so, i took a google walk up randolph and gratiot to trinosophes, and it just looks like downtown-anywhere to me. any downtown area is a little creepy; this doesn't seem bad. caveats and smart behaviour obviously apply, as they would in any downtown anywhere, but i'm not really worried.
google claims it's a 25 minute walk. my experience is that that usually means it's more like 15, because i'm fit and i walk fast. walking there while the sun is up isn't going to be a concern, but i am going to have to walk back around 11:00. well, i'm going to have to figure things out by experimenting, anyways. if i walk by a mugging, i may think twice about it next time.
i think by foot is actually the safest approach, given that detroit has a high incidence of car vandalism and buses really just get you stuck in a corner you can't get out of it. a brisk walker is less of a target than a bus passenger.
i'm going to go down early to pick up some tickets for boris on the 9th. i've avoided listening to the new record...
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
yeah. i'm just going to tune by ear to separately produce each section, and glue it all together. it'll sound "out of tune" to some people, but the physics are a little too complex to make such a simplistic statement - it's going to be staggered by quartertones and eighthtones throughout, but that's only "out of tune" relative to the obsolete theory that is still entrenched in western academic thought. it's going to be pretty much impossible to reproduce live without multiple guitarists and a set of techs with perfect pitch, but so be it. it's not in the plans, anyways.
so, this is going to be rather tonally complex. good luck transcribing it....
there's only one popular rock band that i'm aware of that made excellent use of microtones in an otherwise tonal context: alice in chains. you can hear it in more avant stuff like swans or sonic youth, but it's not in the same pop context.
specifically, it's the vocal harmonies, which were often just off. again: people think it sounds out of tune and either like it because of that or cringe because of that. tbh, i don't think either staley or cantrell really realized what they were doing, for the precise reason that their new singer hits the notes perfectly. that is, william duvall is a more proficient singer, but, by being a more technically perfect singer, he loses the aspect of the band that initially made them so interesting. i kind of wish some music theory guru would sit cantrell down and explain it to him, but it's also not the same thing to train somebody to pick up a level of chemistry that came through intuition.
i *do* think staley had an intuition for hitting the notes in between, though. like, when staley and cantrell harmonized, staley would often be off by a microtone and would consistently hit the point out of tune because it sounded more "right" to him. in order for that to work the way it does, he has to be accidentally producing perfect overtones. that's why what they had was so special: he was intuitively producing something that exists outside of western music theory, without really realizing he was doing it.
this isn't going to sound like an alice in chains song, but that's the only popular rock band i'm aware of that played with these ideas within the context of popular rock music, accidentally or not.
so, this is going to be rather tonally complex. good luck transcribing it....
there's only one popular rock band that i'm aware of that made excellent use of microtones in an otherwise tonal context: alice in chains. you can hear it in more avant stuff like swans or sonic youth, but it's not in the same pop context.
specifically, it's the vocal harmonies, which were often just off. again: people think it sounds out of tune and either like it because of that or cringe because of that. tbh, i don't think either staley or cantrell really realized what they were doing, for the precise reason that their new singer hits the notes perfectly. that is, william duvall is a more proficient singer, but, by being a more technically perfect singer, he loses the aspect of the band that initially made them so interesting. i kind of wish some music theory guru would sit cantrell down and explain it to him, but it's also not the same thing to train somebody to pick up a level of chemistry that came through intuition.
i *do* think staley had an intuition for hitting the notes in between, though. like, when staley and cantrell harmonized, staley would often be off by a microtone and would consistently hit the point out of tune because it sounded more "right" to him. in order for that to work the way it does, he has to be accidentally producing perfect overtones. that's why what they had was so special: he was intuitively producing something that exists outside of western music theory, without really realizing he was doing it.
this isn't going to sound like an alice in chains song, but that's the only popular rock band i'm aware of that played with these ideas within the context of popular rock music, accidentally or not.
deathtokoalas
whether this is comical or not (it's not spinal tap.), i hope they did the song properly afterwards, for the benefit of the fans that showed up to see them.
pantojadl
this, my dear koala-death-wisher, is as "proper" as it should be. Frankus Blackus Maximus was so stoked in general at this overall performance, guest appearance, and tour. Srslee. The fans who showed up were blessed by all of THIS. Fuck Spinal Tap
R Decline
Properly? What are you talking about? How was it not "properly" done? Do you prefer Frank to shove the mic halfway into his mouth for every other "i bleed" line?
deathtokoalas
not myself, personally. but i think a fan would expect the track to be performed in a way that has some kind of resemblance to the track, as they are familiar with it.
whether this is comical or not (it's not spinal tap.), i hope they did the song properly afterwards, for the benefit of the fans that showed up to see them.
pantojadl
this, my dear koala-death-wisher, is as "proper" as it should be. Frankus Blackus Maximus was so stoked in general at this overall performance, guest appearance, and tour. Srslee. The fans who showed up were blessed by all of THIS. Fuck Spinal Tap
R Decline
Properly? What are you talking about? How was it not "properly" done? Do you prefer Frank to shove the mic halfway into his mouth for every other "i bleed" line?
deathtokoalas
not myself, personally. but i think a fan would expect the track to be performed in a way that has some kind of resemblance to the track, as they are familiar with it.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Alex
Can someone explain the 19:16 part of the music? If in 4/4, there is only 16:16 notes, how can he play 19 in that space? MY BRAIN!!!:(
deathtokoalas
he uses a time machine, basically. it's a type of mind control that warps your perception of space time. ever notice that steely gaze? that's right.
(19 16th notes in a bar occupies three sixteenth notes more than 16 16th notes in a bar does. it's not a fraction. it's a count.)
Can someone explain the 19:16 part of the music? If in 4/4, there is only 16:16 notes, how can he play 19 in that space? MY BRAIN!!!:(
deathtokoalas
he uses a time machine, basically. it's a type of mind control that warps your perception of space time. ever notice that steely gaze? that's right.
(19 16th notes in a bar occupies three sixteenth notes more than 16 16th notes in a bar does. it's not a fraction. it's a count.)
deathtkoalas
i don't know a lot about hip-hop....
but i know this isn't hip hop. it's just madonna redone yet again.
file under "80s retro".
Yo that's Ice Cream
It isn't, you're right. If it was, she'd have flow and wouldn't have to rely on sexual appeal or twerking to get people to listen to this garbage.
This chick can't drop bars for shit. Whoever says otherwise is as talentless as she is.
Sulz
yea no kidding
i don't know a lot about hip-hop....
but i know this isn't hip hop. it's just madonna redone yet again.
file under "80s retro".
Yo that's Ice Cream
It isn't, you're right. If it was, she'd have flow and wouldn't have to rely on sexual appeal or twerking to get people to listen to this garbage.
This chick can't drop bars for shit. Whoever says otherwise is as talentless as she is.
Sulz
yea no kidding
Saturday, July 26, 2014
dude wearing a cure shirt?
i know the propaganda on both sides is very strong, but the rebels simply have no motive to shoot down a passenger jet. i know this is a harsh calculus, but it is the type of logic that overrides in war.
the rebels could not have possibly thought the lives of the people aboard the plane were worth the cost of a wasted missile.
that allows for two legitimate possibilities:
1) the rebels thought the plane was a ukrainian military plane. it was coming in from the direction ukrainian planes would normally follow, and the identification and tracking tools they're using in the fields is not on the level of the tools that the infrastructure provides. to take nothing away from the tragedy of events, the reality is that the plane flew into a war zone. bad things happen when you fly a passenger plane into a warzone. the proper response is to immediately reroute all civilian flights away from the area. they may be trying to prevent an investigation to avoid the optics around it, but that doesn't suggest they did it with intent. nor can we expect them to "be more careful". they need to stop flying over the area while the fighting continues.
2) american and nato forces regularly stage attacks for political reasons, and/or take advantage of errors such as this. it doesn't have to be about actually sending nato troops in (that's not likely to happen until the missile shield is completed). merely creating a security situation for investigators to take over provides the proper context for the ukrainian state to enter the area.
the most likely possibility is (1), and by a long shot. the situation may end up exploited in the way that (2) suggests, but that doesn't imply they were responsible. yet, if there is a conspiracy - if this was planned, however unlikely - it is the west that is a more likely suspect than the east, both due to motives and to historical precedent.
i know the propaganda on both sides is very strong, but the rebels simply have no motive to shoot down a passenger jet. i know this is a harsh calculus, but it is the type of logic that overrides in war.
the rebels could not have possibly thought the lives of the people aboard the plane were worth the cost of a wasted missile.
that allows for two legitimate possibilities:
1) the rebels thought the plane was a ukrainian military plane. it was coming in from the direction ukrainian planes would normally follow, and the identification and tracking tools they're using in the fields is not on the level of the tools that the infrastructure provides. to take nothing away from the tragedy of events, the reality is that the plane flew into a war zone. bad things happen when you fly a passenger plane into a warzone. the proper response is to immediately reroute all civilian flights away from the area. they may be trying to prevent an investigation to avoid the optics around it, but that doesn't suggest they did it with intent. nor can we expect them to "be more careful". they need to stop flying over the area while the fighting continues.
2) american and nato forces regularly stage attacks for political reasons, and/or take advantage of errors such as this. it doesn't have to be about actually sending nato troops in (that's not likely to happen until the missile shield is completed). merely creating a security situation for investigators to take over provides the proper context for the ukrainian state to enter the area.
the most likely possibility is (1), and by a long shot. the situation may end up exploited in the way that (2) suggests, but that doesn't imply they were responsible. yet, if there is a conspiracy - if this was planned, however unlikely - it is the west that is a more likely suspect than the east, both due to motives and to historical precedent.
deathtokoalas
in actuality, weird al is an agent of the nwo and his attempt to distract from the fact merely confirms it. why else would he make a video like this?
think about it: all those years on mtv, mocking the counter-culture. the first hint was his "smells like nirvana" video, which attempted to reduce the cultural changes inherent in alternative culture to a mere joke, thereby neutralizing it's revolutionary potential.
it's a well worn tactic, and a clear indication of who he's really working for.
ReVoLuTioNaRYMiNDeD
Interesting, but I doubt it. I mean he had to get funding from college humour. If he was working for them he would have an unlimited budget
deathtokoalas
well, who funds college humour? and are they not carrying on a similar attack?
if it turns out that college humour is clean - i doubt it - then he must have been sent to infiltrate them.
JonnyXrep
You are both nuts.
deathtokoalas
it's perfect conspiratorial logic, actually.
when something appears to disprove the conspiracy, it is always evidence of the conspiracy itself.
there is a cabal.
and you're all sheeple.
oldgays
weird al is been in the game since Queen and Dr. Demento. I would like to think he's not in the cabal but i guess anything is possible. You might like this http://imgur.com/a/1IMPV
deathtokoalas
his 80s work had a different flavour. but, your suggestion that he's not in the cabal is just more evidence that he is in the cabal. further, you're also probably in the cabal.
John
PLOT TWIST: You're apart of the secret corporations, and are saying certain things to direct attention to decoy groups :O Duhn Duhn Duuuuuuuuuhn!
Point is; paranoia leads to even more paranoia, until everybody eventualy goes mad. And stop deleting comments, just makes you seem insecure.
deathtokoalas
well, that's what i'm accusing al of, so it can't actually be true. it must be that your claim that i'm providing a distraction is actually an attempt to distract from my claim that al is an agent. which makes you a part of the cabal, as well.
Gus23861
I remember when I used to be like you, anything that had the nwo in it I would assume or think of ways to assume that its an inside job and that they are working for the illuminati, dont get me wrong im not having a go at you or anything, I believe they are real but just sometimes people ARE actuality having a joke about it, like in this instance
deathtokoalas
when they can't get you with logic, they attempt emotional manipulation. another obvious nwo agent.
Wom
Shhh, we can't talk here. They're watching. Speak behind the dumpster at 11 o'clock sharp.
deathtokoalas
you've obviously suggested the dumpster because you're aware of the cameras in the streetlights, thereby making you an nwo agent
it reminds me of the time that the undercover cops in food not bombs tried to get us to serve inside city hall. in the district i lived in, city hall was basically the only place in the entire downtown core where we weren't protected by canadian equivalents of the 4th amendment, due to special anti-terrorist legislation. if we served in the park across the street, we'd retain those rights. and, there were, err, reasons why searching us would cause us legal problems.
you guys are sneaky. but i know your tricks.
Wom
*holds finger to ear* Shit, she's onto me. Advise.
TheSoka999
Everyone is an nwo agent, (I don't even know what the fuck nwo is) I think you should see a psychiatrist because you have a sever case of paranoia which might turn to violent aggression towards other people you accuse of being "involved in the conspiracy", this person here is spreading wide panic with unconfirmed claims, although most people will simply ignore her, other paranoid people might take her seriously which will promote more aggressive behavior. No, I am not from the USA, no I do not believe in "the illuminati" conspiracy, why?, because it's unfunded, idiotic and based on nothing but assumptions and the whole pyramid of belief you have here would fall apart if a single part of it was false.
deathtokoalas
the illuminati is most certainly funded - largely by your tax dollars. that's why it's so important to avoid paying any taxes. that's the best way to fight the illuminati - complete tax avoidance.
only the sheeple will be fooled by your suggestions. we the people know the TRUTH.
all the nwo agents are out today, it appears.
DerBlitzStag
Illuminarti? Last time I checked I worked for the Jesuits... or was it Zionists?
deathtokoalas
it doesn't matter. they all work for the lizard people.
Eli
hes making fun of people like you that think of everything as some kind of conspiracy
deathtokoalas
exactly.
that's why he's nwo.
Ricardo
That doesn't make any sense!
deathtokoalas
please ignore this nwo agent and his confusing psy-ops. if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes truth. that's what these people are trying to accomplish by repeatedly arguing that i don't make sense, or that i'm crazy, etc.
the thing that REALLY doesn't make sense is why the sheeple are so easily led and confused.
but the people know the truth. and we will eventually stop the illuminati from taxing us and redistributing our wealth back to the people that we stole it from fair and square.
DerBlitzStag
WHAT? When I sighed up I specifically wanted to be working for the Zionists. I don't care about no Goy lizard shitzels. Fuck that - I'm gonna leave the CIA now and hit the Youtube interview circuit.
deathtokoalas
yeah, right. never believe an nwo agent when:
1) they say they're not an nwo agent. that just means they are, logically.
2) they say they're quitting the nwo. that's just a ploy to trick you.
shroomy frog
i used to be knee deep in this conspiracy crap its nothing but nonsence. the free masons arent bad their the good guys well the groups orginal message fk the church. second non of this reptlion shit is true if you believe in it youll just end up a socially impaired nut. just live your life
deathtokoalas
the masons are just one of several front groups for the lizard people. and, they didn't have an anti-church message to start - that was the illuminati. it's the reason the pope warned us that associating with illuminati would mean we'd have to go to hell and the reason so many people think the illuminati are communist nazi jewish satanists. it was the church that said that so the sheeple wouldn't become illuminati. but the pope works for the lizard people, and eventually they took over the illuminati and now they're lizard people, too.
the masons actually came from ancient egypt and migrated to scotland through spain.
the end goal is to live life more happily, but how can we be happy when the nwo steals all our taxes?
James D
interesting theory, but as with any that concern conspiracy, the government will keep all whispers of truth out of sight, so we may never know what's right
deathtokoalas
you're not following the logic. if the government withholds information regarding a claim, that implies the claim is necessarily true. why else would they withhold information?
PsyberSn0w
Fucking lol.
