Archive for 2010
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 9, 2010 by admin in Music
Sunday, May 9th, 2010Id’ like to teach the world to sing, but it sounds like they already know how.
The Britlin Losee clip that started it all |
If you saw the video at left on its own, you might just think “Aw, what a silly sappy little fangirl with a sweet voice”, or, if you’re a weepy little crybaby like me, you might actually tear up a bit. She does have a lovely little voice, and she seems like she’s on the verge of crying as she does her introduction and then sings an a capella piece. But what makes the whole thing more touching is that her simple, unsolicited video clip inspired American choral composer Eric Whitacre to assemble his Virtual Choir (clips below), which is a project that uses 285 singers from 12 countries to perform his work. So what’s so inspiring about that? Well, it’s all done through YouTube! On his how we did it page, he describes how a friend sent him the Britlin Losee clip, which inspired the rest. Although the inclusion of Whitacre “virtually conducting” a couple hundred YouTube clips floating in darkness detracts a bit from the video production (it lends a slightly “John Tesch” vibe), the resulting music is gorgeous, and embodies the sort of thing that’s rarely achieved but always hoped for via the web: international sharing of creativity, passion, harmony, and beauty. It also proves something that I’ve always believed but am willing to ascribe to my perceptual disorders, which is that everyone has a song in them. I am almost always hearing a choir in my head, and this music sounds like part of it. Now I know what some of the people look like! More clips below. Read the rest of this entry »
You Will Soon Be Dead To Me, Facebook
[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 8, 2010 by admin in Technology
Saturday, May 8th, 2010I’m in a relationship with Facebook, and it’s complicated.
 Rest In Peace, My Love |
We asked recently if Facebook was “over”. Well, the results are in. And the answer is no. I think “dead” would be more accurate. Sure, hundreds of millions of people will continue to use it, but hundreds of millions of people still use Hotmail. And toilet paper. And other things that they don’t necessarily enjoy using, but kind of have to. So why am I suddenly going so harsh on Facebook? Well, partly it’s my own whiny techno-ennui. It just became boring to me some time last year, after doing the one thing I valued it for, which was reconnecting with some valued old friends, and meeting a few new ones. But mainly because of two other things. First of all, the fact that the people behind Facebook have no interest in the user other than as a data mining resource, as evident in their constantly eroding privacy policies and repeated interface changes that do nothing but bury content and confound users about what their privacy settings are doing. Bet you didn’t know Facebook even censors your Inbox messages, did you. The other main reason is that while they do all of these things that are geared toward user data collection to increase their market value, they’ve managed to position themselves as a “utility”, but one that falls short in dozens of ways while distracting many people from more flexible and purposeful forms of communication. Although different users experience the phenomena in different ways, the illusion of being “in touch” with people on Facebook is a compelling one, but in my and many of my friends experience, an illusion that profoundly detracts from real communication, and occasionally actually impedes work when someone is dumb enough to use it as a primary communication channel. But what finally got me in terms of all these interface and privacy changes was the recent rollout of Community Pages. Try some of the paranoia-inducing things listed on this page, and you’ll see what I mean. I’m gearing up to archive my content and contacts, and delete my posts (which FB makes rather difficult), and completely backburner my account as a real tool. How about you? Are you over it? I’m not being melodramatic, by way, just check out Gizmodo’s Top Ten Reasons You Should Quit Facebook. Read the rest of this entry »
Is Obama’s Record On Transparency Worse Than Bush’s?
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on May 7, 2010 by admin in Politics
Friday, May 7th, 2010The Obama administration has been a little more like “translucent” so far.
Don’t you hate it when you meet someone, and they say all sorts of hopeful things with a genuineness that makes you kind of like them, things about changing the world and making it better, and then over time you get to know them, and you find out they really were just “saying hopeful things with a genuineness”? Well, that’s how I feel about Barack Obama right now. Before all you Obamaphiles and Obama-defilers start in, let me say that the fact that I voted for the guy doesn’t tell you much about me. I’m a little bit republican, in the old-school sense. I believe that when reasonable people do business in a socially conscious manner, the government doesn’t need to get very involved. I’m also a little bit democrat, in the sense that I know that reasonable people don’t go into business, so social programs, regulation, and taxation are a must. I’m almost libertarian, except I don’t think the world has ever really benefited much from a bunch of Americans owning a gun. But I DID vote for the guy, because I believed him a little bit when he said things. I’m continuing to wonder if I should have. He let me down in a big way before I even voted for him, with the FISA bill. His staff is way more Clintonian than I would have liked to see, and although he’s doing fairly well over on the Obamameter, he has repeatedly supported Bush era policy , he was far less transparent than promised on the health bill process, and his track record on transparency in general has been even worse than the Bush administration. Even HE thinks it could be better. My last hope for the guy at this point will almost certainly be dashed; I’d love to see him continue to go after the banking industry with gusto, but I don’t think he wants to go down in history as the guy that collapsed the global economy, even if it would be the right thing to do. I fear he has little hope of bringing real change, given the insurmountable mess he inherited and the depth of the festering rot that is Washington in 2010, but I would admire him for the rest of my life if he went down swinging with his intelligence and oratory genius intact. Read the rest of this entry »
Looking For A Good Investment? How About The Future?
