Waiting for the Next Golden Age

Today I was meeting with some friends about the next party we want to throw. We are looking for the next big thing, asking ourselves what the future of the LA party scene will look like. Nobody knows what it will be. We keep thinking about it and coming up with no sure answers. Then Zak hit it. 

"Everyone is ready for the next thing to happen. The world has been so fucked up lately, and it is clearly going to end. But until it does, they are all holding their breath until it changes."

That's it.  We're exhausted and want the next age to start now. 

I can only speak for myself here, but I have seen the world getting darker and more horrible at every turn for the entirety of my adult life.  This is happening every day, wars on drugs, terror and nations, political corruption, people around the world hating Americans, out of control police power, a fear mongering shill media, environmental catastrophe just on the horizon, and on, and on. 

This is simultaneous with my immediate community growing at this exponential rate.  Every day, the amazing people in my world expand in number and quality.  We grow in leaps and bounds. Every time I leave my home, the people I interact with are brighter and brighter.  People have hope, they dream ready for a new world and a quantum leap forward. They are causing these leaps forward in their own lives.  It's inspiring really. I see this emerging culture that I get to be a part of, and on a personal level we are winning!

I had this thought the other day, it was a fleeting one, but I chose to hold onto it.  Why can't we enter a New Golden Age (or a Second Renaissance)?  Obama getting the nomination has me all psyched about what is possible. Imagine a world where we work things out in world with some integrity! I can see this whole possible reality full of scientific breakthrough, political honor, artistic exploration, ruthless acts of love and peace, freedom for everyone, environmental healing and a new economic system that could generate abundance for all. What will be our generation's moon landing?  Is it possible that we will move out of what history will call the second dark ages? Can our age transform the failures of the past into a beautiful  future of light?  

I say it's so crazy, it just might work. 

After I started picturing this new world, I found this in my RSS feed. Man, that Cory Doctorow is reading my parallel universe generator. 

http://www.fugue.com/pics/goodnews.html

via boingboing at http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/08/google-news-from-a-b.html

So here is my request: Read this front page, and imagine it coming to pass. Visualize a possible reality where these stories could become true and real. Share your audacious ideas of what amazing things can alter the world to your benign will. See it. It's coming. 

We are the ones we have been waiting for. 

The Grip Workout

 I picked up this month's copy of Men's Health the other day. It had this article in it, The Sandbag Workout. Basicly they suggest getting this 50 lbs. sandbag from Home Depot, put it up on your shoulders, at your chest, walk around, lift it while bending over, etc.  Okay, they just described what I do at work, exactly about 100 times a day with 35 pound sandbags (we call em ball busters). 

I shared this with Scotty yesterday, while working in the fake gym for Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. We decided to add a few excercises. 

The Push It: Take some stuff, mostly metal, and put it in a wheeled cart. Load it with as much stuff as the wheels can carry. Now Push it around, up hills, through narrow doorways, onto narrow lift gates. This works both your legs and lower back. It's great for the butt! (you should see the heavy carts we push around!)

The Sail. First we build some dexterity. Tie shoelaces to a pole that is suspended at full arm extension and casue full tension in the laces. Do this about 50 times. Speed is a factor.  (we tie big 8x8, 12x12 and 20x20 pieces of cloth and diffusion to large metal frames quite a bit.)

The Flag Move: Take a rigid 4'x4' foot flat piece of anything. Metal frames, foamcore, are preferable. and stretch your arms while carrying them. The key is to carry as many as you possibly can.  (we have these stacks of 4x frames, big metal empty pieces of aluminum most times with some form of gel on them, and floppies, 4 foot metal frames with black duvetine tight against it, with a extra 4 foot section that "flops" down to make a 8'x 4' black light stopper.)

The Ladder Dance: Take a fiberglass ladder, starting at 6' and moving up to 12' and move the ladder on your shoulder through crowded areas, calling out for people to be careful and watch the ends. You will build balance and strength as you use every muscle group in the body to keep the ladder safe. 

I love my job. 

Okay, now totally wreck the workout by eating the catering. Yesterday, they had Roscoes Chicken and Waffles

Self as Corporation

I have been thinking about dong this for a while, incorporating. A few Key Grip friends of mine have done this, and it appeals to me.  It s a way to control you financial destiny in this country, and to afford yourself certain rights afforded companies and not individuals.  According to Scotty of Big Show Industries We The People in Burbank can make incorporation happen lickety-split!  This is an interesting experiment, I invite you to play. Creating yourself as corporation is a handy way to craft a killer fictionsuit.

So what does The Spaceman Company produce you may ask?  Good question. The Spaceman Company is an ontological entertainment and marketing company. We produce a wide variety projects and act as a vendor to major studios and event production companies. Creating intellectual properties and unique original ideas is a specialty of this venture. We also do personal consultation on a wide variety of subjects relevant to everyday life. In some ways, the main product of The Spaceman Company is space.  We create space for people to be who they really are. We create space for people to love themselves unconditionally. We build and illuminate space for one's truest self to emerge. 

Notice that as soon as I become a corporation, I become a "we?"