"When something contradicts the conspiracy, it is evidence of the conspiracy. When something does not contradict the conspiracy, it is evidence of the conspiracy. Everything proves my viewpoints and anything that attempts to disprove my viewpoints only furthers the proof of them."
Are you really so fucking dense, so fucking deluded that you can't understand how illogical that is?
deathtokoalas
"psybersn0w", if that is her real name, is one of the sheeple. beware, people. do not be sheeple.
James D
Weird Al could have made it for the same reasons humans everywhere make videos and post them on YouTube. For the fame, the funny, and the money. Without evidence though, this debate is directionless
deathtokoalas
so, show me the evidence, then.
Rocker1024
and your distraction of his distraction from your distraction is a distraction that is distracting and distracting the real distraction that is the distraction.
deathtokoalas
no. the real distraction is your attempt to distract from my explanation that his claim that i was distracting was a distraction from my claim that al is an agent. yet another member of the cabal...
TonyKnockOff
"WAKE UP SHEEPLE!"
Don't pay attention to the mentally unstable. Take a look at the guy's videos, there's something obviously something fucked about him. He's paranoid and by the looks of it, doesn't sleep well at night.
deathtokoalas
i agree that you should take a closer look at my videos yourself and decide whether i'm really crazy or whether these nwo agents are trying to confuse you into thinking i'm crazy in order to continue their lies while keeping you blind to the truth.
Myrsa
Life is much more boring than the conspiracy theorists want to admit..Of course everyone knows,there will be an elite few who will try to stay at the top..nothing mind blowing about it..however,associating everything in the world to illuminati,freemasons,lucifer and everything occult is where some of you get all looney..It is entertaining yes but most of it is some half-truths mixed with a lot of hogwash
deathtokoalas
the greatest thing about david icke is that it's actually a marxist class analysis. but you sheeple won't accept that.
Sheogorath Unearth
I work for SCP, not the Illuminati. Jesus.
deathtokoalas
the sacred clown posse is just another front for the lizard people
sigh. when will the sheeple learn?
THELONELYCOW
Actually your a psychopath and how do I know your not part of the n.w.o. using confusing us by blaming other people when you are the actual one
deathtokoalas
because that's what i'm saying about al. it's like you're saying that you're rubber and i'm glue and everything i say bounces back and sticks to me. which is fine if you're a snotty child, but it's not advanced enough for conspiratorial logic. anything al or any commenters say that is inconsistent with my claims is necessarily a distraction because of the inconsistency with my claims, which are the truth.
is that more clear? how many times do i need to explain it to you sheeple?
SSGoku55
Another theory is that he has turned against the nwo. This video with over 13 million views and over 12,000 comments, and growing, is shedding light on the illuminati. People are asking questions, providing information, drawing attention to them, which the illuminati don't want. They love to stay hidden, in the shadows and play on the sheeple of humanity. More and more channels about them are appearing. Social media is being replaced by mainstream media, which people don't believe anymore, being controlled by 6 corporations. If what you say is true, thou, it's having a backlash effect. People are learning more about them than ever. The more humanity knows them, the sooner the sleeping giant (Humanity) awakens and that spells the end of the nwo and the illuminati. THAT IS THE ILLMINATI'S GREATEST FEAR!!! Keep fighting!
deathtokoalas
that's what they want you to believe, but throughout history our great saviours have all been fronts for the lizard people. the lizard people will engineer fake revolutions every so often to try out stronger means of control.
there is one coming. obama was a dry run. step back from the situation and look at it carefully. he used all the same social media tricks you're suggesting will save us. but did they save us? no. he's just another pawn of wall street, beholden to the military-industrial complex.
you won't lose the few freedoms you have left from a fascist guard knocking on your door. you'll lose it in the fine print of a false revolution, pushed by a marketing campaign over social media.
but you're so controlled that you've confused your chains for your way to break them.
BrawlTheMan
Pretty sure your crazy. That puppy dog look you have on your channel won't change my mind.
deathtokoalas
*you're.
BrawlTheMan
OH SNAP! YOU CORRECTED MY GRAMMAR! I AM INSTANTLY DEFEATED AND YOU ARE NOT CRAZY. Srsly, no big wall of text about how I'm a sheeple or shill, or whatever buzzword you want to call me?
deathtokoalas
no. your grammar indicated to me that you're just one of the poor lost fools. the lizard people are all in the advanced class. proper grammar and upper class accents are ways that they identify themselves to each other.
Some guy K bish
He made the video because look at the world today every things that is happening is being blamed on the "Illuminati" but the simble for the illuminati means god watches over us all so are they just a religious group that one of the presidents (sorry I don't know what one in English) might have been part of that's why its on the dollar but this is just a theory
deathtokoalas
nonononono, the eye of horus is a deist mason symbol, not an illuminati symbol. the illuminati used to be a group of freethinkers that were opposed to religious fundamentalism, but the church broke them up around the year 1800 and sent adam weishaupt to a convent and made him repent his sins. since then, it's just been another alien lizard people front group. the masons are also a lizard people front group but they're thousands of years old and come from egypt. they brought the eye of horus with them from egypt.
some people say the eye of horus is actually an eye of providence and that it's use on the dollar bill predates it's use in masonry, but this is just obfuscating propaganda for sheeple.
Nick
Well while you people are worrying about the nwo, I'm gonna worry about the bees. Now you're probably saying to yourself; "what the fuck is he talking about..." Well if you didn't know, bees are going extinct and well that's not good. If the bees go extinct, we go extinct. Bees are one of the main sources of pollination and a vital role in the food chain. At first I was all like; "oh no, no more honey... boo hoo." Then I realized its much mores serious then that. So while you peeps worry about conspiracy I'm gonna worry about a threat to all humanity. It makes me sad to think it could end like this... don't believe me? Look it up yourself (just look up: are the bees going extinct)
deathtokoalas
well, who do you think are eliminating the bees? it's part of the lizards' plan to terraform the earth to the jurrasic period. global warming isn't a hoax so much as it's being done on purpose. they've been planning this for centuries, ever since they crash landed here from their millions year old relativity experiment (it turns out einstein was right, but off by a few factors, which is why they came back millions of years into the future), and found all their lizard brethren had been replaced by hominids.
TheTobiasVaughn
there hasn't been an honest, real, revolutionary movement in America since the 70s, perhaps surviving into the very early 80s at absolute latest. I left America ten years ago, and have had a massive detox from the constant stream of mindless propaganda I was subjected to every damn day of my life living there. Everyone in America has been pretty blatantly brainwashed by corporate and national institutions to having a very skewed world view. I had to totally leave America for 5 or 6 years before seeing how strong it was. After 10 years, well, now I understand why the rest of the world thinks Americans are a bit nuts.
deathtokoalas
do you think it's a coincidence that weird al's rise is correlated with the collapse of revolutionary politics in america?
do i need to plot you sheeple a graph, or what?
TheTobiasVaughn
well just like the guy who I berated for using the word "bitch" repeatedly as ultimately unhelpful in his arguments - with you it's sheeple. It is not a word which will assist in getting across your thesis. Present your case clearly with evidence and example and anyone awake enough will follow. But saying sheeple puts you in a hostile position against those you hope to wake up.
deathtokoalas
if i wake up the sheeple, who will i have to berate?
Allura Ambrose
Yo Deathtokoalas, you're being paranoid, i can suggest you one thing, learn Danish and Greenlandic, and move to nuuk, if ww3 happens, you be safe there, they got enough reserves to last out that war.
deathtokoalas
there's no concerts there, though. sounds boring. life without concerts isn't worth living...
...but i'm not worried about wwIII. it's just an excuse for the lizard people to steal your taxes and give them to their lizard people buddies in the defence industry.
superpotatoes1989
How do I know you aren't in the cabal, and Weird Al is actually a freedom fighter. For all we know, you could be trying to confuse and distract us from a real message.
deathtokoalas
i already provided this logic: that would contradict the truth i'm spreading, and is therefore necessarily false.
faarsight
That's right, punk. We're watching you right now.
deathtokoalas
you don't how true that really is....
Nikki
Really? Weird al is a really sweet guy, and a parody genius. Lets just be happy for him instead of turning a form of entertainment into a confirmation of a conspiracy.
deathtokoalas
keep talking nwo agents, it just further confirms my suspicions.
Nuff Said
This song was made for people like you.
deathtokoalas
hardly. the song was made for (lizard) people like al.
Nikki
nwo agents? Do you even know what a smile is? Your face isn't indicating you do. Neither are your words. Lighten up. You take life way too seriously.
deathtokoalas
that's exactly how the nwo wants you to think.
ben
Jesus Christ. He did it because the whole Illuminati thing has become mainstream knowledge now, everyone has heard of it through movies, books, music, etc. And Al always jokes on stuff that's popular. He didn't parody Nirvana to destroy some "alternative culture" he did it because they were becoming popular and he almost ALWAYS focuses on stuff that's becoming big. Same deal here.
I'm not saying I don't believe there are conspiracies and secret cabals and all that kind of thing, at least to some degree, but Weird Al jokes on whatever is big at the time, and nowadays everybody is an armchair conspiracy theorist because the information is so much more prevalent and easily-accessible now. What was once found in rare book shops is now at Barnes and Noble and Amazon and made into a YouTube video and a PDF.
To follow all that with two specific questions, how did Nirvana offer some great cultural change, and how did Weird Al lampooning them affect their influence? They loved the song and their popularity remained strong until Cobain's death. To this day they're seen as legends, but never brought any amazing cultural change. So how did one person's (hilarious) parody effect anything at all?
deathtokoalas
nirvana had a few different social messages, but they were legitimately on the cusp of converting high adrenaline, popular rock music from something that is inherently misogynist and homophobic to something that promotes equality across gender and orientation. it's not like kurt cobain was the first rock start to wear a dress on stage or make out with his bassist on live tv (well, maybe he was the first to do the latter), but it was different when somebody like david bowie did it because he wasn't appealing to the same kids that listened to skid row and slayer. nor was he the only person articulating this in the 90s, but he was definitely leading the way. unfortunately, this had all collapsed by about the year 2000 and homophobic and misogynistic rock music made a huge comeback with the next generation of nu metal and *core offshoots.
weird al's influence on this was not direct. but, by converting that social message into a joke, he helped neutralize it.
James C
what do you think about Korn? They speak out against the coming onslaught of evil! Spike in my viens!
deathtokoalas
i can't criticize korn the same way i'll criticize limp bizkit or kid rock. korn really came out of a merger of hardcore punk and hip-hop, and i'm still not entirely sure why the name "nu metal" got attached to them. i'll say the same thing about tool. tool's primary influences were rollins-era black flag, soundgarden and swans. how does that produce something called metal?
my criticisms of korn are more related to how adolescent the music is. i had their first three records, but i grew out of it by the time i was about 17. and, you have to realize that the domain of korn fandom in the 90s was very different than it was in the 00s as well - it was really freaky music that social outcasts listened to, not this popular phenomenon for jerkish frat boys.
i honestly haven't heard much of anything they've done since follow the leader. and, i've tried to listen to their earlier stuff since and just can't...
mr irenic
Well, that was 3 paragraphs of crazy.
deathtokoalas
i see the nwo agents are back at it....
mr irenic
No, I'm an Atheist. I don't believe in any of this dumb-ass Religion scifi mix bullshit. No, our politicians are not humanoid lizards who have a plan to take over the World and turn it into a one world Goverment where they'll kill off 75% of the worlds population. No, the RFID chip is not the mark of the beast. Satan does not exist. This is just tin-foil hat wearing bullshit.
deathtokoalas
these attempts at persuading me to accept your nwo lies are pointless.
0okamino
"it's perfect conspiratorial logic" The food in my refrigerator spoiled because the cooling system was so perfectly broken. And the kitchen was conspiring against me.
deathtokoalas
it's all designed by the refrigerator companies in co-ordination with the food growing unions.
0okamino
Those sneaky bastards. The other kitchen appliances must be in on it, too.
deathtokoalas
they can talk to each other via their wiring, you know. you have to be very careful what you say when you're around them. and tinfoil doesn't help.
0okamino
That's why I always cover my face with clingwrap any time I'm in there now.
deathtokoalas
clingwrap doesn't work, either. the only solution is to use the cone of silence.
0okamino
It seems to have worked so far. I'll try wrapping it around the cone of silence, just to be safe.
deathtokoalas
no, it has not worked, and i've had enough of your nwo obfuscation!
0okamino
Well, I said it seems to work. But maybe that's just them lulling me into a false sense of security. I'll start using the cone of silence.
Mirage9475
Damn A-10 Thunderbolt flies over Are the Rice Crispies in my cupboard NWO agents too?
deathtokoalas
snap, crackle and pop are definitely on the payroll.
Mirage9475
Good job I ate them.
TheManWithTheFlan
You realize, Kurt Cobain thought "Smells Like Nirvana" was hilarious, right? That he literally (like, Grammar Nazi literally) "LOL'd" at it?
deathtokoalas
he seems to not have realized the consequences of it, or maybe didn't care. it seems to be a common level of naivete or apathy with people he parodies.
menacinggesture
I think you may have given this one entirely too much thought, or Weird Al's social influence entirely too much credit.
deathtokoalas
you cia plants and nwo agents just won't give it up, will you?
menacingggesture
LMAO! I'm just some random asshole spoofing shit on the internet. I'm not working to undermine anything, except maybe myself, but I mostly do that on dating sites. lmao.
deathtokoalas
once again: i will not be swayed with your obfuscation.
in actuality, weird al is an agent of the nwo and his attempt to distract from the fact merely confirms it. why else would he make a video like this?
think about it: all those years on mtv, mocking the counter-culture. the first hint was his "smells like nirvana" video, which attempted to reduce the cultural changes inherent in alternative culture to a mere joke, thereby neutralizing it's revolutionary potential.
it's a well worn tactic, and a clear indication of who he's really working for.
ReVoLuTioNaRYMiNDeD
Interesting, but I doubt it. I mean he had to get funding from college humour. If he was working for them he would have an unlimited budget
deathtokoalas
well, who funds college humour? and are they not carrying on a similar attack?
if it turns out that college humour is clean - i doubt it - then he must have been sent to infiltrate them.
JonnyXrep
You are both nuts.
deathtokoalas
it's perfect conspiratorial logic, actually.
when something appears to disprove the conspiracy, it is always evidence of the conspiracy itself.
there is a cabal.
and you're all sheeple.
oldgays
weird al is been in the game since Queen and Dr. Demento. I would like to think he's not in the cabal but i guess anything is possible. You might like this http://imgur.com/a/1IMPV
deathtokoalas
his 80s work had a different flavour. but, your suggestion that he's not in the cabal is just more evidence that he is in the cabal. further, you're also probably in the cabal.
John
PLOT TWIST: You're apart of the secret corporations, and are saying certain things to direct attention to decoy groups :O Duhn Duhn Duuuuuuuuuhn!
Point is; paranoia leads to even more paranoia, until everybody eventualy goes mad. And stop deleting comments, just makes you seem insecure.
deathtokoalas
well, that's what i'm accusing al of, so it can't actually be true. it must be that your claim that i'm providing a distraction is actually an attempt to distract from my claim that al is an agent. which makes you a part of the cabal, as well.
Gus23861
I remember when I used to be like you, anything that had the nwo in it I would assume or think of ways to assume that its an inside job and that they are working for the illuminati, dont get me wrong im not having a go at you or anything, I believe they are real but just sometimes people ARE actuality having a joke about it, like in this instance
deathtokoalas
when they can't get you with logic, they attempt emotional manipulation. another obvious nwo agent.
