Published on Tue, 2007-03-06 19:44

Stewing in my Juices

Blog withdrawl. It's been an interesting thing. I miss this outlet. It makes me feel disconnected. Energy that would get radiated out through this -- admitedly imperfect -- filter just circles back around inside. Maybe it stagnates; maybe it tenderizes; maybe under pressure it turns into a rich source of future-fuel like so much algae crushed under a sea-bed for ten million years.

Time will tell.

I have not done much of the work I want to do on this old website, although I have done a few sketches, and the other night I went back and looked through all the (digital) photos I've taken in the past five years. Art, bikes, friends, loves, trips, work, play... it's all there. Not all of it, but a comprehensive representative sample. A lot of things I miss.

I was back home last weekend, helping my mom out, and she sort of straight-up told me that I sounded like I needed to have more fun. Like you might think, I resisted this assessment initially, but after thinking about it for a second I couldn't disagree. It's something to consider.

More soon? Lets hope so. Wild bohemian values.

Published on Mon, 2007-02-12 20:31

Don't Forget The Magic

Lately it feels like I have been forgetting the magic. This old website is in its sixth year of operation, and my original reasons for starting it up -- to retain meaningful connections with friends and family, to tell (and therefore to live) a compelling life-story, to embrace several values that I hold dear... all these seem ever more pressing.

My life has changed a lot since November 2001. I've changed too, but I still need the same things. It's time to remodel, to return to some first principles. So, until that gets done I'm going to put a lid on the blog.

It's still there, under the hood, but I'm not going to post anymore until I get some things figured out. This is partly how I spur myself into action, carrots and sticks. However, if you want to get a ping when I come back, here's where you go.

In the mean time, I'm still going to be active online in the usual spots:

So maybe I'll put a little more here sometime, but for now I'm going to go back to digging for the magic. See you on the other side.

Published on Tue, 2007-02-06 19:28

Microsoft to Embrace OpenID

Bill Gates sez M$ is gonna back OpenID. This is a good thing. Although you can be sure they'll cock it up on some Windows product, OpenID is simple and well-enough-designed (ala other basic protocols like SMTP, HTTP, DNS, etc) that even if your fancy bells and whistles suck ass, the basic protocol still functions well, and other people will make better products, and progress marches on.

Honestly, I don't think M$ can break OpenID, and I think having them on board may finally break the logjam. Get used to seeing this:

Learn more, if you like. But the jist of this is that you will soon be able to house multiple social internet logins under one roof, meaning you can pick someone you trust and use that login everywhere without compromising your security. For instance, you could use your AIM login info for most other places you need to "identify yourself" online, without compromising your AOL account. It also means it's easier for people like me to cut back on comment-spam. Woo!

Those are immediate benefits. The addition of a true distributed identity layer to the internet has much more revolutionary potential as well, but we'll have to see how things play out for a few more years before any of that happens.

Published on Tue, 2007-01-23 14:53

Form Up!

Voltron

This is the best metaphor for how we roll: Voltron. Each individual spaceship/robot tiger is a formidable beast, but when we pull together we become a super ass-kicking machine.

Published on Mon, 2007-01-22 02:02

OG Dojo

One of the young rockers from the dojo made that. Pretty sweet.

Published on Tue, 2007-01-09 13:19

Gadgetry

Apple TV looks interesting and surprisingly affordable. I'd like to see what success early adopters have in hacking it up, because if I can SSH into this thing and trick it out I'll probably buy one. If it can be a media center and a solid network hub/firewall, I'll drop $300 to have a purpose-built device as that's a good pricepoint vs me building my own.

Published on Thu, 2007-01-04 13:44

Guitar Hero

Oh my goodness. this shit rules. My mom has been talking up Guitar Hero to me after her experience doing it for her big LAN parties at the EMU, but I played it last night with my political gang over at Fred's and I now understand what all the hype is about. It's awesome!

I see a near-future where you have a pocket-amp-sized device that plugs into the controller port and has a standard pickup which can actually teach people to play guitar for real; online concerts are coming soon. Twelve-year-olds will love this stuff.

On the side, we also got to watch the technological equivalent of Girls Gone Wild, which is funny too.

Anyway, NYC is treating me well as usual, although I am beginning to pine for the routine and comfort of home. I still have some road ahead though: five more days here and than at least three or four in SF doing some meetings and (cross fingers) attempting to buy a car.

Published on Tue, 2006-12-05 04:57

Art Idea

Fresh home from LA and posting this more or less straight from my journal in a brazen attempt at intentional reification.

An idea for new artistic process:

Workshopping text online, possibly backed with quick audio recordings of readings.
Workshopping performance for small intimate trusted live audiences.
Creating finished artistic product for online video (YouTube, etc) distro.

A lot of what I did for Axiom, spoken-word pieces directed at the audience, would adapt well to this form I think. It fits with a lot of my thinking, both about what will work and what I feel like doing. I also think that creating a process for this will help me actually do it, and to produce a high-quality result when I do.

Any comments from the peanut gallery?

Published on Sat, 2006-11-25 21:04

Sleazy Josh And His "Work-Related" Videos

So, I posted a little commercial-like video for my company extolling the virtues of Drupal using elements of my daily life in the State of Jefferson. Good times.

Here's that video:

One thing I want to call attention to is my facial expression in that last slot-machine shot:

That's about as sleazy as I get, what some affectionately call "crazy eyes." It's the epitome of why I'm feared by mothers and hated by fathers all across this great nation. In the final cut I wipe away from it pretty quick, but the original take is pretty interesting. You can see the acting!

Published on Fri, 2006-11-24 15:26

Bought Something Day

For the first time in my young life, I have participated in Black Friday, the day-after-thanksgiving consumer orgy during which many retail businesses go from losing to making money for the year (from red to black, natch). Or, to put it another way, I broke with my traditional observance of Buy Nothing Day.

I don't really feel any moral qualms. I need a new laptop for my job, and I have a one-day chance to get the one I want (one of Apple's new MacBooks) for $100 less than normal. I'm high-rollin' enough to buy a new laptop, yeah, but not enough that I can sneer at a hundo discount, let alone pay Apple's "black tax" for the darker cased model.

It's a matter of public record that I detest the consumption-oriented nature of our culture and economy. I believe it trivializes and perverts the human spirit while simultaneously bringing ruination to the natural world and a sentence of servitude to millions (perhaps billions) of would-be Galileos. We must find a better way.

That being said, I don't think not buying something on a given day -- even if it were done by a statistically significant portion of the population -- is all that great a tactic. Economically, it's as impactful as the Don't Buy Gas For One Day urban legend. If you want to break out of the consumer cycle and trap, it's got to be a buy less life, not just a day that averages out over the year.

Now, I recognize that part of the value of Buy Nothing Day is as sort of personal act of observance, a keeping of the faith, but I don't need that. I don't need to go to Church to feel spiritually and morally whole either.

Outlandish Josh

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