Hey everyone! I'm moving away from blogger and onto my own server. The address is www.shewflowers.com. That will be the new home of my blog (which I hope to update more often) and also of the podcast. Please update your links! Thank you!
So, we got ourselves another metal show lined up. This one is short and brutal, just like the last one :) Here's the band list:
The next time a music industry rep cries about the illegal use of their intellectual property by "stealing" or otherwise, I would like to point them in the general direction of this bullshit right here. It seems that now rootkits are being installed onto systems as part of Sony's DRM (Digital Rights Misuse On Part of the Industry). Is that not as bad as someone writing a virus and placing it on a system? Even if that virus lay dormant for a specific "protecting" purpose? Anyone ready to fight yet?
Enjoy :)
Wow...you know that amazing grass roots media stuff you keep hearing so much about (and can hear a bit of in my podcast)? You hear on the news about people shooting their own videos and distributing them on the internet and that it can have far reaching implications for spreading the truth apart from a sanctioned media monopoly? Well, I just got done watching (and still have a ton to go) some of that...here's a few links to get you started...these are not necessarily anti-war / bush / dogs / cats / whatever...but well...draw your own conclusions. Oh and there's this thing here that google is experimenting with...something with video. Enjoy :)
Videos from AliveInBaghdad
Some interesting 911 stuff
A VERY interesting free Military Experimentation video
A lot of peace rally video from Fluxrostrum
and, here's where my journey began...
oh yeah and did i mention that I f-ing love flock? well...i do...and so should you :)
This is a test blog post from the Flock browser version 0.5pre (Developer Preview)...if this works it's pretty amazing. I'm in the browser right now and posting a blog with the click of a button...i know i know, there are extensions for Firefox that does that too, but this is purty and more integrated...well time to publish...lets see what happens :)
From the blog of Lawrence Lessig:
“WIPO's latest destructive regulation: The Broadcasting and Webcasting Treaty.”
The long and short of the whole matter is that there is legislation on the table that could potentially railroad our current distribution mechanisms for citizen owned media. Do we want freedom to produce and distribute the content that we want? Please act.
Check out this EFF page for more information about how you can help influence this decision.
Wow, finally made it to number 10. I started school a couple of weeks ago. That coupled with the fact that I'm working 40 hours a week...sheesh. No time for anything. But hey...them's the breaks eh? Gotta get my edjimication so that I can kiss this tech support gig goodbye and actually do something that I want with life. So, anyhoo. Thank you to everyone who have stuck by me through this and are still listening to the show. You guys are the best. For all you new listeners thank you for checking it out and consider subscribing ;-)
If you liked any of the artists played consider purchasing their CD! Thanks for listening...tune in next week for more!
Ok, so I finally broke down the other day and purchased an Ipod. For those of you who listen to the podcast, you may know that I use, quite extensively, a Dell DJ for the shows and my own musical enjoyment. I’ve actually been very happy with the DJ. I think this is more because it is the first device of its kind that I have ever had. Kind of like once you’ve driven a Passat, why drive a Jetta (except for possibly the ’06 Jetta, boy those things are sweet!).
Wow! Everything from the box, to the packaging, to the actually unit itself was quite an experience. I sat down in my library at school and took like thirty minutes just opening it and inspecting the packaging. Everything was so intricately wrapped and packaged so neatly together. You could tell that someone wanted to leave their personal touch on the experience. Never having owned any sort of Apple product, I am not used to such treatment (is this the norm for all Apple products?).
The whole music listening experience is different when listening on an Ipod 20 gb Photo. I mean, c’mon, it’s the same tunes but with a different colored intuitive click wheel hippie feel good yuppie crap spin to it ( So I’m not going to make this a review or anything because I’m sure most of you out there know what an Ipod is from reading about it. Suffice it to say that nothing comes close to the experience.
Oh and yeah, if you decide to purchase a case, be sure you just leave it on and don’t shift it around. The white part of the Ipod scratches so damn easily (of course my wife says I’m anal…she could be right).
Well I was going to blog about the fact that I STILL can't get high speed internet to my house and bitch and moan....blah blah blah blah....instead I just came to Barnes and Noble and paid my $4 for two hours and decided to shut up about it.
