slugblog

MMXI

2011-01-03T04:06:00.003+01:00

MAKE PHOTO BOOKS

BE IN A GROUP SHOW

GO TO :

MOMA

MET

DIA BEACON

RUSTON

HOUSTON

EAT BETTER MEAT

CONCEPTUALISE MORE

THINK MORE

WRITE MORE

SHOOT MORE

LOVE MORE

LIVE MORE

put a whole lot more shit on www.bakerwardlaw.com

FATTEN UP AMERICA!

2011-01-03T03:57:00.003+01:00

http://nyti.ms/crOk7Z

This is exactly what's wrong with America.

This isn't not a question of big govt small govt this is a question of smart government

This small example of dept of agriculture is telling of what happens at all levels of govt, moneyed interests are given higher priority than health and well being of American citizens.

Small policies like this are indicative of the larger trend in govt policies towards fatter richer dumber rather than healthier smarter and happier.

America is succumbing to extremism, not from the middle east but from middle America and the middle of the aisle. A few years ago, I came to the realization that nothing is black and white. Things tend to be more or less this, and more or less that, with varying degrees of similarity and difference, certain aspects shared, many not.

American politics are overrun with violent opposition and hateful speech. Most Americans can agree on the importance of certain things; health, education, civil liberties, national defense, etc. Isn't it about time we came to terms with the fact that there is more than one way to improve these things..

Multiplicity and plurality of discoures is missing in today's political landscape.

Fuck lobbying.

Local / global

ALMOST SUMMER MIX

2010-05-11T00:35:00.007+02:00

its almost that time

click on the collage to feel funky

IN DECEMBER 2002

2010-05-02T12:44:00.001+02:00

A piece of gravel was lodged in my hand. Yesterday 7+ years later i got it out via home surgery.

\m/

M V C

2009-11-25T23:22:00.002+01:00

If you've got a few bucks to kick around...

buy one of these cheap prints from that girl Mary Virginia Carmack

see more work here

BEATLES MULTITRACK ANALYSIS

2009-10-25T11:45:00.001+01:00

awesome link.

LA MEUSE

2009-07-27T10:47:00.006+02:00

French people, especially young ones, are crazy when it comes to cars, or maybe us americans are too lackadaisical. I took a trip to Xavier's ongoing cabin project this weekend, and had the good fortune to catch a ride and not have to pay for a train. We struck out from the Paris suburbs, direction - La Meuse. Before leaving, comments were made about how with five people in the car, it was overloaded and potentially a risky drive, in case the brakes don't work, downshift, use the engine brake, the car isn't used to this load, so be prepared, all good advice, but you just get the impression that you're embarking on something much more epic or dangerous than just a car ride. 10 minutes outside of Paris, we were reassured that the driver had checked the air pressure in all tires, and good thing, because they all differed slightly. The driver commented on how crazy the other drivers on the road were because the had "such a close following distance" "Zero zone de securité, c'est hallucinant, les gens!" We pull into our first rest stop, the driver panics and doesn't know where to park at the gas station, or how to get there ( just keep going straight, until you arrive at the gas station, yes you can even pass through the place where people get gas, not park there, and continue to the parking spot) mini crisis avoided...Arriving in Verdun and leaving the autoroute, then the horror stories of driving too fast through villages began, girlfriends scolded driving boyfriends about speed limits, paying attention to shoulders, and to watch out for the fog. At one point we went through a patch of fog that lasted maybe two seconds, shrieking ensued. After a nice weekend of woodsy outdoorsin' we hit the road for Paris, and the horror, we were stuck behind tractors...on more than one occasion! after quasi panic attacks, we explained that it was okay, and all you had to do was pass, quickly, on the left.

The ride home was less problematic, i think because everyone was too tired, and maybe, just maybe, because they accepted that driving a car with people in it, is actually that easy.

UPDATE : PHOTOS

CLASSIC BLOG POST (lots of inline links)

2009-07-13T17:16:00.004+02:00

My friend Beto hooked me up with the box set LIKE OMIGOD 80S. Its pretty much the best way to get a dance party started, or push through your shitty afternoon of work. Check the tracklist here.

This boxset is the tits, honest engine.

Through this music collection, I rediscoverd five time grammy award winner Christopher Cross and his magical hit "Sailing" which some claimed spawned the yacht rock genre.

Check out this incredible live video

did you see that Christopher Cross was wearing a number 34 jersey, which we can only assume, thanks to that light blue, red, and white colorway to be a Houston Oilers jersey.

Thats right, Cross is repping none other than Earl Campbell. Too sick. Why? Cross is from San Antone

afterword:

NSYNC also covered this song, unfortunately and not surprisingly, their version sucks. I would link you but you can find it on youtube if you don't believe me

WHERE HAVE I BEEN ?

2009-07-02T15:02:00.001+02:00

Baby, I Got That Work

Just Trill

Steady Grindin'

2009-06-09T10:21:00.001+02:00

I would suggest that all who arent fans of large coroporations on Facebook to become fans, that way you can get updates like "Just reminding everyone to swing through Chick-Fil-A on your way home for a new thick milkshake" and watch as 3,000 people like it.

