Mall of Me

Massive Fireworks Experiment

2011-07-04T03:00:00.002-05:00

[Free DL] Remix of Daft Punk's "The Grid"

2011-05-11T16:28:00.000-05:00

In 24-hours, Disney's "Tron Legacy" competition will be over. Jaya Prime's "Icon-of-Monkey" remix is up for free download and is #15 in the world (out of almost 900 remixes). If it's in the Top 20 when voting ends, Disney does the rest. Vote, share, click "Like" and get the word out quick.

12yr old girl's Zombie Haiku [temp.post]

2011-04-14T13:57:00.002-05:00

[Tumblr] [Facebook] [Twitter] [reddit] [Twitpic] [deviantART]

Artificial Paradise, Inc. [temp.post]

2011-03-30T13:55:00.002-05:00

English Is a Stupid Language

2011-03-07T13:58:00.001-06:00

Let's Face It. English Is a Stupid Language.

There is no egg in the eggplant,
No ham in the hamburger
And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England,
French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted, but if we examine its paradoxes we find that:
Quicksand takes you down slowly,
Boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing?
If the plural of tooth is teeth,
Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth?
If the teacher taught,
Why hasn't the preacher praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables,
What the heck does a humanitarian eat?
Why do people recite at a play,
Yet play at a recital?
Park on driveways and
Drive on parkways?
How can the weather be as hot as hell on one day
And as cold as hell on another?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language where a house can burn up as it burns down,
And in which you fill in a form
By filling it out
And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers,
And it reflects the creativity of the human race
(Which of course isn't a race at all.)

That is why:
When the stars are out they are visible,
But when the lights are out they are invisible.
And why it is that when I wind up my watch
It starts,
But when I wind up this poem
It ends.

Note: I have not been able to track down a verified source for this. If you know where it came from, please leave the info in the comments.

Hovercams [temp.post]

2011-02-24T14:07:00.000-06:00

Mephie, one of the bards in our tribe, has often said that our group needs hovercams floating around us... that way the crazy stuff we do 'n say would get recorded. We'd make a killing. Well, they're not hovercams, but the Looxcie Wearable Camera comes damned close. Here's a vid of a peep geocaching with a Looxcie (if you don't know what geocaching is, think "global scavenger hunt for GPS-junkies 'n travelers"). Check it:

Don't Be a Sucker (1947)

2011-02-23T13:57:00.001-06:00

Produced by the U.S. military. Yes, they get something right every once in a while. It's as apt today as it was in 1947.

You are HERE [temp.post]

2011-02-10T14:12:00.004-06:00

Paulo Coelho Banned in Iran

2011-01-12T08:49:00.000-06:00

Paulo Coelho is "The Messenger of Peace" to the United Nations, yet his books have now been banned in Iran. In response, he has made them all available for free download in Farsi (Persian). They are available here on his blog, and mirrored here on SoundByte Psychology. He is an outspoken advocate for WikiLeaks and a personal hero to hundreds of thousands, including myself. This censorship will not stand.

Miss Levine, in Memoriam

2010-12-28T23:37:00.003-06:00

Breanna LeVine (December 28th, 1983 - April 1st, 2010)

"Miss Levine" by Beats Antique [Click to Download]

dedicated to Breanna LeVine

Two children from the Tribe of the Desert fell into darkness this year, leaving their bodies behind. One was Miss LeVine, a child of many, many names... and she fell by her own hands.

It is a choice none can take from her.

