the vast difference

piyasanti.com

2010-09-13T10:24:00.002-05:00

Still in the works, I've bought a new domain to showcase my portfolio. You can check it out at

www.piyasanti.com

Again, I will not be updating thevastdifference.com and flickr.com for a little while, though if you'd like to see a picture of you that I've taken recently, please send an email to santitvd@gmail.com, specifying the event and maybe a small description of who you are (I'm usually good at remembering who I gave my card to since I don't do that often) and I'll send over the picture(s).

Mahalo,

Santi

What kind of people do you attract?

2010-08-22T05:51:00.003-05:00

.. I'm curious, you tell me.

I mean no specific gender, what kind of people in general?

What is it about you that you think attracts them?

Both initial attraction as well as long term?

And what happens to those relationships?

As for me,

I'll get back to this later. I just took 100mg Diphenhydramine for my allergies and it's knocking my ass out.

2010-07-09T15:33:00.004-05:00

I'm dying to take photos again.

So, I'll throw this special out.. $150 for how ever many looks you can fit in 3-4 hours.

Here are some pictures as of recently.

Kings of Convenience

Sheyssa

Toro y Moi

North Avenue Beach

Again, you can view all sets here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevastdifference/sets/

Photo Hiatus

2010-05-11T17:55:00.004-05:00

On a temporary nightlife photo hiatus, but you can check out what else I've been shooting while I'm out and about:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevastdifference/sets/

then you can always check out my twitter for my random thoughts, industrial design and science links, as well as random replies to my various friends, if that interests you.

http://twitter.com/vastdifference

till my next inspiration, I wish you all well.

Rehab, Mike Posner, Bottin & More

2010-04-28T05:07:00.013-05:00

Rehab 4.26.10

Mike Posner @ V Live 04.25.10, Props to Ruby Hornet!

Bottin (Italy), Orchard Lounge, Zebo, Pr3 Frosh @ Evil Olive 04.23.10

Rehab 04.19.10

Treasure Fingers @ Spybar 04.16.10

And some shots from the Random April 2010 album.. nothing like eating chicken and kickin it with good friends on that one day in April..

in the multiverse..

2010-04-18T06:02:00.003-05:00

.. I am an astronaut, a quantum physicist, an architect, an industrial designer, a philanthropist, a computer scientist, a man who travels the world with nothing but the sole intention of learning and living out this short existence.

In this reality and/or dimension, those are the things that I would love to have been.

ALSO:

I would like to work with some fashion designers and stylists, so if you have a concept for a shoot, or a line you need shot, please email me at

santitvd@gmail.com

Peace!

Danielle & Nicole, Rehab and Randoms

2010-04-14T06:39:00.012-05:00

Danielle 04.11.10

My lovely friend Danielle really wanted to shoot with me, so we finally got together last minute to shoot around til the sun went down, which lasted a good 30 min. Oh well, next time..

Nicole 04.11.10

Rehab 04.13.10

And of course, my Random April 2010 album

2010-04-06T22:22:00.002-05:00

Rehab 04.05.10 Lollapalooza Lineup Announcement Party. Oh snap, Perry Farrell. I'm stoked for The Strokes, Chromeo.. etc etc..

The remnants of the legend that was Sonotheque

2010-04-05T16:12:00.004-05:00

Beauty Bar 04.03.10

Beauty Bar 04.02.10, Passion Pit Afterparty Brodown (I miss you, Sonotheque)

Potential Villain 04.02.10

March Recap

2010-04-05T14:45:00.005-05:00

Been busy travelling, and getting sick while travelling.. but here it is

If I don't end up moving to Sweden, France, Belgium or Germany, I really hope I can move out to Toronto or Vancouver. Soon. Well, after school.

P.S. Europe this year anyone? Christian?? C'monnn haha

Rehab 03.29.10

Rochester March 2010

Toronto March 2010

Rehab 03.22.10

Haley 03.21.10

Potential Villain's 1 Year Anniversary Party @ Zhou B. Art Gallery 03.19.2010

Random March 2010

2010-03-18T13:02:00.006-05:00

First off, rest in peace Jun Seba aka Nujabes.
http://e22.com/nujabes/

Damn.

Katie, chillin in the woods on a real nice day before spring actually starts. I thought she was going to go kill me in some random hidden spot, but she just brought me to feed bambis and elks. 03.16.10

Rehab 03.15.10. Happy birthday Ashley P!

Claychella 03.13.10 @ Lincoln Hall. Happy birthday, Clayton! Real good times, really great $2 empanadas and $3 bloody marys! Mic Terror, Flosstradamus, Willy Joy, Skyler, The Hood Internet.. everyone just killed it. Killed it so hard, bro's got into a fight.. with a girl. Typical bro style. That Wu-Tang will get ya hype.

Old friends, New Clear Threat play their first show in about four years.. brought back memories of summers long past, house shows, the afterparty shit shows, the mosh pits, plain old good times. It was good to see these guys play together again, and sound even better than ever. Cheers guys!

Sidenote: I'm on the hustle for new jobs. If anyone has a lead on hospital jobs, preferrably in the pharmacy, or a hotel job, airline job and especially photo jobs, email me at santitvd@gmail.com. Thanks guys!

Rehab 03.08.2010

2010-03-10T03:13:00.005-06:00

REHAB is at Debonair Social Club 1575 n Milwaukee Ave | at North & Damen

Prefunkin @ Kelly's on her homebrew that's curiously strong..

02.26.10-03.02.10

2010-03-03T07:56:00.007-06:00

Rehab 03.01.10

Boy Who Cried Party - Bloomington, IN. Thanks to Bboy Dent, Nutfacephotography.com for a great time! And woe to the poor souls who left too early and missed half of Franco de Leon's set..

Bboy Battle @ Indiana University Bloomington. Much thanks to Franco de Leon for letting me tag along and grabbing me a gig to shoot! Visit him @ www.francodeleon.com

St. Alfred's hosts NO! MTV Raps @ Paddy Longs, 02.26.10

Generation Mirror Launch 02.25.10

2010-02-26T17:57:00.003-06:00

I shot a little bit for my friends Kristine & Megan's newly found organization helping people with eating and associated disorders. It was also their golden birthday! Happy Birthday, Kristine & Megan!

About Generation Mirror:

Twin sisters and co-founders Megan Campbell-Jedlinski and Kristine Campbell speak with the authentic voice that only those who have have struggled with and survived these disorders can.

They are breaking the silence, exposing the truth, and setting the facts straight about the high cost of striving for "perfection." They are stripping away the glitz and glamor of what life has been like fighting a combination of eating and associated disorders since middle school. Mission:Generation Mirror is a newly founded, Chicago-based, non-profit organization whose mission is to raise public awareness of eating and associated disorders and provide educational programs and creative outlets to support those directly and indirectly affected by these disorders.

http://www.genmirror.org

Angels & Kings 02.25.10

2010-02-26T07:51:00.008-06:00

Wet Bandits @ Kinetic Playground 02.21.10

2010-02-25T16:50:00.002-06:00

And some shots from Rino 02.24.10

Rehab 02.22.10

2010-02-23T11:04:00.003-06:00

Rehab 02.15.2010, Shannyn's Birthday, & Bobs Comes to town

2010-02-16T17:04:00.004-06:00

Shannyn's Birthday @ Crocodile/Debonair! Happy birthday! ♥ ya!