Wom
Shhh, we can't talk here. They're watching. Speak behind the dumpster at 11 o'clock sharp.
deathtokoalas
you've obviously suggested the dumpster because you're aware of the cameras in the streetlights, thereby making you an nwo agent
it reminds me of the time that the undercover cops in food not bombs tried to get us to serve inside city hall. in the district i lived in, city hall was basically the only place in the entire downtown core where we weren't protected by canadian equivalents of the 4th amendment, due to special anti-terrorist legislation. if we served in the park across the street, we'd retain those rights. and, there were, err, reasons why searching us would cause us legal problems.
you guys are sneaky. but i know your tricks.
Wom
*holds finger to ear* Shit, she's onto me. Advise.
TheSoka999
Everyone is an nwo agent, (I don't even know what the fuck nwo is) I think you should see a psychiatrist because you have a sever case of paranoia which might turn to violent aggression towards other people you accuse of being "involved in the conspiracy", this person here is spreading wide panic with unconfirmed claims, although most people will simply ignore her, other paranoid people might take her seriously which will promote more aggressive behavior. No, I am not from the USA, no I do not believe in "the illuminati" conspiracy, why?, because it's unfunded, idiotic and based on nothing but assumptions and the whole pyramid of belief you have here would fall apart if a single part of it was false.
deathtokoalas
the illuminati is most certainly funded - largely by your tax dollars. that's why it's so important to avoid paying any taxes. that's the best way to fight the illuminati - complete tax avoidance.
only the sheeple will be fooled by your suggestions. we the people know the TRUTH.
all the nwo agents are out today, it appears.
DerBlitzStag
Illuminarti? Last time I checked I worked for the Jesuits... or was it Zionists?
deathtokoalas
it doesn't matter. they all work for the lizard people.
Eli
hes making fun of people like you that think of everything as some kind of conspiracy
deathtokoalas
exactly.
that's why he's nwo.
Ricardo
That doesn't make any sense!
deathtokoalas
please ignore this nwo agent and his confusing psy-ops. if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes truth. that's what these people are trying to accomplish by repeatedly arguing that i don't make sense, or that i'm crazy, etc.
the thing that REALLY doesn't make sense is why the sheeple are so easily led and confused.
but the people know the truth. and we will eventually stop the illuminati from taxing us and redistributing our wealth back to the people that we stole it from fair and square.
DerBlitzStag
WHAT? When I sighed up I specifically wanted to be working for the Zionists. I don't care about no Goy lizard shitzels. Fuck that - I'm gonna leave the CIA now and hit the Youtube interview circuit.
deathtokoalas
yeah, right. never believe an nwo agent when:
1) they say they're not an nwo agent. that just means they are, logically.
2) they say they're quitting the nwo. that's just a ploy to trick you.
shroomy frog
i used to be knee deep in this conspiracy crap its nothing but nonsence. the free masons arent bad their the good guys well the groups orginal message fk the church. second non of this reptlion shit is true if you believe in it youll just end up a socially impaired nut. just live your life
deathtokoalas
the masons are just one of several front groups for the lizard people. and, they didn't have an anti-church message to start - that was the illuminati. it's the reason the pope warned us that associating with illuminati would mean we'd have to go to hell and the reason so many people think the illuminati are communist nazi jewish satanists. it was the church that said that so the sheeple wouldn't become illuminati. but the pope works for the lizard people, and eventually they took over the illuminati and now they're lizard people, too.
the masons actually came from ancient egypt and migrated to scotland through spain.
the end goal is to live life more happily, but how can we be happy when the nwo steals all our taxes?
James D
interesting theory, but as with any that concern conspiracy, the government will keep all whispers of truth out of sight, so we may never know what's right
deathtokoalas
you're not following the logic. if the government withholds information regarding a claim, that implies the claim is necessarily true. why else would they withhold information?
PsyberSn0w
Fucking lol.
"When something contradicts the conspiracy, it is evidence of the conspiracy. When something does not contradict the conspiracy, it is evidence of the conspiracy. Everything proves my viewpoints and anything that attempts to disprove my viewpoints only furthers the proof of them."
Are you really so fucking dense, so fucking deluded that you can't understand how illogical that is?
deathtokoalas
"psybersn0w", if that is her real name, is one of the sheeple. beware, people. do not be sheeple.
James D
Weird Al could have made it for the same reasons humans everywhere make videos and post them on YouTube. For the fame, the funny, and the money. Without evidence though, this debate is directionless
deathtokoalas
so, show me the evidence, then.
Rocker1024
and your distraction of his distraction from your distraction is a distraction that is distracting and distracting the real distraction that is the distraction.
deathtokoalas
no. the real distraction is your attempt to distract from my explanation that his claim that i was distracting was a distraction from my claim that al is an agent. yet another member of the cabal...
TonyKnockOff
"WAKE UP SHEEPLE!"
Don't pay attention to the mentally unstable. Take a look at the guy's videos, there's something obviously something fucked about him. He's paranoid and by the looks of it, doesn't sleep well at night.
deathtokoalas
i agree that you should take a closer look at my videos yourself and decide whether i'm really crazy or whether these nwo agents are trying to confuse you into thinking i'm crazy in order to continue their lies while keeping you blind to the truth.
Myrsa
Life is much more boring than the conspiracy theorists want to admit..Of course everyone knows,there will be an elite few who will try to stay at the top..nothing mind blowing about it..however,associating everything in the world to illuminati,freemasons,lucifer and everything occult is where some of you get all looney..It is entertaining yes but most of it is some half-truths mixed with a lot of hogwash
deathtokoalas
the greatest thing about david icke is that it's actually a marxist class analysis. but you sheeple won't accept that.
Sheogorath Unearth
I work for SCP, not the Illuminati. Jesus.
deathtokoalas
the sacred clown posse is just another front for the lizard people
sigh. when will the sheeple learn?
THELONELYCOW
Actually your a psychopath and how do I know your not part of the n.w.o. using confusing us by blaming other people when you are the actual one
deathtokoalas
because that's what i'm saying about al. it's like you're saying that you're rubber and i'm glue and everything i say bounces back and sticks to me. which is fine if you're a snotty child, but it's not advanced enough for conspiratorial logic. anything al or any commenters say that is inconsistent with my claims is necessarily a distraction because of the inconsistency with my claims, which are the truth.
is that more clear? how many times do i need to explain it to you sheeple?
SSGoku55
Another theory is that he has turned against the nwo. This video with over 13 million views and over 12,000 comments, and growing, is shedding light on the illuminati. People are asking questions, providing information, drawing attention to them, which the illuminati don't want. They love to stay hidden, in the shadows and play on the sheeple of humanity. More and more channels about them are appearing. Social media is being replaced by mainstream media, which people don't believe anymore, being controlled by 6 corporations. If what you say is true, thou, it's having a backlash effect. People are learning more about them than ever. The more humanity knows them, the sooner the sleeping giant (Humanity) awakens and that spells the end of the nwo and the illuminati. THAT IS THE ILLMINATI'S GREATEST FEAR!!! Keep fighting!
deathtokoalas
that's what they want you to believe, but throughout history our great saviours have all been fronts for the lizard people. the lizard people will engineer fake revolutions every so often to try out stronger means of control.
there is one coming. obama was a dry run. step back from the situation and look at it carefully. he used all the same social media tricks you're suggesting will save us. but did they save us? no. he's just another pawn of wall street, beholden to the military-industrial complex.
you won't lose the few freedoms you have left from a fascist guard knocking on your door. you'll lose it in the fine print of a false revolution, pushed by a marketing campaign over social media.
but you're so controlled that you've confused your chains for your way to break them.
BrawlTheMan
Pretty sure your crazy. That puppy dog look you have on your channel won't change my mind.
deathtokoalas
*you're.
BrawlTheMan
OH SNAP! YOU CORRECTED MY GRAMMAR! I AM INSTANTLY DEFEATED AND YOU ARE NOT CRAZY. Srsly, no big wall of text about how I'm a sheeple or shill, or whatever buzzword you want to call me?
deathtokoalas
no. your grammar indicated to me that you're just one of the poor lost fools. the lizard people are all in the advanced class. proper grammar and upper class accents are ways that they identify themselves to each other.
Some guy K bish
He made the video because look at the world today every things that is happening is being blamed on the "Illuminati" but the simble for the illuminati means god watches over us all so are they just a religious group that one of the presidents (sorry I don't know what one in English) might have been part of that's why its on the dollar but this is just a theory
deathtokoalas
nonononono, the eye of horus is a deist mason symbol, not an illuminati symbol. the illuminati used to be a group of freethinkers that were opposed to religious fundamentalism, but the church broke them up around the year 1800 and sent adam weishaupt to a convent and made him repent his sins. since then, it's just been another alien lizard people front group. the masons are also a lizard people front group but they're thousands of years old and come from egypt. they brought the eye of horus with them from egypt.
some people say the eye of horus is actually an eye of providence and that it's use on the dollar bill predates it's use in masonry, but this is just obfuscating propaganda for sheeple.
Nick
Well while you people are worrying about the nwo, I'm gonna worry about the bees. Now you're probably saying to yourself; "what the fuck is he talking about..." Well if you didn't know, bees are going extinct and well that's not good. If the bees go extinct, we go extinct. Bees are one of the main sources of pollination and a vital role in the food chain. At first I was all like; "oh no, no more honey... boo hoo." Then I realized its much mores serious then that. So while you peeps worry about conspiracy I'm gonna worry about a threat to all humanity. It makes me sad to think it could end like this... don't believe me? Look it up yourself (just look up: are the bees going extinct)
deathtokoalas
well, who do you think are eliminating the bees? it's part of the lizards' plan to terraform the earth to the jurrasic period. global warming isn't a hoax so much as it's being done on purpose. they've been planning this for centuries, ever since they crash landed here from their millions year old relativity experiment (it turns out einstein was right, but off by a few factors, which is why they came back millions of years into the future), and found all their lizard brethren had been replaced by hominids.
TheTobiasVaughn
there hasn't been an honest, real, revolutionary movement in America since the 70s, perhaps surviving into the very early 80s at absolute latest. I left America ten years ago, and have had a massive detox from the constant stream of mindless propaganda I was subjected to every damn day of my life living there. Everyone in America has been pretty blatantly brainwashed by corporate and national institutions to having a very skewed world view. I had to totally leave America for 5 or 6 years before seeing how strong it was. After 10 years, well, now I understand why the rest of the world thinks Americans are a bit nuts.
deathtokoalas
do you think it's a coincidence that weird al's rise is correlated with the collapse of revolutionary politics in america?
do i need to plot you sheeple a graph, or what?
TheTobiasVaughn
well just like the guy who I berated for using the word "bitch" repeatedly as ultimately unhelpful in his arguments - with you it's sheeple. It is not a word which will assist in getting across your thesis. Present your case clearly with evidence and example and anyone awake enough will follow. But saying sheeple puts you in a hostile position against those you hope to wake up.
deathtokoalas
if i wake up the sheeple, who will i have to berate?
Allura Ambrose
Yo Deathtokoalas, you're being paranoid, i can suggest you one thing, learn Danish and Greenlandic, and move to nuuk, if ww3 happens, you be safe there, they got enough reserves to last out that war.
deathtokoalas
there's no concerts there, though. sounds boring. life without concerts isn't worth living...
...but i'm not worried about wwIII. it's just an excuse for the lizard people to steal your taxes and give them to their lizard people buddies in the defence industry.
superpotatoes1989
How do I know you aren't in the cabal, and Weird Al is actually a freedom fighter. For all we know, you could be trying to confuse and distract us from a real message.
deathtokoalas
i already provided this logic: that would contradict the truth i'm spreading, and is therefore necessarily false.
faarsight
That's right, punk. We're watching you right now.
deathtokoalas
you don't how true that really is....
Nikki
Really? Weird al is a really sweet guy, and a parody genius. Lets just be happy for him instead of turning a form of entertainment into a confirmation of a conspiracy.
deathtokoalas
keep talking nwo agents, it just further confirms my suspicions.
Nuff Said
This song was made for people like you.
deathtokoalas
hardly. the song was made for (lizard) people like al.
Nikki
nwo agents? Do you even know what a smile is? Your face isn't indicating you do. Neither are your words. Lighten up. You take life way too seriously.
deathtokoalas
that's exactly how the nwo wants you to think.
ben
Jesus Christ. He did it because the whole Illuminati thing has become mainstream knowledge now, everyone has heard of it through movies, books, music, etc. And Al always jokes on stuff that's popular. He didn't parody Nirvana to destroy some "alternative culture" he did it because they were becoming popular and he almost ALWAYS focuses on stuff that's becoming big. Same deal here.
I'm not saying I don't believe there are conspiracies and secret cabals and all that kind of thing, at least to some degree, but Weird Al jokes on whatever is big at the time, and nowadays everybody is an armchair conspiracy theorist because the information is so much more prevalent and easily-accessible now. What was once found in rare book shops is now at Barnes and Noble and Amazon and made into a YouTube video and a PDF.
To follow all that with two specific questions, how did Nirvana offer some great cultural change, and how did Weird Al lampooning them affect their influence? They loved the song and their popularity remained strong until Cobain's death. To this day they're seen as legends, but never brought any amazing cultural change. So how did one person's (hilarious) parody effect anything at all?
deathtokoalas
nirvana had a few different social messages, but they were legitimately on the cusp of converting high adrenaline, popular rock music from something that is inherently misogynist and homophobic to something that promotes equality across gender and orientation. it's not like kurt cobain was the first rock start to wear a dress on stage or make out with his bassist on live tv (well, maybe he was the first to do the latter), but it was different when somebody like david bowie did it because he wasn't appealing to the same kids that listened to skid row and slayer. nor was he the only person articulating this in the 90s, but he was definitely leading the way. unfortunately, this had all collapsed by about the year 2000 and homophobic and misogynistic rock music made a huge comeback with the next generation of nu metal and *core offshoots.
weird al's influence on this was not direct. but, by converting that social message into a joke, he helped neutralize it.
James C
what do you think about Korn? They speak out against the coming onslaught of evil! Spike in my viens!
deathtokoalas
i can't criticize korn the same way i'll criticize limp bizkit or kid rock. korn really came out of a merger of hardcore punk and hip-hop, and i'm still not entirely sure why the name "nu metal" got attached to them. i'll say the same thing about tool. tool's primary influences were rollins-era black flag, soundgarden and swans. how does that produce something called metal?
my criticisms of korn are more related to how adolescent the music is. i had their first three records, but i grew out of it by the time i was about 17. and, you have to realize that the domain of korn fandom in the 90s was very different than it was in the 00s as well - it was really freaky music that social outcasts listened to, not this popular phenomenon for jerkish frat boys.
i honestly haven't heard much of anything they've done since follow the leader. and, i've tried to listen to their earlier stuff since and just can't...
mr irenic
Well, that was 3 paragraphs of crazy.
deathtokoalas
i see the nwo agents are back at it....
mr irenic
No, I'm an Atheist. I don't believe in any of this dumb-ass Religion scifi mix bullshit. No, our politicians are not humanoid lizards who have a plan to take over the World and turn it into a one world Goverment where they'll kill off 75% of the worlds population. No, the RFID chip is not the mark of the beast. Satan does not exist. This is just tin-foil hat wearing bullshit.
deathtokoalas
these attempts at persuading me to accept your nwo lies are pointless.
0okamino
"it's perfect conspiratorial logic" The food in my refrigerator spoiled because the cooling system was so perfectly broken. And the kitchen was conspiring against me.
deathtokoalas
it's all designed by the refrigerator companies in co-ordination with the food growing unions.
