ZOMBIE ROBOT FROSTING

My Two Favorite Play to Earn Games of 2022

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 08:58:00 +0000

Rising Star

Start as a lowly busker and work your way up to a global mega star! Earn STARBITS by completing missions and trade or use them to purchase cards to progress. Build a band, listen to music, and great funny sound effects. It is a fun grind, and the journey is quite humorous. This game runs on the HIVE engine, so you will need an account there.

Sign up using my referral and I will send you a card to help get started: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=williamhessian

Splinterlands

Collectible Card Game on BlockChain Technology

If you love physical collectible card games like Magic the Gathering, YuGiOh, Pokemon or online games like Hearthstone, Urban Rivals, and AFK Arena: (I have played a lot of them) I think you should try Splinterlands. I even invented and pubished my own card game in 2015 called PBL Robots. Splinterlands is extremely collectible, fun to play, and thanks to the blockchain the assets truly feel fluid across different internet market places. I purchased cards on the atomic market place before ever joining the game just because they were inexpensive and interesting and those purchases eventually led me to buy the spellbook (costs $10) and try the game. Almost 8 months later, I enjoy the game today more than ever and so many more game modes are on their way this year. I currently make between $2-5/day based on my staked assets and collection power (with a few hundred dollars investment) and my collection is currently valued at 3k usd.

If you use my referral code to join I will send you a free NFT to help your bronze grind and I will invite you to my Guild, which gives you a community and extra perks and bonuses. https://splinterlands.com?ref=williamhessian

Crypto Kitties and the Fate of the World as we know it

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 08:20:00 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just adopted my first CryptoKitties with Etherium, at www.cryptokitties.co Check out my cute little kitten friends above!

The last four weeks has been a cannonball into the world of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. I invested only as an excuse to learn what it was all about and found myself passionately believing in blockchain technology and the problems it could hypothetically solve. And a few weeks later I have found myself making transactions to buy digital beanie babies online.....What the heck happened?

I do not plan to go into the politics or beliefs of cryptocurrencies, because I have not fleshed out my understanding to a point where I feel comfortable blogging about it and because some of what I feel is speculative. Needless to say I suggest everyone go learn about it and see if it something that appeals to you as well. I love the idea of monetary systems backed by the people and not the untrustworthy banks, and I also love the idea of protecting data, anonymity, and freedom online.

As far as kitties go, in a way, Cryptokitties is a cute little test to see if this new technology works, and how exactly it will hash out. I had to get in and try it out. In some ways right now it feels a little like Pokemon GO to me, as people are getting into to something new and clambering for details on how it is all going to work. I suspect a big boom, which is already happening, and then a cool down which will breed new and amazing things to come down the road. Essentially I stumbled through buying currencies and figuring out metamask and coinbase and binance (heads up: referral link!) all finally culminating in a few kitties and watching my other investments fluctuate like wild bull in candy store (.....ugh I dont know what that even means except volatile).

Anyways, it has been fun to ride this wave of new technology, ideas and ideologies rolling out. Go check out my kitties and give them some hearts if you have time!

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 03:38:00 +0000

PBL ROBOTS card and dice game has just published the full gallery for all of the cards in the base set (the game will is released Summer 2015). You can find a gallery of Crew Members, Action cards, Armor Upgrades, Expert Pilots and Hangars. Some of the popular cards will be getting bios where you can learn about the characters and the back story. You can order PBL ROBOTS on the website.

Another excellent feature on the website is the extensive Frequently Asked Questions section which covers the questions that many first time players have when playing the game, and other interesting interactions that certain cards have with each other. If you enjoy card drafting games, PBL ROBOTS is perfect for you and the game comes with everything you need for 2-3 players to play over and over. The website is completely prepared to assist new players getting into the game, and will be adding new questions weekly as players submit them.

PBL ROBOTS card and dice game is a head to head, card and dice drafting game where you blow up robots! You control a 100 foot robot, you select a pilot, slide him/her into your robot and build up your robot's armor by stacking cards on top of it. As the game progresses your robot either gets bigger and stronger, or gets blow up limb by limb. Check out: www.robotcardgame.com

To start the game each player takes turn drafting piles of cards to build their deck. Each player gets to craft their strategy and tries to assemble combos and a well rounded deck.

The game play itself is a mixture of Magic the Gathering and Risk, as you play resources down onto the field (crew, armor, pilots, hangars) and you roll dice for the combat. Each card in your hand can be discarded to buy extra dice during combat. At the end of the game, each starter pilot goes into critical mode and you get a special boost or power up.

If you enjoy table top games, and you enjoy complex competitive head to head battling games, this is a great one to pick up. In addition, if you enjoy games like Magic the Gathering, YuGiOh, Pokemon the trading card game, Netrunner, Mucnhkin, Risk, Hearthstone, or deck building games like Star Realms or Dominion you should give PBL ROBOTS a try!

Learn more: www.robotcardgame.com

One day left to back PBL ROBOTS card and dice game

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 11:41:00 +0000

PBL ROBOTS the card and dice game is down to its last 24 hours on Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robotcardgame/pbl-robots-dice-and-card-game

William Hessian and John "Sighless" Supinski have spent the last two months playing demo nights in every game store in greater Portland area, calling game stores across the country, e-mailing friends and family and posting everything on social media. Their goal was to raise $22,000 to print their brand new card and dice game PBL ROBOTS! This last week they had to turn up the volume on their effort and make a trip with 3 friends to New York City on a mission to play PBL ROBOTS with as many people as possible, in as many places as possible. The mission was a success as the trip generated over 6 thousand dollars in new donations on Kickstarter.

William and John started Hidden Ladder Games in Portland, Maine a year ago after deciding to develop the game and turn it into a real thing. William and John both belong to the Hidden Ladder Collective, a group of artists and musicians in Portland. This artist collective helped develop the game from the ground up, inventing characters, play testing and editing. Other local companies like Walker Film Productions helped create the game play video for the company. R Choice 2 Gaming in Portland, and Weekend Anime in Westbrook has hosted weekly demo events during the last two months and have been extremely supportive.