Bobs, a good friend of ours from Toronto came to Chicago for work and to hang with us for a night.. So we got down at Underground. 02.12.2010.

[IN:STUDIO] The Making Of - Miike Snow - Faker - DJ DLG Mix

Rehab 02.08.2010 / Green Dolphin 02.06.2010

2010-02-09T16:38:00.004-06:00

Rehab 02.08.2010

React, Cold Grums, Custom Vibes, Dig 4 Fire, Swing Shift Present Ebony Bones, He Say She Say, Willy Joy, BBU, Team Bayside High, Love Concept & Goldar @ Green Dolphin 02.06.2010... I had to leave after He Say She Say's set though, but here's what I got..

And some more random February shots... Nothing better than free pizza to go with your drunkeness

portfolio

2010-02-08T12:38:00.001-06:00

Working on a new portfolio page, here's a quick preview:

http://portfolio.thevastdifference.com

Ladies Aiding Haiti

2010-02-05T07:52:00.003-06:00

Prayers go out to Haiti.

Then off to Angels & Kings I went, Thursdays per usual..

Rehab 02.01.10

2010-02-02T09:29:00.002-06:00

Rehab 01.25.10

2010-01-26T06:30:00.003-06:00

2010-01-20T16:02:00.002-06:00

Rehab 01.18.10

Rehab 01.11.10

2010-01-09T23:54:00.009-06:00

Louisa 01.08.10

Meet Louisa, an aspiring fashion designer with an amazing sense of style and a wonderful person to say the least. We ran around downtown LaGrange late night trying to find an intersting scene to shoot, and it ended up in me thinking I lost my phone. Whoops. I need to keep that thing on a chain. We should've shot earlier anyway, so look for those in the future. For now, bear with me..

From the Random January 2010 Album. Click to go to the full set on flickr.

Extreme twists of fate.. I need more of those (or redirections of conicidences, whichever)..i guess the only thing you have to wait for is for the situation to present itself

2010-01-06T16:12:00.002-06:00

Rehab 01.04.10 Two year anniversary. Has it been two years already.....damn

Rehab 12.28.09.. Last rager of the year. Holy sh*t was it packed

Vince's Birthday @ Funk 12.17.09 Hah..

Rehab 12.14.09, Nigel's Birthday. Happy Birthday, Hollywood

2010.. where's my flying car and jet pack?

2010-01-01T21:46:00.004-06:00

Happy 2010! Finally.. I thought I wouldn't make it through 2009. Pretty rough year. At least it ended and started with good people.

Started reading Vol. II of The Summa Theologica today. Here's two quotes.

Fourth Article

Whether, If Happiness Is in the Intellective Part, It Is an Operation of the Intellect or of the Will?

...Reply Obj. 4. "Love ranks above knowledge in movin, but knowledge precedes love in attaining : for naught is loved save what is known, as Agustine says (De Trin. x. 1). Consequently we first attain an intelligible end by an act of the intellect ; just as we first attained a sensible end by an act of sense."

Eighth Article

"...man is not perfectly happy, so long as something remains for him to desire and seek..."

2009-12-27T15:18:00.002-06:00

Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviors.

Keep your behaviors positive, because your behaviors become your habits.

Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.

-Ghandi

2009-12-10T05:17:00.007-06:00

Keys & Krates @ JBar 12.09.09.. straight KILLIN it

"Rehabbies" & Derek's Birthday 12.07.09

Shoot with Emily Gualdoni in Random December album

More randoms..

Just Desserts! 11.11.09 Clayton's new monthly @ Lincoln Hall, a new venue in Lincoln Park

Rehab 11.16.09

Ruki's Birthday @ Kerryman's 11.20.09

Rehab 11.23.09

My Open Bar / Cinema 16 / Drambuie @ Chopin Theater 11.25.09 (Videos in Set)

More Random November Pictures..

Don't you hate it when..

2009-12-09T20:41:00.005-06:00

.. you have those funny little moments
when it feels like life is just a subjective illusion
that you've created for yourself (with the help of others as well)

O wait, it is

2009-12-08T18:24:00.003-06:00

No matter how unique you think you may be, we're really all products of each other..

we take from what we see, even if we do put our spin on it..

and unless you sit there and fashion your own clothes with a loom,

make the soles of your shoes from sap you've gathered from a rubber tree

built your home out of trees you've fallen yourself and nails you've welded

we're all in this together

we're all one and the same

Adam's dilemma

2009-11-19T06:26:00.002-06:00

Adam was expelled from the garden of Eden because of the want of knowledge; ignorance is truly bliss. We'd be living in a garden of Eden if we were all ignorant.. but it's human nature to want knowledge.. which also is our greatest curse

Pinback @ Bottom Lounge 11.03.09

2009-11-08T16:38:00.007-06:00

Pinback @ Bottom Lounge 11.03.09

Penelope

Non-Photo Blue

Walters

And some random November fun with my Nikkor 20mm f/2.8

Michelle II 10.19.09

2009-11-08T16:26:00.004-06:00

The Rest of October..

2009-11-08T16:19:00.002-06:00

Cathy's Birthday @ Lumen 10.10.09

Leah's birthday @ Rehab, in the Random October Album

Amanda @ Swig, in the Random Album

Mini set w/ Nicole

Lindy, Halloween 2009.. A&K and Flat Iron with Neil, Angie, Steph and Shelli

San Jose/San Francisco October 2009

2009-11-08T16:12:00.003-06:00

San Jose/San Francisco Oct 1-6 2009

Kickin it with the fam for my cousin's wedding

View from Hotel Kabuki, San Francisco

My two cousins Ginger & O.A., Ginger's part of a two girl DJ group, Vinylicious. House music all night long, no serato needed.

Markie

Phoebe!!

Let's Party @ Evil Olive

2009-10-24T08:53:00.002-05:00

Avi's bi-weekly wednesday night @ evil olive. Pr3-Frosh, Broadway Streetz, Trentino, Intel. Some good music sets right here..

DJ Trentino

Broadway Streetz

DJ Intel

RSVP 09.18.09

2009-09-22T15:13:00.007-05:00

Last last minute I was asked by Ruby Hornet (www.RubyHornet.com) to shoot:

GOOD Music x RSVP x Sprite Green @ Harris Theater, Millennium Park Chicago 09.18.09

Performances by Million $ Mano, Kid Cudi, Common

Michelle 09.18.09

2009-09-22T14:41:00.006-05:00

2009-09-22T14:17:00.002-05:00

Test - Dani 09.16.09

Kickin it with Martha 09.10.09

Test - Anna 09.10.09

Crystal's Birthday @ Lava Lounge 09.03.09

And some Random Shots, September 2009

Debonair 09.14.09

Shots from Jill's Spot

I like fog

Nate & Alex before Jazz Fest

Kristen's friend's sweet ass spot

2009-08-26T20:18:00.007-05:00

Giselle & Christine's Birthdays @ Empire Liquors 08.26.09

Rehab 08.24.09 in the Random August Album

DJ Qbert & Franco de Leon, 2 on 2 bboy battle @ Smartbar 08.21.09

Hedkandi @ Theatro 08.20.09

My friend Nicole & her sister.. birthday present for her moms

Franco de Leon's shoot for his new album, "From Here to There"

Keys & Krates @ Lumen 08.07.09

Griffin Lounge 08.01.09

Mitsuwa Festival 08.01.09

Random August Shots (Click pictures to go to the album):

Shannyn flossin Pabst

Lauren @ Lumen

Troy trading shirts with a dude, whom I know you've seen around. Funny thing is, Troy's a microbiologist, he should know how dirty that shirt could be. But when you're drunk, everything seems like a good idea at the time..

