Amorphous Sentiency

Inappropriate Police Conduct at the RNC

2008-09-06T15:54:00.006-04:00

To Whom It May Concern,

I would like to express my dismay at a few actions taken by police during the 2008 Republican National Convention. I ask you to please help this commentary find the right ears.

I live in Connecticut, and did not attend the convention or the protests. However, I have followed them closely on the web, and in particular on youtube.com.
One video particularly disturbs me deeply :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j51_9e3a8ak
Update: video taken down - but someone else reposted it :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA6V1JE1zbM
Additionally, here is some media coverage and a different angle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGupCjUaht8

- In this video a girl can be seen non-violently facing off with a line of riot police and bicycle police who are trying to clear the street. Her hands are clearly visible displaying a two finger peace gesture.
- Several bicycle police (4 or 5) repeatedly ram her with the front wheel of their bikes. The girl stumbles back but keeps her hands in the air.
- An officer in riot gear sprays a chemical agent at her from roughly 10 ft to her left. This does not effect her defiant, yet peaceful stance.
- The officer standing directly in front of her then sprays her directly in the face from about 1 foot away.
- The girl then grasps her face in pain and turns / is shoved by another officer away. People in the crowd scream at the police.
- The girl is sprayed repeatedly by several officers even after she is clearly pacified, in pain, and has her hands up posing NO immediate threat to any of the officers.
- Several laser sights can also be seen to be directed at her person.
- The girl is sprayed, shoved, and rammed with bicycle wheels several more times even as she is turned away from the officers grasping her face in pain with one hand and holding the other up with a peace gesture.
- The girl is finally tossed to the ground by the officers. She sits up and raises her hands again in a gesture of peace.
- At this point an officer reaches in and pushes her once more but backs off leading me to believe that no attempt is being made to cuff her.
- A few officers ram their bikes into her legs once more as she supports herself on the ground with one hand while displaying the peace gesture with the other.
- The police can be heard to shout "Leave The Area!" though it is unclear if it is directed at her or the crowd in general, which is all but entirely behind the camera and not directly interfering with the ability of the police to take charge of the situation.
---end of video---

My concern is that the use of power by the police, in my opinion, far exceeded what was necessary to gain compliance. I understand they are trying to clear the crowd, however the crowd appears to be mostly subdued. There seems to be no reason why a few officers could not deal appropriately with this one passive resistor. A few officers could have taken hold of her and forcibly guided her off the street. Failing that, they could have placed her under arrest for interfering with the police. Her behavior in the video seems to indicate that this would have been possible without injury to the officers or herself, without the use of chemical agents, and without abusive treatment that only angers the mob that the police are trying to subdue.

The girl is clearly not physically resisting or fighting back at the officers, and her treatment by the officers is absolutely excessive and abusive. This is not supposed to happen in America and especially not right outside a convention to elect the next leader of the country! This behavior is shameful and I hope that those responsible will be held accountable for their actions.

Thank you for your time,
Dylan Riordan
Citizen of the United States of America

Salty calls for aMOREphous sentiency

2007-11-14T13:48:00.000-05:00

My good friend, Salty, of "Motorcade of Mediocrity" has been insisting that I update my blog. Now Salty, I feel I must point out that I have logged 60 of my 180 posts since your last post! Salty, come on now!! I need me some Salty ramblin' !

Motorcade of Mediocrity hypocrisy aside, I have certainly let the blog trail off a bit, and I do appreciate the encouragement Salty I really do. I don't know what to tell you man, I've been in a slump....just lacking creative motivation.

But anyway Salty, let me tell you something. We made some pesto about 2 weeks ago. I assure you, it was delicious, but the weird thing about this batch of pesto is that it is still bright green even 2 weeks after we made it. Its refusal to oxidize and darken on the surface has lead me to regard it with a great deal of suspicion...which explains why I haven't finished it and it's still in the refrigerator refusing to go bad. [scratches head]

Anyway Salty, that's all I got for now, but I will try to get back into the swing of things. See ya this weekend!

Objects In The Rear View Mirror

2007-08-20T18:46:00.000-04:00

I would like to take this moment to address an issue that has plagued me since it first came to my attention way back in '94 when I was a confused little boy entering the 5th grade and Meat Loaf was hot. No, not meatloaf as in, "meat loaf for dinner again." I am referring to the other Meat Loaf, you know, the one who played Bob in the Hollywood thriller, Fight Club. Five years before he donned the "bitch-tits" costume, Meat Loaf was hot on the charts with his single, Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are. The reference to the warning on a rear view mirror is a poignant metaphor about how memories from long ago still haunt us in the present.
All too true I'm afraid, but I myself have always been haunted by the fact that the title of the song is in blatant contradiction to the actual warning on a rear view mirror.

Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear.

Meat Loaf would have you believe that objects appear close when they are, in fact, far. The man clearly does not understand the principles of a convex mirror and could have taken a lesson from this scene in the 1993 Hollywood thriller Jurassic Park, which clearly points out the fact that, though the T-Rex appears close, it is in fact, closer. Oh Shit, Look Out Malcolm!!! Think they'll have that on the tour? Yes.... apparently, yes.

"Walking" -Ryan Larkin (1968)

2007-08-16T12:28:00.000-04:00

Photographer criticised

2007-07-26T16:39:00.000-04:00

"Liu [the photographer] defended himself, saying: 'I just knew that the city government has paved the pit, and without my pictures, the pit would not be noticed by the government, and there would perhaps be more people falling over.'" -Link found via peoplefallingover.com

Summer Reading Lists

2007-07-23T14:04:00.000-04:00

"Today, where we live, the start of a two-day look at literacy in Connecticut. We'll talk with teachers and librarians about the benefits and the pitfalls of assigned summer reading. We'll find out what books teachers are asking their students to read. And, we'll look at the Harry Potter effect. What if millions of kids choose to pick up a book this summer that nobody told them to read?" - Link

My mom went on NPR's "Where We Live" this morning to discuss summer reading lists, a topic which she is quite passionate about. She and I have had many discussions about education over the years and I am proud to hear her on the radio discussing some of the same issues.

Avatar Machine

2007-07-12T00:46:00.000-04:00

"Avatar Machine is a system which replicates the aesthetics and visuals of third person gaming, allowing the user to view themselves as a virtual character in real space" Found via Hack A Day

Will Wright and Brian Eno on Generative Music

2007-06-20T03:17:00.000-04:00

Watch the whole talk

Oh Life With Your Colorful Suprises

2007-06-10T04:57:00.000-04:00

April Was...
- Ziggomatic 17 and the flow of everything
- Grindhouse with Mike, Chris, and Sara
- Secret passages and Attic Break-ins
- Photo-lab phun, a photo of birds, and hats in the mirror
- The Senior show! Jen! Then a party at Elanie's and my new hat got around.
- "It all comes down to the fact that I have two grapes and a Big Y coin in my pocket" - Mike Stenta
- 1 Frame every 2 min for the next 2 weeks....and....GO!
- "I can gather all the news I need on the weather report. Hey, I got nothing to do today but smile."
- Niantic with Mike, Shane, and a snack. We found a "Trust Me" pamphlet with ulterior motives.
- Magnifying Glasses, Soap Bubbles, and Silly Putty at Artspace.
- "I've gotta big big big big heart beat, yeah! I think you are the sweetest thing."
- The fog rolled into Iceland and we were silhouettes.
- A party at Will's. A few more hat photos, and I met Patricia.
- Back up on the hill for sunsets & oranges....it was windy!

