Pointing and Giggling

Everything is a Remix

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 17:12:00 +0000

Kirby Ferguson is awesome. If you share any of my interests (art, media, software, music, patent/copyright law, the Web), you need to see his stuff. (I'm fascinated by Remix Culture. If you like art/music/movies/tv, you should be paying attention to it, too.)

Here's the very shortest version of his thesis I've seen...his TED talk. It's fine, but nowhere near as good as watching all four parts of Everything is a Remix (see below). I suggest skipping this video and moving straight on to those....and maybe coming back to this later.

Dad- Note the stuff about multi-touch starting at about 5m30s:

Everything is a Remix in four parts:

Everything is a Remix, Part 1: (Transcript)

Everything is a Remix, Part 2: (Transcript)

Everything is a Remix, Part 3: (Transcript)

Everything is a Remix (Part 3.5....sorta'): The Matrix

Everything is a Remix, Part 4: (Transcript)

It's Later (Music, Cont.)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:53:00 +0000

If you haven't yet, watch this series:

Everything is a Remix Part 1 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Regarding Remix culture, this also has been in my head (again) lately. It's a startlingly excellent bit of music history. If I had a production company, I'd hire this guy as an instructional designer. Hell, I'd pay for the charisma transplant he needs (or an actor to read his text WELL).

The Amen Break:

Moving on to other nerdery- I had just discovered the Wood Brothers when Ariel visited Syracuse.

I still listen to them all the time.

Despite repeated listenings, the last They Might Be Giants album actually did nothing for me. First time that's happened. Still, their kid stuff is brilliant and the previous album was pretty good.

Yes, I'm a nerd. So is Tim Minchin.

More later.

Music I've Been Listening To Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:52:00 +0000

I HATE the band Fun.

But I love this cover. Julia's vocals on the first bridge are really nice.

The band is Walk Off the Earth, best known for their cover of "Somebody I Used to Know" played by five people on one guitar. That's fun to watch once or twice.

I don't care for Maroon5 at all, but I really enjoy this cover (NSFW:)

Remember that Ani DiFranco lyric:

people used to make recordsas in a record of an eventthe event of peopleplaying music in a roomnow everything is cross-marketingit's about sunglasses and shoesor guns or drugsyou choose

Well....isn't that what the items above are? This, too:

Here are the Overtones covering Cee Lo's "Fuck You."

Love it.

I also enjoy that YouTube is filled with musicians who have a great time recording/posting their OWN arrangement/performance of a piece. Sometimes remix culture produces stuff like this:

I enjoy the way Pomplamoose records their stuff. Anything you hear, you get to see how that sound was made.

I love unlikely mashups...like House of Pain mixed with Klezmer:

I think Todrick's flashmob-style public performances show tremendous talent and are a lot of fun:

That last one guest stars Pentatonix...who do some of the best a capella arrangements I've heard in a long time.

That's an amazing arrangement....and the performance is nearly flawless.

First heard East of Underground on NPR in a story about ARMY-produced music.

I like most of Baba Brinkman's stuff a lot:

And as long as we're talking nerdcore, here's Spose doing "I'm Awesome"

I love KO and Antoinette has quite a voice. This track would be great if the lyrics weren't such crap:

More KO:

KO look familar? That's because he beatboxes for Pentatonix.

More later.

Word of the day: Consanguinuity

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:46:00 +0000

I ran into the term here.

The following is dedicated with affection to Jamie.

	Lonzo & Oscar - I'm My Own Grandpa .mp3

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

mp3 here

Census: No Human Subspecies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:27:00 +0000

Say No To Socialism!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Please click for full-size image.

Attention Jews: Centuries of Inbreeding = BAD (MAPLE SYRUP URINE DISEASE?!)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:51:00 +0000

Note the genetic abnormalities common enough among Ashkenazim that they need to be tested for.

Maps: Gay Marriage vs. First Cousin Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:11:00 +0000

Fascinating.

Why Chanukah Sucks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:06:00 +0000

From an email to a friend who asked if I had a god Channukah:

I totally ignored Chanukah. Even if I was not an atheist with hostile attitudes towards religion, Chanukah is an awful holiday.

It is celebrated as a holiday of religious freedom, but what it really commemorates is the victory in a civil war of fundamentalists (Maccabees) over Jews who were merging their beliefs with Greek rationality, science, and custom.

To this day, the word orthodox Jews use for "heretic" or "apostate" is "apikoros", from the Greek "Epicurian."

Epicurus RULES. He's essential in the history of science, rationality, and humanism.

I'm in favor of leaving superstition behind in favor of rationality and humanism.

So no Chanukah for me.

Down with fundamentalism, up with reason. Hurray for Epicurus and apostates!

Did You Know?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:19:00 +0000

God Told Me To Tell You...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:06:00 +0000

Readers of Pointing and Giggling may find God Told Me To Tell You entertaining.

Typical American Political Debate

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:24:00 +0000

You probably saw this video of Barney Frank smacking down an idiot who compared Obama to Hitler.

Funny, yes- but sort of a typical American political debate.

Jon Stewart Runs Circles Around Betsy McCaughey

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:28:00 +0000

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Betsy McCaughey Pt. 1

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 1

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Exclusive - Betsy McCaughey Extended Interview Pt. 2

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

That's How I Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Organic Food is B.S.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:16:00 +0000

I Ain't Afraid -The Klezmatics

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:45:00 +0000

I love this song. What to call it? Humanist gospel?

Where would this song be sung except in a Unitarian church?

Jon Stewart on Holocaust Museum Shooting and the Media

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:47:00 +0000

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Blame

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Jason Jones in Iran

Sex with Ducks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:53:00 +0000

Garfunkel and Oates crack me up.

Thanks, Chadwick!

Atheist's Lullaby

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:44:00 +0000

For my brother Andrew and for my son.

Hat tip to Mark S. :)

Ellen DeGeneres' Commencement Speech at Tulane University, 5/16/2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 May 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Love it. Thanks for the heads-up, Jambina. :)

Hardest-Hitting Journalist in the Media

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Watchmen (Saturday Morning Cartoon)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:05:00 +0000

Cracked me up. :)

Schulz City: Frank Miller's Charlie Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:59:00 +0000

Love this. Thanks for the heads-up, Josh. :)

Scott McCloud's TED Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:07:00 +0000

I May Be a Centrist Social Libertarian

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:35:00 +0000

My Political Views
I am a centrist social libertarian
Left: 0.96, Libertarian: 4.87

Political Spectrum Quiz

I wonder if I'd score the same on a different day.