Signs of Hope vocalist talks of tours all across the globe, the new album "Choices Made" and drunk bums with knives!

Signs of Hope consists of; Paul on vocals, drummer Mario, Evan and Jon on guitars and bassist Pat.
“Hailing from Southern Connecticut, Signs of Hope is a fast and energetic old school hardcore band with a touch of melody. The band was formed in September of 2003 with the intention of playing straight to the point songs loaded with sing-a-longs, mosh parts, and an overlaying positive message. The band’s demo quickly earned them a reputation as one of Connecticut’s premier acts. The ability to establish themselves as a home state headliner off a six minute demo reflects Signs of Hope’s capability to resonate with fans and win the hearts of the hardcore scene. Now these guys have 2 releases out on Detonate Records and have toured half of the globe!”-Taken from the bands Bio on Detonate Records.
This interview was done via-email with the vocalist Paul.

Tyler: How did Signs of Hope start and what made you decide the bands name?

Paul: 10 years ago when I was 16 years old, me and a friend named Chaz decided we wanted
to start a band. We were picking through band names and Signs Of Hope came into mind, as soon as I said it out loud there was an instant “yes!” reply from Chaz so that was it. There was no particular reason we just wanted a name that the two of us liked and agreed on. That was three years before we cut our demo and Chaz has actually never played in the band.

T: Can you tell us a little bit of history about the band?

P: Sure, I started writing songs in year 2000 and finally pieced together a lineup to record our demo in 2003. We started playing shows, started touring, changed some members, toured some more, wrote a new record, changed some members, did some more touring, then even more touring, then we finished another record and changed more lineups and kept on touring. We have actually never toured twice with the same lineup. Not that I like it that way but that’s how it is. It’s too hard to keep the same five people dedicated to touring in a band where they make no money and they can’t always get time off from their jobs neither.

T: Signs of Hope has toured all over covering, Belgium, Costa Rica,England, France, Germany, Sweden and so much more. Why haven’t you guys been to Canada yet?

P: We have! I just forgot to update the list! [Laughs] I got it up there now. We did a couple of weeks in November and December. We almost made it all the way out to Newfoundland but the ferries were canceled because of the weather. So we got to do a few shows in Ontario, a few in Quebec, and a couple in Nova Scotia. We missed two in NFL, one in PEI and one in NB cause we just went home when the ferry was canceled opposed to hanging around with five days off to play two more shows.

T: How does the touring experience differ from place to place?

P: It all depends on what you have to work with. When we play the US and Canada we take my van. When we played Tijuana Mexico we walked across the border with our equipment and walked all the way to the venue. When we toured in Central America we flew in to Costa Rica and worked our way all the way up to Guatemala by taking public transportation from city to city. Sometimes we would just be sitting at bus terminals for hours in third world countries with all of our equipment, looking really out of place, and we would have no clue if the show promoters were even coming to pick us up and bring us to the places where we were supposed to play. There’s always other methods of touring though [laughs]. We got some good experiences though!

T: With all that touring, how do you guys keep busy traveling?

P: I do all the driving [laughs] so I’m never bored, when we used buses and I didn’t have the option to drive I just slept on the bus. When we get to cities early we just look for places to screw around at and kill some time, or places of interest. other times we have things we need to accomplish like if someone needs to go to the doctor, or if someone needs to find somewhere to use the internet because of something important they have to do online.
T: What’s the craziest thing to happen to you guys yet?

[Laughs, pauses thinking] uhhh… I don’t know, there’s a lot of crazy things we’ve done but the craziest to happen to us? Alright a drunk bum in Costa Rica tried to bum change from me and I turned it around and got him to give me his change, then he pulled a knife on my band members and chased them while I was yelling “stab them!, stab them!” they were so fucking scared! I knew he wasn’t going to stab them because I was outside bullshitting with him for 20 minutes before they came outside and got “attacked” so I had a pretty good read on him [laughs]!

T: On your site it says you guys have been featured on “100,000 compilations”. How does it feel to know your music is well received?

P: Well I can’t guarantee that all 100,000 copies made it to listeners and that every single one of them liked our song on there. But I do feel that our music is well received when kids are singing along in places we have never played before and it is a great feeling. But yeah, the compilations are just a form of promotion that we had to pay for and I’m not exactly sure how great of an effect it really had. But it’s cool to be on there because I found a ton of great bands from compilation cd’s when I was younger.

T: The band just released Choices Made how much time was set aside to record and write new material for it, and where was it recorded?

P: We recorded it at Dexter’s Lab in Connecticut. The studio is nearby so we just took our time in small sessions over the course of a couple of months rather then having 1 time slot for a few days straight. As for the writing, I never set aside writing time so most of the material was just accumulated in my head over the course of years and finally brought to life.

T: Can you tell us about the feel of the album, how it differs from
previous releases?

P: Its a little heavier and a little more melodic then our first record. We were a four piece until late 2005 when a fill in guitarist didn’t leave the band after a tour and stayed as a second guitarist. Since we became a five piece the writing changed accordingly so that we made use of both guitars, which is the reason for the slight change in sound from the first album.

T: Do you feel the album portrays the band well, that it’s what the band was aiming for musically?

P: Yes and no, I think we played everything too slow on the recording, at least that’s how it seems when I listen back to it now after being too familiar with how we sound live. I was happy with the pace at the time of the recording though. As for the recording itself… if I can go back in time I would definitely record elsewhere. I was never happy with that recording at all, But it sounds good! I just had better visions for it.

T: That’s all I’ve got anything else or any shout outs?

P: Yeah! Shout outs to my favorite band from your area, Envision. Check them out if you haven’t already. Thanks again for the interview too. Hopefully we can (make it out there soon).

Follow these links to check out SIGNS OF HOPE and XenvisionX!

[Via http://visionthenet.wordpress.com]

Watching Davos Annual Meeting 2010 - The Growing Influence of Social Networks

Social networks and blogs are now ahead of personal e-mail in terms of online activities and account for almost 10% of time spent on the Internet.

How is the growth in social networks changing society?

Discussion Leaders
Gina Bianchini, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Ning, USA
George F. Colony, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Forrester Research, USA
Reid Hoffman, Executive Chairman and Founder, LinkedIn Corporation, USA
Mousa Musa, Global Changemaker, British Council Global Changemakers, Iraq
Owen Van Natta, Chief Executive Officer, MySpace.com, USA
Don Tapscott, Chairman, nGenera, Canada; Global Agenda Council on the Future of Government
Evan Williams, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Twitter, USA; Technology Pioneer

Facilitated by
Loïc Le Meur, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Seesmic, USA

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[Via http://fredzimny.wordpress.com]

the iPad favors passive consumers not active prosumers

by nathan jurgenson

I’ve written many posts on this blog about the implosion of the spheres of production and consumption indicating the rise of prosumption. We are prosumers when we are simultaneously producers and consumers. This trend has exploded online with the rise of user-generated content. We both produce and consume the content on Facebook, MySpace, Wikipedia, YouTube and so on. And it is from this lens that I took note of Apple’s latest creation announced yesterday: the iPad. The observation I want to make is that the iPad is not indicative of prosumption, but rather places a wedge between production and consumption.