More random shots from July:

Junior Boys @ Wicker Park Fest 07.25.09

God's Girls @ Rockhouse Chicago 07.18.09

2009-07-18T03:57:00.002-05:00

West Fest 07.11.09. Zebo, Mano, Craze.. killin it on the decks.

My Guy Ngoc's birthday at Loft 610.

The Random July 2009 Album. This is Kristine. She's the coolness.

My birthday @ The Shrine. Why is my crotch glowing? Thanks to Franco and Tony for setting up the night.. and my dear friends for coming out.

The Alchemist @ Lava Lounge 06.27.09

A blast from the past, Miami 2007. Jayson's bachelor weekend.

2009-06-21T23:54:00.005-05:00

Nate's Birthday BBQ 06.20.09 Because you only turn 21.. twice. This is always the party of the year...

Lincoln St. Ribfest 06.14.09, followed by a night at Goose Island..

VLive 06.13.09 Steve-O's birthday.. and my first time at this place. Huge. Nice lighting. Sound System left my ears ringing all night though. ugh.

Daedelus @ Funky Buddha Lounge 06.11.09. Intel played a sick ass set too, go check him out.

I must be getting lazy as hell

2009-06-10T04:34:00.004-05:00

Lava Lounge 06.06.09. J Dilla "Jay Stay Paid" Mixtape release party. Not many pics, I was busy bouncin to Sean Doe. Dude's sick with the Detroit musak.

Empire 06.03.09 Tony's Birthday. DJ Boy Wonder, one of the best DJ's in Chicago since 1995. Maybe earlier.

The Shrine 06.02.09 .. Deep & Sexy with Franco de Leon. He's resurrecting Slick's Lounge, if you were house enough back in the day to remember the legend that was Slick's Lounge. Every Tuesday, no cover, no dress code. Come dance.

Rehab 06.01.09.. The last Rehab at Evil Olive.

Random July 2009..

Do Division Fest 05.31.09

Kristen's Birthday @ Rino 05.27.09, Photos by Mallory Pacific &TVD

If you're from the Midwest and it doesn't matter where

2009-05-30T18:34:00.003-05:00

SAY SHHH

I love New York and Cali, but I ain't movin'
Too overpopulated saturated with humans
And I'm not big on rappers, actors, or models
If I had to dip, I'd probably skip to Chicago

Roam if you must, but come home when you've seen enough..

Rachel B.

2009-05-26T08:23:00.000-05:00

2009-05-18T03:48:00.004-05:00

Hanging out at IIT with Martha

Prince Paul @ Zentra 05.15.09 (In Random May 09 Album)

Casey @ Dragonfly 05.16.09 (In Random May 09 Album)

2009-05-13T20:26:00.004-05:00

Gabriele's second shoot..

And Caitlin's battery cover for her phone was replaced with my card. :]

2009-04-25T15:58:00.004-05:00

Gabriele Milan Sneak Preview

In other news:

DJ Shortkut @ Lava Lounge 04.24.09

Four Tet @ Sonotheque 04.17.09

Klever & Craze @ Fly By Night 04.16.09

Rehab 04.13.09

Deadmau5 & Crookers @ The Congress Theater

2009-04-15T07:34:00.002-05:00

Thanks Pat & Lori!

4-14-2009

2009-04-14T05:43:00.001-05:00

My life is my whole story unfolding before me, yet it is a story so obscure to the universe

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T01:06:00.000-05:00

There seethed all around me a cauldron of lawless loves. I loved not yet, yet I loved to love, and out of a deep-seated want, I hated myself for wanting not. I sought what I might love, in love with loving, and I hated safety... To love then, and to be beloved, was sweet to me; but more, when I obtained to enjoy the person I loved. I defiled, therefore, the spring of friendship with the filth of concupiscence, and I beclouded its brightness with the hell of lustfulness.

– Confessions 3.1.1, Augustine of Hippo

What you've been waiting for..

2009-04-11T00:16:00.005-05:00

Marcus's 25th Birthday @ Lava Lounge 04.07.09

Rehab 04.06.09

Melissa's Birthday @ Funky Buddha Lounge 04.04.09

Random April 09.. Happy Birthday Steph!

Spring Break Rehab 03.30.09

Quick Road Trip To Madison 03.27.09

Avila 03.26.09

Dragonfly Mandarin Lounge 03.21.09

Shanna 03.17.09

Rehab 03.16.09

Empire & Flat Iron 03.13.09

Random March.. A lot of good shit in here.

Spandexxx @ Sonotheque 02.27.09

Lindsay & Janice come to Chicago from the teedot. Cat's Meow & Evil Olive

Angie's post birthday get together 01.26.09

Empire 01.24.09. Monika's late Birthday

Crocodile 01.24.09 Happy Birthday Ang! $6 for pizza and a PBR tallboy? AWESOME

Qbert @ Zentra 01.23.09

Rehab 01.19.09

Becky's Going Away Party :( Have fun in Shanghai!

Beat, Phil's Shiba

Assembly Line Artists come to Chicago.. "Slow Burning" show.. and some house parties

I am medicated right now.

2009-04-08T05:42:00.001-05:00

These are my ramblings:

i exist becaause you exist

i need you to acknowledge my existance you need me to do the same for you

are we just mirrors of ourselves

i am you and you are me

if we are all one and the same entity

just experiencing each facet of life thru different eyes taht we'll never know nor need to know

but it created a whole world of public and private experiences

once all is one, we will know ourselves, we will know know all

your existence is because of what all have come to agree what the collective perception of you is, thus affirming who you are, and who you are to yourself

must sleep now

Teasers..

2009-04-01T20:56:00.002-05:00

Wait for it...

Rehab 03.30.2009

Subterranean 03.25.2009

Avila 03.27.2009

I need to run Linux,, or get a mac.

2009-03-31T17:22:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the trojan VIRTUMONDE, my PC has been rendered useless.

So please come back later, maybe two weeks or so..

But in case you found my card somewhere in your purse or wallet and wondered what it was for and vaguely remember taking pictures somewhere, email me @ santitvd@gmail.com, with a brief description of who you are and where you were at, and I will do my best to get it to you.

For now, click my FLICKR link on the right >>>

Spaceghetto

2009-03-19T20:32:00.006-05:00

hah. yeah, don't ask.

Twitter

2009-03-19T07:45:00.002-05:00

http://twitter.com/vastdifference

I'm slowly but surely catching up on work.. it's been a tough month for me. But at least I'm getting that photographic itch again. Maybe I should just get a new lens. That always gets me into doing photos like it's something fresh. But czech back soon for new pictures from the past three months

For now, twitter it.

or

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/telectroscope/
http://www.theworld.org/ - DL The 03.18.2009 show. Good one.
http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=61679
http://powerhouseproject.com/

Scientists extract images directly from brain

2009-02-13T02:49:00.002-06:00

FINALLY!

I've always remembered tons of my dreams and found them intriguing. When I was in second or third grade, I imagined having something attached to your head, then attached to a monitor which displayed and recorded your dreams so you can watch it when you woke up..