"The card game itself is a blend of Magic the Gathering, Risk and Settlers of Catan: only with giant Robots!" says William when explaining PBL ROBOTS. Each player own a giant robot and builds cards on top of the robot to upgrade armor and increase the power. Other cards like crew members, hangars and action cards help develop a strategy. The game typically begins with a draft, where each player selects which card will be in their deck and not long after battles begin and the dice start rolling. Blow off all 4 limbs of the opponent robot and you win the game. The game itself is traditionally a 2 player head to head game, but has over 12 different variations, some for younger players and faster games and others for multi-player, tournament modes and puzzle modes. "The game can be played so many diverse ways that it appeals to wide range of people and a wide range of play styles."

Each game has 113 cards and comes with a variety of dice, a rule book and two control panel cheat sheet are also in the game box. This gives you everything you need to learn and play the game. With only 48 Hours left on the Kickstarter the pair of game developers are gearing up to place a giant order of 5 thousand games and will start to ship and sell them as soon as they arrive! You can find their Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robotcardgame/pbl-robots-dice-and-card-game

ROBOT CARD GAME

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Tue, 20 May 2014 08:16:00 +0000

PBL ROBOTS is the ROBOT CARD GAME you need to try. Pilots climb into your robot and your upgrade your armor to build a giant powerful robot and start blasting your opponent. The goal is to blow off all of your opponents limbs and get a termination. You can have hangars, crew members, action cards and expert pilots to gain the advantage! Search for neat combos and find new ways to win!

Pro Bionics League ROBOTS: the best robot card/dice game

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 08:47:00 +0000

The robot card game that lets you build the ultimate robot and destroy your opponent. Pro Bionics League Robots is the culmination of all competition. In the future technology has surpassed athletics and sports are a test of the mind. This dice/card game forces starts you and your opponent(s) with a base robot that you upgrade with new armor during the battle, you hire crew, build hangers, you contact new pilots and play action cards and then make attacks to blow off limbs of the challenging robots.

http://www.pblrobots.com

https://twitter.com/pbl_robots

https://www.facebook.com/pages/PBL-Robots/1424908744390609

The beginning of the game involves a simple draft circuit where you begin to pool your resources and then begin to make moves and actions to put yourself in the best position to make attacks and defenses by rolling dice. Above you can see a buff hanger which gives your robot an attack boost during the game and allows two crew members to enter the game.

Action cards have various instant effects that can change the outcome of the game. The art seen above is for the card, "COMMABACK" which allows you to draw three cards after one of your Robot's limb is blown off.

Maxine Trinidad, Trace Law, Shero, and Pelpe Derdae make up some of the games most popular characters. In the background you can see one version of a robot you can build during a typical game of PBL ROBOTS.

Each body part has upgrades of different levels and powers. The AracnaClaws are a level 3 head armor designed by crew member Tormax, fusing spider DNA with robot parts. His designs are a controversial addition to the league, but such popular and powerful designs have slowly made acceptance into the league over the years. Tormax may be one of the most bizarre characters on the PBL ROBOTS roster, but it is no doubt his ideas may be the future of the sport.

Artwork of a PBL ROBOT in the middle of the game with many level one and level two upgrades making an attack. The Yahtzee Bazooka is the current shoulder weapon, which provides an additional attack after each combat. You can also see the pilot pit in the center of the robot. The real question is, what will this attack be? What did they roll?

The game itself was invented by William Hessian in 2001 and spent 10 years being developed and play-tested until William play-tested the game in 2013 with another Hidden Ladder Collective artist John Supinski. Directly after the game John made a comical bet that he gain control of the game with a role of a 7. A seven was rolled. The fate of die roll was meant to be, and William Hessian began a partnership with John Supinski in a deal that resurrected PBL ROBOTS into full gear. The die roll was like an epico beam that has blasted the game towards completion. William and John have also played each other 100 times and keep a running tally of their current score against each other.

The final artwork for this introduction to PBL ROBOTS: the ultimate robot card game is crew member Soda Fats! He gives you a larger card size and the ability to boost your attack and he constantly yells, "HOT DOGS FOR LIFE!"

Follow PBL ROBOTS as we work towards a North America release and kickstarter campaign:

http://www.pblrobots.com

https://twitter.com/pbl_robots

https://www.facebook.com/pages/PBL-Robots/1424908744390609

The State of the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 10:51:00 +0000

In six years the blog, Zombie Robot Frosting, has gone from being a catch all for all my interests, and birthed 4 other blogs including a bearded bunny art blog, a blog about inventing games, and a blog about blogs. There was a time I was writing on average 3 blogs per day for this site. I wrote blogs about immortality, essays about science, updates on technology I enjoyed, reviews about health and wellness, and the list goes on. In the last year, I have only written twice on this blog.

I understand that this blog was a catalyst for so many of my projects, including my daily web comic project, my art tour across and country and my eventually land square in the middle of the Occupy movement. My blog helped me become an activist, it helped me continue learning long after school, and it helped me organize my budding art career. Zombie Robot Frosting is now neglected like stale cake in the fridge; unable to be discarded because of what it meant in the past.

My life has taken all sorts of turns, including break ups, moving all across the country and getting involved with new and bizarre projects. I will always have this blog as my sounding board for venting about everything under the sun, especially if I have no other vehicles to carry it. It will still be a place I sent people who want to know more about why I am anti-cell phone (although I do own one now), or why I hate GMOs and Chem Trails. My essay on what Occupy meant to me helped shape this attitude of Sheep No More:

It led to a series of drawings that were important for me as an artist. I feel empowered to speak my mind, because I spent the time analyzing my thoughts and researching my fears. I still want to live forever, although I do not think it is very probable (I will hold on hope - you can't take the sky from me). I still pay attention to technology news and pay very close attention to my health, but now I prefer to do it with the company of my community rather than my computer. It is just too easy to write, and too easy to change, and then too easy to regret what was written. Or simply find yourself stuck writing blogs and never living life. But, I know there is a balance for everyone, I just found myself crossing my own lines and sacrificing far too much.

