Stung Eye

Guest entry by Dj Mose: All major Hollywood films studios are embarking on a new antipiracy strategy. Seems that what is apparently plaguing the music industry is now starting to affect the film industry as well. As it turns out, people are recording movies using handheld video cameras and then distributing these copies, globally, over the internet. Just check out FastTrackMovies and if you've got Kazaa installed you can start downloading thousands of titles. If you're a little more advanced, you can use a program called mIRC in conjunction with any number of irc search engines (1, 2, 3).
The question that's been burning a hole in my brain recently is does this piracy actually cost the industry money at the box office? Well let's see. Box office numbers don't lie. A list of the top ten biggest opening weekends EVER is comprised of 3 films released in the last month, all of which had pirated copies readily available the day of opening. Does that make sense?
How can 3 of the biggest opening weekends EVER, possibly be plagued by piracy? Had copies not been available on the internet would the box office totals have been more? We'll never know. But think of this: if a film can be watched with degraded resolution on a computer screen instead of a THX equipped theatre and offer equal enjoyment, is the problem the piracy or the product? Is it possible that the internet copy actually increases box office numbers? Is piracy the secret promotional tool of the Hollywood studios?
The Hulk is currently available on the net as a Work Print, which means it came from the studios invovled, so you tell me, Piracy, Promotion or Poor Product?

I bought a new hat from Value Village today. It's a cross between a cuban military cap, a kangol flat cap and what I imagine Holden's hunting cap looked like. Could there be a cooler hat?
The ill mcenroe jam last night was really fun. Yy and Gumshoe have stepped up their game. mcenroe was working the crowd into a frenzy. I love watching people get so excited! (It excites me, which in-turns excites those around me - positive vibe feedback.) The talent that exists in the Winnipeg underground hip-hop scene blows me away. For an example of this, download Icis Nizz's promo album. Him and some friends kicked off the MCing last night and I was very impressed. On a side note, I went to my first scratching lesson today at the Graffiti Gallery. Dj Brace (the instructor) is hella dope.
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed." -[from, "The World As I See It", Albert Einstein]
Albert knew what he was talking about. I've said it before, but I think more and more people are dimming their eyes. Comfortably numb. So I propose the following mission for all of you:
Plant Wonder Sparks around your home town (or where ever you happen to be). What are wonder sparks, you may ask? Well that's the best part... The answer is: "anything". Anything that will stimulate the sense of wonder of your fellow man. Paint pictures on the sides of garbage cans, plant trees in strange urban locations, leave poems on the tables in the lunch room, ponder strange philosophical concepts with the other people in the checkout line at the grocery store. You get the picture. Now get out there and create some sparks!

mcenroe will be performing at the Collective Cabaret (you know... the old Die Machine) this Wednesday (the 4th) along with Yy and the Gumshoe Strut. Unless you've had your canadian indie hip hop blueblockers on, you already know that mcenroe dropped his first solo LP, Disenfranchised, a few months ago. Although I’ve always been more a fan of his beats than his rhymes he doesn’t disappoint on either count. I’m digging his singing on this album. Check out his interview with the Georgia Straight and come down to the show this Wednesday.
Continuing with the music tip, I just finished listening to the new Pinback EP, Offcell. Some people wonder why I refuse to listen to top 40 radio stating that some good music trickles through the system. But why would I waste any time searching for top 40 gems when I have groups like Pinback coming out with CDs like Offcell. Honest, melodic indie-pop. Damn. I hate using the word indie. How many major label acts are being labelled as indie merely because they toss their songs through an overdrive plug-in in the final stages of their ProTools mixdown? But I digress. Offcell is great. Pinback is worth checking out. I recommend their track ‘Loro’ (available on epitonic I believe) as a perfect intro to the band. Loro is one of those loop-able tracks. The kind you can listen to on repeat, over and over and over, while just staring into space and smiling. (I once listened to Orbital’s “Halcyon and on and on” for 5 hours straight while coding a programming assignment while at Uni.)
I’m going to add Amberglow to the links section. It rocks. Period. Here’s an example of some of the links that can be found there:

• Oblique Strategies - A magic 8 ball of-sorts created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt
• Dresses made out of candy wrappers
• A gallery of small little people (drawings)
• The art of S.W. Harrison

John Copeland keeps art journals.
The Photo Booth Chronicles.

So I've been sick.
Do you remember the first time you heard the Brainfreeze mix by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist? I was at a friend's office after hours for one of our regular music appreciation nights. Jeff played the Brainfreeze mix for us and I was floored. Dusty Grooves, Raw, Funky, Funny... Hop over to the Brainfreeze Phenomenon site to re-live all the magic. (I recommend a little pre-phenomenon visit to your favourite P2P: search term = shadow cut chemist brainfreeze. It can usually be found in two parts.)
I just started reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan and I'm already hooked. I strongly believe that more energy needs to be spent on teaching science and philosophy at the K-12 level. If I was feeling better I would get into a little rant here about ignorance, crime, prejudice, religion, poverty, education and the mass media. I'll leave this rant as an exercise for the reader.
I have added my Against The Reality submission and a new altered photograph to the images section. Check 'em.
The gf and I are now off to the art gallery.

