serge mouille's lampadaire c 1953
george nelson's coconut chair 1956
hans wegner papa bear chair and ottoman c 1965
the grasshopper lounge by preben fabricious and jorgen kastholm 1968
so much furniture, so little money.
September 30, 2005
domesticated
serge mouille's lampadaire c 1953
george nelson's coconut chair 1956
hans wegner papa bear chair and ottoman c 1965
the grasshopper lounge by preben fabricious and jorgen kastholm 1968
so much furniture, so little money.
skiing in san francisco
the other day, blocks of fillmore were filled with snow. jonny moseley and other jumpers took the slope with thousands of watchers pushing against the barricades. it was 80 degrees.
extravagant!
September 29, 2005
new business card
i was looking for a font for my new business card.
CHIEF SABOTEUR
MINTCAR, MINTCAR, & BAILEY
Agents of disruption, subversion, and disinformation tunnelers and smugglers, listeners and forgers, trainers and recruiters and talent spotters and couriers and watchers and seducers, assassins and balloonists, lip readers and disguise artists.
September 28, 2005
venice
i was walking down a small street in a little neighborhood in venice down south, and i came across this house by johnston marklee.
daily habits
i havent posted a screen capture in a long time, probably because i haven't been accidentally making any interesting glitch scapes or graphics lately. here's just a grab of my post-college education: wikipedia. the bulk of my new knowledge these days comes from two hours of NPR on my commute, conspiracy theories on kpfa during lunch, and forum/blog browsing during work.
a lot of what i hear branches out into some research into wikipedia, infinitely entertaining enlightening encyclopedia. my latest searches involved "contranyms" (because i heard richard haass being interviewed by michael krasney this morning, which led me to cfr.org which led me define:sanction, which i found out was a contranym). other searches included "numbers station" and "blinkenlights." (my fantasy is to become a spy, I guess).
listening to all that heavy-hitting morning news and debates for three straight months is stressing me out, though. lots of sad stuff without enough happy stuff to balance it out. i've decided to do listen to more podcasts, if only i'd find anything i'm interested in. so far, i haven'd heard any radio-style shows that i want listen to while driving. i like starfrosch (but it's just music and it's this pop-y pseudo-glitch tech/electro house -- AH!) anyone want to recommend one or two podcasts to subscribe to? and, great new blogs?
September 27, 2005
opera
"I had an idea that I would like to use to open a film. We are at Covent Garden or La Scala. Maria Callas is onstage. She is singing an aria, and her head is tilted upwards. She sees, in a box high up, a man approach another man who is seated there. He stabs him. She is just reaching a high note, and the high note turns into a scream. It is the highest note she has ever sung, and she receives a tremendous ovation ... "
... who said this?
just shoot me
from AP:
Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressively defended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday and put much of the blame for coordination failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. "My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," two days before the storm hit, Brown told a special congressional panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.
. . . Brown's defense drew a scathing response from Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. "I find it absolutely stunning that this hearing would start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA's failings at the feet of the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans."
Brown, who for many became a symbol of government failures in the natural disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, rejected accusations that he was too inexperienced for the job. "I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it," Brown said.
"DARN"? FUCK YOU Michael Brown.
Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressively defended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday and put much of the blame for coordination failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. "My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," two days before the storm hit, Brown told a special congressional panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.
. . . Brown's defense drew a scathing response from Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. "I find it absolutely stunning that this hearing would start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA's failings at the feet of the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans."
Brown, who for many became a symbol of government failures in the natural disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, rejected accusations that he was too inexperienced for the job. "I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it," Brown said.
"DARN"? FUCK YOU Michael Brown.
