Link-O-Rama: 1/7

A run down of the sites and videos that have caught my attention in the last week or so:

I've seen this sort of thing several times before, but this is probably the most sublime and elaborate video of this type I've come across yet. Basically, the artist (in this case DeePee Studios) takes an extended exposure image of themselves moving a glow stick. This allows the glowstick to essentially draw in the air. Then, they repeat this process something like 18 million times, to create glowing 3D animations. If you haven't scene this sort of thing before, you are in for a treat...



As the guy says on the Drawn blog entry I spotted this on: "I swear animators are the most obsessive people around…. they really make every one else look like they have no attention span whatsoever."

Also snagged from Drawn...

Since I don't have cable these days, I haven't watched MTV in literally years. That said, I love this little bumper clips featuring wonderfully designed little technicolored monsters:

MTV Summer 06-07 from Anthony Burns on Vimeo.

And, and finally, a quick reminder of your place in the universe...

¡Ole!

Having a bit of a bummer day today.

My dream job of working as a freelance designer and illustrator has been, shall we say, less than dreamy. But, it's always nice to stumble upon the right sort inspiration at the right time. And, today, that inspiration takes the form of a TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert that I came across and decided to watch because it dealt with the idea of "creative genius" ...something I'm lacking today.

I initially encountered Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Eat, Pray, Love, when a friend loaned it to Sarah and I while travelling in Vietnam. With its combination of food, travel and loosey-goosey Eastern spirituality, it was another thing that I think I encountered at the right place and time. In this talk, she discusses the idea of creative inspiration and how current views on where creativity comes from can often lead to doubt, depression and worse for people who work in creative fields. And then she goes on to present an alternate view of where creative inspiration might come from that maybe be a little more healthy to the artist's psyche.

Anyhow, its worth the 19 minutes it takes to watch it...



Now, I know I'm not in a position where I'm grappling with already having created my best creative work (in fact, I feel like I'm still working toward something great). But, still, on a day like today, when doing creative works seems daunting and, well, less than fun; it was still the type of message I needed to hear.

¡Ole!

What's a "Pucat"?

...oh, wait.

Anyhow, the other day, my friend, Jimmy, mentioned a website called EatPoopUCat.com. Eat Poop U Cat is a game that is a mix of Pictionary and Exquisite Corpse. The basic idea is that one person writes a sentence. Then, the next person draws a picture of that sentence. Then, without seeing the original sentence, the third person writes a sentence discribing the picture. And on and on...

The basic effect is rather like the game Telephone, where the final sentence usually bears little resemblance to the original sentence... usually with humorous results.

And, anyhow EatPoopUCat.com is the online version of that game... and really massively addicting. Y'know because I need another way to waste my time!

If you are looking for a way to waste your time, I recommend checking it out. If you do, maybe we shall cross paths.

Oh, and for the record, I have no idea why it's called "Eat Poop You Cat." All attempts to research the history of this name led to pages of concerned parents wondering if it is OK that their toddler just ate cat poop.

That Album Meme

This album cover meme has been kicking around on Facebook for the last week or so where you follow a series of links (see below) to "randomly" generate an album cover. And, since I needed a little Design warm up this moring, I thought I'd give it a try. My result:


I think this meme is sort of interesting because A) It's a little more creative and visual than some of them. And, B) I think it's entertaining that, as we all move to digital music files with no attached album covers, something like this appears. Maybe we are missing album jackets and record art more than we care to admit.

But, enough of me trying to pretend I'm high-minded, give it a try yourself (if you haven't already).

Original Meme...

CREATE YOUR BAND NAME & ALBUM COVER:

To Do This

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it to FB with this text in the "caption" or "comment" and TAG the friends you want to join in.

Featured Creatured: Dullahan

Dire is the face of the ghostly, malevolent knights known as Dullahan. With their severed head clutched under one arm like a hunk of festering cheese, they urge their nightmare steeds forward with a whip fashioned from their own spine.

No one knows how these cursed creatures came to be, but their powers are well chronicled. It is said that they wander the wilderness without aim; but if they come to a rest at a location the head will be heard speaking the name of someone from that region. That unfortunate individual is doomed to perish if ever they stand in that same location. In addition, do not attempt to stop the progress of a Dullahan. Those who have tried have found themselves trampled, flailed and mysteriously splattered with gore and blood.

