Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sick Sad World Wide Web
Thursday, June 11, 2009
News for the coming resurgance of Sick, Sad World.
First order of business, I am going to start offering online copies on this very blog, and directing readers to it from the paper copies. While this may seem redundant, more people may want to just get SSW in their e-mail, rather than just find one around campus. So, I'll be doing both of those.
SECOND order of business, I'll be starting a myspace page for SSW, mainly as a way to better gauge the number of fans. People are more likely to send a friend request than to email me telling me how great or crappy of a job I'm doing.
THIRD order of business, this coming issue, issue number three, of Sick, Sad World, will have two guest submissions from independent writers. They have yet to tell me what their pseudonyms will be, but it will be a kind of rant in a section labeled "Present", which will take the place of our usual "Nostalgia" section, and a Music review by someone more musically inclined than me.
Well, that's all for now, prepare for more in the fall when SICK, SAD WORLD makes its triumphant return to publication, after taking the summer off!
Oh, and here is a sneak preview...
ESCHELON EVENT
SECOND order of business, I'll be starting a myspace page for SSW, mainly as a way to better gauge the number of fans. People are more likely to send a friend request than to email me telling me how great or crappy of a job I'm doing.
THIRD order of business, this coming issue, issue number three, of Sick, Sad World, will have two guest submissions from independent writers. They have yet to tell me what their pseudonyms will be, but it will be a kind of rant in a section labeled "Present", which will take the place of our usual "Nostalgia" section, and a Music review by someone more musically inclined than me.
Well, that's all for now, prepare for more in the fall when SICK, SAD WORLD makes its triumphant return to publication, after taking the summer off!
Oh, and here is a sneak preview...
ESCHELON EVENT
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sick, Sad Book Review: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
While, as much as I did enjoy this book, writing about it is conjuring terrible memories about MLA style and literary criticism. Oh well, I'm armed with gin and boredom, so it might start either getting interesting, or very boring.
What took away from it, as a summary, is a journalist and a lawyer avoid doing their job by trying to scam locals, mess with sraight-o's heads, and do as many drugs as humanly possible (maybe more...). And of course, I loved the whole damn thing.
There's just something about the way that Hunter S. Thompson writes, it just captivates you. No, not captivates. Just HAS you. The same kind of way he would scam a person in the movie, or talk them into being a fake police informant seconds after threatening them with a hunting knife butt naked. Yes, that actually happened.
That's all part of HST's charm with writing. He brings you into his world, by putting you right into his mind. "Stream of Conciousness" kind of writing. That really appeals to me. Kind of like Jack Kerouak, but actually interesting and more coherent.
But, anyway, this is one of those forms of entertainment that makes a person want to go out and do god knows what, and damn the concequences! I have to admit, that the day after finishing this and walking around in the New York, New York Casino, I was overcome by this kind of weirdness that the main character, "Raoul Duke" had. How, it all seems real, but just out of hands reach, its just painted Styrofoam. String Cheese Incident has a song that kind of deals with the same thing... But anyway, in NYNY there are all these shop fronts and apartment doors, but no real entryways. A window for a fake dry cleaners is the first one to really get me. Probably because it had a bunch of signed pictures of famous people, as a normal dry cleaners would hope to have. But the thing was, they werent famous. They were normal and signed with pseudonyms. This freaked me way the hell out.
Why? Well, firstly, there was this old 50's sci-fi movie. In it, these aliens tried to take over peoples lives, but did it quite badly. Like, they would shuffle arround, pushing dust with a broom nowhere. Or, in the "Employee of the Month" picture, it would just be a clip of a family from Time magazine. I damn near lost it. Walking like a giant with diminished capacity in a fake little city full of strangers and tourists, everything made to "look" real. I felt like I was crazy on acid. But I knew I wansn't, and that made it terrible. Even more terrible, I realized that this was the only town where this horrible trip was real. Funny as hell, it was the worst thing I could think of.
What took away from it, as a summary, is a journalist and a lawyer avoid doing their job by trying to scam locals, mess with sraight-o's heads, and do as many drugs as humanly possible (maybe more...). And of course, I loved the whole damn thing.
There's just something about the way that Hunter S. Thompson writes, it just captivates you. No, not captivates. Just HAS you. The same kind of way he would scam a person in the movie, or talk them into being a fake police informant seconds after threatening them with a hunting knife butt naked. Yes, that actually happened.
That's all part of HST's charm with writing. He brings you into his world, by putting you right into his mind. "Stream of Conciousness" kind of writing. That really appeals to me. Kind of like Jack Kerouak, but actually interesting and more coherent.