The thing about becoming a corporation is that you suddenly become somewhat more than an individual. You have a company to run! There are financial and business plans to develop, and stick to. Marketing of your company (you) becomes necessary. Suddenly, talking about yourself with gushing praise makes a little more sense. Would you buy you?  There is also production; are you being productive today?  If my product is space, am I providing the right kind of space that will encourage brand loyalty to The Spaceman Company?  Strategic partnerships become necessary.  A network of other like minded companies, striving for profitability and cooperation become real business choices. The office is really just a laptop, and whatever chair I am sitting in. 

It is really, at this point just a mental shift. But, I think I want to follow this rabbit hole as far as it goes.  

The Spaceman Company loves you. 

Vote Today

10 days in the forest has me be out of it. I didn't realize it was the day to vote until today, this morning.  knew that elections were on the horizon, and that political parties have been calling my cell phone (the "do not call" list also, conveniently puts your number on political party "call whenever they feel like it" list.) I didn't even realize that this election is about eminent domain, which is one of the great bugaboos of recent years. I am voting today for sure. 

My good friend Jay Beeber put out this. I liked it simple and to the point.  Thanks Jay!

It’s likely that most of you are confused by the two ballot issues regarding eminent domain, Props 98 & 99 that will appear on the ballot today as you go to the polls.  Here’s a bit of non-partisan clarification.

 

First, a quick explanation of eminent domain and why these ballot initiatives are being put forward.  Eminent domain is a process under which the government can (and does) seize private property for public use - to build a road, a school or a courthouse.  Under eminent domain, the government buys your property (whether you wish to sell or not), paying you what they determine to be fair market value.  But the government can also seize your land and transfer it to private developers so they can build more expensive homes and offices, big box stores, car dealer ships etc. that will pay more in property taxes than the buildings they're replacing.  For example, in one case a town wished to exercise eminent domain over a residential neighborhood, so that an upscale condominium development could be built on that land. To advance that goal, they defined any home within the neighborhood as "blighted" if it did not have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an attached two car garage, and central air conditioning.  This abuse of the eminent domain process has prompted a backlash in many states leading to legislation and ballot initiatives to restrict under what conditions the government can seize private property.

 

Prop 98 – This proposition is being put forward by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the same group that brought us Proposition 13, the landmark 1978 tax revolt initiative that restricted property tax increases in California.  The proposition does two major things: 

 

First, it restricts the use of eminent domain by restricting the government from seizing any private property unless it is used for a real “public” purpose such as a road, park, school, etc.

 

Second, the proposition phases out rent control, but contrary to the scare tactics used in some of the opposition advertising, rent control continues to remain in effect as long as a tenant remains in an apartment (or mobile home) that is currently under rent control.  However, once that unit is vacated, rent control on that unit will end and the landlord may charge rent at market value.   Currently if you vacate your apartment, the landlord may increase the rent to market value for the next tenant, but then is restricted to increases controlled by the local municipality under rent control (usually no more than 3 – 4 % per year).  Understand that not all municipalities in California have rent control (approximately 12 California cities and 110 mobile home communities) and in LA, rent control only exists for multiple dwellings built before October 1, 1978.  It is estimated that only about 10% of the population in California lives under rent control.

Summary of key provisions in the initiative:

• Private property may not be taken by eminent domain for private use under any circumstances (e.g. to build a shopping center, auto mall or industrial park).

• Property may be taken by eminent domain only for public use (e.g.. freeway construction, parks, or schools).

• Property may not be taken by government and used for the same purposes (e.g. residential housing cannot be used for government housing).

• Family farms and open space are protected from seizures by government for the purpose of selling the natural resources.

• If a public agency takes property under false pretenses, or abandons its plans, the property must be offered for sale to the original owner at the original price and the property tax would be assessed at the value of the property when it was originally condemned.

• If farmers or business owners are evicted by eminent domain, they would be entitled to compensation for temporary business losses, relocation expenses, business reestablishment costs and other reasonable expenses.

• Government may not set the price at which property owners sell or lease their property. However, tenants who live in rent-regulated communities will continue to receive the benefit of those regulations as long as they live in their residences.

Prop 99 – This proposition was put forward in an attempt to thwart the passage of Prop 98.  It gives some new protections against government abuse of eminent domain, but is much weaker than Prop 98 and only applies to owner occupied residential property.  Plus it has numerous other loopholes that weaken protection for even these types of properties.  For example, a private home could still be taken and given to a developer as long as the development includes some government facility, no matter how small, like a small library annex or community police office.  It does not protect any private commercial property (like mom & pop stores), apartments, farmland, churches, etc.  It does not require the government to return land that it seizes even if the land is not used for the purpose for which it was seized.  It does not phase out rent control.  It is mostly endorsed by government entities and developers who have a vested interest in seeing the weakest eminent domain reforms passed.  Be aware that if both 98 and 99 pass, only the proposition with the highest vote count will become law, so if you vote for both, then we will likely get 99 and not 98.

 

The bottom line is that which proposition you vote for (if any) will depend on whether you feel it’s fair to phase out rent control after some one vacates their apartment and whether this is a good trade-off in order to get some very strong eminent domain protection for property owners.