The Dullahan's were originally found only in Ireland. But increasingly their numbers seem to be spreading, as evidenced by the highly publicized appearance of one outside of Tarry Town, New York, in 1790.

The Road Less Taken

The other day, while visiting a friend, he loaned me a DVD called Monster Road and suggested I watch it. It's a documentary about local artist, Bruce Bickford, who was famous in the 60's for his claymation work he did with Frank Zappa. To be honest, I took it from him and promised to watch it, but wasn't particularly interested. But, last night, with nothing else to watch, my wife and I decided to throw it on.

It turns out that it's actually quite good. In fact, its one of those films that sticks in your head long after the film is over.


Wisely, the filmmakers gloss over the Zappa connection and instead focuses more on Bickford as an artist, his childhood and (most importantly) his relationship with his aging father who is suffering from alzheimers. This interaction with his father -who is an interesting and tragic character himself- ended up being the emotional core of the film and makes it resonate in a way that most documentaries about artists fail to. It certainly impressed me more than its closest cinematic relation: Crumb.

Both men come off as these fragile creatures with almost otherworldly views of life, and who both in very key ways fail to connect with those around them. This disconnect, reflected against the amazing and obsessively created art work of the younger Bickford helps give a peek at a family that ultimately has spun off the rails and really has no way of reassembling itself.

But, that's not to say that the film is bleak. In fact, its far from it. More wonderous and bitter-sweet than depressing and defeatist, the art and the two individuals musings keep things unique and watchable. Bruce maintains that Bill Gates should use his money to create 50 claymation studios, while his father calls Elvis a thug while trying to remember if they ever shook hands. In addition, it becomes a bit of a portrait of Seattle, and the unique mildewed personalities that the area produces.

Featured Creatured: Catoblepas

Feel for the shaggy and melancholy Catoblepas.

One part buffalo and one part swine, its back is covered with a protective armor. But that armor -combined with its long weak neck and heavy-browed skull- mean that it is doomed to never raise its head and always stare at the ground around it.

But, what maybe be curse for the Catoblepas is a blessing for anyone who encounters the beast in the wild. For its sad, bloodshot eyes will cause instant death. And its breath will transform a man to stone, because of its diet of poisonous plants and fungi.

General Theory of Creativity

About a month ago, with fairly little fanfair, I set up a blog showcasing my illustration and design work, GeneralCreativity.blogspot.com. Now, I'm excited to announce that I've got the first version of my new portfolio website up and running: GeneralTheoryOfCreativity.com. I'm hoping to continue to expand and improve it, but I'm still happy with how it loos so far. So please, if you have a moment, check it out.

Especially if you have any illustration or design work you need done.

Featured Creatured: Barbegazi

If you are a shepherd in the Swiss Alps, and find yourself approached by a white bearded gnome with large feet, do not be alarmed. It is merely the shy, yet helpful Barbegazi. In fact, if you have any lost sheep or goats, he may even try to help you locate them.

The Barbegazi are often also referred to as "Frozen Beard" because of their long beard which drags behind them in the snow. In addition, the Barbegazi never come down from their icy mountain-top homes and will even go into hibernation if the weather becomes too warm for their liking; only to awaken again at the first snowfall.

The most notable feature of the Barbegazi is its oversized feet. These feet are specially adapted for their frozen habitat and allow them to walk upon the snow as if snowshoeing. Also, given a steep enough hillside, it is not uncommon for them to actually use their feet as skis. Truly, a remarkable species!

Wikipedia: Barbegazi

Featured Creatured: Amphisbaena

[As a (hopefully) ongoing new feature at General Admission, I will be posting illustrations and profiles of famous mythological and imaginary creatures. With any luck, I will post a new one each week, so be sure to check in.]

Amphisbaena

Debate rages on the origin of the venomous Amphisbaena, but most experts agree that it was most likely created from the blood of Medusa's severed head. Legend tells it that, as Perseus returned from slaying Medusa, he flew over the Libyan Desert on his steed Pegasus. Having not packaged her head properly, its blood rained down upon the earth, and the Amphisbaena sprung forth where ever it fell.

