oh, the insanity!

this is so f-ing cool, and completely nuts. three cheers for american ingenuity and stupidity.

vice redux

i have talked in a previous post about my occasional disdain for vice magazine. although i still really enjoy many of their foreign articles and obviously dos and don'ts, among other stuff. but this marketing tie in with the release of the charlie bartlett DVD on VBS TV was just tiresome, lame, and totally a sell-out move. i expect more from a magazine with such an anti-establishment streak, even if it is laden with ads from major corporations. weak sauce.

a different level

obviously my blogging activities never reached this level, as documented by former Gawker blogger Emily Gould in the NewYork Times Sunday Magazine. that's certainly a good thing, and of course at this point the readership here is practically (if not assumedly) non-existent, given the severely diminished frequency of new material.

the idea of constant exposure to public scrutiny, particularly as a facet of varying levels of self-promotion, complicity, and outright encouragement, is fascinating. ultimately, i think these arrangements are untenable for the vast majority of people, because they shatter the normal veneer or mental space that we occupy distinct from the world around us.

people for whom this presents limited repercussions are generally just oblivious to the ramifications or are driven enough by their desire for celebrity to ignore them. others wishing to maintain their status often lash out at criticism in the traditional manner of defending ones ego and self-confidence against external comment (actions driven by a subconscious need to maintain ones "edge" and ability to act without self-doubt).

it seems that the experience for almost all, in some form or another, is fraught with difficulty and is often quite dis-empowering. those who profess to be normal and unaffected by this process may be those who are ultimately the most damaged. for it is difficult if not impossible to fully control our external image, and it seems that most problems derive from this inability.

the tibet issue

i have been following the recent issues in tibet since their occurrence with great interest. i've probably spent far too much time on it, and i think i need to make a clean break from getting too deep again, so i won't post lots of links or anything here.

my thinking on this issue has certainly evolved, but it's difficult to have a productive discourse via the internet, for several reasons. i did spend an inordinate amount of time reading comments on this post, on Nick Kristof's blog. I posted twice, #248 and #460. Sadly I didn't really get great responses to my questions of the other posters, and after my second comment I had to just leave it at that. Part of the problem is that the post was linked to by lots of pro-Chinese (and pro-Tibetan to a lesser extent) websites, which heightened the invective and seemed to make a rational discussion of the issues at hand all the more difficult.

the whole process was an illuminating experience for me, however. history, the media, the internet, all seem a little bit different in my conception of them now. but i was nonetheless disappointed, not only in the responses to my thoughts but in the difficulty in having a reasoned debate, given the medium, language barriers, and other issues.

back in effect

not me, per se, but rather old music blog stand-by lemon red. not to get too meta, but the lineage of the evolution of my musical tastes traces back to discovering his blog like three years ago. funny how the internet works.

hot fire, fer sur.

beyond belief

I think Kevin Drum has it right. What purpose would a McCain presidency serve on the foreign policy front, and why would we expect that more aggressive posturing with "rogue" nations would somehow become effective, after its stunning success under the current administration?

why so fire?

i can't figure out why i find this graphic so fascinating. well, i guess i could be all po-mo and deconstruct it, but i'm at work and there's no need for any of that bs. hella dope. in case you're curious, it's the header for the fool's gold blog. droppin fire over there these days, on the nu-rave hip tip (i refuse to use the word hipster and am still searching for alternatives. it has now lost all meaning.

dejected and disappointed, i know

I had grand plans for my one january post (haha), but I can't seem to conjure up the links I was looking for. Instead, I will give you some Afro-Funk from Ice, who later became the Lafayette Afro Rock Band. Classic jams. via Benn Loxo

Ice - Time Will Tell

the mind of the upper echelon athlete

this extremely illuminating piece about Dirk Nowitzki's Chapelle-esque retreat to Australia after the Mavs' first round playoff exit got me thinking again about the nature of thought in sports. it seems to me that professional athletes are better off not being particularly intelligent, or at least intelligent in an intellectually curious, humanist sort of way. the tendency of such people is to over analyze things or be almost too aware of their surroundings. the professional athlete, on the other hand, while needing to be aware of and react to situations, cannot overthink, and has to rely much on instinct. Nowitzki seems to be a well-rounded, smart guy, which makes me wonder about his ability to truly succeed in the NBA, to become a champion. it's not that he could "choke" in the commonly understood definition of the term. rather, it's a matter of too accurately feeling the burden of your surroundings and position. a normal, super high-level athlete may be aware of these crunch time expectations, but only of his responsibility for them, not necessarily their full weight and import and the true consequences thereof.

simian mobile disco Radio 1 big weekend mix

i played this for my sister and she loved it and wanted a copy. after not being able to find it again online, i uploaded it. figured i'd share. it's from sometime this summer.

back to...1980s nostalgia blogging

i was just talking about 3-2-1 contact and mathnet the other day. and i totally remember that fat boys one billion song, especially the chorus. i was jumping around the house singin' that all day. i think i drove my mom nuts.

getting a little ridiculous at this point

i just don't really get how this thing happens. this administration has the reverse midas touch...everything turns to shit. i think the general conclusion i've come to is that even if the administration has a good idea (take more accountability in schools, for example), their record has proven that they are completely incapable of competently implementing such ideas. basically, you have to tune out their discussions of substantive policy, because they're just going to screw it up.

the link in question refers to a bizarre intersection of bush's oil company cronyism and efforts at iraqi political reconciliation. but then again i guess it's not so bizarre, unfortunately.

Feeling Good, Lewis!

i told you. here's the recent summer mix, reminding us that while it's ebbing slowly, there's so much good stuff still left.

cosmo baker, still good. via 5151.





cracked crab and lobster for everyone.

Looking Good, Billy Ray!

this dropped a while ago (the beginning of summer, to be precise). i've been derelict, but it's a companion piece, so stay tuned for more.

cosmo baker dropped this amazing summer mix, feeling good, as a way to start off the summer in the appropriate mood. still o' so fresh today. enjoy it, with more soon.

bonesaw q. doorjamb

Simpsons avatar's can be created here, in advance of the movie that opens July 27th. Fidelity to my actual appearance is of course limited, for various reasons, ranging from aesthetics to design engines to vanity/ego.

It remains to be seen if it'll be old-school or new-school Simpsons. The more important question I guess is whether or not it will suck. Fingers crossed on my end.