Monday, February 26, 2007

CONFORMITY ROCKS!?


Dirty Fuckin Hippie, is a phrase that comes to mind often when you live in British Columbia. All too often the mistake is made that these hemp laden tree dwellers are saving the planet one flower at a time. But what if they’re not? What if the culture jammers, counter-culture enthusiasts and moral martyrs we see who have taken it upon themselves to "rage against the machine" and overthrow the system, have been doing just the opposite? In 1969 Donald and Doris Fisher Started selling washed out Levi's jeans from their used record shop "The Generation Gap" in San Francisco, you don't get more hippie than that. By 2005 the company had more than 150,000 employees and 3000 stores in 10 countries, did the Fishers "sell out"? Andrew Potter and Joseph Heath offer another solution in their 2004 non-fiction THE REBEL SELL. Their careful evaluation and comparison of “alternative” and “mainstream” lifestyles brings new light to the extremely tired argument. Using examples spanning from Kurt Cobain to Ninja Turtles and taking critical review of counter-culture icons like Naomi Klein (who in my opinion had it coming), the authors give a spectacular re-evaluation of consumerism that will enrage and provoke both sides of the debate. All that fun stuff aside this book is also just a good read for anyone interested in the evolution of North American economy. To further prove their own theory I bought the book on sight, the Starbucks Cup with classic Che on the front made a great target for filthy little whistle blowers like me who just wanted to get another look at the horrors of “the system”. There is something beautiful in the thought that at one point, the jammers that were rushing stores to slash leather and spit on retail execs were the same people cramming their fat asses into the acid wash jeans that symbolized the rebellious “Gap” in generations that started the company in the first place!

Friday, February 23, 2007

SHENANIGANS



So recently my old boss gave me a ring, he wanted me to come back and work for him "we can give you more money" he said. Hmm more money? Sounds good I thought, but then I started to remember what is was like to work there. I remember a forest fire nearly destroying the business, I remember the girls I worked with crying everyday because their brutally unorganized department had no help. I remember some asshole who mistook the staff hot tub for a dishwasher and playing damage control all year to a bunch of employees bound to the hopeless calamity of the "Make it happen" school of management . And to top it all off a dick who thought it would be a great idea to get drunk and start shoving me around like I owed him money. Then I thought "Hey Dick, you can go to hell!!"
and this May just as a horde of money grubbing rednecks start migrating to my former place of employment, with a little luck that dick will be buried up to his balls in shit. I wonder what adventures lie in wait for that terribly misguided experiment in business? Maybe the staff could send me a text message update while I sip my signature rye and ginger on the patios of Vancouvers best summer hot spots.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

DAMN GOOD NARRATIVE


Who thought being Kate Winslet would suck pretty hard, show of hands? Put your hand down now and salute Todd Field for LITTLE CHILDREN, showcasing the previously hard sucking actresses talent with this narrative classic. While your out there saluting unsung heros of film, give a healthy friggin portion to Jason Reitman who also just stopped sucking with the release of the THANK YOU FOR SMOKING DVD. Bringing in a measly 263 thousand (USD) the opening weekend the DVD is now 24.8 million strong and rising, manhandling it's modest 6.5 million budget. I picked up the DVD at the famous Videomatica, a five minute walk from my house the small video rental store is know for its movie star patronage. Patronage I couldn't give a damn about, after all that talk of sucking and manhandling as long as they have the latest edition of Ass Hammers I'm a happy customer.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

WELL, IT CERTAINLY RAISES A LOT OF QUESTIONS



Plasma cosmology, unified field theory and electric stars, are just around the corner when it comes to how we understand the way the universe works. Previously defined concepts of the model of the universe ( like the Big Bang and the idea that the universe is held together with gravity ) are more and more coming under intense scrutiny from the scientific world. To get a "not too technical" look at the concepts behind the new theories you can watch THUNDERBOLTS OF THE GODS, a showcase of how plasma cosmology punches some pretty huge friggin holes in the working Big Bang model. But don't worry, we still have a long way to go before the new theory brings the scientific community to its knees, there are still more questions than answers. In the meantime we should probably focus on how to get off this planet and check out the rest of existence.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, COULD IT BEAT ME AT HALO?

Have you heard about the CEMI ( conscious electromagnetic field theory ) ? It basically sums up the electro-haze hanging around our gray matter. previously presumed to be pseudoscience, it is now accepted for protoscience and will soon play a very significant role in the search for artificial intelligence. You can get a pretty in depth description of the theory at http://www.surrey.ac.uk/qe/cemi.html
the most interesting part of the rather technical theory was the proposed applications in its use for mapping a guide to a working A.I. model. Worth a read if you give a crap.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

WEB ALBUMS MADE EASY

I just got through making my first online photo album with Picasa 2. Pretty handy little program, makes uploading and web based photo hosting real easy. Although I think you have to have a gmail account to use it.
Check it out, there isn't a whole lot in there right now but it's a work in progress.
Enjoy

Saturday, February 17, 2007

A QUICK RUNDOWN

I have recently re-affirmed my childhood diagnosis of ADHD. It wasn't like being a spaz wans't enough, they went out and gave it a name. Anyway I just started helping these guys at a production company not too far from my house. It's been pretty cool so far, no major hollywood type disasters yet but its still too early to tell.