0okamino
Those sneaky bastards. The other kitchen appliances must be in on it, too.
deathtokoalas
they can talk to each other via their wiring, you know. you have to be very careful what you say when you're around them. and tinfoil doesn't help.
0okamino
That's why I always cover my face with clingwrap any time I'm in there now.
deathtokoalas
clingwrap doesn't work, either. the only solution is to use the cone of silence.
0okamino
It seems to have worked so far. I'll try wrapping it around the cone of silence, just to be safe.
deathtokoalas
no, it has not worked, and i've had enough of your nwo obfuscation!
0okamino
Well, I said it seems to work. But maybe that's just them lulling me into a false sense of security. I'll start using the cone of silence.
Mirage9475
Damn A-10 Thunderbolt flies over Are the Rice Crispies in my cupboard NWO agents too?
deathtokoalas
snap, crackle and pop are definitely on the payroll.
Mirage9475
Good job I ate them.
TheManWithTheFlan
You realize, Kurt Cobain thought "Smells Like Nirvana" was hilarious, right? That he literally (like, Grammar Nazi literally) "LOL'd" at it?
deathtokoalas
he seems to not have realized the consequences of it, or maybe didn't care. it seems to be a common level of naivete or apathy with people he parodies.
menacinggesture
I think you may have given this one entirely too much thought, or Weird Al's social influence entirely too much credit.
deathtokoalas
you cia plants and nwo agents just won't give it up, will you?
menacingggesture
LMAO! I'm just some random asshole spoofing shit on the internet. I'm not working to undermine anything, except maybe myself, but I mostly do that on dating sites. lmao.
deathtokoalas
once again: i will not be swayed with your obfuscation.
Friday, July 25, 2014
publishing the intersection of two identical particles moving in completely opposite directions (inri047)
ok...
so, to understand this piece, it's necessary to go back to 1998.
i was working out primitive sequencer parts for the first inri demo and it just sort of crossed my mind that there was really nothing stopping me from composing symphonies except for a lot of music theory. well, if i could write electronic music without training, why couldn't i write symphonies without training? i mean, the score writing program exists in front of me. it was just a question of experimenting with it. i could do it myself...
...but i actually already had a pretty hefty disdain for music theory by the age of 17. i'd managed to come across a music history textbook that traced the deconstruction of western theory from beethoven through to schoenberg and this, combined with my experiences as a guitarist, was enough to prevent me from taking it seriously. the perception i had was of modern composers viewing music theory sort of like how biologists viewed creationism. i use that analogy fairly frequently. it just didn't strike me as relevant.
now, i've softened a bit over time to a view that music theory is best understood in terms of the underlying physics. this renders the theory useless, but upholds the basic relationships between tones as physical, mathematical realities. the thing is the next step of abstraction is understanding that these mathematical objects can be arranged and analyzed in any arbitrary way, and the conventional theory really *is* a fallacy akin to creationism. so, i still hold to the general thesis. this is actually the first serious example of me putting that disdain for the idea that music should have a theory into real action. i remain adamantly of the view that art is not a realm where theories should exist or be viewed with anything other than scorn. theories are rigid, formal things; art is informal, chaotic.
so, it's 1998. i have a scorewriter and a very basic soundcard and i want to bullshit a symphony out of it. i did this by composing a single brief melody by randomly mashing notes into a scorewriter. i then took that melody and pasted it over top of itself at differing speeds (64th, 32nd, 16th, 8th, quarter, half, whole notes). i then took that, cut it off near the end of the half notes and pasted it over itself, backwards.
that might sound like it's going to sound awful, but it actually sounds quite lovely. one could analyze it quite easily, but it's creation is beyond the realm of any rules of construction.
which is where art belongs.
...excepting the algorithm i used, of course. i suppose it's more reich than schoenberg, but kind of more xenakis than either.
the initial version ended up subsumed underneath a messy noise collage that i created independently and have lost the source material for. that messy noise collage was eliminated from the track for the 1999 version, which was reconstructed by reproducing the algorithm. these are tracks 19 and 20 on this systematic exploration of the theme.
in 2001, i ran the midi file through my soundblaster live!, which as primitive as it is, has a much nicer wavetable in it than the primitive soundcard i used in 1998 and 1999 (i don't remember what it was). this is track 21. i also slowed it down by about 20 bpm and allowed the full file to "intersect", which let it breathe more. i've previously not done anything with this mix other than append it to some mix cds. the guitars on the soundblaster are notoriously bad, so there wasn't a lot to do with it....
why? well, i was writing a lot with scorewriters at the time and was just experimenting with the old file, really. but i was also finishing up what would be the only year i would spend in the math-physics department, and thought it sounded like i would imagine intersecting particles *should* sound like. i was generally interested in finding ways to combine science with music then - an interest that is present in older tracks as well and that has stuck with me. i may explore these themes further in time. one of the ideas i really wanted to accomplish was a physical modelling of the universe, to actually simulate the music of the spheres, as pythagoras imagined it. i think i underestimated the complexity of such a task....
of course, i never expected the music of the spheres to be tonal. and i wouldn't expect the sound of particles intersecting to be musical, either. but, we can take some artistic license. if intersecting particles are to make a sound, it OUGHT to be something like this!
now, the place to work out the actual intersection is rather arbitrary. i had initially cut off the entire section of pure whole notes, back in '98. what i wanted to do in '01 was create a sequence where it's cut off incrementally, creating shorter and shorter pieces. i didn't actually do that then, but i have now.
as for the piece, i haven't changed it much. i've doubled the guitar with a pizzicato string section, and put it through a better guitar synthesizer (and amp simulator, and effects). the sound fonts are otherwise identical, just updated mildly to a better synthesizer.
i've included the midi files of the original composition, if you'd like to mess with it on your own.
written june, 1998. reimagined june, 2001. slightly rearranged and re-rendered at the end of july, 2014. the renders here are from june 1998, june 1999, june 2001 and july 2014. as always, please headphones.
credits:
j - programming, digital effects & treatments, digital wave editing, composition.
the rendered electronic orchestras variously include piano, electric guitar, orchestra hit, synth pads, pizzicato strings and pc card.
released june 18, 2001
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-intersection-of-two-identical-particles-moving-in-completely-opposite-directions
so, to understand this piece, it's necessary to go back to 1998.
i was working out primitive sequencer parts for the first inri demo and it just sort of crossed my mind that there was really nothing stopping me from composing symphonies except for a lot of music theory. well, if i could write electronic music without training, why couldn't i write symphonies without training? i mean, the score writing program exists in front of me. it was just a question of experimenting with it. i could do it myself...
...but i actually already had a pretty hefty disdain for music theory by the age of 17. i'd managed to come across a music history textbook that traced the deconstruction of western theory from beethoven through to schoenberg and this, combined with my experiences as a guitarist, was enough to prevent me from taking it seriously. the perception i had was of modern composers viewing music theory sort of like how biologists viewed creationism. i use that analogy fairly frequently. it just didn't strike me as relevant.
now, i've softened a bit over time to a view that music theory is best understood in terms of the underlying physics. this renders the theory useless, but upholds the basic relationships between tones as physical, mathematical realities. the thing is the next step of abstraction is understanding that these mathematical objects can be arranged and analyzed in any arbitrary way, and the conventional theory really *is* a fallacy akin to creationism. so, i still hold to the general thesis. this is actually the first serious example of me putting that disdain for the idea that music should have a theory into real action. i remain adamantly of the view that art is not a realm where theories should exist or be viewed with anything other than scorn. theories are rigid, formal things; art is informal, chaotic.
so, it's 1998. i have a scorewriter and a very basic soundcard and i want to bullshit a symphony out of it. i did this by composing a single brief melody by randomly mashing notes into a scorewriter. i then took that melody and pasted it over top of itself at differing speeds (64th, 32nd, 16th, 8th, quarter, half, whole notes). i then took that, cut it off near the end of the half notes and pasted it over itself, backwards.
that might sound like it's going to sound awful, but it actually sounds quite lovely. one could analyze it quite easily, but it's creation is beyond the realm of any rules of construction.
which is where art belongs.
...excepting the algorithm i used, of course. i suppose it's more reich than schoenberg, but kind of more xenakis than either.
the initial version ended up subsumed underneath a messy noise collage that i created independently and have lost the source material for. that messy noise collage was eliminated from the track for the 1999 version, which was reconstructed by reproducing the algorithm. these are tracks 19 and 20 on this systematic exploration of the theme.
in 2001, i ran the midi file through my soundblaster live!, which as primitive as it is, has a much nicer wavetable in it than the primitive soundcard i used in 1998 and 1999 (i don't remember what it was). this is track 21. i also slowed it down by about 20 bpm and allowed the full file to "intersect", which let it breathe more. i've previously not done anything with this mix other than append it to some mix cds. the guitars on the soundblaster are notoriously bad, so there wasn't a lot to do with it....
why? well, i was writing a lot with scorewriters at the time and was just experimenting with the old file, really. but i was also finishing up what would be the only year i would spend in the math-physics department, and thought it sounded like i would imagine intersecting particles *should* sound like. i was generally interested in finding ways to combine science with music then - an interest that is present in older tracks as well and that has stuck with me. i may explore these themes further in time. one of the ideas i really wanted to accomplish was a physical modelling of the universe, to actually simulate the music of the spheres, as pythagoras imagined it. i think i underestimated the complexity of such a task....
of course, i never expected the music of the spheres to be tonal. and i wouldn't expect the sound of particles intersecting to be musical, either. but, we can take some artistic license. if intersecting particles are to make a sound, it OUGHT to be something like this!
now, the place to work out the actual intersection is rather arbitrary. i had initially cut off the entire section of pure whole notes, back in '98. what i wanted to do in '01 was create a sequence where it's cut off incrementally, creating shorter and shorter pieces. i didn't actually do that then, but i have now.
as for the piece, i haven't changed it much. i've doubled the guitar with a pizzicato string section, and put it through a better guitar synthesizer (and amp simulator, and effects). the sound fonts are otherwise identical, just updated mildly to a better synthesizer.
i've included the midi files of the original composition, if you'd like to mess with it on your own.
written june, 1998. reimagined june, 2001. slightly rearranged and re-rendered at the end of july, 2014. the renders here are from june 1998, june 1999, june 2001 and july 2014. as always, please headphones.
credits:
j - programming, digital effects & treatments, digital wave editing, composition.
the rendered electronic orchestras variously include piano, electric guitar, orchestra hit, synth pads, pizzicato strings and pc card.
released june 18, 2001
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-intersection-of-two-identical-particles-moving-in-completely-opposite-directions
nexus card arrived in the mail today.
first show over will be the seminal kraut-noise act, oneida.
i'm learning that detroit has a show i'd spend $10 on pretty much every day. i don't have $10 to spend every day. if i were to somehow find a job, i'd not be able to go to a lot of the shows, so it's a catch-22. worse, it costs $9 (maybe $7, i'll find out) in tolls to get back and forth. that's going to mean i'm going to not buy very much beer when i'm over. going across 4 or 5 times a month (which is roughly the current plan) is going to add up to substantial border tolls, unfortunately. i mean, the cost of a $5 show is actually $15. that's a big difference. i can't resolve that, i just have to eat it.
so, that means i'm going to be picky. but, the flip side is that i have a huge array of options. as i'll be keeping a close eye on things, i'll also point out here shows that i nearly attended but didn't. unfortunately, these are probably going to be a lot of the up and coming acts i'd otherwise take a chance on. and i will miss some things in person.
for the next few months, i have an increased amount of disposable income. i will be over quite often.
oneida is a good first show. first update on the first of august.
first show over will be the seminal kraut-noise act, oneida.
i'm learning that detroit has a show i'd spend $10 on pretty much every day. i don't have $10 to spend every day. if i were to somehow find a job, i'd not be able to go to a lot of the shows, so it's a catch-22. worse, it costs $9 (maybe $7, i'll find out) in tolls to get back and forth. that's going to mean i'm going to not buy very much beer when i'm over. going across 4 or 5 times a month (which is roughly the current plan) is going to add up to substantial border tolls, unfortunately. i mean, the cost of a $5 show is actually $15. that's a big difference. i can't resolve that, i just have to eat it.
so, that means i'm going to be picky. but, the flip side is that i have a huge array of options. as i'll be keeping a close eye on things, i'll also point out here shows that i nearly attended but didn't. unfortunately, these are probably going to be a lot of the up and coming acts i'd otherwise take a chance on. and i will miss some things in person.
for the next few months, i have an increased amount of disposable income. i will be over quite often.
oneida is a good first show. first update on the first of august.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
trolling weird al
deathtokoalas
i refuse to follow the rules that exist in conventional english grammar regarding its/it's, as it demonstrates rather clearly how grammar is in fact a form of mind control. it clearly follows that weird al is an nwo pawn, btw.
but, let us analyze this carefully. we have three things to take into account.
1) contractions. it's can clearly be used as a contraction for "it is". no argument.
2) plural. generally, when used without an apostrophe, an s at the end of a word means that the idea expressed is one of plurality.
3) possessive. generally, we use apostrophes to indicate possessives.
it follows that, to be consistent across the language, its should mean plural and it's should be used for both the contraction and the possessive. yet, for absolutely no discernible reason other than the arbitrary dictate of some centralized grammar authority somewhere, this convention is shattered for it's/its. i don't know the history, but it almost certainly reduces to somebody's arbitrary opinion on the matter.
i reject all of this as inconsistent with the principles of natural justice, which demand that laws be on a firm, rational basis rather than at the arbitrary dictate of some authoritarian body. with enough push back, we can take back our language as a democratic, dynamic entity and have this changed to something more rational.
so, please join in me in ignoring the irrationality of this particular rule of modern english - and any others you may find.
Luke
What do you have against koalas?
deathtokoalas
it's the cuteness. puts me into a rage just thinking about it...
Mario
whether or not you're being a troll, you make a rather interesting claim. You must be the life of the party, too. Haha take care.
deathtokoalas
well, in some sense, i'm drawing from orwell. but, you don't really need to draw on fiction. you can look at the development of french. the history of repression that has gone into french is very deep and well documented. most people that today speak "proper french" previously spoke a different dialect of latin, such as occitan. these dialects have been viciously repressed through forced schooling in a manner that is every bit as heavy-handed as the forced anglicization of natives in australia and canada. the development of france as a nation-state is inherently connected to the standardization of french as a language.
if you analyze french, you'll immediately realize how ridiculously constructed it is. the gendering is really quite ridiculous, and consider how much deference it provides to authority (specifying between the tu and the vous seems entirely arbitrary, until you realize it's meant to enforce a hierarchy).
linguists will tell you that language is really at the core of how we think. how many philosophical debates reduce to the meaning of a term? and, there's good reason for this, as it's at the core of how we grasp concepts. if the centralized grammar authorities (dare i say grammar nazis) can get you to think in a way that upholds hierarchy and defers you to authority, they're a good ways towards getting you to behave in the way they want.
it's/its may be trivial in that context, and english is not nearly as controlled as french is. but, it's a good place to start in deconstructing the conditioning and questioning the ideas underlying the grammatical rules.
a better example in english is capitalization.
stop and think about what they teach kids in schools. whenever you capitalize a proper name, you're enforcing a hierarchical relationship between people. when a child writes "the president", it's marked as incorrect. it must be The President. for the rest of your life, you will write The President, The Prime Minister, The CEO, etc.
this is so engrained it's not even thought about. but it's a means of enforcing a social order.
