artist: pedro the lion
album: control
mad good album. lots of jesus references. this guy is truly a unique voice.
also. stay tuned for my best of 2002 lists.
I've been getting myself certified via brainbench. Lots of fun.
So far I have Math Fundamentals, Automotive Industry Knowledge (US), and Computer Industry Knowledge.
so i'm googling for "marijuana price" and i end up at what seems like paydirt, an article about marijuana economics among ucla kids. a few clicks later i finally realize that i can't get at the actual information unless i'm a member of some institution.
so i still don't know how much this stuff should cost.
please note - i have updated this post, please read all of it before posting any comments. thanks.
---- original post ----
this is the next big thing. pro-ana . the pro anorexia movement.
pro-ana seems both stupid and dangerous. my immediate reaction was mainly shock, followed by sympathy about just how pathetic these people are. anorexia is a disorder by defination...
i'm picking this up a day later and posting it even though i don't have anything interesting to say about it. just form your own opinion.
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update 2003.01.29
it seems this post has been drawing a few comments and re-reading it i felt i should talk a little more about my mixed feelings on the whole pro-ana thing.
on one side i believe in ideals - freedom, privacy, aclu stuff - that says that there is nothing we should do to stop these people. if they want to be pro-ed (pro-EatingDisorder) then it's their choice. not that we shouldn't help them.
which leads into the next duality. these ed "support" communities. are they simply enviroments for pro-ed'ers to meet each orther and share tips? i guess it's not any different from drug rehab, where half the participants will get nothing from the program except new hook-ups.
anyway. i can't decided how i feel about the whole thing. it's complicated.
----
update april 02, 2003
people seem to respond most harshly to my use of the word pathetic.
here's the dictionary description
"pa-thet-ic - noun : having a capacity to move one to either compassionate or contemptuous pity"
and that's exactly how i feel. i'm both compassionate for these girls and contemptous of their needless self-destruction. it really seems to me that the one thing all you pro-ana chicks overlook is exactly how hard you're making the lives of those around you. having to support a friend who is going through something like being aneroxic is extremely difficult. in this regard ana is extremely selfish and self-centered.
i've been depressed too. and i've done self destructive things. and i never was or will be a teenage girl so i can't really relate perfectly to these pro-ana girls. i have however, been living with cancer for the last 10 years of my life. everytime i think of the struggle that i've been through for my health, and how lucky i am to even be alive – that's when i start getting angry you pro-ana people. to see someone throw away their health (whatever the reasons) is profoundly disturbing.
if you think my words were too harsh, i might agree. but like anything there are both sides to this issue.
--
rett
So I'm reading my last couple posts and it's quite obvious I need my own style guide for this blog. Capitolization (or a lack thereof) seems to be my biggest inconsistency, but i'm [sic] sure there are lots of others.
Maybe I should just type out my entries in word before I post them. Or I could do it the 31337 way and find some mt plug-ins for spellcheck and grammar.
Also, is there a official (actually, any at all) style guide for blogs? is [sic] it ok to _never_ capitolize? is _this_ an ok way to emphasize? or should i be using b tags?
I've decided to release all the art currently on my website under the non-commercial attribution share-alike license from the Creative Commons.
I feel very strongly about copyright law, and tend to go along with the new wave ideals of the internet generation - everything should (and will be since i know where to look) free for the taking. atleast everything digital. and quite a lot can be made digital these days.
So everytime I buy something digital (like my own art work or Photoshop or Audion) it's because I understand that without financial support these products wouldn't exist. Now, software and art are different, and so is music (I only buy cds at shows, directly from the band). Yet the same principles apply- you should pay for something that you enjoy.
I think there has to be someway to make a living and give out your artwork free. Maybe I can be the poster-child.
i just got back from the creative commons license release party. it was spiffy.
i got to meet lawrence lessig and eric eldred and lots of cool people. good stuff.
"don't get branded - tell companies who you are."
http://spd.atdmt.com/b/AANYCPGNYTRE/PGT_BannerSucks_700x600_44k_CL.gif
- which links to this company who markerts shit some . WTF is this shit?
do they think we're stupid enough to help them brand us? as if that's some sort of self expression. i'll make my own brand. fuck you.
ps - hide from the big bad guy (proctor and gamble). get taken off their contact list.
i'm hopefully going to the release celebration of the licenses.
anyone know where i can get the cheapest airfare and/or a place i can crash monday (the 16th) and possibly even sunday night (the 15th).
i'm doing some very rough initial calculation, and i think i've pushed atleast 25 billion pixels. this counts digital photographs and photoshop play. i think it's a conservative estimate.
i have an "all digital workflow" (to use hipjargon). I'd never really thought about it before, but it's true. I could possibly be the worlds number 1 pixel pusher. or atleast in the top 10. mandolux might be ahead. actually lots of people would be ahead of me. i think i can do it though. my goal - be the #1 pixel pusher.
when you search google forrett this place comes up on the fifth page. not too shabby.
and i show up in quite a number of other google searches.
i just entered the site in the sxsw 2002 design competition. and i said i launched it in december 2002. time to make it happen. :)
a 10mbit connection. that's what i want for xmas. just some fat bandwidth. help me.
not that i can really explain what one is.
when one is doing digital artwork the type of file that you're working with is very important. some images were meant to be gifs, some were destined for jpg compression, and others still want to live on as svg graphics. or good old tiff files.
if you're thinking in digital terms, the file format and compression algorithm used on your work aren't an afterthought, they're a part of the piece. they're a necessary part of the viewing experience that goes with your piece. mondrian spent hours re-drawing his lines, i spend hours playing with my jpeg compression quality (usually 35-65%).
anyway. compression algorithims are a part of working digitally. all lossy compression algorithims generate their own special kind of noise when put to work on an image. sometimes i like to think of jpeg or gif compression as just another filter in my photoshop toolbox.
so. anyway. i'm fascinated by the nature of lossy compression algorithims. you'll find all sorts of digital artifacts throughout my work. it's supposed to be that way. i've spilled jpeg compression all over my canvas. on purpose.
i'm going to change the main contents of the homepage soon. i'm still working on some real update involving all sorts of standards but for now it's still a good old table based layout.