From the perspective of the user the iPad is made for consuming content. While future apps might focus on the production of content, the very construction of the device dissuades these activities. Not ideal for typing, and most notably missing a camera, the device is limited in the ways in which users create content. Further, the device, much like Apple’s other devices, is far less customizable than the netbooks Apple is attempting to displace (which often use the endlessly customizable Linux OS).

Instead, the iPad is focused on an enhanced passive consumption experience (and advertised as such, opposed to their earlier focus -can’t resist). Unlike netbooks, the iPad is primarily an entertainment device. Instead of giving users new ways to produce media content, the focus is on making more spectacular and profitable the experience of consuming old media content -music and movies via the iTunes store, books via the new iBookstore and news via Apple’s partnership with the New York Times.

Thus, the story of the iPad’s first 24hours, for me, is the degree to which the tasks of producing content and consuming it have been again split into two camps. The few produce it -flashy, glittering and spectacular- and the many consume it as experience. And, of course, for a price.

Does this serve as a rebuttal to an argument that states that the trend towards the merging of the spheres of production and consumption into prosumption is inevitable? Or is prosumption indeed the trend for a future Apple seems not to grasp? Or will the applications developed for the device in the future overcome the limitations of the device? ~nathan

[Via http://nathanjurgenson.wordpress.com]

5 for #485

I blame comic books for my obsession with big, round numbers.  My 500th MySpace blog will happen sometime before the middle of this year at just my regular pace, and I wouldn’t be shocked if I upped the pace a bit before then.

Enough about the “then”.  Let’s talk about the “now”.

KKCK:

Lady Antebellum “Need  You Now”
grumble grumble Country crossover grumble grumble song about drinking and regrets grumble grumble it might involve a pickup as well, but I haven’t paid too much attention grumble grumble…  In all seriousness, the pop mix does a good job of hiding the fact this was a huge country song.

Ke$ha w/3OH!3 “Blah Blah Blah”
I really need to hear this entire album.  MTV’s James Montgomery said something to the effect of “she is to hip hop what Avril was to pop punk”.  This song is hella catchy, and Ke$ha sounds like the type of girl at the bar I’d probably be both excited by and deeply afraid of if she were to hit on me in my single days.

Justin Bieber w/Ludacris “Baby”
All the tween girls have Bieber Fever, and this song will only make the infection worse.  For me, it’s confusing because I like to think I have most of Ludacris’ songs on my iPod.  Does that mean I need to put a Justin Bieber song on it?

Gorillaz “Stylo”
This song reminds me of 80s music without sounding like an 80s song.  Did we jump on it early?  Yes, yes we did jump early like we’ve done with almost every other Gorillaz lead single.  If you like your Gorillaz a bit weird, this song will cover that too.

La Roux “Bulletproof”
Speaking of songs that remind me of the 80s, we have La Roux.  I don’t see many dance acts get press on Pitchfork, much less get that and start moving up the CHR chart.  Another point in La Roux’s favor is that electronic dance songs that are a bit quirky often do quite well for us.

Pick to click: Justin Bieber short term, Ke$ha long term

Today I took a step towards dealing with all the lingering sadness and feelings about a lot of my childhood.  I went to Western Mental Health in Marshall and started counseling/therapy.  My first session was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to going back again in a few weeks.  We didn’t make any major breakthroughs, but it was nice to articulate what is in my head to an expert, who told me everything I’m feeling is totally normal.  The way she described my emotions made total sense, and now we can start figuring out what to do for some resolution.  Here’s the real shocker of the session.  She asked where I was born and from, and I told her I was born in Fargo but had grown up in a small town in Northeast South Dakota she had probably never heard of.  She asked and I told her it was Veblen.

She grew up in Veblen.  Class of 1967.

Seriously, what are the freakin’ odds of that?

Otherwise, things around my neck of the woods are going pretty well.  I didn’t get any writing done this weekend due to a sudden illness, but I’m hoping to be more productive in the coming weeks.  I had a total brain lapse today which led me to think I’d broken my wife’s car somehow.  Luckily, the problem was easily solved.  I’ll admit I was, in a teeny tiny way, looking forward to my car coming to her car’s rescue.  Seeing my rusty old Cutlass in the rear view mirror made all the stress of a potential repair bill fade away for a few seconds.  One of my co-workers sent me a link about how to get collector plates for the Cutlass, since it now technically qualifies.

I’m starting to get the feeling I’m losing one of my friends because of how infrequently we’re able to hang out.  It’s not that I don’t want to hang out, far from it.  When I get a call that my son or wife is ill, I feel compelled to go home and help out and do what I can.  This has caused me to bail a few times, and I don’t want to make excuses because nobody wants to hear them.  I have different priorities than I had for all the years I was single, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.  I don’t value our friendship any less than I used to.  I just have a reason to go home now where before it didn’t really matter where I went after work.  I could be wrong and he could just be busy right now, but I won’t know until I see him again next week.

OMG, did this become a tale of woe bro-mance post?

Crap.

So…baseball season is right around the corner.  My Mariners are looking better than they have in years, but every team in that division could be a contender.  I’d rather see a spirited scrum than see the Angels just waltz off with another division title.  The Cubs should be interesting but I don’t think they have the horses for the National League derby.  I like the Marlins and Athletics as dark horse teams this year.  At least, I like them without looking at any preseason info.

I feel like writing more, but I’m not sure where to go next.  We’ll just pick it up again next week, or sooner if inspiration hits.

[Via http://fanwitch.wordpress.com]

Facebook, Social Networking has its downsides

Online social networks such as Facebook are fantastic tools in building community. Just last week, I befriended an old chum from elementary school whom I have not seen since, well, elementary school. Before this technology existed, I would not even consider finding such long-lost pals. Now I can do it at the stroke of a button.

This is a real asset for me because I am not good at keeping in touch with people. I forget to call family. Sometimes I even forget birthdays. Social networking Web sites have been a Godsend in my life.

The Internet has created a sense of community in profound ways, but there are pitfalls as well.

For one, there is a strong temptation for us to parade our lives on the Internet and flirt with virtual exhibitionism. I’m not so sure I want to know your every move, nor do I need to see your relationships evolve, fracture and get torn asunder before my very eyes. The pictures you took during your trip to Acapulco? Not so family-friendly.

In order to fight the urge to splurge on public domains, I recommend a family Internet policy that protects you and your family from nosey voyeurs, be it friend or foe alike.

