Animation

Finally, after much heartbreak and many failed attempts, one of my animations has made it to the internet. Without further adieu, the animated walk:


I drew that in about 10 hours. HAH! Maybe this whole hand animation thing is overrated.
BTW, the colors are intentional and allow for better readability. If it were blue and purple you'd all be really confused right now. Funny thing, color theory is one of the most simple things. Myspace should provide a primer on color theory so people will stop making shitty pages. They would use the slogan "Hey, take 5 minutes to save everybody a headache."

Something to whet your appetites

So, I know you all are bawling your eyes out every night when you check your blog list. You say, "Oh man! The House of Brain is still out of commission! What will I do with myself?!?!" Seeing as I don't want to cause any more grief and because I'm tired of throwing away all the suicide notes, I came to campus today just to write to you.
How are you doing?
Are you loving life?
What's that smell?
I mean, you are about to wreck yourself. When is the last time you've checked yourself?
Do you like costume parties?
Why is the crotch cut out on this dolphin suit?
SO-tomorrow, I turn 21. I'm going to go to one of the local bars (the Brotherhood if you are so inclined to meet me there) that I've 'never been to before.'*wink wink nudge nudge* I am supposed to meet up with about 10 people there, most of them don't know each other. My roommate is also coming. This should be interesting.

Just discovered a new blog (I don't know how new it actually is) through my program website. It's interesting because each napkin is kind of like a frame in a comic book and that just happens to be what we're studying in class. I really like it and think i might copy it. I mean, I really love stealing people's ideas.

Also, what do you think? Would you buy this album if you judged it by its cover? (Like a book?) What kind of music would it be? Are you sexually attracted to it?

So....

My computer went wonky (the monitor won't turn on, but the computer functions well in every other aspect. I think there is a loose chord inside) and now it has become hard for me to blog at y'all. You'll notice that I might post a lot less now. Also, class has started and I don't have that much free time. If you were one of those who relied on my words for sustenance, I'm sorry but you'll have to turn to other blogs for your word count. I hope my comp will be back up and running soon.

We. Are. Going. Musical.

I found out how to make this blog significantly more musical via 'Box.net.' I look forward to filling your ears with new and exciting music. As a first taste, here are some of the best track of 2008, according to me.

Gobbledigook - Sigur Rós

A Thing For Me - Metronomy

Lola Langusta - Cheveu

Vanished - Crystal Castles

Isabella of Castile - Starfucker

Also, I just got around to reading a small book my sister got me for Christmas.
I am now an expert at peeing in the city thanks to Ray Tempus' book "A 15 Point Guide to Peeing in the City." The book gives good directions on where and how to pee in the city. It even instructs the reader on specifics such as angle of feet and where to direct one's stream. It "has been pocket sized for your (the pee producer's) convenience." It really is a useful little book and would probably be a good conversation starter if laid out on a coffee table.


*Edit*
At Comics Night @ Danger Room I got out my copy of "A 15 Point Guide to Peeing in the City." Everyone thought it was really interesting and it started several small conversations. Small books: The new hip conversation starter of 2k9? Also, at first glance, people thought it gave directions for men exclusively, (with statements like, "They should make a ladies version!") but then I showed them the 3 city peeing strategies exclusively for women. This book is a hoot.

Flexing my Youtube muscles

So I finally got something up on Youtube that I'm artistically involved in. I thank garageband and imovie for helping me. This is a cover of the Brian Jonestown Massacre Song "Telegram." Enjoy!

Good picture from when I was heavily bearded, too.
What do you think of the video?
Is the picture a good representation of me?

The History of Superimposed mouths

You may have noticed over the last several years the superimposition of mouths on characters in photos and video. This interests me.

The superimposition of mouths on images has its roots in the internet and probably began with the mass distribution of illegitimate copies of Adobe Photoshop. At this point, any bored person could waste endless hours creating hilarious/dumb/ridiculous images.

Here's one good example.








Some believe this started as a nod to the cult classic, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Though this makes sense temporally, this cannot be what happened. If the movie were to be referenced on the internet, it would be made fun of. The art of homage is lost on the great world wide web. This is why we must search for our sources elsewhere. To Wikipedia!

