The New York Times > Magazine > Listening for Cancer
This is one of the scariest and most interesting articles I've read in a long time. This goes with my theory that all the cells in your body are actually conscious beings working together to make sure your body works. Kind of like that movie with Chris Rock and Bill Murray.
12.21.2004
12.18.2004
11.26.2004
Ahhhhh....
Thought about Christmas lights today. Why do we put them up? Does it stem from some long-forgotten tradition to bring loved ones through snow storms safely? Is it purely aesthetic? Is it commerical (rather, did it start out that way)?
Hmm, I'll have to do some research and get back to you on that one...
Hope you had a happy Turkey Day!
Hmm, I'll have to do some research and get back to you on that one...
Hope you had a happy Turkey Day!
11.25.2004
Celebrating a day of thievery and lies; the true American way!
Well, I'm off to my mother's for a little Christmas tree decorating. Because, as stated before, Thanksgiving is nothing but a bump between Halloween and Christmas. Unifying Pagans and Christians in true commericalism; ahhh, America!
If you find yourself wishing to be away from your family, check out these links:
Jesus Dress-Up
Carbonated Jazz
The Love Song of Night and Day
Contraband
I left the two best for last:
99 Rooms
BooBah (awesome sight/site)
Be good, and if you can't be good, be safe.
PS: I'm worth $1,750,739.25! How much are you worth?
If you find yourself wishing to be away from your family, check out these links:
Jesus Dress-Up
Carbonated Jazz
The Love Song of Night and Day
Contraband
I left the two best for last:
99 Rooms
BooBah (awesome sight/site)
Be good, and if you can't be good, be safe.
PS: I'm worth $1,750,739.25! How much are you worth?
11.22.2004
If only...
Why can't we go back to the days when everything I said was scripture and my touch was annointment?
Wen did I stop being your prophetess, your angel?
It seems my every syllable is argument and my gaze is sentencing.
Why do you treat me so?
Things were beautiful until you realized nothing you could say or do would change the way I felt about you.
Can't we be the old you and me, gazing intently into each other's eyes and not saying a word?
Did I do something wrong?
Should I go back and change?
What can I do to make things right?
If only your eyes would light on me again with the same spark and longing.
If only...
Wen did I stop being your prophetess, your angel?
It seems my every syllable is argument and my gaze is sentencing.
Why do you treat me so?
Things were beautiful until you realized nothing you could say or do would change the way I felt about you.
Can't we be the old you and me, gazing intently into each other's eyes and not saying a word?
Did I do something wrong?
Should I go back and change?
What can I do to make things right?
If only your eyes would light on me again with the same spark and longing.
If only...
Stripper Saga
Well, Beth asked me to be a stripper in her student film last month. I said yes, because I love Beth to death and I owe her HUGELY for all her great work as our SGA representative last semester. And now, my part of the filming is over and I am here to tell you all about it!
Beth is a student director at SMSU and works for the Growl (her show, Less Than Zero, is Tuesday and Thursday from 11a-12p) , where we love her to death. Beth needed lots of extras for her film, and she looked not only to her circle of theater and media friends, but also to the Growl. Enter Bitter the Clown, another faithful Growl producer (his show, Bitter the Clown's Happy Fun-Time Show, is on Wednesdays from 8p-10p). Bitter is, well, bitter, and this is probably due to a lack of sex. Or possibly childhood trauma; it depends on what time of day you ask him. Now, when presented with an option such as, "Would you like to sit around my movie set and watch scantily clad women posing as strippers for a few hours? I'll provide lunch.", Bitter was understandably - ahem - attentive. After excusing himself for a few minutes of "alone" time, he readily agreed.
Bitter and I go way back, to two years ago when he started off at the Growl. Bitter joined our organization because we were broadcasting from the Atrium of Strong Hall here at the SMSU campus and he saw a hot chick and decided he should sign up. Later on he found out that the "hot chick" was really me dressed in my famous Supermodel suit (made from real supermodels), but he had already been initiated and branded, so there was no escape.
Well, skip forward about a year and a half, and suddenly the Growl is in peril. I am the station manager and I need someone to do important tasks for me; namely training and fending off idiocy. Bitter cleverly avoids eye contact and communication, until I beg him to engineer the volleyball games. Seizing any opportunity, Bitter demands sexual favors for his manual labor. I readily agree, knowing that Bitter's massive porno collection will never allow him to take on external partners.