So in true blogging style I'm gonna bring some interesting stories your way...I usually don't do this as this is mostly my portal to my podcast but I'm finding more and more that I want to sort of push this stuff down the collective pipe, if you will. So here we go...
Michael Lynn Cisco Scandal:
Michael Lynn has cracked the uncrackable and now Cisco doesn't want him to say a damn thing about it. So what does he do? He goes to Defcon 13 in Las Vegas and, in true hacker style, tells everyone :) And what does Cisco do? They get a legal injuction against him and all of his materials...and he settles. Now, I don't blame the guy. I mean, shit, if you had fscking Cisco and FBI breathing down your neck you would probably tuck tail and get the hell out too. But does that mean that the materials are not online? No, my friend, it doesn't. For the curious please check this out: Cryptome ... you'll be happy you did.
Evolution vs. Creationism:
Found by Dave Slusher at Evil Genius Chronicles this is the age old debate being brought to you via streaming tonight at 7pm EST and available later for download. Where, you ask? Via Open Source Radio at radioopensource.org. Check it out. Dave's original post can be found here.
So what do you think? I would love to hear your comments. Email me or leave a comment on the blog.
Later.
And so...without further delay...Edition 8 is on its way. Thank you to those that waited...to those that didn't well...you're missing out :) So we've got another great line up and some crazy crazy happenings when a friend of mine comes over to speak with me. Particularly we find why reading Maxim can have an adverse effect on your perspective of the world. Listen and you'll see what I mean...
Click on the link below to download the podcast. Consider subscribing to the show as well if you like the content :)
Friends and neighbors, boys and girls! Come one come all to the scary defenestration show! We have a great line up this week of all metal bands. It's a much harder string of music this time and I think you'll love it as much as I do. Sometimes it's necessary to bang your head (hair or not) and release all that rage. Listen here and you definately will. Enjoy.
Click on the link below to download the podcast. Consider subscribing to the show as well if you like the content :)
London bombs kill at least 33
'Barbaric' terror attack says PM Tony Blair
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/07/london.tube/index.html
Human hate and the desire for violence and destruction apparently know no bounds...it is quite sad indeed...
Please stop...
For anyone who would like to subscribe to the cast in itunes 4.9, please follow these easy steps:
1. choose Advanced -> Subscribe to podcast...
2. copy and past http://feeds.feedburner.com/defenestrateyourmind
3. enjoy the goodiness :)
Apparently the itunes directory has me listed but damn if I can find it by searching for it. Defenestrate is a rather unique name in a podcast and nothing is returned on that search. When I try to add my feed, it says that it's already listed. I've seen my feed hit in feedburner stats...but ah well. So, if itunes is your drug of choice there are the easy to follow instructions on getting it to work with my feed :)
Well, I can now officially say that I am apart of the Association of Music Podcasting (AMP). We are an organization of fellow podcasters that have a passion for music and have a passion for getting exposure to new independent artists. Go check out the site and you'll be assured to hear another cast hot on the heels of this post.
That's right boys and girls. Destroy By Design will be at 12th and Porter in Nashville, TN on June 25th starting at 7pm. Come on out and support your local scene! I'll be there with bells on!
So, your host monkey has another cast ready for the taking! Sorry for the delay and you can be assured that there will be more casts available on a regular weekly basis. If you like what you hear buy a CD!! If you have any comments or suggestions please send feedback as that would just tickle me pink! :)
Click on the link below to download the podcast. Consider subscribing to the show as well if you like the content :)
Hey guys, sorry for the tardiness between casts. I did one tonight...well partly at least. I wasn't feeling it in the worst way. No inspiration...nothing to say...so I pulled the plug and decided to do it again tomorrow instead. Perhaps I will find what it is that I am looking for in the great beyond. For those that have stuck with me between shows, Thank You, for you are truly appreciated. In the interim you may want to experience Coldplay's new album X&Y...I am and it is truly a wonderful place to start for inspiration.
My how I love unsecured wireless networks. Today, I am at a Barnes and Noble blogging to you over an unsecured network from a fairly large computer/technology reseller a la Best Buy (but not Best Buy)...Surprising? Yes... Unwelcomed? No way...now that means I don't have to pay for the wireless here in the cafe (because I am a cheap bastard it seems...) Hoping to get another cast out tonight, I've got a ton of music for you guys that's sure to make you rumble and jumble until you fall over laughing with glee that the Defenestrate Your Mind show is in town for yet another hour of gig goodiness. Last show was 45 minutes, let's see if we can push it to an actualy full hour of music (with the amount that I have it's sure to be done). If you have anything at all to say please feel free to email me or leave a comment in the blog!