September 23, 2005
the model
George Petty, 1935
Sie ist ein Modell und sie sieht gut aus
Ich nehme sie heut' gerne mit zu mir nach Haus
Sie wirkt so kuehl, and sie kommt niemand 'ran
Doch vor der Kamera da zeigt sie was sie kann
Sie trinkt im Nachtklub immer Sekt (korrekt)
Und hat hier alle Maenner abgecheckt
Im Scheinwerferlicht ihr junges Laecheln strahlt
Sie sieht gut aus und Schoenheit wird bezahlt
Sie stellt sich zu Schau fuer das Konsumprodukt
Und wird von millionen Augen angeguckt
Ihr neues Titelbild ist einfach Fabelhaft
Ich muss sie wiedersehen, ich weiss sie hat's geschaft
September 22, 2005
hi there.
i haven't been writing lately. i've been sort of blue. at work, i've seen a disturbing side of corporate existence, and i've decided i don't want a part of it. apple has shown me how money-hungry and uninspired people can be. facts of life, right? anyway, i heard about the I.D. guy who worked a year and had to take a year off of working entirely to recuperate his soul. i partly expected the work to be tons, but i didn't expect the coworkers. that got to me.
one of our colleagues passed away this weekend in a car accident. on monday, business as usual.
i don't know how to explain it. the whole atmosphere in there could appear to be quite an average workplace, but it's not. it's bankrupt of life. the people who do laugh loudly are the ones who actually believe they are making decisions, making the most money, or at least buying new houses. maybe some of them like it, living in that mundane fantasy.
one of our colleagues passed away this weekend in a car accident. on monday, business as usual.
i don't know how to explain it. the whole atmosphere in there could appear to be quite an average workplace, but it's not. it's bankrupt of life. the people who do laugh loudly are the ones who actually believe they are making decisions, making the most money, or at least buying new houses. maybe some of them like it, living in that mundane fantasy.
September 14, 2005
September 7, 2005
asking questions. how they are answered
Reid said in his letter that Collins' panel should pursue answers to several questions. Among them, why Bush and administration officials said no one anticipated the breach of the levees despite public studies and warnings, whether budget cuts thwarted the Army Corps of Engineers and whether a sufficient number of troops were dispatched promptly. Reid also asked whether FEMA was hurt because it was stripped of Cabinet-level status and folded into the Homeland Security Department.
---
At a news conference, Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush's choice for head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency had "absolutely no credentials."
She related that she urged Bush at the White House on Tuesday to fire Brown.
"He said 'Why would I do that?'" Pelosi said.
"'I said because of all that went wrong, of all that didn't go right last week.' And he said 'What didn't go right?'"
"Oblivious, in denial, dangerous," she added.
... That is SCARY. Folks, that man is DANGEROUS. I'm not counting on any federal anything bailing me out ever. Earthquakes? Terrorist attacks? Give me back my federal taxes and stock me up some bottled water and batteries.
---
At a news conference, Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush's choice for head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency had "absolutely no credentials."
She related that she urged Bush at the White House on Tuesday to fire Brown.
"He said 'Why would I do that?'" Pelosi said.
"'I said because of all that went wrong, of all that didn't go right last week.' And he said 'What didn't go right?'"
"Oblivious, in denial, dangerous," she added.
... That is SCARY. Folks, that man is DANGEROUS. I'm not counting on any federal anything bailing me out ever. Earthquakes? Terrorist attacks? Give me back my federal taxes and stock me up some bottled water and batteries.
September 4, 2005
Despair in Louisiana
One of the most poignant images of the aftermath I have seen is actually a video of Jefferson Parish president, Aaron Broussard, who was incredibly active in the rescue and recovery. He was interviewed on NBC's Meet the Press:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/04.html#a4783
It just breaks my heart. I can't believe this is happening -- this is despair and helplessness of the local government.
Good round-ups:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4210674.stm
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/04.html#a4783
It just breaks my heart. I can't believe this is happening -- this is despair and helplessness of the local government.
Good round-ups:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4210674.stm
from a forum
"dear b--------------,
"just so you know better. this country have never lacked self critisism and freedom of speech. as a matter of fact, these are the strongest guards of american democracy and always omni present in society here. i have read and participated myself on this on going civic american habit of self critisism often. all your links are american authored which shows the contridiction of your claims and suggestions.
"your outlook is injustice to our efforts here, trying to change things in our government, military, industrial and foreign policies so the world is a better place. it is not easy to be an american citizen. we are not a quite bunch of opressed people and our strength comes from our collective self critisism. know that. there is no place on earth self critisism takes a voice as it does here.
contrary to global belief, we are not a nation of self loathing people and we don't stop critisising until the problems are adressed and discussed.