As the day of filming approached, I told Chambers that we had to go to the store and buy some lingerie for my debut on the strip club scene. As I finished the sentence, the car horn honked and he was impatiently gesturing for me to get into the car. At the store, I looked at sexy lingerie while he went straight to the "Slut-O-Matic" section. After a brief discussion, which consisted mostly of me saying, "I'm not buying five bustiers," we paid and left. After modeling (and breaking Chambers' hand every time he tried to touch me), I prepared for the shoot.
...more to come...
Beth is a student director at SMSU and works for the Growl (her show, Less Than Zero, is Tuesday and Thursday from 11a-12p) , where we love her to death. Beth needed lots of extras for her film, and she looked not only to her circle of theater and media friends, but also to the Growl. Enter Bitter the Clown, another faithful Growl producer (his show, Bitter the Clown's Happy Fun-Time Show, is on Wednesdays from 8p-10p). Bitter is, well, bitter, and this is probably due to a lack of sex. Or possibly childhood trauma; it depends on what time of day you ask him. Now, when presented with an option such as, "Would you like to sit around my movie set and watch scantily clad women posing as strippers for a few hours? I'll provide lunch.", Bitter was understandably - ahem - attentive. After excusing himself for a few minutes of "alone" time, he readily agreed.
Bitter and I go way back, to two years ago when he started off at the Growl. Bitter joined our organization because we were broadcasting from the Atrium of Strong Hall here at the SMSU campus and he saw a hot chick and decided he should sign up. Later on he found out that the "hot chick" was really me dressed in my famous Supermodel suit (made from real supermodels), but he had already been initiated and branded, so there was no escape.
Well, skip forward about a year and a half, and suddenly the Growl is in peril. I am the station manager and I need someone to do important tasks for me; namely training and fending off idiocy. Bitter cleverly avoids eye contact and communication, until I beg him to engineer the volleyball games. Seizing any opportunity, Bitter demands sexual favors for his manual labor. I readily agree, knowing that Bitter's massive porno collection will never allow him to take on external partners.
As the day of filming approached, I told Chambers that we had to go to the store and buy some lingerie for my debut on the strip club scene. As I finished the sentence, the car horn honked and he was impatiently gesturing for me to get into the car. At the store, I looked at sexy lingerie while he went straight to the "Slut-O-Matic" section. After a brief discussion, which consisted mostly of me saying, "I'm not buying five bustiers," we paid and left. After modeling (and breaking Chambers' hand every time he tried to touch me), I prepared for the shoot.
...more to come...
Revolution on Canvas
Everyone should go out and buy this book. Hundreds of poems and narratives from indie and punk bands. NoFX, Taking Back Sunday, the Locust, Brazil, the Starting Line, Rise Against, the Gadjits, PlanesMistakenForStars, and more!
Excerpt:
Technology will kill me,
So will poor penmenship
(and spelling and grammar,
well and also logic)
- Mark Thomas Kluepfel
Plus, 50% of all funds go to the National Center for Family Literacy.
After reading the introduction, where John Payne (and english professor) comments about illiteracy, I am reminded painfully of my high school and those I grew up with. Often my peers would brag about coming from a home without books and their lack of reading for pleasure. It was a badge of honor in Sparta to not have opened a book (fiction or otherwise) outside of a classroom. And if you could manage not to do it in the classroom as well, you were a fucking god.
I was out of place (and no, I didn't have blue hair then) because I read for pleasure, and I read a lot. My mother and I used to take my dad to the airport (he would travel to California a lot) and then we would go to Trotter's for their awesome salad bar. We would choose a booth and read until we were done eating, much like my college friends now smoke and chat. My mother and I spent lots of hours reading, comfortable in each other's company and silence. Its one of the best and most consistent memories of my childhood.
And now in college, I still read 2 or 3 books a week for the sheer fun of doing so.
What's wrong with that, I ask? I'm waaaaay cooler than all those cats I went to school with.
Excerpt:
Technology will kill me,
So will poor penmenship
(and spelling and grammar,
well and also logic)
- Mark Thomas Kluepfel
Plus, 50% of all funds go to the National Center for Family Literacy.