[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 6, 2010 by admin in Clean & Green
Thursday, May 6th, 2010Tired of supporting the endangered Giant Vampire Squid? Consider a more practical investment like the future of wildlife and people on the planet, by supporting Amara Conservation.
Unless you’re already tapped out from all the money you’ve been donating to save the endangered Giant Vampire Squid, I have some investment advice for you. Rather than putting your money in the mouth of the ten tentacled monster that invests your hard-earned savings and then makes money by betting against a profitable outcome, why don’t you take just a small portion of that money and invest in something positive and important, like the future of wildlife and education. I mean, even Bill Gates is thinking green these days. You don’t have to be a billionaire like Bill to make a difference though; a little can go a long way. As I’ve mentioned before, I work with a small non-profit called Amara Conservation. Amara is entering its second decade of wildlife conservation and education work in Kenya, and will be kicking off a year of special events this month, beginning with a fundraising dinner at the Earle Restaurant in Ann Arbor Michigan on May 23rd, followed by a night of music at the Savoy Club in Ypsilanti, Michigan on the 29th, featuring the bands October Babies and 16 More Miles. Can’t make it to the events or short on funds? We’re also always looking for friends on Facebook or for volunteers with a broad variety of abilities, especially creative thinkers with video editing, graphics, copywriting, or web development skills. If you want to learn more about what Amara does, visit the web site. But I’ll tell you in a few words. Amara focuses on achievable, sustainable projects that are geared towards helping Kenyans understand the intrinsic and financial value of the wildlife of Kenya, so they hopefully can end up not only protecting the imperiled wildlife of eastern Africa, but actually profit from doing so. And what’s the big deal about Kenya wildlife in particular? Well, Kenya is home to two of the most regal creatures on Earth, lions and elephants, both used as powerful symbols for millenia by cultures from ancient Egypt and Rome to later, more powerful empires, like, you know, Disney. Think about it. Without the wildlife in Kenya, Dumbo and the Lion King would be impossible. I jest of course, but it’s certainly not a laughing matter. If you keep up on these things, you know these are perilous times for african wildlife. Elephant poaching has risen seven fold since 2007 because of changes in ivory trade regulation, and Kenya’s lion population could be completely gone within 10 years if the situation is mismanaged. To me, one of the most sensible things you could do if you want to invest in your future is to support a thrifty and focused organization like Amara.
Vampire Squids Causing American Brain Death Epidemic?
[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 5, 2010 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010Will the SEC’s investigation into Goldman Sachs finally help Americans pull their heads out of their asses and right some of the wrongs with the virulently corrupt banking and insurance industries? No.
Do you know what frightens me more than any terrorist ever could? The average American these days. They’re a scary bunch. Hostile, frustrated, and often either misled or just plain ignorant. And the scariest part? I think they actually mean well. I was reminded of this the other day as I took a train to Chicago. The passengers in the seats on both sides in front of me were pretty average married couples in their seventies. They had just met on the train, and as they started talking, I was suddenly overwhelmed with a strange queasiness. I usually tend to get along really well with most people of their generation, because I’m a bit of a cultural/moral Luddite myself; I think making money through the misfortune of others is bad, I think we should help each other out when needed, I have a practical level of materialism, and an old-fashioned work ethic. So what caused the queasiness I’m referring to? Well, the utter loss of hope for humanity any rational person might feel as a result of simply listening to their conversation. They started their dialog by agreeing how terrible it was that our president isn’t a US citizen. And then lamented that he had already destroyed the economy and the American way of life with his evil socialist agenda. I knew it would be an exercise in futility, so I didn’t bother asking them why the judicial system and congress and all of Washington was letting a known illegal alien run the country. I also didn’t ask them why, if the president was a socialist, he had so many bloodthirsty capitalists working at his side to prop up the biggest capitalist fraud in history and thereby Read the rest of this entry »