Mario Venegas
holy shit. I wish I had that much time on my hands. Well, TIL. Thanks for that wall of awesome information. That's pretty rad stuff. What do you do for a living, if I may ask? You seem very knowledgeable. I apologize in advance, English isn't my first language.
deathtokoalas
let's just say i'm a musician. you can hear my music by clicking my name.
lsm234
You rage against the machine, bro!
deathtokoalas
i'd advise building parallel structures, instead. far more productive.
(evil laugh)
J.D.
Look out we have a rebel here! Mwahaha that was a fragment! that will show the establishment!
deathtokoalas
nonono, rebels necessarily acknowledge the existence of the state and flail hopelessly against it. post-leftists are trying not to do that any more, because there's a recognition that it's just a waste of time. it's a bit elitist, but it's really more realistic. one of the problems is that we don't breed in the first place, so this whole idea of building for future generations is really just empty liberal rhetoric. the focus needs to be on the now. and that's actually getting back to roots; it's a forgotten central aspect of marxism that workers can only live for the present if they stop living for the afterlife. so, the new anti-establishmentarianism rejects rebellion in favour of creative building. there's not much hope that it's going to create systemic change, but it at least allows us to get a feeling of freedom while we're actually still alive. leave the rebellion for the terrorists. gimme an art commune in the mountains, and put your guns away...
Amy
I think you lost 80% of your audience when you started using multi-syllabic words. Great diatribe, though :)
Chris
Have you heard of Weird Al's parody of "Royals" by Lorde called "Foil". He actually talks about the illuminati and consperacies and what not. Weird Al is not a mastermind of evil, he is a mastermind of parody. And I started to listen to your so called "music" before I had to turn in off because of the LITERAL irritaion it brings to my brain. If you want to become a successful muscian, try less scratching on the chalkboard and more actual musical instruments, like say a piano. I would abadon your music career and go into writing. You are obviusly a better writer than a muscian.
deathtokoalas
there's plenty of pianos in there, but i'm actually a guitarist. there's a few poems, too. i mean, there's 70 some songs up. try the "recent" playlist a few lines down.
that song i have up is a bit of a joke, but it's necessary for another week because i'm putting the songs up in the same order and length as i wrote them, meaning they'll consistently be staggered by about 18.5 years. i'll have you know i was 15 when i jammed that out in 1996. it was my first demo tape....
....and if you appreciate it for what it is, it pulls it off well. but it's not for everyone, admittedly.
Monotremata
the subterranean tremor that being currently engineered is language mash-up : spanglish, frenglish, sprench, germalian, bulgarese, etc. Cityspeak and Newspeak will merge with these into an 'idiomatic singularity' - the corridors of power speaking in code, separating the rulers from the ruled. Doubleplusgut! \m/
rejectfairytales
While I share your view that there is much in thoughtlessly spoken language that ought to be opposed I think you've made a poor choice in railing against non-use of the apostrophe in this case. If anything I think we should use apostrophes less. I agree with the trend toward using a lone s or es for plurals, eliminating nonstandard plurals eg: plural of squid should be squids not squid ; plural of octopus should be octopuses not octipodes. Just this would make English a lot simpler, which I think is important because as +jnrclerk points out, language is NOT the be all and end all. Meaning is so much more important so the more we can eliminate arbitrary rules the better.
In terms of improving society I think encouraging brevity would be the best cause. Just think of all the empty verbiage floating around especially in legislative documents, legal documents, and the procedural documents of many companies. I find that most people who use too many words have a similar thing to hide - they are talking bullshit! Of course that isn't always the case but it often is. Leave the koalas alone - I'm just sayin!
deathtokoalas
yeah, the meaning > procedure thing is really the crux of a lot of my grammar anti-authoritarianism. language is spoken first and foremost. writing is important, it's importance cannot be understated, but the purpose of writing something down is to get a meaning across.
i've put it down to focus purely on recording right now, but i've been reading a bit of archaic political literature lately by the likes of richard price and thomas hobbes (the aim is to get in between the historical debate over the french revolution that happened between thomas paine and edmund burke). it's impossible not to notice that the spelling and grammar used in texts before 1900, and especially before 1800, is dramatically different than spelling and grammar used today. yet, when i'm having trouble following something, it has more to do with attitudes that have changed than the difference in writing conventions. that's to say nothing of shakespeare or chaucer who were legitimately writing in a different language. yet, if you let a grammar authoritarian loose on these texts, the result would be ugly. with hobbes, it's just missing the point that language is constantly evolving; with shakespeare, it actually diminishes the artistic expression.
and, it's worthwhile to wonder what somebody will think of reading this very youtube comment in the year 2200, if youtube is still online that far into the future. i'd normally say something like "if we avoid blowing ourselves up", but i suspect that if we do blow ourselves up the internet will keep running without us for quite some time into the future. web pages written in archaic language could be an interesting phenomenon in the not so distant future.
somebody pointed out that this whole thread is sort of funny because my grammar is actually almost spotless. well, most of the rules make sense. i want to go back to the idea of reason being the guiding force, rather than convention. language will shift, but reason will stay mostly static. if we focus on reason rather than convention, we will provide future generations the ability to disassemble our archaic writing; if we focus on convention over reason, we run the risk of becoming incoherent to future audiences.
akkinex
It's is the conjugated form of both 'it is' and 'it has.' FYI
Oh, and this might help to explain why the apostrophe for the possessive 'its' was dropped a couple hundred years ago. From http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp
From what we understand, the possessive was also written it’s until a couple of hundred years ago. While we don’t know for certain, it is possible that the apostrophe was dropped in order to parallel possessive personal pronouns like hers, theirs, yours, ours, etc.”
deathtokoalas
hrmmmn. thanks for that.
i've deleted about a dozen posts explaining that the rule applies because "it" is a "personal pronoun". the people posting thought they were smart, but it's actually a really dumb response that i didn't want to get into. i didn't know that it's was an Officially Correct possessive in the past; in light of that information, your post has made me reconsider.
rather than focus on pronouns, let's look at a concept called a "possessive determiner". consider the following:
this is our house / the house is ours.
that is their house / the house is theirs.
this is your house / the house is yours.
that is her house / the house is hers.
this is it's house / the house is it's.
(it may be a cat, for example)
in each case, the first phrase is using what you may mistake as a pronoun as a "possessive determiner". the second phrase is the possessive pronoun. the s in each case is not due to possession, but due to it being a pronoun rather than an adjective.
wikipedia (i don't have time to go to the library, sorry) lists possessive determiners in english as:
1) my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose
2) the saxon genitives formed from other nouns, pronouns and noun phrases (one's, everybody's, Mary's, a boy's, the man we saw yesterday's).
you can clearly see from this that its is used in exactly the same way as a general noun possessive is. yet, it inconceivably isn't written that way.
ok.
i had to triple check that and rewrote it a few times, not being somebody that cares a lot about grammar. the only reason my grammar doesn't suck is because i spent my entire childhood in my room reading and i picked it all up through intuition. it's just about what looks right.
but i'm done now. the personal pronoun thing is not correct. so, please stop posting it. i will block you!
John
The current iteration ofit's versus its has a very simple explanation to it: The form it's is always a replacement for either it is, or it has. Perhaps this is the whole point. If we used the apostrophe in possessive situations, wouldn't that remove the need for its to exist? That would also mean that it's would not always be a contraction of it is or it has. That could be the very reason for this rule, to keep the two meanings visually, and identifiably separate. For the record, I have no idea how many times I confused myself trying to write this comment. I sincerely hope that this is an acceptable means of emphasis, or at least acceptable in the absence of access to italics? Knowing my luck though, my grammatical discussion is grammatically incorrect somewhere. Blimey, I should have ceased this comment sooner.
Oh come on! Why did that have to be a short cut for strikethrough?! -_-
deathtokoalas
you can get italics by surrounding the word with _. you can bold by surrounding the word with *.
_ italic _ . without the spaces: italic.
i've always understood the difference as being an attempt to separate the meanings in the way you've provided. but, there's virtually no chance anybody is going to get confused. with all the homonyms out there, confusing the contraction with the possessive should be the least of anybody's concerns...
Unofficial winner
It makes us look professional.
deathtokoalas
please. most professionals can barely spell their own names.
it makes you look like a social outcast, or an english professor that can't find a real job.
i was in school a long time. math. physics. programming. law. music. a few other things. i'll admit it was very surprising to me the first time i realized the guy in front of me, who has a phd in an incredibly abstract topic and dozens of published papers, was not able to get his homophones straight. it was just like...
"did he just write there on the board when he meant their? i thought this was a university. give me my money back..."
....but it's so overwhelmingly common in the university classroom that you eventually get used to it.
professionals are interested in the thing(s) that they're studying. you'll run across the odd one that is particular about the grammar, but for the most part they simply don't care.
you've just been lied to by your high school teachers. the truth is nobody cares about your grammar or is going to judge you based on it.
it's not the only thing they lied to you about, either.
"i know she just built a usable prototype for a quantum computer, but she didn't capitalize her proper place names, so how can we hire her?"
it doesn't happen.
people will judge you on your work.
i refuse to follow the rules that exist in conventional english grammar regarding its/it's, as it demonstrates rather clearly how grammar is in fact a form of mind control. it clearly follows that weird al is an nwo pawn, btw.
but, let us analyze this carefully. we have three things to take into account.
1) contractions. it's can clearly be used as a contraction for "it is". no argument.
2) plural. generally, when used without an apostrophe, an s at the end of a word means that the idea expressed is one of plurality.
3) possessive. generally, we use apostrophes to indicate possessives.
it follows that, to be consistent across the language, its should mean plural and it's should be used for both the contraction and the possessive. yet, for absolutely no discernible reason other than the arbitrary dictate of some centralized grammar authority somewhere, this convention is shattered for it's/its. i don't know the history, but it almost certainly reduces to somebody's arbitrary opinion on the matter.
i reject all of this as inconsistent with the principles of natural justice, which demand that laws be on a firm, rational basis rather than at the arbitrary dictate of some authoritarian body. with enough push back, we can take back our language as a democratic, dynamic entity and have this changed to something more rational.
so, please join in me in ignoring the irrationality of this particular rule of modern english - and any others you may find.
Luke
What do you have against koalas?
deathtokoalas
it's the cuteness. puts me into a rage just thinking about it...
Mario
whether or not you're being a troll, you make a rather interesting claim. You must be the life of the party, too. Haha take care.
deathtokoalas
well, in some sense, i'm drawing from orwell. but, you don't really need to draw on fiction. you can look at the development of french. the history of repression that has gone into french is very deep and well documented. most people that today speak "proper french" previously spoke a different dialect of latin, such as occitan. these dialects have been viciously repressed through forced schooling in a manner that is every bit as heavy-handed as the forced anglicization of natives in australia and canada. the development of france as a nation-state is inherently connected to the standardization of french as a language.
if you analyze french, you'll immediately realize how ridiculously constructed it is. the gendering is really quite ridiculous, and consider how much deference it provides to authority (specifying between the tu and the vous seems entirely arbitrary, until you realize it's meant to enforce a hierarchy).
linguists will tell you that language is really at the core of how we think. how many philosophical debates reduce to the meaning of a term? and, there's good reason for this, as it's at the core of how we grasp concepts. if the centralized grammar authorities (dare i say grammar nazis) can get you to think in a way that upholds hierarchy and defers you to authority, they're a good ways towards getting you to behave in the way they want.
it's/its may be trivial in that context, and english is not nearly as controlled as french is. but, it's a good place to start in deconstructing the conditioning and questioning the ideas underlying the grammatical rules.
a better example in english is capitalization.
stop and think about what they teach kids in schools. whenever you capitalize a proper name, you're enforcing a hierarchical relationship between people. when a child writes "the president", it's marked as incorrect. it must be The President. for the rest of your life, you will write The President, The Prime Minister, The CEO, etc.
this is so engrained it's not even thought about. but it's a means of enforcing a social order.
Mario Venegas
holy shit. I wish I had that much time on my hands. Well, TIL. Thanks for that wall of awesome information. That's pretty rad stuff. What do you do for a living, if I may ask? You seem very knowledgeable. I apologize in advance, English isn't my first language.
deathtokoalas
let's just say i'm a musician. you can hear my music by clicking my name.
lsm234
You rage against the machine, bro!
deathtokoalas
i'd advise building parallel structures, instead. far more productive.
(evil laugh)
J.D.
Look out we have a rebel here! Mwahaha that was a fragment! that will show the establishment!
deathtokoalas
nonono, rebels necessarily acknowledge the existence of the state and flail hopelessly against it. post-leftists are trying not to do that any more, because there's a recognition that it's just a waste of time. it's a bit elitist, but it's really more realistic. one of the problems is that we don't breed in the first place, so this whole idea of building for future generations is really just empty liberal rhetoric. the focus needs to be on the now. and that's actually getting back to roots; it's a forgotten central aspect of marxism that workers can only live for the present if they stop living for the afterlife. so, the new anti-establishmentarianism rejects rebellion in favour of creative building. there's not much hope that it's going to create systemic change, but it at least allows us to get a feeling of freedom while we're actually still alive. leave the rebellion for the terrorists. gimme an art commune in the mountains, and put your guns away...
Amy
I think you lost 80% of your audience when you started using multi-syllabic words. Great diatribe, though :)
Chris
Have you heard of Weird Al's parody of "Royals" by Lorde called "Foil". He actually talks about the illuminati and consperacies and what not. Weird Al is not a mastermind of evil, he is a mastermind of parody. And I started to listen to your so called "music" before I had to turn in off because of the LITERAL irritaion it brings to my brain. If you want to become a successful muscian, try less scratching on the chalkboard and more actual musical instruments, like say a piano. I would abadon your music career and go into writing. You are obviusly a better writer than a muscian.
deathtokoalas
there's plenty of pianos in there, but i'm actually a guitarist. there's a few poems, too. i mean, there's 70 some songs up. try the "recent" playlist a few lines down.
that song i have up is a bit of a joke, but it's necessary for another week because i'm putting the songs up in the same order and length as i wrote them, meaning they'll consistently be staggered by about 18.5 years. i'll have you know i was 15 when i jammed that out in 1996. it was my first demo tape....
....and if you appreciate it for what it is, it pulls it off well. but it's not for everyone, admittedly.
Monotremata
the subterranean tremor that being currently engineered is language mash-up : spanglish, frenglish, sprench, germalian, bulgarese, etc. Cityspeak and Newspeak will merge with these into an 'idiomatic singularity' - the corridors of power speaking in code, separating the rulers from the ruled. Doubleplusgut! \m/
rejectfairytales
While I share your view that there is much in thoughtlessly spoken language that ought to be opposed I think you've made a poor choice in railing against non-use of the apostrophe in this case. If anything I think we should use apostrophes less. I agree with the trend toward using a lone s or es for plurals, eliminating nonstandard plurals eg: plural of squid should be squids not squid ; plural of octopus should be octopuses not octipodes. Just this would make English a lot simpler, which I think is important because as +jnrclerk points out, language is NOT the be all and end all. Meaning is so much more important so the more we can eliminate arbitrary rules the better.