A little crazy...A little nutty...but oh so delicious. Here's another edition of your favorite podcast and mine (well...it's my podcast isn't it?). A note of CAUTION: This is possibly not safe for work (NSFW) as there are multiple points of alcohol induced swearing included in the cast. If you must listen to it at work (and I understand that you must), you might want to consider a good pair of headphones. I had a guest and the levels were a bit weird...and we sometimes screwed up...but hey it was a great time and that's what it's all about.
Click on the link below to download the podcast. Consider subscribing to the show as well if you like the content :)
Wow! What a ride! It seems like a lifetime has passed since the last show. Well, here you go kiddies! I present to you edition 4 of the humble podcast that seeks to show you the best in music from everywhere. Click on the link on the title or download from the icon below. Download the podcast
Here's a list of the bands and a link to their website:
Optronix - Un-Fection - Listen To More
Failure to Comply - Disavowel - Listen To More
Death Comesto Matteson - One Last Time - MySpace Website
Aria of a Prophet - The Smiles and the Mud - Listen To More
Gretchen - Fading - Website Listen To More
Destroy By Design - Lights - MySpace Website Don't miss the show at The Muse in Nashville, TN on June 9th!
Things I Rambled About Endlessly
Creative Commons
Weed Share DRM
Magnatune Records - Creative Commons Music Label
There was to be no happiness this day. There were to be no thoughts of beauty…only sorrow. For the loss of a man so bright and so loving in the eyes of his family that only tears can follow after the ascension of his soul from his body into the beyond. No longer would he experience the pain of the human condition any longer to have to struggle with the pettiness of our world. No. He is now away from all of this and leaves behind the sadness of his family. Upon walking into the home that would become his for a short time as the family paid their condolences, the expected heavy sorrow fills the air, as if everything in your tiny universe of thought and mind is slowly shrinking in upon you. Walking to the side of a man once living you find that the shell looks nothing like the man you knew, for the life is gone away and in a much more beautiful place than we could ever imagine. More tears…more sorrow… And yet…in small pockets of sub cultural experiences there lay persons sharing happiness through the retelling of memories long since forgotten until this day. Laughter springs forth from tiny sections of the large room rising to full bloom and quieting again for the moment. This battle of sorrow and happiness continues for three days as visitation gives way to the funeral services that would finally lay to rest one so loved in this life and equally loved, never forgotten in his passing. As could be expected, the day of days had a cool breeze and gray skies to contend with as a grieving family entered into a room to pay their condolences and comfort for a loss of a man that meant so much to each and every one of them. Gathered around the tent, now, to listen as a now aging man paid homage to a fallen soldier…a fallen father…a fallen husband…a fallen friend and comrade. Gunshots could be heard now as the ritual of honor continued its journey to completion. Now a trumpeter plays the song of goodbye for the fallen. As Taps is completed, the American flag is presented to one in whom true strength lies; for as the one he called Wife receives the flag, no tear escapes her eye only pride for the one in whom she loves so dearly.
This is the scene for the celebration of life and the mourning of departure for Richard A. Velat, a man of courage and love so large that it covered an entire family of fifteen grandchildren, more than eight sets of children with spouses, and an equally courageous wife. There is a special place of love, courage, and beauty that will never be erased from the hearts and minds of those he touched so dearly with his laughter, wit, and charm. We sorrow not for his passing into a land of milk and honey, but for the departure of his life from ours.
Your touch in me will leave me with bravery and thought to a time when you were away and fighting for an ideal of freedom that we all take for granted. I will now know that there exists strength of endurance in a human heart to press forward even in the darkest of times.
I can say with certainty that I and the rest of your family will always remember you as we celebrate your life for the duration of ours. Goodbye and we will all see you soon.
It seems that my original link was incorrect and that the RSS feed has not been updated with the new show. I have since corrected the link below the Edition post but the RSS feed has not been updated yet. It is feedburner so it may take a few mins before the ping is processed with their server.