On the East Side - Jew[ish] New Year (LOC)

2009-06-03T10:45:00.001+02:00

On the East Side - Jew[ish] New Year (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

worked last sunday

worked sat and sunday the weekend before

people were in town

running errands for work

:

sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep

2009-06-02T17:46:00.001+02:00

Galactic Center of Milky Way Rises over Texas Star Party from William Castleman on Vimeo.

2009-06-02T10:25:00.001+02:00

just took this guy's picture outside of work

\m/

2009-05-27T16:43:00.000+02:00

our mouths are too small for our teeths.

NÜ USA METAL

2009-04-20T02:15:00.003+02:00

In the first of the four memos, we learn that one prisoner has been the subject of a careful psychoanalysis that had revealed a strong fear of insects, particularly stinging insects. The sudden onset of a phobia can produce automatic, uncontrollable reactions–the fear grips total control of the subject’s mind. Rapid heartbeat, a shortness of breath, trembling, an overwhelming desire to flee. The prisoner is prepared to do anything to escape the cause of the phobia.

The CIA therefore proposed to lock the prisoner in a coffin-like box to which would be added an insect. Judge–yes, the author is a sitting appeals court judge in San Francisco–Jay Bybee’s memorandum discusses this process in detail and settles on a pre-agreed script about how Room 101 will be used, addressing in turn the toxicity of the insect to be used, the dimensions of the box in which the prisoner will be confined, and the false statements which will be made to the prisoner in order to heighten his level of apprehension, with the intention of triggering a “panic attack.” (via harpers)

Damn, the US is so metal. Part of me wants to make jokes about how evil this is, and the other part of me wants to cringe at what democracy has become and how modern nation-states operate. i guess ill just keep cruising the internet and posting ridiculous stuff to my tumblr.

FOIRE DU TRONE

2009-04-18T17:52:00.002+02:00

MOROCCO

2009-04-18T17:27:00.005+02:00

2009-04-16T01:21:00.002+02:00

NOPAINNOWGAIN UPDATE

2009-04-15T02:04:00.003+02:00

KIDHDNY brings the heat.

HUGHESY!!!

2009-04-15T01:46:00.003+02:00

you old dog!

you've managed once again to make me laugh out loud and wonder awkwardly to myself if my roommate thinks im crazy.

This is directly from the national hoax, or as i like to say "hot off the hoax". who is responsible for this chef d'oeuvre you ask? none other than locally renowned celebrity & heartbreaker alex hughes.

I know dream talk is lame. I rarely hear a good dream story. That being said, I had the best morning dream the other day…
There I was hanging out with a bunch of pals in what appeared to be a shitty hotel lobby. After a few minutes of dream chatter, we decided to investigate. I mean it’s not like anyone had to go to their dream-job, or had dream jury-duty. So we’re looking around and we realize we’re hanging out in one of those modern mega-churches. Somehow we’d failed to notice the signs which included 40 foot crosses and tons of white people. Dreams, so unreliable! Anyway now we’re wandering around this giant church and it becomes painfully clear that this is one racist church. There’s caricatures all over the place, signs that read “no blacks!”. Shit is fucked. So we go to the bar. Yes, the bar. Because even though this is a super racist Church they have a fully stocked bar, not unlike the one in the Shining. So we’re sitting at this church bar, mulling over all the fucked up shit we’d just seen. Then the bartender rolls up. He tells us he’d been listening to our conversation, thought maybe we should check out the church’s commandments. We’re like “fuck it, sure.” He proceeds to pull out a Hallmark card that has Ten Commandments written on the front in that really crappy Hallmark font. You know the one it’s gold and embossed. So we open the card and there’s a list of commandments. I can only remember three:
-No sneezing-
-Be kind, rewind-
-Don’t be a jerk-
After we read this list we all looked at each other and started laughing.

The end.

...

hotter than sriracha...chapeau bas hughes...chapeau bas.

2009-04-07T20:59:00.000+02:00

“But what we call the ‘candid’ photograph in our photo album is hardly a typical picture of the subject. What we put in our photo albums are idealizations. The obligation to smile for the camera is a way of ensuring that we always look like we are enjoying ourselves at birthday parties or on holidays and vacations. Even if we are miserable, the photo album will insist that we are having a great time.”

RELAX UN PEU

2009-04-04T22:41:00.005+02:00

Praises & Ballads selection:

Thione Seck - Chauffeur Bi
Alou Fané & Daouda Sangaré - Nambara Mogo
Super Djata de Bamako - Bimoko Magnin
Etoile de Dakar - Aladj
Kojo Mireku's Band - Mepe Me Ho Asem
Ashanti Brothers Band - Odo Afre Me
Dr. T.O. Jazz International Band - Asem Atome
Oko's Guitar Band - Ebeye Yie
Salif Keita & Kante Manflia - Wara-Mana
Ali Farka Toure - Kady
Kassa Tresor Mihindou - Dwimbu
Virtuoses Diabate - N'fa
David Zé - Ngongo Mua Ngola
Balla et ses Balladins - Leydi Mendnin
Celestine Ukwu - Onwu Bu Ugwo
E.T. Mensah and the Tempos Band - Medaho Mao
Cardinal Rex Lawson - Elizer
Lijadu Sisters - Osupa

via Awesome Tapes From Africa

GET IT MANG!

