A friend recently sent me a link to the video that I link below. It's an interesting lecture by Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at the University of Virginia. He talks about the moral foundations of differing political ideologies, and he's a much better speaker than the rambly videos I posted from bloggingheads.tv. That said, his talk has some hokey moments. Also, unfortunately for a format like this where people (myself included) tend to just watch a few minutes of a video, his talk looks like it's heading in some bad directions at times and you have to stick with it to see that he's not smarmy or really relativistic. That said, I recommend it.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind.html
9.30.2008
Rainbow
All this talk of economic depression, world leaders "rearing their ugly heads", and death (see post below) I thought it might be nice to bring up the mood here. Below is a short video showing a installation by an the artist Mark Garry. If you are anywhere near western Pennsylvania you must visit and see this in person, it is simple beauty. The video doesn't do the piece justice but provides some interesting background information.
9.26.2008
Death
I've been slacking on my blogging day recently (although Bret's been doing a good job of pick up that slack) and feel like it's high time I help carry the weight of yhmmgo (wow, I don't think anyone has made that acronym yet).
I've always thought about if and how I'd like to be buried but I've always had problems with the usual ways of doing it. First of all burials can be insanely expensive, the casket alone can be thousands of dollars and then the burial spot and all the other cost involved can easily reach $10,000. Seems like a burden to your family to me. The other problem I've had with being buried is with the land use issues. Here in the U.S. cemeteries are for all intensive purposes off limits and usually take up huge amounts of land. I offer this as an example:
This is right in the middle of Chicago and there are eight cemeteries, and just look at the size of Rosehill! Imagine if all that land was filled with parks, or wetlands, or gardens, but no, it's filled with dead people and really expensive exotic wood caskets. I do concede that this land is usually open and you can walk around freely, but how often do you go there? And how usable is the land with all those mausoleums? Thinking about kicking around the soccer ball? Forget it, it will puncture! Also watch out for security! In addition to all this there's a huge environmental impact. Here are some facts courtesy of our friends at wikipedia:
Each year, 22,500 cemeteries across the United States bury approximately:
30 million board feet (70,000 m³) of hardwoods (caskets)
90,272 tons of steel (caskets)
14,000 tons of steel (vaults)
2,700 tons of copper and bronze (caskets)
1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete (vaults)
827,060 US gallons (3,130 m³) of embalming fluid, which most commonly includes formaldehyde.
I've told myself that I'd be buried in the ground if one day I owned some wild wooded tract of land were I could be put there without being a disruption to others. Lately there's been a larger movement to change some common practices in how we are buried. People are calling it "natural" or "green" burial, I like the direction this is going.
How about this for an idea?
When you're buried, you just go straight in the ground, no metal or fancy wood casket. Above you they plant a tree and as your body returns to dust it feeds the tree above you. Instead of cemeteries we have forests and thanks to legislation, they'll be protected forever. Sounds awesome to me. Let it become public knowledge, when I Daniel John Bracken Jr. die, this is the way I'd like to be laid to rest, with a tree growing above me surrounded by other trees.
I've always thought about if and how I'd like to be buried but I've always had problems with the usual ways of doing it. First of all burials can be insanely expensive, the casket alone can be thousands of dollars and then the burial spot and all the other cost involved can easily reach $10,000. Seems like a burden to your family to me. The other problem I've had with being buried is with the land use issues. Here in the U.S. cemeteries are for all intensive purposes off limits and usually take up huge amounts of land. I offer this as an example:
This is right in the middle of Chicago and there are eight cemeteries, and just look at the size of Rosehill! Imagine if all that land was filled with parks, or wetlands, or gardens, but no, it's filled with dead people and really expensive exotic wood caskets. I do concede that this land is usually open and you can walk around freely, but how often do you go there? And how usable is the land with all those mausoleums? Thinking about kicking around the soccer ball? Forget it, it will puncture! Also watch out for security! In addition to all this there's a huge environmental impact. Here are some facts courtesy of our friends at wikipedia:
Each year, 22,500 cemeteries across the United States bury approximately:
30 million board feet (70,000 m³) of hardwoods (caskets)
90,272 tons of steel (caskets)
14,000 tons of steel (vaults)
2,700 tons of copper and bronze (caskets)
1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete (vaults)
827,060 US gallons (3,130 m³) of embalming fluid, which most commonly includes formaldehyde.
