Tupac's influence appears to be more widespread than we thought.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Some words of advice for children....
As technology continues to change the way we consume media, and as we drift further and further away from the traditions and values of our grandparents, it was refreshing to see a video geared towards children that encouraged them to read books, as well as gave some other wise advice that will help them succeed in life:
Monday, August 31, 2009
Trends...
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
It’s a nice thought but almost as a rule we as human beings are inclined to say “fuck that, im following the guy in front of me” you see we all want to believe that we are different, that we lead not follow, that we make decisions for ourselves, and that we aren’t really scared shitless to be the person that stands out… but we are. Three examples from my life, take them for what they are.
In grade school a certain “cool” kid began to don the sporting related apparel of a newly formed baseball club known as the “Colorado Rockies” their logo has gone through many iterations since that day but at the time it consisted mostly of the colors purple and white and the teams name set against the image of the Colorado Mountains. Truth be told it was an abomination… it flew in the face of everything we kids knew to be cool at the time, for Gods sake Barney was purple even the most retarded kid new wearing that color would mean being social ostracized, and yet there he stood before us. Maybe he was a true fan or maybe he was a brilliant young trendsetter… maybe he was just gay and trying to put the word out, his motives remain unknown all I know is what happened next. Everyone who was anyone starting working mom and dad for some Rockies related merchandise, sadly I was among them. I wore my Colorado Rockies baseball cap proudly until the trend slowly faded, during that time e never watched a single Rockies baseball game and I never learned a thing about the team. Maybe they were good team maybe they weren’t but that’s really pretty irrelevant because since I didn’t know a thing about them beyond the superficial basics I was just a fucking fanboy in a purple hat…
Sometime between me finishing high school and beginning college Apple got smart and started listening to Steve Jobs again this led to their success in the marketplace and their dominance over digital media with the birth of the I-Pod. Hipster commercials featuring dancing silhouettes and indie music grew their fan base and lured “the next generation” toward apple branded products.
They built a name for themselves with sturdy construction and innovative designs that left us ignoring the hefty price tag that they often came with. Suddenly the cool kid on campus was sporting an I-mac/power book/power mac/I power/pod mac style laptop and your old Toshiba left you with little more then a hefty case of penis envy… Now is Apple a good brand? Do they make good computers? Honestly that’s pretty irrelevant since 80% of their user base don’t know anything about the products or the company beyond the superficial basics their just a bunch of fucking fanboys in purple hats…
Fast forward to the blighted decade that many simply refer to as “The Bush/Cheney” Years still reeling from attacks on this country and what many consider an unnecessary war, a global recession and a housing crisis, a savior appeared in the form of anything that was George Bush or the GOP… in this case it took the form of Barrack Obama and the Democrat party. Now this post isn’t political regardless of how political it seems like it just got. What has happened is that the cool kids among us have started speaking out on their political views and suddenly the trendy cool thing is to be a Democrat. The intelligible thing is to be a Democrat. The star bellied Sneaches are all Democrats. And while yes there are a few people out there who have researched the issues and done enough soul searching to honestly claim that the Democrat party does represent them the best and is their party (and I respect you for having done that)… The rest of you are all just a bunch of fucking fanboys in purple hats…
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
It’s a nice thought but almost as a rule we as human beings are inclined to say “fuck that, im following the guy in front of me” you see we all want to believe that we are different, that we lead not follow, that we make decisions for ourselves, and that we aren’t really scared shitless to be the person that stands out… but we are. Three examples from my life, take them for what they are.