At one point I thought I could make money blogging, maybe even make a lot of money blogging. But I was sniffing the cheap manufactured perfume of the lies of the internet. Blogging became a painful process much of the time and again, this was my own undoing. I think blogging was the backwards gateway to my community, and everything I really wanted in life. I still love writing, and I am still pretty terrible at it. I could benefit from writing 3 blogs a day for eternity and still have endless things to learn about communication, structure and engaging the reader. I never got good at it, but I did learn a lot and did find many other benefits from the practice. Introspection. A new found love of research.

In the end, here I am writing my now clockwork one blog every 6 months. Trying to be positive about a practice I let slip into from my attention. Something that needed to slip away from my priorities, but something that is greatly missed. Like reigns waiting to be picked up, and that is where I leave this entry.

Zombie Robot Frosting is the docking station for my future thoughts, currently lying cold and dormant. Packed high with boxed up old memories, articles, posts, links, rants, reviews, still accessible if you dig, but ultimately outdated; old news. I plan to return now and again to put a few more things on the pile, but I know all to well that the next few years will be the age of my utter declutter declaration. The blog posts that never make it online are the purged posts being set free into my moonlit sky. A new day of different adventures.

And if you want to find these adventures, you are always welcome:
http://www.williamhessian.com

Christopher Dorner: Who Watches the Watchmen?

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:03:00 +0000

Here is the Christopher Dorner pictures. Small Christopher Dorner posters can be made from this image. I think it asks a pretty good question: Who Watches the Watchmen?

Hurrican Sandy Photoblog: Relief still needed!

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 03:38:00 +0000

This used to be a beauty shop.

This is a photoblog that will cover our Occupy Sandy group from Portland, Maine as we organize a large mutual aid relief effort to help those still suffering without basic needs (food, water, housing, electricity in New York after the storm hit on October 28th, 2012. The Black Friday Hurricane Relief effort was an attempt four weeks after the disaster to raise awareness, and supplies for those still suffering and remind people in our immediate area, and beyond that we can still help. We sent out press releases leading up to the event and you can read the article in the Portland Press Harald. You can also see Dawn Eve York's photo gallery from this same weekend.

Step one, was to rent a 26 foot uhaul and decorate it.

Here are a few awesome drawings that were added to the truck.

Mike Anthony painted this excellent banner. The banner itself had a very rough and dirty experience on the trip, but it looked really great at the start.

Here is Mike outside of the truck at Marden's. We had a moving drop off site at all kinds of Big Box Stores throughout Black Friday. We were asked to leave from a few stores and asked not to hand out fliers. The goal was to fill the entire truck and then drive it down to New York.

Mutual Aid not Charity. Thank you MAM.

The UHAUL logo was altered with duct tape. At this point we were right outside of Walmart and we were starting to collect all kinds of donations from people who were buying/bringing things off of the NEEDED list that we were handing out.

Another shot of the truck. Food Not Bombs provided free cocoa and donuts for anyone who wanted to stop by.

Occupy Sandy.Close up of the decorations.

Write your message of support

The guy drove home and came back to bring us donations.

When we got to YANA (you are never alone) in Rockaways, we met many organizers of the Occupy Sandy movement including Alan Porter, our friend and fellow Occupier from Portland, Maine. We started using the back room to unload all of the donations for a free store. Anyone could come and ask for supplies, and we would be able to hand them whatever they were looking for.

Across the street was the Occupy kitchen. They had an incredible array of good hot food.

Only a few buildings down was the start of the destruction.

We spent our first few hours of volunteering unloading and organizing. Here you can see Dawn and Mike filling up the back room with the donations. There was another room outside which held all of the cleaning and medical supplies.

After the truck was empty we took all the excess clothes and turned the uhaul into a free clothing closet. Families would walk up the ramp and search for clothes of all types. It was a really successful way to get some of the clothes to the people in the area. It also allowed them the room and space to look through all of the items and get the things they needed.

This is what the truck looked like from across the street.

You can see Mike and Dawn on the ramp. Meanwhile the house behind Yana was being gutted (much like most of the structures in the town) and a team of people where bringing out furniture constantly and filling up the sidewalks. Power had only recently been restored in this area, and so people were finally returning to their homes and getting light into the basements so that they could get items out of the house.

After only a few hours the entire free store was picked clean. The shelves were bare by the end.

Trust. When all of our supplies and donations had gone out to those in the community we went for a walk to look around the area. We also got to see our friend Becky Wartell, an Occupy Wall Street Medic who used to live in Maine.

A view of the destruction of Hurricane Sandy looking through one of those gates that stores pull down after closing. It was very eerie.

I really like the look of the Fecund Clown.

Less than half a block from Yana headquarters the buildings were completely gone. All that was left was this huge pile of debris.

It was odd to see intermingled webs of piping that was at times the tallest part of the landscape.

This building was ripped apart by the ferocious claws of hurricane Sandy. It was pretty devastating.

This is another photo of what used to be a beauty shop.

Looking through a shattered window.

These steps and the door still survived, but nothing else did.

We wandered through a few residential houses to find the beach. You can see the bent poles and the construction vehicle moving debris in the background. The sky was quite impressive.

We met up with Evan McVeigh, who had been helping out at many different sites during his Thanksgiving Break. Here Dawn and Evan were looking at out the sunset. It was very cold at the point, and the wind was piercing.

The moon had arrived.

Another shot of the beach. Other people were visiting the water as the sun was setting.

The Sand Bar was destroyed.

This huge boardwalk was lifted up by the water of the hurricane and shoved into the ocean front properties. The amazing thing was that the boardwalk stayed together. All the wood and railings were mangled and bent, but it was otherwise intact.

I had this incredible sense that the entire scenery reminded me of a hollywood movie. Mostly, because destruction is not commonplace to me, nor was such a beautiful sunset. I took a few photos of Dawn, who is a mother of two boys, and working full time. She inspired me to get more involved in Occupy Sandy, and she was the main organizer for donations in Portland.