From what I can tell, this area was largely pioneered by Joel Vietch, owner of www.rathergood.com. His early work didn't use many superimposed things. A video(spoonguard) I remember from my childhood was one of his early experiments in using single elements of a face for superimposition. (ban spoonguard) It advanced further during the spongmonkey years as the meme began to pick up commercial attention. This may have been the first internet meme to make it into the mainstream. Maybe you remember this commercial:


After many years of flying under my radar, this year i have found a much more advanced use of superimposed mouths. In these videos they use video of a human mouth superimposed on animals faces.


Or roadkill faces


These things get played out pretty quickly

Things of Interest

The people on the bus are ... of diverse personalities

"Forward-minded people tend to sit at the front of the top deck, according to Dr Tom Fawcett of Salford University, the independent-minded in the middle and those with a rebellious streak at the rear."

An interesting study on tendencies of people on the bus in the UK. I wonder what kind of people ride the bus in the UK. Is it just the lower and middle classes who ride the bus? (like the most part of America) Is it just Brit-hippies?


Frugal is cool in cash-strapped US

"The era of individualistic consumption that swept aside the Great Society of the 1960s has come to an end. For three decades, American culture has celebrated the glories of unabashed capitalism and the ideals of the rich. No longer. From Hollywood movies to celebrity culture to television, frugalism is taking hold. Consumers are cutting back. Luxury brands are falling by the wayside."

Good that we're not being blamed for digging our own graves anymore. (If we ever were) I like looking through foreign media, they always have more objective views on American politics and culture.
Does that mean less crunk rap?

Does that mean more stripped-down, cheap music videos?

I'm OK with that.

Man Can **FLY**

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.
In 2k9 we can defy gravity. CONGRATS! Those are going to show up in so many spy movies... I can has flysuit?

Hipsterism: A study (post-mortem?)

IRL, People often ask what I mean when I talk about hipsterism.
First, a definition via Wikipedia:

"In the late 1990s and during the 2000s, the 1940s slang term hipster was used to describe young, urban middle class and upper class adults with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly alternative music, independent rock, independent film, magazines like Vice and Clash, websites like Pitchfork Media, and organic, vegan, or locally-grown food.[1] In some contexts, hipsters are also referred to as scenesters.[2]

It is difficult to give a precise definition of a hipster, because hipster culture is a "mutating, trans-Atlantic melting pot of styles, tastes and behavior[s]."[3] One commentator argues that "hipsterism fetishizes the authentic" elements of all of the "fringe movements of the postwar era—Beat, hippie, punk, even grunge," and draws on the "cultural stores of every unmelted ethnicity" and "gay style", and "regurgitates it with a winking inauthenticity" and a sense of irony.[4]"


Now that we all understand what a hipster is, one would logically ask, "why?" Hipsterism is the result of the times. It is spawned largely out of the suburban boredom common in today's middle class young people. They want to be socially active, but have tasted the fruits of consumerism and want to have the good life as well. Essentially, they all want to be Andy Warhol.

Hipsterism is an absurdist, post-modern movement. (Whether or not this is recognized by its subscribers) Irony, the sole principle shared by all hipsters, is a disempowering force. After Duchamp's urinal, hipsterism strives to question societal norms. A hipster's irony questions what is classy and what isn't, what is beautiful and what isn't, what is pleasing to listen to and what is crap.

Hipsterism doesn't deserve the criticism it deserves. Hipster culture is saturated with 'posers' who don't subscribe to the philosophical aspects of hipsterism. These 'posers' create an awful image for the scene as a whole. It is important to recognize that posers exist in every counterculture. Hipster culture is an easier target than most. Like the other absurdist movements of the past century, hipsterism is not appreciated by the masses because it is largely misunderstood. Most hipsters are just thought of as pretentious consumer whores while their works are meant to make a difference.

Maybe you all can hate the hipster movement a little less now that you know more about it. Now, I have a question for you: Is hipsterism dead?