In grade school a certain “cool” kid began to don the sporting related apparel of a newly formed baseball club known as the “Colorado Rockies” their logo has gone through many iterations since that day but at the time it consisted mostly of the colors purple and white and the teams name set against the image of the Colorado Mountains. Truth be told it was an abomination… it flew in the face of everything we kids knew to be cool at the time, for Gods sake Barney was purple even the most retarded kid new wearing that color would mean being social ostracized, and yet there he stood before us. Maybe he was a true fan or maybe he was a brilliant young trendsetter… maybe he was just gay and trying to put the word out, his motives remain unknown all I know is what happened next. Everyone who was anyone starting working mom and dad for some Rockies related merchandise, sadly I was among them. I wore my Colorado Rockies baseball cap proudly until the trend slowly faded, during that time e never watched a single Rockies baseball game and I never learned a thing about the team. Maybe they were good team maybe they weren’t but that’s really pretty irrelevant because since I didn’t know a thing about them beyond the superficial basics I was just a fucking fanboy in a purple hat…
Sometime between me finishing high school and beginning college Apple got smart and started listening to Steve Jobs again this led to their success in the marketplace and their dominance over digital media with the birth of the I-Pod. Hipster commercials featuring dancing silhouettes and indie music grew their fan base and lured “the next generation” toward apple branded products.
They built a name for themselves with sturdy construction and innovative designs that left us ignoring the hefty price tag that they often came with. Suddenly the cool kid on campus was sporting an I-mac/power book/power mac/I power/pod mac style laptop and your old Toshiba left you with little more then a hefty case of penis envy… Now is Apple a good brand? Do they make good computers? Honestly that’s pretty irrelevant since 80% of their user base don’t know anything about the products or the company beyond the superficial basics their just a bunch of fucking fanboys in purple hats…
Fast forward to the blighted decade that many simply refer to as “The Bush/Cheney” Years still reeling from attacks on this country and what many consider an unnecessary war, a global recession and a housing crisis, a savior appeared in the form of anything that was George Bush or the GOP… in this case it took the form of Barrack Obama and the Democrat party. Now this post isn’t political regardless of how political it seems like it just got. What has happened is that the cool kids among us have started speaking out on their political views and suddenly the trendy cool thing is to be a Democrat. The intelligible thing is to be a Democrat. The star bellied Sneaches are all Democrats. And while yes there are a few people out there who have researched the issues and done enough soul searching to honestly claim that the Democrat party does represent them the best and is their party (and I respect you for having done that)… The rest of you are all just a bunch of fucking fanboys in purple hats…
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Why I'm a Pirate...
Besides the obvious allure of crossing swords Jack Sparrow style, plundering treasure, and hitting it with the wenches… I’ve been finding myself asking the question lately “Why am I a pirate?” Am I so deluded inside a web of self denial and justification that I can no longer see Piracy as the theft of property and supporting of terrorism and red state communism that it surely is?
Run on sentences aside how is it that a normally honest and law abiding citizen can stoop this low? First let me say that I will not argue against the fact that piracy is illegal I will however show how it does more good then harm. I will be quick to suggest that laws as they currently exist do much less to support a creator and much more to stifle future creativity then they were most likely intended to upon implementation.
Lawrence Lessig in his book “Free Culture” separates piracy into 4 groups. Group “A” uses file sharing networks and other means of piracy as a replacement to actually purchasing media. Group “B” uses file sharing networks and other means of piracy as a method of sampling music intended for later purchase. Group “C” accesses sharing networks in an attempt to locate media no longer in circulation or available for purchase. Finally group “D” uses these same methods to acquire media that is not copyrighted or that an artist is intending to give away for free. Lessig further points out that from the perspective of the law only the last of these groups is clearly legal, however only the first of these groups is clearly harmful. Professor Lessig makes wonderful arguments regarding the importance of copyright law while explaining that it has gotten way out of hand.
So what group do I fall into… Sure there are times when group B is where im at, just trying to find out if an album is worth the investment or group C trying to locate an obscure indie track most people have never heard of but ill be honest I’ve also been guilty of downloading songs that I would never actually buy or that I have bought before but am no longer in possession of. (Please note that in the event you are with the RIAA and happen to be reading this little insignificant blog that my previous statement in no way constitutes a confession of guilt or admittance to any wrong doing) It’s not that I have anything against any musician out there… ok actually I hate quite a few of them but if im downloading their music then there is a high likelihood that I plan on listening to it at some point in time. I do however have a pretty big problem with the monster moneymaking machine not so quietly operating behind the scenes. They are the bastards putting up the bullshit adds you see before a movie asking if you wouldn’t steal a car then why would you steal a song?