May Was...
- Aim conversations and an unexpected 4am "booty pickup".
- 2 Exams and then, "FREEDOM!!!!!!!"
- A campfire in the woods.
- Slack line with Mike and Julianne. We're gonna start a commune...someday...someday.
- Philosophy at the Conifer Garden and I found a 4 leaf clover.
- The Artspace time-lapse came to an end.
- Then pizza at my place w/ Mike, Julianne, Kyleen, and Zoe.
- Scalp massages from Patricia.
- Wrecking my car and hitting a cat on 195.
- Diana's Pool with Mike, Noelle & Malerie
- It was raining sunlight at sunset... and photos of Chris's eye.
- 16mm film spaghetti at WHUS because I forgot the take-up reel.
- Bonfire at Will's
- Bottle cap philosophy and skyward gazes with Malerie
- Planning the basement project with Dusty
- Charlie Chaplin in the backyard
- The slide, the sun,The Henney Buggy Band... and well, what is life without a little uncertainty?
- A new car!
- Packing, saying good bye, and moving out. Oh how I will miss that house.

It's raining seed pods in Hampton

2007-05-29T22:21:00.000-04:00

It's raining seed pods in Hampton
Tiny sails with a genetic payload
They fly to do battle with entropy
Their roots will grasp chaos
Their branches will thrust upwards
And a new fleet will be born to continue the battle

My Car Wreck

2007-05-18T12:25:00.000-04:00

More Photos

Monday afternoon I was heading down to my mom's house to work on the basement remodeling project my brother and I have planned. Just down the street from her house on Route 195, a cat ran right in front of my car. I know you're not supposed to swerve, but it was completely reflex. I'm a cat person and I really didn't want to hit that cat, but the thwunk sound on the undercarriage let me know that I had failed to avoid it... But I didn't have time to think about that because at this point the car lost traction. I swung the wheel left, then right trying to regain control.

There's a moment right before impact, right when you know you're not gonna avoid it. At this moment you think, "Fuck, this is going to suck." You think, "Well I'll be needing a new car cuz this one's going to be fuuuucked up." You think, "I wonder if the airbags are going to go off." Then it's all impact.

The car caught the edge of the road, spun around, and bounced off a tree. Suddenly I found myself with a whole bunch of canvas in my lap. The car was filled with smoke and it smelled like firecrackers. Airbags utilize an explosive charge, that's how they fill up so fast. The smoke was still pouring out of flaps in the heap of canvas in my lap. The windshield was smashed and bits of glass were everywhere.

I wanted out of the wreck, but my door would not open. It had been wedged shut in the twisted metal. I remember thinking, "I might have to climb out of the back door," but I can't remember if I did or not. Somehow I found myself on the side of the road. I grabbed my phone and called my mom, then I called 911, then I forgot that I called my mom and called her again. Passing motorists kept stopping and asking me if I was ok. I said yes.

Within a minute or two I heard the sirens. An ambulance and several police cars pulled up and suddenly the area was alive with activity. A paramedic came up to me and inspected my hand which was trickling a small amount of blood. He wrapped my hand in an excessive amount of gauze and asked me all sorts of questions. Meanwhile a police officer asked for my license and reached into the glove box for the registration. He took them to his car to process.

A wrecker showed up and dragged the car off the side of the road with some sort of quick jack. The paramedic commented, "It's amazing what they can do with wreckers these days." Then the car was towed off down the street.

It was right about this time that my mom and brother arrived at the scene. My mom gave me a big hug and I burst into tears suddenly realizing what had caused the wreck in the first place. "I hit a cat," I sobbed.

That's all I have to say about it right now...

2007-05-14T14:34:00.000-04:00

An hour and a half ago I killed a cat and wrecked my car. That's all I have to say about it right now...

Diet Coke and Mentos

2007-05-08T00:58:00.000-04:00

Experiment #1

Experiment #2

EepyBird.com

Yea Spider Kite! OWWW!

2007-04-30T21:57:00.000-04:00

Spinning metal disks

2007-04-16T03:04:00.000-04:00

A significant portion of my life is precariously invested in the microscopic particles on but a few small spinning metal disks. This realization leaves me conflicted between two thoughts:
1) That I must strengthen and protect this investment with more spinning metal disks.
2) That I must reduce my dependence on spinning metal disks.

Drummer Larry Wright

2007-04-12T21:42:00.000-04:00

Thank's for the link Dusty, this guy is amazing!

KulturWatch

2007-03-20T20:59:00.001-04:00

Guest contributor Tryk Bullfrog III (by way of the Blackshire Bullfrogs) examines the role of slow internet connection speeds in the development of America's youth in this weeks installment of KulturWatch.

Doodle

2007-03-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

Ink Under the Influence.

2007-02-21T18:20:00.000-05:00

I posted 2 photos of ink swirls in water. A tiny drop of isopropyl alcohol causes quite a turbulent disturbance.

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

2007-02-07T10:40:00.000-05:00

"Today, the Machine acts like a very large computer with top-level functions that operate at approximately the clock speed of an early PC. It processes 1 million emails each second, which essentially means network email runs at 1 megahertz. Same with Web searches. Instant messaging runs at 100 kilohertz, SMS at 1 kilohertz. The Machine's total external RAM is about 200 terabytes. In any one second, 10 terabits can be coursing through its backbone, and each year it generates nearly 20 exabytes of data. Its distributed "chip" spans 1 billion active PCs, which is approximately the number of transistors in one PC.

This planet-sized computer is comparable in complexity to a human brain. Both the brain and the Web have hundreds of billions of neurons (or Web pages). Each biological neuron sprouts synaptic links to thousands of other neurons, while each Web page branches into dozens of hyperlinks. That adds up to a trillion "synapses" between the static pages on the Web. The human brain has about 100 times that number - but brains are not doubling in size every few years. The Machine is." - Wired Magazine, "We Are The Web"

Postmodern?

2007-02-05T00:16:00.000-05:00

NYC's True Graffiti Problem

2007-02-03T12:41:00.000-05:00

A new project by the Anti-Advertising Agency with Graffiti Research Lab.

The Moon Set Up Us The Bomb

2007-02-02T20:38:00.000-05:00

I remain utterly fascinated by the recent events in Boston. On Facebook I discivered the "I Survived the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Terrorist Attack!" group, and it sparked me to spend a few more hours poking around in the blogosphere. I figured I would share some highlights:

The Beginning

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Media Censors/Alters Photos

Updated: Boston Mooninite installers arrested

And of course there are already T-shirts:

Aqua Teen Bomber Force

Mooninite Tee

And this guy...

The men who installed the scarry LEDs make a statement to the press....About 70's Hairstyles.

Boston LED terror scare: a message to the media

The news broadcasts made multiple claims, "...and no one is laughing"......I'm still laughing....and I think most of the blog culture is also laughing....a lot.

I Hope The Department of Homeland Security Can See This Because I'm Doing It As Hard As I Can.