BACK IN PARIS

2009-04-04T19:10:00.007+02:00

I rode my bike today, and saw a homeless man feeding camembert to some pigeons. As i passed by, i smelled his warm, parisian, clodo smell; a summery mix of wine, body odor, urine, and dirt. Later, a man backed up his car without looking and almost ran into a group of thirtysomethings, they were visibly upset and yelled at the man and pounded their fists on his trunk, nearby, a woman in a blue reebok windsuit watched with anticipation as to what would happen next.

VAN MORRISON - COMMON ONE

2009-03-05T15:14:00.004+01:00

1 "Haunts of Ancient Peace" – 7:07
2 "Summertime in England" – 15:35
3 "Satisfied" 6.01
4 "Wild Honey" – 5:49
5 "Spirit" – 5:10
6 "When Heart is Open" – 15:05

get it.

"Oh, my common one with the coat so old and the light in her head".

TOMES & TALISMANES....

2009-02-24T21:25:00.004+01:00

The year is 2123, all humans are preparing to evacuate the earth. Special team members fulfill their mission to leave, hidden underground, a complete library of all human knowledge. Here, all fiction and nonfiction books are stored in an alphabetical and numerical ordering system, but an important volume is missing, and the desperate search for it leaves the library team leader stranded in a broken down bookmobile, to remain spellbound in space and continuing time. 98 years later in 2221, the users, a technologically advanced species, set up a communications base on Earth. The younger users begin to study human culture, it is now 2223...

classic at 2min30sec

GREETINGS FROM SUNNY MOROCCO!

2009-02-22T17:10:00.003+01:00

Psha!

Last night I went out with some friends to a restaurant to celebrate a birthday. We got a nice buzz on and we split up leaving to restaurant to get some taxis and walk someone home. I volunteered to walk with a group of the girls so they wouldn't have to walk alone, and as we were walking down one of the bigger streets, a scooter with three kids rode up and starting making catcalls or something to the girls. They drove past one hopped off, walked towards the group and grabbed one of the girls purses! Being the good american and slightly boozy guy that I was I took off after him and he tried to hop back on the scooter but I was too close. So i chased him down the street and into an intersection where about four cops converged on him, followed by about 5 gendarmes and 7 soldiers (the guy picked probably THE WORST spot to steal a purse, we were 100 ft from the american embassy which has an enormous 24 hour police presence.)
So these cops beat this kid up pretty bad; open palmed slaps, batons to the knees, bloody nose. All of this accompanied by lots of shouting in arabic, that i did not understand, they took me to the side and a few started questioning me, took down my info, birthdate, phone number, fathers name (oldschool), and then some other cops showed up with the group of girls. He also asked me if i'd been drinking! After everybody had gotten their rocks off, there had to have been 14 cops and soldiers there, on of the guys wiped the blood off of the kids face and asked me "You didn't see any aggression did you?" They put the guy in the paddywagon and told the girl she should press charges and that she was to ride to the commisariat (precinct station) and told me that i should accompany her.
Sweet, now we're in the police station which is just beyond description, but i'll try. one fluorescent light over where all of the whores, thieves, and attempted murderers are waiting, and a light bulb on the other side of the desk where they cops are smoking cigarettes like mad and typing police reports on arab typewriters (right to left!) Pressing charges was a huge mistake because the whole process took four hours, four hours at the commisariat...Old fat men getting pushed in through door in handcuffs with a cop yelling, then the cop pulling out a 12 inch kitchen knife that the fat guy apparently threatened someone with, all of the cops behind the desk passing the knife back and forth, yelling, and trying to find a desk drawere to keep the knife in, and things of that nature.
So finally the girl went behind the desk to give her report, the guy pulled out the paper, and 4 carbon copies and went to town on the arab language typewriter. Whoops, he accidentally said the guy had a knife, now he needs to retype the whole thing...okay thats done, now he's typing more of the same thing, on a different paper,and now a different colored form, but again the same thing. Finally one of the cops told us to follow him in the mom's car to the 24 hour judge or something, again more yelling, who is this white guy, and voilà she told him the deal, and we could go. four hours of this.
My favorite parts were probably just the open hand slaps that the cops were giving to everybody; on the back of head, side of the face, etc. That and the two kitchen knives that were some kind of evidence, that were just hanging out, and then when one of the cops was making a report, he wrapped some paper around one and stapled it to the report!
The was also a bald, older man with glasses that was typing and smoking furiously, he had an awesome style of lighting his smokes, sending his left hand out into the air to move his coat cuff out of the way, and then typing like hellfire. He was cool.
So yeah, moral of the story, commisariat in Casablanca is an extra dimension, don't press charges, and don't get arrested in Morocco, you will face a barrage of open palm slaps.

I've been tumbling random stuff at maghrebbin. I figured this deserved a proper blog entry though.

MEGADROP

2009-01-24T12:09:00.003+01:00

NEW PITCHAS ON FLICKA

ADAMMENDYK

2009-01-20T22:26:00.003+01:00

ADAMMENDKY
from poland i think....

OUAISH OUAISH MA GUEULE!

2009-01-20T19:25:00.004+01:00

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

::::::::

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

space collective

2009-01-18T12:19:00.003+01:00

wanna see some cool stuff?
anything is possible.