 

Although I will probably vote for Prop 98, I’m not advocating a position because I understand that many people believe that rent control is a good thing.  (I personally object to rent control on principle because I don’t believe anyone has the right to dictate how much a private property owner may charge for rent on their personal property and I believe that it causes higher rents for those that aren’t fortunate enough to be living in a rent controlled building.)

 

Here’s a link for further research:

 

http://www.ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=California_Proposition_98_versus_California_Proposition_99_%282008%29

 

Go vote!  Make your voice heard!

Back to Life

(image from the UK cover)

It took me a little longer to get back into the swing of life after getting back from the forest (and i certainly did not work as hard as some!). I have spent the last few days trying to get back into life in the big city, and it has definitely been challenging.  

I liked having my little canvas cabin in the woods, I liked having my meals catered, I liked the simplicity of working all day, going to sleep and doing it all over again.  Now, it has all gone back to normal and dealing with the mundanity of life bores me to unconsciousness.  Traffic makes me want to doze off almost immediately.  Where the hell do all these people come from? 

Here's what I have been up to. Don't judge me. 

1. I have been reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.  When I was visiting San Fransisco, I walked by a window advertising a signing by Cory. I am a huge fan. He is one of the editors of Boing Boing and one of the brightest minds in science fiction. But alas, the signing was going to be while I was at LIB. The sweet people at the shop offered to send it to me when he came. 

Because Cory is the super-coolest writer ever, amd he believes obscurity is a bigger problem than piracy, you can also download the book for free at  http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/ 

"To Spaceman, Live Free" the inscription read when I got home. The book is incredible. It is a young adult novel, his first foray into that realm. It is basically a novelized manual for how to beat homeland security at their own game for young people. I would say that young adults like us should read it too.  I am seriously considering doing an online companion site for Little Brother, a resource for the tech and countermeasures taught in the book. 

2. My dad had a birthday the other day. I can't believe that my dad is 60. He doesn't look it, at all. It is always this great check on ourselves to note how long the years really can be.  I deeply love my dad. He's such a good guy. 

3.  I stayed away from the sugar and the alcohol at LIB and am recommitting to hitting the gym 3 time a week at minimum again.  My body image has been shifting in the last few weeks, and I am liking what I am seeing. It is true, I am one sexy mothafucka. 

I am also recommitting to getting content on this blog every godsdamn day. I miss blogging, I am back.  

4. I registered a theme camp this year: Voodoo Bistro. Camping and Voodoo.  Limited capacity. No slackers and no big art. We shall see if the BORG approves it. http://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=layout1bs1.jpg

5. Wolfie, ever the pusher, has been hounding me for weeks to start in his little World of Warcraft cult. "Come over," he says, "we'll have a few laughs, kill a few monsters and take their stuff" he says. This week, I caved and played.  I am so scared, because it is so much fun. 

There is deep social meaning in this.  It is an incredibly well designed game. I can't help but think that these will be the new secure chat rooms. 

6. My flip video camera rules. I got some great footage out at LIB. I want to cut some of it together, but am daunted by the quicktime-imovie thing. It is just so many steps.  A video monkey who can help me on this ill win my eternal gratitude and a nice dinner or lunch. Please help me. 

7.  Oh yes, I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull the other night.  I was impressed. I thought there were some really cool references to some stuff that I am really into like multidimensional thinking, area 51, and forbidden archeology. AND it is a genre action film, thought best of as a pulp novel brought to life. Go into it expecting unbelievable two fisted tales, and you will get what you paid for. 

The Party is Over.

Wonderful. Mad. Beautiful. Exhausting. Inspiring. Conspiring. 

***Tried to post this the other day, failed. Here she is!***

I am spent. I had an epic good time at LIB. It seems that just about everyone had an epic good time at LIB.   

I lost my iphone. This is sad, and I still would  like to find it.  I lost it sometime before dawn, and I brought this upon myself. Was it worth it? YES.  But please, if you hear of anyone finding an iphone with steampunk gears on it, please send them my way.  I'd rather not have to buy a new one. 

***Update*** I found it. It was in my tent. I like to think that a time travelling me from the future took it, used it for a little while and then put it back while I was working. Either that, or I was so out of it when I came home sunday night that I just misplaced it. Either way.... HAPPY!

Highlights: 

1. The Yard Dogs: Yeah, like I said, fucking incredible! There was one song, this mournful Etta James song, it lifted me up. I actually had to keep checking behind me to see if someone was lifting me up, or fitting me with an arial rig or something, I was sure I would fly away over the stage.  It was magic. 

2. Building the festival. I knew every inch of cable adding power to the show. I knew every path and golf cart route. I felt real ownership of my contribution. 

3. I met great people everywhere! New members of the Do Lab, people from my past, people I have met in the future, and just smiling loving faces at every turn. 

4. Gnoming it up. I scared and tricked so many of my friends, and lit up the faces of many strangers. 

5. Wolfie's set at 1:30 Saturday. It was like a family reunion. I danced, and played for the whole set. Ali and crew, you guys rocked me! I got some fantastic video, I should have it up this week. 

6. Watching Adam Freeland from the lighting booth Sunday night. 

7. Partying like a rockstar on a sunday night, just like old times, eh gang? 

8. My camp. It was so sweet. I was surrounded by good friends that I really wanted to connect with, my tent setup was super sweet, and I leveled my futon frame perfectly. After Matt Cole hooked me up with a new blanket, and scotty picked up a jacket for me I was warm as could be.

