It's been less than two weeks since I've arrived in France. The first farm that I've been staying at has been Cagnolle, just outside of Belvès, a historic medieval town in the south of the country. The land and a few of the buildings were purchased in 2008 by Benoît & Francesca, owners and operators of Cagnolle. Now the once downtrodden site is in the process of renovation, but already looks ages away from what the property looked like when it was purchased four years ago. Described as an experimental agricultural ecosystem, the farm is constantly growing as the couple tends to their goats, sheep, and chickens, several vegetable and herb gardens, and the 400 walnut trees planted within the past couple of years.
As I described in my last post, WWOOF is an invisible organization as it relies on the participants for it to function. Within each partnership between worker and host, it has the ability to run full circle. I've only been here for a limited time so far, but my understanding of the program's dynamic is fairly good just by dipping my toe in the water. The most important thing is not to have expectations, I guess apart from a sense of optimism and anticipation of the adventures to come. This is especially true in that there really are no rules in regards to how the farmers treat you and what they provide apart from our inherent human rights, therefore, there isn't such thing as a consistent experience in WWOOF and it becomes less of a job and more of a glimpse into a new and unique culture. If you're planning on WWOOF across a larger area, staying at several farms consecutively, obviously each place is going to treat and provide in a different sort of manner. You must be able to adapt, and go with the flow in order to suffice and truly immerse yourself. An organic farm isn't just a hotel, so you will not be provided with breakfast in bed and warm towels each morning when you rise as soon as the sun goes down. There's a kind of a thrill from facing every sort of trepidation head on, and you can think of it in terms of how you are going to grow or you can just breathe and live in the moment and watch your majesty unfold as the Universe offers you the ultimate experience.
At Cagnolle, we eat breakfast at 8am (bread and jam, with tea) and then work until noon. Lunch is around 1pm, followed by a short break, and then working until around 6:30pm or later depending on the day, finally finishing with a late dinner at 8 or 9pm. The vegetarian means consist of mainly plants and ingredients from the farm, as well as a few other things as Cagnolle is not yet completely self-sustainable (that's the aspiration). There is, however, a lot of creativity that goes into maintaining variety and complete, healthful meals from basic ingredients and produce, so there really isn't ever a dull moment at the dining table (much wine is also a big help). We also do not throw away food, and will finish leftovers before making a new meal. Meals are a nice accommodation to the work that we do five days a week, ranging from general maintenance to the farm, new projects, or preparation for particular events, like visits from people renting rooms or organic fairs. It's incredible to put myself completely into tasks without the incentive of pay, but rather becoming part of the system of the farm, and even getting the satisfaction of the much bigger project that it is, really a community we are all a part of. Everybody can get involved in their own way, as it will all connect here on Earth.
Cagnolle's Website
Friday, July 6, 2012
Sunday, July 1, 2012
WWOOFing: An Introduction
If anybody is looking for an inexpensive method of travel, as well as an opportunity to immerse themselves within a particular culture, World-Wide Opportunity in Organic Farming (WWOOF) is a fairly new program created for seeing the world through the layman's eyes. Originating in England in 1971 as a means of experiencing the country for those from the city with not much time, WWOOFing quickly became popular locally, until finally gaining international recognition in the year 2000 when the first worldwide conference was held between 15 countries to discuss the expectations and values of both workers (WWOOFers) and farmers. Since then, especially with the lightning fast growth of telecommunication in the world, the population of WWOOFers has risen well into the thousands, with farms in 50+ countries. There is no sort of commission to work on a farm, for the only money involved is to become a member. The program revels in respect, and the exchange between labor on the individual farms, and hospitality from the farmer's end. To become a participant in WWOOF all it takes is a desire to see a specific area of the world and the member fee, as little as 15$.
WWOOF is a system held together by the people participating, a glue made of hard work and good vibes. It acts as a web, forming communities across the world, with even more accommodation from social networking which allows people to stay in touch easily over long distances. It's real-life social networking pieced together not by a foundation, but by the bonds of friendship and promise.
