Wednesday, February 28

 
Branding BS branding BS branding BS branding BS branding BS branding BS. Same old story. Get 'em while they're young. Branding BS branding BS branding BS branding BS branding BS branding BS.

Tuesday, February 27

 
I feel like bashing Bush today. He deserves it. Here's something from John Galbraith to consider. And to all you mullet fans out there, this one's for you.

 
Here's a little something you can do to show your support for Napster. If you're not sure how you feel about the situation, read this or go to Napster's website and check it out. If you agree then go here to support their cause.

Monday, February 26

 
Bumper-Sticker-of-The-Week, or possibly, -of-The-Month: "God Bless America... and the farmers who feed your fat ass."

 
Frontline is airing a report on PBS about the business of marketing to American teens called "The Merchants of Cool." If you missed it last week (like I did) you can catch it tomorrow, Feb. 27th. They have transcripts and RealPlayer footage up online, and you can also listen to a Fresh Air interview with the reporter, Douglas Rushkoff. Interestingly, Rushkoff expresses dismay about his findings that what is "cool" to the marjority of today's teens is to be used by a company for viral marketing and product placement, not to rebel against what corporations are pushing at them. He also discusses a marketing feedback loop wherein MTV goes to a teenager's home to find out what he thinks is cool, while the teenager is surrounding himself with stuff he sees on MTV. Douglas Rushkoff's work is worth keeping an eye on.

 
Opensewer 8 dates announced for Cleveland, OH and Ithaca, NY. Go>>

Friday, February 23

 
If you're a regular to Opensewer, this read will be like preaching to the choir; if you're a newcomer, read it and think about what it says. Time to band together - there are more of us out there than we realize. Question is, what can we do with it?

Thursday, February 22

 
I can't help but link to this.

Wednesday, February 21

 
Aaarrrgh! Derf's vision is coming true!

Tuesday, February 20

 
Rudy, Rudy...when will you grow up? "Anti-Catholic"? Didn't you have an extramarital affair? I think you've pretty much forfeited any right to talk about how to be a "good Catholic." The Brooklyn Museum of Art's exhibition of an image of The Last Supper is creating a flap once again. The image represents an artist's take on "the Biblical notion that all of us are made in God's image, so why shouldn't Jesus be depicted as a woman?" - definitely an interesting perspective. My take on the flap is that once again, people (and Americans in general) are afraid of a nude body...

Monday, February 19

 
Ah! While it seems mother nature helped lessen the immediate impact of our horrible crime, should we really insult her by leaving the weapon at the scene?

 
Oh yes, a very proud moment for sports fans.

Saturday, February 17

 
So we sit here in America, watching Temptation Island, while Iraq gets bombed again. It’s amazing. I mean, could we be more removed? How many of us even understand what’s going on over there—maybe ten percent? The roots of the instability and conflict go back so far they’re almost impossible to comprehend, but here is a good place to start, if you’re interested. (Make sure you get to the end. That's where current events start to make more sense.)

Friday, February 16

 
Oh WHATEVER! Guiliani, get a life. Better yet, go to confession and ask God to forgive you for being such a close-minded asshole.

 
News from the Sick, Sad World department: Weird, but really funny if you picture it. This one makes me think of Michael Palin in A Fish Called Wanda or better yet, of Best in Show. We live in a bizarre society...and speaking of sick: Timothy McVeigh. Let the bastard die alone.

Wednesday, February 14

 
Ahhh, Valentine’s Day - love it or hate it? Myself, I think the original meaning has been lost. Big deal if you're single today - who are you measuring up to? How do other countries feel about it? Do they celebrate it, and do they always like it? Can you lend a hand in stopping the over-commercialization of it all? If it's not for you or you've been burned and want a unique way to celebrate the day, then here's a little something to make you feel better. And boyz and grrrrlz alike, don't miss this site!

Tuesday, February 13

 
Today, the headlines just couldn't be more interesting: Anna Nicole Smith, Alan Greenspan, Salmon Rushdie and a topless British soldier. Now, if that line-up isn't enough to get you interested in world events, I don't know what will.

Monday, February 12

 
This just in. Wow. Read this for some artists' opinions. Especially loved the comment from the Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters!

 
Everyone's anxiously awaiting the court ruling regarding Napster. This case is described as "the first big battle regarding copyrights in Cyberspace, [which] is expected to define how books, movies and music are distributed on the Web." Stay tuned for updates.

