Youtubes

Dislike Abundant is now officially a youtube show. Yea. The idea just made more sense. From now on- this blog will be the place to house those video updates, outside of the tube channel itself. Be wary, it's going to be quite a lot of jackassery.

yell about what you don't understand because you don't understand it

I want to stray far from political issues of any sort on Dislike Abundant. I think dissecting this video is a little easier to swallow however:


I'm not going to talk about the cynical viewpoints being echoed here. I think a lot of it is sad and skewed. What I will say is the only smart guy here is the one in the United States flag shirt. He states flatly: "I watch Fox News because it has a conservative viewpoint and that's what I'm interested in. I'm not interested in MSNBC because it has a liberal viewpoint." Bravo for him. This is important as he is speaking the straight truth. There isn't any journalism going on, only media. The problem is when the viewer thinks otherwise. The real issue going on elsewhere, where the sneering liberal cynicism comes from is because the people being portrayed in the video don't know any better. But that pendulum can easily swing both ways.

the sun is out, the birds are singing

It's a lovely day in Minneapolis (no joke).

The sun is shining and there are birds chirping away.

But, I'm inside for at least the next 2hours or so which means the internet has my attention.

Someone pointed me to this site: www.newseum.org
and I'm still digging through the "freebies" on it. Newseum is a Washington D.C. museum that has a lot of interactive pieces hosted in their directories such as: Commissar Vanishes


and this treasury: of all their past online exhibits!


I could do to have access to all of the museum's content. Then I could search it a bit more easily other than "e-happenstance" browsing.

It sure would beat out strolling through a glowing gift shop just to see some bottle caps...

I'd be interested in seeing just how well Newseum does online (admittedly not taking the time right now to e-search what affiliations they have).

For the moment though, I do like the idea. Some of the videos seem good enough to be comparable to TED talks and the interactive exhibit tidbits I've gotten to sift through are better than a lot of the interactive exhibit sites that seem to take their queues from Geocities and Angelfire circa 1996.

By the way if you didn't know: I think that shit is dead now?

Either way, definitely worth a look.

ah Google, you missed something/it's not you, it's me...

So, I decided to try out yet another application: "digital friend and social activity replacement" or social networking app...

I admittedly am not the current target market for Google's current plans as it seeks to find more and more outlets it sees as deserving of being dominated. I have a few Gmail accounts, but none of them have ever been my main account. I must say, with not only the cost of file hosting but also free file hosting sites (senduit.com, rapidshare etc.) the purported vastness of the Gmail account's file size allowance doesn't give me any reason to switch to using it on a continual basis. I have enough ways to keep in contact as it is without giving every person with a Gmail account the ability to bother me in multiple different ways.


I started playing with Buzz to satisfy the "having to be in the KNOW" aspect of my academic major as well as my position based on current social caste trends (I honestly don't have time to PhotoShop a box of Nerds into Ghandi's hand at the moment, but that image by itself may warrant a post edit later on).

To pay myself on the back I do catch a lot of details...but the humor in the form of a black and white web comic from thedoghousediaries.com summed it up best in what can only be described as an info-graphic combined with humor. Be sure to click the doghousediaries.com link for the comic's full hilarity.



You can also peek at the edits people have been creating thus far at the corresponding Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thedoghousediaries?ref=ts

For someone like me interested in using the creation of propaganda, disinformation, and re-appropriation in my artwork as well as others doing the same, there is a lot of potential in this. We don't need do listen to your G-BUZZ, but we can edit it for purposes of hilarity and/or conquest goals across varying facets.

A few examples:

jimmygmail: "I just had some great homemade ravioli! It's worth it to spend a Sunday rolling out dough for the end result! I went and got supplies at the this great corner store down the street from my new place (insert Google maps via Buzz)"

*CLICK EDIT*

jimmygmail: "I just had delicious, high quality Kraft Macaroni and Cheese! It took me less than 10 minutes to make and now I have all day to check my Buzz account! Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is also on sale right now at Ralph's on Sunset Blvd! Where No Prices Are, No Prices Are Lower Than Ralph's!"

margogmail: "Phil and I are finally pregnant! I can't wait to bring this new baby into our lives!"

*CLICK EDIT*

margogmail: "Phil and I are pregnant but I'm considering having an abortion right now because I don't believe that life is sacred or in the light of the True Lord.

*CLICK EDIT*

margogmail: "I WANNA HAZ THIS BABY SO I CAN EATZ IT LOLZ!!!!!1!1"

...indeed.

Hopefully, the social engineering potential doesn't change once Google realizes the implications of their mistake.

"Whatever it is, I WANT IT NOW!!"

Rather than posting my travels on the internet today- I think that the kids at Penny Arcade summed it up best:
Apple doesn't have a fan base so much as a horny pack of technophiles.

Art is Work

I have been poked fun at a lot recently for praising the title of this post. I'm not sure why exactly. Perhaps it is due to all those design hipsters out there that feel Milton Glaser just isn't cool enough to look up to anymore. Now, in retrospect, I am not the biggest fan of the current work being produced there, but I feel that current attitudes of artists and designers still fail to look into the past to see what came before and find characteristics, not just product, to look up to.



I have been thinking about this quite often as I try to get back into the swing of making/working/creating every day and how to push ahead through stress and doubt. One of my idols, solely because of creative spirit and humor, Conan O'Brien had the following to say as he departed his dream job working at the Tonight Show:



"And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational.


To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere.Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."



After that, and seeing someone with as much enthusiasm and creativity near tears on air, I know letting it all roll off and push onward is what always needs to happen. I am not a cynical person, but a realist. Shit happens. Moving on and working towards success is where it counts. I'm sorry to throw this out there, but you have to work. Art is work. The expectation of fame just because you're the hippest kid with a MacBook and InDesign doesn't mean anything if you can't back it up with why or how. Taking the hit to the stomach for something you've worked on but can't put meaning on, doesn't mean you fall into an endless cycle of cynicism. Self-defeat leads you nowhere.

quickly, quickly you stupid consumers

I love the way people use their blog to post things they hate or find "neat". All the kids that would have had their Geocities page or their Angelfire site (myself included) get to do the same thing they did during "web 1.0" - use a template and post some links. Occasionally, the kids will whine a little or tell us about how their amazing fucking day has been. It's true! Everything needs to be a newsfeed about how terrific your new post is or a twit(er) post about how you just took a shit and it smells like fairy dust. I have joined their ranks, for better or worse.

While looking around for a new pair of headphones, this is one of the top entries I stumbled on: "20 Cool and Creative Headphones". Here are some of the more "creative" entries"....





Prepare to be shot in the face and robbed for your earbuds....



Have I mentioned how much the "steampunk" fad annoys the piss out of me?



"I ONLY LISTEN TO ANIME THEME SONGS AND J-POP!!!LOL ^.^"

After this I am now completely convinced that the good folks at Skullcandy aren't the only ones sitting around a table coming up with designs created for the sole purpose of making someone look like an asshole while they're listening to Kanye West on their Zune. The truth still is the reason companies can get away with retarded shit, is that the consumer is retarded AS shit.