Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Voice Against Tagging


~*~*~*~
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA.
Hey A-holes, don't you have anything better to do? It’s like you think the world is your trashcan, your personal property. This is a really nice amphitheatre and it was built for everybody! If everybody in town tagged their stupid logo on it, your trivial insignificant writing would be meaningless. But you happened to be the only one selfish enough to deface what belongs to the community. If your board, look inside, that’s where that emotion comes from. If you’re so insecure that you need validation, well, “It sucks to be you.” My guess is you’re angry about something, like maybe you don’t feel you fit in society. Again, “It sucks to be you.” I know you have brain. You’re probably a pretty smart person, so think about other people. We all live here and want to share the public areas. You’re welcome to sit, talk, sing, dance, play… Just leave it the way you found it.
Think next time, be smarter.
Mahalo (thanks)

Monday, October 29, 2007

Podcast Script/Format below


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PodCast Script and Format

General PodCast Format

:10sec. Open – music sound-effects
:30sec. Intro – Date, Hosts, Episode #, Reviews of Segments, …
:30sec. Intro short history of next segment
5min. Sound bites “Tails From The Trail’ audio tapes from 7 day trail ride in ’98 New Zealand
5-7min. Interview – John Brown, singer, songwriter, filmmaker, father… (plowing straight ahead, come what may…) We’ll talk about: your dog-mushing days with Arley, songwriting, parenthood…
5-7min. Interview – Steve Gladman: Poet, artist, and documentarian. . . We’ll chat with Steve about his life as a starving artist, and how he keeps his spirits up while life keeps coming at him.
:20sec. Thank-you, to our guests and any info. If any they may wish to share.
2:30min. A few excerpts from the ‘Book of Dead Ideas’
:20sec. Rap-up. What to expect on the next show, program info, and thank-yous’ . . .
:10sec Music close.
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Welcome, & Q's for the interview:

"We come now to our interview portion of the show and today we’re talking with John Brown, in Austin Tx. John is many things, including: a singer, songwriter, filmmaker, and father. “How are you today JB?” Wow, you have the same initials as Jimmy Buffett! Cool! So, you are all those things I fore mentioned but let’s start with the 80’s. "
John Brown Q’s: ~ I would like to kind of get a timeline from when you were ‘growed-up’. We met in Chi-town in ‘88.
1. I met you in the Sears Tower Studio, in the TV/AV Dept. back in the late 80’s. You were working for them doing studio and location video work, (lighting, right). Was that your start in film? What really hooked you into visual storytelling world?

2. Where did that take you? How did your interests shift to … film, music, mushing, songwriting…

3. You’ve also lived up in Minnesota for a spell. Tell us a bit about ol’Mr. Arley. Who is Arley? How did you meet him?
Do you still go up there? What’s dog-mushing like? How many dogs are up there? Have you made a film about that lifestyle? Where can we see it?

4. About your songwriting career…When did you start writing songs? What have you produced? Who are some of the famous musicians that you’ve played with? Where can our listeners find work? Do you have any upcoming venues that the folks can come and hear you play?

5. Shifting gears a bit…You’ve also become a dad not too long ago, what’s that like? Tell us about them. ~Has it balanced you, How has that directed your life, do you feel your path is more defined?

6. And lastly, you’re also becoming a minister!? What made you decide to go in that direction?
What are your ‘peeves’ about humans and their predicted course? Do you have ‘visions’ about what might give us a chance, for our future, as a species?

~ Well I thank you JB for taking time out of your schedule to join us. Is there anything else you’d like us to know about, any future endeavors…: upcoming venues, films, this is where you get plug yourself . . .
~ Okay kiddo, thanks again for sharing on the D’Tours PodCast Pilot show. I hope we have widened your listening base a bit. Good luck!

We are going to end this segment with one of your songs – do you have one about life up in the Tundra? …The excitement of dog-mushing days? …Arley? POV of ‘A dog’s life’…?
If you have anything you would like covered in the interview, by all means bring it on…
My blog: D’Tours

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Open Script


Music
"Aloha, Kai-ora, Bulla, Bon-jour, Hola… everybody!
…how many ways there are to say ‘Hi’ and welcome! We are so glad you’re loaning us your ears for awhile, and happy you decided to choose ‘D’Tours for your listening enjoyment.
This happens to be our ‘Pilot’ program. But, this episode # will be 101. Just because even my banks will start me off with checks beginning at 100 (it’s seems less green that way) so even though this episode may be the first, we didn’t want it to appear that way.
My name is DLN and I’ll be you emcee today.
U R listening to “D’Tours” podcast episode 101 – today’s date is November 5th 2007

Introduction of show content: ~ What’s it all about?
Segment #1. “Tales from the Trail” Sound bites from the road, pieces of recordings I've gotten while traveling.