Another area of contention is the Amphisbaena's mode of locomotion. Some claim that it has chicken legs it runs upon, while others tell of wings that enable it to fly. These two statements are most likely fiction; but the reality is that is that it either slithers in a traditional manner, or more dramatically, its two heads clasp together and it rolls like a wagon wheel.

With its two deadly mouths, one is encouraged to stay away from any Amphisbaenae, but that doesn't keep the adventurous and desperate from using it in many traditional folk remedies: Pregnant woman often wear Amphisbaenae around their necks to insure a safe childbirth. Its skin offers relief from arthritis, or to provide warmth for lumberjacks on a cold day. Finally, if your goal is romantic success, its flesh can be eaten.

The Amphisbaenae primarily feed upon ants, which is why it is sometimes called The Mother of Ants. But, they have also been seen feasting upon corpses at night. It is best to avoid the Amphisbaena at night since its eyes, which glow in the dark, also cause death during full moons.

Wikipedia: Amphisbaena

Larger than life

Recently, I've been keeping a list next to my computer, and waiting until I get a couple things I want to mention, before I create a new blog entry. That way, hopefully, it feels like there is a little more substance to the entries.

That said, sometimes I stumble across something so creepy-cool that I want to share it immediately! Case in point, check out these larger-than-life, super-realistic statues by Ron Mueck. The combination of their scale and the eerie level of realism are so surreal it almost makes me giddy.

Wish I was in Paris, so I could check them out in person.

So many wonderful, bizarre creatures!

So, this weekend, my brother-in-law was in town, so my wife and I took him to Georgetown to do some site seeing (or, at least, the Georgetown equivalent). While we were there, it was necessary (I might even argue that it was required by law) that we visit the Fantagraphic Bookstore; where my wife pointed out this book to me:



Beasts! is "a pictorial schedule of traditional hidden creatures from the interest of 90 modern artisans." Or, more succinctly, its a guide to 90 mythical creatures, with accompanying illustrations by 90 different illustrators. Imagine if McSweeney's created the Dungeon & Dragon's Monster Manual, and you begin to have an idea about what Beasts! is like.

(Commence coveting!)

Luckily, my wife is wonderful and announced that I should own it. So, I now have it next to my bed where, each night, I can fall to sleep with visions of Albastors and Sianachs dancing in my head.

Equally creature-filled and fascinating, if slightly less fanciful (and a little more disheartening), is this website, pointed out to me today by a coworker: Edge Of Existence. Edge of Existence is a website dedicated to:

The EDGE of Existence programme aims to conserve the world's most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species by implementing the research and conservation actions needed to secure their future.

But, their lists of endangered creatures is evey bit as amazing as those found in the pages of Beasts. Take, for example, the Long-Eared Jerboa, who's ears are 1/3rd the size of its body:



Also on the list are fresh water dolphins, the Saiga (a thick-nose antelope type creature that can run up to 80 km/h) and bats that are no bigger than a large bumblebee. You owe it to yourself to check it out.

Looking at these endangered species lists, reminded me of Douglas Adams' A Last Chance To See. This is probably the least read of the Adams' books, and his only non-fiction book (to my knowledge). It details his travels around the world to track down and see for himself some of the world's most endangered species. The subject matter sounds massively depressing, but Adams' (the author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) manages to balance it with the right amount of his trademark humor. It's a great read and one of my all time favorites.

Where's the General?

Apparently, he's at the McLeod Residence.

(Along with his beautiful wife, of course!)

The McLeod Residence is a new gallery/art space/soon-to-be lounge in Belltown. And my wife and I went to check it out during the miserable 32-degree rainstorm that hit Seattle last Friday evening.



The idea behind the McLeod Residence is to make a gallery space that is more than a gallery space; sort of "club house" (or maybe "social club") for artists and artistic thinkers. It's the sort of idea that the optimist in me loves, and the pessimist in my thinks is doomed for fail. But, regardless of how it eventually turns out, it was a neat space, and I enjoyed both it and the art in it. Especially noteworthy was an interactive piece, involving a looped video of a cello player and a device that allows you to interact with it. ...and, yes, I understand that last sentence sounded like gibberish, but just trust me on this one.