Some of my personal rules include posting pictures that are modest and appropriate. That’s not to say that I have inappropriate pictures. I just don’t want people to peruse snapshots of my family’s trip to the pool or beach.

Also, I do not befriend coworkers, bosses or acquaintances unless I spend time with them outside of work. My status updates communicate my musings, but not my innermost emotional roller coasters. What you don’t know won’t kill you, trust me.

Another pitfall to social networking is that it is very addictive. Fifteen minutes to check our inbox can turn into three hours. Eventually, to invoke a tactic used by the Borg in Star Trek, our computers end up assimilating us. We spend so much time online chatting with friends that the Internet slowly replaces flesh-and-blood contact. We may be connected, but we are not connecting with a sense of authentic communion.

Consider these statistics from one study I read: only one in every four people has someone in which to confide. Sixty-one percent of people say they have only a few close friends. The Internet is giving us a sense of community, but is not providing the connections that make up sustainable support systems.

The recent film “Up In the Air” explores this theme. In it, Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney, makes a living by traveling across the nation to lay people off from their respective employers.

A young, inexperienced efficiency manager figures out that if Bingham and his coworkers fired people via Webcams from their home office, then Bingham’s company would save money by cutting travel expenses.

Bingham opposes the Webcams and argues that online interactions with clients not only robs them of the dignity of the “firing,” but removes the personal support required for a sensitive moment of loss.

The movie teaches that we cannot conjure relational depth by simply logging onto each other’s lives. We require intimacy and nuance, awe and enchantment. Without real human contact, we miss out on the beauty of storytelling, the dance of non-verbal communication, awkward silences, moments of divine inspiration and sudden bouts of irrational laughter.

Even though my computer helps me remember birthdays, it does little in helping me find the relational intimacy to which I, and every other person in God’s creation, aspire. I just hope that, in the end, resistance is not futile.

[Via http://baptistspirituality.wordpress.com]

The Return to the Social Roots of Gaming

Way back when, gaming was simple. The graphics basic, limited by the technology of the age; therefore, the game play and goals were basic. All you had to do was play to get to the next level (even though all levels were basically the same in design/story) and play to achieve the highest score such as in Space Invaders. Gaming was a social event, being mainly played out in arcades in the accompaniment of your peers, where competition through high scores was key motivational factor to keep on playing.

The next incarnation was gaming consoles and games with more complex stories.  The first I remember playing was Mario. The reasons why you played changed– you would play for the story and the main goals were no longer to rise in rank or to get the high score to impress your friends. You played to be a part of the environment, to explore different levels, and to be a part of the story as it unfolds. Gaming moved away from its social roots in the arcade to a more personal, home venture.

Jump ahead a few decades.

The advent of online gaming is claiming the time of committed gamers now. Call of Duty is one of the main games.  The goals of the gamer have changed again. No longer do people play to get new levels nor for the story, but the goals mirror their arcade roots.  The goal of the social gamer is to gain stats and play against friends to achieve the high score all from the comfort of your home.

Now, the social gaming consoles are limited to those who own them; however, with social games online, such as those on Facebook, the need for gaming is now met.  It is no longer along the lines we once played such as Final Fantasy.  It is back to the basics: simple levels, basic graphics, and the goal of social competition to keep you coming back.

Do high scores, ranking, and social recognition outweigh the story or the actual complexity of game play? I for one love a great game with epic stories that challenges you, but I can understand the even more addictive nature of surpassing your peers in  competition. It is what makes you come back, even when the dynamics of the game is as repetitive as sowing crops.

Gwendolyn Borgen

[Via http://merscom.wordpress.com]

Centre of the Universe

My Brain is Centre of the Universe

 “Our home planet is present before us at this moment, likewise just at this time it is again submerged into the depth or the past from another place of space” In this way; there has been no incidence of present and future at all at any site of space, all are submerged into their respective depths of the past

In or under the circumstances:

 See wonder of universe such: Big bang, evolution, gravitational world’s, time dimension or history of the universe or space-time and physics or series of events or the structure of sketch of universe is the result from one site only such as own or from your location. That is to say; you are looking everything has creation from your location, likewise just at this time it is again far from 15 billion light years is the result of nothing creation in the universe. That is to say; we are looking huge universe, through that distant of first cause is near about 14 billion years yet that cause is in this place i.e. both place are same. Hence, we can take the decision; reflected power of brain is the result of present Universe or space-time and physics is the result in your life-time i.e. lifeless position is in the dark energy and on this place. Again, we can take the decision that the universe is huge yet that the case is between minimal and my brain is Centre of the Universe.

See the light- http://www.esnips.com/web/H5477 (a Multimedia-DEMO) through that encouraging the spirit of discovery and sharing of fundamental knowledge about the Universe and our place in its midst.

[Via http://shahidurrahmansikder.wordpress.com]

MySpace profile flash slideshow

Create a MySpace flash slideshow for business

MySpace is more and more popular. An elegance profile page or blog with flash photo slideshow will help you catch lots of eyeballs from tons of Myspace users and attract like-minded individuals in the next place. This tutorial will mainly show you how to create a MySpace flash photo slideshow to make your MySpace profile and Blog more attractive in just simple steps.

Only simple 3 steps will teach you how to add flash gallery slideshow on MySpace profile for sharing with your friends.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Myspace Account
Photos related to your business
Flash Slideshow Software ( Say Flash Gallery Factory )

In the following how-to, I’ll create a MySpace flash slideshow banner for an outdoor sports organization to show their concept about “Sports Make Life Easier!” which may attract the amateurs to join in.

Step 1: Get the Flash Software

Download the Myspace flash maker, then install and run it.

Step 2: Browse

Import the pictures related to your business, and then process with the built-in editing tool if needed, which include some basic functions like crop, rotate, filter, etc. Especially, you can add a hyperlink for each picture here. Below are pictures about outdoor sports.

Step 3:Template & Effect

Here I choose the Template "RedRight" and "Fade" transition effect. After that, right click on one photo on the Story Board to set the "Duration Setting". Set "Picture Duration" as 2 sec and "Transition Duration" as 1 sec, then check the option "Apply all settings to all pictures". See more flash photo gallery templates.

Step 4: Decorate

"Decorate" each picture with texts. Click "New Text" to add texts, select font, size, color, text effect, etc. for your photos. Here I select Font "Happy", Size "22", Color "Gold", Effect "Fade"..

Step 5:   Publish

Modify some "Publish Settings" to make the flash banner the best and then click "Create SWF Movie". A pop-up window will prompt you to save your created work.

Step 6: Upload SWF and get Flash URL

After the flash is created, just upload your album on your HTTP server, online or other free swf file hosting sites. Here takes Google site for example. After login Google site with your google account, Check the option “I agree to the terms”, click the button “I am ready to create my pages” below, and login.