This is just one step closer..

http://www.takefreetime.com/2009/02/scientists-extract-images-directly-from.html

Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep.

The scientists were able to reconstruct various images viewed by a person by analyzing changes in their cerebral blood flow. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, the researchers first mapped the blood flow changes that occurred in the cerebral visual cortex as subjects viewed various images held in front of their eyes. Subjects were shown 400 random 10 x 10 pixel black-and-white images for a period of 12 seconds each. While the fMRI machine monitored the changes in brain activity, a computer crunched the data and learned to associate the various changes in brain activity with the different image designs.

Then, when the test subjects were shown a completely new set of images, such as the letters N-E-U-R-O-N, the system was able to reconstruct and display what the test subjects were viewing based solely on their brain activity.

For now, the system is only able to reproduce simple black-and-white images. But Dr. Kang Cheng, a researcher from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, suggests that improving the measurement accuracy will make it possible to reproduce images in color.

“These results are a breakthrough in terms of understanding brain activity,” says Dr. Cheng. “In as little as 10 years, advances in this field of research may make it possible to read a person’s thoughts with some degree of accuracy.”

The researchers suggest a future version of this technology could be applied in the fields of art and design — particularly if it becomes possible to quickly and accurately access images existing inside an artist’s head. The technology might also lead to new treatments for conditions such as psychiatric disorders involving hallucinations, by providing doctors a direct window into the mind of the patient.

ATR chief researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani says, “This technology can also be applied to senses other than vision. In the future, it may also become possible to read feelings and complicated emotional states.”

The research results appear in the December 11 issue of US science journal Neuron.

Links

2009-01-14T03:28:00.004-06:00

So nay on the pictures, yay on some links:

SEED magazine
DesignBOOM
Treehugger

I've always been into home design, prefab architecture, science and culture, so yeah.

And check out the dick tracy LG communicator watch..

2009-01-08T06:45:00.009-06:00

ON HIATUS.

I am facing another existential dilemma, but I have uploaded all those sets you all have been asking for.

JANUARY 2009

DECEMBER 2008

NOVEMBER 2008

China, you're still a Communist State.

2008-12-31T18:50:00.002-06:00

This is disgusting. If they did nothing wrong, they wouldn't be afraid of the public voice. Chinese government disgusts me.

China is using an increasing number of paid "internet commentators" in a sophisticated attempt to control public opinion.
These commentators are used by government departments to scour the internet for bad news - and then negate it.
They post comments on websites and forums that spin bad news into good in an attempt to shape public opinion.
Chinese leaders seem aware that the internet - the only public forum where views can be freely expressed - needs close attention.
China's Communist Party leaders have long sought to sway public opinion by controlling what the media can report.
That policy was extended to the internet, and many websites are blocked by a system sometimes dubbed the "great firewall of China".
Rumours and opinions
But cyberspace - where views can be expressed instantly and anonymously - is not as easy to control as traditional news outlets.

Comments, rumours and opinions can be quickly spread between internet groups in a way that makes it hard for the government to censor.
So instead of just trying to prevent people from having their say, the government is also attempting to change they way they think.
To do this, they use specially trained - and ideologically sound - internet commentators.
They have been dubbed the "50-cent party" because of how much they are reputed to be paid for each positive posting (50 Chinese cents; $0.07; £0.05).
"Almost all government departments face criticism that is beyond their control," said Xiao Qiang, of the University of California at Berkeley.
"There is nothing much they can do, other than organise their own spinning teams to do their public relations," said the journalism professor, who monitors China.
Spin machine
A document released by the public security bureau in the city of Jiaozuo in Henan province boasts of the success of this approach.
It retells the story of one disgruntled citizen who posted an unfavourable comment about the police on a website after being punished for a traffic offence.
One of the bureau's internet commentators reported this posting to the authorities within 10 minutes of it going up.
The bureau then began to spin, using more than 120 people to post their own comments that neatly shifted the debate.
"Twenty minutes later, most postings supported the police - in fact many internet users began to condemn the original commentator," said the report.

These internet opinion-formers obviously need to show loyalty and support to the authorities.
They also need other skills, as a document from the hygiene department in the city of Nanning in Guangxi province makes clear.
"[They] need to possess relatively good political and professional qualities, and have a pioneering and enterprising spirit," the document said.
They also need to be able to react quickly, it went on.
'Tens of thousands'
The practice of hiring these commentators was started a couple of years ago by local governments which found it hard to control public opinion.
They could not rely on Beijing to monitor and block every single piece of news about their localities, so they came up with their own solution.
Internet commentators have now become widespread, according to experts. Some estimate that there are now tens of thousands of them.
There are also reports that special centres have been set up to train China's new army of internet spin doctors.
Their job is more important than it would be elsewhere in the world.
"Politically, the internet is more important in China than in other societies because it's the only public space where people can express themselves," said Professor Xiao.
That is a point that has not escaped Chinese President Hu Jintao.
When he chatted online in an internet forum earlier this year he said it was important to set up "a new pattern of media guidance" for the internet.
China's teams of state-sponsored commentators have a lot of work ahead of them.

The Last Rehab of 2008

2008-12-30T05:37:00.002-06:00

If anyone saw or knows the whereabouts of my Seiko watch, silver and gold with a blue face, please... please get at me. My dad gave me that watch :(

Inhibitions...and the "what if's"

2008-12-13T21:30:00.003-06:00

Do you ever think about something that you could never actually do? Like, you could do it, but you would NEVER do it. Like the most atrocious, awkward or weird and out of character thing you could possibly ever do?

For instance, I'd be talking to my teacher one on one, and all of a sudden I'd totally blank them out and think to myself, "what if I just start making out with them?" or if I was in class I would think, "what if I just walk up there and slap them across the face." And what if you did that to your aunt or something. In the middle of thanksgiving dinner. Hmm.

This would totally change people's perception of who you are, though you know yourself it was something you'd never do. But they'd think you're innately bad or something. You've just instilled that in their mind.

Maybe even the fact that I've thought about it changes things for you, the reader.

Now that you've read it, you've changed. Not majorly, but just the fact that you have this thought now..

Visions of the past

2008-12-11T17:01:00.003-06:00

Does anyone ever randomly think about snippets of their childhood? Events you don't know the exact dates of, but things that actually happened, like walking up the stairs to kindergarten, or hanging out at a friends place from summer school or even preschool.. taking the bus downtown with your mom to Carson Piri Scott when it was all 80's-neon-hypercolor-Max Headroom type stuff in the kids department..

I love thinking about those things.. as if it just happened yesterday..

Similar to the DC comics "Watchmen" character Dr. Manhattan.. who experiences all the experiences in his life at the same time.. Think about that..

***

And on the case of Gov. Blagojevich.. though his guilt is quite obvious, what if, just what if.. he's just a scapegoat? Like what if he was paid to do what he's done.. Like what if someone behind the curtains made GW Bush to be president in shitty times? Agendas.. the one thing I believe is so debilitating.

And in religion... this "faith" thing. What if religion set that up for those who find it hard to believe? It's like a just-in-case clause to discredit doubting thomases...