Regardless, while I probably would have enjoyed the space for no other reason than to get out of the rain, I have to say that the entrance was entrancing. You enter through some unassuming doors and make your way up a narrow, dark wood staircase, until it opens up into a large room with ornately framed, old paintings and elaborate white and brown wallpaper that gives the entire thing a sort of wonderful Edwardian flare. And, you probably all know how I love all things Edwardian.

Speaking of which, I stumbled across this site recently: Steam Wars. Steam Wars is the brain child of Larry Blamire, who is notable mainly for directing the faux-B-movie, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (which, actually, I still need to check out). But, while the idea of paying homage to B-movies always works, I'm much more interested in the concept behind Steam Wars; which involves an alternate history in which soldiers in Victorian Era Europe engage in ongoing battle atop giant steam powered robots. Sort of a Steampunk version of Robotech.

What's not to love!



Anyhow, the website itself contains a variety of paintings, sketches and notes about the world of Steam Wars. But the whole thing is decidedly rough around the edges. Still, it’s just enough to get my gears turning.

Don't Let's Talk About Art Tonight

Right before Christmas, I managed to finish Alexandra Fuller's first novel Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight.



The story recalls her childhood growing up in Africa, the daughter of two tough living, alcoholic, down on their luck white farmers in war-torn Rhodesia. It's an amazing, visceral tale which is at turns both horrific and humorous. Alexandra writing captures her childhood experience amazingly, while never becoming precious or affected. She writes the way I wished I could have during NaNoWriMo several years ago.

I'm pretty sure this will be my favorite book of the year, in a year where I've read several exceptional books.

But, at the same time, I'm glad that I was able to finish it before I began opening my Christmas presents, because I got quite a few books this year, including (un)Fashion (which I was pining about a few entries back) and David Byrne's newest book Arboretum.



Arboretum is Byrne's attempt to create organic graphs, forms and charts to show the connection of various words and concepts. The resulting forms and charts are interesting enough, but the real meat-and-potatoes can be found in the four foot long fold out section at the back of the book. In it, he discusses a number of the charts, their meaning and his process in creating them. It reads like the Director Commentary on the Musings of David Byrne's Brain.

It's the sort of high-minded silliness that he's known for. Which is fine by me, because Byrne could write about planting potatoes and I'd still find it interesting. In fact, his latest blog entry pretty much proves it.

In it, he begins by talking about his theories (and those of an author who's book he’d just read) on the role of art in society. Particularly its role in attracting members of the opposite sex, and how that was all inverted and had to be redefined after the industrial revolution and the invention of the camera. This then segues into him recounting his recent trip to Miami for a gallery show, and the work he saw there. Which, in turn, segues into his discussing Miami, its evolving culture and architecture*. And I find the whole thing captivating.

In fact, after being under whelmed and frustrated at Seattle's last First Thursday (the monthly gallery walk), I actually found that reading his thoughts on art got me interested and excited about fine art again. Just in time to stumble across this today...

With few wolves scattered in the front gallery, all ninety-nine 99 life-sized replicas of wolves run, gallop, and jump toward the far end of the exhibition hall, where a wall stands. The bravery of the wolves is met head on by the unyielding wall. As the leading wolves go down, many more follow with force and determination. As those in the front fall and pile up, those behind take up their positions.

Now, regardless of meaning, I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't find that impressive to see.OK, and a little grisly too. But, I know I'd love to see it in person. I don't really know anything about the artist, Cao Guoqiang but that piece (as well as some others in his collection, like these arrow-filled tigers) are amazing.

Or at least more interesting that anything I saw a couple weeks ago.


* The architecture was particularly interesting to me since he talked about some of the hotels seen in the James Bond movie, Goldfinger. I just watched the movie last night, as part of my recent obsession with James Bond… something I’ll most likely bore you all with later.

Merry Octophrost!

Here's the card that I made for my wife and I to send out to friends and family this year. My guess is that -if you are reading this,- you quite possibly received one, but just in case, Happy Holidays!

Or, Merry Octophrost, as the case may be!



If the whole "War on Christmas/Happy Holidays" debate is getting you down, I recommend you do what I think I'm going to do: Ignore the whole thing, and instead focus on how cool Octophrost - Santa of the Sea is! These little guys are the creation of Futuregirl.com and are, well, awesome.