Click “Choose File” button at the bottom, then browse and select the SWF slideshow on your local hard disk, upload it. Now, the uploaded file will be listed in the “Attachments”. Then you have to get the URL address of the SWF slideshow and note it. In Internet Explorer, you can simply click the file, open it with IE, and copy the link address in the address bar. If you are using Firefox, you may right click on the file, in the popup menu, click “Copy Link Location”, and get the link address.

The link address should look similar to: http://sites.google.com/site/wondersharefamily/Home/index.swf

Done! Let’s see our great work. Wanna a try? Just follow the steps and making your own Myspace photo slideshow now.

Related Tutorials:
Best slideshow software reviews
Make a photo collage layout for Myspace
Make video slideshow for youtube

 

[Via http://photodvdslideshow.wordpress.com]

My Dinosaur Life

Today is the release date of My Dinosaur Life, the fourth album by Minneapolis band Motion City Soundtrack, produced by Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus.  These guys can do no bad in my book, they are the perfect blend of catchy pop and dark punk.  You can pick up a copy for yourself really cheap at Best Buy for 7.99 or the deluxe edition at  iTunes or listen to it at LaLa or on Myspace

[Via http://imacrayon.wordpress.com]

Noiseless Tread

We live in an age of online networking and we’ve gone beyond email and instant messaging.  Most everyone has a blog, social networking site, photo sharing site, video uploading site, etc.  The worldwide web is full of many wondrous things that can easily take up hours of your day. But why? Why exert so much time and energy into joining and being a part of all these websites? It seems a simple question with an obvious stream of answers: How else will I stay in contact with my old friends from high school if I don’t have a Facebook? MySpace allows me to express my personal style and meet new and interesting people with similar interests.  I can keep track of everything my friends, families and favorite celebrities are doing with quick sentences posted on Twitter.  Flickr let’s me share my skills as an independent photographer with people outside of my community. Vimeo allows me to display my creative video projects to a larger audience. I can share endless photos, music, videos, quotes and stories on Tumblr and gain followers interested in my original work and/or similar interests. Obviously, I could go on forever but I won’t, I promise.

The point I’m trying to get across is that these sites have countless advantages and attractions.  Nevertheless, they seem abused and I admit that I am one of these abusers.  I had or have a MySpace, a Facebook, a Photobucket, a Flickr, a Last.fm, a Tumblr, etc.  There really is so many directions I can take this particular posting but I’m not here to rant nor am I really here to judge.  If you’re reading this in hopes of some further insight on online predators, internet addiction or age restrictions on social networking, I agree that all of those are valid discussions worth exploring but I’d like to focus on what drives us to be a part of all these online networks.

I know no one as well as I know myself, therefore, I will be my own example. I have always felt a creative spark inside of me and the need to express something beautiful that will be recognized by others. Six years ago  a friend of mine got me started on MySpace. Many of my friends stopped using email so MySpace became my main form of communication with a large group of my friends. I got hooked on making my page look just so, trying to write witty little blog postings, bulletins, comments, messages and status updates. Then of course, it no longer became my way of communicating but rather a way for me to express my interests and maybe just a little bit of my creativity.

Then, of course, came the day I realized that most of my friends had switched to Facebook so I finally started one of those as well.  The results were exhausting.  Suddenly I realized that I wasn’t really keeping up with anyone on either site and when I did it was in petty little updates about some mundane activities. In essence, I had many “friends” on MySpace that I realized were only online acquaintances, including those I knew in person.  I no longer feel the need to stay connected with everyone and so I deleted that particular account. This forced me to look at my online activity in general: the many email addresses I no longer used and different online accounts to sites I was no longer interested in but were still floating around with little bits of information that really no longer applied to me. I deleted as much as I could but I’m sure there are still small things I’ve forgotten that will float in cyberspace forever. I’m not really ashamed of anything I’ve ever posted or shared but I have changed alot in the last six years. We all change, as do our opinions, or at least one can hope.

I have a Flickr account but I don’t consider myself a photographer. I can take pictures, sometimes they might even be good or well-edited but that still doesn’t make me a professional. I would even stray away from calling myself an amateur. I don’t take enough artistic photos to call myself that.  Yet I still have a Flickr as if maybe some day someone will see one of the few photos on there and say, “Wow, that is such a great angle. She has such potential.”   I think that’s what alot of us are looking for in these sites.  We’re hoping someone will notice something that we are either trying to convey or they’ll see something great in us or our work that even we didn’t notice. Keep in mind, I have noticed some really good original photos or text by people I follow on Tumblr mixed in with maybe some not so profound or original works.  However, it seems like it’s incredibly difficult to get good exposure or even criticism sometimes from these sites.  There are so many Tumblr, Flickr, Vimeo, etc. profiles. Sorting through all of them would take us through eternity and beyond. And let’s face it, half the time our first followers or fans are our friends and family. They would rather encourage us than criticize us, and though that can be helpful it is not always for the best. It is possible to make good connections online providing you know which sites to go to and how much of yourself to display on these sites but that doesn’t always happen.  Also, anything posted on the internet is not necessarily protected.  People might save (or screen capture) your work and post it on their own blog or networking tool and not give you any credit. Then, if someone takes it from their site how are they to know who originally took this photo or wrote this piece of text. It becomes lost in the masses. Everyone wants to be special and yet because everyone strives to be just that, they are less likely to be considered special. The same goes for a blog or themes in photography. I often see photos on Tumblr of girls in dresses whirling around with a bow in their hair, some pretty tights and a lens flare or a piece of text inserted quoting a book or a movie. I even enjoy some of these photos. It doesn’t mean I stop in my tracks and rush to discover the photographer’s name and website. It’s pleasant and interesting at times but there are so many that I think very little beyond “That’s pretty.” Everyone has to strive to be the first or most popular at a subject or theme to get any real recognition and possibly benefit career-wise from it.

Though it is now easier to find these connections and to get our work and opinions out there, it makes it that much more difficult to be singled out from everyone else with a similar idea. I suppose with enough persistence and/or luck, recognition and reward might be achieved but how far must one go and how many more go unnoticed? It is my hope that my words will be noticed and perhaps even appreciated or at least regarded. Until that moment, as far as this blog is concerned, I suppose I’ll continue on with noiseless tread.

[Via http://noiselesstread.wordpress.com]

New Years Resolutions: 2010.

2010.

Doesn’t look right does it?

I mean,
It’s the future isn’t it?

The future!
And still no Hoverboards.

Anyways.
Onwards we all go and with that in mind,
I’ve finally found the time to put my New Years Resolutions together.

Resolutions are great things for me.
To write them down is even better.
A constant reminder to myself to do better.

Last years resolutions were pretty tall and I didn’t get through all of them.

But I did okay.
I did quite fucking well actually.

Some of the ones I managed changed me.
Some for the better,
Some for the worse.

I’m feeling a little more nostalgic this year and a helluva lot more optimistic!

Here are The New Ones:

Swim with sharks.