After reading the introduction, where John Payne (and english professor) comments about illiteracy, I am reminded painfully of my high school and those I grew up with. Often my peers would brag about coming from a home without books and their lack of reading for pleasure. It was a badge of honor in Sparta to not have opened a book (fiction or otherwise) outside of a classroom. And if you could manage not to do it in the classroom as well, you were a fucking god.
I was out of place (and no, I didn't have blue hair then) because I read for pleasure, and I read a lot. My mother and I used to take my dad to the airport (he would travel to California a lot) and then we would go to Trotter's for their awesome salad bar. We would choose a booth and read until we were done eating, much like my college friends now smoke and chat. My mother and I spent lots of hours reading, comfortable in each other's company and silence. Its one of the best and most consistent memories of my childhood.
And now in college, I still read 2 or 3 books a week for the sheer fun of doing so.
What's wrong with that, I ask? I'm waaaaay cooler than all those cats I went to school with.
11.21.2004
R & R
Rock & Roll? Rest & Relaxation? Repair & Recovery? You tell me.
Anyways, I thought about this blog all week. Really, I did. And I thought, wow, I have nothing to say. And then I thought, at least nothing great. So I read some other blogs to get inspiration and insight.
And then I discovered something brilliant: no one else has anything important to say either. Seriously, we are a nation of pissy people with nothing at all to be pissed off about. About the most annoying thing that has happened to me lately is that my boyfriend has annoyed the fuck out of me because I don't feel like he gives me enough attention.
That's something to be pissy about, let me tell you.
So here we are, a nation of bitchy piss and moaners with nothing at all to cry about. Well, not all of us, but the majority. And those who are using blogs and journals and websites to bitch and piss and moan about things really have nothing to cry about.
Jeez.
In light of all this though, I don't feel nearly so bad about whining and crying about my petty bullshit, because that's what we all get off on.
Anyways, I thought about this blog all week. Really, I did. And I thought, wow, I have nothing to say. And then I thought, at least nothing great. So I read some other blogs to get inspiration and insight.
And then I discovered something brilliant: no one else has anything important to say either. Seriously, we are a nation of pissy people with nothing at all to be pissed off about. About the most annoying thing that has happened to me lately is that my boyfriend has annoyed the fuck out of me because I don't feel like he gives me enough attention.
That's something to be pissy about, let me tell you.
So here we are, a nation of bitchy piss and moaners with nothing at all to cry about. Well, not all of us, but the majority. And those who are using blogs and journals and websites to bitch and piss and moan about things really have nothing to cry about.
Jeez.
In light of all this though, I don't feel nearly so bad about whining and crying about my petty bullshit, because that's what we all get off on.
11.20.2004
Nirvana Box Set!
I bought the new Nirvana box set today, thanks to the nice boys at my local used CD store. They love me and Chambers soooo much that they sell us things before they're actually out. How fucking cool is that?
Anyway, the box set is full of unreleased and rare tracks, many of them demos and live versions. Not much in the way of unheard of Nirvana stuff in this, but for a Nirvana completist such as myself, its a must buy. And here in Missouri it was only $50! A fucking steal!
Anyway, the box set is full of unreleased and rare tracks, many of them demos and live versions. Not much in the way of unheard of Nirvana stuff in this, but for a Nirvana completist such as myself, its a must buy. And here in Missouri it was only $50! A fucking steal!
11.10.2004
Shitty Days
As Sublime says, "I ain't gettin' I ain't gettin' out of bed today..."
Well, as you can see by the post time, I've gotten out of bed today, but it was one of the worst ideas in the world. Fuck, I don't even know why. Maybe the stars are out of alignment or maybe my head isn't screwed on straight. It was definitely a Xanax day.
Well, as you can see by the post time, I've gotten out of bed today, but it was one of the worst ideas in the world. Fuck, I don't even know why. Maybe the stars are out of alignment or maybe my head isn't screwed on straight. It was definitely a Xanax day.
For some reason, I have this penchant for old things, like houses and history. Not guys though, sorry. I love anything that seems "retro" and unchanged. I hate it more than anything when I see "progress" happening in towns with rich history and backgrounds, because they tear down anything that can't be made "modern". What the fuck does modernity have to do with history?