Now, if we can just get him placed on the State Capital lawn next to a Christmas tree and Menorah, everything will be right in the world.

And, speaking of everything being right in the world, I'm not entirely sure that I'm right in the head this Christmas season. Instead of my usual desire to hear Bing sing White Christmas, I've found myself obsessed with this song. And, thanks to the wonders of YouTube, we can all bask in the video’s 80's acid-and-eggnog glory ("God bless YouTube... everyone"). But, then again, I am simply having a wonderful Christmas time.

Hope you are all too.

Something dramatic about the future.

I've got a weird fascination with Futurists. I think it started when I first got to hear Alvin Toffler speak at work a few months ago. And then purchased and read his latest book Revolutionary Wealth. There's something about the idea of being a "futurist" that interests me. It’s like the modern day version of an oracle, without the blind, hide-in-a-cave lifestyle. Or, maybe it’s because its like reading Science Fiction... with less fiction to it.

Then, again, maybe it’s just because a lot of superheroes, like Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic claim to be Futurists. In which case, maybe it still is the fiction part that appeals to me.

Regardless, I find myself reading anything written be a self-proclaimed Futurist whenever I stumble across it. Like, My Final Prediction by Bruce Sterling, which is worth reading is for no other reason than a few melodramatic quotes like this:

Technophobic refuseniks are likely to carry out violent resistance, and they may have good reason: Out-of-control technology is a distinct risk. The Lexus has collided with the olive tree, and its crumpled hulk spins in a ditch as the orchard smolders.

The other thing of note in that article is that Bruce is predicting the end of Futurism. So, I guess I should enjoy it while I can.

Speaking of things I'm enjoying currently, the illustrator in me is completely infatuated with Patchbox, an art portfolio site that gives each artist an 80x80 pixel space to provide and image and link it to his or her portfolio site. It’s a great way to spend several hours drooling over some amazing illustrations.



For example Joy Ang's art just levels me. She's got a great sense of color and shape, similar to James Jean's work. But, the kicker is that she was born in '85, which makes her, like, 10 years younger than me.

And here I was just coming to grips with Colin Farrell being younger than me. Sheesh.

Listening to the Pope

...no, not that Pope, silly! I'm referring to the popular indie comic book illustrator, Paul Pope.



There’s a sort of beautiful ugliness (or, perhaps, ugly beautifulness) to Pope's work that I've always appreciated. And the level of success he's achieved by doing things his own way is pretty admirable. But, I was still presently surprised by how interesting his blog, PulpHope, is. Whether he's giving interviews to Polish magazines, copying articles about the effects of coffee, or just posting current art projects he's working on, Pope seems to be consistently adding something new to his blog on a daily basis. In fact, while it appears he's only been keeping the blog since the beginning of the month, I'm surprised by how much he's already posted. Often adding two or three entries a day.

Which is a lot better than I've been doing maintaining this blog. But, I'm blaming the holiday season. In fact, while out running around in the rain the other day, I stumbled across a book (at Urban Outfitters of all places) that I really need to add to my Christmas list: (un)Fashion.



To quote the book description itself:

From cardboard shoes in Africa to body paint in New Guinea, from chimney sweeps in France to an Indian Elvis, (un)Fashion scans the globe to show how real people dress: at work, on the street, or for ceremonial occasions. With virtually no text, (un)Fashion pokes gentle fun at the elitism of the fashion world, presenting its provocative observations through dynamic images by some of the world's foremost photojournalists.

I was only able to flip through it for a minute or two, but it seems like it would not only be a wonderful coffee-table book, but would also be something that would be endlessly useful when coming up with sci-fi, superhero and other costume ideas in my sketchbook.

Speaking of interesting artistic references, I received Blackstock's Collection: The Drawings of an Autistic Savant for my Birthday over the weekend.



Gregory Blackstock, as the books title points out, is both autistic and an artistic savant. His art manifests itself in the form of detailed illustrated lists of everything from "the garden pest control beetles" (above) to "our states king sized jails." His dedication and skill is staggering in its ambition. And the book does a good job of displaying the breadth of his work.

Finally, I thought I'd point out the Ninja Words online dictionary. As it is subtitled: "A really fast dictionary... fast like a ninja." No longer am I bound to the slow-loading and clunky Dictionary.com. Yay!