The impact she had on the lives of so many artists can be felt even at this moment. The famed artist Android Jones, upon hearing of her passing, created a truly stunning portrait of her: In Memory of Breanna Levine

Wishing All Aching Hearts
Can Find Refuge In Love
Quickly And Effortlessly

Fare well, 2010. Travel well, Miss Levine... and happy birthday

2010 - Political Insights of the Year

2010-12-27T08:25:00.006-06:00

2010 has been a year of incredible political activity, surprise insights and far more. I'll only be scratching the surface here. Before covering "the bad", let's at least count the victories:

#1 - The Zadroga Bill, meant to provide health care for hundreds of 9/11 first responders, finally passed in the senate. If you've heard about the bill, it's likely that you didn't hear about it until recently... yet it's more than two-months old. The media was almost entirely quiet when it came to the bill. It wasn't until the comedian Jon Stewart dedicated an entire episode to the first responders that it blew up in the media... and it was passed just a week later. This is one of the true heroic stories of the year, and well worth celebrating. I highly suggest the main article and associated videos on here on Stewart's site.

#2 - The voiceless have been given a voice. We finally have a way to act and to stand up against a government that has continually proven itself tyrannical. The infowar, centering on WikiLeaks, has given people around the world a way to speak up just by clicking a button... or blogging... or all the way up to transmitting encrypted files. The entire world is on fire. Some are trying to silence the truth, others are fighting to keep it alive... but there is finally a way for anyone to actually get involved in something that works! Just for mentioning the name WikiLeaks, this entire blog has already been blocked in multiple countries... China included. Regulators in America are trying to pass legislation at this very moment to create this same censorship here in the States. The fight continues, but at least it's a fight for something worthwhile.

#3 - A glimpse of sanity has returned to the Netherlands. I was in Amsterdam just weeks before the Netherlands banned the sell of hallucinogenic mushrooms [link]. Soon after, they began cracking down on the Red Light District and on the Cannabis Coffee Bars. The final nail was when they enacted tobacco smoking bans... despite the fact that Europeans smoke marijuana and tobacco together. I've never before heard of a place so blatantly committing economic suicide... and I'd given up on the idea of ever returning. I don't know who talked sense into them, but they passed legislation allowing smaller pubs to allow people to smoke inside again [link]. I'm not getting my hopes up yet, as I don't know if it is enough to stop the chain-reaction. In England alone, more than 6,000 pubs have closed since the smoking ban was passed there in late 2007. But Amsterdam didn't just ban smoking, it shot itself in the head multiple times. That doesn't change the fact that it is good news, and that it may lead to larger reforms in the end.

#4 - "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was finally repealed. This ancient doctrine, founded on a compromise between racism and necessity, has finally been overturned to allow homosexuals to openly serve in the armed forces. It's sad that we're celebrating something that should have been taken into action more than a hundred years ago... but we celebrate what we can. And that's about it for the good news.

The bad news can be easily summarized:
* British Petroleum decided that the gulf needed a few more gallons of oil in its waters. The government wasn't having it, so they called in the coast guard... but, as it turns out, the coast guard was just there to keep reporters away from reporting on the spill and to arrest anyone that wouldn't hand over recordings of the catastrophe.
* An international corporation, with decades of toxic dumping, bribery, child labor and false advertising under its belt, was handed the reigns of the FDA by the president... then the FDA was given complete control over the nation's agriculture. Shortly thereafter, the FDA returned to its war on raw and organic markets with renewed vigor. Joy!
* The FCC finally passed Net Neutrality laws, calling the outcome "a compromise". Netizens were more quick to call it what it was: "a sellout". The laws allow wireless carriers to proceed with erecting toll-gates on their users, as well as tolls on companies that want their customers to have access to them.
* A leak to a news station in Pennsylvania revealed that the Department of Homeland Security has been spying on peaceful activists, as well as actively tagging and creating a database of environmentalists, rights activists and even tax activists.
* The US Department of Justice published a book titled "Investigating Terrorism and Criminal Extremism Terms and Concepts" that allows the classification of activists, economists and third-party supporters to be designated as "domestic threats". This is the same book detailing Al-Queda and other actual terrorist groups.
* Following a rather weak "terrorist" attack, the TSA pushed thru a program to install full-body scanners in airports. These have been rightfully dubbed "nudie scanners". They literally strip a person down to their skin. It's absurd enough to where it's become an Internet meme, relegating any invasion of privacy to the TSA.
* North Korea decided that they needed to throw a few bombs at South Korea. Everyone started making threats. It's as much "not good" as the world can muster, as the bombing served absolutely no one and may end in all-out world war if it doesn't settle down.
* The US passed legislation banning trade with Iran. That's understandable. Then the US declared that they would raise trade sanctions against any country who DID trade with Iran. Those are full trade sanctions. Every single time they have been raised throughout history, they have led to war. It's quite clear that there will be no more peace talks with Iran and that war will soon be on the country's doorstep.
* The Obama administration has denied more Freedom of Information requests than any other administration, silenced more leaks than any other administration and played an active part in silencing the press during the BP Oil Spill. As WikiLeaks gathered steam over the year, that came to a head with Cablegate. The administration is now taking steps to tear up the first amendment and has already proven, by their actions, that America lives under an illusion of freedom. While this is both a good and a bad thing, in the end, I easily side with WikiLeaks: "Blowing the whistle on war crimes is not a crime." Period.

