So, it has been a really really long time since I posted last. Probably the longest stretch I think I've gone. A lot has happened in these past months since July. There's more to talk about than can really be talked about but a short run down, hey?
I graduated grad school and it ended with a flurry of the best kind. My thesis got written about in The Register along with the site getting a ton of traffic to it right before presenting my thesis. It came at just the right time and wrapped everything up very nicely. I have yet to return to working on it and processing and reading through and archiving all the posts in the blogosphere but in time hopefully I can. There's just so much information to trawl through it will take time. Plus I still have a few videos to finish. The web site though got included in the group show OURS: Democracy in the Age of Branding with some pretty lofty names and really is an honor to be included.
Post grad school left me scrambling looking for work. With money dwindling to the point of forgoing the purchase of things like the monthly unlimited Metro card and instead either walking 2 miles at times to go do things or just buying single rides when I had to get somewhere I couldn't walk to. Also, it meant a lot of staying home. Stress was high and it was not the best time for sure. At the end of August when my money was about to run out I got an offer to be the Digital Systems Specialist at CalArts. I took the position and had to pack up everything in 10 days to move back to LA. Audrey would also pack up but leave a few days after me and head to Chicago for a month.
Within hours after landing in LA things went pear shape and was left bouncing from couch to couch or spare bed with the help of some of my good friends. Thanks.
First things first was getting a car and apartment. I was able to get myself a little black hatchback stick shift Toyota Yaris. Nothing like my old departed friend the AW11 SC but a small fuel efficient and smart car for now. I have had a little fun with it not too much yet though. However, last night to my amazement I beat an Acura RSX off the line. I guess I had the better reaction time or better shifting skills. I don't have a proper picture of the Yaris yet but will hopefully take some soon. Over a month in I finally found an apartment after going to crappy apartment after crappy apartment. It was depressing for sure but the apartment I found I'd like to think is quite nice. Situated in the Hollywood/Los Feliz/Silverlake area it has quite a few nice things, especially a 24hour Vons just a block away. Nice to be able to walk to the market. More proper and updated pictures to come.
Work at CalArts required a fast transition as I was coming in literally the week before the kids came back. However, I quickly fell into the rhythm of things and began implementing new things and trying to standardize things. Teaching has been the best part especially the one independent study I had. I've begun to play with some new things since starting, such as Linux and have been having a steady stream of potential thoughts for new projects.
Speaking of projects, during this transition I was also involved in a number of group shows with new or old work. Death, Destruction, and the Weather Coming Up Next was in the Printed Matter NY Art Book Fair. I took part in the ExchageRate: 2008 performance exchange. Audrey came to LA to work with Elana Mann on the project and spend some time with me of course. Audrey and Elana aka Chan and Mann MC'd the event on probably the most historic election day since Kennedy, definitely for my generation. I performed a political speech written by Jason Kunke and he performed a script of mine created from the sound bytes from Grand Theft: Auto San Andreas. He did an awesome job and hopefully I'll sift through the images soon and post some. Lastly I had my quote unquote first Solo Show along with some 100 other artists all at the same time and at the same place, Sea & Space, in Echo Park. My piece Dialogues in Command & Conquer Generals: Unit 30 was installed side by side with Audrey's, Mrs. X. Which is on loan from her while she's away in Chicago/Miami/France.
One of the most eventful and crazed fall's in recent history for me. It has been intense to say the least. To think that this is when I'm typically not that productive (still don't feel that productive but how can I really rationalize that after writing all this?)(yeah didn't think so). Anyways, it has been good and bad being back in LA and I definitely miss NYC just as I missed LA when I was there. I need to visit soon I hope. Maybe to actually see the show I'm in at Parson's. I hope I get to see it.
I am slowly beginning to learn a bit of Max MSP, ewwww I got MSP on my hands. Naw, seriously it maybe the tool needed for this very specific project I want to do that deals with our wonderful economic financialpoclypse. Makes being in eduction kind of the safe/smart position, who would have thought? I am getting sleepy so I'm going to end this post. I look forward to the New Year and hopefully it will bring some much needed stability and sanity but more importantly personal growth. I'm going to try and take care of myself a bit better, I realize I need to. More updates hopefully soon. Take care all.
Showing posts with label D.D.A.T.W.C.U.N.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label D.D.A.T.W.C.U.N.. Show all posts
Friday, January 02, 2009
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
New Additions, Thesis, & What's Cooking?