They are the ones who invest in an artist by throwing money at them as a way of owning them and anything they create. That’s right when you download a song guess who you are taking money from? It’s not the creator of the music it’s the fucking middle man. Yes I understand that a lot goes into production, distribution, and advertising and that there are many jobs involved and you can quite easily see how lost revenue can cause repercussions through out the industry. But I only buy that if we are talking movies here and I’m not… I have no problem paying for the production that goes into a movie, im just not so convinced that the same level of production is still necessary from music.
Even those with discerning ears are finding it increasingly difficult to tell the difference between studio produced RIAA albums and those put out by the small unsigned garage band with under a thousand dollars worth of technology. 5-10 years ago the technology wasn’t as cheap or readily available necessitating or at least enabling large groups of investors to dominate the music industry, that time however is quickly coming to a close. I’m sorry but it’s the end of an era, more and more artists are creating their own record labels, producing and distributing their own music. More music exists in an intangible form then ever before fewer disks are being bought or sold. What we are experiencing in this global war on piracy are the death throws of a giant to scared to embrace the future or to angry at not being included.
People who truly love music will support it, if nothing else out of fear that not supporting it will make it go away but they need to know that 1 what they are paying for is worth the money they put into it and 2 that the money is getting to the people who passionately create what inspires. The issue of why I am a pirate is much more complex of an issue then I can explain within the few paragraphs I’ve posted here. Its something that I am not apologetic about, it’s a war that I happily participate in and a war that can only be won.
There is a reason that time after time in forum after forum regarding piracy or the Recording Industry that the most popular theme is simply “Fuck the RIAA”. Thoughts?
Run on sentences aside how is it that a normally honest and law abiding citizen can stoop this low? First let me say that I will not argue against the fact that piracy is illegal I will however show how it does more good then harm. I will be quick to suggest that laws as they currently exist do much less to support a creator and much more to stifle future creativity then they were most likely intended to upon implementation.
Lawrence Lessig in his book “Free Culture” separates piracy into 4 groups. Group “A” uses file sharing networks and other means of piracy as a replacement to actually purchasing media. Group “B” uses file sharing networks and other means of piracy as a method of sampling music intended for later purchase. Group “C” accesses sharing networks in an attempt to locate media no longer in circulation or available for purchase. Finally group “D” uses these same methods to acquire media that is not copyrighted or that an artist is intending to give away for free. Lessig further points out that from the perspective of the law only the last of these groups is clearly legal, however only the first of these groups is clearly harmful. Professor Lessig makes wonderful arguments regarding the importance of copyright law while explaining that it has gotten way out of hand.
So what group do I fall into… Sure there are times when group B is where im at, just trying to find out if an album is worth the investment or group C trying to locate an obscure indie track most people have never heard of but ill be honest I’ve also been guilty of downloading songs that I would never actually buy or that I have bought before but am no longer in possession of. (Please note that in the event you are with the RIAA and happen to be reading this little insignificant blog that my previous statement in no way constitutes a confession of guilt or admittance to any wrong doing) It’s not that I have anything against any musician out there… ok actually I hate quite a few of them but if im downloading their music then there is a high likelihood that I plan on listening to it at some point in time. I do however have a pretty big problem with the monster moneymaking machine not so quietly operating behind the scenes. They are the bastards putting up the bullshit adds you see before a movie asking if you wouldn’t steal a car then why would you steal a song?
They are the ones who invest in an artist by throwing money at them as a way of owning them and anything they create. That’s right when you download a song guess who you are taking money from? It’s not the creator of the music it’s the fucking middle man. Yes I understand that a lot goes into production, distribution, and advertising and that there are many jobs involved and you can quite easily see how lost revenue can cause repercussions through out the industry. But I only buy that if we are talking movies here and I’m not… I have no problem paying for the production that goes into a movie, im just not so convinced that the same level of production is still necessary from music.