"this is a big nation of real people. we have problems as we have solutions. most of our solutions come from questioning the authority. this tradition of americans often ignored by the rest of the world, who often celebrate our failing moves. each time there is a disaster of this scale, there are fuck ups and mismanegement, whats new? we don't have a very good leader right now but we had good ones in the past and that will happen again as it always does. read our constitution. it will give you goose bumps and tears to your eyes. this is an innovative and forward nation and unafraid to fail. whole world is expecting us to be always perfect, forgetting that we are also human beings and evolving.
"i am not a flag flashing citizen here, but it is about time the rest of the world starts to know who americans are and gives us support to make things better. because we can ..."
"just so you know better. this country have never lacked self critisism and freedom of speech. as a matter of fact, these are the strongest guards of american democracy and always omni present in society here. i have read and participated myself on this on going civic american habit of self critisism often. all your links are american authored which shows the contridiction of your claims and suggestions.
"your outlook is injustice to our efforts here, trying to change things in our government, military, industrial and foreign policies so the world is a better place. it is not easy to be an american citizen. we are not a quite bunch of opressed people and our strength comes from our collective self critisism. know that. there is no place on earth self critisism takes a voice as it does here.
contrary to global belief, we are not a nation of self loathing people and we don't stop critisising until the problems are adressed and discussed.
"this is a big nation of real people. we have problems as we have solutions. most of our solutions come from questioning the authority. this tradition of americans often ignored by the rest of the world, who often celebrate our failing moves. each time there is a disaster of this scale, there are fuck ups and mismanegement, whats new? we don't have a very good leader right now but we had good ones in the past and that will happen again as it always does. read our constitution. it will give you goose bumps and tears to your eyes. this is an innovative and forward nation and unafraid to fail. whole world is expecting us to be always perfect, forgetting that we are also human beings and evolving.
"i am not a flag flashing citizen here, but it is about time the rest of the world starts to know who americans are and gives us support to make things better. because we can ..."
September 3, 2005
why are we angry?
ny times
I've been reading google news, blogs every hour today, waiting for the next bit of news of rescue and hope for the hurricane survivors. I don't know if it's a good idea to keep doing this, but it really has me in a fervor.
It's like a bomb inside my gut that's ready to explode.
Part of what I feel's like this. davy at Metafilter:
"Even if Bush were winked out of office tomorrow, even if the whole Bush Administration were gone tomorrow ... the problems we're talking about here would not just automagically vanish. It goes deeper than Gee Dubya, it goes deeper than FEMA, it goes deeper than the Republican Party.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again: America is broken. My country is broken. Shot through with rot, riddled by greed, pervaded by racism, and if you hear a comforting word, jump back because the blade is coming. Blame Bush all you want, but it's not only Bush. The problem is the system, which is set up to keep the rich bastards in power, the middle class in dreamland, and everybody else sick, down and beaten ...
and symbioid on Kanye West's honest statement:
"Kanye is right on for saying what he did ... we need to have this dialogue, and the media is talking about it, and the black congressional caucus is talking about it, and it's time we deal with this shit out in the open instead of keeping it our dirty little secret.
"America is a racist, imperialist country ... It is in our psyche from the very beginning and it continues to this day. Wake the fuck up and stop pretending we're all enlightened."
September 2, 2005
why are we angry?
"Experts on the Mississippi Delta pointed out that a plan to shore up the levees around New Orleans was abandoned last year for lack of government funding. They noted that flood-control spending for southeastern Louisiana had been chopped every year that Mr Bush has been in office, that hurricane protection funds have also fallen, and that the local army corps of engineers has also had its budget cut. The emergency management chief for Jefferson parish told the Times-Picayune newspaper: 'It appears that the money has been moved in the President's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay.'"
... Such criticism sounds self-righteous when bodies are still floating in the streets of New Orleans, but it's hardly the only example of Euro-indignation in the media.
"You'd expect that the richest, most technologically advanced nation in the world could have done a bit more than cry 'holy sh**!' and leg it for the hills," gibed Rob Greene, a commentator for Radio Netherlands But the Dutch, most of whom live below sea level, do know something about keeping the unruly seas at bay. After a terrible storm in 1953 that killed 1,835 people, they "made sure that flooding and destruction on that scale would never happen again by creating the greatest storm surge barrier in the world, known as the Delta project. "
Why didn't U.S. authorities do something similar, Greene asks? Because the population of the stricken region, is "largely poor and mainly black," he claims...