Songs of the week (It's been awhile) : Shirley Ellis - The Clapping Song
There was a party last Saturday. Rowlf went on an adventure.

Guest entry by Dj Mose: Canadian and American politicians have been meeting regarding Canada's plan to loosen marijuana posession laws. The U.S. claims it will be forced to slow cross boarder traffic as it will become increasingly necessary to search more vehicles for a substance that is illegal in its country. According to The Globe and Mail it doesn't look like Canadian laws can be loosened any more than they already are.
Why make more laws?
So for once, let's all get along. Canada should not loosen it's laws regarding marijuana, in-fact it should just leave the laws the way they are. That will make the U.S. diplomats happy and I promise not to complain.

Do you know what amazes me? Nature. I present the following fractal-like images of plants from the cabbage family as evidence of this amazement: Broccoli, Rumanescu cabbage, Broccoflower (close up).
I read about the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players in Vice Magazine a few months ago. They are a father and a mother in their thirties, and a daughter, about eight. They "take people's vintage slides that [they] purchase at estate and yard sales and turn them into pop rock exposes. A concept, that if applied correctly, will change the future of entertainment." The eight year old is the drummer. How cool is that!?!
Stencil Revolution has a great new tutorial up. Chalk + Stencils = Harmless fun.
Bloodwars is a pdf graffiti magazine. Check the new sticker issue.
Invisible Made Visible. (Stickers and Stencils)
Are you an art prostitute?
Noah Grey is a gifted photographer.

A self-imposed project freeze is required. It's so easy to start new projects and so hard to finish the old ones once I pass from the inspiration stage to the perspiration stage.
The open dialogue on Canadian foreign policy closed on May 1, 2003. The foreign affairs Minister's report will appear on this site once it is released. Until then, check out the available netcasts on Canadian Security, Prosperity, Values and Culture.
I realized today that I have a serious case of pensive envy.
I learned of Louis Wane via Sublimate and I have become mildly obsessed with his schizophrenia induced paintings/drawings. (Large images of two of my favorites: one - two)
Collaboration can be so amazing:

• Against the Reality - Many wonderful photoshop creations. Download the template and submit your own.
• Escalate - Digital photography, new media design and the visual culture.
• Isolation Remix - Designers and creatives are invited to remix any of the photographs provided on this site.

Other people's lives.

Guest entry by Dj Mose:
just wonderin... Canada, and I believe most of the western world, is in a bit of a strange situation. Canada's economy requires that our population continues to grow. Birth rate alone isn't enough to increase our population, so immigration is required to keep the numbers from falling. We need to continually increase consumption for things to work properly, for the economy to 'grow.'
knowing that, would it not be in the best interest of Canada's foreign policy makers to ensure that countries where people are emmigrating from remained in such a state that the population was continually trying to leave?
In other words, no matter how much we say we will help another country we have to make sure that the population remains envious of what we have and what they could have, if they were to immigrate here.
According to the way our economy works, we can't have what we currently have, without other people having much, much less...
in the end, is consumption the way to go?

My girlfriend has totally opened my eyes to the world of cute. Not only is she hella cute, but she would absolutely love the artwork over at Small and Round. Being a Neopets addict she's also going to totally dig these games (Via Sublimate via Milk and Cookies).
For those of you living in Manitoba (Canada) you should really start preparing yourself for the provincial election on June 3rd. Not only is it your duty to vote but it is also important to make an informed decision.

• Elections Manitoba
• The 2003 Manitoba Budget
• New Winnipeg's election coverage

"It is our goal that Running Man Interactive will serve as a catalyst supplying 'basic' observations from the source of ecological problem areas around the world. It's a mixture of travelogue, investigative journalism, video diary and educational program, combining elements of each, in a format open to on-line debate." Click over to Running Man, Interactive Tribal Journeys.
"Promote yourself, spread your art, get seen in new cities. Collect art from other artists." It's Sticker Switch. Coming soon to a wall near you.
Speckled paint is yesterday. The Solipsistic Gazette is tomorrow. What is today?
A deep ambient techno mix. I haven't had a chance to listen yet, so let me know how it is.
Why do some societies make disastrous decisions?
How about this decision: The 1994 US assault weapons ban expires next year and the Republican-controlled House has no plans to renew it. Uzis and AK-47s for everyone!
Stereotypography is nice.
I could totally chill with this guy and his friends.