The evolution and importance of WWOOF is obvious through both the construction of intimate communities, as well as viewing grass-roots parallels, like farmer's markets and music festivals. In the past century, and especially the last decade, the breaking away from commercial systems in culture as a whole has been obvious with people connecting at local levels in order to construct a unique message of kindness as neighbors. Information is moving rapidly at an exponential rate and this is true also of culture. We see it both with larger world populations and growing access to knowledge. Anybody can create, be it through music, visual art, agriculture, or any other sort of practical means. I believe that like localized music festivals, farmer's markets, and grassroots companies, WWOOF will play a very significant role in the future of international relations and our growing world identity and culture.
I attended the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA from the fall of 2011 to the spring of '12. Despite the beautiful area and many new friends, I knew that it wasn't the place for me. I had enough of sitting at a desk with the incentive of letter grades to persuade me to take in the funneled knowledge of the world, something that I had been made to do the entire decade before I had started University; everybody learns uniquely, and it was obvious to me that I needed to immerse myself in a more hands on environment. This mindset, of course, is not true for everybody, and I think that the most important notion is to "learn how you learn". I don't think anybody can denote that for you as well as yourself, for it takes personal practice and experience in becoming vulnerable and taking risks, molding a perspective through your own eyes.
I don't remember how I first heard of WWOOF, but a few months after I did two of my friends traveled to Hawaii to work across the Pacific. It sounded wonderful, like an experience that I definitely needed to try, however I wanted to go alone. I've worked since I was 15, including waiting tables at a restaurant, working in a grocery store and in the school cafeteria's kitchen. I've grown to understand the value and importance of honest good work, but the incentive of pay always seems to become an obstacle in a way. I think that the most advanced of societies would have a transactional system based on merit and exchange rather than on monetary token, so even though I was enjoying and gaining many experiences, friends, and skills from working, the idea of money and "why I was really there" almost distracted me even though that's not what my heart really wanted. Even so, as soon as school got let out, I immediately went back to my old job at the grocery store in Minnesota and worked as long of hours as possible to save traveling funds before June 25th, when my plane took off for my destination: Paris, France.
I chose France because I wanted to travel to somewhere new, somewhere that didn't speak English as a primary language, yet was still within range for me to participate as a member of society. I originally considered going to South America-its "end of the world" depth and exotic temperament appealed to me. I realized that leaving school to go work on farms in a foreign country was out there enough, so it would probably be more reasonable to travel somewhere "closer to home". My Dad is from England, so somewhere in mainland Europe was an obvious balance between new and old, aiding from the fact that I have plenty of family easily accessible in the UK, and also being able to simply apply for dual-nationality and extend my stay or come back if I ever want to. Being a white, Anglo-Saxon would be an advantage too in terms of inconspicuousness...
I'm not trying to write about the surface experiences, like a journal, but more so my thoughts throughout the journey, and maybe enough to answer any potential questions that anybody reading this might have. This is my experience, and rather than offer everyone the nitty-gritty, I'd rather let people know what is going through my own mind regarding certain humps in my adventure, cultural similarities and differences, and ideas and philosophies about the cosmos at large. Many people reading this will be interested in traveling lightly to foreign countries or even WWOOFing, and hopefully I'll encourage some to look into it themselves. I'll provide some sorts of foundational ideas, and it will be up to the reader to fill in their own blanks, hopefully leading to their own profound thoughts and maybe a misadventure or two.
WWOOF is a system held together by the people participating, a glue made of hard work and good vibes. It acts as a web, forming communities across the world, with even more accommodation from social networking which allows people to stay in touch easily over long distances. It's real-life social networking pieced together not by a foundation, but by the bonds of friendship and promise.
The evolution and importance of WWOOF is obvious through both the construction of intimate communities, as well as viewing grass-roots parallels, like farmer's markets and music festivals. In the past century, and especially the last decade, the breaking away from commercial systems in culture as a whole has been obvious with people connecting at local levels in order to construct a unique message of kindness as neighbors. Information is moving rapidly at an exponential rate and this is true also of culture. We see it both with larger world populations and growing access to knowledge. Anybody can create, be it through music, visual art, agriculture, or any other sort of practical means. I believe that like localized music festivals, farmer's markets, and grassroots companies, WWOOF will play a very significant role in the future of international relations and our growing world identity and culture.
