I Need Some Nice Shorts
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on May 10, 2009 by admin in Popular Media
My ongoing search for quality short film and music videos is sated briefly by some Rob Dougan.
I remember clearly when MTV was new. I was in a trendy band comprised of artists who dabbled in visual art, fashion and film, and we were incredibly excited about the possibilities. We of course were quickly disappointed as the medium turned into an endless string of “hair bands with hot chick videos”. To me, the marriage of music and moving images still remains a vastly under-explored territory; although there are many full length films brilliantly married to their music (Betty Blue
Moms Agree: War Sucks
[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 10, 2009 by admin in Holidays
It always takes a little feminine wisdom to put things in perspective.
Considering the fact that May in this part of the world brings the return of flowers and sunny warm days, it’s a little ironic that the major May holidays are devoted to glorifying war. Although Cinco De Mayo has evolved into a sort of “Mexican St. Patrick’s Day” (i.e., celebrating Mexican culture in general while Mexicans themselves barely observe the holiday) it was in fact originally in celebration of kicking the asses of the French out of Mexico. Which, given the general predilection of English-speaking countries toward France-bashing, might explain its continued popularity in the states. Later in the month, we have Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, which try to make you uncomfortable about protesting murder by making you feel like an unpatriotic twit who hates our sons and daughters who died protecting the politicians who sent them to die in the first place our way of life. Which brings us to an oft-overlooked aspect of Mother’s Day – which these days feels like another Hallmark Holiday – it was originally a proclamation against war. As is so often the case, it takes a woman to have the insight, intelligence and humanity to present things clearly. If you can read the Mother’s Day Proclamation without shedding a tear, I know a couple of guys you might like. Here are a few of the opening lines, if you’ve never read it:
My Mom’s Cooler Than Your Mom
[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 9, 2009 by admin in Holidays
Here’s to my mom, your mom, and you, if you’re a mom. We’re enjoying the party. Thanks for having us!
 This captures my mom’s sense of humor pretty well. At Thanksgiving a few years ago, I just said “smile”, and this is what I got. |
I feel sorry for anybody whose mom isn’t as cool as my mom, and I’m sorry to say that this would include most of you. My mom was born a couple of years before the crash of ’29. She jokes on occasion that she might have somehow had something to do with it. She married at 17, converted to Catholicism for my dad, and staying true to her faith and husband, started churning out babies on an annual basis, until she reached the magic number ten, in the form of yours truly. This alone, in my opinion, qualifies one for sainthood. On top of the clearly staggering task of rearing ten kids, she’s endured some other difficulties; she lost her eldest son when he was twenty-two, worked part-time way before that was common, and put her cosmopolitan, arty side second to motherhood for about thirty years. I’m glad to say that when she was in her late forties, she started her second life, going to college and enjoying the things she had denied herself for so many years, which mostly involved collecting art, rare books and manuscripts, and catching up on all the music she didn’t have time to kick back and enjoy while being a working mom. She’s now 82, and in spite of being in constant discomfort due to a couple of health issues, remains on a daily basis one of the most positive people I know. I call her every day just ’cause she’s such a hoot. I wish the whole world could sit down for lunch with her, I think everyone would benefit. Here’s to my mom, and moms everywhere! Thanks for your amazing gift of life!
Paralyzed By Indecision? Let The Intranets Decide!
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on May 8, 2009 by admin in Technology
Sites like Let Simon Decide and Hunch help you make the decisions that your tech overload has rendered you unable to make.
 Would you let this man pick a college for you? |
Great. Now that our minds are paralyzed by the wealth of choices presented by the Internet, our mobile devices, and the toothpaste aisle (I’m serious. On a lark I counted 47 toothpaste options at a local CVS the other day), the biggest offender of this group -the Internet – is trying to play nicey-nicey and help us make the decisions that it spent all that time rendering us incapable of making. Let Simon Decide takes your input and uses sophisticated algorithms to help you make decisions like “Where should I live?” and “Should I sell my house?” I wanted to use the site to ask it if I should use it, but it wouldn’t let me, without creating an account. Now I’ll never know if I should try it. My favorite endorsement on the site is from Amy, of Los Angeles, who says “WOWWWW I seriously love it!!! I asked it where I should live and it really helped me realize where the best location is.” I could’ve told her, just based on her spelling of the word “wow”. Along the same lines as Let Simon Decide, we have hunch, created by flickr founder Caterina Fake. Although it’s invite-only as of this writing, Mashable has a good overviewof how it works here. If you’re traveling (or even if you’re not, it’s kind of amusing anyway) Joobili lets you set a date range, and then it tells you where to go. Save some time and add a comment here on Dissociated Press. I’ll tell you were to go.
Long Line At The Body-Mod Shop? It’s Okay To Take Cuts
[ 4 Comments ]Posted on May 7, 2009 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Does ANY form of body modification really qualify as normal?
 The Pince-nez Becomes The Pierce-nez |
[Please Note: many of these links are NSFW] We’ve touched on body modification before (see tattoos for teeth, self-embedding, or self-harm coverups), but I must confess my own eccentricities and open-mindedness leave me perplexed as to what I really feel about body modification of any kind. Although I’ve done some self-branding, I would probably never get a tattoo, unless it was for some ritualistic purpose. At the same time I admire nice ink work on my friends. I think most cosmetic surgery is a mistake – we’ve all seen the more dramatic examples – but even more “successful” work leaves me befuddled. For instance, I think almost all the breasts in this cosmetic surgeon’s folio were more attractive before the surgery. So where is “normal” in all of this? I find it hard to believe that a person who endures the discomfort and resulting permanent alteration of getting a tattoo doesn’t have something going on besides merely adorning themselves, but the limited studies that have been done on the topic suggest that although a person with tattoos is perceived negatively by others (especially if they’re a woman) there’s little to support the notion that they’re aberrant; in fact, one of the few comprehensive studies suggests they’re simply risk-taking personality types. And even when referring to less fashion-oriented body-modding like self-cutting, it seems to have a positive side. Personally, I kind of have to draw the line at things like the pierce-nez (even the pince-nez is hard to pull off, unless you’re Morpheus), corset piercings, or head implants (for the record, the guy in that head implant link apparently is a little aberrant, he’s up on teen sex charges). But who am I to judge? If you’re interested in a little DIY modding of your own, check out this Instructables Guide To Elf Ears, or 8 awesome things you can implant into your body. And if you’re not emo enough to really cut yourself, there’s always the on line self-cutting generator.