I've told myself that I'd be buried in the ground if one day I owned some wild wooded tract of land were I could be put there without being a disruption to others. Lately there's been a larger movement to change some common practices in how we are buried. People are calling it "natural" or "green" burial, I like the direction this is going.
How about this for an idea?
When you're buried, you just go straight in the ground, no metal or fancy wood casket. Above you they plant a tree and as your body returns to dust it feeds the tree above you. Instead of cemeteries we have forests and thanks to legislation, they'll be protected forever. Sounds awesome to me. Let it become public knowledge, when I Daniel John Bracken Jr. die, this is the way I'd like to be laid to rest, with a tree growing above me surrounded by other trees.
9.25.2008
a) how to think - rest peacefully DFW b) Jitka Hanzlova's perception of time-scale in forest photography as seen by John (non-ham) Berger
A
The adult content and language of David Foster Wallace:
1995 commencement speech at Kenyon College... this is completely worth reading! Thanks to Michael and Laura for telling me about this.
B
'I went to the forest-hills early in the morning when the forest awakes. Standing there I breathed in the wind. the unruffled voices of the birds and the silence which I love. And then when I was concentrating on a picture, I stopped hearing the silence around me. It was as if I was somewhere else, like in a film. The forest started to move and, as I looked through the camera, I experienced fear. Maybe it was just the framing and the stillness of the evening. As if the birds and the crickets had stopped their singing, as if the wind had come to a stop in the valley. Nothing but nothing to hear. No birds, no wind, no people, no crickets. The darkness of the light and this other silence made my hair stand on end... I could not exactly place the fear, but it was coming from the inside. It was the first time I felt this so intensely, but not the last. I escaped! What's the basis of this fear of mine? Why? I'm not afraid of animals or of the forest. The place is safe.
Throughout history and prehistory forests have offered shelter, a hiding-place, whilst also being places in which a wanderer can be ultimately lost. They oblige us to recognize how much is hidden.
[...]
What is intangible and within touching distance in a forest may be the presence of a kind of timelessness. Not the abstract timelessness of metaphysical speculation, nor the metaphysical timelessness of cyclic, seasonal repetition. Forests exist in time, they are, God knows, subjects of history; and today many are catastrophically being obliterated for the quick pursuit of profit.
Yet in a forest there are 'events' which have not found their place in any of the forest's numberless time-scales, and which exist between those scales. What events? you ask. They are what remains in photographs after we have made an inventory of everything this is recognizable. The ancient Greeks named events like these dryads.
[...]
To make sense of what I'm suggesting it is necessary to reject the notion of time that began in Europe during the eighteenth century and is closely linked with the positivism and linear accountability of modern capitalism: the notion that a single time, which is unilinear, regular, abstract and irreversible, carries everything. All other cultures have proposed a coexistence of various times surrounded in some way by the timeless.
Return to the forest that belongs to history. There is often a sense of waiting, yet what is it that is waiting? And is waiting the right word? A patience. A patience practiced by what? A forest incident. An incident we can neither name, describe, nor place. And yet is there.
The intricacy of the crossing paths and crossing energies in a forest - the paths of birds, insects, mammals, spores, seeds, reptiles, ferns, lichens, worms, trees, etc - is unique; perhaps in certain areas on the seabed there exists a comparable intricacy. but there man is a recent intruder, whereas, with all his sense perceptions, he came from the forest. Man is the only creature who lives within at least two time-scales: the biological one of his body and the one of his consciousness. Every one of the crossing energies operating in a forest has its own time-scale. From the ant to the oak tree. From the process of photosynthesis to the process of fermentation. In this intricate conglomeration of times, energies and exchanges there occur 'incidents' that are recalcitrant incidents, unaccommodated in any time-scale and therefore (temporarily?) waiting between. These are what Jitka photographs.
The longer one looks at Jitka Hanzlova's pictures of a forest, the clearer it becomes that a break-out from the prison of modern time is possible.
The dryads beckon. You may slip in between - but unaccompanied.
-John Berger in Hold Everything Dear
The adult content and language of David Foster Wallace:
1995 commencement speech at Kenyon College... this is completely worth reading! Thanks to Michael and Laura for telling me about this.