In terms of improving society I think encouraging brevity would be the best cause. Just think of all the empty verbiage floating around especially in legislative documents, legal documents, and the procedural documents of many companies. I find that most people who use too many words have a similar thing to hide - they are talking bullshit! Of course that isn't always the case but it often is. Leave the koalas alone - I'm just sayin!
deathtokoalas
yeah, the meaning > procedure thing is really the crux of a lot of my grammar anti-authoritarianism. language is spoken first and foremost. writing is important, it's importance cannot be understated, but the purpose of writing something down is to get a meaning across.
i've put it down to focus purely on recording right now, but i've been reading a bit of archaic political literature lately by the likes of richard price and thomas hobbes (the aim is to get in between the historical debate over the french revolution that happened between thomas paine and edmund burke). it's impossible not to notice that the spelling and grammar used in texts before 1900, and especially before 1800, is dramatically different than spelling and grammar used today. yet, when i'm having trouble following something, it has more to do with attitudes that have changed than the difference in writing conventions. that's to say nothing of shakespeare or chaucer who were legitimately writing in a different language. yet, if you let a grammar authoritarian loose on these texts, the result would be ugly. with hobbes, it's just missing the point that language is constantly evolving; with shakespeare, it actually diminishes the artistic expression.
and, it's worthwhile to wonder what somebody will think of reading this very youtube comment in the year 2200, if youtube is still online that far into the future. i'd normally say something like "if we avoid blowing ourselves up", but i suspect that if we do blow ourselves up the internet will keep running without us for quite some time into the future. web pages written in archaic language could be an interesting phenomenon in the not so distant future.
somebody pointed out that this whole thread is sort of funny because my grammar is actually almost spotless. well, most of the rules make sense. i want to go back to the idea of reason being the guiding force, rather than convention. language will shift, but reason will stay mostly static. if we focus on reason rather than convention, we will provide future generations the ability to disassemble our archaic writing; if we focus on convention over reason, we run the risk of becoming incoherent to future audiences.
akkinex
It's is the conjugated form of both 'it is' and 'it has.' FYI
Oh, and this might help to explain why the apostrophe for the possessive 'its' was dropped a couple hundred years ago. From http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp
From what we understand, the possessive was also written it’s until a couple of hundred years ago. While we don’t know for certain, it is possible that the apostrophe was dropped in order to parallel possessive personal pronouns like hers, theirs, yours, ours, etc.”
deathtokoalas
hrmmmn. thanks for that.
i've deleted about a dozen posts explaining that the rule applies because "it" is a "personal pronoun". the people posting thought they were smart, but it's actually a really dumb response that i didn't want to get into. i didn't know that it's was an Officially Correct possessive in the past; in light of that information, your post has made me reconsider.
rather than focus on pronouns, let's look at a concept called a "possessive determiner". consider the following:
this is our house / the house is ours.
that is their house / the house is theirs.
this is your house / the house is yours.
that is her house / the house is hers.
this is it's house / the house is it's.
(it may be a cat, for example)
in each case, the first phrase is using what you may mistake as a pronoun as a "possessive determiner". the second phrase is the possessive pronoun. the s in each case is not due to possession, but due to it being a pronoun rather than an adjective.
wikipedia (i don't have time to go to the library, sorry) lists possessive determiners in english as:
1) my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose
2) the saxon genitives formed from other nouns, pronouns and noun phrases (one's, everybody's, Mary's, a boy's, the man we saw yesterday's).
you can clearly see from this that its is used in exactly the same way as a general noun possessive is. yet, it inconceivably isn't written that way.
ok.
i had to triple check that and rewrote it a few times, not being somebody that cares a lot about grammar. the only reason my grammar doesn't suck is because i spent my entire childhood in my room reading and i picked it all up through intuition. it's just about what looks right.
but i'm done now. the personal pronoun thing is not correct. so, please stop posting it. i will block you!
John
The current iteration of
Oh come on! Why did that have to be a short cut for strikethrough?! -_-
deathtokoalas
you can get italics by surrounding the word with _. you can bold by surrounding the word with *.
_ italic _ . without the spaces: italic.
i've always understood the difference as being an attempt to separate the meanings in the way you've provided. but, there's virtually no chance anybody is going to get confused. with all the homonyms out there, confusing the contraction with the possessive should be the least of anybody's concerns...
Unofficial winner
It makes us look professional.
deathtokoalas
please. most professionals can barely spell their own names.
it makes you look like a social outcast, or an english professor that can't find a real job.
i was in school a long time. math. physics. programming. law. music. a few other things. i'll admit it was very surprising to me the first time i realized the guy in front of me, who has a phd in an incredibly abstract topic and dozens of published papers, was not able to get his homophones straight. it was just like...
"did he just write there on the board when he meant their? i thought this was a university. give me my money back..."
....but it's so overwhelmingly common in the university classroom that you eventually get used to it.
professionals are interested in the thing(s) that they're studying. you'll run across the odd one that is particular about the grammar, but for the most part they simply don't care.
you've just been lied to by your high school teachers. the truth is nobody cares about your grammar or is going to judge you based on it.
it's not the only thing they lied to you about, either.
"i know she just built a usable prototype for a quantum computer, but she didn't capitalize her proper place names, so how can we hire her?"
it doesn't happen.
people will judge you on your work.
wasps (and hornets) are such insane creatures.
it's trying to kill a venomous spider in order to lay an egg inside of it, which will eat the spider as it matures.
the result presented here makes the behaviour seem like such wantonly pointless violence. ok, ok - maybe it's going after a competitor. but, surely there are less dangerous ways to lay some eggs...
it's stuff like this that makes you realize there's no way this shit was designed. this defies all reason. and there's thousands of similar examples.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg7XGTiNis0
it's trying to kill a venomous spider in order to lay an egg inside of it, which will eat the spider as it matures.
the result presented here makes the behaviour seem like such wantonly pointless violence. ok, ok - maybe it's going after a competitor. but, surely there are less dangerous ways to lay some eggs...
it's stuff like this that makes you realize there's no way this shit was designed. this defies all reason. and there's thousands of similar examples.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg7XGTiNis0
deathtokoalas
see, this is what happens when your ego eats your brain.
ty segall is a shitty drummer, and most of his recordings are shit for it. it's not as simple as overdubbing a better player, it has to do with the songwriting. when you have to contain your ideas in such a simplistic package, the result is simplistic writing.
and, it's not like he can fall back on the format entirely, either. there's been plenty of two-person acts with less than brilliant drummers and front-people able to compensate.
but, in segall's case, the music is being significantly restricted by his inability to competently produce a workable rhythm section. if he'd just get a drummer already, it would open up a ton of space for him to breathe and write in, and it may allow him to move beyond this simplistic stupidity into something that is more interesting.
his ego won't allow for that. and he'll never reach his potential.
see, this is what happens when your ego eats your brain.
ty segall is a shitty drummer, and most of his recordings are shit for it. it's not as simple as overdubbing a better player, it has to do with the songwriting. when you have to contain your ideas in such a simplistic package, the result is simplistic writing.
and, it's not like he can fall back on the format entirely, either. there's been plenty of two-person acts with less than brilliant drummers and front-people able to compensate.
but, in segall's case, the music is being significantly restricted by his inability to competently produce a workable rhythm section. if he'd just get a drummer already, it would open up a ton of space for him to breathe and write in, and it may allow him to move beyond this simplistic stupidity into something that is more interesting.
his ego won't allow for that. and he'll never reach his potential.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
publishing the symphony of psilocybin induced madness (inri046)
so, that means i need to record here that today is the day that inri027 was compiled as a four track ep.
==
the core of this was written in my parent's basement in the spring of 2001. planning on going to a rave that weekend, i had previously purchased a large amount of drugs; i was, however, forced to stay in due to having a calculus test that sunday (the rave was out of town). well, my parents were gone for the weekend, most of my friends were out of town and i had a massive stash of drugs...
it is quite literally a symphony of psilocybin induced madness and was written directly into an ancient, hacked score-writing program. while it has been labelled as a symphony of drunken confusion in certain contexts to get around certain social stigmas, this is inaccurate.
around 2006 or so, i took a course in electronic music design that had a recorded component and pulled the score off of my hard drive with the intent of finally recording it properly. the dx7 i had available to me greatly improved the synth patches, enough that i'm willing to let the track rest that way.
i've included midi files of the original composition, if you'd like to mess with it on your own.
i consider this my second symphony.
written early 2001. reconstructed in the first quarter of 2006, especially over march. as always, please use headphones.
credits:
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-symphony-of-psilocybin-induced-madness
==
the core of this was written in my parent's basement in the spring of 2001. planning on going to a rave that weekend, i had previously purchased a large amount of drugs; i was, however, forced to stay in due to having a calculus test that sunday (the rave was out of town). well, my parents were gone for the weekend, most of my friends were out of town and i had a massive stash of drugs...
it is quite literally a symphony of psilocybin induced madness and was written directly into an ancient, hacked score-writing program. while it has been labelled as a symphony of drunken confusion in certain contexts to get around certain social stigmas, this is inaccurate.
around 2006 or so, i took a course in electronic music design that had a recorded component and pulled the score off of my hard drive with the intent of finally recording it properly. the dx7 i had available to me greatly improved the synth patches, enough that i'm willing to let the track rest that way.
i've included midi files of the original composition, if you'd like to mess with it on your own.
i consider this my second symphony.
written early 2001. reconstructed in the first quarter of 2006, especially over march. as always, please use headphones.
credits:
j - electric guitars, programming, digital effects & treatments, composition, production.
the rendered electronic orchestras variously include synthesizers, clavinet, kalimba, nylon guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, banjo, electronic drums, pc card, violin, cello, bamboo flute, flute, viola, soprano saxophone, tuba, trumpet, organ and music box.
released may 15, 2001
the rendered electronic orchestras variously include synthesizers, clavinet, kalimba, nylon guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, banjo, electronic drums, pc card, violin, cello, bamboo flute, flute, viola, soprano saxophone, tuba, trumpet, organ and music box.
released may 15, 2001
http://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-symphony-of-psilocybin-induced-madness
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
well, i'm not sure i hear the occitan or medieval influence in the tune, but i do like the idea of mixing renaissance music with techno.
i happen to have just completed a track that mixes (english) renaissance guitar (lute) music with warp records style drum 'n' bass:
maybe there's a trend developing there.
i happen to have just completed a track that mixes (english) renaissance guitar (lute) music with warp records style drum 'n' bass:
maybe there's a trend developing there.
this post is off-base. avril & katy are pretty much exactly what your average radiohead fan looks like. their actual, real fan base is overwhelmingly composed of attractive young females (and homosexual men). like tori. those dudes you see walking around talking about how much they like radiohead are in actuality just trying to get laid and are really into stuff like qotsa.
the songs are about identifying with the audience's experiences. if you actually studied it, you'd certainly see a very large overlap between radiohead and avril (katy perry, less so). they sell records to the same demographic of young, insecure women. it's just that avril is the happy side of it and radiohead is the dark side of it.
i sing radiohead when drunk all the time. planet telex, paranoid android, street spirit...
www.wewantinsanity.com/am2/publish/mikejohns/Name-DroppingRadiohead.shtml
the songs are about identifying with the audience's experiences. if you actually studied it, you'd certainly see a very large overlap between radiohead and avril (katy perry, less so). they sell records to the same demographic of young, insecure women. it's just that avril is the happy side of it and radiohead is the dark side of it.
i sing radiohead when drunk all the time. planet telex, paranoid android, street spirit...
www.wewantinsanity.com/am2/publish/mikejohns/Name-DroppingRadiohead.shtml
Monday, July 21, 2014
publishing the time machine (inri044)
and there it is. inri025.
inri026 is the adventures in guitarland, already completed.
inri027 is my symphony of psilocybin induced madness and is actually finished in it's fully complete form with live guitars. i'm going to construct a vst mix out of it, which will make this a little different than the other tracks as the synths in the full section are from the dx7 in the closet in the music department at carleton university. but, i shouldn't have to actually play any parts, so it should be relatively fast to run through.
===
the various rendered electronic orchestras include acoustic bass, synth bass, electric bass, brass, orchestra hit, drum machine, electronic drum kit, nylon guitar, electric guitar, synthesizers, synthesizer effects, music box, piano, bells and mellotron.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-time-machine
inri026 is the adventures in guitarland, already completed.
inri027 is my symphony of psilocybin induced madness and is actually finished in it's fully complete form with live guitars. i'm going to construct a vst mix out of it, which will make this a little different than the other tracks as the synths in the full section are from the dx7 in the closet in the music department at carleton university. but, i shouldn't have to actually play any parts, so it should be relatively fast to run through.
===
regarding
this piece, my memory is blurry; yet, i have a vivid recollection of
playing parts of it for my guitar teacher on a sunny day, where there
was still snow on the ground. it's funny how we remember seemingly
irrelevant details, but i guess the atmosphere of the performance is
important because the performance is. that would date it to roughly
march, 2001.
i switched the piece from classical guitar to piano halfway through writing it, and vaguely remember thinking that an impossible interval had something to do with it (a specific c# cannot be hit on a standard classical). yet, that doesn't change the fact that it's guitar music. the counterpoint is very guitar.
to further complicate things, i've long wanted to turn the piece into a jazzy idm romp. it has a kind of a jingly feel to it that belongs in the warp records sphere.
so, what is this? a classical guitar piece? a jazzy piano piece? a techno tune? all of the above! as with other pieces from this period, this is presented here in multiple formats: several rendered midi tracks, live guitar versions, a vst version and a "full band" version.
i have included the original midi file (and sheet music in pdf) as a bonus item in the download, if you want to play with it on your own.
conceptually, the time machine aspect referred simply to the slowed down guitar chords at the beginning of the song. if you play it a certain way, it sounds like time is collapsing in on itself. or, so i thought, anyways. the various versions i have created here have made an attempt to take that idea to it's logical conclusion. it's a mix of the vision i had at the time and a bit of hindsight.
written early 2001. drastically rearranged in june, 2014. rendered, arranged and performed over june and july, 2014. as always, please use headphones.
i switched the piece from classical guitar to piano halfway through writing it, and vaguely remember thinking that an impossible interval had something to do with it (a specific c# cannot be hit on a standard classical). yet, that doesn't change the fact that it's guitar music. the counterpoint is very guitar.
to further complicate things, i've long wanted to turn the piece into a jazzy idm romp. it has a kind of a jingly feel to it that belongs in the warp records sphere.
so, what is this? a classical guitar piece? a jazzy piano piece? a techno tune? all of the above! as with other pieces from this period, this is presented here in multiple formats: several rendered midi tracks, live guitar versions, a vst version and a "full band" version.
i have included the original midi file (and sheet music in pdf) as a bonus item in the download, if you want to play with it on your own.
conceptually, the time machine aspect referred simply to the slowed down guitar chords at the beginning of the song. if you play it a certain way, it sounds like time is collapsing in on itself. or, so i thought, anyways. the various versions i have created here have made an attempt to take that idea to it's logical conclusion. it's a mix of the vision i had at the time and a bit of hindsight.
written early 2001. drastically rearranged in june, 2014. rendered, arranged and performed over june and july, 2014. as always, please use headphones.
credits:
j - electric guitar, programming, digital effects & treatments, digital wave editing, loops, production, composition.
the various rendered electronic orchestras include acoustic bass, synth bass, electric bass, brass, orchestra hit, drum machine, electronic drum kit, nylon guitar, electric guitar, synthesizers, synthesizer effects, music box, piano, bells and mellotron.
released march 21, 2001
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/the-time-machine
Sunday, July 20, 2014
american military aid always means aid to weapons contractors. that means sending american weapons to a state which is not yet - and probably never will be - a solid american ally. i mean, look at all the leaked calls. they must have been leaked by ukrainian agents sympathetic to russia...
that's the reason.
that's the reason.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
well, that was indeed a kafkaesque mess but i got my expedited border clearance. hey, all those years of avoiding a criminal record came in handy. i'm squeaky clean. i get to use the special line...
but, that doesn't mean this wasn't a pain in the ass. i've ranted about this here quite a bit over the last year. it's only fitting that the last section of it was off the wall ridiculous...
getting across the actual border was not a problem. i just showed them my letter, and he let me through. but, he chuckled and wished me luck. he knew what was coming...
the walk up fort street at around 7 am was purposefully brisk; i was admittedly a little uncomfortable. but, the more i walked, the more it just reminded me of montreal. yes: detroit is full of decaying bridges, falling apart buildings, abandoned industrial centres, smoldering sewers and people sleeping on the street. but, i didn't feel threatened so much as i felt a level of empathy. how'd it get that bad, anyways?
the other thing that made me relax a little was a friendly retriever that ran over across a field to say good morning. it's funny how goldens are basically the universal stress reliever.
it was about twenty minutes to the bridge, which is a short walk for me.
once i got there, though, i wasn't sure how to proceed. i tried going under the bridge first. this is the first point that the smog got to me: i nearly heaved, and had to sit down. first attempt at directions was a hotel that looked like something out of a stephen king movie...