I attended the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA from the fall of 2011 to the spring of '12. Despite the beautiful area and many new friends, I knew that it wasn't the place for me. I had enough of sitting at a desk with the incentive of letter grades to persuade me to take in the funneled knowledge of the world, something that I had been made to do the entire decade before I had started University; everybody learns uniquely, and it was obvious to me that I needed to immerse myself in a more hands on environment. This mindset, of course, is not true for everybody, and I think that the most important notion is to "learn how you learn". I don't think anybody can denote that for you as well as yourself, for it takes personal practice and experience in becoming vulnerable and taking risks, molding a perspective through your own eyes.
I don't remember how I first heard of WWOOF, but a few months after I did two of my friends traveled to Hawaii to work across the Pacific. It sounded wonderful, like an experience that I definitely needed to try, however I wanted to go alone. I've worked since I was 15, including waiting tables at a restaurant, working in a grocery store and in the school cafeteria's kitchen. I've grown to understand the value and importance of honest good work, but the incentive of pay always seems to become an obstacle in a way. I think that the most advanced of societies would have a transactional system based on merit and exchange rather than on monetary token, so even though I was enjoying and gaining many experiences, friends, and skills from working, the idea of money and "why I was really there" almost distracted me even though that's not what my heart really wanted. Even so, as soon as school got let out, I immediately went back to my old job at the grocery store in Minnesota and worked as long of hours as possible to save traveling funds before June 25th, when my plane took off for my destination: Paris, France.
I chose France because I wanted to travel to somewhere new, somewhere that didn't speak English as a primary language, yet was still within range for me to participate as a member of society. I originally considered going to South America-its "end of the world" depth and exotic temperament appealed to me. I realized that leaving school to go work on farms in a foreign country was out there enough, so it would probably be more reasonable to travel somewhere "closer to home". My Dad is from England, so somewhere in mainland Europe was an obvious balance between new and old, aiding from the fact that I have plenty of family easily accessible in the UK, and also being able to simply apply for dual-nationality and extend my stay or come back if I ever want to. Being a white, Anglo-Saxon would be an advantage too in terms of inconspicuousness...
I'm not trying to write about the surface experiences, like a journal, but more so my thoughts throughout the journey, and maybe enough to answer any potential questions that anybody reading this might have. This is my experience, and rather than offer everyone the nitty-gritty, I'd rather let people know what is going through my own mind regarding certain humps in my adventure, cultural similarities and differences, and ideas and philosophies about the cosmos at large. Many people reading this will be interested in traveling lightly to foreign countries or even WWOOFing, and hopefully I'll encourage some to look into it themselves. I'll provide some sorts of foundational ideas, and it will be up to the reader to fill in their own blanks, hopefully leading to their own profound thoughts and maybe a misadventure or two.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Story of Sorry
Our society has been constructed in a way where people heed words and terminology with far more traction than emotions and ideas. In politics, this could be the dreamer who is allowed support until it's finally realized that he's essentially a socialist. We see it in schools with final judgement being given in terms of grades and tests rather than cumulative expression and participation. On an even more basic, everyday level, it's the daily interactions that people hold, and the artificial groups that people form to shut others out, as well as to differentiate themselves from others with mundane words and labels. I think that manners also fit in this category, as many people don't seem to have a thorough understanding of politeness past the initial list of words used repetitively in social situations.
I was raised to adhere by politeness, taught expressions like please, thank you, excuse me, and sorry, and to always practice respect, especially toward those older than me. It was a basic, yet necessary part of my existence, but around fourth grade, my politeness went in a pretty satiric direction. I became instinctively triggered to use the word sorry in just about every situation, not just those that could potentially offend, but any instance where I even interacted with a person. I look back, and see it as a high wall that I had caged around myself, and eventually a solid case of obsessive-compulsion. It become so habitual that it was something that I was infamous for throughout the rest of elementary school. Sometimes people thought it was cute, but I think that was with the individual sentiment, and every time I said it, often over and over again, it felt like it drained a little bit of the human out of me. One of the last straws was going to camp the summer after 5th grade, and seeing a skit around the campfire where they acted someone out, and we had to guess who that person was. The utterance of "Soory, soory, soory", with my trademark 'double o', made it fairly obvious. That word became a crutch.