2007-02-02T01:28:00.000-05:00

Mooninites Invade Boston; Everyone Freaks The Fuck Out.
Settle down people! It's just some LEDs, no one has, "set up us the bomb".

ignignokt: if you have a problem with that maybe you should take that up with mr. laser
err: yea mr. laser
ignignokt: here it comes
err: here it comes
ignignokt: you will be destroyed
err: you're going down
ignignokt: the explosion shall be of extraordinary magnitude/just hang on
err: it takes a while

On a somewhat related note, check out the Homeland Security Advisory Tower cooked up over at the Grafgiti Research Labs

Genesis 19: Total Insanity

2007-02-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

Pulsatin' Corn Starch Holes, From The Liquid Top View

2007-01-21T17:45:00.000-05:00

Ain't that fascinatin'......Ain't that fascinatin'......Fascinatin'

-Thanks for the link Adam!

Yo Whatup, Kid I'm The Juice Fairy: My Juice Addiction

2006-12-27T03:29:00.000-05:00

Photo Credit: Catherine Roach of Waltham, MA

So lately I've realized that I have a problem. I have a serious juice addiction...and when I say juice, I actually mean juice, not some slang term for some other highly addictive substance. They hooked me young man! Back on the playground when I was young and impressionable they put a sippy cup in my hand and told me to try it. All the other kids were doing it. "Come on, try it" they said. Now I have a 2 quart a day habit and let me tell you something, that shit is expensive! My friends want me to check into a clinic...but those shots of high fructose corn syrup just don't cut it.

Whose Splat Is That?

2006-12-24T13:24:00.000-05:00

A little while back, I posted an ink splat. The following is kind of a response to my mom's comment, "So whose splat is it?".

I merely let loose the drop of ink
Conscious, calculated
A quick subtle flick of the wrist.

The drop fell
Serene, systematic,
Empirically spherical and predictably straight down.

But for that splat:
Kinetic, explosive,
Expressively, existentially bold and deliberately declared

For the flowing globular tendrils
Exuberant, eruptive,
Elatedly and passionately striving but not quite breaking free.

For the miniscule droplets
Skipping and skittering
Franticaly, fervently flung and unfettered for a mere fraction of a second.

As for the splash
Precisely spontaneous
With reverence I surrender the drop to physics

The point is that I can't really take credit for the creation of the splat. All I did was engineer the circumstances under which it would BE created, it's actual creation was an explosion of complex math determining the scattering of an incomprehensible number of particles. The scope of this math is quite beyond my capabilities.

Shoes in the Shower by the Overturned Glass

2006-12-05T02:10:00.000-05:00

Voices, Music, and celebration in the other room; there was a Party this night. But this moment was a quiet discovery. An overturned glass and a bold splash of sticky brown liquid. Rum and coke? Who knew, but it felt utterly profound at that moment...Or maybe it was her. She closed the door and pulled the shower curtain behind her. Shoes in the shower, we held each other beside the overturned beverage and the bottle of Suave shampoo. Quietly desperate, we kissed until a knock on the door.

Everyone Is Invited

2006-11-28T00:28:00.000-05:00

University Of Connecticut
Jorgensen Gallery
November 30th - December 13th

Opening Reception November 30th 6-8PM

Why Is Rachael Ray On My Box Of Wheat Thins?

2006-11-26T23:40:00.000-05:00

Rachael Ray's Entertaining Recipie on back!
Oh Snap! I could barley contain my excitement....wait...no, that would require turning the box around. Pffft, whatever, I don't have time for that!
.....a few minutes pass......
Spinach, Garlic, and Vegetable Dip ...... I'm not entertained.

You Can Eat Pizza Anytime

2006-11-20T18:53:00.000-05:00

"Bagel Bites was widely advertised with the jingle:

Pizza in the morning,
pizza in the evening,
pizza at suppertime!
When pizza's on a bagel,
you can eat pizza any time!'

In fact, one can eat pizza at any time of the day, whether on a bagel or not." - Wikipedia

Bold

2006-11-18T18:50:00.000-05:00

One day...One day

2006-11-05T17:53:00.001-05:00

My content management system will be a borderline conscious entity

Run-on Sentence Revelations

2006-11-05T00:15:00.000-05:00

Perhaps there is a book that is not wanted to be written because the ending is sad, even though most of it is happy, but people seem to focus on the ending and if the ending is sad, then the whole thing was sad, but the thing is, the story is life and life is one long continuous thing and the end isn’t necessarily the end, because life keeps going, and just because a chapter has closed doesn’t really mean it’s the end of the story and maybe it’s really just the beginning and even if two characters part in one chapter, they may return in chapters way far in the future because that’s how life works you know, your story coincides with another person’s story for a while, then shit happens and the two stories go on their own tangential stories, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that that the book is written and done and over because things can change and what once seemed to be the point of the story, soon becomes just another sentence in the real story.

See, it’s where you put the period that counts. But it can just as easily be a comma.

Update 11-05-06

Mom: Did you WRITE "Run-on Sentence Revelations"?
Me: yea
Me: last night
Mom: veerrry interesting.
Me: how so?
Mom: I think I'll have to read it a few times to make my sense of what it means.
Me: it's this form of freewriting that I do every once and a while....I try not to stop typing
Me: and I don't allow periods
Me: just one long run on sentance
Mom: You are such an interesting person.
Me: but that one got me thinking about editing and such.....it's where you put the period that counts...or where you end it...because that's the basis around which people draw their conclusions
Mom: You should read "Eats shoots and leaves."
Me: but if you just keep going, the point just gets mixed in as just another detail
Mom: Or the children's version.
Mom: Yeah, I see.
Me: and it's like life...because with life, it just keeps going...so evcerything is constantly re-evaluated
Me: meaning changes
Me: btw..can I post this chunk of our conversation?
Mom: And that is a VERY good thing.
Mom: Why!?
Me: cuz I think it clairifies my point
Mom: ok

Pineapple Semicolon

2006-11-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

Update 11-4: I added the second clause.

Another Daily Photo Project

2006-11-02T00:11:00.000-05:00

Another photo every day project...a girl this time.

The Books - Smells Like Content

2006-11-01T14:49:00.000-05:00

The Books - Smells Like Content

Balace, Repition
Composition, Mirrors

most of all the world is a place
where parts of wholes are described
whithin an overarching paradigm of clarity
and accuracy
the context of which makes possible
an underlying sense of the way it all fits together
despite our collective tendancy not to concieve of it as such

but then again
the world without end
is a place where souls are combined
but with an overbearing feeling of disparity,
disorderliness
to ingnore is impossible
without getting oneself
into all kinds of trouble
despite one’s best intentions
not to get entangled with it so much

and meanwhile the statues are bleeding green
and others are saying things
much better than we ever could
as the quiet becomes suddenly verbose

and the hail is heralding the size of nickles,
and the street corners are gnashing together
like gears inside the head
of some omnicient engineer
and downward flows the garnered wisdom
that has never died

when finally we opened the box
we couldn’t find any rules
our heads were reeling with a glut of possibilities,
contingencies
but with ever increasing faith
we decided to go ahead and just ingnore them
despite tremendous pressure to capitulate and fade

so instead we went ahead
to fabricate a catalog
of unstable elements
and modicums
and particles with non-zero total strangeness
for brief moments which amount
to nothing more than tiny fragments of a finger snap

and meanwhile we’re furiously sleeping green
and the map has started tearing along it’s creases
due to overuse
when in reality, it’s never needed folds

and the air’s witholding the sound
of its wellspring,
and our heads are approacing a density
reminiscient of the infinite connectivity
of the center of the sun
and therein lies the garnered wisdom
that has never died

expectation leads to disappointment
if you don’t expect something big, huge, and exciting
usually, uh…
i dont know… it’s just not as… yeah

A Photo Every Day

2006-11-01T02:20:00.000-05:00

This guy has been taking a photo of himself every day for the past 8 years! Check out his animation!

