not feeling it.

this has been, by far, one of the least christmas-y feeling christmas seasons for me. not sure why exactly--nothing is all that different from years past. and maybe that's it. nothing new. normally i resist holiday cheer a bit, but eventually get into the gifting part, and i try and give some really good stuff to some really good people, who hopefully also think it's really good stuff that they got. i like giving gifts. i like giving people things that they will like. this year i've been especially uninspired. maybe tomorrow will be different.

i hope you enjoy this. it's a clever nod to the classic it's a wonderful life, only for the for the hopelessly internet dependent...it's a little flash-pop-up-style-story-book, and it almost makes me feel cheery.

a snack...

a couple of weirdy-pants japanese tidbits to hold you over...

...until my next real post.

get over yourself radiohead...

...your last album is worth about six bucks. ouch.

don't get me wrong. i like in rainbows. but $80 is a bit steep for the whole enchilada, no? similarly, ten to fifteen bucks for a milquetoast selection of some low bitrate crap from the itunes music store with DRM isn't exactly appealing. then again, i could always drop twelve to eighteen at a good old fashioned record store-record store, and redistribute as i see fit--but then i have the distinct displeasure that is fueling a record labels greed instead of compensating the responsible creative parties...no thanks. the music industry is so incredibly fucked.

free. it's been done before. it is a good thing.

embracing the evolution of a culture, and of the music industry is smart. the inevitable shift to a more effective and consumer driven distribution method is clearly in progress.

the latest in this us-versus-them is Saul Williams' the inevitable rise and liberation of niggy tardust. i think it's quite good...and i like the way it's been released.



check it out.

buying in and selling out

it's a way to buy credibility. which, if you base all your decisions around money, it's probably rather easy to run short of. lot's of companies do it, so it really is the practice that i don't like and not any one in particular. i figure it works like this: Megabrand commissions art with no discernible marketing value, and then after one gallery opening and one closing--they more or less bury it. buzz circulates just enough that those in already in said subculture see it, and acknowledge Megabrand's effort. of course that buzz bleeds into related circles, but interestingly enough, not much. Megabrand risks and loses none of their mass appeal, they gain a small amount of ground with the creative set, they get to toot their horn about moneys spent on philanthropic endeavors, and wrap the whole thing up with a nice tax write off. gone and forgotten. perfect.

it's not quite evil, just a little parasitic--and even though it tastes like phony, sometimes it generates some pretty cool work. this is from adidas' adicolor campaign...a line of dominant color, limited edition shoes. the shoes you might've seen, because Megabrand wanted to sell those, but did you ever hear about these shorts? of course you didn't.



see the rest here.