If you want more than the summaries, then I can be much more verbose. I'm also including references, although those are more for myself should I need to come back to them.

The FCC's Net Neutrality Sellout: Before getting into this, let me get my politics out in the open. I'm not a right-wing corporatist, nor am I a left-wing statist. I am a laissez faire capitalist. When a company accepts subsidies from the government, they leave the free market and enter the realm of governmental regulation. That applies to almost all cellular communication companies and many of the cable and network companies on land. For me, it is a simple line, and I am for Net Neutrality regulations (to the fullest extent)... and believe they should be applied to all carriers who have accepted government subsidies.

Before the FCC's Net Neutrality "compromise" passed, this slide [below] leaked to the Internet. It shows how wireless carriers are considering charging each person for specific sites they access online. When the bill was passed, it allowed for exactly this sort of "toll road" mentality with wireless carriers. It also allows for these carriers to toll the companies online if those companies want their customers to have access to them. Obama's campaign promise of Net Neutrality has come to an end. When he appointed Julius Genachowski to the FCC, it was in order to fulfill the promise of Net Neutrality... yet we find just another compromise and a sellout. For more on this slide, check out this article. For more on the flaws in the new Net Neutrality laws, check out this article. For info on the idea behind "rebooting the FCC", check out this article.

Homeland Security's Spying Campaign Against Activists: Although many have talked about being "tagged, photographed and cataloged" by Homeland Security, a recent leak in Pennsylvania finally gave a glimpse into the scope and targets of this operation.

James F Powers, director of Penn's Homeland Security, accidentally included the wrong person on an email sent out to energy companies, federal employees and a private intelligence firm that he had hired using $125,000 Pennsylvanian tax dollars. The email leaked, revealing that the firm he'd contracted were paid to spy on: environmentalists, anti-tax protesters, gay rights activists, ralliers for increased education funding, anti-war demonstrators, deportation protesters, animal rights protesters and ralliers attending "End-the-Fed" gatherings.

Furthermore, these groups were targeted as potential threats to infrastructure and would be labeled as terrorists if need be. Names had already been gathered from peaceful candlelight vigils... even movie screenings. Because of the Bush administration's removal of habeas corpus, any of these deemed to be terrorists could be held, interrogated and tortured without any further cause and without communication with the outside world [link]. Because of the Obama administration's win in the supreme court, any of these who were held but proven innocent cannot even take legal recourse against their torturers [link].

It should be noted that this leak came via Pennsylvania, a state notoriously sloppy for hiding its view on citizens' rights and for its embracing of the Big Brother philosophy. If you haven't seen this commercial, it's definitely worth the quick watch:

The private company hired by Homeland Security is called the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response. Their site states: "the pre-eminent Israeli/American security firm providing training, intelligence and education to clients across the globe." This comes as a jolt, since 2010 has revealed huge amounts of information regarding Israel's manipulation of the U.S. [link] [link], as well as its ongoing spying campaigns on U.S. soil [link]. The fact that almost all stories on the Pennsylvania leak have not mentioned any Israeli connection at all is disturbing as well.