Even The Australian, an impeccably conservative Murdoch news organization, reports that the poor have paid the highest price for Katrina.
At a time when the full dimensions of the tragedy are still unfolding, such observations from overseas may strike Americans as premature or political or worse. But as the United States comes to grip with its worst natural disaster in many decades, the notion that the American government failed its people cannot be dismissed as entirely foreign.
... Such criticism sounds self-righteous when bodies are still floating in the streets of New Orleans, but it's hardly the only example of Euro-indignation in the media.
"You'd expect that the richest, most technologically advanced nation in the world could have done a bit more than cry 'holy sh**!' and leg it for the hills," gibed Rob Greene, a commentator for Radio Netherlands But the Dutch, most of whom live below sea level, do know something about keeping the unruly seas at bay. After a terrible storm in 1953 that killed 1,835 people, they "made sure that flooding and destruction on that scale would never happen again by creating the greatest storm surge barrier in the world, known as the Delta project. "
Why didn't U.S. authorities do something similar, Greene asks? Because the population of the stricken region, is "largely poor and mainly black," he claims...
Even The Australian, an impeccably conservative Murdoch news organization, reports that the poor have paid the highest price for Katrina.
At a time when the full dimensions of the tragedy are still unfolding, such observations from overseas may strike Americans as premature or political or worse. But as the United States comes to grip with its worst natural disaster in many decades, the notion that the American government failed its people cannot be dismissed as entirely foreign.
September 1, 2005
Commute
I don't know why I'm not driving this bad boy around. More. Better yet, bike it ...
Art Car Festival in Berkeley is happening this month 22nd-25th.
August 30, 2005
My Lessons -- Listen Up Jon and Lilly!
Time to reevaluate.
Secrets my boss told me: "This job is bad for my health." "This company keeps telling people they're innovative. But they're NOT INNOVATIVE! They're afraid of innovation! Why? Because they are afraid of failure. You can't be innovative without the potential to fail. They try something risky, it fails, and they get fired."
1 You can only work for people that you like. 2 If you have a choice, never have a job. 3 Some people are toxic. Avoid them. 4 The good is the enemy of the great ... 7 How you live changes your brain. 8 Doubt is better than certainty. 9 Aging doesn't matter. 10 Tell the truth.
Jean's lessons for the kids:
A Commuting fuckin stinks, physically and ethically. Don't do it if you don't have to.
B If you're like me and you don't have to, don't ever take a job just for the money. It's LAME.
C Don't listen to people who tell you you're running out of time. You AREN'T.
D Don't take advice from people who are unhappy or mean. It didn't work for them. It won't work for you.
E Don't take other people's bullshit, especially if they try to sell it to you.
F Don't feel obligated to "turn the other cheek" if someone is a jerk. Get in their face and teach them a lesson.
G But don't ever be mean to young kids. They are the only innnocent beings in this world.
------
Sympathies to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Paris fires.
Secrets my boss told me: "This job is bad for my health." "This company keeps telling people they're innovative. But they're NOT INNOVATIVE! They're afraid of innovation! Why? Because they are afraid of failure. You can't be innovative without the potential to fail. They try something risky, it fails, and they get fired."
1 You can only work for people that you like. 2 If you have a choice, never have a job. 3 Some people are toxic. Avoid them. 4 The good is the enemy of the great ... 7 How you live changes your brain. 8 Doubt is better than certainty. 9 Aging doesn't matter. 10 Tell the truth.
Jean's lessons for the kids:
A Commuting fuckin stinks, physically and ethically. Don't do it if you don't have to.
B If you're like me and you don't have to, don't ever take a job just for the money. It's LAME.
C Don't listen to people who tell you you're running out of time. You AREN'T.
D Don't take advice from people who are unhappy or mean. It didn't work for them. It won't work for you.
E Don't take other people's bullshit, especially if they try to sell it to you.
F Don't feel obligated to "turn the other cheek" if someone is a jerk. Get in their face and teach them a lesson.