But, anyway, this is one of those forms of entertainment that makes a person want to go out and do god knows what, and damn the concequences! I have to admit, that the day after finishing this and walking around in the New York, New York Casino, I was overcome by this kind of weirdness that the main character, "Raoul Duke" had. How, it all seems real, but just out of hands reach, its just painted Styrofoam. String Cheese Incident has a song that kind of deals with the same thing... But anyway, in NYNY there are all these shop fronts and apartment doors, but no real entryways. A window for a fake dry cleaners is the first one to really get me. Probably because it had a bunch of signed pictures of famous people, as a normal dry cleaners would hope to have. But the thing was, they werent famous. They were normal and signed with pseudonyms. This freaked me way the hell out.
Why? Well, firstly, there was this old 50's sci-fi movie. In it, these aliens tried to take over peoples lives, but did it quite badly. Like, they would shuffle arround, pushing dust with a broom nowhere. Or, in the "Employee of the Month" picture, it would just be a clip of a family from Time magazine. I damn near lost it. Walking like a giant with diminished capacity in a fake little city full of strangers and tourists, everything made to "look" real. I felt like I was crazy on acid. But I knew I wansn't, and that made it terrible. Even more terrible, I realized that this was the only town where this horrible trip was real. Funny as hell, it was the worst thing I could think of.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Sick Sad World: Las Vegas
Well, I done did it. Published the first issue of my first zine. It was unusually easy. I think it needs to be longer next time, but I'm working with limited faculties here. It is basically a 4 half-page little thing. Just a single page, double sided and folded in half. Far too short.
BUT! I just hope it will give a little insight for people. Maybe they'll look for it next time.
Consider it a preview. Hopes to print it all out sometime this week. Maybe.
Then its time to spread the word! It'll be so in your face, you wont believe it! Any where you sit, look, stand, there it will be! Shops, UNLV, CSN, etc.
Stay tuned for results.
BUT! I just hope it will give a little insight for people. Maybe they'll look for it next time.
Consider it a preview. Hopes to print it all out sometime this week. Maybe.
Then its time to spread the word! It'll be so in your face, you wont believe it! Any where you sit, look, stand, there it will be! Shops, UNLV, CSN, etc.
Stay tuned for results.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
I wanna publish zines, and rage against machines...
That's one thing from the previous decade that should not have been left behind. Zines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zines
Can you name or even find a zine these days? I am thinking dangerous thoughts, and one of them is to spread the word. My word, actually. Las Vegas has become such a malaise of apathy and boredom and uncreative thought. I feel I should bring it upon myself to set a match to this dry town in the form of a zine. Self published, limited release, local, noninclusive.
This will be a printed vitamin for the mind! Hell, an energy shot! You will pick up this thin, brightly colored magazine/pamphlet, clumsily hand folded and stapled, with its thought provoking cover of a warning sign. A warning sign for things to come, for threats that dont exist YET.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenamontanus/sets/72157594323393196/
Will I steal quotes? Yes. Use without permission? Oh you bet. Ask politely if I could set a stack of them by their door, next to the twin whores of commercialism, the LV Weekly and the Citylife? Ha Ha, SCREW THAT. The writers will be pen names, pseudonyms. Waving our genitals in the dinner pary that is creative property laws! You wont be part of it, or even party to it. You will be victims of free speech!
Woo, thats enough ranting for tonight...
Keep your eyes on the blog, on your newstands, and on the skies.
Dont go to sleep. Goodnight.
-M
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zines
Can you name or even find a zine these days? I am thinking dangerous thoughts, and one of them is to spread the word. My word, actually. Las Vegas has become such a malaise of apathy and boredom and uncreative thought. I feel I should bring it upon myself to set a match to this dry town in the form of a zine. Self published, limited release, local, noninclusive.
This will be a printed vitamin for the mind! Hell, an energy shot! You will pick up this thin, brightly colored magazine/pamphlet, clumsily hand folded and stapled, with its thought provoking cover of a warning sign. A warning sign for things to come, for threats that dont exist YET.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arenamontanus/sets/72157594323393196/
Will I steal quotes? Yes. Use without permission? Oh you bet. Ask politely if I could set a stack of them by their door, next to the twin whores of commercialism, the LV Weekly and the Citylife? Ha Ha, SCREW THAT. The writers will be pen names, pseudonyms. Waving our genitals in the dinner pary that is creative property laws! You wont be part of it, or even party to it. You will be victims of free speech!