The ACLU is trying to get full disclosure on the scope of the spying and what names were on the list, but have not made any progress so far. The only thing that has been offered was an apology on behalf of Penn Governor Rendell and to cancel the contract with the private firm. No actions have been taken to remove Powers from office and no legal actions have been taken for rights violations.

We only know of this because of a single mistake and a leak that took advantage of that mistake. All the other attacks on human rights and against those defending these rights remain "off-the-record"... despite the evidence mounted against them.

The Classification of Activists as "Domestic Extremists": The U.S. Department of Justice published a book called "Investigating Terrorism and Criminal Extremism Terms and Concepts" that has come to public attention. Alongside Al-Queda and militant extremist groups, it also lists peaceful movements (including people collecting silver). Here are a few examples:

[Pg.8] American Liberty Currency (ALC ): An alternative currency promoted by NORFED. Ostensibly, each $10 in ALC currency is essentially a certificate of ownership of 1 ounce of silver held in a NORFED vault.

[Pg.22] Constitution Party: A minor, right-wing extremist political party, formerly known as the U.S. Taxpayers Party (USTP), which is one of the primary parties that specifically try to appeal to the "patriot" movement.

[Pg.23] Constitutionalists: A generic term for members of the "patriot" movement. It is now often used to refer to members of the sovereign citizen or common law court movement. Sometimes the word "constitutionist" is also used.

The Monsanto Coup: Because of movies like "Food, Inc.", the name Monsanto is entering the public knowledge... and it's not pretty. They have a legacy of toxic dumping that has lasted decades [link]. They've been caught bribing government officials in order to hide he environmental impact of their operations [link] and they've built a history on the foundation of false advertising [link]. They run factories using child labor, with the children exposed daily to open pesticides and other toxins [DOC file]. In America, farmers refer to Monsanto using the terms "mafia" and "gestapo" interchangeably... and with good reason [link]. They donate to political candidates from both sides of the spectrum, and in almost equal amounts of funding.

Then, in July of '09, Obama appointed Michael Taylor (a former Monsanto lobbyist) to Senior Adviser to the FDA. This, btw, is just the most recent political position to be filled by former Monsanto employees... but it is the most pertinent when it comes to policy that was passed this year. Senate Bill HR 2751 (FDA Food Safety Modernization Act) extends the power of the FDA to regulate and monitor food production throughout the nation, despite the track record they have of attacking organic and raw markets, of corrupt and criminal employees and their blatant siding with factory farming. Even before this bill, raw and organic markets have been coming under attack for years from state and federal law enforcement, as well as regulations from the FDA itself. This video is only a collection of some recent attacks along these lines:

The BP Oil Spill: What started out as an environmental disaster quickly became political. While the government insulted and attacked British Petroleum on television, they worked behind the scenes to cut off the press from reporting on the actual damages, hid important information from the public and are, even to this day, trying to get companies and contractors to sign off on sheets to get them to promise not to talk. The arrests served and threats made were only a small insight into how far the government would go, alongside B.P., to attack the freedom of the press and the rights of millions of gulf residents. As the year rolled on, the government's attacks on free speech and on transparency were made even more evident when battling WikiLeaks. Here is some of the coverage on the oil spill and the cover-up.

TSA: If it wasn't a health risk and completely invasive, this "joke of the year" would be great for laughs. But it has terrible side-effects. It also does not work. There are no scanners on flights coming into America, where the greatest risk is, nor do ground-crews have to go thru scanners (or anyone who can fake a ground-crew's set of IDs and uniforms). Also, a lot of luggage does not go thru scanning and is another vulnerability. In war zones, American forces have been using trained dogs much like the Russians do. They're never wrong, and can sniff out a bomb anywhere in an airport despite incredible attempts to trick them. But, instead, we get the joke of the year with the TSA's "nudie scanners" and an illusion of safety with more loopholes in it than the tax laws.

Korea: No comment.