Write a book.

Take things less seriously.

Go fishing. (I’ve never done that).

Spend more time with some of my pals who I haven’t seen in too long.

Photograph Glasgow in the a.m when it’s empty.

Learn to swear in 4 languages.

Find the love of my life.

Research my Family Tree.

Stop living the Vampire Existence I’ve been living.

Climb a big hill.

Get my dead friend Mark the recognition him and his Artwork deserve.

Row a boat.

Apologise less for being myself.

Learn to dance.

Be a better Son, Friend, Brother & Uncle.

Visit Millport.

Shave my sideburns off and grow EVEN BIGGER ONES!

Learn The Banjo.

Go to a mass at Glasgow Cathedral.

Charge upfront for Illustration & Art projects.

Read that Big fuck off Biography of JFK that’s sat on my bookshelf since 1997.

Put a message in a bottle into The Clyde.

Find a new job.

Tell that prick that works in the shop down the road that he’s a Prick.

Take on No More than I can physically do.

Stop Googling: ‘Death’, ‘Dying’, ‘Loss’ & ‘Fear’.

Buy a goldfish.

Name the goldfish ‘Figaro’.

Make a sound collage.

Draw a picture of Billy Connolly.

Watch ‘The Shining’ less.

Confront my deep rooted fears of Death, Lonliness, Religion & The Catholic Church.

Go on holiday.

Look,
It might seem like a lot.
But you watch.
I’ll do them all.
Maybe not in that exact order but I’ll do them.

You watch Alan.
We’ll do them!

Stop talking aloud to myself.

I hope the New Year treats everybody kindly.

Do you have resolutions?

What are they?

[Via http://alancook.wordpress.com]

Myspace

Myspace has been founded in 2005 and has become one of the biggest websites in the World. In 2006 it became one of the most famous social networking sites in the U.S. Mypace is one of the leading examples of web 2.0, because there is so much you can do to design your own webpage.

Millions of users have already found the benefits of Myspace, with Myspace you can make a personal profile which tells something about yourself. You can also upload videos and music to make your profile even more personal. Other things you can do are writing blogs and articles to give your opinion on a situation or event.

Myspace is also great for music, a lot of starting artists have became famous in the last few years thanks to Myspace. If you are a starting band you can upload a demo on your Myspace site (there are different accounts for bands) and you can tell your status, if you are looking for a gig for example. A local band from my hometown even arranged a European tour thanks to Myspace. As a band you can also ask if there are other bands that would like to play in your pre show, because you could not find a local band that wants to play there.

To conclude I would like to say that Myspace is a great site if you want to stay in contact with friends or spread music so I hope to see you there!

[Via http://wilmar22.wordpress.com]

Indie on the Move Press Release

Wanted to share a press release with you all from a service that I’d love to see explode here on Maui.  If it sounds interesting please check out the site and pass the info around to anyone you know who plays music.

-J

Indie on the Move revolutionizing music and touring, one venue at a time.

By David Urbanic

BROOKLYN, NY – To say the world of independent music is “challenging” would be something of an understatement. Especially with touring bands, who often find themselves flying blind, booking shows in unknown cities, relying on the loosely vetted-if at all-reputation of their local counterparts sharing the bill, and their too often empty promises of good crowds, cool venues, and a semi-clean floor to sleep on. But, the little known truth is that the venues themselves suffer the same such blight. Often suffering for their reliance on unknown touring bands unfamiliar with the area, a questionable local following, and the legitimacy of their press kits.

For too long the chasm between the two most integral parts of the independent music scene have been separated by a seemingly self-imposed wall of silence. Since the inception of MySpace, ReverbNation and SonicBids, it has been easier than ever for bands to promote their music, contact, and book shows with venues and other musicians worldwide. But as with so many great resources on the Internet, this niche community has suffered nothing less than the paralyzing wrath of oversaturation.

Enter, Indie on the Move, a completely free music venue database and tour booking resource. Developed and managed by members of the band, ZELAZOWA, who achieved the mind clobbering feat of performing over 500 shows throughout the United States and Europe between 2006 and 2008. Over 500 shows, booked entirely on their own, without the aid of a record label or any kind of corporate sponsorship. If any band has been “through the wringer” it’s these guys.

Of course, in doing so, they amassed a veritable treasure trove of venue data, booking contacts, and other such knowhow that can only be gained through many years of difficult do-it-yourself work ethic. Their collective experience as performers, promoters and tour bookers is in essence priceless. To put a value on it would be impossible. Which is why they are offering it to anyone willing to take advantage, for free.

“After touring the US and Europe pretty thoroughly over the span of a couple of years, we naturally amassed quite a list of contacts and venues,” says Kyle Weber, lead guitarist for ZELAZOWA and president of Indie on the Move LLC. “We then realized how valuable that information was and how much it could really give back to the industry that eats people alive everyday.”

Despite being a website aimed at a niche market, the immediate impact of Indie on the Move cannot be underplayed. Within its first year, the site has accumulated a loyal and very involved following of over 10,000 members and doubled their initial list of venues to a current count of over 2,000. A modest number for the moment, but what makes Indie on the Move unique is that these venues are all under 1,000 in capacity (barring some special exceptions that cater to smaller artists). With no arenas or amphitheatres on the list, and a high degree of accuracy in the information provided, the entire database has been engineered to maximize the payoff for smaller, self-reliant musicians.

“I guess most of our frustrations came from the fact that it always seemed like other sites and informational resources were merely taking advantage of artists,” says Bryan Weber, lead singer for ZELAZOWA and vice president of Indie on the Move LLC. “It was like us vs. “The Man”. Anytime you wanted to get your hands on a database of venues for instance, you had to pay a premium, and nine times out of ten, once you got your hands on the publication a lot of the information it contained was completely out of date. This is a big reason why we encourage our members to help out with the upkeep of our site. While the site administrators verify all of the venue information every month, we are not flawless and our community helps out a great deal in keeping us in check. “

This is a unique formula for an industry that has long been loosely connected, at best, and lacking in self-regulation. From the initial volume of positive feedback, one that is paying off in spades, and not just for Indie on the Move, but the ever growing volume of members. “For us, there is absolutely no tour without Indie on The Move,” says Justin Stang, singer for the band Sideways Reign. “I can’t imagine a world before this outstanding resource existed.”

“Indie on the Move is the booking resource for a do-it-yourself band,” says Tyler Reardon, vocalist for the Massachusetts based band, Semester Abroad. “I needed to book an entire east coast tour within one month and without [them], I would have failed miserably.”

In the words of Kyle Weber, “Our aim is to help bands and venues to better work together, maximizing results on both sides.” This is a goal that is consistently appreciated by the venues themselves. “We were exceptionally pleased with the quantity and quality of talent that contacted us,” says Barbara Kenig from the Freakin Frog in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Indie on the Move is filling an important niche in the music industry.”