MARDI GRAS MIX

2009-01-18T11:46:00.002+01:00

thanks to that man Boodrow a.k.a. Kyle

http://www.sendspace.com/file/0u5s0f

Disc 1:

01. Big Chief - Professor Longhair
02. Cabbage Alley - The Meters
03. Junco Partner - James Booker
04. Iko Iko - The Dixie Cups
05. Yes We Can Can - Lee Dorsey
06. Hey Pocky A-Way - The Meters
07. Handa Wanda - Big Chief Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolia Mardi Gras Indians
08. Carnival Time - Al Johnson
09. Mardi Gras Jig - The Bluerunners
10. Tipitina - Professor Longhair
11. Blues for Ben - Stanton Moore
12. Huey Smith Medley - Dr. John
13. Mardi Gras Mambo - The Meters
14. Sew, Sew, Sew - The Wild Magnolias
15. Mardi Gras Day - Dr. John
16. Bosco Stomp - The Red Stick Ramblers
17. Cissy Strut - The Meters
18. Look-Ka Py Py - The Meters
19. Zydeco Gris-Gris - Pine Leaf Boys
20. Mardi Gras In New Orleans - Professor Longhair

Disc 2:

01. Walking To New Orleans - Fats Domino
02. The Second Line - Stop, Inc.
03. Funky Miracle - The Meters
04. Bon Ton Roulet - Clarence "Bon Ton" Garlow
05. Brother John/Iko Iko - The Neville Brothers
06. Talkin' 'Bout New Orleans - The Meters
07. Let The Good Times Roll - Shirley & Lee
08. Ya Ya - Lee Dorsey
09. Don't You Just Know It - Huey "Piano" Smith & The Clowns
10. I Like It Like That - Chris Kenner
11. Ooh Poo Pah Doo - Jessie Hill
12. Night People - Lee Dorsey
13. Down South In New Orleans - The Band (w/ Bobby Charles)
14. Here Come the Girls - Ernie K-Doe
15. Made In The Shade - The Red Stick Ramblers
16. Soul Second Line - Papa Grows Funk
17. Ain't Nothin' But A Party - Dirty Dozen Brass Band
18. They All Ask'd For You - The Meters
19. Zydeco Mardi Gras - Pine Leaf Boys
20. Do Whatcha Wanna - Rebirth Brass Band
21. When The Saints Go Marching In - Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Theresa Andersson

NEW PITCHAS ON FLICKA

2009-01-16T17:39:00.000+01:00

2009-01-11T20:54:00.000+01:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-12-31T16:54:00.004+01:00

wherever you are,
whoever you are,
i hope you enjoyed 2008,
and you live every second of 2009.

CLASSIC PHOTOSHOPBRUT

2008-12-29T13:13:00.001+01:00

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter - Joni Mitchell

Pat O'Briens on St. Peter's Street

2008-12-27T23:41:00.001+01:00

Pat O'Briens on St. Peter's Street, originally uploaded by 0zzie.

this guy 0zzie, the same guy who took the picture of the streetcar, is an absolute b&w monster. amazing shots of new orleans. amazing

GHOSTSHIP : XMAS IN NOLA

2008-12-26T18:51:00.001+01:00

Ghostship, originally uploaded by 0zzie.

from flickr:::

SLUGBLOG : A YEAR IN REVIEW

2008-12-24T22:22:00.004+01:00

well, its almost the end of 2008. its time for my first annual SLUGBLOG: A YEAR IN REVIEW. i started the new year in new orleans and was back to paris to teach english and intern for le vice france. summer brought a wedding, and travels, followed by a month of rediscovering what it was like to live at home. after that, paris for alllmost two months, and now casablanca and a new job.

so here we go, this is for you multitudes of loyal readers.

Accidental Google Success

Most Commented

First Post of 2oo8

Holiday Photos o7-o8

ZYDECO PORTRAITS

2008-12-22T20:29:00.001+01:00

SO TRUE

2008-12-22T19:17:00.001+01:00

ÇA HONK DÈHORS

2008-12-19T20:56:00.002+01:00

photo from Mihai Barbu

THE WEIGHT

2008-12-18T18:41:00.003+01:00

i want the guy in the choir to sing me to sleep. or tell me some of life's secrets. or maybe we could barbecue or go fishing together...

GEHREHS IN SPACE

2008-12-16T21:25:00.002+01:00

a small photoshopbrut of the first page of returns for the google image search 'gary'

big ups hauser.

CLINTON : THE STANKY GENIUS

2008-12-16T18:57:00.003+01:00

Sir Lollipop Man! Chocolate coated, freaky and and habit forming.
Doin' it to you in 3-D,
So groovy that I dig me.
Once upon a time called Now!
Somebody say, "Is there funk after death?"
I say, "Is Seven Up?"

...

Yeah, I dig!
Let me put my sunglasses on.
That's the law around here, you got to wear your sunglasses.
So you can feel cool.
Gangster lean.
Y'all should dig my sun-rooftop.
Well, allright. Hey I was diggin' on y'alls funk for awhile.
Sounds like it got a three on it though, to me.
Then I was down south and I heard some funk with some main ingredients
Like Doobie Brothers, Blue Magic, David Bowie.
It was cool,
But can you imagine Doobiein' your funk? Ho!
WEFUNK, we funk.

....