"do you know if i can get in some kind of plaza around the bridge?"
"no."
"does that pay phone work?"
*laughs* "no."
"do you know if there's a phone around here?"
"there's no gas stations for a good ways in either direction."
"well, thanks, then."
so, i went back under the bridge again...
there was a side street running along the complex (and it was a complex. it looked like a prison.) that i decided to take a walk up, and it took me into a nicer street full of very old churches and quaint, if dilapidated houses. three houses in a row had angry, barking, unchained rottweilers that could have easily hopped their four foot tall enclosures should they have decided to. it's a problem in windsor, too. cheaper than a security system, i guess.
and apparently very necessary.
i bumped into a border cop on his way to work and flagged him down...
"how do i get in here?"
"do you have a car?"
"no."
"well, why do you want to get into here?"
"i have a nexus interview."
"why do you want a nexus card if you don't have a car?"
"so i can get across the border. i'm from canada..."
"you're from canada? how did you get across the border?"
"the tunnel."
"and how did you get here?"
"i walked."
*awkward pause*
"well, you can't get in here without a car. you're going to have to call a cab."
ok, so here's the thing: i can see the enrollment centre through the fence. it's a few hundred yards, at most. and, yet i need to call a cab to transport me those few hundred yards? yes, i do: this is what the cop is trying to tell me. but, i'm not about to call a cab, so i keep walking.
eventually, i get to a cross street with a big sign
MICHIGAN WELCOME CENTER* --->
*note yankee spelling.
well, that sounds like a good thing to try.
hours:
9 am - 4 pm
it's like 7:30...
so, i look up the road and notice it runs into customs. i'm thinking "maybe there's a phone in there". customer service is closed, and there's no barriers so i just keep walking, until a border cop yells at me:
"WOAH. WOAH. YOU CAN'T BE IN HERE. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"
well, i'm looking for a phone. is there one in that building?
"PLEASE STEP TO THE SIDE AND EMPTY YOUR POCKETS."
ok.
so, i pull out some pieces of paper, keys, a few dollars...
"who do you want to phone?"
"i'm trying to get in contact with the nexus office."
"how did you get in here?"
"i just walked in. there's no barriers or anything."
"do you have a car?"
"no."
"why do you want a nexus card if you don't have a car?"
"well, i'm from canada and..."
"you're from canada? how did you get across the border without a car?"
"i took the tunnel."
"what? how did you get here?"
"i walked"
*awkward pause*
another officer walks over....
"this person just strolled in here, can you believe that."
"where are you going?"
"i'm looking for nexus."
"do you have a car?"
"no."
"why do you want a nexus card if you don't have a car?"
i laughed out loud at this point.
"because i'm from canada and..."
"wait. how did you get across the border?"
"i took the tunnel."
"and they let you in without documents?"
"well, i have this nexus document. i'm here for a defined purpose."
"pfft. anybody could print that off. do you have any drugs on you?"
"what? no..."
"yeah. right. step into the office, please"
so, i walk into the office...
he takes my id and starts running it through the system, asks me all kinds of absurd questions, accuses me repeatedly of living in collingwood and having a record of escaping the custody of an officer, visibly shatters a blood vessel in his forehead when i provide "jessica" as an alternate name and eventually gives up.
"go back to the michigan welcome center and call a cab from there."
again with the cab. they were really serious about this.
i did walk back to the welcome center, but i was planning on calling the enrollment centre, not the cab. it's now barely 8:00, so i have an hour to wait, and wait an hour i did.
the cop drives by about 8:30...
"listen, i knew this was going to be a problem, but i'm pretty sure the person i initially talked to said they'd give me a lift. the thing is i think they meant from canada, and i couldn't get a hold of anybody to provide instructions, so here i am."
he seems to have softened up a bit, after realizing i'm both harmless and frustrated. the absurdity of the situation actually seems to have become clear to him. but...
"i'd drive you down there myself, but then i have to pat you down, which means i need a female officer present and there aren't any."
"i can't waive that?"
(i don't care what gender my doctor is, and i don't care what gender the cop patting me down is)
"no. plus, i'd have to do all kinds of paperwork, and i just don't want to."
ah, yes. a lazy cop. gee, whudda thunk that possible, huh?
"but, i'll call you a cab if you want."
there's no irony in any of this.
i refuse the offer, and suggest i'll call the place when the welcome center opens.
this is where i got a break, and i have to say it's every bit as surreal as the rest of this. the place opens at 9:00, i use the bathroom, and then ask if there's a pay phone...
there isn't, but he offers the office phone, depending on who i'm calling.
i'm calling nexus, because i'm on foot and need to find out how i'm going to get in there.
apparently, this kind fellow has been working at the michigan welcome center for years and years, and given out instructions on how to get into the nexus office hundreds of times, but has never been in there himself. he's been wondering the whole time if his directions are even accurate, and he wants to know what it looks like inside the complex.
so, he offers to drive me in.
and i graciously accept.
he takes me back along the side street i came in at, past the entrance the first border cop went in, back under the bridge and around through a gated area. i am now finally at the nexus enrollment area. i thank the kind fellow and that is that.
but, the border guards are concerned about how i'm going to exit the complex.
"i guess i'll call a cab."
nobody else got the sarcasm. i was actually planning on asking somebody for a lift to the other side of the fence.
so, the interview goes well. the interviewer was a little older, and i seemed to convince him i'm a good kid. which is what i needed to do.
i got the marijuana question, i was honest, and he overlooked it. they can be very strict about that. but, the thing should get here in 7-10 days.
at the end of it, he asks me if i have a phone. i don't carry a phone. so, he picks up the phone and starts dialing the number for a cab for me...
"listen. if you call me a cab, i'm just going to ask that they drop me on the other side of the fence and walk back to the tunnel. so, why don't you just let me ask somebody for a lift out?"
and, finally, i got some fucking logic from somebody.
"no. we'll just escort you out."
a few minutes later, a truck pulls up with a border cop in it.
"are you here to escort me out?"
"yes."
so, i reach for the door....
"no. i'm not driving you. you're going to walk."
at first, he tries to lead me to the exit to the ambassador bridge.
"canada is that way, but where's your car?"
"i don't have a car."
"why do you want a nexus card if you don't have a car?"
i was on the brink of being a smartass, but managed to restrain myself.
"so i can get across under the tunnel. i just need to get to fort street."
"well, how are you going to get over the bridge?"
"no, i want to walk to the tunnel."
"walk...to...the....tunnel?"
at this point, i understand that every single one of the awkward pauses was shock that i'd walk that far. remarkable.
"yeah."
"well, follow the truck around the building and meet me at the crossing."
i did this, and we walked to the gate that first border cop went through. then i was out the side street and back up fort towards the tunnel...
without having to call a cab.
this is your tax dollars at work protecting you from terrorism.
but, that doesn't mean this wasn't a pain in the ass. i've ranted about this here quite a bit over the last year. it's only fitting that the last section of it was off the wall ridiculous...
getting across the actual border was not a problem. i just showed them my letter, and he let me through. but, he chuckled and wished me luck. he knew what was coming...
the walk up fort street at around 7 am was purposefully brisk; i was admittedly a little uncomfortable. but, the more i walked, the more it just reminded me of montreal. yes: detroit is full of decaying bridges, falling apart buildings, abandoned industrial centres, smoldering sewers and people sleeping on the street. but, i didn't feel threatened so much as i felt a level of empathy. how'd it get that bad, anyways?
the other thing that made me relax a little was a friendly retriever that ran over across a field to say good morning. it's funny how goldens are basically the universal stress reliever.
it was about twenty minutes to the bridge, which is a short walk for me.
once i got there, though, i wasn't sure how to proceed. i tried going under the bridge first. this is the first point that the smog got to me: i nearly heaved, and had to sit down. first attempt at directions was a hotel that looked like something out of a stephen king movie...
"do you know if i can get in some kind of plaza around the bridge?"
"no."
"does that pay phone work?"
*laughs* "no."
"do you know if there's a phone around here?"
"there's no gas stations for a good ways in either direction."
"well, thanks, then."
so, i went back under the bridge again...
there was a side street running along the complex (and it was a complex. it looked like a prison.) that i decided to take a walk up, and it took me into a nicer street full of very old churches and quaint, if dilapidated houses. three houses in a row had angry, barking, unchained rottweilers that could have easily hopped their four foot tall enclosures should they have decided to. it's a problem in windsor, too. cheaper than a security system, i guess.
and apparently very necessary.
i bumped into a border cop on his way to work and flagged him down...
"how do i get in here?"
"do you have a car?"
"no."
"well, why do you want to get into here?"
"i have a nexus interview."
"why do you want a nexus card if you don't have a car?"
"so i can get across the border. i'm from canada..."
"you're from canada? how did you get across the border?"
"the tunnel."
"and how did you get here?"
"i walked."
*awkward pause*
"well, you can't get in here without a car. you're going to have to call a cab."
ok, so here's the thing: i can see the enrollment centre through the fence. it's a few hundred yards, at most. and, yet i need to call a cab to transport me those few hundred yards? yes, i do: this is what the cop is trying to tell me. but, i'm not about to call a cab, so i keep walking.
eventually, i get to a cross street with a big sign
MICHIGAN WELCOME CENTER* --->
*note yankee spelling.
well, that sounds like a good thing to try.
hours:
9 am - 4 pm
it's like 7:30...
so, i look up the road and notice it runs into customs. i'm thinking "maybe there's a phone in there". customer service is closed, and there's no barriers so i just keep walking, until a border cop yells at me:
"WOAH. WOAH. YOU CAN'T BE IN HERE. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"
well, i'm looking for a phone. is there one in that building?
"PLEASE STEP TO THE SIDE AND EMPTY YOUR POCKETS."
ok.
so, i pull out some pieces of paper, keys, a few dollars...
"who do you want to phone?"
"i'm trying to get in contact with the nexus office."
"how did you get in here?"
"i just walked in. there's no barriers or anything."
"do you have a car?"
"no."
"why do you want a nexus card if you don't have a car?"
"well, i'm from canada and..."
"you're from canada? how did you get across the border without a car?"
"i took the tunnel."
"what? how did you get here?"
"i walked"
*awkward pause*
another officer walks over....
"this person just strolled in here, can you believe that."
"where are you going?"
"i'm looking for nexus."
"do you have a car?"
"no."
"why do you want a nexus card if you don't have a car?"
i laughed out loud at this point.
"because i'm from canada and..."
"wait. how did you get across the border?"
"i took the tunnel."
"and they let you in without documents?"
"well, i have this nexus document. i'm here for a defined purpose."
"pfft. anybody could print that off. do you have any drugs on you?"
"what? no..."
"yeah. right. step into the office, please"
so, i walk into the office...
he takes my id and starts running it through the system, asks me all kinds of absurd questions, accuses me repeatedly of living in collingwood and having a record of escaping the custody of an officer, visibly shatters a blood vessel in his forehead when i provide "jessica" as an alternate name and eventually gives up.
"go back to the michigan welcome center and call a cab from there."
again with the cab. they were really serious about this.
i did walk back to the welcome center, but i was planning on calling the enrollment centre, not the cab. it's now barely 8:00, so i have an hour to wait, and wait an hour i did.
the cop drives by about 8:30...
"listen, i knew this was going to be a problem, but i'm pretty sure the person i initially talked to said they'd give me a lift. the thing is i think they meant from canada, and i couldn't get a hold of anybody to provide instructions, so here i am."
he seems to have softened up a bit, after realizing i'm both harmless and frustrated. the absurdity of the situation actually seems to have become clear to him. but...
"i'd drive you down there myself, but then i have to pat you down, which means i need a female officer present and there aren't any."
"i can't waive that?"
(i don't care what gender my doctor is, and i don't care what gender the cop patting me down is)
"no. plus, i'd have to do all kinds of paperwork, and i just don't want to."
ah, yes. a lazy cop. gee, whudda thunk that possible, huh?
"but, i'll call you a cab if you want."
there's no irony in any of this.
i refuse the offer, and suggest i'll call the place when the welcome center opens.
this is where i got a break, and i have to say it's every bit as surreal as the rest of this. the place opens at 9:00, i use the bathroom, and then ask if there's a pay phone...
there isn't, but he offers the office phone, depending on who i'm calling.
i'm calling nexus, because i'm on foot and need to find out how i'm going to get in there.
apparently, this kind fellow has been working at the michigan welcome center for years and years, and given out instructions on how to get into the nexus office hundreds of times, but has never been in there himself. he's been wondering the whole time if his directions are even accurate, and he wants to know what it looks like inside the complex.
so, he offers to drive me in.
and i graciously accept.
he takes me back along the side street i came in at, past the entrance the first border cop went in, back under the bridge and around through a gated area. i am now finally at the nexus enrollment area. i thank the kind fellow and that is that.
but, the border guards are concerned about how i'm going to exit the complex.
"i guess i'll call a cab."
nobody else got the sarcasm. i was actually planning on asking somebody for a lift to the other side of the fence.
so, the interview goes well. the interviewer was a little older, and i seemed to convince him i'm a good kid. which is what i needed to do.
i got the marijuana question, i was honest, and he overlooked it. they can be very strict about that. but, the thing should get here in 7-10 days.
at the end of it, he asks me if i have a phone. i don't carry a phone. so, he picks up the phone and starts dialing the number for a cab for me...
"listen. if you call me a cab, i'm just going to ask that they drop me on the other side of the fence and walk back to the tunnel. so, why don't you just let me ask somebody for a lift out?"
and, finally, i got some fucking logic from somebody.
"no. we'll just escort you out."
a few minutes later, a truck pulls up with a border cop in it.
"are you here to escort me out?"
"yes."
so, i reach for the door....
"no. i'm not driving you. you're going to walk."
at first, he tries to lead me to the exit to the ambassador bridge.
"canada is that way, but where's your car?"
"i don't have a car."
"why do you want a nexus card if you don't have a car?"
i was on the brink of being a smartass, but managed to restrain myself.
"so i can get across under the tunnel. i just need to get to fort street."
"well, how are you going to get over the bridge?"
"no, i want to walk to the tunnel."
"walk...to...the....tunnel?"
at this point, i understand that every single one of the awkward pauses was shock that i'd walk that far. remarkable.
"yeah."
