studio I work at has alot of these instruments around from the people I work with. They've explained various functions of these gadgets & it is no wonder graphic art used to look so crappy- graphic design used to be a real pain in the ass! I am truly thankful to be able to create in the infinitely versatile medium of light itself.
I still use some of these tools for things like creating box prototypes, & things like Pantone books or X-acto blades aren't obsolete at all.
Seriously though, who needs computers when you have devices like this?....
When we first got to the town, we went to a diner & sat at one of the booths. I looked up & saw a sign showing "TIME REMAINING" w/ all 00:00's lit up. This is the kind of absurdity that I live for.
We guessed it was a millenium clock or something. Nobody in the diner bothered to take down & they've kept it lit up, obviously for my own personal entertainment.
The second photo I took of an old comic book that was sitting in a Victorian house converted to an antique shop. Even ignoring the modern sexual connotation, if gay used to mean happy... then how the hell does that apply to a border bandit, even if he is wearing a yellow scarf?
I definitely was not going to waste my money to find out...
I have been enjoying my vacation week in the Poconos since I arrived w/ my family on Saturday. We are staying at Larsen Lake again this year & as always, it's been a week of ridiculousness that will inevitably result in legendary stories. :)
So far, we have had a great time. The only crappy thing that's happened is that my brother Justin & I (of course) got hassled & fined an obscene amount of money for not having fishing licenses & life vests in the canoe. The conservation officer, who we both thought resembled a non-sarcastic Stephen Colbert on a gaming enforcement power trip, definitely was a buzzkill. I recognize he was doing his job, but also gave us prime material for future conversation. ("BUCKMAAAAN!!!!!")
The first full day we were here, Justin, my brother-in-law, & I went hiking through Gouldsboro State Park to Tobyhanna Park. We took the overgrown "Frank Gantz red trail" that was 5+ miles of fallen trees & obscured trail markers. One person commenting in our house's guest book claimed that the trail was "impossible". We made it through to the other park in about 3 hours, though, & then called my Dad for an extraction back to Greg's truck.
The next day we went to one of the local flea markets where we enjoyed browsing the many fine wares- including weapons, crackhead fights on DVD, & bootleg clothes featuring 'Engrish' like "Michael Jackson: King of The Pop". My sister had told us about a game were you try to find the most outrageous, crazy item while browsing the flea market. I won right away by finding a stress-relief squeeze toy shaped like a single round breast w/ a nipple.
Yesterday we went to the lake beach at Gouldsboro Park & enjoyed a day in the sun. We always bring a bag full of fun stuff, so we were playing paddle ball, frisbee, football, & wiffleball home run derby. I tied my brother Joe w/ 8 homers before we called it quits due to sunburnt shoulders all around.
Joe, Greg, Mandi, Lil' Greg, Me (& Big Paul sitting in background) @ Gouldsboro Lake
Micarelli Home Run Derby @ Gouldsboro Lake
When we got back to the house, Justin started the grill for "Meat Fest 2009" which featured BBQ ribs & sirloin steak. Each night, we take turns making dinner to give my Mom a break & Justin prefers to cook a grill full of various meats. Justin, Greg & I continued the "Manly" theme of the night by sitting on the dock under the stars and smoking some Acid cigars.
Justin & Big Paul tending to the grill for "MeatFest '09"
The hungry Micarelli family swarming the kitchen
It's been a good time so far, & since my little nephew woke me up early, I figured I'd get on here and post up some of the events so far. We are at the midpoint of the week & I'm sure there will be plenty of hijinks to come.
People are beginning to consider one of the implications of the emerging field of neural engineering - the possibility of hacking into an interconnected brain-computer interface. The question of neurosecurity is addressed in this article I saw linked on Neatorama:
It is always cool to see any of my work published, but I was really excited when an editor at the magazine MacLife contacted me - & wanted to include a concept that I created for fun in one of their issues. They ended up publishing my letter, "Future Influencers", and both images!
Unfortunately, I didn't get my hands on a print copy of the magazine, but here is a link to the digital edition that I came across recently:
A year or two ago, I put together some graphics for a concept that I had floating around in my head for awhile: an Apple-branded computer w/ a brain interface, that I dubbed the "iThink".