9. People saying to me  "Oh you're Spaceman!"  Apparently people are actually reading this! That makes me happy! It seems that people have been talking about me, forwarding my lists, and reading without comments. 

10. That kiss.  

*** 11. Wrapping all the lighting in 1 1/2 days. 

*** 12. The amazing sushi dinner on tuesday night for the crew. I love being a part of the Do Lab!

Notes from the Bottle 2

Cold today and tonight. f you are a vendor, bring warm stuff. I will buy it.  I had to run into town to get some thermals I was so cold. I will also take cuddle partners, purely for body warmth and survival, I assure you. 

We made a lot of progress today and things really are starting to come together.  The stages look amazing!

Wind. It's windy. I used to say that LIB was like burning man without the harsh weather conditions. Turns out, this year not so much. Maybe it will be mild on the playa this year. I wish I brought my goggles and dust mask. Of course, the canvas super-tent is still up and dust free. I love this thing. 

Wow, I am looking forward to the festival starting.  See you guys tomorrow.  Cell phones work here (for now), call me when you get here. Come camp near me, right now there is still lots of space, although I won't be able to hold any. 

Time for sleep now.

Notes from the Bottle

Notes from the Bottle

1:20 am. First free minute to try and get a blog post going. I got a touch of video today, but there is no way I can get it up on our limited bandwidth. I decided to do this tonight, even though I am very tired.  

Bugs. Yes. There are bugs. Bring bug repellent. Also, I have heard that if you take B1, mosquitoes don’t like your blood. Please confirm or deny. 

The days are mild and sunny, the nights are cool and a bit damp. Word on the street is that it should get colder as the weekend progresses. Bring a good jacket, I didn’t.  Pack the extra blanket. 

We are turning the electrical meter backwards with solar power. That is pretty dang cool. 

 There will be ice vendors. 

The Do Lab crew is working 18+ hour days to bring you the best event we can. There is tons of equipment that we are putting all over the place. We have whole crews managing the logistics of this huge event. My request is simple, show the love. By the time most of you get here, we will have been working a long time. Be appreciative and generous. People of note to shower with love: Josh, Jesse, Dede, Aaron G., KJ, Monika, Brian F., Alphi, Travis, Tyler, Ian, Y2 and Brian Shaw, Heather Shaw, Charlie and Carl, Brent H and John G, Shena, Derek and Derek, Jedi and all the others I have forgotten or don’t know well enough to say. Bring presents.

It’s Jesslynn’s birthday and Charlie’s Friday! Sweet!

I forgot about the wild turkeys! Crazy. 

Stay away from our power. Power? You brought ‘er!

Ok, Spaceman signing off for now.  

Notes from the Bottle

1:20 am. First free minute to try and get a blog post going. I got a touch of video today, but there is no way I can get it up on our limited bandwidth. I decided to do this tonight, even though I am very tired.  

Bugs. Yes. There are bugs. Bring bug repellent. Also, I have heard that if you take B1, mosquitoes don’t like your blood. Please confirm or deny. 

The days are mild and sunny, the nights are cool and a bit damp. Word on the street is that it should get colder as the weekend progresses. Bring a good jacket, I didn’t.  Pack the extra blanket. 

We are turning the electrical meter backwards with solar power. That is pretty dang cool. 

 There will be ice vendors. 

The Do Lab crew is working 18+ hour days to bring you the best event we can. There is tons of equipment that we are putting all over the place. We have whole crews managing the logistics of this huge event. My request is simple, show the love. By the time most of you get here, we will have been working a long time. Be appreciative and generous. People of note to shower with love: Josh, Jesse, Dede, Aaron G., KJ, Monika, Brian F., Alphi, Travis, Tyler, Ian, Y2 and Brian Shaw, Heather Shaw, Charlie and Carl, Brent H and John G, Shena, Derek and Derek, Jedi and all the others I have forgotten or don’t know well enough to say. Bring presents.

It’s Jesslynn’s birthday and Charlie’s Friday! Sweet!

I forgot about the wild turkeys! Crazy. 

Stay away from our power. Power? You brought ‘er!

Ok, Spaceman signing off for now.  

Heading to LIB

I am heading out today. It's going to be a blast! I will be attempting to post from there, with details on the ground. I am running very late. as long as I get there before dark, I am good. 

In San Fransico for the Weekend

Out of nowhere, I decided to drive up to San Fransico this weekend with my friend Radhika. She has a million friends to visit up here. I am visiting my friend Marian. We're here until Sunday morning (me in the city, her in oakland), It's okay to try and arrange some plans, but I am here for a short time and will be here again in a few weeks. 

What a weekend to show up.  Apparently, the city is going nuts over the California Supreme Court decision to allow gay marriages, which is incredible! Also there is the Bay to Breakers event, a massive "footrace" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_to_Breakers . I have seen it on the news since I was a kid, and always wanted to see it. I will probably wander around and see a bit of it tomorrow. There is also some sort of kfog "kaboom" fireworks show all weekend http://www.kfog.com/ so that too should be neat. I will always remember the look on Orion's face during a forth of July fireworks show at Lake Arrowhead a lifetime ago. 