B
'I went to the forest-hills early in the morning when the forest awakes. Standing there I breathed in the wind. the unruffled voices of the birds and the silence which I love. And then when I was concentrating on a picture, I stopped hearing the silence around me. It was as if I was somewhere else, like in a film. The forest started to move and, as I looked through the camera, I experienced fear. Maybe it was just the framing and the stillness of the evening. As if the birds and the crickets had stopped their singing, as if the wind had come to a stop in the valley. Nothing but nothing to hear. No birds, no wind, no people, no crickets. The darkness of the light and this other silence made my hair stand on end... I could not exactly place the fear, but it was coming from the inside. It was the first time I felt this so intensely, but not the last. I escaped! What's the basis of this fear of mine? Why? I'm not afraid of animals or of the forest. The place is safe.
Throughout history and prehistory forests have offered shelter, a hiding-place, whilst also being places in which a wanderer can be ultimately lost. They oblige us to recognize how much is hidden.
[...]
What is intangible and within touching distance in a forest may be the presence of a kind of timelessness. Not the abstract timelessness of metaphysical speculation, nor the metaphysical timelessness of cyclic, seasonal repetition. Forests exist in time, they are, God knows, subjects of history; and today many are catastrophically being obliterated for the quick pursuit of profit.
Yet in a forest there are 'events' which have not found their place in any of the forest's numberless time-scales, and which exist between those scales. What events? you ask. They are what remains in photographs after we have made an inventory of everything this is recognizable. The ancient Greeks named events like these dryads.
[...]
To make sense of what I'm suggesting it is necessary to reject the notion of time that began in Europe during the eighteenth century and is closely linked with the positivism and linear accountability of modern capitalism: the notion that a single time, which is unilinear, regular, abstract and irreversible, carries everything. All other cultures have proposed a coexistence of various times surrounded in some way by the timeless.
Return to the forest that belongs to history. There is often a sense of waiting, yet what is it that is waiting? And is waiting the right word? A patience. A patience practiced by what? A forest incident. An incident we can neither name, describe, nor place. And yet is there.
The intricacy of the crossing paths and crossing energies in a forest - the paths of birds, insects, mammals, spores, seeds, reptiles, ferns, lichens, worms, trees, etc - is unique; perhaps in certain areas on the seabed there exists a comparable intricacy. but there man is a recent intruder, whereas, with all his sense perceptions, he came from the forest. Man is the only creature who lives within at least two time-scales: the biological one of his body and the one of his consciousness. Every one of the crossing energies operating in a forest has its own time-scale. From the ant to the oak tree. From the process of photosynthesis to the process of fermentation. In this intricate conglomeration of times, energies and exchanges there occur 'incidents' that are recalcitrant incidents, unaccommodated in any time-scale and therefore (temporarily?) waiting between. These are what Jitka photographs.
The longer one looks at Jitka Hanzlova's pictures of a forest, the clearer it becomes that a break-out from the prison of modern time is possible.
The dryads beckon. You may slip in between - but unaccompanied.
-John Berger in Hold Everything Dear
9.23.2008
Rock, Rock, Rock?
Above is a picture of Danny, Jer, and me getting ready to get some beauty rest on our last tour. But this was not just any night. This was, if I'm remembering right, the second of three consecutive nights in which Danny beat me at Rock, Paper, Scissors for who got to sleep in a bed. It's no wonder that, if you look closely at the picture blown up, Danny looks like an evil genius who's driven me crazy.
I'm not sure how these successive losses happened, and I'm starting to get concerned about my prospects for this next tour. After all, just the other day I lost to a fellow Starbucks worker (more on that in a later post) who I thought I had accurately psychoanalyzed as a paper-thrower. Boy was I wrong! As a result, I didn't get to throw out the trash, which involves being outside for a few moments and is therefore actually a sought-after task where I work.
After he laughed all the way to the dumpster and back, this co-worker informed me that the internet had some sage wisdom about how to win at this confounding game. I just checked out a few sites, with http://www.worldrps.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=256&Itemid=37 being the most comprehensive I've found. I'm a bit bummed at the level of luck that still seems to be involved. Still, my searching was not in vain. I ran into an interesting tidbit on the competitive mating habits of the side-botched lizard, which, according to Wikipedia, resemble Rock, Paper, Scissors. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock-paper-scissors). Thankfully, what's at stake in my case is only taking out the trash or making an evil genius sleep on the floor.
9.22.2008
Party...Pizza Party!