“I acquired, by mistake, a last minute project of booking a venue called City Ale House in Danbury, Connecticut,” recalls Octave Revolt Booking agent, Christine Mutch. “As I searched online for a way to contact bands, we came across Indie on the Move. They have made it much easier to fill empty dates, bring us professional, responsible bands and led us to constantly use their services.”

“We have built strong professional relationships with thousands of the best venues across the U.S.,” says Bryan Weber. “A lot of them are even encouraging the local bands that play and frequent their establishment to sign up for the site. It’s a wonderful balance.”

Without a doubt, Indie on the Move has made a huge dent in the way the independent music world operates. While the organization may not yet have truly revolutionized an entire industry, the rate of their growth and success makes one wonder what is in store. Already with a reputation for innovation, Indie on the Move fights the threat of stagnation with the regular unveiling of new content, features, and ever more opportunities for interaction from bands, venues, and fans alike. The Brooklyn, New York based upstart has already seen the first glimmers of competitor imitation; the so-called, most sincerest form of flattery.

“I think you always have to worry about the competition mimicking your moves,” says Indie on the Move treasurer, Shaun Weber. “If something is done successfully, others will be sure to follow. We’ve already seen some of our competitors acting in the same capacity as us, but that only drives us to become more innovative. Fortunately for us, we have four successful, experienced independent musicians on our team providing that spark.”

“I guess the biggest difference between us and our competitors is that we are all still independent, working musicians,” says Bryan Weber. “I believe that this gives us a unique perspective and advantage when it comes to how we can improve the site and better enhance the experience of our members. It’s like that old Hair Club for Men commercial,” laughs Weber. “‘Not only am I the president, but I am also a client’.”

So what of the future? Indie on the Move has a wealth of new features and improvements in the queue, ready to continue the turning of the industry on it’s head, but until their reveal the site administrators are remaining intriguingly mum. After all, in an industry carried by the countless tools in the do-it-yourself toolbox, the next wave of innovation could come from anywhere.

“Indie on the Move can, ideally, become the toolbox, rather than just a very effective tool,” exclaims Shaun Weber. “Our feedback to date has been extremely positive. Bands are realizing that our site makes booking faster, easier and more effective and venues are seeing great results from our show availability e-blasts. As more people begin to fully utilize the site, our potential is limitless.”

“I feel very positive about the future,” says Kyle Weber, with a smile. “My only wish is that we could implement some of our ideas quicker, but good things take time. “

Indie on the Move can be found and contacted online at www.indieonthemove.com. For more information on ZELAZOWA, music and tour dates, visit www.myspace.com/zelazowa.

[Via http://mobiusproject.wordpress.com]

Mikarah Sanders (15) was shot dead by her boyfriend over a MySpace comment she received from an ex

A 16-year-old boy accused of shooting his girlfriend to death also shot himself in an attempt to make it look like someone else was responsible, prosecutors said.

Matthew D. DuBois has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Mikarah Sanders.

KOMO News normally does not identify juveniles accused of crimes, but prosecutors have charged DuBois as an adult.

According to court documents, DuBois was angry at Sanders because of a comment that an ex-boyfriend had left on her MySpace page.

The two were arguing at an apartment complex at 12445 Ambaum Boulevard SW on New Year’s Eve, and Mikarah was shot once in the face.

Another girl who was in the apartment initially told police that the DuBois was not the gunman, but she later recanted her story and said she lied at DuBois’ request because she was scared of him.

She eventually told investigators that she was in another room when she heard a single gun shot. She looked into the other room and saw DuBois on top of Mikarah, and he told her to call 911, the documents said.

The girl said DuBois then shot himself in the shoulder, told her to lie to police, and went to a different apartment.

Mikarah, who had been shot in the head, was rushed to Harborview Medical Center where she later died.

Neighbors have said that the couple argued constantly before the shooting.

DuBois has prior juvenile convictions for witness tampering, unlawful posession of a firearm, burglary, and auto theft.

He is currently in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview and is scheduled to be arraigned January 13.

If convicted as charged, he could face up to 25 years in prison, prosecutors said.

[Via http://top10queen.wordpress.com]

Survey Reveals: Who Leads In Social Media, Business or Consumer Brands?

This debate of whether social media is best for consumer brands (B2C) or business brands (B2B) has been been ongoing for the last 2-3 years and Business.com has recently come out with a survey that might make many rethink their assumptions. Most of the current and emerging case studies discussed extensively on the web, online media and blogs revolve around B2C such as Zappos, Gary Vaynerchuk, Dell, Naked Pizza and others.

As Business.com states “If you’re working in B2B, perhaps this data will provide you with value. Or, at the very least, it will arm with you data necessary to convince, compel, and persuade those skeptical or uninspired colleagues, clients, and managers.”

So below are the results of the survey for Social Media: B2B vs. B2C from Business.com in 21 different categories

1. Maintained company-related profiles on social networks:

B2B: 81%
B2C: 67%

2. Participate in Twitter:

B2B: 75%
B2C: 49%

3. Host blog/s:

B2B: 74%
B2C: 55%

4. Monitor brand mentions:

B2B: 73%
B2C: 55%

5. Engage in discussions:

B2B: 66%
B2C: 43%

6. Participate in Q&A sites such as Yahoo Answers, LinkedIn, forums:

B2B: 59%
B2C: 44%

7. Upload content (social objects) to Social Networks:

B2B: 50%
B2C: 32%

8. Manage a community dedicated to customers or prospects:

B2B: 49%
B2C: 51%

9. Monitor/support user ratings and reviews:

B2B: 49%
B2C: 51%

10. Produce Webinars or podcasts:

B2B: 46%
B2C: 22%

11. Advertise on social networks:

B2B: 42%
B2C: 54%

12. Utilize social bookmarking sites such as delicious and digg:

B2B: 38%
B2C: 21%

13. Employee recruiting:

B2B: 36%
B2C: 27%

14. Facebook

B2B: 77%
B2C: 83%

15. Twitter

B2B: 73%
B2C: 45%

16. LinkedIn

B2B: 56%
B2C: 27%

17. YouTube

B2B: 43%
B2C: 30%

18. MySpace

B2B: 14%
B2C: 23%

19. FriendFeed

B2B: 9%
B2C: 2%

20. Plurk

B2B: 1%
B2C: 0%

21. Other

B2B: 4%
B2C: 8%

Results For The 21 Categories

B2B Leads in 15 categories

B2C Leads in only 6 categories

Some of the challenges have been, how does business use social media to grow their brand in the social media space and the last 2 years has seen the emergence of changes that have removed the barriers for brands to use social media, especially in Facebook with the addition of the “Facebook Page” for corporates.  Some of the walled gardens privacy in social media has been lowered in recent time, to enable Google and other search engines to crawl the site and enable brands to use the social media sites to improve their organic SEO and leverage their content distribution and brand presence. Some of these changes have included.