And I am going to Kinky Salon to check it out. http://kinkysalon.tribe.net/  And I want to leave by fairly early sunday. I have heard so much about this place. I cant wait to visit. 

So lets see what adventures the weekend holds. Text me anytime this weekend, we can try and link up!

 

Prepping for Lightning in a Bottle part 2

More practical stuff. 

1. Did you know that LIB open it's gates at 4pm on thursday? This means that you can set up your camp and be ready to go when the festival actually starts on friday! Last year, it filled up very fast.  Arriving early should mean that you get a good spot. I am not involved in this aspect of things. But as someone who heads  out to the playa early every year, the best times are had by those who get out there at the beginning. 

2. Bring cash. I do not think there will be ATMs on site. Last year there were some amazing things available that I just couldn't buy because I didn't have the money. Bring enough cash for the long weekend. There will be even more vendors this year. 

3. Figure out who you are camping with before you get there! 

4. Pack things in bins, especially food. There are chipmunks everywhere at LIB. I like to think of them as very small and adorable bears.  Bins also make things pack neatly into your car, and chips cannot be crushed in them. 

5. Beware of holes. Watch where you are going.  There have had a couple of injuries at LIB over the years. Please be careful.

6. Earplugs.  Not for the music, cause it stops pretty early. But for your loud-ass campmates in the morning having deep conversations about the nature of the universe. 

7. Car camping is completely sold out. If you didn't arrange a car pass, you will not be able to bring your car to your campsite.  Keep this in mind when packing. Use wheels if you can. Pack a little lighter. 

8. Bring a towel. There are showers at the event.  There are also infinite uses for a towel.  Also, think about some sandals or crocs for the showers.  

9. Do not miss the  Yard Dogs Traveling Road Show.  Two years ago at LIB I saw them. They completely changed my life. One of the most compelling shows I have ever seen. They are an incredible band. 

10. Meditate on actually capturing lightning in a bottle, think of the equipment and danger involved, the lightning rods, the vacuum tubes, the dials and levers... It's so crazy it just might work. 

Prepping for LIB pt 1

I got my Flip Video camera to work with imovie. Uncharacteristically,  the mac software requires 3 extra steps (export to .mov files in quicktime pro, move them to the right folder, import them into imovie), so if anyone has a better work around, let me know. 

I leave for LIB in a few days. There is still a lot to get ready for. 

1. Food and Drink: This year, LIB will have more vendors for food. I loved that last year, that when my ass was too tired or brain-dead to make something there was always an option.  Still, cold drinks and water are important. I am thinking of it kind of like burning man, my appetite will be significantly lower.  I will pack my small butane stove, I gotta check that.  This is also a good way to test some f your burning man recipes. 

2. Lights: Headlamp, flashlight, lantern... make sure al of these have fresh batteries ready for the event. Very green. 

3. Coolers: Clean those puppies out! I think they are clean, but it can't hurt to hose them off and use a bleach based cleaner on the inside. 

4. Bug repellant and sunscreen. Last year, no mosquitoes, the year before, I got chewed alive.  I think that once the festival really gets going, the mosquito to partier ratio gets really skewed and it seems like there are no bugs. But I will be there a week for setup, and my scandanavian blood is beloved by parasites.  Bring sunscreen. I bought some spray on stuff and some face stuff. Years in love with an esthetician taught me the value of sunscreen and the importance of protecting yourself against sun damage and premature aging. Oh yeah, and cancer. 

5. Costumes. If I am working, I always forget this one. I need to referb my gnome costume before I go! 

6. My bike. I am really debating weather I should bring my bike. LIB is big! I gotta dust the thing off and fill the tires. but I think it will make a difference. 

7. Bed. I am bringing up my futon mattress. A futon is SOOO much more comfortable than an air mattress.  I am also considering bringing the wood frame for it. There is something inherently human about sleeping 12" up off the ground. That extra storage and firm seating in my tent will make a difference. 

8. Tables and chairs. Never underestimate the value of good seating and working surfaces. 

9. Solar chargers.  I am in the market for a solar battery charger for my electronics. I am going to be out there for a while, and I need to keep my freelance-ability going. Keeping with the green theme, a little phone charger is a good thing.

10. Luggage lock for your tent. It is probably safe. A luggage lock will not stop a committed thief. But, it will stop two things, the theft of opportunity and unlawful searches if you are not there.  I heard one or two reports last year of some kind of theft. Kind of a bummer. Be responsible with your valuables. Lock them in your car or don't bring them. 

Fell out of the practice

So, keeping up with the media fast and blogging every day collided. I wasn't able to really do both right, so I did both half assed. The exercise was a success, I did fast from the media for 5 days and came out of it hearing about an earth shattering earthquake in china. Still though, my not knowing the news did not severely affect my life. Ram in the brain has been freed up for other things, like video codecs. 

Here's what I have been up to: 

1. I got a new camera, a flip video Ultra. It's awesome, cheap and cute. It stores 60 minutes of video, works on two aa batteries and plugs directly into my computer. Now, if I can just get the flip video avi files to work in imovie 08. I know it is possible. 