She was very cold at this point, and even more sleep deprived.

Everything about this walk along the beach seemed both so sad, depressing and magical at the same time. At times some of the local kids would appear from under the boardwalk, seemingly to pop out of nowhere. They were exploring some of the hidden spots and finding new ways in and out of some of the destructed areas.

Here was an upturned picnic table. It seemed to be a good metaphor for Rockaway Beach. In my head, this upturned picnic table half buried in the sand is an icon of the destruction. One side of the picnic table is stuck, struggling, suffering and the other side is turned the wrong direction to be used functionally. We can either just ignore the table and walk away, or we can try to help fix it. One person would be unable to pull this table out, even two people would have a really hard time, but if we all work together to dig it out we can reset the table. Make it useful again. That is what the community in Rockaway is trying to do. Occupy Sandy is trying to find the best way to begin restarting the lives of so many people and families. It takes a lot of effort and energy, but it can be done.

Sledge was one of the hardest working people i met at Rockaway. She was cooking, allocating food donations, and running all over the place. At the edge of the day she was in this tiny back closet cleaning pots in a sink. There was no working light so she had put a flashlight on a nearby shelf to give herself just enough light to clean. She was really kind to all of us that had come down from Maine and she was really happy we were taking pictures and planning to post them. "The people here really want their story to be told," she told me, "Please put these pictures out there so people can see what is going on down here and that people still need help."

Please learn more about what is needed: http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/

Thanks to all the people that made this happen, especially Dawn Eve York, Michael Anthony, Kara Oster, Alan Porter, Occupy Sandy, Becky Wartell, Rachel Rumson, Debra Cohen, our friends in Occupy Maine, Occupy Hartford, Occupy New Hampshire and so many more people who inspire and helped us on our trip.

Over worked and Over stressed is Killing Us All

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:56:00 +0000

I have been working far too hard to recover from a financial costly and emotionally taxing relationship, which is now almost two years in my past. In the meantime, as I cope with the stress of lost relationship and new surroundings I have spent the last two years working 11 different jobs, occupying Minneapolis, and moving 8 times between three states (Minnesota, Maine and North Dakota). To top it off I am still a practicing visual and performance artist doing miniature art hunts all across the country, teaching art classes and performing live art battles. You can learn all about my artistic projects at my Bearded Bunny Art Blog. To make things even more stressful, the image above is a panel I did for my daily web comic called King of the Pill which has been one of those endeavors that has basically taken up all my free time for this entire year. That WAS the free time that I previously used to use to blog on Zombie Robot Frosting. Every time I plan to sit down and write a blog post here I remember all the things I need to do that have a higher priority and I neglect this blog. I am working on trying to fix that.

Needless to say, one of the ways I cope with stress is to keep myself busy. However, all these projects stress my out. It seems I use stress to fight stress, like fighting fire with fire. And I am getting burnt.......out. As one example, my car (which needs a check up- it has been over a year) looks like a bomb exploded in it. I have half cleaned it a dozen times and I really need to clean it out. My last half-clean revealed a rotten and liquefied green pepper I had forgotten about months ago. I still need to do my taxes.

Now, I would hate for this blog to be a monthly post of complaints and whining. Especially since that is not what this blog is about. This blog is about health, immortality and technology. Although, I think technology has been replaced with activism the last few years. I seem to blog a lot more about protesting and human rights than I do about nanotechnology and robots these days. But, two incredibly bright spots in my recent life has been:

Yoga and Daniel Pinchbeck

My plan is to write another blog post called, Yoga and Daniel Pinchbeck. If I follow my claim those words will be a link to that post when it is done. But basically I have been enjoying yoga as a great physical and mental break from all of my stress. It has really grounded me and made me feel a lot more calm. On a similar level I got a book on tape from my friend Lauryn Whitmer (she writes a really great blog called Seeking Synchrony) of Daniel Pinchbeck's "Reality 2.0" and it has been great. I have subsequently been watching and listening to a lot of lectures and interviews by Pinchbeck and it has open my mind to a lot of new thoughts regarding the energy shift of 2012, life on earth, human history, psychedelics, advanced alien forms and shamanism. Basically, I love all of these topics and Daniel Pinchbeck's books toss everything at you and your mind is always racing to keep up, which is exactly how I like it. Next post I will talk a more about both Yoga and Pinchbeck's work and why these two things in combination have been a great help to me in the last few months.

Monsanto and Whole Foods

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:29:00 +0000

cartoon by William Hessian

This cartoon is in response to recent reports about the content of GMOs in Whole Foods products. It is scary to think how pervasive Monsanto and other genetically modified organisms have made it into the food we eat. Over 90% of all foods in a typical grocery store in the United States have some amount of GMO content, usually found in the oils.

Now we have yet another hoop to jump through if we want to stay healthy:

non GMO
Gluten Free
no TransFat

But I am up for the task. Are you?

Are GMOs (genetically modified organisms) safe to eat?

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:38:00 +0000

Yes, GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are unsafe for your health and here is why.

1. GMOs is linked to the growing spread of autism (studies in rats have indicated that this is most likely true. soruce: http://throughtheeyesofautism.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/autism-and-genetically-modified-foods/)

2. GMOs reduce the resource diversity of crops and produce worldwide. This is especially dangerous because the lack of diversity in our food source is not well prepared to fluxuate with the increasingly unpredictable climate change. Diversity is essential for global food security.

3. GMO pollution. Once GMOs become inbred with natural or organic organisms you cannot reverse the process. As the winds, water, insect, animals and soil carry GMO particles to other farms it contaminates and cross breeds with those varieties thus bastardizing all of our food.

4. GMOs over multiple generations increase infertility and sterilization in those who eat it. (Some have suggested that GMOs are actually a tool to curb over population on the planet).

Did you know that studies done when rats were fed with GMO soy most of the rats lost the ability to have babies in three generations? Less than 15% of the rats who wear able to produce offspring produces very small sickly babies. If humans react similar to GMO tainted food, we are currently inbetween the 1st and 2nd generations.