Erica and I decided to chomp on some pizza tonight. We were on the internet looking for some local pizza places and stumbled across Domino Pizza's online ordering center. Now...we would usually go with the local pizza slinger but the glow of screen, the novelty of ordering a pie in cyberspace and having that pie miraculously showing up at our door was too tempting for us. The whole process was unbelievable! I think I remember Bret telling me about doing this a while ago, but I guess I needed to see it to believe it! They had real-time updates about when our pie went into oven and when it hit the road. And they were FAST. They were so fast that Erica and I were still at Walgreens when they showed up. My roommate James was kind enough to pay for our 'za with his credit card since we were slow to the draw. He was able to use this card because THE DELIVERY DRIVER LET HIM PUNCH IT IN ON HIS IPHONE! Talk about Domino's keeping up with the times.
Anyway, pizza is pretty synonymous with parties and we're planning a party. As some of you may know the Anathallo crew is headed to Japan this winter to play some shows set up by our new, good friends Yuya and Yuki at the wonderful label Moor Works. Yuya and Yuki have tacked on another show to the end of our tour and it's going to be a show/party. The one thing we need to do is come up with decorations for this little end-of-tour. I was thinking the boar pictured above would be a good touch. But I'm going to keep up the google-image-searching. I welcome anything that can top the swine on the table. Maybe a Bar Mitzvah theme.
One last thing...after we stuffed our faces with pizza, Erica and I watched a little of that Heroes show. The highlight of the whole show is below!
I AM BEHIND ON THE TIMES
My apologies if you've already seen this bit of magic before... but VOILA! Just-Woke-Up-In-The-Morning-Me has now been taken to:
1952---
1964---
1970---
1976---
1982---
And a couple years that might be a little more familiar:
1994---
1996---
Take your own! Astound your friends!
9.20.2008
Tour sounds 2008
In Japan we play seven shows with Aie...
We'll have Cale Parks with us for the record release shows...
We'll have Cale Parks with us for the record release shows...
9.19.2008
FORGET ALL THAT
It looks like Anticon has posted a new song from Canopy Glow. I think a few of you even found this before I did? Either way, take a listen if you'd like!
Have great weekends everyone.
NOW HOW ABOUT YOU TELL ME WHAT THIS MEANS?
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I'm not sure an official champion has emerged yet from Wednesday's voting... Blackstreet, Coolio, and Seal all seem to have at least captured a few of your hearts. I really can't explain Gotham City's appeal to me... but well, it's there. Even if R. and Puffy have been left behind in the voting.
Okay, NEXT!
Which one of you smart ones in the comments can tell me what the last couple weeks on Wall Street mean. Or, to clarify, what does all this mean practically to me and probably the generally assumed "whoever" that reads this blog? I'll give an example:
I mean clearly, a few banks have failed. I know that can't be good but my life really hasn't changed yet... how could it? Am I going to be eating potatoes half a year from now? Or when I read the headline "WASHINGTON MUTUAL NEXT TO FALL!" - well - that's my bank. I have no idea what "about to fall!" means. Like, there goes my money Jimmy Stewart style? All four hundred of my dollars?? None of you will be able to afford Canopy Glow on our CD release tour? We're going to get stuck in Europe this November because no plane will fly back to the States? Because looters will have taken over the streets and smoke will be pouring out of the National City near my house?
Or if the government really is going forward with this rumored mega-bailout (what?)... well, what does THAT mean? I just read the headline "We're All Socialists Now" and well, that's surprising. And good news for Obama, right? (HA HA HA.) No no, but really - what does it mean that the government could own a nice chunk of the economy? Higher taxes? New logos? Patriotic color schemes?
Change we might have to believe in.
I'll be honest - these are a few of questions I have. They aren't smart, impressive ones. It's much more fun to ask about things that you're familiar with - ask the "ah ha!" question or two that allows the audience in on the fact that you know what you're talking about. The above questions aren't it. I don't know what I'm talking about and besides the overexaggerated fear or two... well, if anyone knows a good financial blog or two to pass on that would be much appreciated. Because right now I know "markets down is bad" and "the 'whatever' that is happening right now is REALLY BAD."
Or is the "REALLY BAD" - is that just for folks with money? Because if that's the case, I am sittin' pretty!
A late entrant.
They don't make 'em how they used to.
***update: I thought this article was pretty helpful... scroll down to numbers one and four if you don't feel like reading the entire thing.
9.17.2008
HOW ABOUT WE TAKE A VOTE?