2. I saw Speed Racer today. It was so much better than I expected. When I was really young, my mom tells me,  i used to watch this show all the time. Probably long before I had true understanding of it. Man, they did it right. It felt like an anime!   They stayed true to the story and kept it real. It is being considered a flop, because it only made $20m it's first weekend. It was up against Iron Man after all. It is so worth seeing.  Love the bright shiny colors, love the sweet stylized acting, love the physics defiant cars.

 

3. Lightning In A Bottle is coming. I am so excited for this! I have been going to this event for years, and I have  had the privilege of being a part of it for five or six of those. This year, I am going to be there for just about the whole dang time.  I head up next Monday and will be working through the 28th. It's going to be incredible.  But, there is much to prepare. Tents and sleeping bags and bug repellent. I will be blogging with video from LIB this year.  That is, if I figure out this Flip-imovie thing. 

4. I really love my mom. I had a great time yesterday. I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to have a great family that lives so close. They rock. 

I Love Los Angeles

"There are more things in heaven and Earth, Harris, than are dreamt of in your philosophy" - The Freeway Sign in L.A. Story

I love this movie, don't you? It' from 1991, it has Steve Martin as a weatherman who doesn't use doppler radar, it tells the story of Los Angeles so beautifully. I have seen this movie proabably fifty times, I have been watching it since I was a teenager,  and I am always seeing new things. 

I am an LA native.  I really love this town.  I feel a part of it.  I sometimes feel that the city moves things for me, to help me.  The city is alive, do you ever feel that? Like it wants to cause dreams to be fulfilled. It pulls all these dreamers here, doesn't it?  Some are dashed, some are lived, some are changed entirely.  But all that creative force is here, always. 

I keep thinking that you've got to want it. You gotta really just love this town and everything that is possible here. It is this nexus of creativity and media, anything can happen. It is so vast and open and full of life.  But you must love this city, for she is a fickle goddess. Speak out against the traffic, or heat, or people and she will smack you down with a desert fury.  Instead, love the wildfires, earthquakes and crazies. This is our city, and she loves us. 

Man, I wanna go for a drive. 

Create your own freeway sign

Failure- Recommit

I tried and failed. 

It was a bold idea, to quit media for 5 days. I did say I would blog and continue with my "do it every day" initiative, I am still committed to that. But as part of that, did do a little blog comment checking, enough to notice Paynie calling me out.  I did blogging specific internet use, as opposed to internet surfing. I have had no news or TV input for several days. I did much better than my usual crack addict-esque checking, to be sure. But, I will acknowledge failure, I cheated. I looked on tribe, I looked on facebook, I looked on myspace, beyond the reposting of my blog there. I checked my email more than just twice a day. Guilty. Evil. Foolish. It is a drug, I am addicted. 

So when failing, which is not in itself wrong, all that is left t do is acknowledge the failure, cop to it, and recommit or give up. 

So starting now, 5 days. Media fasting again, until Monday. No TV, writing related internet use only (clearly defined as simple looking up of facts for post, and the getting of images and links only), no radio or podcasts, no news. I am going to try again. Right now, I am going to make bookmarks for the "post to my blog" pages on myspace, tribe and facebook. I will allow myself to respond to comments while I check email at the designated times (noon and 4pm).  

I know this is a worthwhile exercise, mainly because it is really hard to do. 

New Skills

I remember when I first started learning about sleep.  I was in high school and in a psychology class and our teacher Mr. Chip Phillips told us that sleep was for learning and processing.  I always thought it was for relaxing. 

It turns out that we deal with a lot of input during the day, and our brains take it all in and save some of the input to process later.  Seemingly unrelated dreams are our minds' way of dealing with all the data. At least that is part of the theory. It doesn't explain my dreams of the future that come to pass, though.  Maybe the brain can access past and future lives for more in-depth processes. But, that is a conversation for another time. 

I have been dreaming a lot lately, and feeling really well rested and alert the moment I wake up.  I think it has to do with the fact that I am learning a lot lately. It is coming from many sources, and both the physical and mental world. 

1. I am teaching myself html code. Playing with Blogger's interface and staring at codes that tell text to do things is opening up to something I always thought was really hard.

2. I am taking Ryan's staff class. I am not exactly sure why, really, other than he invited me. I have no interest in performing with it. It is his method that interests me.  I like the idea of physical tasks being much easier than we think. I am intererested in Metaprogramming my human biocomputer, especially in my interactions in the structural realm.  I am also practicing with my axe. I had to trim some tree limbs up at the cabin, that thing can chop wood like nobody's business. 

3.  My mind has been alight with crazy money making schemes and I have been searching the internets high and low for content and trying to prove to myself that my concepts are solid. What has happened is that I have found this whole new world of blogs and video that I previously ignored. I am also clear that I can do much better. 

I woke up feeling like I was learning a lot more. Weird. It's been a few hours and I am already forgetting. I trust my mind, though. I am sure it will be there when I need it.  

Ultra-violence

So, it is official. I am desensitized to violence. There is little violence that will shock me. I have been playing these games on my 360 lately (and not even the most violent one: GTA IV

So I have been looking for the pattern and reason

Viking: Battle for Asgard- You play a bloodthirsty viking warrior brought back from the dead by the goddess Freyja. You brutally wage war across Midgard, chopping the monsters of Hel's Legion into little bits along the way. You slay champions and giants. Ancient dragons are your allies. You find and use Mjolinir, Thor's Hammer. The game was spectacularly beautiful and really fun. The killing, the constant killing, affected me, though. It got repetitive. It hardened me into a cold viking killing machine.