This one is cool too (a different person)
And another similar project.
And this guy has showered with 100 women. Go figure.

Poor Tin Man

2006-10-30T01:41:00.000-05:00

Ebsen was originally cast as the "Tin Man" in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. He recorded all his songs, went through all the rehearsals, and started filming with the rest of the cast. He was rushed to the hospital nine days after filming began, when his lungs seized after a week of inhaling aluminum dust from the dangerously experimental "tin" makeup.

While Ebsen was in the hospital for two weeks, recovering from a near-fatal allergic reaction to the dust, he was replaced by Jack Haley. Haley didn't run the same risk, as the makeup was changed in the meantime from a dust to a paste... MGM did not publicize the reasons for Ebsen leaving the film, and even Haley wasn't made aware of why Ebsen left until later; in an interview videotaped before his death, Ebsen recalled that the studio heads didn't believe he was sick until someone tried to order Ebsen back to the set and was intercepted by an angry nurse. No footage of Ebsen as the Tin Man has to date surfaced. - From Wikipedia "Buddy Ebsen"

P.S. - "I'm telling you, Dark Side of the Moon totally synchs up with the Wizard of Oz!"

Reminiscent

2006-10-29T23:28:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the most important things are the hardest to write about.

Willard Wigan

2006-10-29T20:37:00.000-05:00

Wow! These are amazing!! Thanks for the link Gretchen!

Ben Takes A Photo Of Himself Everyday

2006-10-27T19:09:00.000-04:00

http://jessenovak.com/

This is soo good! I keep noticing new things each time I watch it. You really have to go frame by frame, and watch the background and everything going on.

More Smash

2006-10-21T18:17:00.000-04:00

I uploaded a few more high speed photos from a few weeks ago.

104 Photos From Friday Night

2006-10-16T01:28:00.000-04:00

...:: 104 Photos From Friday Night ::...

The Script

2006-10-10T21:23:00.000-04:00

Another Weekend

2006-10-10T07:08:00.000-04:00

Friday
- In bed until 4 with a bad hang over, how did this happen?
- Cleaned the apartment for the party tonight.
- What Party? Perhaps next time we should remember to invite people.
- But Jason came, and Katie of course.
- BBQ
- And Jenn came too!
- Everyone went to bed so early! Lame

Saturday
- Listened to some vinyl with Jenn after everyone else went to bed.
- Goodbye to Jenn
- AIM till 5:30, good conversation.
- Egg and cheese sandwich
- Good morning Jason. Good Bye Jason.
- Sleep..........
- Mom called at 2. Go outside!
- Out for a walk.
- Called Mr Rob Bailey, It's for a movie, left a message.
- Photos of fissures on the tennis court.
- It's Rob!
- Back to my apt to begin the DocuMockuMobius Strip....I'll explain later.
- Coventry Pizza...because Nick told us NOT to come.
- Brookfield CT to see Billy B! Haven't seen you in years Billy, years!
- Billy's demoing Karaoke machines at the local Costco.
- Explained the movie to Billy.
- We should go to Manhattan.
- That's a crazy idea....you realize we have to do it now...It's for a movie.

Sunday
- Rob went to University...Billy only got a list of phone numbers.
- $4.50 x 2 on the Triborough Bridge...cuz we missed our exit.
- NY Driving isn't so bad....AHHH!........AHHH!
- NY Parking...try that street....no..hmm.
- The pedestrian really made the extra effort to flick us off.
- Rob + Parallel parking = "nope, just a few smudges, nothing serious"
- Up to Billy's Apt to meet his roommates.
- Erik has an audition tomorrow.
- Rob improvs a scene with him, and gives him some pointers...Rob went to University.
- 3am Philosophy on Manhattan Rooftop.
- More pointers for the character.
- It's 3:30am I'm out of film...we better go...Really great meeting all of you!
- Are we going the right way? It say's New Jersey....Naw, we're fine.
- Back to Brookfield....Back to Hampton
- Dump the files, and some final remarks.
- It's 8:30am....I'm going to SLEEEEP........
- Mom called at 1:00. Me:"Guess where I ended up last night" Mom:"Oh no, Jail?"
- Rolled outta bed around 2:30 ... food
- Called Gretchen back...hmmm...I better leave like, 20 min ago.
- It's 1:05 away, I'll be there in 0:50.....0:45 later...
- Crown Palace Theatre for "The Departed" just in time.
- Back to Hampton - on the way: look at that moon!
- a little work, some AIM convos.
- Watching footage with Mike.
(Monday)
- "Rob, we're filming the movie, we'll meet you at Walmart"
- Walmart sucks
- Your Store? no...Your Store
- Loitering.....it's for a movie.
- Dawn means bed time lately.

Senior Project 10-9

2006-10-10T05:06:00.000-04:00

More Images

This week I tried to be spontaneous, exploratory, and playful. I went for a walk and discovered some cracks in a tennis court. These fascinated me and many of my images this week go off on that tangent. I liked the idea that the ground is in a way flowing, moving and fracturing. I also continued playing with lenses.

One thing we discussed in our meeting was the idea of limiting myself to a small, seemingly uninteresting location, and searching for things that are interesting and overlooked. I met a kid the other night who said, "Reality is boring, that's why I take drugs", and it stuck with me because I thought, "How can anyone find reality to be boring". I think they haven't really looked around them. Perhaps by limiting myself to a confined space, I can prove that there is always something of interest. I think these thoughts were in the back of my mind when I did the time lapse of my kitchen trying to show the complex movement and interactions at play.

Weekend

2006-10-02T02:24:00.000-04:00

Friday
- Paint Crew at 10am. Just a few touch-ups
- Spanish Quiz at 11am. Think I did ok.
- Picked up Dusty and it was off to Northwood to do the second coat.
- Lunch with Dusty.
- Radio Shack doesn't have transistors! WHAT!
- Walmart doesn't have pellet Guns! WHAT!
- Wandered around Walmart shooting photos of gross consumerism.
- Tried to build improvised flash delay circuit with Paul - failed.
- Desperately and without direction shooting photos for senior project.
- Went for a walk to shoot photos, ended up collecting leaves.
- Troubleshooting on Batch #8 and #10
- Late night run to Mom's with Mike to get my peppers, then Big Y to get some more.
- Made 2.5 Gallons of Salsa. Mmmm Spicy!

Saturday
- Up till 4am canning Salsa.
- Awake around Noon.
- Read bits of "Emergence" in bed until Chris called.
- Bacon Egg and Cheese. Breakfast - a rarity.
- Chris and Sara Stopped by for a bit.
- Brewed batch #11 - Honey Brown.
- Frozen Pizza and Family Guy with Paul
- Started setting up camera rig for high speed photo shoot.