Seal - Kiss From a Rose
R. Kelly - Gotham City
Blackstreet - No Diggity
Coolio - C U When U Get There
Puff Daddy featuring Jimmy Page - Come With Me
An old roommate of mine moved to Chicago this month... this pretty much sums up how great it is to have him back.
Have your say in the comments? PLEASE?
R. Kelly - Gotham City
Blackstreet - No Diggity
Coolio - C U When U Get There
Puff Daddy featuring Jimmy Page - Come With Me
An old roommate of mine moved to Chicago this month... this pretty much sums up how great it is to have him back.
Have your say in the comments? PLEASE?
9.16.2008
I ran around a track for about 45 minutes yesterday. I do this pretty regularly. The only thing that makes it somewhat tolerable is that I concentrate as hard as I can on the music or podcast I'm listening to. Or I watch the guy with the nunchucks do his thing in the park where I run, but even when he's there I can only see him half the time because of the logistics of running in circles. So I need some pretty engaging stuff to listen to, and I've already listened to Why's recent record pretty much every time for the last three months. Yesterday, I chose Canopy Glow, our new record. It's engaging for me because not only do I like the music, but I'm also constantly frightened of hearing something new that I don't like. Plus, it brings back great memories of recording. I happened to be looking at the pictures on my phone today, where I ran into a few pics of those good ol' days at the studio:
I also found this picture interspersed with the others. I thought a bird shat on my head while I was riding my bike on the way to the studio, and, naturally, I didn't want to touch it to find out.
As you can see, I managed to dodge the bird stool and think of an ingenious solution to my problem.
I also found this picture interspersed with the others. I thought a bird shat on my head while I was riding my bike on the way to the studio, and, naturally, I didn't want to touch it to find out.
As you can see, I managed to dodge the bird stool and think of an ingenious solution to my problem.
9.15.2008
Puppet of the Master
You'd think with the millions of dollars this guy saved forcing people to buy his records he would spring for a better backdrop than the stairs down to his basement (the bit torrents are probably sucking him dry...so if that's the case...maybe they're his parents stairs). Oh well...at least the laugh we get from his mocumentary like subject matter and delivery is free.
In other, less cynical, news...I'm onto the third season of The Wire. I'm taking a short break between episodes two and three to post on here and request something. I was talking with my pal Jamie and he was telling me that some of the storyline in The Wire finds its inspiration in real life events. After hearing this I've decided to do a little online investigation and find out where truth and fiction meet. My request is for help tracking any of these article down. If anyone is sitting on some juicy real-life-turned-hit-HBO-series accounts let me know.
Indeed!
9.13.2008
tasty treats 2008
I'm going to tell you a secret... I love baking. I love it so much that someday I want to open up my own dream bakery. This is important information because I might be posting some of my favorite recipes from time to time. Fall is almost here and with it comes the harvest of one of my favorite vegetables to bake/cook with... pumpkin!
1 1/2 cup flour (I like to use ww pastry flour but feel free to use all purpose, barley, spelt, ect.)
2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon cardamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk or water
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup raisins or cranberries or dates or chocolate chips
step 1)small bowl- stir all dry ingredients together (except raisins and walnuts)
step 2)large bowl - mix all wet ingredients together (make sure butter is softened at
room temp not nuked in microwave)
step 3)mix them together until just blended, over mixing is bad, add in walnuts and raisins or whatever
step 4)pour into greased 9x5 pan at 350 for about an hour (it's done when tooth pick/fork comes out clean)
Hope you like it... If you like to bake... ha.
1 1/2 cup flour (I like to use ww pastry flour but feel free to use all purpose, barley, spelt, ect.)
2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon cardamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk or water
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup raisins or cranberries or dates or chocolate chips
step 1)small bowl- stir all dry ingredients together (except raisins and walnuts)
step 2)large bowl - mix all wet ingredients together (make sure butter is softened at
room temp not nuked in microwave)
step 3)mix them together until just blended, over mixing is bad, add in walnuts and raisins or whatever
step 4)pour into greased 9x5 pan at 350 for about an hour (it's done when tooth pick/fork comes out clean)
Hope you like it... If you like to bake... ha.
9.12.2008
9.11.2008
Tribute to Wendell Berry
Wendell Berry is one of my favorite authors. It's always pleasant to read concerned critique when surrounded by a culture running forward while nodding in agreement with all sorts of presumptions about what progress really means. Maybe part of my love for his work is a love for his biography:
- Born in rural farmlands to a farming family (check)
- Got all learned at the Uni (check)
- Taught at the Uni of Kentucky, then moved to NYC to teach in the Bronx at NYUni (double check for street cred.)