Here is another scary thing: Approximately 75% of all food products in an average United States grocery store has some kind of GMO in them. Mostly in the soybean oil, cottonseed oil and other vegetable oils. (Source is the 2/9/12 radio broadcast on Coast to Coast AM http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2012/02/09)

Monsanto, Kraft and other large corporations who make large profits from GMO based foods have run massive campaigns to spread disinformation about the safety and/or necessity of GMOs. Here are some links about Monsanto and disinformation:
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/12/monsantos-gm-corn-linked-to-organ-failure/

Monsanto's Round-Up is proven to cause major medical problems in those exposed to it.

http://permaculture.org.au/2011/12/08/argentinian-report-identifies-major-medical-problems-associated-with-roundup-ready-soy/

Round Up the cause of birth defects
http://tommytoy.typepad.com/tommy-toy-pbt-consultin/2011/06/washington-the-chemical-at-the-heart-of-the-planets-most-widely-used-herbicide-roundup-weedkiller-used-in-farms-and.html

So...

Are GMO (genetically modified organisms) bad for me?

Absolutely.

basic overview of GMOs: http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/

Seeds of Deception by Jeffrey Smith.

King of the Pill: new content every day

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:38:00 +0000

Have you been looking for a free family friendly web comic to read? Looking for an online adventure with goofy characters set in a fantasy world? A web comic that updates every single day. In 2012there will be 365 new panels in 365 days!).

If those things sound good to you, you should be reading King of the Pill:

You get to follow the PG adventures of Jasper who has taken a pill that has given him the power of the Face of Many Hands. It is a glorious upgrade. Now Jasper will meet a bunch of crazy characters who are all up to mysterious things, and then he must embark on a crazy quest across the planet. If you like goofy stories, funny comics, and bright and colorful worlds, this is a comic for you.

Come read the funny web comic adventure King of the Pill today. I endorse it, because I am the one who makes it! It is also why I have not had the time to post new content on this blog lately. Please help spread the word and support my one year web comic venture! Thanks for your support and readership!

Skyrim, Wincredible & a Brutal Cage Fight: Christmas Time in the Midwest

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:40:00 +0000

Three Themes of Christmas in the Midwest
The snowflakes begin to gently fall on the highway in front of me as I make me drive from St. Paul to Minnetonka for work. Today I leave a few hours early because I've got some Holiday shopping to do, and only a few days left to do it. It is always the frantic few days before Christmas when I still have all my shopping to do that I really start to get int the Christmas spirit. I even turn on the Christmas tunes in the car. On my way down I-494 I pass three huge and notable billboards. The first is:

Skyrim the billboard! For those of you unaware Skyrim is a fantasy video game that has surpassed $650 Million in retail sales. Over 10 million copies have been sold. People all across the world are entering and experiencing this massive game with dragons, werewolves and all sorts of adventures. I have forbidden myself from all time sink video games, because I have too little time as it is. I do admit to spending time learning all about the game, and being interested in it, even if I myself do not want to spend the endless time or money playing it.

The second billboard said: WINCREDIBLE! This billboard showed a very happy fellow that seemingly just won a lot of money at the casino. Mystic Lake Casino to be specific.

The third, and probably most attention getting sign of them all was a big black screen with illuminated vibrant red text advertising: BRUTAL CAGE FIGHT! It continued to tell you when and where.

Video games, Gambling and Violence! The three themes of Christmas in the Midwest apparently. Nothing festive or holiday like at all on all three billboards. Simply an invitation to enter a fake world, the illusion of winning money, or the chance to watch people bash each others face in. In an effort not to be hypocritical, I want to be clear that all three of these things I have enjoyed in my life; video games, gambling and violence. Having said that, I am still surprised and bewildered that these are the floating images in the sky during this holiday season. The billboard signs make me both sad and happy.

The Glorious Toy Isles
The huge non-holiday signs did not damper my rare holiday spirit, as I was off to get gifts for my little nephews. This meant I get to browse the toy isles. For anyone that has ever been with me in a department store knows that I have an uncontrollable urge to browse the toy isles. I do not buy much, but I love toy culture. Today, I have both an excuse to browse those isles, but also to buy things. Oh happy day.

If my shopping strategy was a little more scheduled and organized I would probably try to buy all of my gifts from local artists like sock creatures, wood carved animals or figurines made of sculpy clay. If I was really planning ahead I could make all the gifts myself. But, procrastination sends me to the mall instead. And part of me loves it. I love crowds of people, and isles of toys. I even enjoy trying to navigate the crowded isles and listening to the kids yelling: "I want that, and that and that and this!"

Just getting to browse the Star WArs toys, Hot Wheel cars, and Pokemon puts a smile on my face. It reminds me of being a kid, and I still love all these things. Even if they aren't part of my personal mythology anymore.

However, walking down the halls of the mall I have to ask the question:

When did Christmas Start to Stink?

The Christmas stink, which may actually be more appropriately called "mall stink", is the most extreme and upsetting standing between the Ambercrombie & Fitch store and the Pretzel Time store. The gas cloud of cologne mixed with the doughy smell of the pretzels is enough to turn my stomach fluids to cottage cheese. The smell fight is so disgusting I have to stop and admire the horridity (i know its not a word, but its needed here) of it all. Every single food shop is shooting their smells like missiles into the hallways trying to lasso me in as I walk by. For some reason; maybe because I rarely visit malls these days, or because each store has their scent cannons turned up to level 11, or maybe I have just become over sensitive to the smells, or maybe because all these smells are intermingling to create a nasty hybrid monster smell: everything is just gross. Good thing I can weave from one side of the hall to the other avoiding the smelliest of the shops, while on my search for the perfect toys.

Capitalism Greed
I am a abnormally fast walker to start with, and an even faster walker when I only have 60 minutes before work and a list to complete. I enjoy the tables of young teenagers laughing and flirting with each other, the families and kids traveling in packs all linked together holding hands, the kiosk worker who is flying some airplane around the mall trying to land it on the fountain, it is this hustle and bustle of the holidays that I really like. But I feel like a fraud. For those of you who know me, or read this blog: I am an activist, I am part of the Occupy movement, and I am basically a hippie (or at least hippie in training). Peace man!