Even those with discerning ears are finding it increasingly difficult to tell the difference between studio produced RIAA albums and those put out by the small unsigned garage band with under a thousand dollars worth of technology. 5-10 years ago the technology wasn’t as cheap or readily available necessitating or at least enabling large groups of investors to dominate the music industry, that time however is quickly coming to a close. I’m sorry but it’s the end of an era, more and more artists are creating their own record labels, producing and distributing their own music. More music exists in an intangible form then ever before fewer disks are being bought or sold. What we are experiencing in this global war on piracy are the death throws of a giant to scared to embrace the future or to angry at not being included.
People who truly love music will support it, if nothing else out of fear that not supporting it will make it go away but they need to know that 1 what they are paying for is worth the money they put into it and 2 that the money is getting to the people who passionately create what inspires. The issue of why I am a pirate is much more complex of an issue then I can explain within the few paragraphs I’ve posted here. Its something that I am not apologetic about, it’s a war that I happily participate in and a war that can only be won.
There is a reason that time after time in forum after forum regarding piracy or the Recording Industry that the most popular theme is simply “Fuck the RIAA”. Thoughts?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Rabbit Suicide...
While cute and fun to have as pets, rabbits, too, get depressed. It's important to know what the signs of rabbit depression are so that incidents like the one portrayed in the above picture can be avoided.There have been many documented cases of rabbit suicide. In fact, suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst rabbits, next to being low on the food chain.
The following story is true. Names have been changed to protect the innocent:
When I was about 14 we bought a cute black rabbit as a pet. At first it was fun. We'd take her out of her 2 foot by 2 foot cage and let her roam free in the back yard. I spent countless hours watching our beagle chase her around the yard, desperately trying to latch her jaws around the rabbits neck and shake it until it was lifeless. It was wonderful!
After a couple of months, I lost interest in the rabbit. Weeks would pass and I would forget we even owned a rabbit. We kept her locked up tightly in her cage in the garage, right next to the trash can. We would take her out every few months and put her in a cardboard box while we cleaned her cage, then we would throw her back in the cage and forget about her.
Years passed, and one day I went out to the garage to dispose of some refuse. I noticed my rabbit (I think her name was "Rabbit," if I recall correctly) sitting in her cage. She looked depressed. Not wanting to clean her cage, and getting tired of the constant burden of feeding her every few weeks, I decided I would do the right thing and take her up to the mountains and set her free.
I put her cage in my car, rolled down my windows because she smelled like shit and drove to the foothills near my home. I scouted out a good location, one that looked like a place where a rabbit would be happy and free to roam the hillside, and took her out of my car. I opened her cage and set it on the ground so she could scamper off into the wild and be free. To my surprise, she didn't move at all. She just sat in her cage sniffing around at the new, unfamiliar surroundings. I waited for about 5 minutes for her to hop out of the cage, then my patience ran thin so I tipped the cage up and dumped her onto the ground. She landed face-first on the dirt, struggled to get on all 4's, then just sat there not moving a muscle. Apparently, all those years of not having to work for her food and being pampered had made her lazy, and she had forgotten how to move. I waited for about 5 more minutes for her to move, then I said "to hell with it" and got in my car and drove home to watch American Idol. It was the season with Carrie Underwood. She had received quite a harsh review from Simon (a.k.a.: British douchebag) the week prior and I was interested to see how she would follow such a discouraging week and how short a skirt she would be wearing to get extra votes from the viewers.
The next morning I awoke. For some reason, my thoughts drifted to my newly-freed rabbit. I wondered how she was faring with her new-found freedom and decided to take a drive to where I left her in the mountains and see if I could spot her scampering around. I drove up to the spot where I had let her go the previous night and, to my surprise, she was still sitting in the exact spot where I had dumped her! I got out of my car, disgusted by her laziness, and I walked up to her and gave her a little kick to get her ass moving. She stumbled forward a couple of steps, then just sat there as she had the night before, sniffing the air. Frankly, at this point I was happy to be rid of her. I was overcome with anger and the feeling that I had been used. Who knows how many minutes I wasted over the years bringing her out my table scraps and cleaning her cage. Seeing her sitting there unwilling to even move made me furious! I remember thinking "I bet this bitch thinks I'm here to spoon-feed her some carrots or lettuce or something." Not this time, Rabbit.