- Received tons of prestigious fellowships and learned from smarties in EU (check)
- Came back to the place that he started to live on the land and appreciate the essence of existence (check)
Ok - yeah. That's a guide that I would like to follow. Though sometimes Berry gets a little stubborn to the point of seeming antagonistic and downright cranky (see: "Life is a Miracle" an essay against Edward Wilson's propositions) in general, the man isn't out to become one of those polar-philosophers... you know, the ones that receive attention in the academic world because they are great reference points to spell out a vague/harsh spectrum of thought in PHL 101. Meanwhile, the Berry's of the world sit in the grass knoll of the in-between. I think most of the truth resides in that knoll.
Speaking of polars... how about we reduce his thoughts, just for fun.
the good life includes:
sustainable agriculture
appropriate technologies (doesn't own a computer)
healthy rural communities
connection to place
the pleasure of good food
husbandry
good work
local economies
the miracle of life
fidelity
frugality
reverence
the interconnectedness of life
threats to the good life:
industrial farming
industrialization of life
ignorance
hubris
greed
violence against others and against the natural world
eroding topsoils in the United States
global economics
That sounds good to me. Definitely a far different way of seeing than the one that we're accustomed to...
Here are some of my favorite poem excepts:
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows for me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake rests,
in his beauty on the water,
and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things,
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief,
I come into the presence of still water,
and I feel above me the dayblind stars,
waiting with their light,
for a time, I rest in the grace of the world,
and am free.
Except from The Mad Farmer's Liberation Front
Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.
Also read "Thoughts in the Presence of Fear"
... oh, and I guess we're going on an insanely awesome European tour too... err whatever. (yawning) Look Here
9.10.2008
FRINGE
Did anyone watch last night? Or catch it on HULU since? (yes, that's another Hulu plug)
THOUGHTS?
(I would share mine but they're a sleepy jumble - I'll say this, the block letters for every location were in all ways annoying, the soundtrack kept catching my attention in ways I'm guessing that a soundtrack isn't supposed to... and up until the last half an hour, I thought "I like these characters, I'll probably check back in next week." And then bam - BAM! - the show got going. It's still flawed, noticeably flawed... but the strengths were pretty strong, too. The good, my blog friends, outweighed the bad.)
That was less of a sleepy jumble and rather a parenthetical one. Anyways, did anyone else see it?!
9.09.2008
Meditations on Internet TV
We get about 5 TV channels at our apartment. I really don't mind, but I'm not a militant anti-TV person, and I do enjoy the occasional show. So, given that The Wire is the best show ever, and given that it is so intense and fascinating that it deserves undivided attention, what am I to do when I just want a little something to watch during snack-time- say, while eating a delicious quesadilla? The answer*, for nerds like me without access to CSPAN, is bloggingheads.tv.
Now, this site is not for those who want information fast- although there is an option of playing the "diavlogs" at 1.4x speed, which can be nice, though also pretty hilarious. Nor is it for people who want well-produced TV, as it's just two people talking with frequent technological screw-ups. But if you want some company with your quesadilla, it can be interesting. Here are a couple of clips with some human-nature-themed tidbits:
And...
On the more political side, they do a great job of pairing up people of very different perspectives, and they get a lot of really well-known scholars to participate.
*On a broader note, the answer to the snack-time entertainment dilemma may be best stated by Thich Nhat Hanh, a buddhist author that Matt and I are quite fond of. He writes about eating a tangerine, quoting a Buddhist sutra: "When you children peel a tangerine, you can eat it with awareness or without awareness. What does it mean to eat a tangerine in awareness? When you are eating the tangerine, you are aware that you are eating the tangerine. You fully experience its lovely fragrance and sweet taste. When you peel the tangerine, you know that you are peeling the tangerine; when you remove a slice and put it in your mouth, you know that you are removing a slice and putting it in your mouth; when you experience the lovely fragrance and sweet taste of the tangerine, you are aware that you are experiencing the lovely fragrance and sweet taste of the tangerine."
Maybe I should be concentrating more on my delicious quesadilla. At least I give undivided attention to The Wire...