Woo, thats enough ranting for tonight...
Keep your eyes on the blog, on your newstands, and on the skies.
Dont go to sleep. Goodnight.
-M
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Twilight Movie Reveiw
TWILIGHT: THE MOVIE
Well, I finally did it. No, I didn't kill anyone; outside of a few bran cells.
So. Twilight. How do we start... I'm sure everyone knows the basics: Vampires, Girl, Highschool, Romance. Oh, and the vampires don't die from the sun, or wood stakes, or garlic. Or serious injury.
In fact, the sun not only doesn't kill them, it makes them DAZZLE SPARKLE. Like DIAMONDS. And they all have their own special powers; super speed, psychic, senses. Because they are all special and unique snowflakes. Oh, and everyone loves them. AND they dont drink blood, unless they want to, because killin' is wroooong. And they take public high school year after year, for the hundred or so years they have been alive. Did I mention every one loves them?
And then there is the Main character, BELLA. She is smart, beautiful, romantic, and cool. She has boys fawning over her all the live long day, looks after her scatterbrained mother (read: Borderline Retarded), and is "part of the family" of centuries old vampires within a month of knowing them. I assume as a Pet.
A Mary-Sue you say? Unrealistic? Of course not! Because she is also LOL GOOFY DITZY CLUMZY HURRF DERP! Between mountains of bella being hot shit in a champagne glass, we are reminded of just how goofy and regular she is!
So there is a bit of character establishment, origins, etc. There is no real plot outside of the obsessive love story for a while. Remember, CONSTANT staring= TRUE LOVE. Later in the story, the vampire family having a good ol' American game of baseball! Silly little Bella was the umpire of course, because this wasn't regular baseball. It was Bugs Bunny-esque SUPER BASEBALL. The super strong, super fast, super agile vampires were hitting the balls miles away, breaking the sound barrier, and then running FASTER then the balls, just to bounce around like Mario and Luigi on the trees to catch it. And to put the poison icing on this ridiculous cake, this was all filmed in Micheal Bay-Vision®, where it would zoom in on the ball being hit in super slow-motion, then fast-motion on Edward running, and matrix freeze turn around on some other guy colliding with him in midair. All it needed was a little 12 year old child seeing a small glimpse of the action and saying "WHOA."
This scene cut short by three obviously evil vampires crashing the party. Why obviously evil? Well, they were walking out of fog, have long hair and crazy clothes, and were the only vampires that didn't have snowy white skin, dazzling eyes, and perfect hair. In fact, the leader of the evil vampires was Rastafarian or something! Remember kids, anyone who dresses different, talks funny, or has different skin is evil and dangerous. *The More You Know chime*
Trouble ensues, and Bella has to escape the state, because this one vampire wants her, rather than any other human, for some reason. Probably to make Edward cry. So, after Bella packs up and insults her very kind and understanding father, all the good vampires hop in their Aston Martins and Ferraris (IN HIGH SCHOOL) and drive Bella down to Arizona for some reason. What does Bella do in the effort to keep herself alive? The exact same thing I would do: inexplicably escape from the good vampires. At night. Alone. IN AN ACTUAL HALL OF MIRRORS. That's MENSA quality, right there. I couldn't make this up if I tried. Naturally, the evil vampire starts to attack her, while videotaping it. Just when this might have turned into a mildly entertaining rape scene, Edward saves the day, just in time! One more crazy overpowered fight scene, and Bella passes out and is checked into the hospital.
But oh no! The PROM IS TOMORROW! Edward takes her, even though it is probably his hundredth prom. There is a cute little conversation of how Bella wants to be a vampire, and Edward thinks its a curse. His curse that allows him to live forever, have superpowers, and be indestructible. The poor devil. The movie ends with them slow dancing all romantic like.
SUMMATION: There are alot of bad things I can say about this movie. The constant tilty camera angles, the ridiculous plot, the GOD AWFUL acting, the super low saturation = GRIM DARK. But there was one redeeming quality. Bella's dad had an awesome mustache. It was like he was an awesome lumberjack or something. And he ate Steak and Cobbler, and watched movies with his daughter on a big ol flatscreen, and, in my mind, ran an underground fight club. Other than that, this movie was super lame, and a perfect candidate for Rifftrax. (actually, I watched it on a mogulus channel, so on one side it is the movie, and the other is a chat screen, wherein riffing took place. Good times had by all.
I won't give stars, or numbers, or letter grades for this film. Only a visual approximation of my face throughout the film.
the face I made in the movie.