Welcome to station WEFUNK, better known as We-Funk,
Or deeper still, the Mothership Connection.
Home of the extraterrestrial brothers,
Dealers of funky music.
P.Funk, uncut funk, The Bomb.
WEFUNK, we funk.
Yeah, P.Funk!



my italics...

NOLA STREET ART SCENE BLOWING UP

2008-12-15T23:19:00.003+01:00

first gaia, then banksy, then swoon. not to mention the local players harsh, tard, and you go girl

you can also sort the flickr results by 'interestingness'

WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS

2008-12-12T18:32:00.002+01:00

i am never checking the drudgereport again.

MOROCCO

2008-12-11T19:30:00.003+01:00

Well ive jumped ship. I am currently in Casablanca, Morocco and planning on staying here until June or July. I sent a resumé as an afterthought, and oh shit, I got a job... It's pretty cool here. 'Casa' as its known, is pretty grungy and i like that. I am trying to find the best place to get some film developed soon. I will be working with a small team of young folks, putting together a report on the trends and changes in different sectors of Morocco's economy...At least it's shown me i have sooo much more to learn about the world.

Im doing a good bit of power googling, and wiki cruising...

here's something great i found on one of the news sites.

im gonna be working alot apparently.. like all day.. which is something i guess i'll have to get used to. damn. more updates to follow at an even slower pace than usual.. sorry legions of adoring readers... just peep my archives for some of my classics. what?

2008-12-06T14:07:00.002+01:00

POSTER PUBLIC PROJECT

2008-12-04T14:38:00.002+01:00

SEARCH FLICKR BY COLOR

2008-12-01T17:38:00.001+01:00

pick your colors, see your pictures....

KILLED IT

2008-11-29T01:59:00.004+01:00

THURSDAY

2008-11-27T12:42:00.004+01:00

image xpunklovex

In honor of health, family, friends and happiness. Give thanks for what you were given.

For some reason, i think you guys should have a listen to Rick Danko & Richard Manuel from the group The Band

Here is an excerpt

you can download the show here.

CONTAINERS

2008-11-26T13:03:00.005+01:00

i really like the colors on shipping containers, apparently this guy does too.

C'EST VRAHMEN QUELQUECHOSE ÇA!

2008-11-26T02:19:00.004+01:00

this is the scene referenced in this post, roughly nine months ago. random HD discovery.
as you can see, the camera is on its last leg.

RANDY SAVAGE SAYS WHAT?

2008-11-22T19:22:00.003+01:00

new pithcas on flicka

pizza in the evenin' pizza in the mornin'

2008-11-22T07:13:00.007+01:00

the more one wants, the less one gets.

jai guru deva om

LITMUS TEST

2008-11-16T16:21:00.002+01:00

What are you feelings on Star Wars?

CHI-TOWN STENCIL

2008-11-13T15:44:00.001+01:00

via wooster

REFRESH REFRESH. REDUX

2008-11-12T03:48:00.002+01:00

this short story Refresh Refresh is truly amazing. it was written by author benjamin percy. i think anyone would love it, but especially if you grew up in a rural area, or the pacific northwest. it was originally published in the paris review in fall/winter of 2005. i heard it while taking one of many drives down the I-10 corridor between jacksonville and louisiana this summer. percy's short story has garnered much praisem including being included in a volume of the best american short stories. listen to it here.

THUNDERDOME UPDATE

2008-11-12T01:21:00.004+01:00

GOOGLE will launch a new tool that will help federal officials "track sickness".
"Flu Trends" uses search terms that people put into the web giant to figure out where influenza is heating up, and will notify the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in real time!
GOOGLE, continuing to work closely with government, claims it would keep individual user data confidential: "GOOGLE FLU TRENDS can never be used to identify individual users because we rely on anonymized, aggregated counts of how often certain search queries occur each week."
Engineers will capture keywords and phrases related to the flu, including thermometer, flu symptoms, muscle aches, chest congestion and others.
Dr. Lyn Finelli, chief of influenza surveillance at CDC: "One thing we found last year when we validated this model is it tended to predict surveillance data. The data are really, really timely. They were able to tell us on a day-to-day basis the relative direction of flu activity for a given area. They were about a week ahead of us. They could be used... as early warning signal for flu activity."
Thomas Malone, professor at M.I.T.: "I think we are just scratching the surface of what's possible with collective intelligence."

Eric Schmidt, GOOGLE's chief executive vows: "From a technological perspective, it is the beginning."

i don't even know what to say about this. i am an internet GEEK and willingly use google reader, gmail, facebook, and google searches. what DON'T they know about me?

::fashions tinfoil hat, buys heirloom vegetable seed::

PILOOSKI

2008-11-09T19:21:00.002+01:00

CRAWFISH EDIT

normally i would just leave this link without any commentary. but apparently, my posts are a bit too abstract. so, listenn to this edit(remix) of the elvis presley song crawfish. it is done by pilooski of dirty sound system

NOV 4TH

2008-11-04T23:33:00.001+01:00

OH SHIIIIIITTTTTTT.......

PROSPECT.1 - NOLA PEEPS

2008-11-03T01:16:00.003+01:00

On November 1, 2008, Prospect.1 New Orleans [P.1], the largest biennial of international contemporary art ever organized in the United States, will open to the public in museums, historic buildings, and found sites throughout New Orleans.