Now, this site is not for those who want information fast- although there is an option of playing the "diavlogs" at 1.4x speed, which can be nice, though also pretty hilarious. Nor is it for people who want well-produced TV, as it's just two people talking with frequent technological screw-ups. But if you want some company with your quesadilla, it can be interesting. Here are a couple of clips with some human-nature-themed tidbits:
And...
On the more political side, they do a great job of pairing up people of very different perspectives, and they get a lot of really well-known scholars to participate.
*On a broader note, the answer to the snack-time entertainment dilemma may be best stated by Thich Nhat Hanh, a buddhist author that Matt and I are quite fond of. He writes about eating a tangerine, quoting a Buddhist sutra: "When you children peel a tangerine, you can eat it with awareness or without awareness. What does it mean to eat a tangerine in awareness? When you are eating the tangerine, you are aware that you are eating the tangerine. You fully experience its lovely fragrance and sweet taste. When you peel the tangerine, you know that you are peeling the tangerine; when you remove a slice and put it in your mouth, you know that you are removing a slice and putting it in your mouth; when you experience the lovely fragrance and sweet taste of the tangerine, you are aware that you are experiencing the lovely fragrance and sweet taste of the tangerine."
Maybe I should be concentrating more on my delicious quesadilla. At least I give undivided attention to The Wire...
IF YOU'RE READING THIS TOMORROW, THE WORLD DIDN'T END
But if it did, the apocalypse probably went down something like this:
Fortunately, it didn't. I hope. If it's September 10th, 2008 and you're bored at work checking to see if we updated the blog (surprise! WE DID!) then - well - the hadron collider is up and running and life as we know it is still humming along. As a bonus, the above link is pretty great.
Or if you prefer your physics knowledge in rap form:
Science is all sorts of terrifying.
Fortunately, it didn't. I hope. If it's September 10th, 2008 and you're bored at work checking to see if we updated the blog (surprise! WE DID!) then - well - the hadron collider is up and running and life as we know it is still humming along. As a bonus, the above link is pretty great.
Or if you prefer your physics knowledge in rap form:
Science is all sorts of terrifying.
9.08.2008
I've found my Calling!
I've started a job. It's a great job. I scan comic books. I have a lot of comic books to scan. Approx. 33,000 of them. Let me spin you a yarn of how I serendipitously fell into such lucrative employment.
I was on the fast track to my first million working freelance at warehouses around the Chicagoland area. This particular season I was working at Zeus and Co showing the boys a thing or two how to give a 30# bag of dog chow the ol' heave-hoe. I was at the warehouse wiping the beads of sweat from my brow when I looked up to find three pallets stacked high. A lesser man may have seen simple comics books on those pallets, but I saw opportunity. Faster than the shift whistle could blow I was on the horn with my boss. I struck up a deal with that smooth talk that got me into this business in the first place. And before you know it the wheels of progress were turning. And that, my friends, is how you find me here. So just remember a quick wit and some elbow grease is all it takes to succeed in this world.
9.06.2008
Sommer des Flugs
Today Seth, Nathan, and I watched people launch themselves off a 30 foot high dock while holding on to poorly made paper mache contraptions (all poorly made with the exception of the Crustacean Avengers I should say... they made theirs fly about 120 feet and had very elaborate costumes)
The holders of the 2007 record made a special guest appearance this afternoon. Here is a their victory and an explanation of what I'm talking about....
Most clever name goes to team Iowa:Go shuck yourself, who flew off the dock with surprising results on a gigantic piece of corn without wings.
The holders of the 2007 record made a special guest appearance this afternoon. Here is a their victory and an explanation of what I'm talking about....
Most clever name goes to team Iowa:Go shuck yourself, who flew off the dock with surprising results on a gigantic piece of corn without wings.
9.05.2008
Walk along with Anathallo on tour!
Some of you may have noticed that we've added a few shows to our myspace. We're pretty excited about getting back down to a few parts in the south, it hasn't been since 2006 that we've played a show in a couple of these places. Also, there's a decent chance you can pick up one of those CD's below on this little tour (we'll let you know for sure a little later).
Not sure if anyone has noticed this amazing and extremely useful feature on google maps yet. But along with getting public transit and driving directions you can now calculate the best walking route. I've saved you the trouble and already mapped out our tour dates for you. There are a mere 1819 directions to follow and should take you only about 43 days and 15 hours (obviously, depending on how fast a walker you are).
Click here for the turn by turn directions.
Lot's more to come!
