Please take a moment to read this letter and follow the link. The media is a very powerful force. It has the power to shape the thoughts and opinions of the masses. We cannot let this power fall into the hands of one or two gigantic trans-national corporations. Diversity of opinion is key. We need to foster a multitude of competing voices.
Dear friends,On June 2, the Federal Communications Commission is planning on authorizing sweeping changes to the American news media. The rules
change could allow your local TV stations, newspaper, radio stations, and cable provider to all be owned by one company. NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox could have the same corporate parent. The resulting concentration of ownership could be deeply destructive to our democracy.Congress is supposed to guard against monopoly power. But the upcoming rule change could change the landscape for all media and usher in an era in which a few corporations control your access to news and entertainment. Please join me in asking Congress and the FCC to support a diverse, competitive media landscape by going to:
http://www.moveon.org/stopthefcc/
You can also automatically have your comments publicly filed at the FCC.
When the folks at MoveOn.org talk to Congresspeople about this issue, the response is usually the same: "We only hear from media lobbyists on this. It seems like my constituents aren't very concerned with this issue." A few thousand emails could permanently change that perception. Please join this critical campaign, and let Congress know you care.
Thanks.
Essential reading on how the Bush Administration is bankrupting our government for the benefit of the rich:
Dividend Voodoo by Warren Buffett
Stating the Obvious by Paul Krugman
Live electronic music in Newark, Delaware: (you heard me right)
Every Monday night from 9-12 at the East End Cafe. FREE!
June 2nd: Brandon Schakola and Pro(xy)
June 9th: Spintronic and TBD
June is a "trial period" for this event. It has to draw a crowd to stay alive. If you're in the area, please come out and show your support. Thanks!
I'm back from a nice weekend exploring the coast of Maine. I recommend Camden, Maine for anyone looking to do the same. Beautiful little town.
I've been a bit too busy lately to keep up with regular posting. Here are a few things from the bookmarks:
Interesting religious/philosophical analysis of the Matrix 2
Collection of Matrix-related philosophy papers
(My "Philosophy in Film" teacher from U of D must be loving this.)
2003 BBC Reith Lectures on "The Emerging Mind"
Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions? by Jared Diamond
(He is the author of the wonderful book "Guns, Germs, and Steel". This guy is brilliant. I'll read anything he puts out.)
A tea site
(Lots of stuff in the archives.)
Buddhists 'really are happier'
Scientists say they have evidence to show that Buddhists really are happier and calmer than other people.Tests carried out in the United States reveal that areas of their brain associated with good mood and positive feelings are more active.
The findings come as another study suggests that Buddhist meditation can help to calm people.
Researchers at University of California San Francisco Medical Centre have found the practise can tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear memory.
They found that experienced Buddhists, who meditate regularly, were less likely to be shocked, flustered, surprised or as angry compared to other people.
Live at Brown University - 5/16/2003
Complete Live Set, 31min 53sec, 36MB
It was an outdoor electronic music event called "We Are the Robots" on the last day of finals at Brown University. The space was a beautiful second floor outdoor terrace, but unfortunately it was unseasonably cold, overcast, and gray. Towards the end of the event it was probably in the high 30s to low 40s. Thankfully the beer, wine, and pizza was flowing and I had some extra clothes to bundle up.
The show opened around 7pm with a lovely IDM tag team iTunes DJ set between Mark Domino and Adam Florin. This was followed by Bennett Barbakow with some very nice abstract instrumental hiphop/live sampled & looped scratching. Next up was Adam with a combination of home-brew wind controller ambience and granular pop-tune cut-ups ala Bit Meddler/Prefuse 73. Then came Josh Walker with a set of punishing industrial noise, and Joe Winter with more organic semi-rhythmic noise structures. During Joe's set the campus police arrived and told us to turn it down, as they had received complaints.
By this point it was around 10pm, it was very cold, and most of the crowd had left. There were probably around 20 people left when I went on.
Before the show, Mark and I had set up some inter-computer communications, whereby I would send him real-time note and controller information that he could use to trigger visual processes and events. It was working perfectly... that is, until we got on stage. We didn't have time to troubleshoot, so Mark did some more freeform visual interpretation. He projected on a huge 20'x20' screen behind us.
I am fairly happy with the way my performance went. It was a bit rough at times, and there were a few moments where my system hung for a split second, throwing off the rhythm, but otherwise it went fairly well. I've learned from it and got some good ideas for ways to improve my performance environment, so next time should be better.
To give you some idea of what is going on in my performance:
There are no loops, nothing is pre-recorded, and there is no automation involved. Every change that you hear is manually triggered. So, when you hear the melody turn more random, or a lowpass filter hit the drums, or the bass drop out, or the pitch suddenly shoot down three octaves, or you hear the vibes switch to a different melody, it was because I was turning a knob, hitting a button, or clicking on something. I can make each piece as short or as long as I want, as distorted or as quiet as I want, and as rhythmic or as ambient as I want. It's much more fun than winamp, that's for sure.
Looking for a good book/movie/album? This might be helpful: List of Bests
Suit Seeks to Ban Kids From Eating Oreos
Of course, they have nothing against Oreos per se, it's the crap that's in them. Here's their website: BanTransFat.com
All outdoors, all the time - "Germany's 'forest kindergartens' grow in popularity with families who want their children to have a direct link with nature."
"Labradoodles look and act like what you'd get if you plugged an oversized dust mop into an electric socket."
My parents have one of these. Wilson!
Busy preparing for the upcoming show and various other things. No clicks to spare.
I crossed paths with Gallagher the other day. We were walking towards the Aquarium in Boston, crossing the street, and some guy comes walking towards us doing this really crazy walk. Hunter and I were a bit confused at first, then we saw who it was. He and his two buddies had a good laugh at our expense.
(I just saw in the newspaper that he's performing in Boston this weekend.)
My performance at Brown (details below) will be on Friday May 16th, not Saturday the 17th. The time and place have not changed.
I'm working on some exciting new stuff for it. Think: me controlling a robotic electronic jazz trio. (?)
Who knew?! Yesterday was Loyalty Day and I missed it!
The Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as "Loyalty Day," and I ask all Americans to join me in this day of celebration and in reaffirming our allegiance to our Nation.This is more than a bit scary. A holiday in celebration of "loyalty to our Nation"? Won't this be used as an excuse for the condemnation of those who aren't considered "loyal"? A means of stamping out dissent and critical thinking? And what exactly does it mean to be loyal? Is it loyalty to the land itself? To the principles upon which the nation was founded? To the government? To the current leaders?
UPDATE: I just realized, this is even more poignant because it is on the same day as May Day, the old anarchist and worker's holiday (history) which is celebrated pretty much all over the world (except for the US). If it wasn't for the "disloyalty" that this holiday celebrates, we'd still be working 14 hour days.
I will be performing at Brown University in Providence, RI on Saturday May 17th Friday May 16th. It will be outdoors on the second floor terrace of the List Art Center. It should start a few hours before sunset. I'm not sure who else is performing, but I know there will be visuals by my good friend Mark Domino. Should be interesting. More details soon.