I checked back on her in the following weeks, and each time I did, there she sat, motionless and wallowing in her own filth. As the weeks went on I noticed she began to get skinnier and looked malnourished. Not about to fall victim to her mind games again, a standoff ensued. Each time I visited I knew she was thinking that I would cave and come rushing to her with my arms full of cabbage heads and a bucket of water, begging her forgiveness. Unbeknown to her, I had resolved that I would never be anyone's manservant again, animal or human, and I was willing to watch her die a slow death, which I did over the course of the next few days.
The rabbit in this story would have undoubtedly committed suicide if given the opportunity. Despite the lavish life of a suburban house bunny and all of the luxury which that lifestyle affords, the rabbit seemed to have suffered from depression. The tell-tale signs of rabbit depression were present:
- Laziness
- Sedentary Lifestyle
- Lack of foraging to sustain life
- Defiance
- Assholery towards caregivers
- Etc.
If you fear your rabbit is suffering from depression, or if you notice any signs that would indicate suicidal behavior, please don't hesitate to act. Give your rabbit this link:
http://www.rabbitshavefeelingstoogoddammit.com/suicide_prevention/language=rabbit/dontkillyourself.html
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Life Imitating Art...
On a recent trip to the Gateway Mall in SLC my wife, her brother and I stopped at a restaurant to eat, before our meal began i excused myself to visit the restroom where i kid you not a lived this moment...
Monday, August 3, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The 2 Classes: A Study of Human Behavior
Human behavior is a subject I find very interesting. I often wonder what makes people act the way they do in certain scenarios, and if behavior is something that is relative to the locale where the behavior occurs or if it is consistent in any setting. Sure, there are things that influence human behavior in every situation we find ourselves in, but I theorize that there are 2 main behavior classes: Assholes and Non-Assholes.
I made an observation the other day that provided strong evidence for my theory of the 2 main behavior classes while waiting in line at the pharmacy in Costco.
(Give her the evil-eye all you want, pal. She has no clue you even exist.) This generalization doesn't apply to everyone inside Costco, just MOST everyone, which brings me back to my theory about the 2 behavior classes.
So I go to Costo to fill a prescription, which I have done several times before. On this particular day the pharmacy was unusually busy. After dropping the prescription off I did the normal wait-for-the-prescription stroll through Costco, looking at shit I didn't need but wanted. After 15 minutes I returned to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. Normally, this takes about 5 minutes, but this day there was a jumbled mess of people waiting in front of the counter for their prescriptions.
(I shit you not, it looked like this.) With no definite line formed, I took my place amongst the mess of people, taking a mental note of who was in front of me as to avoid being a douchebag and cutting in front of someone who had been waiting longer than I had. I assumed this was standard protocol in this type of situation and that everyone around me had done the same thing. I was wrong.
After about 20 minutes of standing in the waiting pool of people I was nearing the front of the "line" and was next up to get my drugs. At this moment I encountered the situation we all hate. An annoying woman who had been yapping on her cell phone the whole time she had been waiting suddenly steps up right next to me as if she was under the impression her fat ass was next. Because I was having a good day, I decided to brush it off and let her inconsiderate ass get her prescription before I got mine. By the looks of it, she was probably picking up her Prozac and I felt like she needed that more than I needed my drugs. I knew that she knew damn well what she was doing, so confronting her would most likely end in disaster. I let her go and waited for the next available cashier to call me up.
After a minute or two I hear one of the cashiers say "Next," so I move towards the yellow "do not cross" line to proceed to her register. Just then, another bitch-of-a-woman tries to pull a sneak attack and literally steps right in front of me to go to the cashier. By this time my patience has expired and in the most polite voice I could muster I said "Excuse me? I was next in line." I can't say I was surprised when she turned and looked at me with a look of disbelief on her face. It was a look that said "But I'm a woman. It's only proper to let me go first." Normally I'd let chivalry prevail and step aside for a woman, but I don't believe in rewarding childish behavior so I answered with a look that said "Fuck you. I know what you're trying to do you childish bitch. Get behind me." I got my prescription, then as I was walking past her to leave I gave her a grin as to say "I win, bitch."