Plus, I like to support all things ninja related.

Waits for Words

After reading my last blog entry, my Beautiful Wife pointed out that we saw even another movie last week while in Dallas: Wordplay. Wordplay is a documentary about crosswords and the people who do them. The movie hinged on a tournament for crossworders which is held annually to determine the world crossword champion. But, the "characters" in Wordplay weren't quite as colorful as those depicted in the slightly superior Scrabble movie, Word Wars, so the whole documentary came off as not quite as entertaining. Still, it was quite good at times and contained entertaining sequences with celebrity crossworders ranging from Jon Stewart to Bill Clinton. And, a very interesting sequence where they detail how crosswords get made.

Since being home, I've been catching up on new music that has been released on Rhapsody, and have found a couple a great new CDs. The first is Tom Waits' Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards.



I've been a fan of Tom Waits for some time, but have never been as fanatical as some of my friends. Still, listening to this three disk collections of rarities and B-sides makes me feel like a pig wallowing in Tom Waits’ slop... in all the best ways. Tom is still the only singer who can deliver a line like "shake your fist and your poo-poo part" and make it sounds completely bad-ass.

I've also been listening to Swan Lake's Beast Moans. Swan Lake is the new Canadian "super-group" made up of Dan Bejar (New Pornographers, Destroyer), Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) and Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes... which, ok, I've never heard of before). Canada just seems to be loaded with talents musicians and bands these days (the previously mentioned bands, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, etc). And, in addition, they seem to be fond of playing musical chairs, and forming new groups at the drop of a hat. I'm not complaining, though.

A couple of other quick notes: After my last Blog entry, my brother (the infamous Gypsy Rockstar) pointed out Max Berry's blog. Max Berry is the writer of the novel Jennifer Government, and while he tends to paint in broad brush strokes, his rants are pretty entertaining. For example, his comments on someone getting a corporate logo tattoo:

I offer into evidence the choice of Peter McBride, who is the proud new owner of a Polo pony logo just above his left nipple.

Now, I don’t want to come right out and say that Pete is the low point of human civilization—I mean, there was Hitler. But looking at that photo… gee, it’s a tough call.

Also fellow Tater Boarder, Because, pointed out this awe-some design blog: Coolhunter.net. Every entry is filled with something conceptually cool or visually compelling. Like this:



(Don't worry, that woman is actually a decal on the ground. It's an ad promoting CPR. Scary. But cool.)

The Mystery of Who Shot JR Finally Solved!

(Not really)

I spent last week in Dallas, celebrating Thanksgiving with my wonderful wife's wonderful family, and at the same time managed to probably watch more movies and do more reading that I typically do in a couple months. So, I thought I'd do a quick run-down of what I saw and read... and what I thought of it.

A couple weeks a go, at a function with my coworkers, Copywriter Dan™ introduced me to a magazine called Stop Smiling: The Magazine for High-Minded Lowlifes.



After leafing through a few of his issues, I was intrigued enough that I picked up one for the flight to Dallas. And, while I might need to pick a few more issues before I pass my final verdict, I have to say it might be my New Favorite Magazine of All-Time™. The issue I brought with me was dedicated entirely to interviews (each issue has a theme),including Tom Waits, RZA, Cat Power, Questlove, Joan Didion, Feist, Sparklehorse, and a dozen others. The whole issue was fascinating, and I literally ended up reading it cover to cover.

Burning a few hours at my wife's mom's house, we threw in her copy of Under the Tuscan Sun. The movie was in one word: charming. Though at times obnoxiously so. I'm pretty sure that the version of Italy depicted in the movie only exists in the minds of Rick Steve's fans who have never actually traveled themselves. But still, it was harmless and (as I said) charming. It was a light and easy way to pass a couple hours.

We also made a trip to the Modern Art Museum in Forth Worth. The museum itself is an elegant and impressive structure, with a visually amazing pool surrounding the back side of it. And, in addition, we got to take in the lush and creative photography of Hiroshi Sugimoto.



Sugimoto's oversized black and white photos depict ethereal seascapes, glowing cinemas and wax recreations of historic royalty. His work is both intellectually compelling and visually hypnotic. I highly recommend checking it out, if it ever shows in your area.