Download the podcast
And yet another edition comes your way with more great music and adventure! Another excellent line up of bands that include:
Atomic Blonde - Nightmare Website MySpace
City Mouse - Engine #9, Heidi Heidi Website MySpace
Ocelets - The Truth About Baker Hill, ...Will Be Televised Website (CD for Sale)
Divided By Three - Noise of The World Website (CD for Sale) MySpace
The Josh Jackson Band - If It All Comes True Website (CD for Sale) MySpace
Thoughts and addendums:
On The Media was quoted in this cast. Please direct comments to On The Media concerning that particular story.
I may have spelled the band Ocelots incorrectly in the cast. It is spelled correctly in the text here. Sorry for the confusion. **woops**
Thank you again goes to the individual bands that allowed me to play their music. Tell all your friends and neighbours to listen! :)
Hey everyone! If you are insane enough to wonder why I haven't gotten a show out in a while, well...I'm sick. Grrrr! I don't have a voice. So much so that I actually had to be out of work today because of it (phone tech support...not a good thing when your voice doesn't work). I have a full line-up of bands, but no voice to talk about them haha. Rest assured that I will be in full swing soon :)
Well...here at last. All moved in (well sort of...) Now the fun part is the unpacking and getting life back to a semi-normal situation while adjusting to a new home. It is an experience that has been greeted with much anticipation and stress, I'm afraid to say. First time homebuying should be prefaced with a disclaimer that states, "Remember one thing only...if things can go wrong they will." Oh wait, I do believe that a certain someone by the name of Murphy may have declared that law already. It seems that it applies to not only homebuying but life in general as well. Maybe it should be in neon then. Blinking neon...
Oh and another thing. What possessed me to move to the middle of nowhere, completely guaranteeing me that there would be no chance in hell for high-speed internet? Could it be the silence of trains and expressway that put me to sleep at night? Or the fact that when you sit out on my deck at night the only light to be seen is the one at my disposal attached to the back of the house? Alas, a compromise had to be made and patience learned. I may be out in God's country, but boy is Tennessee beautiful! I took a trip into the 100 feet or so of woods behind my house (on my land no less), and found one of the greatest treasures to be found. There is a rock wall, no higher than my knee, running through the thick of the woods and on past the neighbors lot as well. I couldn't believe it! This thing must be better than 50, maybe even 100, years old. I am totally in love with anything that is old and has history to it. There is so much to be felt and learned from those things established, that the smallest nuance should not be missed. It is a private sanctuary (private because you have to brave the foliage that has grown around it to get there) and a beauty to look at. If you ever come to visit Tennessee, this is one thing that you have to find and see, so that you can appreciate the beauty of it.
So, I would very much like to get another podcast out (I've only gotten to do one with my new equipment and I can't wait to do another!). It has been a real joy to watch my bandwidth go up for the month and I hope to see it go farther...I would be perfectly ok with waking up one morning and getting an email from Yahoo! explaining that my limit had been exceeded for the month (at which point I would need to find other hosting haha). I am completely humbled and appreciative to all who have subscribed to the feed and listened to the show. Please drop me a line at dymind@gmail.com and let me know what you think of the show...whether you like or dislike it(I'm not shy so you don't have to be either). I was really glad to see that I am now listed at Podcast Alley. If you search for defenestrate or nashville, you'll find my listing in there (one of two at the moment for nashville). So take a trip over there and check it out...and what the hell throw a vote in if you think me worthy...no matter what the opinion, it is of a respected nature to me. I hope to see everyone back to listen to the next show...look for it soon!
Welcome back! I have another goody for you in the form of Edition 2 of ye olde independent music from Nashville and beyond. As before you can click on the link in the title or click below on the podcast icon to download the show. If you would like to subscribe (and you are greatly encouraged to do so ;) just click on the link in the right hand pane where it says "Subscribe to this show"...this will take you to my feedburner feed. Just copy and paste the link into your favorite aggregator or head on over to Bluggcaster and listen to the cast from there. Download the podcast
As always, here are the bands that you heard on the cast:
Fall With Me (Myspace Site) - Uneasy Order CD (Main Website)
The Dames (Myspace Site) - Transparently Order CD (Main Website)
Stuck Lucky (Myspace Site) - Beg Them for a CD ;)
Destroy By Design - Beg Them for a CD ;)
Aireline - Order CD
Thank you again to all of the bands who agreed to have their music on the show. If you would like a band on the show or would like to be on the show, email me at dymind at gmail dot com and I can let you know the details. Thank you for listening to the show!