Not sure if anyone has noticed this amazing and extremely useful feature on google maps yet. But along with getting public transit and driving directions you can now calculate the best walking route. I've saved you the trouble and already mapped out our tour dates for you. There are a mere 1819 directions to follow and should take you only about 43 days and 15 hours (obviously, depending on how fast a walker you are).
Click here for the turn by turn directions.
Lot's more to come!
"EDEN IS A HELL OF A PLACE"
Colour Revolt on Daytrotter today. Four songs to download, you lucky ducks. That includes a cover of Why?'s "These Few Presidents."
If you were worried, I'm feeling much calmer post-convention. I also slept for eleven hours last night.
9.04.2008
Surprise.
This is the cover of Canopy Glow. The record will be released November 18th on Anticon. Some of you got really really close when filling in the blanks on our mysterious madlib a few months back... nice work Columbo.
PUMPED INDEED.
The featured painting is called Temma on Earth. It is the loving work of our dear friend Tim Lowly. We've known Tim for quite some time now, and he is largely responsible for our residency at Berry. He is also a fellow musician, professor, curator, runner, and great person to be around. Outside of the obvious aesthetic perfection of this insane meticulously crafted painting, and the capacious interpretation possibilities (directly and indirectly interacting with the lyrical content of the record), using this piece holds a really special reminder of the community and support that Berry has extended our way. It is truly otherworldly and we feel honored that Tim allowed us to use his work.
The piece is in the private collection at the Frye Museum in Seattle. Coincidentally, it will be showing this fall in an exhibition entitled Gaze: Vision, Desire, and Difference in the Frye Collection. For info, click here.
Oh yeah! We've got TONS more news to announce, but I'll let others sort out the rest in their posts.
Deal with it.
I'M WORKING ON SOMETHING MORE THOUGHTFUL...
...but this will have to do for now.
I'm sorry, I know it's snarky. I honestly wish it was less biting, that the tone was less juvenile. Those would be trees, however, getting in the way of the forest.
I mean really.
I'm sorry, I know it's snarky. I honestly wish it was less biting, that the tone was less juvenile. Those would be trees, however, getting in the way of the forest.
I mean really.
CULTURE WAR
Wait, what's wrong with community organizers?
It's 3:21 and I still can't fall asleep. I've started three drafts and scrapped them all. So. Goodnight.
9.02.2008
The Wire
So I know I might be a little behind the curve when it comes to good television, but I started watching "The Wire" about a week ago. The reason I decided to step out of the boob-tube shadows and come clean with my entertainment tardiness was because it was only after hearing rave reviews of this show from 3 or 4 completely unrelated people during 3 or 4 completely unrelated conversations that got me watching. And so I thought maybe if I could be that 3rd or 4th unrelated person to someone out there...it would all be worth it. The hours of downloading...worth it. The desire to stay up just another hour to watch just one more episode...worth it.
I'm just finishing the first season and episode 11 got me a little emotional. Now I'm no snitch so I won't give anything away, but when Rawls says his bit to McNulty in the hospital...the brass-balls tenderness he showed got the water-works going a bit.
Anyway, watch it if you haven't.
I'm just finishing the first season and episode 11 got me a little emotional. Now I'm no snitch so I won't give anything away, but when Rawls says his bit to McNulty in the hospital...the brass-balls tenderness he showed got the water-works going a bit.
Anyway, watch it if you haven't.
Jer is in Georgia for a little while, and I miss him dearly. Along with Matt, Seth, and James (of recent stolen-bike-related fame), Jer completes the apartment, and without him here, I have no one stopping by my room to talk about crazy youtube drumming videos. In honor of Jer, here are a couple of videos of drummers who make a frequent appearance in these gawking sessions:
And...
Those are a couple of my favs, Brian Blade and Keith Carlock. Here's a video of one of Jer's recent drum-crushes, Bill Stewart:
I had plans to maybe post an embarrassing recording of me playing drums in a funk band I was in a few years ago, but I just listened to about 10 seconds of it and decided it's far too lame to put after those videos. Maybe in a future post. Later gators...
And...
Those are a couple of my favs, Brian Blade and Keith Carlock. Here's a video of one of Jer's recent drum-crushes, Bill Stewart:
I had plans to maybe post an embarrassing recording of me playing drums in a funk band I was in a few years ago, but I just listened to about 10 seconds of it and decided it's far too lame to put after those videos. Maybe in a future post. Later gators...
9.01.2008
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