Transparency Int'l

2008-12-10T22:42:00.002-06:00

http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/cpi2008/cpi_2008_table

NPR's "848 in the morning" stated that Canada, Netherlands, etc. are well above the US in the corruption index.. meaning they scored less likely to partake in corruption. Since they explicitly stated those two countries, I wondered there's any correlation to their decriminalization policies with marijuana.. haha. Well, I just figured people who smoke have a more "not in it for the money, and all for the greater good" type mentality. Well at least the smokers I know. Even with total strangers, how many times have they denied you a hit when you've asked?

Anyway, school is almost done, and maybe I'll be able to go out more to take some pictures since I know that's why most people come here..

Topics I've been thinking about..

2008-11-10T23:18:00.006-06:00

Never Say Die: Why We Can't Imagine Death
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=never-say-die

Key Concepts

Almost everyone has a tendency to imagine the mind continuing to exist after the death of the body.
Even people who believe the mind ceases to exist at death show this type of psychological-continuity reasoning in studies.
Rather than being a by-product of religion or an emotional security blanket, such beliefs stem from the very nature of our consciousness.

It should strike us as odd that we feel inclined to nod our heads in agreement to the twangy, sweetly discordant folk vocals of Iris Dement in "Let the Mystery Be," a humble paean about the hereafter. In fact, the only real mystery is why we're so convinced that when it comes to where we're going "when the whole thing's done," we're dealing with a mystery at all. After all, the brain is like any other organ: a part of our physical body. And the mind is what the brain does—it's more a verb than it is a noun. Why do we wonder where our mind goes when the body is dead? Shouldn't it be obvious that the mind is dead, too? And yet people in every culture believe in an afterlife of some kind or, at the very least, are unsure about what happens to the mind at death. My psychological research has led me to believe that these irrational beliefs, rather than resulting from religion or serving to protect us from the terror of inexistence, are an inevitable by-product of self-consciousness. Because we have never experienced a lack of consciousness, we cannot imagine what it will feel like to be dead. In fact, it won't feel like anything—and therein lies the problem. The common view of death as a great mystery usually is brushed aside as an emotionally fueled desire to believe that death isn't the end of the road. And indeed, a prominent school of research in social psychology called terror management theory contends that afterlife beliefs, as well as less obvious beliefs, behaviors and attitudes, exist to assuage what would otherwise be crippling anxiety about the ego's inexistence.

According to proponents, you possess a secret arsenal of psychological defenses designed to keep your death anxiety at bay (and to keep you from ending up in the fetal position listening to Nick Drake on your iPod). My writing this article, for example, would be interpreted as an exercise in "symbolic immortality"; terror management theorists would likely tell you that I wrote it for posterity, to enable a concrete set of my ephemeral ideas to outlive me, the biological organism.

..Consider the rather startling fact that you will never know you have died. You may feel yourself slipping away, but it isn’t as though there will be a “you” around who is capable of ascertaining that, once all is said and done, it has actually happened. Just to remind you, you need a working cerebral cortex to harbor propositional knowledge of any sort, including the fact that you’ve died—and once you’ve died your brain is about as phenomenally generative as a head of lettuce. In a 2007 article published in the journal Synthese, University of Arizona philosopher Shaun Nichols puts it this way: “When I try to imagine my own non-existence I have to imagine that I perceive or know about my non-existence. No wonder there’s an obstacle!”..

Discover Interview The Beautiful Mind of Freeman Dyson

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jun/09-the-beautiful-mind-of-freeman-dyson

11.04.2008

2008-11-10T22:35:00.007-06:00

THANK YOU, Gerorge W. Bush.
Because of you and your administration, this would not be possible.

Though we didn't have tickets, Lana and I decided to check out Obama's rally in Grant Park since it was pretty nice out that night. Plus, it's something to be at the place where history happened. I'm pretty claustrophobic at times, so we opted to stand in front of a monitor the whole time. Still, emotions were running high as the first President with African blood was elected president..

(if you've heard about the HUMAN RACE MACHINE (http://www.wolfmanproductions.com/racemachine.html), you've heard that there may be no gene for race)
You can also read these articles:
http://www.newsreel.org/guides/race/whatdiff.htm

Government

2008-11-08T06:42:00.003-06:00

Is government the most efficient way of running human society? Or is there another way? The way the senate and house all get together is so similar to the way Romans held sessions. Government has evolved, but there are similar characteristics that remain virtually unchanged.. so it must mean that such a government structure worked so well, humans just stuck with it..

Because imagine a world without some sort of plan, judicial system, etc.. Would it be chaos? Why did we decide that a government was the way to control interactions? Why do we have to have a written moral code? Why do we know there should be consequences after a consequential act?

Nika..

2008-11-06T13:30:00.004-06:00

More October..I drag so much

2008-10-29T03:37:00.007-05:00

Ginseng wants me doing Spoon on Thursdays I think. Fine with me. At least they have 2 for $5 burgers and dogs.. and fries and onion rings, along with $2 domestics. I forget what else I have in here..

Road trip with Monika.

The three A's in my life.. Angie, Amanda and Amy. haha. Mollie's formal farewell party.

Oh hey it's Chuck

Haven't seen Jenn in four years. How we've changed, yet are the same exact people..

Teija's moving to london so I went to visit her.

October 08, Zeitgeist Addendum

2008-10-08T06:14:00.005-05:00

Oops, I've been slacking again, but hey, I'm back in school. Anyway, October has been pretty eventless, with me lacking motivation to go out. Club Xsport has been more enticing lately. Seattle/Vancouver this weekend.. so I'll be off running around again..

Chillin with Monika, Empire, and I forget what else is in here..

I finally make it out to Cathy's birthday. I still owe her like two birthdays still..

Alex's birthday, filled with smoke, beer, friends and FIFA. Priavte album.

Some shots from the Black Swan wine events that Clayton hooked me up with. Jivy is sick on the freestyle. Check him out.

Hollywood Holt/Kid Cudi tour @ Evil. I missed most of it, and I was too lazy and tired this night. This is all I took.

And if you haven't seen this, you have to.

And check out The Venus Project.
http://www.thevenusproject.com/
A resource based economy and self sustainability.. soooo utopian, but it's reachable. Who knows, maybe aliens are really us visiting from the future..where they have mastered quantum mechanics, thus existing and acting in all dimensions, experiencing every moment of life spontaneously.. and they act solely on thought, thus they have no need for muscles (if the skinny depictions of them are somewhat correct) and besides, muscles are hardly used in zero gravity.. etc etc.. but yeah, i used to be into futurist designs when I was a kid. So this is like total mind candy for me.

Additionally, I have a whole bunch of philosophical questions and commentary saved in my phone. I'll post it sometime soon when I can..

Paul Laffoley

2008-09-24T05:25:00.003-05:00

Laffoley attended Brown University,
graduating in 1962 with honors in
Classics, Philosophy, and Art History.

In 1963, he attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and apprenticed with the sculptor Mirko Basaldella before being dismissed from the institution. He was dismissed for "conceptual deviance", after the majority of his designs were given a grade that designates the project not as good or bad, but as 'currently technologically or physically impossible'.