Death's view
So I have a slightly sick twisted view on the world. Shut the fuck up and look already.
If you're going to be sexist, be sexist!
Why wouldn't they both exist? I mean, who cooks Father God's dinner, hmmmm?
11.09.2004
Suspension of belief
You know, when I was under the impression that people were reading this, I was scared shitless of posting "dumb" things. I spent more time editing my posts than I do editing college papers. Then today I realized that I have one comment on my blog because I wrote about politics once. Jesus! Is that all anyone in this world cares about is fuckig politics? A rich white guy won, who the fuck cares?
Okay, I care just a little, but seriously folks, I want some readers! Fans! You don't think that I have an urgent need to spill all my beans on the web to strangers, do you? I mean, maybe I do, but that's not the reason I started this. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why I started this...I'll have to get back to you on that.
Now I'm just going to write whatever the fuck I want because I don't care if you are reading it or not! And if I get stupid comments, I'll delete them and ban you from posting! Bwah ha ha haha ha!
So, in summation, don't fucking comment on the blog simply because it deals with politics! God man, get a life! Think about something else for a change, like how to get by on this Republican economy...
Okay, I care just a little, but seriously folks, I want some readers! Fans! You don't think that I have an urgent need to spill all my beans on the web to strangers, do you? I mean, maybe I do, but that's not the reason I started this. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why I started this...I'll have to get back to you on that.
Now I'm just going to write whatever the fuck I want because I don't care if you are reading it or not! And if I get stupid comments, I'll delete them and ban you from posting! Bwah ha ha haha ha!
So, in summation, don't fucking comment on the blog simply because it deals with politics! God man, get a life! Think about something else for a change, like how to get by on this Republican economy...
11.08.2004
CSI meets PBS!
Fox is always looking for ways to bring educational programming to the next fun and facinating level in order to engage and entertain children on their learning path. Now, with the popularity of real-crime documentaries like CSI, Cold Case Files, and Autopsy, Fox has a brand-new way to introduce children to seemingly complex topics like anatomy, electronics, reproduction, and psychology.
Enter Toon 'Topsy! We take beloved cartoons, stuffed animals, and other recognizable commercial characters and place them at the center of attention in this all-new hour long educational show. Watch as investigators gather clues, coroners dissect carcasses, and criminals pay for their crimes in this stunning and compelling new series, only from Fox! (check local listings for showtimes)
Check out the new special from your friends at Fox!
Enter Toon 'Topsy! We take beloved cartoons, stuffed animals, and other recognizable commercial characters and place them at the center of attention in this all-new hour long educational show. Watch as investigators gather clues, coroners dissect carcasses, and criminals pay for their crimes in this stunning and compelling new series, only from Fox! (check local listings for showtimes)
Check out the new special from your friends at Fox!
11.07.2004
If only spam came in a can
Then I could throw the bitches away. Goddamn spammers should be drug out into the street and shot in the fleshy parts then left to die in the sun so their bodies will bloat and leak into the gutters. And we should poke them with sharp things and throw gross stuff at them. And yell obscenities like, "Do you want bigger penis?", "No doctor necessary! Relieve daughter pain now!", "I AM ________ FROM NIGERIA BANK AND I HAVE IDEA FOR YOU", and "Refinance now! Bad credit no problem!"
God won't care. Trust me.
God won't care. Trust me.
11.06.2004
Not all here
Sorry I haven't blogged today, I'm just busy doing artwork and webdesign. Fucking CSS is driving me nuts, especially when I have to fix other people's problems. Oh well, here are some interesting links for you to check out:
The Growl Blog! - If you've read my profile, you know I'm shamelessly plugging my workplace.
IckleBug - Just an interesting graphics community. Check out the pill pharmacy and the pixel train.
KarToo - A killer fucking search engine that visually maps out related websites. You have to try it out!
Americans Are Too Stupid For Democracy
Enjoy, and hopefully I'll be functional tomorrow.
The Growl Blog! - If you've read my profile, you know I'm shamelessly plugging my workplace.
IckleBug - Just an interesting graphics community. Check out the pill pharmacy and the pixel train.
KarToo - A killer fucking search engine that visually maps out related websites. You have to try it out!
Americans Are Too Stupid For Democracy
Enjoy, and hopefully I'll be functional tomorrow.
