![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.6){kind=small}
I am on Facebook now, for anyone that wants to find me. It suits my purposes much better than Livejournal. I'm not abandoning my LJ or anything but updates will likely continue to be sporadic. Happy New Year everybody.
Leave a comment
Making Plans
The Kind that Go Awry
01 December 2008 @ 01:57 am
http://ukulelevideos.blogspot.com/2
It's the most laid-back Imperial March ever.
It's the most laid-back Imperial March ever.
12 October 2008 @ 10:19 pm
I read things like this on a day-to-day basis in school. Oy.
"In addition to rescuing the material object from the dematerialized sign on the one hand, and restoring diachronic motion to spatialized meaning on the other, my rematerilization of the prop has a further heuristic use."
"In addition to rescuing the material object from the dematerialized sign on the one hand, and restoring diachronic motion to spatialized meaning on the other, my rematerilization of the prop has a further heuristic use."
22 August 2008 @ 06:22 pm
Well I finished David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest last night, after reading it for nearly two years. That says a lot about the book: it is a long and often frustrating read, and there were times I simply couldn't go on and had to put it down in order to read something else. Now most books, if I put them down, they're done for good. It is extremely rare for me to come back to something I've stopped. I returned again and again, partly because I wanted to conquer this challenge, partly because I became attached to the freakshow cast of characters and their messed up world, but mostly because the book is just jammed with fascinating ideas.
I'm not going to talk about the plot because it has such a loose, "figure it out yourself" quality, and because plot points are often presented from such bizarre and untrustworthy perspectives. For example, we know that the world depicted in the book is the result of much political upheaval in North America. We learn about the specifics of this upheaval only through the device of a children's puppet show, staged by a mildly retarded boy who learned everything he knows about storytelling and showmanship from his drunken father, a filmmaker who produced only oblique avant-garde films which were actively hostile to the audience. See what I mean? When none of the voices telling the story can be counted upon, the plot quickly fades away into the deep background. What you're left with is a book that isn't really about its story so much as it is about ideas. Infinite Jest's big idea is its depiction of a society which is a nightmarish funhouse-mirror reflection of ours.
Here is a near-future in which the powers that be in America (you know, corporations) have come up with the brilliant income-generating device of "Subsidized Time." The years are no longer numbered but given tawdry corporate names such as "Year of the Trial-Sized Dove Bar," and yes, "Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment." Amusingly, the years Before Subsidized have literally become B.S.-- History has no real meaning. The book adheres strictly to these naming conventions, which makes keeping track of time for the reader nearly impossible. This forces the reader into a similar place as the characters, a place where years past are as meaningless as advertisements. Everyone seems to be stuck in a "live for today," vacuum. At first I thought the whole subsidized time thing was just a sour joke, but in time I realized it is at the center of this fictional society.
More on this later...
I'm not going to talk about the plot because it has such a loose, "figure it out yourself" quality, and because plot points are often presented from such bizarre and untrustworthy perspectives. For example, we know that the world depicted in the book is the result of much political upheaval in North America. We learn about the specifics of this upheaval only through the device of a children's puppet show, staged by a mildly retarded boy who learned everything he knows about storytelling and showmanship from his drunken father, a filmmaker who produced only oblique avant-garde films which were actively hostile to the audience. See what I mean? When none of the voices telling the story can be counted upon, the plot quickly fades away into the deep background. What you're left with is a book that isn't really about its story so much as it is about ideas. Infinite Jest's big idea is its depiction of a society which is a nightmarish funhouse-mirror reflection of ours.
Here is a near-future in which the powers that be in America (you know, corporations) have come up with the brilliant income-generating device of "Subsidized Time." The years are no longer numbered but given tawdry corporate names such as "Year of the Trial-Sized Dove Bar," and yes, "Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment." Amusingly, the years Before Subsidized have literally become B.S.-- History has no real meaning. The book adheres strictly to these naming conventions, which makes keeping track of time for the reader nearly impossible. This forces the reader into a similar place as the characters, a place where years past are as meaningless as advertisements. Everyone seems to be stuck in a "live for today," vacuum. At first I thought the whole subsidized time thing was just a sour joke, but in time I realized it is at the center of this fictional society.
More on this later...
11 July 2008 @ 10:19 pm
They should just switch it to a PVE realm and be done with it. NOTHING would change. Bah. Such a good game, with so much RP potential, but nobody ever uses it.
19 May 2008 @ 04:53 pm
NyQuil Driver, have you seen this yet??
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europ
This French dude built a personal jet-powered flying wing. I guess the "fusion" refers to the combination of flying and parachuting...
Looks like a blast except that horrifying bit right after the chute opens when the wing loses all semblance of controlled flight. But still, wow.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europ
This French dude built a personal jet-powered flying wing. I guess the "fusion" refers to the combination of flying and parachuting...
Looks like a blast except that horrifying bit right after the chute opens when the wing loses all semblance of controlled flight. But still, wow.
01 April 2008 @ 01:00 pm
05 February 2008 @ 05:14 am
You fans of They Might Be Giants may already be familiar with the work of Tony Millionaire. I've been really digging his work lately. It has a very old timey feel because of the artwork, and the jokes are fantastically dirty. Not safe for work fun!
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m532.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m533.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m537.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m557.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m563.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m587.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m601.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m532.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m533.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m537.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m557.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m563.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m587.htm
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m601.htm
31 January 2008 @ 03:07 am
I crave this thing called "making music." It has been a while since I've had this craving, but right now it is strong. Guitar Hero has rekindled the craving but does not quite satisfy. Why am I holding this plastic toy in my hands when I own an honest-to-God guitar? A question worth exploring...
28 August 2007 @ 12:17 pm
I didn't want to post about it before it was really underway because I've said I'd be going back so often in the past. Well, no bullshit this time, I am back in school! Just got back from my first class. Feeling tired, but at last I'm moving forward with my life. Whee! Time for a friggin' beer and the hottest wings I can stand.