Thereafter, he moved to New York to apprentice with the visionary architect Friedrich Kiesler. He was also hired for the design team of the World Trade Center, but was soon after fired by the chief architect, Minoru Yamasaki, for his unconventional ideas. He had apparently always been quite an 'unconventional' person. By Laffoley's account, he spoke his first word ("Constantinople") at the age of six months, and then lapsed into 4 years of silence, having been diagnosed with slight Autism. Laffoley has written that, in his senior year at Brown, he was given eight electric-shock treatments. As a child he attended the progressive Mary Lee Burbank School in Belmont, Massachusetts, where his draftsman's talent was ridiculed by his Abstract Expressionist teachers.P

Izima Kaoru

2008-09-24T05:19:00.003-05:00

http://www.galerieandreasbinder.de/galerien_muenchen/izimakaorugal.htm

Born 1954 in Kyoto. Tokyo-based photographer and TV commercial director. Formerly the chief editor of zyappu, a progressive fashion magazine which folded in 1999 when publisher Korinsha went out of business.

One regular feature of the magazine was a short pictorial called "Serial Murders of Actresses." It featured photos of an imaginary murder of a famous Japanese actress who lies dead in a river, road, or elsewhere while wearing brand-name clothing cited in the caption.

Twenty installments of this series were put into the book, sitai no aru 20 no hukei (A Corpse in 20 Scenes) published in 1999. And seven more installments were published in the exhibition catalog Landscapes with a Corpse 1999-2000.

2008-09-21T16:17:00.004-05:00

Cut Copy / The Presets @ The Metro for UR Chicago magazine. I heard the guy who designed Daft Punk's lighting did theirs too. I love the innovative lighting I'm seeing more of these days.. Digitalism, for example. Awesome.

More randoms.. Skylark, chillin with Amy and her living stuffed animal.

etc. etc.

2008-09-18T22:37:00.010-05:00

Capitalism is a wonderful thing? You may be blinded by the glitter of a capitalist system, or you may even actively disregard the truth because ignorance is bliss.. higher powers want you to be distracted while they control every facet of society.. think about it..

I will aspire to this..

2008-09-16T04:12:00.006-05:00

I've always dreamed of going into space. Since kindergarten. The only way to become an astronaut is to be a pilot or a scientist.. or this:

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

Cost: $200,000 for the first 500 passengers, $20,000 thereafter. First flight is scheduled for 2010.

This is what I will be saving up for. This is my goal..

Unless by some freak chance (or my love of theory and philosophy/science) I do become a theoretical physicist and luck out on having to do research which requires space travel.. or if the earth is no longer inhabitable when I'm old, then space will come inevitably..

Funny thing, I've always thought that I wouldn't mind dying in space. C'mon, how many people do you know get to die in space, let alone go to space to begin with.

This may be so primitive and small scale, but considering the universe is constanly expanding, I know I won't have time to get to another galaxy in this lifetime.

Sigh.

Creeper Cat..

2008-09-16T00:22:00.000-05:00

have you seen this? it is AWESOME

Reactable

2008-09-15T13:40:00.001-05:00

The future is at hand..

http://reactable.iua.upf.edu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactable

September 2008

2008-09-15T00:13:00.002-05:00

Random shit, from a Bushmills thing I did at Evil Olive, Jackie's birthday at Shannon's, though I didn't even get to see Jackie..Chillin in the Garage, Seeing Shannuyn outside of Empire, Geronimo leaves for New York again, and Sonotheque with Angie & Co..

Phil turns 2x at the garage. Nothing like a lot of beer that lasts two days..

Stay Smooth X @ The Columbia Yacht Club that I shot for UR Chicago.

A few cool links..And then quotes and discussion.

2008-09-12T00:11:00.004-05:00

Thanks to mike diesel. (http://www.dieselfueled.com) Some interesting stuff there..

Like a story about a man who took a polariod picture everyday until he died..
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/15131

40 Fonts hand picked by Deviant Art
http://www.noupe.com/fonts/40-extremely-beautiful-fonts-hand-picked-from-deviantart.html

..and FFFFOUND!
http://ffffound.com/about

and my personal favorite..
www.spaceghetto.com

And I leave you with some quotes:

"It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our Banking and Monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a Revolution before tomorrow morning."

- Henry Ford

"We are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covet means for expanding its sphere of influence; on
infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation
instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which as conscripted vast human and material resources into the building
of a tightly-knit highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific, and political operations. Its preparations are concealed,
not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumor is printed, no secret is revealed."

-John F Kennedy

I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated.
The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated
governments in the civilized world. No longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority,
but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.

-Woodrow Wilson

"We are grateful to the Washington Post, the NY Times,
Time Magazine, and other great publications whose directors
have attended our meetings, and respected their promises of
discretion for almost 40 years. It would have been impossible
for us to develop OUR PLAN for the world if we had been
subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But,
the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march
towards a World Government. The supranational sovereignty
of an intellectual ELITE and World Bankers is surely preferable
to the national auto - determination practiced in past centuries."

- David Rockefeller CFR Kingpin, Founder of the Trilateral Commission

"we can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of the ordinary Americans"

- Bill Clinton

“Today, America would be outraged if UN troops entered Los Angeles to restore order. Tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told that there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all people of the world will plead to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by the world government.”

- Henry Kissinger

We must now face the harsh truth that the objectives of communism are being steadily advanced because many of us do not recognize the means used to advance them.

... The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a Conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists. The American mind simply has not

come to a realization of the evil which has been introduced into our midst.

- J. Edgar Hoover

"We shall have World Government. Whether or not we like it. The only Question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent."

- James Paul Warburg , Foreign agent for the Rothschild dynasty - Major Player in the Federal Reserve act scam / Feb. 17, 1950 speaking before the U.S. Senate.

"Give me control of a Nation's money and I care not who makes the laws."

- Mayer Amschel Bauer (Rothschild)

The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know that a financial element in the large centers has OWNED the Government of the U.S. since the days of Andrew Jackson."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Now watch this.. how the Bush family may have had a hand in the assasination of JFK..
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4330031689287456187&hl=en

.. And we make such a sensation about who will be president, and issues that blind the public of the big picture. To think that there are such evils in the world.. Maybe it comes down to people being happy in their own ignorance because they know they can never overthrow big government, big oil, big money.. We are happy watching our television, our sitcoms, our dramas, our reality shows, getting a job that can help us in retirement.. while the higher powers continue to suck our blood, suck our progeny's blood, and our generations to come..

I wish Anonymous would go after these guys instead of the smaller matters. What I don't get, is that there is so much more of us than them.. if people were more aware, we could physically rush them and take them all out of power. I guess the problem is getting by their puppets...

Fuck. How frustrating.

Drambuie Presents: Cinema 16

2008-09-09T04:44:00.002-05:00

Clayton hooked me up with this gig @ High Concept Laboratories.. Hosted by My Open Bar (www.myopenbar.com). It featured short films by Man Ray, Jan Svankmajer (who is fucking awesome) and Robert Enrico. Turns out my good friend's band, The Elegant Universe, was doing a live score, and that was fucking awesome. They gotta do shit like that more often.

Red Bull Flugtag 2008

2008-09-06T15:51:00.003-05:00

Is today, about 3 hours ago. I probably missed it. BUT I did have a dream about it, and whoever won it in my dream was driving a craft perfectly shaped like a small commercial plane. It was blue, crafted from what looked like lightweight fiberglass, but some durable and streamlined material none the less. It just coasted forever before gently floating down. I wonder who won today..

The Future?

2008-09-03T20:22:00.000-05:00

After listening to NPR's broadcasts of both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention, I really want to see the future of the world.