This looks awesome, if you are down in NOLA anytime soon, make sure to check out some of the really cool projects that some of these contemporary artists have installed. Mind boggling that NOLA got something right for once, something tells me that Nagin had nothing to do with it.

Here is a short NYT article that blurbs some artists and projects.

LAWYERS GUNS & MONEY

2008-10-31T20:56:00.003+01:00

i love this song so much, its even good with this guy singing it.

UPDATE : for those who don't know or are too lazy to google it here is warren zevon doing the original.

MR OIZO - CUT DICK

2008-10-31T14:44:00.006+01:00

via boule a facettes

POLADROID

2008-10-29T11:46:00.008+01:00

damn you alex hughes! you're so hot right now. alex is the cool kid in school that always knows the hippest things way before anyone else can even fathom them. like poladroid for example.

F'ING WORLD...WHY DO YOUR POLITICS SUCK?

2008-10-26T12:53:00.005+01:00

this interviewer is ridiculous. she asks loaded questions, and biden handles them well... then drudgereport runs BIDEN GRILLED BY NEWS ANCHOR : IS OBAMA MARXIST?

it seems to me like what we are seeing more and more of the last desperate acts, of a dying man. the dying man, of course is the right wing institution and base. before i left the US all day on fox it was just bill ayers, acorn, bill ayers, acorn. the right wing pundits are doing everything they can to hammer home their message. i mean, lets be real here, just because someone is on the left does not make them a marxist, nor does it make them more prone to socialism. pundits are using socialism as a trigger word the way communist was used in the red scare. in the past 8 years the size and opacity of our government has greatly increased, and we recently injected billions of dollars into markets, banks, and companies in the US.

from wiki:

Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating public ownership and administration of the means of production.

like i mentioned we have paid money to the big three, and have bailed out failing financial institutions. the money that went into bailing out those institutions, is money that will eventually have to be paid off by future generations of america. i hesitate to say that because the US government has put so much money and now has controlling stakes in several institutions that it could be called public ownership. (see above) socialism? then i remembered that japan and china own our asses. whew, no socialism here! just a crumbling fiat currency and a prolongation of the boom bust cycle!

TRAFFIC

2008-10-25T17:20:00.002+02:00

Not only do you get to see the classic seventies style traffic logo at the beginning of this awesome video, but you get to rock out with vintage traffic. If you don't know this song, i suggest you listen 'til about the 2:30 mark. if you're not grooving then, i don't know if i can help you.

I think this lowspark and cup of coffee are gonna be the big push that gets me through my hangover.

THE CAVE SINGERS

2008-10-23T10:59:00.005+02:00

The Cave Singers - Oh Christine

The Cave Singers - After the First Baptism

The Cave Singers are from Seattle. They have a sort of Bob Dylan folksy flavor to them. Somewhere between old southern rock, folk, and newer indie stuff. The singer reaches a bit, à la Dylan. They have tambourines, great music, and great lyrics. Dig em.

POLL

2008-10-21T18:08:00.003+02:00

do you get/like this website.

please answer in the comments.

2008-10-21T16:40:00.000+02:00

IT'S RAINING IN PARIS

2008-10-21T13:48:00.004+02:00

JJ CALE IN SESSION @ PARADISE STUDIOS 1979 w/ LEON RUSSELL

01 - Intro - T-Bone Shuffle
02 - Nowhere To Run
03 - Cocaine
04 - Ten Easy Lessons
05 - Sensitive Kind
06 - Hands Off Her
07 - Louisiana
08 - Going Down
09 - Corine, Corina
10 - Roll On
11 - No Sweat
12 - Crazy Mama
13 - Fate Of A Fool
14 - Boilin' Pot
15 - After Midnight
16 - T-Bone Shuffle
17 - T-Bone Backwards
18 - Same Ole Blues
19 - Don't Cry Sister
20 - Set Your Soul Free
21 - T-Bone Backwards (2)
22 - Ten Easy Lessons - Credits
23 - Call Me The Breeze
24 - Ever Lovin' Woman
25 - Katy Kool Lady
26 - Lies
27 - Don't Wait

JJ Cale
1985-08-26
Humboldt County - Eureka, CA
Unknown source

Disc 1:
01. After Midnight - 2:15
02. Cajun Moon - 1:56
03. Drifter's Wife - 2:13
04. Clyde - 2:17
05. Humdinger - 2:29
06. Mama Don't - 4:25
07. Band Jam - 7:32
08. Blonde Headed Woman - 4:19
09. Ride Me High - 8:17
10. Band Jam - 7:56
11. Call me the Breeze (Cut) - 9:38
12. Band Jam - 11:19
13. Magnolia - 4:32
Disc 2:
01. Band Jam - 7:57
02. Since You Said Goodbye - 6:39
03. Bringin' it Back - 8:04
04. Band Jam - 6:58
05. Cocaine>Jam>Cocaine - 14:28
Disc 3:
01. Going Down - 9:56
02. Sensitive Kind - 7:00
03. Crazy Mama - 8:20
04. Don't Cry Sister - 5:59
05. Runaround - 9:20
06. Roll On - 7:07

2008-10-20T19:41:00.002+02:00

I found this on a forum.