Sanctions Against Iran: Anything I would write at this point would only be repeating what has already been said by Ron Paul. Here he is:

Cablegate: Cablegate was such an important event that I have written an entirely separate entry on it. It's right here on Mall of Me.

In summary, there is no longer a left-wing party... no longer a right-wing party. The differences at this point are so small that they borders on the comical. Now, there is only the Lie of the State... and the Truth that netizens from around the world are fighting for alongside WikiLeaks. I believe this wouldn't be complete without a reminder from Douglas Adams on just how funny this joke really is...

...from "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"

Preface: A spaceship has just landed, rather rudely, on the soil of England. The craft opens, and an extraterrestrial robot steps out to meet the surprised citizens of earth.

"I come in peace," it said, adding after a long moment of further grinding, "take me to your Lizard."

Ford Prefect, of course, had an explanation for this, as he sat with Arthur and watched the nonstop frenetic news reports on television, none of which had anything to say other than to record that the thing had done this amount of damage which was valued at that amount of billions of pounds and had killed this totally other number of people, and then say it again, because the robot was doing nothing more than standing there, swaying very slightly, and emitting short incomprehensible error messages.

"It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."

"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"

"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like that straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."

"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."

"I did," said Ford. "It is."

"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"

"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."

"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"

"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."

"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"

"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?"

"What?"

"I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?"

"I'll look. Tell me about the lizards."

Ford shrugged again.

"Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happened to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it."

David Lynch - I Know

2010-12-21T22:05:00.027-06:00

"I Know" by David Lynch

Directed by Wyatt Denny

:[Vote for this Video]: - :[Purchase this Song]:

Embed Code: (Click to Highlight)

...a gun with a note tied onto it, reading "Kiss Me"

#cablegate

2010-12-02T14:05:00.018-06:00

Besides going over revelations, I wanted to share some of the top #cablegate tweets since this last Sunday. This first one got changed and retweeted so many times that the source couldn't be tracked down:

"The U.S. government just got put thru one of their own airport nudie-scanners."

@carlmaxim - Sarah Palin says 'Julian Assange should be hunted down like Osama bin Laden.' So he should be safe for at least a decade.

@darthvader - A feisty princess, 2 scrappy droids & slews of Bothans have nothing on Wikileaks.

@vamseekamana - The big leaker is watching the big brother. Thats why we should celebrate every whistle blowing event. Orwell says 'Hi'

@peter_lemenkov - "In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." ~George Orwell

@Bryan6666 - Do you know how you can tell that @wikileaks is a good thing for the world? By looking at who wants Julian Assange dead.

@SynLeejm - The world is not interested in kill-the-messenger tactics. The world wants to know why revealed corruption goes ignored.

After trending all day Sunday on Twitter and causing an international uproar, was the leak of so many internal cables worth it? Definitely. We have first hand documents from Condoleezza Rice on her involvement with abducting citizens and covering up Guantanamo Bay abuses. We also have proof that prisoners who had been proved innocent were held in the prison because they "knew too much". These are the same prisoners that the Obama administration has cut off from any legal means for redemption. We also know that Hillary Clinton has only continued in these footsteps and that they've bargained with prisoners with the current administration the way that the last administration had. Details on just how much spying goes on using the U.S. embassies, while scandalous, also redeems those who have been called "quacks" for suggesting that this was going on. Even more revelations were covered in The Week.

Ever since releasing the leak, WikiLeaks has been under fire from political, digital and legal actions. The site has been hit with multiple DDOS attack, shutting it down for hours at a time. China, among other countries, censored WikiLeaks just hours after the cables were released. The company Amazon turned off the servers they were mirroring in the U.S. (note that Amazon was hit by a backlash of displeased customers). Interpol released an international arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, while the U.S. has announced they plan bring WikiLeaks to court under the Espionage Act. The truth has always been hunted in this manner... but the digital age has changed things. When the WikiLeaks site went down, people started hosting torrents with archives of the cables. While the U.S. was announcing stories that contradicted themselves (it was embarrassing, actually), WikiLeaks stood their ground: "People need to know this."