Frontlines: Fuel of War: The year is 2024, and you are a soldier with the Western Coalition after all of the fuel has all but run out. You pilot massive tanks and helicopters to fight for what little resources are left. The gameplay is awesome, and death has little consequence. When you die, you just redeploy, as a fresh new soldier. This is a convention I saw in the Battlefront games. Interestingly enough, that kind of total lack of fear from death is useful. I have found myself really looking at the life or death consequences of my own life and my own choices. The possible future presented in Frontlines has also had me really look at my contribution to this kind of post peak oil scenario. I am excited to see how this game will play out.

 

Burnout Paradise: The Burnout series is well known for crashing. It is a game of road rage, pure and simple. In this version, though, EA Games has made a massive multi player world for people to dwell inside of. You start off with a junker, and you drive around Paradise City, recklessly, collecting prize money for running other cars off the road and causing multiple collisions. Of all violent games, this is by far the most dangerous. The car crashes that I cause and am a part of would kill hundreds of people. And yet, like sweet sweet candy, I just want more. Just one more race. I can catch that dude who cut me off. I can launch my car off the freeway construction and hit that billboard! I guess the upside is that I drive much more sensibly in real life when I am immersing myself in Burnout. This game really is vast and gorgeous. I really enjoy it.

The Club>- The shaky premise of this Sega title is simple. There is an ultra secret organization called the Club that organizes underground blood-sports through dangerous areas filled with gunmen. You play as one of eight outsiders dropped into a deadly game. Think Bruce Lee's Game of Death, only everyone wields guns. This game's violence, too, is without consequence. Where do all these thugs armed with uzis and minguns come from? As I played through the game once on Casual (an interesting descriptor, for sure) I must have brutally murdered a few hundred guys. You are scored on how stylishly you kill these people, so explosions and head shots are preferred. I just kept thinking about these guys' worlds and what on earth would make this kind of game worth it for them, you know? It is a crazy game.

What is the lesson in this one? I don't know. The medium and harder settings are really challenging. But there is an unlocked setting called "Real" perhaps in that setting, one bullet can kill or maim you, the rivals are fighting for their own lives and you cry when you kill.

Assassin's Creed- I played through this game a couple of months ago. There was a writers strike on, which meant no work and no good TV, so...

I really wasn't all that excited about this game when I first started hearing about it. I guess I really didn't know all that much about it when I was compelled, yes compelled to pick it up a few weeks back. I had a gift card from Best Buy. I picked up AC and the messenger pad for the Xbox 360 controller (a fine bit of equipment, but that is another story).

You play Altair, a journeyman assassin in the order of assassins. The story is spectacular and really well done. Again, it is a vast world for you to explore. An Assassin (a variation of the word Hashasin, meaning a user of hash) in a historic middle east kills for political reasons. It is said that one death of a leader could save thousands. The Old Man of the Mountain had infiltrators in every kingdom and they could get beyond all bodyguards and soldiers. All of that is pretty close to the history I have read of this time. In the game, you play one of these acrobatic physical adepts as you leap from rooftop to rooftop, seeking your assassination prey, helping the innocent of the city, and shadowing corrupt officials seeking to lay siege to the cities. You play a good guy! This game reminded me so much of all the reading I did on the Templars and the old Christian world. It took me back. There is also a B story of his descendant in the modern age, accessing genetic memories of being an assassin. Brilliant game design. I am looking forward to the sequel.

So what is my lesson from these games? I think I am still learning. What Lessons does GTA IV hold? Oh dear gods...

Media Fast

I check my email maybe 1000 times a day.  It is an absent, constant checking. I don't get a thousand emails a day, I just check so that I will know when I do get one or three.  I also browse the internet constantly, checking boingboing for weird news, checking to see if there are any new blogs up on tribe, or if someone has commented on mine. I wander aimlessly around myspace or facebook, finding nothing new. It just doesn't work. 

I am into this book right now, The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. 

It's incredible, all of you should read it.  One of it's assertions  is that much of the information we consume is not essential to survival, and is more akin to gorging ourselves on junk food than getting useful data. He suggests a 5 day media fast.  Basically, no TV,  radio,  news, web, nonessential email, podcasts, audiobooks,  or nonfiction reading.  He allows 1 hour of TV per night for pleasure, and an hour of reading fiction for pleasure. But no more of the constant search for information.  I have been all about giving up my vices this year, so this immediately frightened and appealed to me.  I am stating now. 

As part of this, I am also implementing checking email just twice a day, at noon and at 4pm.  Tim suggests that email, and the tiny little distractions it provides is the #1 time waster in our modern age. and suggests getting it all clumped together at one time. I am curious to see what will come of this one.  I may be setting up a simple auto response telling people this, or it just might not be necessary. I probably think that getting ahold of me via email is more important than it is. 