G But don't ever be mean to young kids. They are the only innnocent beings in this world.
------
Sympathies to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Paris fires.
August 25, 2005
Look
Heart heart heart. Heart heart heart.
(Could you guess this is part of the Apple store in Osaka?)
Addall -- great book search for the US
So from first impressions I want to apply to Central St Martin's over LCF. The advisor at CSM was prompt and nice versus late and terse. But first impressions are first impressions. I should get down and do some real research. Bunka has a year-long prep program to take before you enroll, and after enrolling, it's not a Master's program; it's an AA like at Parson's. I have a feeling, like Parson's, Bunka's tied into the industry machine and less art and theory. But wouldn't it be sweet?
---
My coworker just today found out about programs companies can use to spy on their employees. She was shocked (to me, a little paranoid), but she didn't really understand why I found net surveillance strangely natural. (I don't think I'm being monitored at work, but I wouldn't give a shit if they fired me for blogging!)
Anyway, the Internet and network surveillance can be a scary Big Brother, but I have a feeling that those of us who spend at least (at least) three hours a day being voyeurs and exhibitionists over blogs and social networking sites (not to mention party pictures!) do not have as much repulsion and fear of someone watching us. Actually, we're screaming, "look at me! ... please ... someone."
It's all rather lonely, in a way, isn't it?
August 23, 2005
blah
i haven't had the chance to post from work (as i like to do), so this entry's not going to have any images. but i might come up with one at the end.
i'm sort of in this delirium right now, i don't know exactly why -- but between the working and commuting between SF and mothafuggin cupertino and the bicycling and the staying up late talking about virtual reality there's probably a reason.
i've been thinking about how i can take time off and do cool shit. one option is going to grad school (still not sure whether to go on an acadamia or practice track, though). another is to be unemployed for a while and just work on illustrations, make billowing clothes, read and write, develop incredible hacking skills, et cetera. Get some fuggin time to put together a great portfolio -- not that piece of crap job-hunting one i have right now!
There's another part of my head that is thinking about really pursuing publishing. And that part of me is having a gory duel with the fat, top-hat wearing part of me that will kill me for taking a pay cut. (Not unusually, I think the publishing one will win, because it's more thin and athletic).
Anyway, there's a new development at work. Apple has a headed in an interesting direction with itself ... and hopefully, it only gets more interesting -- not ever more sterile. Goddam Steve.
i'm sort of in this delirium right now, i don't know exactly why -- but between the working and commuting between SF and mothafuggin cupertino and the bicycling and the staying up late talking about virtual reality there's probably a reason.
i've been thinking about how i can take time off and do cool shit. one option is going to grad school (still not sure whether to go on an acadamia or practice track, though). another is to be unemployed for a while and just work on illustrations, make billowing clothes, read and write, develop incredible hacking skills, et cetera. Get some fuggin time to put together a great portfolio -- not that piece of crap job-hunting one i have right now!
There's another part of my head that is thinking about really pursuing publishing. And that part of me is having a gory duel with the fat, top-hat wearing part of me that will kill me for taking a pay cut. (Not unusually, I think the publishing one will win, because it's more thin and athletic).
Anyway, there's a new development at work. Apple has a headed in an interesting direction with itself ... and hopefully, it only gets more interesting -- not ever more sterile. Goddam Steve.
August 17, 2005
Glama
The tedium of daily life:
Pumping gas
Picking up trash in my apartment
Going to the post office
Waking up
... glamorized ...
Pumping gas (into the flames of an burning house)(into the engine of a biplane)
Picking up trash in my apartment (and finding a love letter from 2001)(and finding a passageway to the catacombs below the floorboards)
Going to the post office (and calling the intergalactic policeman to find my heart)
Waking up (in the icey forests of Jilin)(in a bed of feathers dressed in Dior Homme)
Places
These are the places to which I should travel
to visit colleges and visit family
from now until the end of summer 2006
Antwerp
London
Nueva York
Tokyo
Shanghai, Jilin
optional: Berlin, Paris
Star Alliance.
shit ...
to visit colleges and visit family
from now until the end of summer 2006
Antwerp
London
Nueva York
Tokyo
Shanghai, Jilin
optional: Berlin, Paris
Star Alliance.
shit ...
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