11.03.2004
People don't change, they just get older
Man, my dad is freakin' old. He turned 80 today (he was 55 when I was born), and we (my family) went out to eat at Cielito Lindo's for Mexican. Never eat out with your parents. In fact, this is what I recommend to students who will be or are recently graduated from high school:
1) Get your parents DSL, cable, broadband, or some form of high-speed internet access and, most importantly, make sure they know how to use it. Ask your potential ISP if their service will support video conferencing. If your parents can see you once in a while and verify that you haven't done anything too drastic to yourself, they will be less likely to interfere in your life, giving you more time to do what you need to do.
2) Move out of state immediately following graduation (or immediately if you have already graduated). If you plan on going to college, find an out-of-state one. If you don't, find an out-of-state career, or enroll in a college for the first semester and find a job. Become a roadie, join the circus, see the nation, whatever you have to do. Moving out is like pulling off a band-aid, if you do it slowly, you suffer even slower. Ripping those parental ties right out makes the scars heal faster.
3) Talk to your parents at least once a week, and keep the conversations between ten (10) and fifteen (15) minutes. Anything less and your parents will get suspicious (and suspicion eventually leads to a face-to-face session), anything more and you'll be wishing you hadn't. This length gives you plenty of time to get through the small talk ("How's sis?" "She's fine, still dating Jeffrey...") and the gossip, and doesn't give the parents enough time to press the really hard issues. When there's an unnatural pause, its probably time to get off the phone. Be nice though.
4) Visit on holidays. I know it sucks, and the only consultation I can give you is you get to put your kids through it someday. But until then, if you want to keep the 'rents out of your grill, you have to show up to these events. Smile, let Uncle Artie pinch your cheek, let distant elderly relatives refer to you as long-dead ancestors, and thank your parents for the privilege. Trust me, they'll be so happy that someone's not screaming at them they won't have time to wonder why you've been wearing long sleeves and sniffing an awful lot.
Your parents will always embarrass you, but if you don't live somewhere that they can force you to be seen in public with them, the embarrassment is down to a manageable level.
1) Get your parents DSL, cable, broadband, or some form of high-speed internet access and, most importantly, make sure they know how to use it. Ask your potential ISP if their service will support video conferencing. If your parents can see you once in a while and verify that you haven't done anything too drastic to yourself, they will be less likely to interfere in your life, giving you more time to do what you need to do.
2) Move out of state immediately following graduation (or immediately if you have already graduated). If you plan on going to college, find an out-of-state one. If you don't, find an out-of-state career, or enroll in a college for the first semester and find a job. Become a roadie, join the circus, see the nation, whatever you have to do. Moving out is like pulling off a band-aid, if you do it slowly, you suffer even slower. Ripping those parental ties right out makes the scars heal faster.
3) Talk to your parents at least once a week, and keep the conversations between ten (10) and fifteen (15) minutes. Anything less and your parents will get suspicious (and suspicion eventually leads to a face-to-face session), anything more and you'll be wishing you hadn't. This length gives you plenty of time to get through the small talk ("How's sis?" "She's fine, still dating Jeffrey...") and the gossip, and doesn't give the parents enough time to press the really hard issues. When there's an unnatural pause, its probably time to get off the phone. Be nice though.
4) Visit on holidays. I know it sucks, and the only consultation I can give you is you get to put your kids through it someday. But until then, if you want to keep the 'rents out of your grill, you have to show up to these events. Smile, let Uncle Artie pinch your cheek, let distant elderly relatives refer to you as long-dead ancestors, and thank your parents for the privilege. Trust me, they'll be so happy that someone's not screaming at them they won't have time to wonder why you've been wearing long sleeves and sniffing an awful lot.
Your parents will always embarrass you, but if you don't live somewhere that they can force you to be seen in public with them, the embarrassment is down to a manageable level.
11.01.2004
Don't forget to vote!
The polls open in 7 hours (EST), 8 hours (CST), 9 hours (MST), and 10 hours (PST). Don't miss your chance to vote!
Museums of oddity and amusement
museum: a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value.
Long ago I searched for a good black and white picture of barbed wire for a website I was doing. I ended up not needing the clip art, but I found an interesting online museum dedicated to barbed wire.
