the new world

pigeons

I’d always get confused when trying to count these wee beasties, so having my camera close by I decided to get something official.  121.  And yes, my car is always parked on the ‘good’ side of that power pole.

new poem

The illusion is
the present
stealing from the
past for the
future.
Its neatness a
buffet for the
mind; certifiably
sane and willing
to stand straight-
faced in a court
of law.  Willing
to go out fighting.
Determined.
When asked of
evidence though,
there is none.
Hearsay and
speculation.
Case after case
of ‘if’ and ‘when’ -
time-stamped
‘approximate’.
And the courts,
knowing too their
precariousness,
have set bail
at reasonable
doubt.

Proceedings
are presently
adjourned.

loops …rhymes with?

It was a while back that I regrettably tossed aside my profile at Looperman.com.  It was one of those things I guess, but what I found in its absence was a lack of desire to actually work on loops.  Some things were done, but having a venue that somewhat encourages me to force the creativity once in a while, gets a lot more done …and will hopefully force other things!  (Shhh …we’re not going to mention that s-word).  So yes, I started afresh a few weeks ago and am happy to contribute once again.  It’ll be all that I’ll contribute to on the site …but it will be enough.  The new profile will be under the user name tr0y.

Forcing things is good, and I’ve somewhat forgotten what’s it’s like.  I caught the last two months or so of this wonderful site from Gabriela Vainsencher called Morning Drawing, and in it she drew, every day, something.  I think she’d be the first to admit that not everything was ‘good’ …but over the course of time she created some wonderful pieces, and I’m glad she shared with everyone.

And so here’s a little ditty inspired by nothing other than inspiration.  I’ll start to put the wav files in the Downloads seciton, but if you want to experience the loopy goodness of an actual loops you’ll have to find yourself some sort of audio looping software.  I’ll leave that up to you.

on the menu…

I’m not a vegetarian.  I’m not a vegan.  I do eat meat and have done so since my parents fed me various pieces of cow, pig, chicken and fish as a kid.  Do I feel like changing my eating habits to become more like a vegetarian or a vegan?  No.  Am I some sort of unenlightened monster who, based on the meat-eating penchant of my prehistoric ancestors is unwilling to break primordial ties in hopes of attaining some higher level of being partially supported through the concept that eating another living creature constitutes some barbaric act?  No.

I don’t think so at least …although I am barbaric in many other non-nutritional ways.

My philosophy, if I can maintain one long enough to have it registered as such, is that all living things are living things.  It’s kinda simple.  For example; an apple lives like a cow.  Both can be growing or dying or both can be dead.  And what of the idea that a cow is more alive than an apple? …well, let’s just call it a matter of opinion at this point.  And aside from the fruit and mammal varieties of food, let’s also mention the delicacies of insects, fish, reptiles and various microbes that exist between those comfortable ‘alive’ and ‘dead’ zones that many seem to find solace in.  So I suppose the idea that I’m eventually trying to get to is the question …”what is life?”

There’s no answer of course …at least not to completely satisfy our complex assessment of the situation.  We humans, differing from those other lesser forms of life (of which all are, and in which case we wouldn’t differ as much as we’d reign supreme) have taken it upon ourselves to set the rules and ordering of life according to our perspectives, which again, is of the greater and more advanced position, if you take that position that is.  And this of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, for we generally look after some of those lower forms of life, partially out of a genuine care and concern and partially out of a self-serving ‘we need food!’ mentality.  My point being though, is that no matter how you decide to organize life …you organize it – and in doing so you provide the justification for how you live yours.  Hence, my slightly weird justification that follows…

I eat apples.  When I eat them, I kill them.  Do they suffer in my mouth?  Probably …but I don’t hear them scream, feel them wiggle or encounter any sort of defense being put up at that moment (although, truth be told, it wouldn’t surprise me if that one Spartan intentionally lodged his torn skin around my back molar in an attempt to elicit pain upon my unsuspecting gum line ..but that’s another story).  And why do I have no problem eating a live apple?  Partially because I’ve gotten myself used to it.  It’s a habit, but I also find comfort in knowing that the apple has given its life so that I can live on – its energy has been taken by me and as a result, that apple is now, in some small way, a true and real part of me.  The apple’s life has become mine.  As far as mammal, bird type beast go however, I only eat them when they’ve been pre-killed and prepared in advance.  Would I eat them raw and still alive as I do apples?  Well I might, if it weren’t for the fact that they’d put up a struggle, scare my face, taste awful, demonstrate horrible pain as I’d interpret it, and provide me with a generally poor dining experience.  But pre-killed …no problem.