This long explanation illustrates perfectly the first behavior class: Asshole. These two women both fall into the Asshole class. One could argue that I too fall into that class for not letting the woman go first, but when examining the paradigm as a whole, it becomes clear that my behavior was reactionary, not instinctive, thus disproving the argument that I am an asshole.
Then, as I was leaving with my prescription, I had to jump through Costco's despotic hoop and wait in line to leave so someone could arbitrarily draw a squiggle on my receipt with a sharpie. It was here that I encountered someone from the Non-Asshole behavior class. Again, I encountered the situation where I came to the front of the line and was right next to someone, only this time the Non-Asshole simply smiled at me and said "Go ahead." It's sad to say, but that small gesture was quite comforting and restored a sliver of my faith in humanity. It's sad because something that should be considered mundane, like being polite, was surprising and unexpected.
As I got to my car, my thoughts turned inward and I reflected on my own behavior and on whether I am of the Asshole class or the Non-Asshole class.
I'll save my conclusion for another day.
I made an observation the other day that provided strong evidence for my theory of the 2 main behavior classes while waiting in line at the pharmacy in Costco.
So I go to Costo to fill a prescription, which I have done several times before. On this particular day the pharmacy was unusually busy. After dropping the prescription off I did the normal wait-for-the-prescription stroll through Costco, looking at shit I didn't need but wanted. After 15 minutes I returned to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. Normally, this takes about 5 minutes, but this day there was a jumbled mess of people waiting in front of the counter for their prescriptions.
After about 20 minutes of standing in the waiting pool of people I was nearing the front of the "line" and was next up to get my drugs. At this moment I encountered the situation we all hate. An annoying woman who had been yapping on her cell phone the whole time she had been waiting suddenly steps up right next to me as if she was under the impression her fat ass was next. Because I was having a good day, I decided to brush it off and let her inconsiderate ass get her prescription before I got mine. By the looks of it, she was probably picking up her Prozac and I felt like she needed that more than I needed my drugs. I knew that she knew damn well what she was doing, so confronting her would most likely end in disaster. I let her go and waited for the next available cashier to call me up.
After a minute or two I hear one of the cashiers say "Next," so I move towards the yellow "do not cross" line to proceed to her register. Just then, another bitch-of-a-woman tries to pull a sneak attack and literally steps right in front of me to go to the cashier. By this time my patience has expired and in the most polite voice I could muster I said "Excuse me? I was next in line." I can't say I was surprised when she turned and looked at me with a look of disbelief on her face. It was a look that said "But I'm a woman. It's only proper to let me go first." Normally I'd let chivalry prevail and step aside for a woman, but I don't believe in rewarding childish behavior so I answered with a look that said "Fuck you. I know what you're trying to do you childish bitch. Get behind me." I got my prescription, then as I was walking past her to leave I gave her a grin as to say "I win, bitch."
This long explanation illustrates perfectly the first behavior class: Asshole. These two women both fall into the Asshole class. One could argue that I too fall into that class for not letting the woman go first, but when examining the paradigm as a whole, it becomes clear that my behavior was reactionary, not instinctive, thus disproving the argument that I am an asshole.
Then, as I was leaving with my prescription, I had to jump through Costco's despotic hoop and wait in line to leave so someone could arbitrarily draw a squiggle on my receipt with a sharpie. It was here that I encountered someone from the Non-Asshole behavior class. Again, I encountered the situation where I came to the front of the line and was right next to someone, only this time the Non-Asshole simply smiled at me and said "Go ahead." It's sad to say, but that small gesture was quite comforting and restored a sliver of my faith in humanity. It's sad because something that should be considered mundane, like being polite, was surprising and unexpected.
As I got to my car, my thoughts turned inward and I reflected on my own behavior and on whether I am of the Asshole class or the Non-Asshole class.
I'll save my conclusion for another day.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
When I grow up…
Walking out of the theater today having just watched the latest Harry Potter movie for a second time I failed to notice the paradoxical nature of our conversation as it drifted toward the impending birth of my second child. I find myself often asking the question “when exactly did I grow up”? My wife solves this question by reminding me that I probably haven’t…
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