Nine Things for the RIAA
Nine things the record industry should note about the future of music. Kind of a "no shit" sort of run-down, and, frankly, the RIAA appears to think that the salvation of its assets lies in strong-arming college students like Jesse Jordan. Instead of bullying folk like Mr. Jordan with ill-advised references to having a visit from the dentist, the RIAA might want look at their effort vs gain ratios. Did they get $12,000 worth of good press out of Jesse Jordan? Yeah, I thought not.
Happy Birthday Colin Wilson
And while we're talking about mind-altering substances and the breaking down of mental barriers, today is Colin Wilson's birthday. The man wrote The Outsider in 1956 at the ripe age of 25. I couldn't even spell "Existentialism" at that age, much less comprehend the difference between "old" and the "new" which Mr. Wilson was proposing.
MDMA
"MDMA is *chemically* an amphetamine, but psychologically its what's known as an empathogen-entactogen. There is some amphetamine stimulant quality left, which enhances the empathogenic quality. The empathogenic quality is basically the ability to communicate things to others, and the ability to feel empathy towards others." Erowid.com has the Whole Earth Review's rundown of Ecstasy (you know, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), which is useful when one is trying to do some research on the drug.
Also note Alexander Shulgin's book, PIHKAL: A Chemical Love Story, for more background.
Chris Meloche
"It was just after midnight on a Friday night and I was scanning down the FM dial listening to Detroit radio stations with a pair of headphones strapped on. Amidst the rock, country and MOR music I suddenly stumbled across something very odd. It was a steady stream of strange electronic whirs and whistles. As I sat transfixed to the sounds filling my head, I heard the some real-world images amidst the sonic collage... jet engines, deep breathing and, most obviously, fragments of various national anthems. For an impressionable teenager, these sounds came as a revelation."
Chris Meloche talking about his ephipanal moment with ambient music. His site includes all six hours of the Reoccuring Dreams of the Urban Myth, also known as "Loop6." Meloche's work has been floating out there in the ether for more than a decade now and you might have heard a whisper of it already. If not, you should let it loop through your speakers some evening.
Bible Reference
Only because I keep having to look up chapter and verse and can't seem to remember to bookmark a good one when I find it. This, however, should keep me happy for a long time. The Unbound Bible is a collection of searchable Bibles consisting of: 10 English versions including the NASB, Greek and Hebrew Versions (the original Bible languages), 4 ancient versions, 42 versions in other languages.
The Black Spot!
"In the coming months a black spot will pop up everywhere . . . on store windows and newspaper boxes, on gas pumps and supermarket shelves. Open a magazine or newspaper - it's there. It's on TV. It stains the logos and smears the nerve centers of the world's biggest corporations." It's not the Black Spot. Well, it is, but it isn't the black spot which plagued the men around young Jim Hawkins. This is the black spot of unbranding.
"Because my country has sold its soul to corporate power,
Because consumerism has become our national religion,
Because we've forgotten the true meaning of freedom,
And because patriotism now means agreeing with the president,
I pledge to do my duty . . . and take my country back."
Gizmos
What young lad doesn't love gizmos? BoingBoing (which is already a gizmo-haven) recently posted a note about Kevin Kelly's Recomendo site where Mr. Kelly keeps track of The Cool Things. And William Gibson's blog has a note about Gizmodo, a weblog devoted to Gadgets and Geegaws, including a so retro it hurts run-down of the gadgets from 1983. Toys for boys.
Malleus Maleficarum
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but I still am when I find -- yet again -- something that I thought would never be instantly available on the Internet. Today's delight is the online version of The Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch Hammer). Written in 1486, it was used by the Inquisition as the guidebook for the exposing, prosecuting, and dispatching of witches during the Middle Ages.
Super Sponge
Build a Sponge! This fellow is looking to build a depth 3 Menger's sponge out of business cards. He only needs 66,048 business cards and about 600 hours of time, and he's looking to farm it out SETI@home style. Got some spare cards and about an hour and a half of free time? Help build the sponge.
Countdown to Hellboy
www.countingdown.com has a pair of new images from the upcoming Hellboy movie. Due in 2004, the film realization of Mike Mignola's ongoing story about Hellboy and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense stars Ron Perlman in the title roll and is being directed by Guillermo del Toro. Sure, it is a year away, but can't a lad get excited when the parties responsible appear to know what they are doing?
New bills for 2003
The US government is redesigning its currency again. Pedaled as an attempt to keep ahead of counterfeiters, the newly designed $20 will be out in the fall of 2003 with the $50 and $100 to hit the streets late next year. www.moneyfactory.com has pictures of the new $20 and, well, what can I say? Andrew Jackson looks constipated. The American "greenback" has a certain moss-tone to its back (though we can probably chalk that up to what happens when you reduce a complex pattern to 72dpi) and a bit of indecision about coloration on the front. You can see it for yourself here and here.
Solar Eclipse
"Skywatchers in the North Atlantic region were treated on Saturday to an annular eclipse of the Sun." Here I was thinking "annual," but nope, just a new word for me today. Pretty pictures too.