I would have one concern that is, and this is probably quite similar to the concerns shown by both vegetarians, vegans and assorted animal rights groups, and that is that I’d wish my prepared animal of choice to have lived some sort of regular animal life and was put to death in some sort of humane (from the word ‘human’ of course), non-barbaric way.  With this concern satisfied, the energy from that animal would, like my apple friends, become a part of me and I would live on – feeling no guilt or remorse for my actions.  The proverbial circle of life.

I don’t see vegan or vegetarianism as a ‘better’ way of living from a health perspective.  There are many studies both for and against meat based diets, and over time I’m sure ones body adapts to what you consistently put in it …which would provide both diets a certain measure of health.  But from my perspective, to base a meatless decision on the idea that life is somehow saved, doesn’t quite hold water.  I, as a concerned advocate of animal rights, can choose to eat animals that have been cared for and have lived healthy lives, and being assured in that, can find a certain contentment in my consumption of them.  A vegan on the other hand, could hope to see that the animal they saved has died a peaceful, natural death …yet only to be buried and have their bodies, nutrients and/or energy reabsorbed by the earth, transferred into various vegetables or ironically deposited by the roots of a nearby apple tree.  The proverbial circle of life again …just a little wider.

Following this logic, and this may be the ‘icky’ part of my rant, I wonder if I could apply the same ‘circle of life’ principals to human meat?  Could I, a person who compares apples to oranges cows, make the same argument and find it in my stomach to stomach an order of meaty, 2oo lbs. muscled, male ribs or a finely sliced calf from a young, 110 lbs. girl?  Perhaps with a side of fava beans and a nice chianti?  Cannibalism, thanks to early European expansionism, is an evil and savage term in the West and is usually reserved to describe barbaric peoples and tribes outside of the developed world.  It happens in the modern world for various reasons though; war, in tribal customs and certainly in times of deep famine.  It’s a mainstream faux pas and a Hollywood taboo that spurs craziness, the shakes and the complete disassociation from all that is good in humankind.  I mean, nobody wants to be a cannibal …right?

Hummm….

Fruit meat, much like human meat, keeps longer when it's chilled.

facewhat?

Ben Parr (in this Mashable article) looks at future trends in the web of tomorrow and suggests that social media will be the predominant reason for us to be ‘online’.  I think he may be correct …for a short while at least.  I wonder though, if we take connectivity many steps into the future and envision instant communication between everyone and wherever you need it, 24 hours a day, access to all information and through all known media formats as well as real-time displays of real-time events both personal in nature or those of global influence …just where might social media find itself?

The problem with this immediacy though, is that there comes a point when the individual needs to be the individual …and this is where I think the current idea of social media kinda falls flat.  Right now it’s a novel and brilliant form of communication, but eventually you’ll only be able to process so much of other peoples’ lives before your own starts to take a back seat.  Instant access to everyone everywhere is great, but only if it provides you with something beyond the idea of instant access …that is, if it allows you the tools necessary to actually help you do what you really need to do.

We seem to be doing things for the sake of doing them rather than because we need to get them done, which is why these tools are so fleeting and seem to morph under our senses.  Granted there are people using social media to purposefully achieve their goals, but I feel the predominant users are there only for the sake of wanting to be there, which is why it’s so easy for any new protocol, software or gadget to be guaranteed some form of success.  New for the sake of new is fine …but at the expense of you?

I could be way off base, and my belief that people use technology primarily for the self-serving and mundane is only based on what I myself have rather infrequently experienced.  The current idea of social media provides a testing ground however, helping to refine itself along with new web technologies …and the user will always be king – we can’t forget that.  When taken to its ‘instant’ extremes though, I feel its bubble bursts when we step back and realize just what it is …and it will only become important when we smartly allow it to augment our lives, rather than lazily have it direct us.

It’s the iCarrot is in front of the donkey syndrome.

fitness post #32.467

I used to do pullovers quite often when I worked out at home.  I think it was because I didn’t have a lot of equipment and needed to get enough variety to keep the muscles from getting bored -so to speak.  Anyway, I decided to add them to my routine tonight and liked them so much, I think they’ll find their way back into regular service.