Skip to last week when I discovered that I had never organized my favorite links, which was a little like not having ever done your laundry. I naturally put down my psychology study guide and began reorganizing in true nerd fashion. I discovered that I have a twisted taste in websites, and among those that struck me was the Devil's Rope Barbed Wire Museum. After rediscovering the joys of said museum, I thought, "I wonder what other museums are dedicated to weird things like this.." and proceeded to search.
Unfortunately I have an undiagnosed case of ADD and became bored after only a few websites, but I did find some interesting ones to share with you, since I have this obligation to the blog and all:
The Condiment Packet Museum - if the devil works through idle hands, this must be his opus
Moist Towelette Online Museum - yup, there is a museum for this too
Museum of Menstruation - yeah, you're reading it right...its not an online museum and its not open anymore, but Jesus, you have to check this out
Museum of Weird Consumer Culture
Online Auction Museum - not only is it online, but its a museum of online auctions! that's using the human language
These are just a few. There are surely tons more...but I do pretend to have a life, so if you would like to inform me of quirky preferably online museums, post a comment. Enjoy!
Long ago I searched for a good black and white picture of barbed wire for a website I was doing. I ended up not needing the clip art, but I found an interesting online museum dedicated to barbed wire.
Skip to last week when I discovered that I had never organized my favorite links, which was a little like not having ever done your laundry. I naturally put down my psychology study guide and began reorganizing in true nerd fashion. I discovered that I have a twisted taste in websites, and among those that struck me was the Devil's Rope Barbed Wire Museum. After rediscovering the joys of said museum, I thought, "I wonder what other museums are dedicated to weird things like this.." and proceeded to search.
Unfortunately I have an undiagnosed case of ADD and became bored after only a few websites, but I did find some interesting ones to share with you, since I have this obligation to the blog and all:
The Condiment Packet Museum - if the devil works through idle hands, this must be his opus
Moist Towelette Online Museum - yup, there is a museum for this too
Museum of Menstruation - yeah, you're reading it right...its not an online museum and its not open anymore, but Jesus, you have to check this out
Museum of Weird Consumer Culture
Online Auction Museum - not only is it online, but its a museum of online auctions! that's using the human language
These are just a few. There are surely tons more...but I do pretend to have a life, so if you would like to inform me of quirky preferably online museums, post a comment. Enjoy!
SurfTable
Blogging from a SurfTable at the top of the Plaster Student Union here at SmSU (not my fault, the capital "m" doesn't seem to work at this table...). Just wanted you all to know that I had a test in Psychology today that affirms my mother's statement: "College is high school with ash trays."
Stay in school kids so you can put off being responsible for at least 5 years.
Peace.
Stay in school kids so you can put off being responsible for at least 5 years.
Peace.
10.31.2004
Political Prisoner in Waiting
I am sick to fucking death of politics. Doesn't anyone else realize that both cadidates are bad and we should just wing it captainless for awhile? I mean, we've never tried it, how do we know it won't work? Just because I have never eaten brussel sprouts doesn't mean I wouldn't like them.
And who knows? Once we try not having a president, we may never want one back! I mean, no annoying political ads to darken your otherwise cheery evening watching "Survivor: Siamese Twin Removal" or the new metrosexual sitcom the networks have to offer.
If you think like me, show your (lack of) support for the elections this year by purchasing one of tshirthell.com's lovely political shirts. This is my favorite one.
And who knows? Once we try not having a president, we may never want one back! I mean, no annoying political ads to darken your otherwise cheery evening watching "Survivor: Siamese Twin Removal" or the new metrosexual sitcom the networks have to offer.
If you think like me, show your (lack of) support for the elections this year by purchasing one of tshirthell.com's lovely political shirts. This is my favorite one.
Happy Halloween and Daylight Savings Time!
Happy Halloween everyone! Don't drink and drive, and make sure you eat all your candy tonight. Don't worry, you can pull a supermodel and puke it all up in the morning.
In addition, don't forget to set your clocks back an hour so you can have an extra hour of drinking or smoking or whatever... :-)
In addition, don't forget to set your clocks back an hour so you can have an extra hour of drinking or smoking or whatever... :-)
10.30.2004
OPM
Chasing the dragon before Halloween is awesome! I'm listening to all the fucking drunk college kiddies scream and puke and scream again.