I am re-posting the 'specs' and the artwork at the bottom of this article. Here is a link to my previous entry where I improved the graphics a little:
I have seen others comment online about this idea from around the world, which itself is amazing to me. Ex. (1) (2) (3)
People's views have ranged from very enthusiastic to completely horrified at the possibility of our brains being directly connected to The Machines. As one girl I know exclaimed when she saw it, "You thought of this?... My God, you're the enemy!!!" For some reason, I was totally amused by this reaction.
Regardless of how one feels about the inevitable progression of technology, digital-neural interfaces are becoming more of a reality- even since I first posted the original artwork. I saw the following article linked on Monochrom & realized I might not have been all that far-sighted:
So here is the iThink, presented again in light of it's print debut in MacLife (as well as the impending Singularity).
click to enlarge
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
*My favorite web comment so far: "This looks much more congenial than the long anticipated converted pneumatic cattle dropper designed to stuff an rs-232 micro socket somewhere above the hairline. And it appears to be short range wireless, which eliminates any need for hygienic socket maintenance. Bravo puppet masters! Soon we’ll all be dancing around like multi-mode idiot savants, knowing all while aware of nothing! Can’t wait for my turn up on the rack."
I often search Google Images for random visual inspiration. For me, it is like treasure hunting for pictures that are interesting, crazy, informative, or just eye-catching.
The Seed of Life is a repeating design, created by intersecting circles at their midpoints. It is the initial pattern behind the larger symbol known as The Flower of Life. (with the only reference to my blog on Wikipedia...:)
This is an ancient design, with rich geometric & metaphorical secrets contained within. My appreciation for the heritage behind this geometric symbol led me to create the award-winning strategy game "Da Vinci's Challenge" while a Senior design student at Rowan. Of course, I am not the only one who has been inspired by this beautiful & symmetrical form-
Reading comments in stories about warrior queen Sarah Palin's latest insufferable drama has left me amazed at the spectrum of perceptions that can encompass how a single person is viewed.
As a result of this varying consensus- I was inspired to come up with this simple, yet statistically accurate 'yes-or-no' test that scientifically measures political views:
A) Do you truly miss the strong, decisive, and above all, straight-shootin' leadership of George W. Bush & Dick Cheney?
B) Do you think that President John McCain & V.P. Sarah Palin would be doing a much better job at extracting America from it's myriad crises?
• If you answered "Yes" to either of these questions:
I may not agree with everything Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) says, but I think there are alot of institutional problems that he is correct to criticize.
In the spirit of America's "Independence Day" I began to think about what keeps us from being truly free... or at least relatively more free. People talk about the threats of tyranny and oppression from government, but I personally think the modern economic system is the cause of much greater personal restriction than the workings of politics in America. (Of course, government is supposed to reserve the right to control it's own monetary system, but our politicians haven't been eager to assert that right.)
The majority of working people are in decades worth of debt when they graduate college, or can't even afford higher education, become bankrupt due to medical situations, are hard-pressed to pay for basic utilities & living costs... Problems like these exist on a larger scale than they should and cause people to feel bound by virtual financial chains that directly affects the quality of their life.
We seem to be continually moving toward a more innovative & open-source approach to social life. Since money is currently the driving force behind productive society, it is inevitable that people are going to start to rethink the traditionally effective, but archaic, approach to economics that is mostly a subtler version of 'indentured servitude.'
Ron Paul is one of the few elected officials with the intellectual honesty to question the root of the economic problems we are facing. He looks at the fundamental, controlling forces of our money system: The Federal Reserve, the IRS, and the very idea of fiat currency.
I saw this article on Disinfo.com which reveals a basic fact that many Americans don't even know - our government doesn't audit the Federal Reserve that prints U.S. money:
I don't think Congressman Paul or even The Constitution are perfect, but they intrinsically hold a better set of human ideals than any bank or money-based institution.
I try to keep my life as simple as possible, so I've hesitated getting onto Facebook since it's just another thing to log onto & take up time.
Enough people I know & have seen around have recommend it for me to feel that I was completely out of the loop. I like being a contrarian sometimes, but the power of the mob is too much to ignore.
It's definitely a great service, as long as they don't end up misusing everyone's info. A nice part about it is the simplicity of both the basic concept & the interface.
Of course, we all know that Facebook is just a front for C.I.A. intelligence gathering operations...