Things I ate at the Texas State Fair on Saturday

1 Fletcher's Corn Dog – (the greatest corndog on the planet).
1 Fletcher's Jalapeno Corn Dog
4 Tamales
2 Fried ribs
1 bowl of Beans and Cornbread
Salt and Vinegar fries
Jerk Chicken Wings and rice -
1 Deep fried Smores -
1 slice of Chicken Fried Bacon - (fucking nasty - my senses are haunted by this)
1 Deep Fried Grilled Cheese (cut into pieces) and they give you a cup of tomato soup to dunk it in - The fucking awesome.

damn. damn. damn. such delicacies and excesses cannot be found nor afforded in l'hexagon. but, there are others.. assiette mixte, here i come.

2008-10-18T15:22:00.002+02:00

Ever wonder what it would be like to have Palin as President??

LE FIGHT

2008-10-16T20:56:00.003+02:00

in commemoration of my arrival in paris, i will post this old story, which happened to me in mid may of 2008...the unedited story goes like this...

The other night i got retarded drunk until around six in the morning. When i realized what time it was, i decided that i should bike up to Montmartre to watch the sunrise over Paris. (Why the fuck not?) Well I got to the steps of the Sacré Coeur and I was greeted by a band of kids that were kicking it by their black twingo listening to some bunk French rap. I rode by and one stopped me and asked if i had a cigarette. "Sorry guys I quit smoking a week ago," i replied. I thought they would be happy to hear that i had broken the chains of addiction, instead one just mocked me and told me "Good, be healthy, do some exercise and ride your ass out of here." At which point he pushed my bike in the same tender fashion a dad pushes his kid when they're just learning to ride a bike. I braked and told them that I was just here to watch the sunrise, and "je suis tranquille."
"Get the fuck out of here," the smallest one said as he ran towards me. (Napoleon complex?) This poor bastard got the brunt of it, i punched him in his face a few times and pulled off some sort of drunken judo maneuver where i used his momentum to throw him to the ground. His friend didn't like that too much and ran towards me, but i guess he was too afraid to punch, so he just kicked me from a distance with his lanky legs and knock off designer shoes. Maybe the little one was drunker than I was, because he was a terrible fighter, while i was being kicked, he got up and tried a running punch (crow-hop) but completely missed. I threw him anew to the ground. I looked up and saw a droopy faced guy with sad eyes (in retrospect these guys might have been ridiculously stoned) holding my bike over his head, swaying it back and forth so he could throw it at me. I mean, throw a bike? That doesn't even make sense. Finally one of their friends gets in the middle and tells them to back off, that i'm all alone, but the little one won't have it, and runs past him and punches me on the side of my ear. One of the pacifists of the crew gets my bike and stands it up, as if to offer a quick escape. When I saw this, I think I wrestled with the lanky kicker and the little one a bit longer, tried to get in as many punches as i could, and then hopped on my bike and rode away.
In classic 8 year old taunting style, I rode away and then slowed down telling them they were pussies and to fuck off. Two of them started running after me and I slowly pedaled off. As they got closer, I sped up, keeping myself and the bike just out of reach. They got tired and stopped, so I rode a bit farther, slowed down, and told them again to go fuck themselves. They ran after me again and I rode down the hill into the neighborhoods of Montmartre.
As I rode off I thought to myself that had the same thing happened to me in any other city in the world I would probably have received a proper beat down, followed by a shit kick, and wound up unconscious or in the hospital. But apparently the only thing the French thugs use their hands for is to fix their hair into faux hawks, put on their slim jeans and roll hash joints. They can talk and act the part but when it comes down to what makes ghetto kids scary : pure and wanton violence, these kids were laughable. Way to go France, even your thugs are effeminate.

and the corresponding photoshop brut...

to the ranch!

2008-10-13T17:20:00.002+02:00

we need to slow our roll.

Industrial society is roughly 250 years old: make the last ten thousand years equal to twenty-four hours, and we have been producing consumer goods and CO2 for only the last thirty-six minutes. Do the same for the past 1 million years of human evolution, and everything from the steam engine to the search engine fits into the past twenty-one seconds. If we are not careful, hunting and gathering will look like a far more successful strategy for survival than economic growth. The latter has changed so much about the earth and human societies in so little time that it makes more sense to be cautious than triumphant.

its happened to all of us before...

2008-10-09T23:40:00.002+02:00

but now you can just experience it here.

.

2008-10-09T05:11:00.003+02:00

., originally uploaded by _ñêö.

Dancing Outlaw

2008-10-08T19:29:00.003+02:00

PART 2 / 3 / 4

Celine "It's like my 2 favorite themes combined: redneck and 80's"

contains : hollers, muddin, drankin, huffin, shootin, trailers, lawn chairs, elvis, appalachia, and all things great.

Self Nicknaming is AWESOME!

2008-10-07T16:59:00.003+02:00

...in Brazil, where politicians often adopt new names for elections, six candidates had taken the name Barack Obama. Other candidates called themselves Cattle Ana, Jeep Johnny, Big Charlie Knives, Jorge Bushi, Chico Bin Laden, DJ Saddam, King of the Cuckolds, and Kung Fu Fatty.
via Harpers... my italics

Man, you know the old addage about how you can't give yourself a nickname? Brazil politicians give a what. Jealous? Everyone is, I wonder if some people run, knowing they have no chance, but just want, for that shining moment to be called Ill Sticka, or Timmy Too Tall... but regardless, this list of brazilian politicians nicknames would make the sickest neighborhood gang introduction ever.
"yeah yeah, thats my boy jeep johnny, his big cousin charlie knives (don't fuck with him, he won't fuck with you), and my main man, kung fu fatty."