Awesome.
Awesome.
10.23.2004
What is this, Iraq?
I have seen it all now! Down the street from my boyfriend's house (right next to the Southwest Missouri State University campus) there is a huge Kerry/Edwards sign attached to the ground with cinderblocks and barbed wire! Now I know for sure that we are in the buckle of the Bible Belt.
I'll get a picture of it soon; its been raining and grey all week, so pictures wouldn't come out right. I'll post it as soon as I can.
I'll get a picture of it soon; its been raining and grey all week, so pictures wouldn't come out right. I'll post it as soon as I can.
10.21.2004
Organic media
This site is aesthetically and intellectually awesome, in the truest sense of the word. Ben Fry is a graduate student at MIT and his master's thesis pertains to organic information design, which I understand to be the process of transforming large pieces of information into visual models to be more thoroughly comprehended by our ocular society.
He has several neat programs ("Zipdecode" is cool, although a reload button would be a great addition) and a generally informative site. WARNING! If you suffer from low self-esteem regarding your IQ, this site is not for you!!!
This particular screen shot is of "Anemone," a program that reads web traffic and maps it into this growing creature like crystals forming in a petri dish. The normal version reads cached traffic, but he has a real-time one as well, although I would recommend viewing at a high-traffic time to fully appreciate the program.
Pisces body art
This is a great picture body art (no, its not my body, but I wish!). This is a Pisces symbol. If you haven't read my profile, I'll tell you that I'm a pisces.
This was from a day that I did a lot of image searching. Search Google Images for weird nouns like "meat" and "coin purse." I guarantee a lot of weird pictures, if not at least 15 unproductive minutes.
Gas is $4.20? Where are we, Amsterdam?
This is the only time I would pay over $2 for a gallon of gas. I saw this on 4-20-2004, as I was driving down Campbell Street in Springfield. It was like 10pm and no one was out on the street. Seriously they fucking roll up the sidewalks in this town! But anyways, gas doesn't cost this much here thank God.
10.18.2004
Reducing commercials on the radio can't be all bad, you say...
...but you'd be wrong. Sure, it sounds great to reduce the annoying number of ads you hear day in and day out on any given commercial FM radio station; every 15 minutes the station reminds you of what station you're listening to and what cool things you should buy to be like all the aweseome DJs and musicians you can't wait to get back to listening to.
Why is this so bad, you ask? Well, for one thing, its not. Its a great idea, and I'm glad someone is finally doing it. The problem isn't the move toward more music, the problem is in the agency doing the moving. Clear Channel Communications is almost solely responsible for the disposable FM radio you hear all over the United States. Thanks to their corporate ownership of over 85% of the rock radio market in the US, Milwaukee sounds exactly like Long Beach, at least on the FM dial. (Thank George W. Bush for Clear Channel's monopoly on the radio waves.) With this much of the market controlled, Clear Channel keeps getting bigger and richer (like America) and competitors get smaller and poorer.
Most FM radio station's income is generated by advertising dollars. The more listeners a station has, the more money advertisers are willing to spend on airtime. Since Clear Channel owns a large portion of the radio market, they receive even larger portions of both the listeners and the advertisers, making their revenues increase. Plus, they often own several different formats in a given market (i.e. both classic rock and modern rock stations in one town) and can air the same commercial on all their market stations. Paired with the aforementioned homogenization of their national market, this makes Clear Channel a formidable corporate foe that small, poor FM stations can barely compete with.
Following the decrease in hourly commercials, expect to see an increase in the cost of advertising on Clear Channel stations nationwide. Not only that, but this move will attract more listeners, making advertising on Clear Channel stations a privledge only afforded Fortune 500 companies. Smaller stations can't afford to cut their profit margins any closer than they already are, and the advertisers won't want to advertise on stations that can't control much of the market anyway.
Your mother was right, you can have too much of a good thing.
Why is this so bad, you ask? Well, for one thing, its not. Its a great idea, and I'm glad someone is finally doing it. The problem isn't the move toward more music, the problem is in the agency doing the moving. Clear Channel Communications is almost solely responsible for the disposable FM radio you hear all over the United States. Thanks to their corporate ownership of over 85% of the rock radio market in the US, Milwaukee sounds exactly like Long Beach, at least on the FM dial. (Thank George W. Bush for Clear Channel's monopoly on the radio waves.) With this much of the market controlled, Clear Channel keeps getting bigger and richer (like America) and competitors get smaller and poorer.