The receipts that pile up in my pocket make me feel guilty. The economy is terrible, unemployment is way up, and many people have lost their homes or jobs since last Christmas. I have been fortunate enough to find work wherever I go, although underpaid and under appreciated; I still have work and a little money to spend. Wandering through this maze of capitalism that we call a mall makes me both sad and happy. To me, the American consumerism model is not a sustainable system and I know that I am pouring my hard earned money into the pockets of the 1% and not into my community where I should be putting it. I can find solace in the fact that the rest of the year I am pretty good about spending my money at farmers markets and buying from self represented artists, but during my annual holiday lapse, while fun, it is against my beliefs. I know I can do better.

Snowflakes on the Plush Doll
I rush out of the mall with a bag full of toys, I feel guilty and satisfied. I zigzag through the cars that fill up the giant mall parking lot. As I do, I notice that a perfect snowflake has landed on this tiny little plush animal. The stuffed animal has HUGE anime eyes and the snowflake sits delicately on its fur. I stop right there, almost unsure if the snowflake was real. I admire its miniature delicate beauty. It is magically perfect, and sitting completely in the center of this little creatures forehead. A third eye. As the little snowflake melts away, it seems to also melt away my anxiety for the holidays and even melt away a bit of my guilt. It reminds me of how incredible the small things are, and how little time we have to enjoy them. It makes me both sad and happy.

Happy Holidays.

If you enjoy this article please considered subscribing to my blog in the sidebar or check out my art blog. You might also enjoy my Occupy Rant, and quit drinking soda forever

A Sheep or a Rebel: Occupy

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:19:00 +0000

Heroes and Villains
What an exciting time to be alive. The weight of centuries of oppression, exploitation and bad decisions are forcing the common people of the world out into the streets. We live in a time where there are definable (although arguable) villains, and a chance for us (yes you) to be a hero. The most important part of this growing Occupy movement is that we are all on the same team and we are the good guys. From every country and every part of the world; the protesters, the stay at home moms, the gas station clerks, the police, the laborers, the working, the children, the elderly, the homeless on the corner, the teachers, the small business owners are all on the same team. Right now the most important part of this movement is to spread awareness all across the globe that the 99% needs to be in this together, and invite them to the dance. This is the rally call! The 'dance' that I am referring to is the public streets of every city, and if you cannot get to the streets then the dance can be done in solidarity at home and on the internet. Joining the 'dance' is being an active member of the 99% and standing against the 1% of the population that controls the majority of the wealth and power in this world.

The Maze
As the illusion of the middle class (American Dream)luxuries fade, and the walls of the financial maze start becoming more and more clear, we are realizing first and foremost, that we are trapped. We spend way too much of our time working jobs we do not like, for pay that is too little, consuming entertainment that does not make us smarter or challenge us, we eat food that makes us sick, our medicine makes us sicker, we spend too much money on education, our education does not give us the opportunities we deserve, and the corporations show profits while we wade in pools of debt and watch our homes get foreclosed on. We are in a maze, paying tolls and taxes at every corner, while being chased down by the dogs of debt. We are treated like sheep, or cash cows. Often times we are running this maze with our families and our neighbors, our bosses and our friends. Even those who would be considered wealthy, successful or privileged in our society are running this maze and while they may be further ahead than others they are caught just the same.

Escaping the Maze

The maze exists and it is a worldwide problem. The maze has been cleverly built by the 1%, and there is no exit. If you are in a maze with no exit, is there any hope? Yes, there is. The thing is, we are taught to think independently and laterally while forgetting that we can think and act vertically as a community. Because the walls of the maze, while thick and strong, only go so high. With teamwork we can climb the wall and we can escape the maze. This is why Occupy is so important. Time is of the essence, as we must escape before the 1% builds a roof over the maze and makes it a true jail.

Why Occupy?
A lot of people ask: why occupy? A lot of people want to know what the endgame is. When will we leave? What do we want? If you read the paragraphs above you know that there are some huge problems right now. 99% of the people on this planet are trapped in a system that exploits them and benefits the 1%. You have also read that there is a way out of this system, and that way is teamwork and a collaborative effort to climb up and over these oppressive walls. The Occupy movement (as of November 2011) is a gathering of people who realize that the maze exists and that want to escape the system and give power back to the 99%. The Occupy movement seeks to expose the system to more people and seeks to discuss ways and structures that will help us over the walls and also plans for what we do when we do get over those walls. Currently we are a crowd of people puddling up in the maze, figuring out how to stand on each other. We are building infrastructure. We are building the metaphorical steps that will help ourselves and the rest of the 99% over the walls.

What is next for the Occupy Movement?
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, right now we need more people. Outreach is the most important. The Occupy crowd needs to grow. The more people the more impact. Different parts of the maze will be revealed, more connections will be made, new answers will be provided and solutions will be explored and carried out. I am the 99% and this blog post and the poster I created is just two of many ways I am joining the fight. I ask you to join Occupy and help now. If I am already preaching to the choir (hello fellow Occupier) then I ask you to use this post as a catalyst to continue your work. Solidarity.

Help Now
Join the fight right now, by spreading this message using the share buttons below. Like it on facebook. Plus it on Google+. Share it on Twitter. You can also show your support with an I AM THE 99% poster. Put it in your car, house window, or work cubicle. If you have a chance, get to the nearest Occupy gathering near you and get involved. Meet new people. Join a committee. Together we can change the world.

I AM THE 99%

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 08:21:00 +0000

I have just thrown together a simple free printable sign, "I AM THE 99%" to be use for people who occupy at home. The idea is to get people to post 99% solidarity signs at work, at home, in their cars. A lot of people are in favor of the movement, and I think we should all show our support by hanging the number 99 everywhere. Hanging up this sign means that you stand with the Occupy movement wherever you may be.