I still will be blogging this week, and linking to tribe and facebook, but I will not be obsessively eyeballing my comments. I also will be spending this week working out my blogger interface and website. I am looking forward to having full interconnectedness between all of my internet places. I just got a youtube, a del.ici.ous, and flickr account, and I don't know how to use them (experts in these sites, please tutor me!).  I want to place some sort of connection to my cartoon projects that is secure. I want it to look fantastic. So yeah, I have a lot of work to do. 

Most importantly, this week I will not be checking tribe, or evites or anything like that. If something is going on, please call me! Connect with me in a personal way, you have my permission. If something important happens for our community or in the world, please don't hesitate to tell me.  

Spaceman signing off. 

I Just Don't Get It: GTA IV

The media is so fricking excited about GTA IV (Grand Theft Auto IV).  It's metacritic.com score is 99 out of 100! How is that even possible?  I have no desire to play this game at all. 

It's a game about crime.  You can get and kill hookers in the game. You can shoot cops and steal fast cars...okay. I just don't get the draw.  

I love games. I have since I first played that old Atari 2600 that my dad (who I can see now was a tech geek just like me) brought home when I was very young. I think the Xbox 360 is an incredible platform and there is a lot of incredible content for it. In fact, just this last week my gamerscore reached 10,000.  Now, if you are a 360 owner that might have a little significance. But otherwise, it's an arbitrary number of false achievement.  Let's just leave it at I am a serious gamer.  I am usually open to playing almost anything. 

I am totally stumped by the GTA hype.  I hear it has a great story. I hear it has the most realistic alternate reality city ever created. I even hear that the main character, Niko, has remorse for his hyper-violence.  But what is the "why" of this game? 

I like games about heroes battling the darkness. I like games that enliven and bring the magical realm to the world.  Give me unicorns and faerie dust any day. 

This game scares me just a little. 

Blogger's Block

I missed a couple of blogging days. I did however spend a bunch of time on my personal writing projects. So to get back into the swing of things, I will do another 10 Things. 

TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY LIFE

1. I am trying some new web blogging programs. Today I am trying Wordpress (thanks everyone). I like it. I just need to figure out a way to post date posts and get all my old blog posts from tribe into this other site. I am really loving my blogging lately. It has been such an opening for me. 

2. The media I have been getting into lately. It has all been so good! I am rereading Promethea and in the process relearning magick that I thought I had all figured out.  I finished BSG season 3. It was absolutely incredible! I saw Forgetting Sara Marshal last week with Alicyn and it was so much better than I expected. A friend loaned me the new series of Dr. Who. It makes me want to time travel! And then there are my podcasts and audiobooks I am listening to. Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth and Tim Ferriss’ the 4-Hour Workweek have been rocking my world! I guess being freelance and unemployed does have it’s benefits.  I am really just amazed at how good everything is!

3. Despite being without work this week, I have no concerns for money. I am just not worried.  Flow. 

4. Through my good friend Sammy and his wonderful girlfriend I have a connection with HBO’s experimental webfilms division. It has me really thinking what less than a minute kind of short films can I get out there?  Obviously, I am going to need some help. Who’s in? Last night, I did a list of my production resources and holey moley, I have great resources! 

5. Between working out and the no sweets and booze… I am really loving my body.  Not like loving the way it looks, but treating my body like I really love it. It’s been really fantastic. 

6. I love my macbook.  The other day, I got to go to the Mac Store to deal with a minor missing program that I accidently deleted. They replaced it lickity split and I ended up spending an extra $60 on a program and iphone case. I left happy. By contrast, when I called microsoft to just deal with an extra $2 charge that I wanted to get removed,  I had to deal with 2 emails, an hour of phone time, mostly made up of hold time, I talked to 4 different people, and got hung up on. The $2 issue, still not resolved. 

7. Another benefit of plenty of free time is that I have been sleeping really well lately. I have these amazing dreams, full of incredible special effects, dazzling characters and spectacular scenery. 

8. Birds. It’s springtime and several families of birds have taken up residence all around my house. It’s so beautiful. 

9. I also have a pool. Wolfie pointed out that with a pool comes certain maintenance responsibilities. For instance, on hot days, sometimes you have to just hang out around it to make sure your responsibilities are handled. Cold drinks and music add to the quality of this maintenance. 

10. Number ten is always difficult for me. Okay. Flowers. My roommate is a gardener. He has this habit of cutting fresh flowers and putting them around the house. It’s nice. It is also nice that all around my house are all these beautiful flowers this spring. It’s gorgeous. 

Yeah… It’s a good life. 

Introduction

I am a gamer. I have been since I first got in front of a computer. I played NES, and Genesis and SNES and everything in between then and now. I am an XBOX 360 enthusiast now.

But I want to make something very clear. I am by no means a hardcore gamer. I play regularly, yes. But, I am not hyper-competive, I don't play until dawn anymore. I like Xbox Live, but do not play many games against people. I would say I have an average skill level. I am a softcore gamer.

I also have a very full life outside of my 360. I play tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. I've been playing for years. I love comics and movies and would consider myself a pretty serious geek when it comes to that stuff, too. I also throw underground parties in the LA area.

My purpose for this blog is to open up the converstaion for the soft core gamer. I want to create a place where people can get straight and realstic information on games and game culture. Let's see what unfolds.