After all the politics, after mother earth's cleansing of herself, after all the technology.. what will be left? Will we still be here? Will your progeny remember you centuries after now?

I really want to see how it all turns out.

After I'm dead of course..

Two really awesome songs/music videos..

2008-09-02T08:22:00.003-05:00

Thanks, Alex.

Uyama Hiroto - Stratus

Camera Obscura - If Looks Could Kill

Goodbye Summer...

2008-09-02T07:42:00.006-05:00

So finally I'm all caught up again. Back to school, trying to juice the last out of these fantastic summer nights.. and not looking forward to bitter cold. Fall is great though, great for sweater and light jacket rockin.. so anyway, a little recap for the rest of the last of August. Damn, it went by fast. But that's just what life feels like these days..

2 Hours late, and I miss quite a bit of the food.. good thing I brought some extra meat and know how to work a grill. Christian rolled up too, and we were pretty much the last men standing, even after the last minute run to pick up Sparks and some Bali Shag. Evil Olive for a good 20 min, just to pick up some free Camel Crushes, and to make a local celebrity appearance.

More random August pictures.. Rooftop layin out, parties at Angie's, kickin it with sexy Nate, etc. etc...

Flosstradamus's monthly residency.. Becky's going away dance party, GMO and Dave's birthday.. but I spent more time juking than I did taking pictures...

She's making the move to NYC for work. Sucks, because we just started hanging out again after not hanging out for 8 years after high school. But I'm not too sad.. I feel like I'll be visiting her quite often. But I will miss the late night smoke sessions and biking while on cookies. =(

It must've been too much to host your own party.. too much worrying, huh. The James is a pimp ass hotel though.. I think I'll have to ask Liz to hook it up one time..

Debonair.. for Kidz in the Hall, Mic Terror, Mano, Hollywood, Elish.. and Angie happened to end up there too. How awesome. But Angie, next time, just ride with me.

Cathy, Serena, Jamie left Libertine to hang out with me. Haha.. and right before Empire, we hit up Myopic, open till 1am to read some books and play with some cat. Late night reading? A nice change from late night partying.

Marcus was spinning so Ilona wanted to hit it up real fast. I'm never drinking a Red Bull tall boy that fast ever again. Ugh.

Vic from Ginseng hosted a one night thing at Lumen, one of my fav. spots. He also made me drink too much Jameson, so I ended up going the wrong way down a one way street. A cop pulled me over, and told me wtf, stfu. No, but he let me go.. I don't think he smelled my breath.. BUT THANK YOU OFFICER MAN

A Classic..

2008-08-17T12:36:00.004-05:00

I ran into this last night at myopic.. after so long, I almost forgot about it.

khalil gibran : the prophet
http://www.katsandogz.com/gibran.html

On Joy and Sorrow

Kahlil Gibran

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, "Joy is greater thar sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits, alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

On Time
Kahlil Gibran
You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.

Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness,
And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.
And that that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
Who among you does not feel that his power to love is boundless?
And yet who does not feel that very love, though boundless, encompassed within the centre of his being, and moving not from love thought to love thought, nor from love deeds to other love deeds?
And is not time even as love is, undivided and spaceless?

But if in your thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons,
And let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing.

On Self-Knowledge
Kahlil Gibran

Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart's knowledge.
You would know in words that which you have always known in thought.
You would touch with your fingers the naked body of your dreams.

And it is well you should.
The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."
Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."
For the soul walks upon all paths.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself like a lotus of countless petals.

On Reason and Passion
Kahlil Gibran
Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite.
Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul, that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody.
But how shall I, unless you yourselves be also the peacemakers, nay, the lovers of all your elements?

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul. If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.
For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.
Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion, that it may sing;
And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.

I would have you consider your judgment and your appetite even as you would two loved guests in your house.
Surely you would not honour one guest above the other; for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both.

Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars, sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows -- then let your heart say in silence, "God rests in reason."
And when the storm comes, and the mighty wind shakes the forest, and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky -- then let your heart say in awe, "God moves in passion."
And since you are a breath in God's sphere, and a leaf in God's forest, you too should rest in reason and move in passion.

On Marriage
Kahlil Gibran

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Marcio Kogan - Mirindiba House

2008-08-17T12:00:00.002-05:00

Original Post : http://modresdes.blogspot.com/2007/09/marcio-kogan-mirindiba-house.html

Marcio Kogan

Born in 1952. Graduated from Mackenzie School of Architecture in 1976. Received an IAB award for the Rubens Sverner Day-Care Center in 1983, and in 1994 an award for the facade for the Larmod Store, organized by the Magazine of the newspaper Folha and CCSP (Creation Club of São Paulo). Realised an exhibit of small-scale models entitled “Architecture and Humor”, a critical view of the architectural and urbanistic problems of the city of São Paulo, which had great repercussions throughout the city. Participated in the IV Architecture Biennial with these projects: UMA Store, Strumpf Residence and the MRA-2 commercial building in 1999. Awarded Architectural Record House 2004 for Du Plessis Residence – Laranjeiras / Paraty / Brazil.

via: Marcio Kogan

Amsterdam, San Jose, and everything else I've missed the past few weeks..

2008-08-14T12:17:00.004-05:00

Finally hit up Amsterdam this year, thanks to my buddy Christian. Never flew first class before.. and I don't think I could ever go overseas anything less than business anymore. That is all I have to say about this trip.

Yeah, that guy slams on his brakes and rolls in a full circle. That metal tubing is encased in rubber, I believe. Mano's group He Say She Say killed it that night. HIOOOOOOOO!!!

Dudesex, my girl Nicole, Lisa, random loft party, and Val from Socal comes to visit..

My cousins are hilarious. And damn, I have a ton of nieces and nephews. Too bad I see them like every two or three years since they're all in the military and moving around or whatever. And I found out one of my cousins I havent seen in like 13 years is a DJ and hits up WMC every year. I think I'll join her in 2009 :)

Happy birday Linds! You even got a performance from Shala.. haha UR Mag party. Word.

Franco's Set at Subterranean Lounge..

And sorry Torsion.. I was late on this one.. haha

Death and Dying

2008-07-22T22:33:00.002-05:00

Death. Something I used to think about when I was three sitting on the toilet in my old Chicago apartment while staring at the tiles on the bathroom floor.

To conciously think that you WILL die.. to actually bring that idea to present terms... or to think forward to the end of your days. How does that make you feel? Do you think about how you will die? Or how you're going to be when you're 89 or whatever? How do you want to die?

Do you ever think the moment you step out of your home, you have the potential to die? Your car could get hit at any moment, someone could come out of nowhere and stab you.. life really is that fragile and taken for granted..

But I digress.

Pause, and think.. think about you not existing on this earth anymore.. fast forward to those last moments and thoughts.

How does it feel?

Rehab 07.21.08

2008-07-22T06:50:00.002-05:00

Mallory's golden birthday, and Jordan's too (not golden). Didn't see much of Jordan though. Dope sets by: Jordan Z, Zebo, Terry Diabolik & Heaven Malone. Good to hear some fine 90's R&B again..

July Happenings

2008-07-20T15:45:00.003-05:00

Kelly's Birthday @ Debonair. 25 is a nice age. Lucky.
Stopped by Angie's for more brews..

Picked up the new ride yesterday. I don't know how I feel about driving manual while wasted though.