A lot of people have busy lives, work many jobs, have young kids, families, or medical conditions which makes it hard for them to get out and Occupy. This sign is just one way to Occupy at Home. Join in, show your support.

I will be making all of the colors available in printable PDFs very shortly.

The Best Kind of Pie; is OCCUPY

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 10:15:00 +0000

I believe in power to the people. I believe in small communities. I believe in self sustainable systems, I believe in locally grown foods. I believe in a majority of people taking part in the decision making process of what goes on in the towns around us. I believe in barter and trade. I believe in dancing and communicating with neighbors. I believe in peace.

I, William Hessian, stand in Solidarity with those who OCCUPY.

See photos from my visit to Occupy Minneapolis at the Government Plaza.

Solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street Movement

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:31:00 +0000

Despite working 5 jobs (to pay my debts) and 7+ days a week (a few double shifts), I have managed to get over to Occupy Minneapolis a few times. I held up signs and participated in a general assembly. I am inspired by the Occupy Wall Street and stand in Solidarity with all Occupy movements happening right now. I am especially inspired by Punk Patriot and my friends at the Free Change Collective. They are in New York peacefully protesting...which means getting arresting, pepper sprayed, and shoved around: all while filming a documentary. I am proud to know them. Click the links to see dozens of videos from the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Videos like this:

This is a really exciting time, but we need more support. We need numbers. We need more people to show up at Occupy and let the country know that we care and that we are paying attention. I will be returning to Occupy Minneapolis this week, and I plan to get as involved as I can given the time that I have. Here is a quote that I found really inspiring:

There are no excuses left. Either you join the revolt taking place on Wall Street and in the financial districts of other cities across the country or you stand on the wrong side of history. Either you obstruct, in the only form left to us, which is civil disobedience, the plundering by the criminal class on Wall Street and accelerated destruction of the ecosystem that sustains the human species, or become the passive enabler of a monstrous evil. Either you taste, feel and smell the intoxication of freedom and revolt or sink into the miasma of despair and apathy. Either you are a rebel or a slave. (by chris hedges)

Half way done with my Facebook Fast

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:49:00 +0000

15 days down, 15 days to go. It feels like I have been away from Facebook for months. It really does. It is amazing how detached I feel from communications with others. At the same time I feel liberated. I am sleeping better, reading books, and getting art projects done. I still have a laundry list of MUST DOs, which I hope to take care of during this social media vacation. I do admit that I meander onto Google Plus from time to time, and probably use my cell phone to text a little more socially then usual. All in all, its been a nice break.

While I still feel the urge to get on Facebook, I have been really busy and productive with other projects. I figure I typically spend a half an hour to an hour per day of Facebook, sometimes longer if I start playing mindless mini games. Facebook is just a little too labor intensive for me when trying ti multi-task with other projects. Youtube (especially Ted Talks), music and/or Justin TV have been great entertainment background noise for me while working on other projects and more than fills the void that Facebook left behind.

My plan is to find a happy medium for my future Facebook usage. A fifteen minute session to catch up on important things or communications and then logging off for the night. I plan to give this schedule a try on October 16th when I make my return to Facebook. I will be Faceback.

5 days with 25 days left to go

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:25:00 +0000

I have given up Facebook for 30 days in an effort to curb my addictive tendencies towards the social media website. Yes, I am on a Facebook fast! It has only been 5 days and yet it feels like weeks. I feel oddly disconnected, and oddly at peace. There are so many moments in between doing tasks where my instinct is to check Facebook. After I eat...check Facebook. After I watch a video on Youtube...check Facebook. After I wake up from a nap....check Facebook. I had no idea how many times this urge appears over the course of a day.

I am already fantasizing about the 31st day. When the fast is over, I will log into Facebook and see a bunch of messages and tons of notifications. Oh how sweet it will be. I will feel so popular. However, the whole point of this fast was to turn my attention to other things, art projects, blogging, daily chores, showering.

I woke up today and I had a bad hangover and I questioned if in my unplanned drunken night, that I may have broke my fast. It would be quite a failure. I do not get drunk very often, but last night I did. Way too drunk actually. Enough to drunk dial people and even drunk e-mail some people. I have only done this a handful of times in my life and it is not very flattering. Meanwhile, I was very nervous to check my browsing history but found that I had somehow held true to fast even in my drunken stupor. Lucky me. But giving up getting that drunk should be my first adjective, because that is never fun. Thankfully, I held true to my vow and hope not throw my own monkey into my wrenches....if that makes any sense.

25 days left to go.

And when it is all over I plan to set new limits and expectations on my use and abuse of social media.

30 Day Break from Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 08:28:00 +0000

From September 16th until October 16th I will not log in to my Facebook account. My Facebook profile image will be this:

Many people go on cleansing health diets, some religions fast, often times people give up things for lent. I need to put my brain on a Facebook fast. I love passive aggressive socializing as much as the next guy, maybe more than the next guy. I often spend hours of time on Facebook when I should be sleeping, working on art projects, cleaning or paying bills. I blame my addictive personality for this problem more than Facebook itself, but it is such a potent tool for communication and an endless trap of insubstantial information. Facebook is a communication tool that slowly takes over large parts of our lives. Like the cell phone, another thing I boycotted. I did have have a cell phone for the first 29 years of my life (newsflash I got a cell phone this year. you can read about it: sad truth: i now own a cell phone). I need 30 days to let my mind relax, give my brain a break from reading notifications and looking at pictures of hundreds of people who I don't communicate with on a regular basis.

I want to write at least a dozen hand written letters in this 30 days. I want to put on music and sit down at my art supplies, instead of at my computer. It is sad that I have to force myself to take 30 days off in order to get myself to follow through with these actions. I can be very weak when presented with an easy way to distract myself from other concerns, and Facebook needs a break.

My mindbrain needs a break from the Facebook

Give up Facebook? Is it worth it?

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 11:42:00 +0000

In place of Facebook, I will meditate. I will log on to the social media of my mind.