So, firstly I would like to show you all some additions to the hallway. It makes it a bit dark but still I like, ominous though. Thoughts suggestions?
I had a bit of time before school started up again to cook cook cook. Decided to cook up a nice London Broil roast. I haven't cooked this in probably like 7-8 years now, it's been a long time. It came out well though so worth the effort. Also, the meat dry aged for 20 days, gosh dang it was good meat, I wish I had pictures of it when it was raw. Anyhow I got some pics of it just about done.
The beginning of the end has begun. In fact its now two weeks in and for some classes three weeks in. I'm only taking three classes this semester. One on java and basically working with massive amounts of textual information. It's supposed to be a hard first 4 weeks and then downhill from there. I was on the verge of head splode. Yeah, regular expressions in java, TreeMaps, HashMaps, and Big O! (I miss watching that show on Cartoon Network, I miss cable, CalArts dorms the good ole' days) But ya, head splode it was like the TreeMap biz today with mentions of the HashTable, gosh, talking about stuff like the amount of cycles it will take to index into a concordance N amount of numbers ends up being things like, N to the 12th power, but then we can get it down to N log base 2 N. It's like gagh!!! Next week it's bayesian filters and the hash. Gonna need some hash to get through that class.
Second class is Sousveillance Culture, which is pretty cool, seminar on inverse surveillance. Pointing the camera back at the Man wherever he may be. Have a good teacher, so it should be a good class as well as a nice compliment to my last class the biggie.
THESIS! Yes, it is here, the thesis seminar. Well looks like from the schedule we're presenting every single week 10-15 minutes or more, with weekly crits. This week we had to present some contextual references and contextual projects, present on parts of our personal statement, our background for coming to this project, and our methodology. Pulled out of course some Michael Foucault about the panopticon and then went all og like that and went to the source. Mista Jeremy Bentham himself, the father of the panopticon, 1780's baby. Oh yeah, if that don't get you excited hell I dunno what would. Anyhow, it actually is quite interesting and I have come to realize on re-reading some of the Foucault that Tekserve's database system and its way it operates is a panopticon. The database is always observable from any point and all work is tied into it along with all marks on productivity. Anyone can see what anyone is looking at, at any given time, or working on for that matter, before or after any sort of transaction. Complete control. Anyhow, that aside the presentation went well, I felt I covered all the points that needed to be covered. I presented for the project references Finishing School's "Today It's Voluntary" and Meagan Collins, myself, and Roman Jaster's street sign project back from 2005. Made me start to miss CalArts thought thinking about the street sign project and the people's.
Back to the Tekserve, had a bit of an issue a bit ago had to take somethings up with the HR. However, I may have a chance at a paid internship with Turnstone Consulting LLC. It's the company of one of my professor's. So, if so more than likely I will be taking "this time to tend to my resignation." I'm pretty excited about this prospect. We'll see.
Other than that, it's been mostly school. I didn't even get to watch the super bowl. But I did find the most awesome commercials aired during it. Audi's. The first is the Godfather one, I love the detail with the oil stains all over the sheets, as if it were blood. Take a look here.
However, the best one though is this one. "Truth in the Blacklist." Showing off one of the evilest cars ever made, the Audi quattro S1, the Group B version. Group B rallying that is, aka unlimited technologies, only need for 5000 car production numbers, unlimited boost = unlimited power, basically the monsters. So the quattro, pretty wicked, 600-1000 brake horsepower, 4WD, 2.1L 5 cylinder turbocharged engine, 0-60 in just over 2 seconds. So, fast it was claimed to drive faster than a driver can think. So, yes the best commercial goes to the Group B Audi spot. Enjoy.
Oh, and I almost completely forgot, news. "Death, Destruction, and the Weather Coming Up Next" is coming to NYC in April. It's going to be screened at the Anthology Film Archive. It's going to be part of the New Filmmakers series, I'm going to show with a group of friends from CalArts both the experimental animation program and film/video program. It should be awesome. Lots of CalArts nostalgia going on lately. Anyways that's it for now, back to it.
I had a bit of time before school started up again to cook cook cook. Decided to cook up a nice London Broil roast. I haven't cooked this in probably like 7-8 years now, it's been a long time. It came out well though so worth the effort. Also, the meat dry aged for 20 days, gosh dang it was good meat, I wish I had pictures of it when it was raw. Anyhow I got some pics of it just about done.