"To compress the mission of our existence will be difficult but I’ll try.
D’Tours is a philosophy. It’s a way of traveling through life. By developing this laid-back style I’ve enriched the experiences I've had while visiting these places. By needing more information...by having to go out and hunt for it, and meet someone, and ask questions, it has deepened the meaning of the trip, and embedded the culture into a memory far more significant than say the ‘package deals’ with too much info, too little time, and too many extraneous photos at the end.
What you’ll hear are some excerpts from these travel recordings I’ve done while on the road.

~~~~~~~(This segment will be one or, the other depending on availability) ~~~~~~~~
Segment #2. Phone poems: These are people I’ve met along the way of life. Smart people, enlightened people, crazy people sometimes, famous sometimes. Sometimes they may not seem, at first, to have much to offer, however, their words are very extraordinary if one stops long enough to listen.
Interviews: These are also people I’ve met along the way of life. Smart people, enlightened people, crazy people sometimes, famous sometimes. We'll talk to them about life...What are their ‘peeves’ what are their ‘visions.’ Sometimes they may not seem, at first, to have much to offer, however, their words are very extraordinary if one stops long enough to listen.
(Why on the phone? …because these are many bright and creative people. Our comet-tails pass through one another’s orbits oh-so briefly; we elapse quickly and then travel on and away to our other unique destinations; to match latitudes regularly, becomes quite infrequent.)
. . .So, we’re callin’ ‘em up!”

Segment #3.
“Excerpts from the “Book of Dead Ideas”, or, (‘POTT ~ Philosophy of Travel Tips.)
** “Dead Ideas” ...Everyone has had an Idea that might (or not) have gone somewhere famous. Given more time, money, more information, dedication, it could have, would have, been Great! And, much of it is about opening that flap in your face and spitting it out into the universe. ‘Poohoowee’ “Here-ya-go! . . . Take-it! . . . Run! "You're Welcome!” Here, is where we share some of those folk’s ideas, like yours and mine who are willing to give’em-up ...to the Cyber-Cosmos.
* In POTT, I’ll share some Natural Logic, from past travel training, which has had positive effects on embracing the travel experience. ‘Attitude is Primary my friends.’ When talking about the value of a journey, one’s approach should ebb-and-flow as all things organic do everyday. If your head is in the right place, what happens next is magic.


Rap-up: “Thanks for joining us. We are pleased to have shared our ‘Alpha’ show with you today. Check-in now-and-again for more: Tales-from-the-Trail, ‘Phone-Poems’ and Interviews, as well as tips for the Traveling Head. Let’s hope that this is the beginning of more exciting contributions to the big and beautiful web-world, and, your awesome and evolving MP3 players.
Thanks to: our guests, sponsors, contributors, . . .
. . .and we’ll end with a Cool-Quote.

This one’s from Bill Maher“Question. All the time, question –if we didn’t, it would become …Religion.

15sec Music close. (Pipes from musicians at FaerieWorld, Eugene Oregon, 2006)

End Program~



Thursday, October 11, 2007

WebSite Theme ~ Art Gallery and Travel Philosophy

Theme of the website
(Topic, tone content, etc.) This theme will be of' Pro-personal interests. I've wanted to put together a website like this for almost 10 years! Thanks EMP.
" D’Tours", is an attitude for traveling through life. It’s a philosophy. It’s a heady place to visit. Topics that we'll cover:
* Art Galleries and thoughts from the artists. Tour a virtual gallery, see their work, and choose to look or shop. ~ The tone could be somewhat cluttered, interestingly so, much like an artists studio. ~ Content will have images of their work and interesting viewpoints about how they live and labor.
* The traveling side will explore the art of traveling: "Embracing the land and its people and being embraced back" are words to live and travel by. By following the D’Tours travel map, one will be able to trek across America, through a developing thread of ‘out of the ordinary’ locations to stay. Those who have the nerve to venture out of the comfort zone will find a great journey. They will be working and staying on these property's, visiting with the wonderful people that live there, sleeping in unexpected places and learning surprising things – about their hosts - and even about themselves. ‘Techno Hippies’ could be a connection-place for smart, bio-event and sustainable-living people. Sales and seminars would be listed regularly, Y-fy connection locations, tips & tricks for assisting the ‘old dog’ to join in on the wave of the future. D’Tours could also have ideas on ways to ‘Walk gently in the earth’. This old hippy goes techno. Yet continuing an appreciation of harmony w/ nature, and, the value of - often in getting lost to find things, is a necessary talent to obtain and maintained if one is to be good at it.
