SeanBest

"I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet..."

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:31:34 -0500

““I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. Let them manage themselves.””

- John Taylor Gatto (via adamquinn)

jhnbrssndn: The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Who Killed Sgt....

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:14:04 -0500

jhnbrssndn:

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?

New album. Matt Hollywood is back.

"Stop being so anger-averse and stop making fun of those pissed-off “Tea-Baggers.” Too many..."

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:57:15 -0500

“Stop being so anger-averse and stop making fun of those pissed-off “Tea-Baggers.” Too many privileged liberal lefty types are prone to see anger as “dysfunctional,” retrograde, excessively “uncouth” and generally frightening and unpleasant. They should find a way to get over this. Millions of Americans are legitimately pissed off right now. If you can’t figure out why and work up some legitimate progressive fury that reflects the real circumstances people are facing out here, then you leave it to the right to capture all the “rage.” I repeat: resentment abhors a vacuum. Folks out there are really angry and for some very good reasons. These “tea party” folks are often people with substantive complaints that are rooted in the alienating and exploitative society they inhabit along with you. Instead of mocking these people (ala Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann), real “progressives” need to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves why they aren’t doing a better job responding and channeling these complaints in an egalitarian and democratic direction.”

- Paul Street (via adamquinn)

"Actually, I’m not all that interested in the subject of photography. Once the picture is in the box,..."

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:22:36 -0500

“Actually, I’m not all that interested in the subject of photography. Once the picture is in the box, I’m not all that interested in what happens next. Hunters, after all, aren’t cooks.”

- Henri Cartier-Bresson. (via ryanedwardmiller) (via vruz)

GPOYW: “God Help Me Edition”

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:57:56 -0500

GPOYW: “God Help Me Edition”

"I don’t think there’s any need to have essays advocating selfishness among human beings. I don’t..."

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:03:11 -0500

“I don’t think there’s any need to have essays advocating selfishness among human beings. I don’t know what your impression has been. But some things require no further re-inforcement.”

- Christopher Hitchens, on the work of Ayn Rand (via cocknbull)

Olympic Spirit

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:49:39 -0500

The Olympic organizing committee in Vancouver (VANOC) is really going overboard with their desire to shape and mold the city and its inhabitants into the ideal Olympic brand. And it’s really starting to wear thin.

Take for instance this series of murals, which was commissioned in 2007 by the Steve Nash foundation:

Now, these murals had the unfortunate distinction of being located a little too close to a parking lot that will be used for the Olympics and has been designated by VANOC as an official venue. And thus, the murals were painted over with an obnoxious shade of Olympic blue in an effort to maintain the Olympic aesthetic. This prompted an angry response from “the arts,” which quickly moved to recapture the wall:

The Olympics bring joy to every town: First when they come, and then when they go.

A COVER LETTER FROM AN ART MAJOR SEEKING A JOB THAT LITERALLY REQUIRES HIM TO APPLY THE SKILLS HE LEARNED IN SCHOOL

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:47:06 -0500

A COVER LETTER FROM AN ART MAJOR SEEKING A JOB THAT LITERALLY REQUIRES HIM TO APPLY THE SKILLS HE LEARNED IN SCHOOL:

Dear Human Relations Sir or Madam,

I am writing in search of position within your fine company that would allow me to practically apply my strong background and formal training in The Studio Arts.

I’m looking for a position that will require me to draw hundreds of thumbnails of my ideas so I can thoroughly explore all the possibilities of composition that will ultimately empower a client to achieve their corporate sales goals.

I can draw excellent charcoal and pastel vignettes of sunsets I observe. This is a skill certainly begging for implementation in your organization. I usually draw a fairly articulate central subject, and then use an array of techniques to partially splay the line work into the surrounding white space. That’s gotta improve your bottom line, right? […]

vruz: Daniel Kramer: Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, Crossed Lights,...

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:57:17 -0500

vruz:

Daniel Kramer: Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, Crossed Lights, New Haven, 1965

—via idiotwind : blackcrowblues : fortruthisalwaysstrange

This Oscar®-winning animated short from Chris Landreth is based...

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:00:00 -0500

This Oscar®-winning animated short from Chris Landreth is based on the life of Ryan Larkin, a Canadian animator who, 30 years ago, produced some of the most influential animated films of his time. Ryan is living every artist’s worst nightmare - having lost his ability to create and succumbing to addiction, he panhandles on the streets to make ends meet. Through the use of computer-generated characters, Landreth interviews his friend and colleague in an effort to shed light on his downward spiral.

National Film Board of Canada (iPhone app)

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:45:30 -0500

The National Film Board of Canada can take pride in creating one of the best apps currently available for the iPhone (itunes). The app gives incredible access to several decades of the best short films and full-length features that have been released under the NFB’s auspices. Canada has a rich tradition of subsidized filmaking, and this app ensures that the filmmakers find the broader audience that they deserve.

“Walking,” Ryan Larkin (1968) Animator Ryan Larkin...

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:31:09 -0500

“Walking,” Ryan Larkin (1968)

Animator Ryan Larkin uses an artist’s sensibility to illustrate the way people walk. He employs a variety of techniques—line drawing, colour wash, etc.—to catch and reproduce the motion of people afoot. The springing gait of youth, the mincing step of the high-heeled female, the doddering amble of the elderly—all are registered with humour and individuality, to the accompaniment of special sound. Without words.
Walking would earn Ryan Larkin an Oscar® nomination in the category of short animated film. Using a variety of techniques, Larkin transformed the ordinary action of people walking into a study of the beauty of the human body.

It’s been years since I’ve watched any late night...

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:12:00 -0500

It’s been years since I’ve watched any late night talk shows, and so the recent Leno/Conan thing has been just slightly off my radar. I knew Letterman was getting his shots in, but I didn’t know he was being as publicly aggressive with his feelings towards Leno as is seen in this clip.

I have a strong feeling that late night television is going to get a little more interesting, although this probably won’t be enough to convince me to watch.

Massive Earthquake Reveals Entire Island Civilization Called 'Haiti'

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:55:29 -0500

Massive Earthquake Reveals Entire Island Civilization Called 'Haiti':

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI—Less than two weeks after converging upon the site of a devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake, American anthropologists have confirmed the discovery of a small, poverty-stricken island nation, known to its inhabitants as “Haiti.” […]

leo: Voice Talkers (via P0YKPAC)

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:01:54 -0500

leo:

Voice Talkers (via P0YKPAC)

“Timelapse Coal Fired Horror Plant” by Jeff...

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:27:00 -0500

“Timelapse Coal Fired Horror Plant” by Jeff Grewe.

This video is at once beautiful and terrifying; either a perverse celebration or condemnation of modern life. Artistically speaking, it is truly well done.

Photo

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:58:25 -0500

welcome to north america

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:56:00 -0500

I just phoned my mom long-distance from my cell phone for an hour and a half.

My skype cost: $2.25.

What my cell carrier would have wanted: $27.

So, yeah, the old model isn’t exactly working.

snapping my fingers in a Z formation

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:10:43 -0500

George Bernard Shaw: I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend…. if you have one.
Winston Churchill: Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second… if there is one.

Overheard: “Langer always likes to dredge up 9/11. Imagine how much more insufferable...

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:41:28 -0500

Overheard: “Langer always likes to dredge up 9/11. Imagine how much more insufferable he’d be if he had ‘survived’ the holocaust.”