Sunday
- Midnight run to the evil Walmart for a back drop and stuff to smash.
- Frozen Pizza and documentary with Mike.
- Honey Brown foamed over just like the Porter. Gave it a ballon and let it settle itself down.
- Up till 7am setting up photo rig. Smashed 2 wine glasses as the sun rose.
- Woke up at 2:30, boo! Daylight wasted!
- Bacon Egg and Cheese.
- Overcast and drizzly outside, boo again!
- Chased Turkeys around the yard while Shiva watched.
- Photos outside, not a sunny day, but it had a certain charm.
- Went for a walk and Shiva followed.
- Popped 2 balloons, smashed 2 wine glasses and a tequila bottle.
(monday)
- Cleaned up the mess.
- Blog Posts when I have more important things to be doing.

Shiva is a Dog

2006-10-02T01:56:00.000-04:00

Today I decided to go for a walk. After a short distance I noticed that Shiva was following me down the road. I kept walking for a while, expecting her to head back home any minute. But she just kept trotting along behind me, weaving from one side of the road to the other sniffing things. I was afraid she would get hit by a car, so I turned around and started walking back. I looked over my sholder to see if she was following and sure enough, she went speeding by me, and then looked back to see if I was comming. That cat loves to run...I saw her take off after a squirrel the other day! She's seriously a dog stuck in a cat's body.

Smash!

2006-10-01T07:38:00.000-04:00

Bird Brained

2006-09-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

Smart!

Thanks Mike!

Shiva

2006-09-29T19:54:00.000-04:00

A Few Photons Can Stop 2 Tons Of Steel

2006-09-24T03:13:00.000-04:00

Driving along in my car, I arrive at an intersection. Above the intersection, there is a traffic light. A few photons of light of a wavelength we refer to as "red" are focused onto a few cells in the back of my eye. These cells happen to be somewhat special and they respond by chemically messaging a few nearby cells. Now, there are a few billion of these special cells, and they're all hooked up in different structures. So, when the photons hit those special cells, all hell breaks loose in this system. There are signals going this way and that way. The raw input is abstracted, given symbolic meaning, STOP! Signals get sent down my spine, down to the muscles in my leg. These signals trigger chemical reactions in the fibers of my muscles, causing them to tighten and relax an appropriate sequence to cause my foot to lift off the gas and press the break pedal. This, through a series of mechanisms has the effect of converting the forward momentum of my vehicle into heat energy in my breaks, or in simpler terms, 2 tons of steal has just stopped abruptly… All because a few photons happened to hit a few cells.......and I won't even go into how the energy in those photons from the traffic light actually originated 95 million miles away, in the sun, when a few hydrogen atoms bumped into each other!

The Long Over Due Spring 2006 Art Update

2006-09-23T15:49:00.001-04:00

So, I meant to do this way back at the beginning of the summer....but then I didn't. Anyway, better late than never. Here it is, my spring 2006 Art update!

Wood Sculpture

Laminates

This was my second wood sculpture project. We cut strips of plywood and made 3 layer laminates. In this way we were able to form curves that held their shape quite well. We then cut the curves into smaller pieces and used bolts to assemble them into a 3 dimensional form. Because we had a small class, we all met outside of class and worked as a group making all the laminates, then divided them up later. It was really nice working together like that and I think it brought our class together.

Complexity

More Photos | Structure Guide | Destruction | Aftermath

This was my final project for wood sculpture. It got off to a very frustrating start of multiple failures and miscalculations, and by 2 weeks into the project I still had absolutely nothing to show for it. But finally I got my system for producing the triangles to work, and after a 18 hour marathon session in the studio, I was able to make about 1500 triangle units and assemble them into this.

The Crit went really really well. I still remember Ray pausing to collect his thoughts before we began. Then he said to everyone, "we're not even going to talk about how much work went into this, because that goes without saying, and there's a lot more to talk about here". To me that was one of the greatest compliments I have ever gotten.

The basic idea was to create a unit, in this case a wooden triangle with slots. I knew they would fit together, but I did not know what structure would be inherent in the smaller unit. Once I had made enough to experiment with, I began to see how I could fit the basic units together into slightly more complex units. In this case, my second level of complexity was made of 7 triangles and somewhat resembled a 'C'. 12 of the 'C' units, along with 4 triangles fit together into a ribbon like structure folded into a sphere. 3 of these combined into a globby triangle, and 3 of those into an even bigger and more complex globby triangle. There are 1008 triangles in this structure.

The universe is built in a similar fashion. No, not wooden triangles, but atoms, molecules, amino acids, protine chains, cells, tissues, organs, organisms, and entire societies. It's all increasing layers of complexity of the same thing.

Ok, I just wrote more on this subject, but it's long and so I will move it to it's own post so as to stay on topic here.

Anyway, after the crit, I decided that the destruction of the piece was the next logical step, and would be fitting to the whole concept of the piece. So spontaneously I grabbed a few friends from the hallway, telling them I was about to do "spontaneous performance art". I gave my camera to one friend to video tape. Then I climbed up a ladder and dropped my creation.

Ceramic Sculpture

Amorphaces 3D

More Photos

I decided to take my Amorphaces into the 3rd dimension. This is what I was working on the night I posted about spending 11 hours in the studio.

Thingy (for lack of a better name)

More Photos

This was my second project for my clay sculpture class. I produced 10 of these forms made from 3 slip cast parts joined together. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the installation, which involved the repeated form in different groupings and arrangements.

Rock Thingys

More Photos

This project was very experimental, and I really had fun with it. It was based on Andy Goldsworthy's "torn stone". I collected a bunch of rocks, covered them with raw clay and placed them immediately in the kiln. As the clay was fired, it shrank around the rocks and cracked. Many of the rocks too experienced a change. Some crumbled, others cracked, and most turned red.

Udus!

More Photos

In Spring 2005 I took Ray's "Percussion Design and Fabrication" class. It was a fun class, and my favorite part was making Udus, a type of ceramic drum. During Fall 2005 I took a pottery class. Tim (one of my classmates) was also interested in Udus, so we decided to do an independent study with Ray in the Spring. We spent the semester making Udus, and a few other experimental pieces. My good friend Jenn, who was in the percussion class with me, also made a few more of her own. At the end of the semester we did another barrel fire. It was a lot of fun!!

Scholarship Show + Long River Review

More Photos

I submitted some of my work to the scholarship show for the first time this year. I didn't win anything, but I did get a few pieces in the show, and a lot of compliments. I also submited some work to the Long River Review....and won this year's Photography Award!

Widescreen!

2006-09-23T02:38:00.000-04:00

I switched from this,

To this!

This week I replaced my old bulky, blurry, annoying dual monitor setup, with a nice new 20" widescreen LCD. I have so much more desk space, and I can read text!

Boo!

Anti Gay Phone Company

2006-09-22T17:13:00.000-04:00

The Following is from Eugene Mirman's web site. Listen to the audio clips at the bottom!

