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April 13, 2007

Vonnegut quotes, art; Weekend game; Why news needs paper; Ornette Coleman, 1971; Photoshop tips

Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007
Photo by his wife, Jill Krementz

The wonderful WikiQuote serves up sentences Kurt Vonnegut left behind for us, from "A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved." to "The Second World War absolutely had to be fought. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. But we never talk about the people we kill. This is never spoken of."

The best part is they're all on one page.

I read, way back, "I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center... 'Big, undreamed-of things -- the people on the edge see them first," and recognized it. The edge is the only place that's any fun.

The quote is from his novel Player Piano, published in 1952, the same year as the photo, which comes from The Vonnegut Web.

Bonus: Kurt Vonnegut's Artwork and Art show

Weekend game: The 9-year-old and I are both hooked on this Arkanoid clone -- with garden gnomes: Jardinains 2.

From a review at JayIsGames, with comments and a walkthrough.

The little extra something in Jardinains! is the presence of 'nains—giggling little garden gnomes that will hurl potted plants at your bat, paralysing it and causing you to lose points. You can get your own back, though—if you can break the pot you win the points you would have lost, and if you can knock the giggling little bastards off their perch, you can bounce them on your paddle to get points and power-ups. If they spawn too fast, you'll end up stuck with a big stack of flowerpots on your bat and seemingly hundreds of them giggling inanely at your misfortune. It's like Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but with garden gnomes.

Catch the FAQ if you want decide to download it. Addicting.

Powerless press: Why news needs paper "Journalism will move entirely to the Web" --photojournalist Molly Bingham told an audience at the University of Kentucky.

I'm hearing this sort of thing predicted all over.

Back in 1990, I went to a meeting of Rhode Island computer bulletin board operators. BBSes were the precursor of the Web -- accessed via dialup modem, a modest computer in someone's home offered downloadable files, forums and chat.

These "sysops" had gathered to explore setting up an emergency network during hurricanes and other disasters.

While the intention was laudable, the part I got stuck on was this: The first thing to go in a hurricane is the electricity. Modems and computers wouldn't work.

The same problem sours the concept of Web-only journalism. In a crisis -- hurricane, blizzard or attack -- the news organization might be able to generate power to publish online, but who could read it? Laptop batteries last only a few hours, and could not be recharged; cellphone batteries are scarcely stronger.

When we need news the most, how could we spread it, how could we read it?

Prepare to switch to emergency telepathy?

Headphones month: 6th annual Deep Wireless, May 1-31, 2007.
As part of a month-long celebration of radio and transmission art, radio artists, sound artists and enthusiasts can experience performances, sound installations, new commissions, special radio broadcasts, a CD launch and conference.

Here's one of them:
In My Language I am Smart - The Immigrant Song -. From the intro at Dragan Todorovic's blog:

It was painful to realize that in my language I was smart, but I sounded stupid in English. Example: while walking with my Canadian friend one day by a church, he started talking about the architecture of that particular building, and while I wanted to say a few things about how I liked the Gothic details on the arch at the entrance, and how I admired the intelligent choice of stones, all I could squeeze out was, “Yeah, it’s cool”.

Acquired meaning is superficial. Sound puts word into context, but the deeper shades of expression are not learned. I responded the way that Clint Eastwood, or some other action hero, would in one of their roles. Back in Serbian language I was connoisseur of arts; in my newly acquired language I was a cop.

Free jazz: Ornette Coleman, Belgrade 1971 at BigO, Singapore.

Here is Ornette Coleman with a stellar band comprising Dewey Redman (tenor sax), Charlie Haden (bass) and drummer Ed Blackwell live in Belgrade in 1971.

Crib sheet: 101 Hidden Tips & Secrets For Photoshop

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 4:47 AM | Permalink