LITERAL MUSIC VIDEO

2008-10-07T16:38:00.000+02:00

via coudal

new thunderdome update

2008-10-06T18:44:00.001+02:00

for what its worth.
web bot makes dire prediction for Oct 7, 2008.

meh...

2008-10-06T16:18:00.003+02:00

The bailout was a bad idea.
The US is deeply in debt and getting more so everyday.
Welcome to the thunderdome.

money as debt.

credit default swaps, commercial paper market, & perspectives on the bailout (required listening)

jim cramer of mad money fame is nervous

NOLA

2008-10-05T21:34:00.011+02:00

originally uploaded by spyboyphotography.com

The Meters. McCartney and Jagger like them.
Shouldn't You?

The Meters - Handclapping Song
The Meters - Soul Island (Live)

A Cross the Universe

2008-10-03T21:41:00.003+02:00

JUSTICE - A CROSS THE UNIVERSE (teaser)
by edbangerrecords

OH SHIT! this looks pretty wild, hopefully it goes beyond the usual band-roadtrip movie. the trailer seemed to have a pretty healthy titty to blood and music to alcohol ratio, so everything checks out there. EdBanger continue to show their business savvy.

time is going by really really.....

2008-10-03T21:14:00.001+02:00

the reporters reaction to the story is priceless. classic post-pot paranoia

mannnnnn......

2008-10-03T20:56:00.001+02:00

on a related note

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

MR OIZO POSITIF REMIX

2008-10-01T05:37:00.005+02:00

Mr. Oizo - Positif (DJ Hero’s Trial Remix)

THIS JUST IN

2008-09-29T22:19:00.001+02:00

RON PAUL : TOTAL BADASS

Jack Horkheimer!!!!

2008-09-27T02:02:00.003+02:00

this guy rules so hard!!! watch the video and you'll understand why pure enthusiasm beats all.

Tim and Eric

2008-09-25T23:09:00.000+02:00

What I find most funny, though, is observing people and interactions that are incredibly awkward. A few weeks ago, I overheard two businessmen at an airport bar talking very loudly and excitedly about a new BlackBerry and their “SkyMiles.” That to me is a different world: two adults unbelievably energized over such lame things.

death of the dollar

2008-09-25T16:37:00.003+02:00

Today’s dollar, in contrast, is faith-based. Since 1971, nothing has stood behind it except the world’s good opinion of the United States. And now, watching the largest American financial institutions quake, and the administration fly from one emergency stopgap to the next, the world is changing its mind.

creepy christian moonwalk and jive

2008-09-25T16:29:00.001+02:00

aldous huxley VS mike wallace

2008-09-23T04:42:00.006+02:00

"All that is needed is money and a candidate that can be coached to be sincere..."

Aldous Huxley, social critic and author of Brave New World, talks to Wallace about threats to freedom in the United States, overpopulation, bureaucracy, propaganda, drugs, advertising, and television.

via coudal

why we drink

2008-09-22T22:25:00.001+02:00

poignant math-nerd design-nerd video

why does german sound so funny?

2008-09-22T17:34:00.005+02:00

At a sports bar, one is more likely to say, "You really talk a lot when you're drunk", than "You are positively loquacious having imbibed such a copious quantity of intoxicants".

Using these different registers, we are able to express different intentions and even emotions. For instance, if we want to be serious, we raise our register. It shows that the fun is over, and it's time to be serious now. Conversely, if we want to set someone at ease, we lower our register, switching to Anglo-Saxon-derived words.

2008-09-22T16:51:00.000+02:00

AIG

2008-09-17T04:24:00.003+02:00

the real question with the financial crisis is not "who is to blame" but, "how are we going to fix it?"

is it really in our best interest to pump money (that we don't have) into failing institutions, who, although they are "integral" parts of our (and the world's) economy, are part of a free market. shouldn't we just realize that the system is flawed, let the market self correct, and accept the consequences? maybe what the US needs is a little dose of depression era hardship to kill our consumerist, reality TV culture...

nah, i realize that it's probably not in our best interest to bear grylls it for a few weeks will the world's fiscal system shits all over itself, it just bothers me that so many politicians and "blue blooded americans" give canada and european countries hell for spending so much money on healthcare and public services, but we'll gladly bailout three ENORMOUS financial institutions for billions of dollars.

congratulations US government. you are an 80% owner of an insurance company.

ps. not a good post. don't feel like editing it.. just pissed

2008-09-08T09:41:00.003+02:00

Download PLANISPHERE

2008-09-07T05:59:00.000+02:00

Nights, I sometimes got on my Honda dirt bike and rode through the hills and canyons of Deschutes County. Beneath me the engine growled and shuddered, while all around me the wind, like something alive, bullied me, tried to drag me from my bike. A dark world slipped past as I downshifted, leaning into a turn, and accelerated on a straightaway—my speed seventy, then eighty—concentrating only on the twenty yards of road glowing ahead of me.