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the new Denzel Washington movie, Deja Vu. I'm not a fan of Tony Scott as a director, and I didn't know anything about the movie going in. The first 30 minutes or so had me rolling my eyes at the storyline: Denzel investigating the terrorist bombing of a ferry loaded with children and off-duty soldiers in the city of (are you ready for this) New Orleans. But, after that initial clunky first third, the movie switches gears and becomes a surprisingly creative time-travel movie. I'd recommend the movie for no other reason than the unique car chase sequence that occurs about halfway through it. It's a set up so unique that I can literally say I haven't ever seen anything like it.



I also got to see the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale too. Or at least I got to see most of it, since we missed the first 15 minutes or so (which apparently features the movies best action sequence). Still, even having missed the intro, I have to say that I thought it was one of the strongest Bond flicks ever. And, Daniel Craig is now probably my second favorite Bond, second only to Sean Connery. It's not just an excellent Bond film, it’s also a solid spy film on its own. And, thanks to it, I'm currently obsessing over all things James Bond.

In addition to Stop Smiling, I finished reading Jennifer Government by Max Barry. A friend of mine had recommended it to me after reading my NaNoWriMo novel from a couple years ago. When I saw that one of the main characters names was "Hack" I was prepared for a bunch of eye-rolling, cyber-punk clichés but I have to admit I was very pleasantly surprised. Barry weaves an intricate tale about a half dozen different individuals living a near future run by all-powerful, mega-corporations. And he manages it to do it with enough color, humor and action that the story never takes itself overly seriously or gets bogged down in any high minded self-righteousness. Instead, it’s a literal page turner and a very fun read.

Finally, I also saw Helen Mirrem in the Queen. After all the gun fights and explosions from Deja Vu and Casino Royale, the understated nature of the Queen was a breath of fresh air. And, it also helped that the true life story was compelling, and that pretty much every actor and actress delivered an excellent performance.

So, yeah, I read a lot and watched a lot. Luckily, pretty much all of it was great. Unfortunately, I have to return to work and reality tomorrow.

1000 Cards and 1000 Journals

I mentioned several months ago, that I was designing a card game. Well, one of the games that inspired me to create my game was the game 1000 Blank White Cards. Basically, 1000 Blank White Cards is an infinitely expandable card game where there are no set rules, and the players design the cards (and rules) as they go by drawing on, as you might expect, blank white cards.

Well, in reading up on 1000 Blank White Cards again (something I find myself compulsively doing every 6 months or so), and discovered the existence of another similar game: Nomic. Nomic is a dice game, where the goal is to reach 100 points first, but taking turns rolling a dice. But, in addition to rolling the dice, each player, on their turn, also creates a rule which the other players then vote on. The rules can pretty much do anything, including changing conditions of victory, so the game is actually perpetually evolving as game play continues. It's not surprising that the creator of Nomic also wrote a paper entitled The Paradox of Self Amendment.

I'm not sure why games like these appeal to me, but I have to admit that I find myself perpetually fascinated with open-ended games like 1000 Blank White Cards and Nomic which actually evolve as they are played. Something about the potential complexity hidden under simple rules just click for me. I've never actually been able to trick my friends into playing either, but still hope to someday.

Changing gears a little, I also thought I'd mention that I finished reading Drawing From Life: The Journal As Art, a book detailing a number of journals created and maintained by artists and creators ranging from David Byrne to Mike Figgis.


Not my hands.

It was a quick read (even by my slow-reading standards), but one that was very inspiring to me. In fact, after completing it, I've decided to keep my own "art journal." Something which, I'm guessing, can only end in tears. But... heck, why not do it anyway.

It was endlessly fascinating though to get a look inside of the creative process of 30 odd individuals. Often I find that journals and sketchbooks can be more interesting and insightful then the artist’s final works. This is probably a clichéd observation, but I'm sticking to it.

One thing I read about which you all might want to check out is the 1000 Journals Project, where a man created 1000 blank journals and sent them out into the world to be passed around and slowly filled up by anyone who came across them. The only condition was that he asked people to check in with the site to keep him updated as to where they were at, and that they (hopefully) return them to him when they were done. And interesting site to browse, and a great little art project.