Pandemonium!
The Blog
Steady
Can’t get enough of this song right now…
Breaking Ground
Last night, sliding underneath the noses of most, was my first appearance into what I guess can be called the Sacramento art scene. I say that with no disrespect to those in the art scene, I only say that out of my own unawareness. Thanks to fellow artist Danny Scheible, I was able to hang up a 13×18 drawing on the wall of his most recent art show. His work is fantastic as he manipulates masking tape into futuristic, yet organic, city scapes. He also ventures into the assemblage of clothes hangers and fabric into trees and other vinery. Definetly check out his work at www.dannyscheible.com to get a better taste. But yes, my drawing was more of an interpretation of a small sculpture that Danny had given me a while back. Part of the process of making this show was for Danny to give out small machetes of his sculptures to friends that he knew, asking them to simply draw what they had been given. In turn, Danny had a wall of drawings, interpretations from one artist to another.
For some reason that is beyond me, I completely forgot to pull out the camera so most of what I’m saying really has no weight, at least until I can get some pictures. My observation of the event was that most people who were given sculptures to “draw” simply approached it very literally: drawing what they were given, in the form that it was given in. Fair enough. Honest. Although not entirely satisfied with what I had presented Danny, I at least feel that I made an attempt to do something beyond what was expected.
I will post some of my photographs of the actual sculpture after the jump because I felt that, maybe even more so than my drawing, the photographs carried some heaviness that I didn’t really capture in my drawing. So there you have it.
Lots for Sale
“How about this idea: Save a tree in Brazil, keep polluting here at home. A plan pending in Congress would allow some of America’s biggest polluters to cancel out their emissions here, if they buy up endangered forests around the globe. Some U.S. firms have already been doing that by sinking millions of dollars into a forest reserve in southern Brazil. “
- Marketplace, 2.26.10
YES to The Yes Men
Just got a chance to watch The Yes Men movie a while back and it had my nerves on edge! The Yes Men are nipping at the very butt of the problem: corporate greed. The minds of the most powerful and the wallets of the most wealthy seem to be increasingly detached from the basic principles of human kindness and good will. What is even more disturbing is that these same people are in the same hammock with those who influence government policy, which include consumer regulatory systems, the FDA, and much more. The problem is that the people who are “appointed” to help regulate and monitor the system are the same people who we are trying to regulate!
The lower 5% of the world’s population owns less than 1% of the global wealth. Western corporations take advantage, exploit and pillage human’s insatiable desire for labor – to be able to say that you worked for something, and to have a product that will help support oneself and their family. But its tragic that these people never see the money that their labor has produced. Instead, they continue to live dismal lives while Americans stand and complain that “everything is made in China.” It seems that America is in constant demand of efficiency but they are not willing to pay the price for it.
But this is where technology comes in. Technology, specifically the internet, is the sword that just might be mightier than the pen. It gives people the opportunity to be their own man, to actually own what they produce, to see the fruits of their labor, and to be proud of what they can create. This is of upmost importance to the human spirit, right next to the exhurtion of labor itself. If there is no spiritual connection between what a man/woman does with their time or with how they make a living, it is almost without a doubt that that person will lead an unhappy, unfruitful life. Now flip that story around, tell that person that they can simply have a great idea, and be in control how how that idea comes into fruition. There is no need for corporate sponsorship, no need for mass-production, or a factory space. All your resources can be found on the internet, and the producer is also closer to the consumer than ever before. The internet has democratized the people, leveled the playing field and abolishing the red tape.
G_ _ gle
I was on Google today trying to find answers to the infinite amount of questions I have about css and html, and as I began my questions with “Can I _____” I was immediately struck by a slew of random queries. It’s pretty fascinating because Google is known for their state of the art algorithms right? So their results must be accurate in potraying the queries and questions that would most likely be on the user’s mind.
I know this whole thing has already been exploited with the “why black man…” something or another that was so popular amongst the blogosphere a few months ago but nonetheless I still find it interesting. And still, black people still get the heat! “Why are black people so loud?” Come on! Who Googles that?!?! I also found it funny that we can begin our queries by wondering if someone is a man, rummage through some other subject matters, and wait…is wendy williams a man too? Haha, hilarious.
But who the hell is Wendy Williams anyways?
This is America!
It turns out that I have a slight twin in this world, and apparently he is kickin’ ass in American Idol. Sorry John, I won’t watch you serenade the crowd with your good looks but I think the American people need some tall asian in their life. Let it rip homeboy. Yella ***** pride!
Vicious Cycle
Ah but it ain’t so bad Alan
The New Revolution
Or better yet what would he think? After reading Chris Anderson’s article in last month’s WIRED, it’s amazing to see the shifts in industrial production in this country. Marxx knew that once our industrial might became too big, it would shatter the individual into nothing more than another wheel in the machine. Losing all spiritual connection to his/her craft, a disturbing disconnect develops between man and his/her labor.
But this new revolution, as Anderson describes, reunites the worker with his craft through the use of technology and the internet at a very low cost, thanks to globalized market. With that, “any garage can be turned into a start-up company.” All you need is an idea. And preferably one of those sweet 3d printers which, I must say, is extremely enticing. My interest in these 3d printers is heightened by my recent experiments with Google SketchUp which is a remarkable 3d cad program. I found myself constructing skyscrapers fit for legendary gorilla monsters when I should have been doing something a bit more constructive with my time. But there’s nothing wrong with a little down time right Karl?