Title Ideas ~ ~ ~ Traveling Heads ~ ~ ~ “D’Tours” “Tales From The Trail” “OzArt Gallery”
Design notes:
As I talked about in the Gallery idea, it will be cluttered in an interesting fashion. Keeping with crisp gray tones, D’Tours, Techno Hippies,… will be have earth tones, kind of like -vegetable colors: pumpkin, mustard, sage, eggplant…. creating an ‘earthy’ mood. Not sure of the fonts, though I’ve always liked the ‘serf’ look for any writing, otherwise I would use Comic Sands.
I’d also like to use a 'Rune' symbol somewhere: ‘Radio’ This is to reflect the physical and spiritual journey we’re all on. This character also represents transformation and personal development.
Ideas for flash animation:
I've looked at various flash openings on different websites. I think keeping it simple at first: Titles fading and zooming out to place, A slide show where pix change, maybe the subtle movement of a feather falling from one place on the page to another.
Ideas for Pod-cast:
I had an old idea for pod-casting former Honolulu morning radio shows I recorded, back then, to play in the car when I was in mainland rush-hour - it kept me many times from going nuts and dying a slow death in Chgo. traffic. Also, could be former recordings from NewZealand trail rides in '98. Anyway: here's the show (rough-draft) format:

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

“No Beast In My Village”

We were asked to verify our opinion on the 'Strengths & Weaknesses of the web as a medium of communication.
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Here is my response. This writing actually goes with the Remediation reading from 'Living in The Information Age' read Critique / to sample chapters, Understanding New Media. Personally, the whole reason that I took this class was to get, just a tiny bit, caught up with a world that was quickly passing me by. In just ten years I have gone from owning a would-be computer machine (5megs of ram) never connected and seldom got played with, to being connected everywhere! I'm wired in dozens of coffee shops across the country. Having infinite information, literally at your fingertips is a truly mind-boggling occurrence. The elderly would never have regarded it, and, the next generation couldn’t live without it.
~ Writer's Definition of 'Beast':
It's big for one thing! It’s dangerous, cunning, uncontrollable, consuming and it’s banging on my door. The Internet is a beast.
Now, there's intention, for one thing, to want to get all mid-evil in this characterization and have 'The Beast' drool and smell. But, we all know what this is really about. It’s one of the biggest meanest ‘baddest’ mothers of the ‘global’ valley and it needs to be respected for those Goliath-like reasons alone. When something really big is in your neighborhood the appropriate action would be to never let it out of your sight. Study it. Know its habits, what it likes to eat and if it’s looking for you in particular. I cannot control this beast, I wouldn’t even want to, however, to be educated to it would be the smart thing. The irresponsible thing here would, to be the libel ostrich and pay no attention to the hot breathing on the back of my neck.
“No Beast In My Village”
A story by Dln
Once upon a time, there was a simple community on the East Cape of the north island in very rural New Zealand. Māori society has traditionally been one based on rank. That particular village had a female at the helm. She was a big, straightforward woman married, weirdly enough, to a red-headed X-film director from Hollywood. Who incidentally had been out of the loop for a very long time, he appeared happy, yet seemingly starving for information about the world outside his current situation. “What’s happening out there?” “Who’s in charge - how’s society doing? …any new discoveries?” He wanted the scoop from the outside world. What could I possible tell him that he might need to know there in a nowhere New Zealand paradise? His wife, we’ll call her ‘Mrs. Chief’ became quite guarded, started throwing rank and prejudice around till there was little room for much else like ‘The News.” It was visibly clear that she was the editor and ‘chief’ of all reports that come to this quiet village. If she did not deem the information worthy, or it would be harmful to her power, it would not be allowed. There was no radio in the house. Television and newspapers had no place either on the property. All current events went by her first. She would decide how much weight to put on them, and she had ‘heaps of heavy’ to go around. The community, the director’s wife and kids and their home were all in a wonderfully scenic spot about 30 miles or so south of Gisborne. While that is understated dramatically, it was a lost piece of heaven on earth. And, the Big Mama’ wanted to keep it that way. I couldn’t have blamed her for that. Making myself aware to her defensiveness I laid subservient and respectful throughout the visit. Trying to stay off her toes wasn’t an easy task. She let me know repeatedly how I was out of line with their ways. I understood her disdain at my messenger-like presents, with news from the outside world –Big City Info and all - and slept on the beach that night. Thinking about her feelings of power, her ownership of the village, her position, it wasn’t hard to see the way she viewed it: “If I don’t know about it, it’s not worth knowing.” "It's existence is insignificant and therefore denied."