ANTI GAY PHONE COMPANY

Starting in late December I began to get phone calls from what I thought was a phone company (United American Technologies) trying to get me to switch from my phone company to a Christian one that didnπt support gay marriage and pornography. It was so weird and creepy that I decided to record them. There are three calls. It turns out that they are from a non-profit that works with United American Technologies and calls people on their behalf. UAT then donates money to them. I think this non-profit stopped making these calls, but UAT still has many other organizations making the calls for them I believe. Though they claimed to donate 10% of their profits to ministries I think the money actually went into an Oklahoma Republican political campaign, but some of it may go to Churches and ministries, I'm not sure. The whole thing is confusing and spooky. But enjoy the calls. You can also read this article from the New York Sun for more information.

Anti Gay Phone Company I

Anti Gay Phone Company II

Anti Gay Phone Company III

The Japanese Open Their Beer The Olde Fashioned Way

2006-09-19T02:11:00.000-04:00

E Taco La Se Dichi

2006-09-10T03:05:00.000-04:00

E Taco La Se Dichi

I don't know that it means, but it's way cool man! Thanks for the link Gretchen.

Yo Man

2006-09-05T04:44:00.000-04:00

Dukakis 1988: yo man
Dukakis 1988: what are you still doing up?
wompfilms: yo
wompfilms: I'm doing visual research for my senior project
wompfilms: ie...trying to figure out what the fuck i'm doing
Dukakis 1988: ah
wompfilms: I'm having a hard time getting back in a creative state of mind
Dukakis 1988: you should do something with windows paint
wompfilms: my blog has suffered lately even
Dukakis 1988: i've noticed... i need more dylan news
wompfilms: I think I'm in a rut
wompfilms: creatively
Dukakis 1988: it happens to us all
wompfilms: I need a spark to get it going again
Dukakis 1988: what do you usually do when you're in a rut?
wompfilms: never really thought about it
wompfilms: i guess it's usually just worked itself out
wompfilms: I always have trouble at the beginning of a project
wompfilms: trying to get started
wompfilms: but once I do I usually can't stop
wompfilms: like I'll work 15+ hrs straight sometimes
wompfilms: ...on my first movie...when it was almost due...I worked on it for like 30 straight
Dukakis 1988: wow
wompfilms: not sure how I managed that really
Dukakis 1988: so, you just need to get some inspiration
Dukakis 1988: good luck... that must be a pain in the ass
wompfilms: I think maybe I have too much inspiration and I'm overwhelmed and cant focus in on one thing
wompfilms: or just don't know where to start
Dukakis 1988: do something on your great loves: vaginas and nipples
wompfilms: hahahahaha
wompfilms: those are two very awesome things

Guilt Is Sour

2006-09-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

Guilt only breeds more guilt and more pain. Don’t let it obscure the good memories. Please, be free of it.

Bedhead

2006-08-19T02:54:00.000-04:00

Passed out around 6pm cuz I was so tired. Wierd dreams, then woke up around 11:30pm.

Now it's 3:30am and it doesn't even feel like midnight. I'm restless, and bored...but not feeling very motivated to do anything on the to do list I was making when I passed out.

Arno Rafael Minkkinen

2006-08-02T00:29:00.000-04:00

I saw a piece about this guy on TV so I looked him up. I like his work.

Pikapika

2006-08-01T23:34:00.000-04:00

This is incredible! I want to try it!

Make sure to click on the "Read More" Links because there are lots of really cool videos

I'm Back

2006-07-30T11:01:00.000-04:00

I'm back from North Carolina and I had a great time! Here are a few photos. I'll add some more if I get around to it. I also have some videos.

Blog of Salty

2006-07-30T10:42:00.000-04:00

Salty, You weren't lying, you did start a blog! Lets hear some crazy stories of your exciting life down in Canute, Oklahoma. How bout some drunken audio blogs?

Anyway dude, this is the book I told you about:

My Headphones!

2006-07-20T20:08:00.000-04:00

YES!!!

I just found my long lost headphones!! They were under my bed all these months apparantly.

Love You Mom

2006-07-19T22:15:00.000-04:00

I’m sitting here reading through the notebook I found yesterday in my old room in the house I grew up in. The notebook is a journal that my mother kept when my brother and I were little. The first line was written almost 20 years ago on October 14th, 1986. It is a short, to the point statement, “I’m going to make this book about my kids”.

I don’t know why, but that simple statement brings me to tears...

...What can I say, I'm a sentimental fool. More later perhaps, I’ve said all I can for now, I'm too stuck in my head.

Brokeback to the Future

2006-07-12T22:55:00.000-04:00

This is great! Thanks for the link Dane!
The best part is the jumper cables. HAHAHA, Kinky! Just goes to show how editing can completely change the meaning of things.

Scatterbrained

2006-07-12T00:10:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling very scatterbrained lately. There's still lot's I want to post about, and lots I want to do, but it's all muddled in my head. Time to make some lists to get things somewhat organized.

Also, sleep is probably a good idea.

Happy Belated Birthday Amorphous Sentiency!

2006-07-11T18:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I’m already 4 days late on this. For a week or so, I was planning to do this post on the 7th because that was the official 1 year anniversary of Amorphous Sentiency, one full year since my first blog post. But I didn’t get around to it on the 7th, did I? Nope. Well, in my defense, I was a little preoccupied… What? You want more details? No! …Well, okay, I was with a foxy lady, but that’s all you get you nosey savages! So mind your own business!

At any rate, I did want to acknowledge and pay tribute to my first year of blogging. Happy Birthday Amorphous Sentiency! We’ve traveled around the sun together, that’s like 940 kilometers! And what a roller coaster ride it has been. In the past year I have blogged 107 posts. Granted many of them were just interesting links, but I am proud of the writing I have done because writing has been a struggle for me in the past.

For me, this has been a year of remembrance, heartbreak, doubt and uncertainty, artistic accomplishment, pride, new friendships and discoveries. Some of this has made its way into my blog. I would like to share some of my favorite posts from this past year:

Writing Analytical Essays about Literature (07/25/05)
Sticking it to the man. English class is a waste of my time and they should know it. Down with the System Yo!

My Amorphous Sentiency (07/28/05)
When I first created my blog, I spent a good some time with a thesaurus to come up with the name "Amorphous Sentiency". This post serves to explain what I mean by it and to clarify it in my own mind.

Feeling Proud (10/25/05)
This post comes 20 days after Lauren broke my heart. School was also kicking my ass. It was an emotionally draining month (not that it only lasted a month) . This was a much needed affirmation of my strengths, and a fuck you to the depression and appathy that kept threatening to kick me in the balls.

Me In A Suit And Tie?!? (10/31/05)
After the breakup, I poured myself into my work hardcore. I supose it was how I delt with the pain of loosing her. Pushing myself so hard made for a very stressful year, but I do believe it was also my most sucessful. This photo has been published and it won me $1000! Damn I'm sexy!

The Abyss Of Choices: My Amorphous Sentiency Revisited (11/06/05)
A whole bunch of things on my mind. As usual.

Arrhythmia (12/26/05)
Ok, perhaps a bit mopey. But it's a little poetic, and I feel like it clearly articulated how I was feeling. I like it.

The Study (02/13/06)
Oh Yea! We Rock! We transformed that room completely and it was fun.