The movement is great for the chest tie-in parts …to your torso as well as your shoulders, and help to give some fullness that’s more natural than some other chest exercises that target the pecs a little more directly.  That’s my experience at least.  Heavish weight is good, and the key is to keep your arms in the same position (slightly bent elbows) from start to finish.  ShapeFit has some great images as usual, and although this guy is using the whole bench, you could just as well put your body at 90 degrees to it with your feet on the floor.  This is helpful with heavier weights because you can position the weight on the bench right beside you …which means you simply have to lean over to grab it and then you’re ready to go.  Watch your back in this position though, as your bum won’t be touching anything and you may have a tendency to arch too much …which means you may be straining the lower back.

Pinatubo …option?

While visiting this blog, I came across an interesting article that, as in the aforementioned blog, also makes me a little uneasy.

It seems we’ve been contemplating (and indeed have already carried out on a small scale) ways of reversing/countering the threats of global warming.  There’s a few methods of ‘geoengineering‘ that scientists are reviewing to help with this reversal, one of them is known as the ‘Pinatubo Option‘, which reproduces the effects one might experience through natural volcanic activity as it interacts with the atmosphere.  In regard to this approach, scientists are at odds deciding which method of deployment might provide the more accurate results – a gradual release of particles or a full-scale one …”only a dangerous, full-scale deployment can shed light on the crucial issue of how effective a particular dose will be.“

I would assume the point of a full-scale approach is that the ensuing results would be easier to detect and would take much of the guess-work out of the procedure.  Along with that, the results would be gathered in a short period of time and would yield a convincing, unanimous consensus on its environmental impact.  Somewhat like throwing the switch or not throwing the switch in a way …akin to the luxury of working in a closed laboratory environment perhaps.  Counter to this is the gradual approach; more difficult to measure and harder to reach a unanimous agreement upon as the effects are small and only evident over long periods of time.

Kinda like anthropogenic warming?

Image from Slackerastronomy.org

AR @ Azucar

This weekend AR did their latin thing at a little latin club here in Edmonton.  Again, rather than bother you with all the exciting details, I’ll just throw up a list of songs that were done.  Interestingly though, as I went through these titles trying to find out who the original artists are, I came across many videos and noticed that although the percussion sections are large, they played simply and kept out of the way.  I think many bands forget, during a performance, that there is something more than themselves that is being displayed …that there’s a song to be conveyed.  Of course every musician in every style of music is guilty at one time or another, but it’s often more noticeable when there are a lot of players on stage.

El Presidiario (Fruko y sus Tesos)
Hoy Aprendi (Los Adolescente)
Coco My My (Tito Puente)
Como Baila Mi Pueblo (Sonora Carruseles)
Luz de Cumbia (?)
El Preso (Fruko Y Sus Tesos)
Mama Guela (Tito Rodriguez)
Tu me Hiciste Brujeria (El Gran Combo)
Whea Cumbia (?)
La Seis (Mana)
Mal Bicho (Los Fabulosos Cadillacs)
Valio la Pena (Marc Anthony)
El Amor es Ciego (?)
Llego La Banda (Spanish Harlem Orchestra)
Mentirosa (?)
Azuquita (Kumbia Kings)
El Matador (Los Fabulosos Cadillacs)
Salvaje (Traditional?)
Federico Boogaloo (Sonora Carruseles)
Bella Maria (Los Lobos)
Hotel California (Marc Anthony)
Sigue Tu Camino (Oscar D’León)
El Sabroson (Poncho Sanchez)

sax-o-phun

One of my big pet peeves when it comes to working is not working.  By that I mean when I show up to work I like to work …do the stuff that I’m supposed to do and when I’m done get out of there – or at least not work.  Make sense?  I remember when I worked for Dad way back when, he’d occasionally have these days where I’d be in but not have anything planned to do.  I’d absolutely hate this because he’d find these ‘make work’ projects to keep me busy, and it was usually stuff that wasn’t important or stuff that could be done at another time etc.  This drove me crazy, eventually, and I grew to hate not working while working.  It was either one or the other for me …work hard or screw the dog.  And if I was gonna screw the dog then I’d rather do it at home even if it meant not getting paid.

Today was a screw the dog day at work.  Usually I’m not in on Saturdays, but circumstances required me to put in a 9-5 thing – so Austin and I took it upon ourselves to do as little as humanly possible.  Sure there were some rentals, some fixing, some customer service and some regular work-type stuff, but then there was a lot of dog screwing as well, and seeing as I’m the senior guy in charge (lol) I saw to it that that proverbial pooch was pleasantly satisfied.  Having lappy around as well as some internets helped the day go pretty fast as well.  So in celebration of my screw the dog day, here’s some shenanigans just for you!

Enjoy