• Facebook slowly revising their privacy settings to open up real-time search capabilities within the 350 million strong network
• MySpace recently announcing the availability of a real-time API, businesses will have the ability, and the responsibility, to search for relevant conversations outside of Twitter and Google.
• Twitter doing a deal to feed its real time search into both Bing and Google

Google search results, at least prior to the real-time search revolution, also proved valuable for mining and unearthing relevant content. 59% of B2B and 40% of B2C companies report using Google Alerts and 61% of B2C and 60% of B2B reported that they actively googled themselves.

With the rapid evolution of search, business monitoring will assuredly shift its focus from traditional to real-time. Just recently, Google announced both Social Search, the inclusion of content generated by your social graph in traditional search results, as well as real-time results from Twitter and other social networks. We already know that customers, regardless of industry, are actively taking to search engines to learn more about brands and products mentioned in their social stream.

This is your opportunity to establish authority and attention online, social media gives you the leverage to achieve that by providing literally hundreds of different channels to place your content onto and then use those multiple channels to promote and spread that content. Without it, it’s easy to vanish from the cycle of awareness and consideration. Out of sight, out of mind…

So is your company a B2B or B2C and what benefits have you found with implementing social media for your brand?

[Via http://jeffbullas.com]

Social media permeate the employment life cycle

Employers must address their use and misuse before, during and after an employee’s tenure.
Social media are any type of Internet-based media created through social interaction in which ­individuals primarily produce, rather than consume, the content. In the workplace, the prevalent social media are video-sharing Web sites (YouTube), social ­networking Web sites (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter), online multiuser virtual worlds (Second Life, World of War­craft) and personal or corporate blogs.

The increased use of social media in the workplace, by employees and employers alike, presents both opportunities and risks for employers because social media now permeate the entire life cycle of employment: during pre-employment inquiries, throughout the period of employment and after separation from employment. Employers must consider and address the use and misuse of social media at each stage.

Employers can now access more information about applicants through social media than was previously available through traditional hiring practices. On Dec. 9, 2009, a privacy policy change affecting all 350 million Facebook users made each Facebook user’s name, profile picture, current city, gender, networks, list of friends and list of “pages” publicly viewable by other Facebook users and also set some users’ photo albums to public. Only through obscure privacy settings can Facebook users affirmatively make some, but not all, of this information private.

Through standard disclosures such as these, or through voluntary disclosure of other personal information such as commentary and photos, applicants may reveal more information about themselves through social media than they normally would during the hiring process. In making hiring decisions, employers can lawfully use information relating to an applicant’s illegal drug use, poor work ethic, poor writing or communications skills, feelings about previous employers and racist or other discriminatory tendencies. Employers may also lawfully consider an applicant’s general poor judgment in maintenance of his or her public online persona.

Employers, however, may face liability under federal, state and local law for using any information learned from social media about an applicant’s protected class status — race, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, etc. — in a hiring decision. It may be hard for the employer to prove in later litigation that it only viewed, but didn’t actually use, the information obtained in a social medium when making its hiring decision.

Employers should consider whether the benefits of using social media to screen applicants outweigh the risks. If an employer wants to supplement traditional hiring practices with a social media search, the employer should consider the following approaches.

• Employers should screen applicants in a uniform manner by creating a list of the social media they will search for each applicant and the lawful information about each applicant desired from the social media search. If all applicants cannot be screened using the lawful criteria because an employer does not have the time, resources or inclination to do so, employers must be consistent, objective and nondiscriminatory in selecting subsets of applicants to screen.
• Employers should have a neutral party, such as an employee in a nondecision-making role, conduct the social media search, filtering out any protected class information about the applicant and reporting only information that may lawfully be considered in making the hiring decision.
• Employers’ representatives should not “friend” applicants in order to gain access to their nonpublic social networking profiles.
• Employers must be able to point to a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the hiring decision, with documentation to support the decision.
• Employers that are considering making an employment decision based on information found in social media should consult with counsel prior to doing so.

DURING EMPLOYMENT

Employee use of social media can result in external business generation and internal creation of a collegial atmosphere through less formal interaction and shared experiences between co-workers. On the other hand, employee use of social media can create awkward and potentially harassing situations when such use turns inappropriate.

For example, when a supervisor wants to be a subordinate’s friend on a social networking site, it can create awkwardness between the supervisor and subordinate. If the subordinate accepts the invitation, the supervisor can access the subordinate’s potentially inappropriate or revealing nonpublic profile. If the subordinate doesn’t accept the invitation, he or she may be concerned that his or her employment opportunities may suffer or that the supervisor will be offended. In more extreme cases, misuse of such sites can give rise to claims of co-worker or supervisor sexual harassment or hostile work environment.

The most obvious hazard regarding the use of social media during employment is internal to the organization: Employees may spend so much time using social media during working hours that productivity decreases. However, the biggest risk of social media in the workplace is external employee misuse: Employees can easily make unauthorized disclosures of confidential company information, such as trade secrets, proprietary information and personnel matters. Employees can easily disparage the company or its customers in a way that leads to corporate embarrassment, public relations problems or damage to the employer’s brand or image.

To address these risks, employers must first consider the proper level of encouragement of social media use in the workplace. For some industries or positions, the use of social media might be appropriate for business development. For others, an outright ban may be appropriate because the work force has no business reason to use social media at work or while using the company networks, facilities or equipment.

At a minimum, employers must insert broad language encompassing social media into existing information technology, code of conduct, harassment and confidentiality policies. Employers should consider adding the following features, if appropriate, to such policies:

• A clear statement that misuse of social media can be ground for discipline, up to and including termination.
• A prohibition on disclosure of the employer’s confidential, trade secret or proprietary information.
• A request that employees keep company logos or trademarks off their blogs and profiles and not mention the company in commentary, unless for business purposes.
• An instruction that employees not post or blog during business hours, unless for business purposes.
• A request that employees bring work-related complaints to human resources before blogging or posting about such complaints.
• A prohibition on using company e-mail addresses to register for social media sites.
• A prohibition on posting false information about the company or its employees, customers or affiliates.
• A general instruction that employees use good judgment and take personal and professional responsibility for what they publish online.
• A demand that all employees with personal blogs that identify their employer include a disclaimer that the views expressed on the blog are those of the individual and not the employer.

All supervisors and human ­resources professionals must be trained in the appropriate use of social media and how to consistently enforce the employer’s social media policies. Any policy addressing social media during employment must use broad language and be updated frequently because social media will change quickly over time. Employers should consider incorporating language specifically referencing social media into the confidentiality provisions of separation agreements.

THE RECOMMENDATION DILEMMA

Even post-employment, social media creep into the relationship between the employer and the former employee. Supervisors and co-workers are increasingly asked to “recommend” former employees on LinkedIn after separation from employment. This “recommend” feature allows people in a professional network to write positive professional reviews about other people in their network, which will be visible on the former employee’s LinkedIn page.