Froggy In The Pool Skimmer (03/25/06)
I didn't so much as write it as I just transcribed the words that materialized in my head describing a random, unprovoked memory from my childhood. It just sorta bubbled up into my consciousness.

Anti Entropic Part II (05/30/06)
My kitchen is in a state of constant tension between order and chaos. This was an attempt to better understand the forces at play.

Pandoras Box (06/23/06)
I still have not opened it, and it has now moved back into my closet. I still intend to open it one of these days. *sigh*

Happy Birthday Amorphous Sentiency.

How To Make A Buck Off Of Rabid Patriotism

2006-06-25T12:38:00.000-04:00

We are proud because Capitalist America has the freedom to exploit Communist China for cheap labor. Don't you want to buy some overpriced "Freedom Cards" to show your patriotic support for your American Heros? What? You don't want to be a cog in their system? You're a Terrrist!!

Also Of Interest:

"The "Made in USA" sticker adds value, but American consumers seem not to care about it when choosing an item -- it just makes them feel better about it after they made the choice. My evidence for this is the "Support Our Troops" magnets -- there was a bit of a scandal when some reporters pointed out that they were made in China in sweatshops. Wal-Mart switched to having them made in NMI by slave labour -- sorry, "guest workers" -- with the "Made in USA" sticker, and kept the price the same. If they were really made under US labour laws, the cost would be somewhat more than twice what Wal-Mart charges for them. " - Found Here

"I read in the paper that a lot of the troops are complaining about the war, and want to come home. They're putting their lives on the line. It's my duty to support them, but I get confused. What message am I sending the troops if I read articles like that? For that matter, what kind of a message are those troops sending themselves? They are the troops, but it almost sounds like they're not supporting the troops!" - I Wonder What Kind Of Message I'm Sending To The Troops - the Onion

Pandora's Box

2006-06-23T00:27:00.000-04:00

There's a shoe box not 6 feet from where I sit. It was a few days ago that I dug it from the depths of my closet on an impulse. But I did not open it, instead I placed it where it now sits atop the cabinet at the end of my desk. I still have not opened it because the joyful memories it contains are, I fear, tainted by painful feelings of loss and disillusionment. However, this box has been calling to me lately. It has been burried in my closet just as the thoughts, memories, and feelings that it contains have been burried in the back of my mind and avoided for the past few months. I'm beginning to think that it's becomming a weight holding me back though. I think I need to dig through it and share some of it instead of keeping it all locked away.

Anyway, I'm tired...going to bed. More later.

How Hard Is It to Cancel AOL?

2006-06-22T18:05:00.000-04:00

How hard is it to cancel AOL? Check out this video (seems like it's in high demand and is hard to load..but worth the wait).

Paint Swirls

2006-06-19T21:55:00.000-04:00

Just came across a set of photos I shot a few months ago. It's just paint on a pallet all swirling together.

Adam's Appalachian Adventure

2006-06-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

Last week my good friend, Adam Leston, began his hike of the Appalachian Trail. He is starting in Maine and hiking south. He is also keeping an audio blog of his progress.

Poor Alvin

2006-06-12T18:18:00.000-04:00

An artist's rendering, actual victim much cuter....though equally dead.

Shiva caught a chipmunk today. I didn't think she had the skills, but apparantly she's a viscious KILLING MACHINE just like Bea Arthur.

Pepperoni and Grease Pizza

2006-06-05T23:57:00.000-04:00

The grease lubricates the eating process.
It's basic science.

Left Behind: Eternal Forces

2006-05-31T17:16:00.000-04:00

I am scared.

"This game immerses children in present-day New York City -- 500 square blocks, stretching from Wall Street to Chinatown, Greenwich Village, the United Nations headquarters, and Harlem. The game rewards children for how effectively they role play the killing of those who resist becoming a born again Christian. The game also offers players the opportunity to switch sides and fight for the army of the AntiChrist, releasing cloven-hoofed demons who feast on conservative Christians and their panicked proselytes (who taste a lot like Christian).

Is this paramilitary mission simulator for children anything other than prejudice and bigotry using religion as an organizing tool to get people in a violent frame of mind? The dialogue includes people saying, "Praise the Lord," as they blow infidels away." -Link

Anti Entropic Part II

2006-05-30T00:43:00.003-04:00

So, after my last post, I was feeling inspired. I barrowed my mom's laptop, grabbed my digital camera, and installed the "Entropy Cam" on top of the spice rack. There it would stay for the next 10 days, dutifuly recording a frame every 2 minutes. In this way I hoped to capture the entropic forces at work in my kitchen.

For the first few days, after having recently been cleaned, the kitchen remained in order. The cleanliness of the kitchen inspired motivation to maintain order. However, as the week continued, order began to slip. This in turn lowered motivation. It is a vicious cycle. It is exponential entropy. Order gives way to Chaos.

But be not fooled, chaos IS NOT randomness. The dispersal of items is not arbitrary, but the result of complex forces. Hunger, thirst, running late for work and neglecting to clean up. Items are used, forgotten, left out, moved.

Chaotic forces govern the workings of my mind. The interaction of several billion neurons erupts into my chaotic cognizance. I am. I exist and my existance is punctuated by emotion. Pleasure, Depression, Excitement, Inspiration, Anxiety. A long period of inactivity then a storm. Pent up frustration erupting into a sudden rage. Sexual tension built slowly and released in orgasm. The ecstatic joy of love and the gut wrenching pain of loss.

Anti Entropic

2006-05-14T20:58:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been obsessively cleaning and organizing my apt. I guess it's what I do when I'm feeling anxious. I feel like my mind is chaotic and I can't focus. By giving order to the world around me, I hope to give order to my mind and ease this anxious tension in my chest. But entropy persists. The moment I am finished giving order to the world, it begins it's desent toward chaos. Dirty dishes pile up next to the sink. Crumbs accumulate on the floor. Reminders jotted down hastily on little scraps of paper clutter my desk. Ideas that were never jotted down amass in the back of my head, clouding my thoughts.

Shiva on the Roof

2006-05-13T12:06:00.000-04:00

I uploaded a few photos of Shiva out on the roof.
She likes to go out there every chance she gets.

Glassblowing

2006-05-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

I finally uploaded some photos from my weekend at Snow Farm. Perhaps I'll do a little write up of the experience soon also. It was pretty awesome!

Sorry, Can't Help You....It's Out Of Our Hands

2006-05-11T15:40:00.000-04:00

I want to be treated like a PERSON....Not a FUCKING NUMBER. The System is Down! They give you shit, and no recourse to challange it. This all powerful, unforgiving MACHINE expects me to just bend over and take it! Fuck that!

I'm Listening to Techno Music

2006-05-06T21:35:00.000-04:00

I'm done for the semester! Why do I still feel stressed out? Anyway, I've neglected this here blog for too long and I have lots to talk about, lots of photos, and lots of Art projects to post. But for now I'm gonna try to unwind a bit.

Get Firefox

2006-04-28T14:07:00.000-04:00

Ninja Aliens...DUH!!

