Blogblah!!! » New York Times

May 31, 2009 updated at 3 p.m., 5 p.m., midnight

John Long — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:15:02 +0000

(last update) THIS is very cool. Move your cursor! Thanks to Megan B!

The New York Times reports that a Wichita, KS, abortion doctor was shot and killed while attending his church Sunday morning.

(2d UPDATE) I found some “conservative” reactions to the above at Andrew Sullivan, and they are really shocking in their calloused view of this event, in my opinion.

Not long ago, Republicans were outraged at newly appointed Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano because her agency had released a threat assessment concerning extreme conservatives.

shut up, he explained

However, it seems to me that today’s news reinforces the idea that the right wing in America has gone over the edge. None of this seems to even speak to those survivalists/militia types that skulk around in the great northwest and along the Mexican border (plus, of course, our own local armed crazies along the Arkansas/OK border). The greater radicalization of the already armed extreme right seems rising and that is frightening in its prospects to me. G. Gordon Liddy (don’t even think about getting a link from me) saying on the radio he hoped no important court decisions were made when Justice Sotomayor’s menstrual cycle was near makes me ill with disgust. How can such vile gutterances (intentional made-up word) get into the mainstream of information? How can this be acceptable to decent people of ANY political stripe? God bless us, every one.

A FOLLOW-UP

I reported the comment mentioned in the last post to Politico and it’s been taken off the thread. However, this story appears in today’s online Salon, noting that a Pennsylvania newspaper had to drop and report to the Secret Service a classified ad that appears to invite the assassination of President Obama. You can be sure these right wing fuctards think torture is just fine and dandy. How did they ever become part of the civil discourse of our times? It’s disgusting, frighting, horrible and unacceptable.

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February 20, 2009

John Long — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:57:23 +0000

Friday night blogger

AMAZING VIDEOS
I happened to run across some amazing videos and thought I’d share.
The first is a five minute video that is composed of 6,000 painted images by a graduate student named Reza Dolatabadi . If you follow the link, you’ll see a lot more info about how the film was put together and about the artist. The video is cool all by itself, but it has the added bonus of being a complete work of art at any point at which you pause the video.
The second video is about technique and not the video and not the soundtrack. It’s a technique called “datamoshing”, and I’ve linked to that term below so you can see some before you decide to follow up. It somehow reminds me of my friend The Oz’s paintings, a sort of dreamlike quality of reality. About a year before this so-called “music video” (you may enjoy the artwork better if you just turn off the speakers and I’m not the only one of that opinion), there was another artist, Takeshi Murata (link on page 2) who used the technique in a more contemporary art/experimental kind of way and used what I can only call a disturbing soundtrack.
I’ve put both after the “jump” so you don’t have to go there if you aren’t interested in video.
Also at the bottom of this post is the Google Earth “discovery” of Atlantis and a Proverb for my daughter.

This is the video made from 6,000 paintings:

Khoda from Reza Dolatabadi on Vimeo.

These are the links and videos using the datamoshing technique and the websight’s review where I first found it.

Datamoshing is how you call the video technique in this music video “Evident Utensil” for the band Chairlift. I would still call it digital glitches, but datamoshing sounds better (than the music in this video). So no, this video is not f*cked up, Ray Tintori of Court 13 who directed it, did it on purpose.

Today and Tomorrow blog

For an example of an earlier use of this technique in a very contemporary video with what I can only describe as a disturbing soundtrack, try Takeshi Murata‘s videos.

I READ THE NEWS TODAY, OH BOY

Here’s a Map of the projected High Speed Rail projects under the Stimulus Bill. One goes through OKC to Tulsa and down to San Antonio through Dallas.

Did Google Earth Find Atlantis? The New York Times reports that there seem to be folks who don’t think so, including people at Google, but others say it’s just gotta be. I’ve embedded the coordinates below for you to look at and decide.

View Larger Map

TODAY’S THOUGHT

Since RebL liked the last Proverb so well, here’s one that makes me think of her.

Proverbs 17:6

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
And the glory of children is their parents.

Yeah, baby!

News that interested me

John Long — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:45:52 +0000

Tiny Diamonds linked to Mammoth Extinction

This is a New York Times science story about how meteors may have hit North America 13,000 years ago and caused big changes, including the extinction of Mammoths and Sabre Tooth Tigers.

In Iraq, What Comes Next?

This is a Washington Post feature by Oklahoma City’s own Anthony Shadid about Christmas in Baghdad.

Hollywood Trimming its Sails in Economic Windstorm

The Los Angeles Times is freaked out over layoffs at the movie studios and the looming SAG strike.

Cold Front to Push Through Town

This is The Daily Oklahoman’s upcoming weather story.