A positive recommendation on a person’s LinkedIn page is the same as an employment reference, and should uniformly be treated as such under the employer’s post-employment reference policy. Employers could also consider adding to their post-employment reference policy a prohibition on managers from “recommending” or commenting on the job performance of former employees via social media without prior specific authorization from the human resources department.

The takeaway message regarding social media in the workplace is that employers can no longer ignore the risks. Employers must be cautious in addressing these emerging workplace issues, even though employment-related litigation over social media is in its infancy. First, employers must understand the myriad issues surrounding social media in the workplace in order to strike the appropriate balance in the eyes of their employees and the law. Then, employers must craft appropriate policies and procedures regarding social media that are consistent with their industry and firm culture, and apply such policies in a consistent, objective and nondiscriminatory way.

Renee M. Jackson is an associate in the Boston office of Nixon Peabody and a member of the firm’s labor and employment practice group.

www.law.com

[Via http://mindmapsza.wordpress.com]

Double P. featuring Phizek-"Fresher than U"

Coming from the city of Compton in California, we have Double P. featuring Phizek with a video titled “Fresher than U”. Feel free to leave comments and enjoy the video.

For more information on this artist, go to myspace.com/phizekorleonross or myspace.com/doublepmuzic

[Via http://arifaze.wordpress.com]

My vacation will soon be over...

Wich sucks, but that’s life. It’s been a productive one though so I really shouldn’t be complaining too much about it. I’m satisfied I guess, even though I’m one of those who rarely gets that feeling of satisfaction because I always seem to think that I could have done whatever much, much better. This seems to be a part of my life too, so I’m going to go ahead and just say “fuck it!” and move on.

[Via http://sankystile.wordpress.com]

I decided to do a separate post instead of putting it all in the last one

I had a bunch more stuff to say on random subjects so this is the ‘annex’ post.

MySpace Sucks

I can’t get onto MySpace anymore, because I’m using the library computers, and MySpace wants me to update the browser before I can even LOOK at the page, and I don’t have the authority to update the library’s browsers. I can’t even CHOOSE between ‘view the old MySpace here’ and the new page. You’re just forced to go to the new browser-challenging page, or nothing at all. This angers me. I like simple HTML web pages that ANY browser can view. You go there for a purpose, and the purpose is NOT to see advertisements written in the latest, heaviest, slowest, bulkiest, most complicated programming languages available.

I only got onto MySpace in the first place because my ex-boyfriend’s daughter used it, years ago, and she wanted me to get my own page. So I did it for her. Then, my old classmates from West Virginia started finding me there. But I don’t like web pages that have so many graphics and ads, because I usually use a slow dialup connection. I want basic, simple web pages where you go there to DO something, not watch big complicated cartoons and advertisements and movie previews playing.

So I keep hearing voices telling me that my MySpace page has the wrong instinctual stacking listed for my personality type. I think that the last time I updated it, I might have written sp/sx as my type. I’m not even sure that I have the instinctual type there at all, and I can’t even VIEW the page with this browser anymore.

Well, so, the last couple days, they started telling me that actually, sp/sx really IS the correct type, and all the other ones that I’ve been writing about are wrong. It’s impossible to know, because there are false personas forcing me to be someone I’m not, all the time. Many of the words that I’ve written over all these years have been lies that were told by the false personas, and they don’t represent the things that I’m interested in, the things that I value, the goals I want to achieve, the things that are important to me.

Something they’ve been mentioning again in the past few days: (This happened months and months and months ago, but they were reminding me about it.) Martin mocked the ‘I’m getting tired of this’ letter as though he had RECEIVED that letter FROM ME. Meanwhile, I received that letter from someone claiming to be him, someone who sounded like a nagging old lady. I’d have to read it again, but it was this big warning, supposedly from him, that he was ‘getting tired of this’ and ‘I really will call the police’ or something, blah blah blah. Martin was taking photos of things that came from letters he had received from me. Some of them were letters that I actually had sent (yes, I wrote something about a photo of myself giving someone the middle finger), but he did a photo of himself climbing into a pile of spare tires, as though mocking a letter I had sent him. I didn’t send that – I RECEIVED that letter from his address. I haven’t looked at his page in months and months and months, since I started using the library computers, so right now, I have no idea what’s going on.

I’m trying to remember some of the other random things I was going to mention. I was going to say something about the cloak. I wore it while walking down the street in the middle of the night, when the ice sculptures were sitting there still covered up, the night before First Night.

Some drunk people (I assume they were drunk) were on the opposite side of the street. A guy saw me in the dim light, and shouted, ‘Frodo!’ His friends started laughing. I smiled at them but didn’t know what to say. He shouted it again, ‘Frodo! Where’s Sam?’ I said, ‘I’m sorry, I’m not Frodo.’ But he insisted. ‘Where’s Sam? You can’t abandon Sam! Don’t leave him!’

I said, ‘I’ve always been loyal to Sam!’ This satisfied him, and he and his friends relaxed, and they said a couple other things, still laughing, and walked away.

So the cloak is recognized as an elven-cloak of Lorien, at least in dim light from across the street. And I’m five foot two, maybe short enough to be a hobbit.

I’m guessing it was a puppet incident and that he was given the idea to call me Frodo, and it probably wasn’t his own idea.

I’m pretending to be, not a hobbit, but Arwen the elf. The elves had a problem of not producing enough children, and their race was slowly dying off, even though they had very long lives. Arwen stayed with Aragorn after she had a vision of her future child.

I see myself as a different instinctual type depending on what mood I’m in, and when I’m in the Arwen mood, I see myself as sp/sx. That’s what type she looks like, to me. ‘Mystic, mate, quiet supporter.’

I know there are more things I was going to say, so I will log in again when this session ends.

[Via http://retmeishka.wordpress.com]

2010 Kia Amanti

The 2010 Kia Amanti The 2010 Kia Amanti is sleek, stylish, and elegant. With all the controls right where they should be. In the center of the gauges is the trip computer display. Less distractions for safe diving. The optional 6 disk CD changer features a 5.5 in. screen and steering wheel mounted thumb controls. The audio experience is truly experienced with the Infinity nine speaker system. Creating a full acoustic sound experience. while the noises of the outside world remain outside. The front windscreen has Hydrophobic properties, to actually repel water. The glass is coated with a coating that creates a barrier from dirt, dust, grease, and water. clean by wiping with a damp cloth. Other optional equipment include a head light washer which sprays fluid directly on the light. To top it all off it an embedded rain sensor. When the rain begins falling on the windscreen, the wipers automatically adjust the wiper speed.

Peak Kia of Littleton
Toll Free (888) 606-5252

[Via http://peakkialittleton.wordpress.com]