2006-04-20T04:04:00.000-04:00

Woooooooooooo!!! It's 4 o clock! Papers are AWESOME!!! Too much coffee! Oooga Booga! The cat is yellow and the plastic spoon is purple. Aliens came 10.7 lightyears across the gallaxy to eat a cherry pie. They were dissappointed. Then they flipped out and learned to be ninjas so they could kick some ass in retalliation. I'm not really sure why they didn't just use their laser guns...maybe because they looked too much like garage door openers. Kinda hard to scare people with a garage door opener. But ninja moves...damn...those are fuckin scary. I know it would have scared me if some 3 foot green dude w/ big eyes jumped through my window and started striking ninja poses and saying "YAAAA!! WAAA!! BEEP! MEEP!". I would have been like, "Damn man! those are some pretty sick movies!" then I would edge my way sideways toward the door. "What's that over there" I'd say...then when the little guy looked I would bolt. I bet I could run faster than him so I’d be safe.

A Knock on the Door

2006-04-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

This morning there was a knock on our door. Adam (shirtless) answered the door. These two women were on the steps and they were really excited about some book called the Bible. Me and Adam told them that, yes, we had heared of it, and no, we didn't think it was all that spectacular. They kept wanting to talk. They asked us if we believed in God. Adam mentioned that he studys evolution at the University of Connecticut and he thinks it does a pretty good job of explaining things. I agreed. They didn't seem very convinced by this and asked if they could bring us a book about creation. We said ok, if it will make them happy. I don't think they ever did come back with that book.

It reminds me of the time someone sent me a prayer rug in the mail. It wasn't really so much of a rug....more like a piece of paper that claimed to be a rug. It also claimed to be "soaked with the power of prayer", which is presumeably what powered the little jesus optical illusion printed on it. Frankly I was insulted...this tiny piece of paper had the audacity to call itself a rug! The imposter rug also came with a prayer order form. There were boxes for things like: "A New Car", "A Money Blessing", "Pray for God to Bless me with this amount of money $_____". It all seemed pretty fool proof....I mean..there were personal accounts of good fortune and everything. But I'm still too insulted by the phony rug....they even insisted we send it back! Yea Right!

CHOP SAW

2006-04-17T20:13:00.000-04:00

Today I was cutting wood on the chop saw. It even sounds scary...CHOP SAW! I was cutting through several thin layers taped together...The saw caught it funny and BAM!!! It ripped the wood out of my hands and chewed it up. Nothing left but splinters, a cloud of sawdust, and me shaking in my shoes glad that it wasn't my hand! This happened twice!

Worst part is...After all that, the pieces I made still don't work and I have to start over. 2+ weeks on this project so far and I still have nothing to show for it cuz I keep having to start over.

*sigh* It's just one of many things that are stressing me out lately....I'm gonna be really happy when this semester is over.

Revenge on the Butter

2006-04-16T03:25:00.000-04:00

The butter wouldn't stick to my baked potato..... I got even.

Scrambeled Eggs with Cheese

2006-04-09T14:05:00.000-04:00

I remember waking up early one morning to suprize her with breakfast in bed. It made her smile.

( That made me feel good )

Cofee's Death

2006-04-08T01:54:00.000-04:00

Fempto sat hunched in the corner.
Odd, I thought, and lifted the lid to their cage.
Where is Cofee?
I dug around in the dirty bedding, looking.
Shiva could not contain her excitement at this.
I pushed her away.
Where...?
Finally I found it, Cofee's tiny lifeless body, and the stench of death.
Already it seemed shriveled, even the massive tumor that had immobilized her rear leg.
I carried the tiny body out into the rainy night and tossed it under the porch.

That Old Black and White TV With Poor Reception and a Busted Speaker

2006-04-05T01:34:00.000-04:00

...But really my biggest insecurity is in my ability to articulate and express myself.

Electrons

2006-03-25T09:38:00.000-05:00

"Another thing I've been thinking about a lot lately, is that electrons are REALLY important, and if I could get ALL of them, I could pretty much run the universe." - Adam

Froggy in the Pool Skimmer

2006-03-25T01:12:00.000-05:00

And they found a frog in the pool skimmer.
They threw it as hard as they could against the wooden fence.
It's lifeless body fell to the ground and they laughed.
And I was ashamed to be human.

Lois I'm Trying To Fly!

2006-03-14T22:44:00.000-05:00

Running as fast as I could, and flapping the wings I had constructed from department store clothing boxes and masking tape, I really believed it might work.

Why We Fight

2006-03-11T02:03:00.000-05:00

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

I just saw this amazing documentary about the "Military Industrial Complex" called "Why We Fight".

Blarg

2006-03-07T11:56:00.000-05:00

By the way, sorry I keep only posting links lately....they're just soo cool! Anyway, I've been busy with other things and have been neglecting my blog. One thing I'm working on is teaching myself PHP and MySQL so that I can make the website I've been dreaming of forever. I decided it was best to start with something simple tho so I've been making a simple website to keep track of our communal expenses for the appartment and keep running stats.

Anyway, I should have a whole bunch of content to put up soon...like art and maybe some video and stuff. (That reminds me....the Earthdance Film Festival at UConn is comming up in about a month! I gotta figure out what I'm going to submit.) I've also been meaning to maybe post some personal stuff on here.....It's been feeling very sterile and impersonal lately.

Anyway, right now I'm gonna try to get some work done...maybe even head to campus. I know...pretty lame thing to do over spring break, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and I want to try and get ahead or at least caught up in some places so I can relax a bit. We are at least planning on going on some kind of day trip before break is over.

Gardens-in-a-Petri

2006-03-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

"Billions and billions of bacterial landscape architects pruning -- no less in environments poisoned with antibiotics -- other bacterial landscape architects, dead or alive, to form dazzling arabesque parterres. The self-organizing embroidery of organisms in constant Darwinian mode." [Link found via News of the dead]

This kind of reminds me of a conversation I had the other night about the nature of God. This is the basic premise, which me and a friend originaly developed in a 4am philosophy session a few years ago.

The brain consists of billions of individual neurons. Each is relatively simple and predictable by itself, but out of that very ordered yet complex interaction of billions of neurons, arises the experience of consciousness. I see these complex interactions of relatively simple elements everywhere I look. For example, it is no new idea that society has a mind of it's own, some might call it the collective consciousness. Social forces are beyond the scope of any individual person. People are the neurons in the mind of society. Social, political, ideological and artistic movements are thoughts in this mind.

In the grand scope of the entire universe, you have some inconceivable number of particles interacting with each other. Is the universe on some level conscious? The collisions of galaxies and the deaths of stars, do these constitute radical movements of thought in the massive mind that is the universe? I can't accept the idea that God is some dude in the sky judging good and evil, but I could accept this massive mind being labeled God. After all, isn't there that whole thing about God being the alpha and the omega or whatever....kinda fits. In this way, everything is part of God. Consequently, I wouldn't think that this God really gives a shit about issues like gay marriage and such. The whole of human race would be merely an insignificant thought in the deepest corner of its subconscious.

Anyway, how did I end up on this tangent? In the image above, there are billions of bacteria. Each is a pretty basic unit just doing what it's programmed to do, but together something extraordinary occurs.

A Scanner Darkly trailer

2006-03-04T03:49:00.000-05:00

I'm really excited about Linklater's new film, "A Scanner Darkly" comming out sometime this year. Here is the trailer.

[link found via News of the dead.]