 
See all kinds out there... gotta love the web.

Saturday, February 10

 
The United States is a great country, but some people in this world think it’s a big bully. Among the many reasons for this is the fact that the English language now dominates the world, especially when it comes to financial and academic environments. (And no, we can’t blame the U.K. for this…) Well, according to this article in Utne, English-language domination may not last forever. But, in true American style, as our language is usurped by others I’m sure we’ll find a way to make some money from the situation.

Friday, February 9

 
Students take control of a classroom and tell Canada and advertisers what THEY want and don't want, and form an opposition group to tell 'em just so. Love it! Maybe there's hope for our youth yet - we should give them more credit for actions like this, and definitely more encouragement to stand up for what they know is wrong

 
Ann Mitchell's gallery has been updated with price information for all photographs.

Thursday, February 8

 
Salon just makes my job so easy sometimes. I love 'em. Today, on the cover, a great interview with Eric Schlosser, author of the book, "Fast Food Nation." My kind of guy.

Wednesday, February 7

 
It's a hoax. Read this.

 
Oh my... am I hallucinating? I called this organization to see if it was for real. The answering machine in NYC thanks you for calling "Citizens Against Breastfeeding, a grassroots organization that pursuades women to abolish this incestuous act of moral perversion." They also claim that breast feeding “teaches children illicit sex that subsequently manifests promiscuity, homosexuality and addiction to cybersex...” Disputes over breastfeeding have been around for years, but the CAB sounds like a load of homophobic-right-winged-conservative-bullshit to me. Hey lookie here, the co-founder is showing some cleavage! Hmmm... maybe she didn’t get attention from her father growing up...

Tuesday, February 6

 
It's good to know that the Human Genome Project is providing us with valuable research like this...

 
What-EVER! As a nation we have the intellectual curiosity of a 12-year old. No, wait, that's actually optimistic...

Monday, February 5

 
Why not bash telemarketers too? If you live in New York State, you can get on a list to stop them from calling. Go here to sign up and get the details. We heard that this same law is in effect in 13 states as well. Find out if one of those states is yours, and reclaim your evenings!

 
Who to trash, who to trash? Disdain for teenage pop idols, improper use of cell phones, or SUVs owners? How about one, two and three, since each one is getting on my nerves today.

Saturday, February 3

 
As the dot-com shakeout continues, almost everyone is reeling from the shockwave – from MBA’s with sensible business models and venture capital, to indy startups that rely on fierce customer (and employee) loyalty and good ideas to survive. One of the most visible shocks to the weblogging community recently is Evan Williams’ announcement about the troubled state of his company, Pyra. (Opensewer uses Blogger, which is a product of Pyra.) Pyra is one of the little guys – one of the underdogs that we all really wanted to “win.”

There seems to be a great collective sense of anxiety and disappointment that “our world” – the world of the web – hasn’t turned out the way we wanted it to. It was going to be our generation’s thing, and we were going to show all those boomers that you could succeed simply by having great ideas, giving them away for free, being fearless, and not selling out.

All of this is now tainted by the “real” world – the recognition of the (unfortunate) fact that good ideas cannot survive by their brilliance alone. They must sustain themselves economically. So many great concepts fail because their creators weren’t able to properly position them in the market. Perhaps it’s a fault of the paradigm under which most of us are compelled to operate (which includes the “live a creative life OR put food on the table” paradox), perhaps it’s the fault of people who are afraid … perhaps it’s no one’s fault at all. Maybe it’s survival of the fittest, or capitalism at its finest. Whatever.

As hard as things are right now for many people in the industry, we must realize that the dream is not dead. The web is the greatest tool for free expression to come along ever – and that must never change. We, the independent, powerful voices of the web must make sure of that. We must never quit doing what we love just because we’re not making any money doing it.


Friday, February 2

 
"I hope they dry up and blow off the face of the earth," says Mayor Scott King of Gary, Indiana, commenting on this. Hooray for the Mayor for telling it like it is. The KKK is a bunch of racist pigs - why don't they just go away?

 
New artist Jeremy Dimmock’s simple, striking illustrations examine the ways we are all categorized and labeled through the actions of others.

Thursday, February 1

 
The WAIS is thinning, and it's probably being caused by the PIG. Dr. Andrew Shepherd, a member of the team of scientists making this report, says that this event could have "profound effects." But what, exactly, would those effects be?

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