Most FM radio station's income is generated by advertising dollars. The more listeners a station has, the more money advertisers are willing to spend on airtime. Since Clear Channel owns a large portion of the radio market, they receive even larger portions of both the listeners and the advertisers, making their revenues increase. Plus, they often own several different formats in a given market (i.e. both classic rock and modern rock stations in one town) and can air the same commercial on all their market stations. Paired with the aforementioned homogenization of their national market, this makes Clear Channel a formidable corporate foe that small, poor FM stations can barely compete with.
Following the decrease in hourly commercials, expect to see an increase in the cost of advertising on Clear Channel stations nationwide. Not only that, but this move will attract more listeners, making advertising on Clear Channel stations a privledge only afforded Fortune 500 companies. Smaller stations can't afford to cut their profit margins any closer than they already are, and the advertisers won't want to advertise on stations that can't control much of the market anyway.
Your mother was right, you can have too much of a good thing.
10.15.2004
GOP Radio
Check out this disturbing little news snippet I found on Punkvoter.com. It seems Bush is responsible for more than just terrible foreign policy.
Jul 06 2004 / Bush Connection to Clear Channel
This is a lesson in “If you pay the right people enough money, laws will be changed so that your corporation can own more than a fair share of the market.”
Bush Connection to Clear Channel
In 1998, George W. got an excessive amount of money from a guy named Tom Hicks.
Here’s how: Tom Hicks purchased the Texas Rangers from George W. Bush and other investors for $250 million. From an initial investment of $600, 000 George W. profited $14.9 million on the transaction.
On January 22, 2001, (un-) President Bush designates Michael Powell, son of Secretary of State Colin Powell as Chairman of the FCC.
Tom Hicks then becomes Vice Chairman of Clear Channel Radio.
One dog says to the other, “I licked your ass, now you can lick mine.”
On June 2nd, 2003, FCC Chairman Michael Powell voted to further loosen media ownership rules.
Clear Channel goes from owning 36 radio stations (two below the legal limit at the time) to over 1200!
So easy!
Now, you know what this means, right?
If one media corporation owns more and more of the market, we the public get a narrower news perspecive. How are we as citizens supposed to make up our own mind when we’re not given all sides of the story? Sounds like fascism to me. Who could support an administration that supports this kind of a policy?
As for the people who think the media is already liberal enough: Maybe the Journalists, Reporters and News Readers are, and maybe even the Program Directors, but not necessarily true for the CEO’s and owners of those huge corporations. They are the ones in charge, and they support the party that supports the corporations. That’s not the same as supporting the people now, is it?
Jul 06 2004 / Bush Connection to Clear Channel
This is a lesson in “If you pay the right people enough money, laws will be changed so that your corporation can own more than a fair share of the market.”
Bush Connection to Clear Channel
In 1998, George W. got an excessive amount of money from a guy named Tom Hicks.
Here’s how: Tom Hicks purchased the Texas Rangers from George W. Bush and other investors for $250 million. From an initial investment of $600, 000 George W. profited $14.9 million on the transaction.
On January 22, 2001, (un-) President Bush designates Michael Powell, son of Secretary of State Colin Powell as Chairman of the FCC.
Tom Hicks then becomes Vice Chairman of Clear Channel Radio.
One dog says to the other, “I licked your ass, now you can lick mine.”
On June 2nd, 2003, FCC Chairman Michael Powell voted to further loosen media ownership rules.
Clear Channel goes from owning 36 radio stations (two below the legal limit at the time) to over 1200!
So easy!
Now, you know what this means, right?
If one media corporation owns more and more of the market, we the public get a narrower news perspecive. How are we as citizens supposed to make up our own mind when we’re not given all sides of the story? Sounds like fascism to me. Who could support an administration that supports this kind of a policy?
As for the people who think the media is already liberal enough: Maybe the Journalists, Reporters and News Readers are, and maybe even the Program Directors, but not necessarily true for the CEO’s and owners of those huge corporations. They are the ones in charge, and they support the party that supports the corporations. That’s not the same as supporting the people now, is it?
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