Last week, I wrote a blog about my 30 day Facebook Fast. In one week I am going to attempt this social media fast and not log in to Facebook for 30 days. Like an addict, I am already fearing the worst. You can read all about the goals and reasoning of my fast in my last post.

This post is in regard to the massive support I have received from friends and fellow bloggers. I know a handful of great people, mostly from Maine, who do not use Facebook at all. I also know a lot of people who begrudgingly use Facebook. I got a lot of support from people who also feel they themselve abuse social media sites and get sucked into spending way too much time on them. I also got a lot of people defending their own use of Facebook. A lot of these conversations took place....on Facebook.

This brings me back to functionality of a social site like Facebook. While I write the blog post on my blog, only a handful of people actually come over to my blog, and even less people leave comments. I love those of you who do leave comments, please leave more comments on my blogs. But the point I am trying to make, is that actual conversations and discussions of value can take place on Facebook. There is content. There is an ability to contact people. There is an easy way to keep up with people's doings. All of these things I am fine with and enjoy. For me, I also love Facebook for being able to present my artwork, my blogs, and subjects of conversation to my friends. It's a business tool as well as a social tool. Okay, so now that I am telling you all the reasons to 'LIKE' Facebook. Now, I want to once again explain why Facebook is addictive and corrosive.

Facebook is designed to be an endless loop of snooping, mini games, and advertisements. Your friends, people we like and our interested, provide content and we make Facebook money by sitting on the site posting new content for our friends to consume. We feel like we are engaging in community or friendship and really we are just helping Facebook sell ads. Okay, we are actually communicating with our friends, that part is real, but everything is designed to keep us checking back every two minutes. The mini games are designed to make you come back each day to get a special item, a free bonus, a free spin, an every day multiplier, a little cookie prize when we return. I find myself doing tasks and immediately returning to Facebook to see if anything changed. This is unnecessary, but hard to stop. My issue is with Facebook's sheer addictive power.

When I go on my 30 day fast, I can cheat a little bit because I can post a Twitter update and without logging into Facebook, the Twitter will automatically update my Facebook page. It's pretty cool actually, and a good way to still use Facebook as an advertising tool for my work, while still avoiding ever logging into it. I want to take this 30 days to work on the 40,000 projects I need to be doing. Maybe I will even do some house chores or clean out my jungle of a car. Could I do all these things and still use Facebook? Sure. But I want my time away from Facebook to be productive and constructive. The last thing I want is to find myself spending time of Myspace instead. That would be the ultimate blow to my will power.

Have you ever considered quitting a social media site? Do you find yourself spending to much time on a particular website? What/How do you make time for things like social media and what role do they play in your life?

In place of Facebook, I will meditate. I will log on to the social media of my mind.

Facebook Fast: giving up the social media site for 30 days

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:16:00 +0000

On September 10th, I am going to quit Facebook for 30 days. A social media cleansing. A Facebook Fast. I need to a take a break.

On an average day: I come home from work. I open up my laptop. I log on to Facebook. It only takes 5 minutes to read notifications, respond to messages, accept friend requests. However, I continue to sit on Facebook browsing photos, wall posts, and worst of all playing mini games. While I may eat a meal, watch a documentary, watch youtube videos, or read articles at the same time, Facebook is constantly open in the background.

I will admit my real 'need' for Facebook is less social, and more promotional. I use Facebook as a means to promote my true passion in life, being a visual artist. Facebook helps me tell friends about artwork for sale, art show opening, events, gain inspiration and collaborate with other artists. It is only a bonus that I can keep up with friends and make new ones along the way. But, especially since returning to Minnesota, the amount of time I spend logged on to Facebook is alarming to me. I am actually very anti-Facebook, I even have this bumper sticker on my car:

'Facebook Erodes Real Communties. Let's stop staring at screens and talk to our neighbors. Organize a potluck. Start playing music with friends. Go for a bike ride. Learn to start fire with sticks.' This was made by a friend of mine, and I really agree with it. However, I am a massive hypocrite when I step out of my car and sit down in front of my computer.

The sticker shares space with my 'Coexist' bumber sticker and my 'I heart (lobster) Maine' sticker.

It also sits right below my 'Fear No Art' bumper sticker.

I will admit that Facebook makes loneliness a little less bitter. I am a nearly 30 year old artist, with no kids, and no wife; and I am not complaining about it. I can easily to find myself alone in front of the computer spilling hours of my life into something I do not believe in. Facebook is an easy fall back, and creates a false feeling of connection to people when you are away from them. The transition from the Midwest to Maine and back again has been difficult for many reasons, and for some reason the last few weeks of my life I am resorting to Tetris and digging for imaginary digital treasure instead of doing to thousands of things I want to be doing with my life.

During my Facebook Fast I will refocus my life and set new goals. This means that you will see a lot more posts being created on my art blog. Hopefully I will have more to say, and more time to say it.

Pyramid of Power

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:26:00 +0000

I had an idea for an illustration. I went searching for a few things and stumbled upon this pyramid of power based on the New World Order. It reminded me of the Pyramid of Pay post I made a few years ago, mostly because it was a pyramid. However, sometimes I run across very straight forward images like this and I just have to share. My illustration will show up here when I find time to get it done.

Oh the fun things we find when we search the internets.

censorship on facebook?

noreply@blogger.com (William Hessian) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:41:00 +0000

.tneconni eht fo htaed eht tsoc reven dluohs modeerf .modeerf ruoy tsoc reven dluohs modeerf .sevals era ew .rewsna eht ton si tnemnrevog eht

.em htiw ecnad dna tniap emoc dna .yub fo daetsni retrab .nedrag a worg .boj ruoy tiuq enoyreve

______________________

Today on facebook I had to write the message above backwards. When I originally posted it the first time, this message appeared:

"This comment has been flagged by FaceBook as inappropriate or offensive. This user has been warned for expressing ideas and/or opinions that are considered controversial."

Has anyone else had this issue with facebook? Facebook is censoring my comments?! It seems many of my friends post much more controversial things than my post, and I have never seen the censorship message before. Plus, it seemed to censor my post immediately. This seems like a very scary thing.