I am so excited, waiting ever so patiently for my new mic to be delivered to the apartment. Got the Behringer B-1 because of the relatively flat frequency response across the board. Should be a good warm mic, which is what I'm looking for...something that is warm and clear with low noise. Hope this does the trick. Coupled with my Behringer UB802, it should work quite nice. I've got more great bands lined up for the next show...I'm moving to my new house this next weekend and I want get another one out before then, because if not you probably won't hear from me for another week...and we can't have that now can we.
So, as many have probably realized what with reading so many blogs and all, this is an interesting little revolution we have going on here. You can hardly listen to On The Media without some mention of a blog on their show (excellent podcast and NPR show, by the way...highly recommend it). Even more interesting, I think, is the possibility for intimacy between fan and artist in this new digital age. It is entirely conceivable to bring the wall down in that respect and bring things much closer together than they have ever been before. I'm sure many people thought this before with the advent of bbs and then the successor the Forum, but this time it seems to be a bit different in that now a regular diary can be kept for the public to see, along with comments to the post. In addition, you have a full range of media from pictures to music to videos that can be played from their site, all in hopes of gaining one more fan which lends itself to them going out to a show and seeing that the band is every bit as good if not better than what they can experience on the web (as the realism keeps intensifying).
I hope to be apart of bringing that bridge closer together. Music has the power to inspire, while the artist is the source of the inspiration. Not only can we hear the words they say in tune, but also experience what they have to say through their posts on a blog. It's going to be fun in this transition. The only way this system will work is if we support the music we like by buying their stuff (let's face it, everyone has to eat). So if you like a band played on this show or on any podcast you listen to, buy their cd and I promise you will have a friend forever :)
Hey everyone! Finally got Edition 1 up of the cast. Click on the link in the title or click on the podcast icon below and it will download the podcastic goodiness to your computer. Be sure to transfer to your favorite music device or cd so that you can blast it wherever you are! If you have any suggestions / comments at all please direct them to dymind at gmail dot com. Download the podcast
Tracks played in this cast:
Emery - Walls Order CD
And In August - I'm Sorry Listen to more
Second Saturday - Arianna Order CD
The Red Cloud - Angel Skin Listen to more
Sans Seraph - Atropos Listen to more
On each of those sites there are show dates and CD order information. Support the bands you love and go see them or buy a CD!
Thank you guys for listening to this first edition and thank you so much to the bands that let me play their stuff.
Hey, I am setting things up a little bit at a time, as time allows. The first podcast should be ready in a few days. For the bands I have emailed about song play: Thank you so much for allowing me to share your music with people. It is truly an honor to have talked to you. I believe this is the right way to do things, fans to fans. We'll get the word out on the music we like and in turn the people we talk to tell their friends. It all starts with the fan. In the coming casts I would like to share my views on the RIAA and what I see as a new beginning and paradigm shift in how we come to spell popularity and stardom for the artists we are fans of. No longer the black curtain of marketing and advertisements that tell you what you should listen to. There are artists out there that do not crowd under this umbrella, and they are working hard to live their passions and dreams. Well, I'm keeping this short on purpose so that I can get back to bringing everything together.
Last night I saw the 1990 Christian Slater flick, "Pump Up the Volume." It was something that I was frantically trying to find but found it increasingly difficult as the days wore on.
Sometimes I get in these states of mind when I can't find something that I become sort of obsessed with it and have to find it. Usually the more obscure and unknown, the better… I know I could order it on the net with a click of the button, but there is something that is so much more fulfilling when you find something that you've been searching for (on foot) for days and days. I finally found the movie at a Media Play right down the road from my house. Incidentally it was the last copy and it was on sale (bonus!).