Thanks for reading, your pal,
-M
Sick, Sad World: Is your existance deadly? Only to others..
Did you know you can be a weapon? Did you know that your very existence could be an attack on someone else? How? Well, didn't you know? Any TOOL is a WEAPON if you hold it right.
http://grinding.be/2008/11/18/any-tool-is-a-weapon-if-you-hold-it-right/
http://coilhouse.net/
What could be your invention, your idea, or even your greatest gift, may be a threat to another person. And I dont mean that it can be physically used to harm someone, because what I mean by your "tool", I mean something called Grinding. Grinding is an umbrella term for Transhumanism, body mods (biological or cybernetic), cyborging, hacking, lateral thinking, etc... To relate, when you see a guy with spring legs in the Olympics, or people who put chips in themselves to use their house, or someone who replaces their eye with a webcam, THAT is grinding (all these things already exist, by the way).
But there comes a time when it stops being "that guy" and "that girl", and becomes "those people". THAT is when it becomes a weapon. To some people, the thought of large groups of people climbing, pulling the future towards us, maybe before some of us can handle it, will sound like a barrage of gunfire. Don't believe me? Well, if you dont know there are people making the future come faster than usual, how do you know there aren't already people trying to stop it dead in it's tracks? In fact, there are some people who are seriously, 100% Anti-Longevity. Think about that. They would prefer if you would die at a respectable time, thank-you-very-much.
What are the stakes? Well, do you see any neanderthals around? No? Good. We (humans) won. How much did we win by? 00.1%. That's how different we were, and they are DEAD.
Why does that figure matter? Well, what if tomorrow, you find out that there is a subculture of underground DIY scientists and biologists making it so that they now have that .1%? What if they were going to have a whole percent on you? How could we compete?
Well, they are. You'd be hard pressed to find them, but they are there, and they are growing. They are called Biohackers, and they are getting ahead of the game. Now, THAT is a cultural weapon if I ever heard one. Imagine sharing a seat on the subway of someone who was a whole different species than you.
There is no Alternative Culture. There was, and there will be, but we are living in an era where nothing isn't mainstream. The only way to not feel like the stream is pulling you is to either fight the current and enjoy the actually great things we have left to rot, OR to swim with the current, and get there before you were supposed to.
Where is that? Well that's the good thing about the future, you get to choose where it goes. I think we all have some ideas as to where we want that will be.
I will speak to you all again soon.
Don't Go to Sleep.
Goodnight.
-M
http://grinding.be/2008/11
http://coilhouse.net/
What could be your invention, your idea, or even your greatest gift, may be a threat to another person. And I dont mean that it can be physically used to harm someone, because what I mean by your "tool", I mean something called Grinding. Grinding is an umbrella term for Transhumanism, body mods (biological or cybernetic), cyborging, hacking, lateral thinking, etc... To relate, when you see a guy with spring legs in the Olympics, or people who put chips in themselves to use their house, or someone who replaces their eye with a webcam, THAT is grinding (all these things already exist, by the way).
But there comes a time when it stops being "that guy" and "that girl", and becomes "those people". THAT is when it becomes a weapon. To some people, the thought of large groups of people climbing, pulling the future towards us, maybe before some of us can handle it, will sound like a barrage of gunfire. Don't believe me? Well, if you dont know there are people making the future come faster than usual, how do you know there aren't already people trying to stop it dead in it's tracks? In fact, there are some people who are seriously, 100% Anti-Longevity. Think about that. They would prefer if you would die at a respectable time, thank-you-very-much.
What are the stakes? Well, do you see any neanderthals around? No? Good. We (humans) won. How much did we win by? 00.1%. That's how different we were, and they are DEAD.
Why does that figure matter? Well, what if tomorrow, you find out that there is a subculture of underground DIY scientists and biologists making it so that they now have that .1%? What if they were going to have a whole percent on you? How could we compete?
Well, they are. You'd be hard pressed to find them, but they are there, and they are growing. They are called Biohackers, and they are getting ahead of the game. Now, THAT is a cultural weapon if I ever heard one. Imagine sharing a seat on the subway of someone who was a whole different species than you.
There is no Alternative Culture. There was, and there will be, but we are living in an era where nothing isn't mainstream. The only way to not feel like the stream is pulling you is to either fight the current and enjoy the actually great things we have left to rot, OR to swim with the current, and get there before you were supposed to.
Where is that? Well that's the good thing about the future, you get to choose where it goes. I think we all have some ideas as to where we want that will be.
I will speak to you all again soon.
Don't Go to Sleep.
Goodnight.
-M
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