While talking about WikiLeaks, one person said: "I think that guy should be boiled in oil." That is precisely the sentimentality that WikiLeaks is fighting against... precisely the world they are fighting against. That dark age mentality of the old world is still here. WikiLeaks is the promise of a new world ruled by information, honesty and openness. And what happens next? Assange, in this interview with Forbes, gives us a glimpse of the next leak.

Links for Cablegate:
* WikiLeaks dot CH - Main Site
* The Guardian's Cablebrowser
* The #cablegate conversation on Twitter
* The Guardian's Review of the Cables
* TIME Interview: Assange on Secrecy, China and WikiLeaks' Growth
* The Guardian - Wikileaks under attack
* So, Why Is WikiLeaks a Good Thing Again?

2010-12-02 Update: Senators are calling for WikiLeaks to be classified as "Foreign Terrorist Organization" and the government is putting pressure on Twitter to close the WikiLeaks account. Senators, as well as journalists, are talking about marking any person or company who donates funds or allows WikiLeaks access as "aiding and abetting terrorists". The truth is now a terrorist. "Terrorist" now equals "anyone who doesn't support us".

2010-12-03 Update #1: The digital attacks on WikiLeaks have continued under political pressure. WikiLeaks.org is now a dead domain. They've switched to the Swiss DNS http://wikileaks.ch/. If that goes down, here is a list of raw IP addresses that will get you there: http://213.251.145.96/, http://46.59.1.2/, http://88.80.13.160/. Also, the site http://wikileaks.info/ is listing mirror IPs in the event they are needed. Lastly, my respect for the Justice of Pakistan has skyrocketed. Despite political pressure for him to ban WikiLeaks throughout their entire nation, he (Sheikh Azmat Saeed) stated: "We must bear the truth, no matter how harmful it is."

2010-12-03 Update #2: Today, I witnessed an ex-marine step out in defense of WikiLeaks. I watched as he was attacked verbally on every level for his actions... then watched as a second marine stepped forward and silently joined him. Something shifted. Silence. I will remember this day. Today I saw a journalist from Salon and a journalist from The Atlantic actually agree with each other in defense of WikiLeaks. They not only agreed, but linked to each other's articles... despite the opposition between their organizations. These are no small journalists. This is Glenn Greenwald with Salon and Jeffrey Goldberg with The Atlantic. I never thought I'd live to see this day. But the day isn't over. Today, I saw a person who avidly hated and attacked WikiLeaks make a U-turn and begin supporting them with everything they've got. Something is happening. Germany has already fired execs who spied for America, and this morning brings news of Tamil supporters calling for the imprisonment of an Indian general who supported the massacre of 40,000 civilians. I've never seen so many changes made in such a short amount of time... and haven't felt such a high level of hope in years. I highly suggest this article by Glenn Greenwald.

2012-12-04 Update #1: The Tech Herald has an incredible article covering all the attacks (digital and political) on WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks faces more heat in the wake of cablegate. It also brought up Lieberman's SHIELD Act, that would cut off all news sources from ever telling us about Guantanamo Bay or any other sensitive items the government labels "state secret". This follows in Obama's footsteps of denying torture victims, even innocent ones, any right to try those who tortured them... as any case now labeled "state secret" cannot be brought to court under Obama's Supreme Court Ruling.

2012-12-04 Update #2: Anonymous (aka, 4CHAN), has temporarily pulled out of their war against the RIAA and turned their legions on PayPal. This follows in the wake of PayPal freezing the WikiLeaks donation account. The PayPal Blog was hit with the first DDoS attack by 4CHAN and, as of these writings, has not returned for public access. With the largest group of digital freedom fighters now siding with WikiLeak, it is without a doubt that first real infowar has now been fully engaged.

anonymous is legion
we do not forgive
we do not forget

The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.
~Thomas Jefferson (to Edward Carrington, 1787)

Happy.