This was the best I could do with my shitty p&s camera. I need a new one. Anyone wanna buy a Canon SD400? Got there around 6pm, missed Immortal, De La, Sage, Dead Prez :( But we did get premier parking for free! $10 tall boys? Fuck. Nas was the shit, as was Pharcyde.. ATCQ played a LOT of their older boom bap shit, it was great.. if remembered half the lyrics. haha

Mano, Willy Joy @ Rehab

2008-07-17T00:45:00.002-05:00

First time back there in a hot minute. It was nice seeing a lot of friends though, in the usual drunken stupor.

Knowledge and Destruction

2008-07-11T03:29:00.002-05:00

The more we thirst for knowledge, the more we destroy ourselves.
In many ways..

The more advanced we get, the more lazy we get, the more we waste
The more we waste, the more we destroy our Earth.

The more we ponder the very thought of existence, the more we realize how little we really know.
The more we cannot understand the meaning of it all.

Maybe the Bible is a fictional representation.. actually written as stories, but time took it to become a religion.
But there is truth to it.. figurative truth.
The fall of man.. when he ate the apple of knowledge.
In gaining knowledge, he was not naive no longer, and was cast from the garden of Eden.
The garden of ignorance.
And ignorance is bliss.
Now given the power of knowledge, we cast ourselves into our own destruction.

Makes sense? I hope so. I'm a little blazed right now and had to get this out.

Knowledge .. Destruction
Balance .. Life

They say we live because we maintain a constant balance for the earth in terms of CO2 and O2. Without perfect circumstances for life, we would not exist.
We want to balance things in our lives.. always take things in moderation.
No good comes from having too much of something or having too little of something.
You can't have too much money, you start seeing who your friends are.
You can't have too little to eat, you'll starve.
To maintain life, you must maintain a balance.

Be knowledgeable, but know you can't think too much about life.
Keep a balance, and you will live.

That latest Girl Talk album is sickkkkkk

Seeing Sounds

2008-07-07T22:43:00.004-05:00

BTW, I can't stop listening to N.E.R.D.'s latest release, "Seeing Sounds." It's sick, yo.

In no particular order, my picks:

Anti Matter

Everyone Nose + DJ Ice Freeze's RMX

Happy

Laugh About It

Lazer Gun

Love Bomb

Spaz + DJ Freakii's RMX

Yeah You

You Know What

July Begins..

2008-07-07T16:48:00.005-05:00

You couldn't miss the house.. with bikes chained to the fences from top to bottom. And it was a little too cold for slip n slide/inflatable pool.. but anyway, it was great to see my friends drunk and in bikinis. Whiskey and beer? Perfect.

Kickin off July with power hour, courtesy of the Peters'/Robles'.

June went by way too fast.

2008-07-07T16:41:00.004-05:00

Derek, Casy and Ricky were nice enough to get me a bottle and a table at rehab on monday. The Hood Internet spun their dope remixed shit, and I ended up at Angie's apartment with Natecheefin with one of the security guys from Evil. Great.

Every year I always try to find a dope, no cover, no dress code spot.. and this year it was at Subterranean. They do house on Sundays now, and Franco happened to be doing his live PA set. I got to cheef and dance and have a pretty big group of friends come out, so I'm thankful. Yikes I'm old.

Yeah. That's right. Everbody dance now. Opened with the song, ended with the song. Great way to spend $5.

At Stone Lotus. Thank goodness I was in and out of that place. But happy birthday, birthday buddy.

The Disease of Aging

2008-07-01T20:40:00.002-05:00

..is evident. For most people, the older they get, the more experience they have and the more they lose their innocence. They lose the ability to see a world with infinite possibilities. They realize what they can and can't do. They become lazy and pessimistic. It becomes harder to truly create something with passion because work and rest become priority.

It is a disease of the soul.

Of course this isn't everyone out there, but that's my observation for the majority.

That aside, I turned 27 over the weekend. Pretty awesome that I got to see C+C Music Factory at the Cans fest. I ran into a bunch of good friends, and threw up three times in the bathroom of Bob Chinn's while eating with the fam. Sunday night, a lot of people came out to Subterranean Lounge, where Franco performed his live PA set, sick as usual.. and I was double fisting Red Bull and ginger ale. But that's ok. I was blasted. :)

Toronto, Nate's Birthday

2008-06-27T20:20:00.003-05:00

Oops, I've been slacking. But here's pictures from last weekend's trip to Toronto with Nate, Becky. Joe and Kate. Joe rented out a 4 Runner.. for a nice comfortable ride. Customs didn't stop us for once, and we got to stay right in the heart of downtown next to Dundas square. We went to check out Keys n Krates, a really awesome group that mixes live instruments and turntablism to put together something like a Flosstradamus party with live music. We also caught Blu from Blu and Exile, as well as a Futsal event and Xbox gaming events. One of the best times was walking around downtown, lost and looking for a restaurant while blasted.. while an orchestra played Castlevania themes! And the big finale was right when we found the restaurant. How awesome.. and truly appreciated while ****...

And a impromptu night with Nate & Alex.. for Nate's birthday.. nothing like a little Cheef & FIFA..

the vast difference

piyasanti.com

What kind of people do you attract?

Photo Hiatus

Rehab, Mike Posner, Bottin & More

in the multiverse..

Danielle & Nicole, Rehab and Randoms

The remnants of the legend that was Sonotheque

March Recap

Rehab 03.08.2010

02.26.10-03.02.10

Generation Mirror Launch 02.25.10

Angels & Kings 02.25.10

Wet Bandits @ Kinetic Playground 02.21.10

Rehab 02.22.10

Rehab 02.15.2010, Shannyn's Birthday, & Bobs Comes to town

Rehab 02.08.2010 / Green Dolphin 02.06.2010

portfolio

Ladies Aiding Haiti

Rehab 02.01.10

Rehab 01.25.10

2010.. where's my flying car and jet pack?

Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviors.

Keep your behaviors positive, because your behaviors become your habits.

Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.

Don't you hate it when..

Adam's dilemma

Pinback @ Bottom Lounge 11.03.09

Michelle II 10.19.09

The Rest of October..

San Jose/San Francisco October 2009

Let's Party @ Evil Olive

RSVP 09.18.09

Michelle 09.18.09

I must be getting lazy as hell

If you're from the Midwest and it doesn't matter where

Rachel B.

Deadmau5 & Crookers @ The Congress Theater

4-14-2009

Happy Easter

What you've been waiting for..

I am medicated right now.

Teasers..

I need to run Linux,, or get a mac.

Spaceghetto

Twitter

Scientists extract images directly from brain

Links

China, you're still a Communist State.

The Last Rehab of 2008

Inhibitions...and the "what if's"

Visions of the past

Transparency Int'l

Topics I've been thinking about..

Key Concepts

Discover Interview The Beautiful Mind of Freeman Dyson

11.04.2008

Government

Nika..

More October..I drag so much

October 08, Zeitgeist Addendum

Paul Laffoley

Izima Kaoru

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2009

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2009

Cut Copy and The Presets 09.17.08

etc. etc.

I will aspire to this..

Creeper Cat..

Reactable

September 2008

A few cool links..And then quotes and discussion.

Drambuie Presents: Cinema 16

Red Bull Flugtag 2008

The Future?

Two really awesome songs/music videos..

Goodbye Summer...

A Classic..