I'm not going to give it the full Reel Reviews treatment, but would like to tell you a bit about it. Essentially it's your typical early 90's teen angst movie (i.e. Breakfast Club (actually circa 1985 but of the same caliber), et al), only done the way that only Christian Slater could do it. He plays a pirate radio dj, who rains trouble upon his high school by spreading his rebellion on all the good little girls and boys. He uses the radio waves as a medium to attempt to start a revolution in his community where "truth is a virus". What ensues is the typical (typical in that you know what is going to follow in the story) mass chaos of teens "stickin' it to the man" (my dave slusher quote of the day) by revolting against all forms of authority to express the severe depression and trauma that are the teenage years.
Obviously this is not the most put together movie of all times (typical for movies of that era), but the premise is sort of inspiring in a way. I started to think of a correlation with the message that the writer was attempting to convey and with that of blogging and, more importantly, podcasting. I found that a comparison does exist, but only on a certain level. In the movie, it so happened, that as a result of the words spoken, sweeping changes began to happen in the minds of those tuning in. I started to think to myself, if this was possible today, in this time of extreme amounts of information (almost to the point of overload). It would seem that we live in the ultimate era of dissemination of information and in our ability to reach the masses for change and rebellion, yet very little of it seems apparent. It could be argued, and perhaps I agree with this, that change is subtle and rears its head after seemingly long periods of time. I could also be argued that with the amount of information freely available over this massive network, we should be world changers in a day. I think, though, that perhaps a crucial point is being missed. That is the point of the foot work I was referring to in the first portion of this post. I am as guilty of this as anyone, but I read something revolutionary and/or inspiring and think to myself, "Wow, that's really nice...I hope someday someone can do that." It's true. I am becoming that which I always promised myself I would never be. I go to my job and do my work to the best of my ability. I go to school and soak up every last morsel of information I can (sometimes I try too hard and miss so much). I become stuck in this cycle that I cannot break out of at times(let me say, here, that there is nothing more important to me in life than learning. Perhaps it is a control mechanism, but I cannot suffice to just knowing the status quo, but I have to dig deeper to the real reason behind things). Trust me when I say this, I am not crying on anyone's shoulder, nor am I asking for sympathy. I make my own bed and lay in it, as I am expected to. I am not going to make the age old argument that society is what makes me do it, because we all know that is complete and total bullshit. My problem is that I am lazy and refuse to get my hands dirty, as it were. For example, I made one podcast to get my stuff out there and haven't made another since. I can make every excuse in the book...my microphone sucks; I don't have the web space anymore, etc. If I want to be true to myself though, I am so afraid of rejection that I become paralyzed to action. Upon deeper reflection, I am afraid of the responsibility that becomes mine when I make comments of an important nature...responsibility to have something to back up my beliefs or, in the case of any scientific judgments I make, have an adequate amount of knowledge to make my assertions (of which I have some, but am unwilling, at the moment, to take that plunge). There is a certain amount of weakness in the way I am coming to terms with these feelings because I choose not to act. I have the tools at my disposal, but I make excuses all the same. Are there others like me who are plagued with the paralyses to action? Do you have something that you deem important to say and yet choose not to? The world is not all bad, but there are some things that require our action to change (war for oil or peace for mankind, as an example). Action begins with a voice, then is made complete with the foot work that is required to give that voice substance. Perhaps one day I will practice what I preach. Perhaps...
I'm not sure if anyone is checking the blog or not. I noticed that quite a lot of people have downloaded the torrent file. Thank you so much for that. I am in a continual commitment to bring you quality information which is why I haven't produced anything as of late. I have something in the works that is a bit more raw than my last cast. I hope to have it out quickly. My links are broken as well, as you could probably tell because I was using a free hosting company and they decided to delete my account without notice (you get what you pay for unfortunately). So, I should be up and running again soon. I hope you have enjoyed the first and only cast of the time. Rest assured there is more to come...and I can only get better with age ;-) If you guys have comment please write them. I want to hear from you guys! Thanks again for downloading this little ol' cast.
The podcast of Defenestrate Your Mind Edition 1 "Introductions and Why Things Work the Way They Do" is up for the masses to consume. I am listed on the ipodder.org directory and podcast.net.
Here are the show notes for this cast:
Introduction to cast
Discussion of "The Computer and The Brain" by Jon Von Neumann
Closing with song by Canton called "Bassomatic" www.ontology.com
Thank you for listening to the cast. There will be more in the coming weeks. Please leave feedback here or email me dymind at gmail dot com.