"well, follow the truck around the building and meet me at the crossing."
i did this, and we walked to the gate that first border cop went through. then i was out the side street and back up fort towards the tunnel...
without having to call a cab.
this is your tax dollars at work protecting you from terrorism.
so, i took a google tour up fort street, which is where i'm headed this morning.
it's pretty run down, but it's an industrial area so i'm not really walking through the 'hood. and there's only been one shooting in the vicinity this year.
there's been two on my block in windsor. yeah. well, it's perspective.
i'll be fine...
i'll point out i *am* wearing $5 shoes and a stained white tshirt.
it's less about wanting to keep the shoes and more about not projecting wealth.
not that i have any wealth, of course. but shit is relative.
it's pretty run down, but it's an industrial area so i'm not really walking through the 'hood. and there's only been one shooting in the vicinity this year.
there's been two on my block in windsor. yeah. well, it's perspective.
i'll be fine...
i'll point out i *am* wearing $5 shoes and a stained white tshirt.
it's less about wanting to keep the shoes and more about not projecting wealth.
not that i have any wealth, of course. but shit is relative.
llessa
Finally we see the face of nazism in all its glory on VICE. Just to note, this nazi scumbag Lyashko runs ukrainian Radical party which is currently leading the polls in Ukraine.
deviousdevil75
So Fucking what. One man, one vote.
Jacob Paprotskiy
were the fuck were you when the majority of ukrainians elected a moderate pro eu president?
llessa
actually only 9 million ukrainians voted for poroshenko, out of 45
deathtokoalas
i've never seen a poll that puts that guy higher than 10%, and public opinion has consistently been against military action to root out the "separatists". i'm from canada, i know how that word gets distorted. he may be a "right-wing populist" in the classification sense, and the murdoch empire may consequently be pushing for him on behalf of the state department, but he is not and never has been and never will be a serious political candidate.
KnowledgeDriven
uprated fr t.o. like so much these days - alciada, ISIL, chocoking over there are but a few - remove the USAID (subset also CIAFBI-AID) and the whole enterprise vanishes into thin air.
Tadas Urbonas
I would rather see Hitler leading Ukraine than Putin. That communist son of a bitch can go straight back to hell, where he belongs. Russians have done FAR worse crimes than anything the ukrainians radicals can ever do. And it is sad to see that the same people who gave the orders are still the elite of Russian society, whether they are billionaire oligarchs or top government officials.
deathtokoalas
you realize that putin is a free market conservative that, if american, would be on the right-wing of the republican party, right?
Finally we see the face of nazism in all its glory on VICE. Just to note, this nazi scumbag Lyashko runs ukrainian Radical party which is currently leading the polls in Ukraine.
deviousdevil75
So Fucking what. One man, one vote.
Jacob Paprotskiy
were the fuck were you when the majority of ukrainians elected a moderate pro eu president?
llessa
actually only 9 million ukrainians voted for poroshenko, out of 45
deathtokoalas
i've never seen a poll that puts that guy higher than 10%, and public opinion has consistently been against military action to root out the "separatists". i'm from canada, i know how that word gets distorted. he may be a "right-wing populist" in the classification sense, and the murdoch empire may consequently be pushing for him on behalf of the state department, but he is not and never has been and never will be a serious political candidate.
KnowledgeDriven
uprated fr t.o. like so much these days - alciada, ISIL, chocoking over there are but a few - remove the USAID (subset also CIAFBI-AID) and the whole enterprise vanishes into thin air.
Tadas Urbonas
I would rather see Hitler leading Ukraine than Putin. That communist son of a bitch can go straight back to hell, where he belongs. Russians have done FAR worse crimes than anything the ukrainians radicals can ever do. And it is sad to see that the same people who gave the orders are still the elite of Russian society, whether they are billionaire oligarchs or top government officials.
deathtokoalas
you realize that putin is a free market conservative that, if american, would be on the right-wing of the republican party, right?
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
yeah. this isn't very realistic.
the thing with coke is actually that you don't really get high from it. it's a five-ten minute buzz that you have to continue doing to maintain the effects of. this is the reason people get hooked on it.
unfortunately, these videos are never going to be effective. smart kids are going to do the research and figure out that it's a better idea to go to the 7-11 and get a slurpee, or bring a thermos of coffee to school and chug it at recess. dumb kids aren't going to be persuaded by anybody, and the more you try the more they react.
it's not even really the buzz that's the problem. kids are going to get high at school, and it's not really going to affect them too badly. with coke, it's what happens afterwards that's the problem, and something you only really learn from experience. i've sat at a friend's house all weekend to help him detox, only to find out he relapsed on monday (and stopped calling). it's something that tends to hit the guys that think they're invincible.
"i can handle it. i want to prove i can handle it."
well, you owned a car a few days ago, and now you don't. nice job handling it....
the thing with coke is actually that you don't really get high from it. it's a five-ten minute buzz that you have to continue doing to maintain the effects of. this is the reason people get hooked on it.
unfortunately, these videos are never going to be effective. smart kids are going to do the research and figure out that it's a better idea to go to the 7-11 and get a slurpee, or bring a thermos of coffee to school and chug it at recess. dumb kids aren't going to be persuaded by anybody, and the more you try the more they react.
it's not even really the buzz that's the problem. kids are going to get high at school, and it's not really going to affect them too badly. with coke, it's what happens afterwards that's the problem, and something you only really learn from experience. i've sat at a friend's house all weekend to help him detox, only to find out he relapsed on monday (and stopped calling). it's something that tends to hit the guys that think they're invincible.
"i can handle it. i want to prove i can handle it."
well, you owned a car a few days ago, and now you don't. nice job handling it....
i caught this in a bar last night and didn't realize it was low. low are famous nowadays, right? but, they've changed their sound, too, haven't they...
i tried a few times, but i couldn't get into their 90s stuff, it just lacked the punk rock pizazz that the better post-rock acts had. then again, i didn't like sigur ros, either, for mostly the same reasons.
anyways, this is awful. what was going through my mind was that it was the most bourgeois thing you could possibly due to a punk song. i was imagining some art school grad in a smug sweater and those dumb glasses singing it in a church, with candles, trying to get the audience to feel the spiritual awakening of it...
...and completely missing the point of it.
i tried a few times, but i couldn't get into their 90s stuff, it just lacked the punk rock pizazz that the better post-rock acts had. then again, i didn't like sigur ros, either, for mostly the same reasons.
anyways, this is awful. what was going through my mind was that it was the most bourgeois thing you could possibly due to a punk song. i was imagining some art school grad in a smug sweater and those dumb glasses singing it in a church, with candles, trying to get the audience to feel the spiritual awakening of it...
...and completely missing the point of it.
see, in order to get across the border, i need a nexus card. but, in order to get the nexus card, i need to get across the border. it would be a simple exercise if the enrolment centre was in an accessible location, but it's located directly underneath a bridge that i cannot cross. (that sounds poetic, but i can't cross because i don't have a vehicle, and they do not allow pedestrian crossing, and there's no public transportation, and it's almost impossible to find a taxi cab driver both willing and able to cross). so, the only option i can conceive of is to try and cross somewhere else, and hope they let me walk, or escort me to the centre and back. but i'm not really hopeful either is a possibility...
i will say that when i get to the border, i'm certain that i'll understand what my actual options are. i'm just a little fearful that none of them are going to be realistic.
but, logically, is there really much of a difference between letting me drive over a bridge to the center and letting me walk over? i'm clearing customs and being allowed to move from customs to the centre on my own either way, right? i may be freaking out over a perception of the location of the office to the bridge, rather than anything rational that the border guards can actually interpret, one way or the other.
if my plan *does* work, i'm basically going to be walking through detroit at 6:00 am. well, i'm going to end up doing that relatively frequently anyways. my experience with walking through unsafe neighbourhoods has mostly been that thugs go after thugs and so long as one does not project wealth (meaning, it's not a good idea to pull out a roll of hundred dollar bills....as though i have any, right...), there's really little risk in these supposed high risk neighbourhoods.
and, for me, in the end, i'm on their side. i've had my share of conversations with thugs that are probably thinking some nasty shit in the back of their mind, but i tend to convince 'em i'm cool - and not any better off than they are. despite being white and well spoken....
the only other thing i can think of is trying to hitch over the bridge. if that's my only option, that's my only option. i'll find out.
i don't want to come off some drug war narc, i'm really not, but i know that the big problem is not poverty but drugs.
and not any drugs. it's the nasty ones. coke. meth. there's no discussion there, no attempt to size me up - it's just a possible income source to exploit to get high.
i know to stay on the main roads.
and 6:00-7:00 am is not 3:00 am, either.
i'll be fine...
like, i've never seen or heard of a fight in any place in any city in any downtown that wasn't ultimately about cocaine. even when it's about sex, it's really about cocaine...
so...
hey, kids.
i'm not going to tell you not to do drugs. drugs can be fun, sometimes!
but cocaine is baaaaaaad.
baaaaaaaad.
baaaaa.
it IS though. don't do coke...
i will say that when i get to the border, i'm certain that i'll understand what my actual options are. i'm just a little fearful that none of them are going to be realistic.
but, logically, is there really much of a difference between letting me drive over a bridge to the center and letting me walk over? i'm clearing customs and being allowed to move from customs to the centre on my own either way, right? i may be freaking out over a perception of the location of the office to the bridge, rather than anything rational that the border guards can actually interpret, one way or the other.
if my plan *does* work, i'm basically going to be walking through detroit at 6:00 am. well, i'm going to end up doing that relatively frequently anyways. my experience with walking through unsafe neighbourhoods has mostly been that thugs go after thugs and so long as one does not project wealth (meaning, it's not a good idea to pull out a roll of hundred dollar bills....as though i have any, right...), there's really little risk in these supposed high risk neighbourhoods.
and, for me, in the end, i'm on their side. i've had my share of conversations with thugs that are probably thinking some nasty shit in the back of their mind, but i tend to convince 'em i'm cool - and not any better off than they are. despite being white and well spoken....
the only other thing i can think of is trying to hitch over the bridge. if that's my only option, that's my only option. i'll find out.
i don't want to come off some drug war narc, i'm really not, but i know that the big problem is not poverty but drugs.
and not any drugs. it's the nasty ones. coke. meth. there's no discussion there, no attempt to size me up - it's just a possible income source to exploit to get high.
i know to stay on the main roads.
and 6:00-7:00 am is not 3:00 am, either.
i'll be fine...
like, i've never seen or heard of a fight in any place in any city in any downtown that wasn't ultimately about cocaine. even when it's about sex, it's really about cocaine...
so...
hey, kids.
i'm not going to tell you not to do drugs. drugs can be fun, sometimes!
but cocaine is baaaaaaad.
baaaaaaaad.
baaaaa.
it IS though. don't do coke...
grargh. i still can't get a hold of anybody on the other side of the border. and it turns out booking a taxi is a process of trial and error - most taxi drivers can't or won't drive across the bridge. after all, that's what the tunnel bus is for. and it's going to cost like $40....
catch-22s. gotta love 'em.
i'm just going to show up at the tunnel really early and see what happens. i'm hoping that if they don't let me walk they'll escort me, and if they don't do that they'll let me call the center from detroit, where it's not long distance.
i tried calling two of those numbers from a pay phone.
one was a full mailbox, the other was an automated system. i can't be dropping $5 on dead ends over and over. that $10 is waste enough.
catch-22s. gotta love 'em.
i'm just going to show up at the tunnel really early and see what happens. i'm hoping that if they don't let me walk they'll escort me, and if they don't do that they'll let me call the center from detroit, where it's not long distance.
i tried calling two of those numbers from a pay phone.
one was a full mailbox, the other was an automated system. i can't be dropping $5 on dead ends over and over. that $10 is waste enough.
clearing my head at a math rock show in windsor
i needed to clear my head a little tonight, so i hit a show with a few different spins on what's currently called "math rock". i'm glad i did, as i'm feeling nicely relaxed at the moment.
first up was sly why, which was a valiant (and sometimes successful) attempt to cross hip-hop with chick corea. when it clicked, it was pretty groovy, but i was left with the overall impression that it was a proof of concept that requires quite a bit more work to get to where it needs to be.
the rhythm section was really outstanding in the synthesis. the bassist did a decent jaco, while the drummer effectively spliced breakbeats with fusion drumming. where it fell apart a little was with the vocalist/keyboardist.
it's not that he wasn't a good player - he was. but , the vocals seemed rather superfluous, in the sense that i didn't get much interesting out of it. further, he used the same electric piano sound on every single track, and it got a little monotonous after a while. i mean, chick had limited technology at his availability in the late 60s and early 70s. this guy could make his keyboard do whatever he wants it to by merely connecting it to his phone, y'know? why settle for a single, 40 year old tone?
i wanted to suggest he check out some squarepusher, but i instead just suggested he consider orchestrating the keys a little more. i suspect the thought has already crossed his mind, as he mostly agreed with me.
with that in mind, these kids have the potential to do something special, if the vocalist also decides to step back a little from the mundane topics explored in modern commercial hip-hop. i'd keep an eye on this space. i know i will.
toasted plastic, which i'm not repeating the silly chillwave anti-phonetic styling on, was up next and they presented a somewhat generic (but entirely competent) rendition of the emo/math thing that's been floating around since roughly 2000. if there's something worth noting here, it's that the drummer is quite talented. he was able to push through some otherwise predictably unpredictable (if you know math, you get that) songwriting and entirely generic singing.
on the other hand, sometimes you just want to stand in front of some amps and get blown over by them. it's kind of why i left the house tonight, actually.
it's nothing special, but it's loud and melodic and just a little bit complex and it's consequently worth cover if you're looking for it.
what i wanted tonight was just to sit back and have a beer and relax, and it was this act that i thought would be most conducive to that atmosphere. it was a lot of tapping on the ol' ibanez, with some relaxed drumming. again: not a lot to talk about, in terms of originality. but if you like the kind of passive jazz/post/math that's been floating around on bandcamp the last ten years or so, and you want a beer, it's worth the $5.
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2014/07/15.html
first up was sly why, which was a valiant (and sometimes successful) attempt to cross hip-hop with chick corea. when it clicked, it was pretty groovy, but i was left with the overall impression that it was a proof of concept that requires quite a bit more work to get to where it needs to be.
the rhythm section was really outstanding in the synthesis. the bassist did a decent jaco, while the drummer effectively spliced breakbeats with fusion drumming. where it fell apart a little was with the vocalist/keyboardist.
it's not that he wasn't a good player - he was. but , the vocals seemed rather superfluous, in the sense that i didn't get much interesting out of it. further, he used the same electric piano sound on every single track, and it got a little monotonous after a while. i mean, chick had limited technology at his availability in the late 60s and early 70s. this guy could make his keyboard do whatever he wants it to by merely connecting it to his phone, y'know? why settle for a single, 40 year old tone?
i wanted to suggest he check out some squarepusher, but i instead just suggested he consider orchestrating the keys a little more. i suspect the thought has already crossed his mind, as he mostly agreed with me.
with that in mind, these kids have the potential to do something special, if the vocalist also decides to step back a little from the mundane topics explored in modern commercial hip-hop. i'd keep an eye on this space. i know i will.
toasted plastic, which i'm not repeating the silly chillwave anti-phonetic styling on, was up next and they presented a somewhat generic (but entirely competent) rendition of the emo/math thing that's been floating around since roughly 2000. if there's something worth noting here, it's that the drummer is quite talented. he was able to push through some otherwise predictably unpredictable (if you know math, you get that) songwriting and entirely generic singing.
on the other hand, sometimes you just want to stand in front of some amps and get blown over by them. it's kind of why i left the house tonight, actually.
it's nothing special, but it's loud and melodic and just a little bit complex and it's consequently worth cover if you're looking for it.
what i wanted tonight was just to sit back and have a beer and relax, and it was this act that i thought would be most conducive to that atmosphere. it was a lot of tapping on the ol' ibanez, with some relaxed drumming. again: not a lot to talk about, in terms of originality. but if you like the kind of passive jazz/post/math that's been floating around on bandcamp the last ten years or so, and you want a beer, it's worth the $5.
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2014/07/15.html
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