2010-11-22T15:06:00.020-06:00

"Happy.", Copyright Laura Whatever

Awarded a Daily Deviation on deviantART for November 18th
[re-posted here on Mall of Me /w permission]

An Interesting Life

2010-11-08T15:36:00.027-06:00

I would like to add to this an excerpt from Neil Stephenson's
"The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" [Amazon]

I don't wish you health nor happiness
I don't wish you peace nor freedom
But upon all who live I do wish an "interesting life"

Vintage Star Wars Posters

2010-11-06T16:13:00.009-05:00

Vintage Star Wars Travel Posters
by Steve Thomas

[$] Cruise the Galaxy

[$] Rogue Squadron Air Show

[$] Kessel Run Tours

[$] Coruscant Imperial Shuttles

[$] Mos Eisley Desert Classic

[$] Rebel Transport Inc.

[$] Scavenge Across Tatooine

[$] Visit You Should

www.stevethomasart.com

R/D Music

2010-11-01T16:44:00.003-05:00

R/D at Club Nexus [foto by Curious Josh Photography]

R/D on/ine - :[Main Site]: - :[SoundCloud]: - :[Facebook]: - :[Twitter]:

R/D, one of the up and coming dubstep and tech-hop artists of our time, took on Burning Man in 2010 and quite literally tore the desert apart. His progressions are amazingly patient, building up energy into explosive beats... all overlaid with haunting melodies. It was a unique experience that the desert's not soon to forget.

Fever Ray - I'm Not Done: R/D's remix of "I'm Not Done" is how most people have come to know him, so it's only right that you do the same:

...click to download

Love Up's: R/D released the double-track digital download "Love Up's" in May 2010 just after his Fever Ray remix. It really gave a peak into the progressive dubstep style he was building on. Here are both tracks:

...free download from here on BandCamp

The Face of God EP: "Face of God" gave R/D his first hit beyond the world of remixing. Nadine Risha's vocals intertwined with the deep bass to make the title track a "must hear" for anyone who loves electronic music.

...download "Stadium Chimera" for free from here on BandCamp
...buy the EP for $2.97 from here on BandCamp

Return to Remixing: R/D's return to remixing in Fall of 2k10 came with two explosive mixes. Many at Burning Man heard early versions of these in the desert. One is a remix of "Starve the Ego, Feed the Soul" by The Glitch Mob. It will be appearing on the "Drink the Sea" remix album, as R/D is friends with the Mob and was once roommates with edIT and Ooah. The other remix was of "Third Eye High" by Oscura & Eastern Sun. I've already bought the latter and am itching to get his Glitch Mob remix. I actually prefer his remix to the original. Any long-term readers may remember that "Starve the Ego, Feed the Soul" was one of only two songs from "Drink the Sea" that I said to pass on [ref]. Well... R/D's remix turns it entirely around for me. We wants it!

...$0.99 from here on Amazon

...release pending, stay tuned...

Cna yuo raed tihs?

2010-10-21T16:47:00.020-05:00

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too.

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Note: After years of this meme floating around, a researcher at Cambridge named Matt Davis took a look at the meme itself. He posted his findings online here. Graham Rawlinson at Nottingham University wrote about this effect in 1976. His PhD Thesis is the likely source of the meme in the first place.

Faces and Hands

2010-10-20T17:45:00.021-05:00

"Faces and Hands" is a series by Millefiore Clarkes that gives a glimpse into the world of treeplanting. When Peppermill Records posted the first video for the series, my initial thought was: "Treeplanting? That's Earth Day to a whole new level." But what I found when watching the videos was the same community, hard work and partying that I'd found with the flower children while hitching across different buses... and at Burning Man when working on crew. Needless to say, it's tempting to jump in on this community who help re-forest the planet.

my favorite, a reflection on the series
/w music by Racoon Bandit

Inside LSD

2010-10-16T16:12:00.019-05:00

Five parts, just under an hour total.
Schedule I: "No medical value"

My favorite quote from the series comes at the end:
The only difference between a drug and a poison is the dose.

