Month: February 2007

Intelligent drain music

A tale of two things I saw yesterday:
Drainpipe from bath makes IDM rhytms
It’s snowing just when I’m getting used to the whole global warming thing.

Now use up a bit more of that precious energy by watching the result:
Update 2012: Revver.com has folded and so has all the videos I hosted there

At the moment I’m reading ayn rands’ Atlas shrugged. I’m one fifth into this epic tome, and the main reason I’m going through it is because it’s one of those bestselling “classics”, and is widely hailed by those on the slightly right-ish scale of politics.

It reads like shit, honestly. All the characters that have appeared so far are either strong-willed, skilled and focused people or weaklings that simper about public good but have no balls to do anything. It reads like the rantings of a 13-year old that’s stumbled upon an op-ed by friedman for the first time and seen a quote of nietzsche in the bathroom stall, trying to sound like an adult.

I know I sounded like that. I wrote a flaming condemnation of Saddam Hussein at the time of the whole Kuwait intermezzo, comparing him to Hitler. I was 12 years old and was paraphrasing one newspaper or another – I would like to hope that I’ve matured somewhat since.

Then again, Ayn did state that she was writing a book to put flesh on her theories on objectivism. Basically, she’s an über-capitalist (there’s this retarded notion that the term “anarcho-capitalism” has any validity and should be used on objectivism. “Bah” I say), and this might be one of the redeeming qualities of the book – science fiction as a political manifesto. (Doesn’t come close to Ursula Le Guin, obviously)

As it goes: “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

The audio-book version is available at thepiratebay.org in case you feel like it.

Comparative babyism

Gotta touch up on the essay today, after a weekend drunk/sleep.

Let’s start with my baby is smaller than your baby. World tiniest born (alive) baby is leaving the hospital, and the doctor (or someone) who just had to take a picture so that we can go all ooh and aah didn’t have anything medical looking to compare it to and used a pen:

And I’ve always had a weak spot for political cartoons:


Click image for more

And here’s some grainy footage from the fundraising party that the label copy/past threw last weekend:

The sound of fame:

I’ve been trying to find a good group to do stuff with. y’know, stuff. Like pat each other on the back and give feedback on bat-shit crazy ideas of better ways to distribute hazelnuts. Or whatever.

Enter cambrianhouse.com which tries to use the power of crowds. I.e. you submit an outline for an idea or software or whatever that can be made and distributed via computers, and others get to vote on the project and sign up to help out with it. If it goes into production you get at up to 10% of the generated revenue. (minimum 5% I think)

It’s one possible way of generating income by contributing on something that you might not be able to manage yourself, and I’ve been looking for these things for a while. I’m ahead of my time when it comes to “survival of the fittest”. Basically, I need to be put in a dark room, fed twice a day, and have a group of other monkeys doing the same, cooperating on realising ideas.

It’s either that, or find a pimp that’s impressed with that special trick that I do and keeps me on retainer. Check out the site, join up and at least vote on the different projects. The site is nowhere near a large enough audience to be functioning properly, and most people write shit ideas (“make an online id-card that works” wtf?) that really need to be slapped down proper and good. And stay down until they learn to behave and do some research.

Here’s the link again: cambrianhouse.com

In the mean time, here’s a video for your enjoyment:

Kids in the room next doora are playing Sims

The kids in the room next to mine are playing Sims, and evesdropping in on their excited shouts is great fun. Annas’ two kids and her brothers daughter are playing.

Some samples:

“My dude is going to kill your dude!”
“Don’t kill! Kissing is better than killing!”

“I want a boyfriend”
“Get albin”
“Nah, I wan’t to get someone I’m gonna dump right away”

“Oh, Eskil! You just pissed on the floor! Nasty!”

“Is your character a nurse?”
“Yeah”
“Ok, let’s have them talk!”
“Sure. Hey, maybe they’ll fall in love!”

“Look, they are having fun!”

This is heavy stuff, and here I am trying to concentrate on tomorrows essay exams. Oh well.

On the lock picking project

I just finished my MFA essay, in which I outline the idea I have for final work about lock picking. As it stands, I’m leaning towards either a presentation or a workshop on lock picking, but it just struck me that I could take a more direct approach.

Should I just be giving out lockpicks instead? Should I give out fake lockpicks? Jump on strangers in the middle of the street to give them lessons? Or just sit on a bench and pick a lock? Or only use locks as a backdrop for a talk om morals and the ethical imperative? Doesn’t anarchist theory belong here somewhere, In addition to my own personal interest in it?

I’m back on the caffeine pills btw. They seem to help. Let’s see if I can’t get the whole “life” thing sorted out in a day or two. After the examination (in which I will be told that I lack artistic references in the text, and that I should have put the bibliography at the end of the document, even though it’s only two or three items).

Post-essay levity:

Mcsweeneys.net is a place you ought to read once a week. I’ve always liked smart satire even though I don’t know enough litterature to appreciate it properly. But just knowing that something is making jokes that are high-brow makes me feel better.

Here are two recent articles that you might like:

* THE AMERICANS WHO VOTED FOR GEORGE W. BUSH WISH TO RETURN THEIR TELEVISIONS
* SUPERFOODS FOR THE PESSIMIST

Random domain hopping: flightcontrol.com

flightcontrol.com - battle the geese for the right to golf!

Over and out.

Oh ha ha

I should have finished my essay months ago. instead i’m frenetically clickety-clicking on the keyboard ten hours before deadline. Todays Ze Frank is on the money:Speaking of which. Look what I found!