The beginning of the end has begun. In fact its now two weeks in and for some classes three weeks in. I'm only taking three classes this semester. One on java and basically working with massive amounts of textual information. It's supposed to be a hard first 4 weeks and then downhill from there. I was on the verge of head splode. Yeah, regular expressions in java, TreeMaps, HashMaps, and Big O! (I miss watching that show on Cartoon Network, I miss cable, CalArts dorms the good ole' days) But ya, head splode it was like the TreeMap biz today with mentions of the HashTable, gosh, talking about stuff like the amount of cycles it will take to index into a concordance N amount of numbers ends up being things like, N to the 12th power, but then we can get it down to N log base 2 N. It's like gagh!!! Next week it's bayesian filters and the hash. Gonna need some hash to get through that class.
Second class is Sousveillance Culture, which is pretty cool, seminar on inverse surveillance. Pointing the camera back at the Man wherever he may be. Have a good teacher, so it should be a good class as well as a nice compliment to my last class the biggie.
THESIS! Yes, it is here, the thesis seminar. Well looks like from the schedule we're presenting every single week 10-15 minutes or more, with weekly crits. This week we had to present some contextual references and contextual projects, present on parts of our personal statement, our background for coming to this project, and our methodology. Pulled out of course some Michael Foucault about the panopticon and then went all og like that and went to the source. Mista Jeremy Bentham himself, the father of the panopticon, 1780's baby. Oh yeah, if that don't get you excited hell I dunno what would. Anyhow, it actually is quite interesting and I have come to realize on re-reading some of the Foucault that Tekserve's database system and its way it operates is a panopticon. The database is always observable from any point and all work is tied into it along with all marks on productivity. Anyone can see what anyone is looking at, at any given time, or working on for that matter, before or after any sort of transaction. Complete control. Anyhow, that aside the presentation went well, I felt I covered all the points that needed to be covered. I presented for the project references Finishing School's "Today It's Voluntary" and Meagan Collins, myself, and Roman Jaster's street sign project back from 2005. Made me start to miss CalArts thought thinking about the street sign project and the people's.
Back to the Tekserve, had a bit of an issue a bit ago had to take somethings up with the HR. However, I may have a chance at a paid internship with Turnstone Consulting LLC. It's the company of one of my professor's. So, if so more than likely I will be taking "this time to tend to my resignation." I'm pretty excited about this prospect. We'll see.
Other than that, it's been mostly school. I didn't even get to watch the super bowl. But I did find the most awesome commercials aired during it. Audi's. The first is the Godfather one, I love the detail with the oil stains all over the sheets, as if it were blood. Take a look here.
However, the best one though is this one. "Truth in the Blacklist." Showing off one of the evilest cars ever made, the Audi quattro S1, the Group B version. Group B rallying that is, aka unlimited technologies, only need for 5000 car production numbers, unlimited boost = unlimited power, basically the monsters. So the quattro, pretty wicked, 600-1000 brake horsepower, 4WD, 2.1L 5 cylinder turbocharged engine, 0-60 in just over 2 seconds. So, fast it was claimed to drive faster than a driver can think. So, yes the best commercial goes to the Group B Audi spot. Enjoy.
Oh, and I almost completely forgot, news. "Death, Destruction, and the Weather Coming Up Next" is coming to NYC in April. It's going to be screened at the Anthology Film Archive. It's going to be part of the New Filmmakers series, I'm going to show with a group of friends from CalArts both the experimental animation program and film/video program. It should be awesome. Lots of CalArts nostalgia going on lately. Anyways that's it for now, back to it.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
D.D.A.T.W.C.U.N. on Pagina 164 of T.I.A.F. 2007 Catalog
So, I got a package this morning from Taiwan, I wasn't expecting one. It was from the people at the Taiwanese International Animation Festival returning the copy of my film as well as sending me the Festival's catalog. It was more book than catalog, being it was like 300 pages long. Of course I started to look to see if I was included in anyway asides from mention of my name or something in it. To my surprise I found that I was on the title page for my category and the first entry (non-alphabetical order). I actually hadn't known what category I had been placed in, it ended up being Docu-Anim, documentary animation. I had never really thought of the piece as such but in actuallity I think it fits that category, I had never before heard of such a category of animation prior. So, on that page there's a 1/4 of a page of "Death, Destruction, and the Weather Coming Up Next" and I couldn't be happier.
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