[I'll maintain this post as long as the videos are live]

You're a Winner!

2010-10-10T14:31:00.004-05:00

Seriously, if you've ever voted for any of the three projects I've posted so far, then you're a winner. Two of the three projects WON! Sharif Issa and Jessa Peters both won, although the Youth Hostel just couldn't take first. If you don't remember, or missed it, or just want to re-live the celebration, here are the two winners!

Sharif won $2,400 worth of gear from Cloudveil after peeps like you and me voted, shared and otherwise spread the word that the crazy guy living in a tepee had the best skid crib.

Jessa Peters didn't just win the People's Choice Award that you and I voted on, but also won the Peer Choice Award for Best Model. That's right, even other models and photographers were voting her up. The only peeps that weren't down with the Jessa were the critics at Austin Fashion Week. That's not really a surprise, is it?

Do you have a project you need votes for? Is it quirky or a bit "off"... or does it have a good story? Either contact me or leave a link in the comments. I should note that I'm an ass and I may make suggestions before promoting anything, especially if I really like a project.. . because I want it to succeed and I have a little experience in this area. Without quirky, the world just wouldn't be a shiny place.

Sintel

2010-10-08T14:01:00.003-05:00

AddictedImage

2010-10-05T23:48:00.002-05:00

AddictedImage

:[model - Mischa]: - :[links - deviantART | Flickr]:

Click any image to open viewer. Images in this entry are by AddictedImage and licensed thru a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. These writings and images are copyright AddictedImage.

If you hate your job, quit.
If you are in a relationship with an asshole, leave.
If you hate where you live, move.
If you are unhappy, change.
It is as simple as that.
~AddictedImage, Journal Entry [excerpt]

:[model - Alley Kat Alex]: - :[links - deviantART | Flickr]:

:[model - Mischa]: - :[links - deviantART | Flickr]:

I'm not a flag waver.
I'm not a conservative.
I'm not a sheep.
I am disgusted at this country.
I am a patriot in the true sense of the word.

The elite have polluted this country.
The masses have fed on it.
The individuals must take it back.

~AddictedImage, "Fight"

:[model - Mischa]: - :[links - deviantART | Flickr]:

From "Who are we?" by AddictedImage:

Addictedimage is Conan Soranno and Mischa Romo.

Mr. Soranno is a mad Italian who chain smokes and spends his days plotting ways to corrupt the pure, dominate the world, and perfect his recipe for chicken alfredo. Every once in a while he gets off his ass and presses a button on his camera (if he's not to busy arguing with people online as to why everything they believe in is wrong.)

Miss Romo is an absolute sweetheart who drinks too much, fights too much, and is a general pain in the ass. If it wasn't for the fact that she was a kick ass artist (classical and digital) and a damn good fashion designer as well as a smoking hot model... she'd have been out on the curb a long time ago.

AddictedImage Online:
:[AddictedImage dot Com]: - :[Zivity]: - :[Flickr]: - :[LiveJournal]:
:[AddictedImage on deviantART]: - :[Mischa Romo on deviantART]:
:[AddictedImage on ModelMayhem]: - :[Mischa Romo on ModelMayhem]:

X = True

2010-10-05T11:22:00.001-05:00

[click to enlarge]

from WE THE ROBOTS
a guest strip by Ryan Estrada

A History of the American War on Drugs

2010-09-22T06:08:00.000-05:00

From Obama's latest funding on the war, to Baby Bush's massive surge, to the incredible funding Clinton gave to the war, to the zero-tolerance stance set down by Reagan and even further back; this article is a wealth of information on America's longest standing civil war. Thanks goes out to Gaea for passing on this article in the first place.

Vanity Fair - Sketches of the Drug Czars

The article states it perfectly: "What presumably originated as an effort to protect people from substance abuse and addiction has become a permanent, expensive, prison-hungry police and military operation."