Well, that kind of stand will get you just so far, and in that world, that was far enough. The personal effect this had was of humbled awakening. I understood her fear cloaked in dominance. Yet, what I got out of that power struggle was this. It’s OK to deny the beast access to your home. It’s fine to forbid him to even speak in your presence. It’s even suitable to believe in your own welfare and safety for the village. But, don’t pretend that ‘The Beast’ doesn’t exist… that he’s not nearing your door, and otherwise lives on your island, moreover, will eventually grow larger that you given enough to eat. Know the creature called technology. Don’t live in ignorant resistance. Educate yourself on the habits and tendencies that come with the territory.
The Information Age is upon us. It will be a part of the future, sooner or later - probably sooner in my world than later in hers.
. . .And they all lived and died happily ever-after.
The up shot... -the deal, you know there’s always a deal. My dad sent me an article cut from the Honolulu Star Bulletin ‘On the Net’ Inventive visuals reign in this site. There are some pretty phenomenal sites out there. These are a must to check out!
"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can."
~Danny Kaye
podcasting – Hawaiian style

Monday, October 8, 2007

~ Remediation ~

‘Remediation’

Def: The Reproducing or Refashioning of old media with new.

I’ve done the reading on Remediation in our “Living in the Information Age” The New Media Reader -and I have to say it was probably the most confused that I’ve been this semester yet. I read, I highlighted -sentences were underlined, many passages were remarked even notes were attempted in my journal. After much anguish and a clear avoidance to the assignment, I’ve instead come up with a story. Last summer I took my once-in-ten annual road-trip across America, visiting friends and family. I hadn’t seen my cousins in Seattle in seven years. Arriving there in mid-September the weather was optimal for the Great North East. One of my cousins, Kay Kline - has 'Therapist' on her shingle, yet she is far to the other side of your standard shrink. Kay married to Jim and they've raised two great kids, Mason and Mattie. Mason is off at collage thousands of miles away. 'Mattie' has hit a bit of a rough patch. She's currently at living at home -figuring out in which direction to next through her Stone. (A term I use often – though some say ‘Dart’.) The two kids were together, the summer before, visiting in Boston where Mason is attending the University. On a stellar day one particular afternoon, they were sitting in an outdoor café having lunch. The two of them had just gotten off the phone talking with their mother and thought it a fun idea to take a shot of this moment with Mason’s photo phone. They got their faces as close as they could and snapped a self portrait electronic image. Cheek to cheek they smiled and clicked. In a flash of the send button, my cousin had instantly received it thousands of miles away back on the West Coast.

I have to apologize now for failing to mention earlier -Kay is also quite the artist. She dabbles in quite a few different artistic mediums. After receiving the photo her spontaneously and creative mind went right to work. She took the two digital figures that flew through the air, across terrain and time zones, downloaded them and brought them up on her computer. After working the visual in Photoshop she printed the pair onto paper at first and began the process of washing, etching, and maybe stamping it to a kind of tappa-cloth. I don’t know, ironing it and inking it. Over weeks, there were many failed attempts but, she kept at it. Burning, pressing, using different intensities and kinds of paper or cloth, until, she got the look and texture that had for so long been her artistic quest. All these processes though were old-ways in the art world. Yet, anything can be found and figured out on the Internet today.

Anyway, it took a few months to perfect the look and quality she sought. By Christmas it was framed and wrapped under the tree for their holiday gift. Bringing back their fond memories of a great summer trip, they were delighted. Brother and sister now edged and blazed in art, their youthful sibling bond beautifully mixed. That moment in the café was ‘metamorphic’ now beautifully recreated, hanging on the wall for all the years and tears and memories to come.

. . . That’s Re-mediation!