Presumably, this will be an entry that will serve as an introduction to me as it is my first post to this blog (my first post to any blog, really). I guess I will keep with expectation and attempt to impart my person to you.
I like to think of myself as having a simple yet complex personality. Simple, in that I enjoy mostly simple things in life (ie nature, hiking, etc). Complex, in that I enjoy a gamut of complexities (ie puzzles, Go, computer programming, poetry, literature, etc). I label myself (if be such a need) as a thinker and observer mostly. I am not the loudest person in the room, and yet I am not quite the quietest. Often times I find myself listening rather than talking.
This brings me to an interesting deviation, in that I am writing about myself and my interests in this blog. I would, on the shallow end, say that it is the opposite of my persona to attempt to share my opinion on certain subjects. However, if one digs to the complexity that lies underneath (as is such in a seemingly simple system) it is there that through my observation, the overflow of such pours to the pages.
I have written poetry for most of my life, but have never formally published it (probably out of fear of rejection, another topic altogether). This seems to be the next logical step to a semi formal place to lay my thoughts down. Albeit that most of what I say here will more than likely be the shallower end of the pool in context of deeper ideas that I may have, simply because I will probably save those for my personal journal. However, certain entries of that may end up here as well (in copy of course).
I consider myself by no means an authority on any subject(in that I am an "elitist"). I am eager to learn new things and to master everything that I can that this life will give me time. Even if I am learned well in an area of particular interest to me, I try to approach critique with humility, as there are always things that one can learn that they didn't know at the beginning. I am, in the end, not above reproach. I will present certain facts that will border on truth (I say border because most truths can be reinterpreted by the reader into something completely unintended by the author. In any event that I feel strongly that something is a complete truth, I will state it with certainty and give facts to backup my analysis) but can always accept viewpoints other than mine. That is one reason I decided to do this. Peer review. I have several ideas about the world around me and, rather than live inside a safe bubble where I am always correct, I want to present them in the open for others to comment on (perhaps getting good dialog along the way). The format may at times be scattered and informal and at other times quite formal and given quite a bit of thought. As such, I may not update on a daily basis if I do not feel it worthy of note until my thoughts are better collected.
I am a fairly technical person and interested in all things technical. I am not interested in technical topics simply for the sake of them being technical, however. I am interested in all things beautiful and that which has potential and balance. I like to think of discovery and innovation (technical or otherwise) as a subtle dance between man and the physical nature of our universe (the physical nature being the laws that govern it). In this dance sometimes we lead and sometimes it leads, guiding us with its clues to the hidden mysteries of the unknown. I am mostly interested in the interrelation of technology with biological processes in that in application one can see the potential for extensions of one self into the technological realm. I am not really speaking of science fiction with biomechanical bipeds walking the earth wreaking havoc on the "weak". Mostly I view technology as a tool that can be used for our further success. I do not believe that this should be at the disadvantage of natural processes such that we begin fabricating (ie mass producing for our capatalistic consumption) multitudes of super intelligent beings that slowly begin to displace other lifeforms available today. I think that all things technological should be held in moderation, so as to not loose focus on reality. I, personally, do not wish to live in a William Gibson nightmare of Japanese metropolis gone wild with revolting artificially intelligent technology (although I do find the symbiotic closeness with technology and biology explored in his text fascinating). I am extremely fascinated with Artificial Intelligence, for the simple fact that therein lies the secrets to intelligence waiting to be found. Do with it what we may, they are there for us to discover. I am not so much interested in creating a synthetic human being (my wife and I can flawlessly create a perfect being with little effort), but I would like to pursue further the search for the subtle nuances of that which is the oldest of frontiers, that of intelligence. For I feel that in it lies the very nature of life itself, or rather perhaps the potential to know those things (for that is the largest thing about intelligence, being the potential to learn as opposed to the end product as such).
I must say with enthusiasm that I am quite excited about this subculture of blogging and more fascinating: podcasting. I am a huge fan of The Evil Genius Chronicles, In The Trenches, and IT Conversations. I am experimenting with this medium myself and hope to produce a few along the way. When I do begin producing shows this will be an addendum to those shows, a place where one can come and receive notes and various errata pertaining to particular topics presented. I hope that the readers will be interested in what it is that I consider good subject matter (as much of a nice as that might be).
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and I hope that you will return for more in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Paul