I was raised to adhere by politeness, taught expressions like please, thank you, excuse me, and sorry, and to always practice respect, especially toward those older than me. It was a basic, yet necessary part of my existence, but around fourth grade, my politeness went in a pretty satiric direction. I became instinctively triggered to use the word sorry in just about every situation, not just those that could potentially offend, but any instance where I even interacted with a person. I look back, and see it as a high wall that I had caged around myself, and eventually a solid case of obsessive-compulsion. It become so habitual that it was something that I was infamous for throughout the rest of elementary school. Sometimes people thought it was cute, but I think that was with the individual sentiment, and every time I said it, often over and over again, it felt like it drained a little bit of the human out of me. One of the last straws was going to camp the summer after 5th grade, and seeing a skit around the campfire where they acted someone out, and we had to guess who that person was. The utterance of "Soory, soory, soory", with my trademark 'double o', made it fairly obvious. That word became a crutch.
As I unconsciously started to let go of my troubled constant apologies, I began to understand that often times, it didn't matter what you said, or even how you said it, but what it came down to was intention. I think that a lot of people are raised to act by certain standards, but they never learn what those standards mean in terms of themselves, and how to weave it into their own lives and mindsets, instead of just piling it on top and calling it practice, action, or belief. It's like, you have to have a foundation of emptiness in order to allow particular notions to mold with your process of thinking. I'm as polite than I've ever been, if not more due to constantly growing, and it's because I've become a different sort of instinctual about it. I can't put a number on times that I express verbal gratitude in a day, but it really doesn't matter, because I think my manners are an efficient part of my personality, and the way that I deal with other people one on one. This doesn't mean that I don't say things like please and thank you, it's just that everything is so subjective, that I can become a chameleon and adapt through action, saying particular sentiments when I know that they will make an impact. It becomes easier to connect with people, I believe, when you are both able to disregard terminologies and let actions speak for themselves, like a secret that both parties mutually understand. There is, however, one word that I usually refuse to verbalize, let alone think. A single word or thought can have an impact on your entire psyche, so to change and minimize your process of thinking or speaking is to cut clutter. At first, I began to cut the number of times that I said sorry in a day, trying to limit it in regards to authenticity. With that, and with age, my perspective began to encompass this understanding that everything happens for a reason, and that to say sorry was holding up a barrier, refusing to learn from mistakes. This isn't always the case, of course, and with societal expectations it seems inhumane to completely cut the word out of your vocabulary, but I also think that it's like an act of defensiveness and a refusal to gaze life straight in the eyes.
The word sorry can hinder your feeling of timelessness, the ability to live in the present moment. If used in moderation it's the occasional reflection, but when saying the word profusely becomes a habit, it's like constantly being dragged back into the past. I don't think it would really make sense to calculate the time lost as an argument, but life has the potential to be meditative and maintaining composure within the Now without necessarily looking behind or into the future definitely counts for something. Living in the moment is also a chance at ecstasy, true bliss. Again, this is akin to meditation, and I think it relays a feeling of happiness. I'd actually be interested in seeing a study comparing how frequently people use the phrase "I'm sorry" and their daily levels of happiness. There would need to be a function to differentiate people who had once said, "I'm sorry," from people who had never, for that would most likely make a difference, the smaller the number the more fascinating in regard to the study. Quantitatively, I believe that there would absolutely be a difference between the "apologizers" and their previously afflicted counterparts, of course with outliers, and that the numbers would be much smaller with the latter group.
Historically, social norms have always existed as they reflect the collective mind playing influence above the individual, which is natural in a society cohabited by man. Slang and dialect, like every aspect of culture, can branch out within a society if enough people immerse themselves, so of course these becomes instances of social normalities as well. There's a funny cause and effect reaction when a person's personalities, attitudes, and beliefs cannot be separated from the individual's action, in either direction. They become indistinguishable, and it's hard to tell which one affected the other. A society saturated with apologetic people has so many defenses up that it's difficult to make progress, as if we're not open to disagreement, which makes it impossible to change and progress. There was an article in the New York Times opinion page about politician Newt Gingrich's reaction to a joke that Robert De Niro made about first ladies. Gingrich's response was that it was "inexcusable and the president should apologize for him." This depicts a pretty great representation of what the American people have come to truly be about. It's like society has disregarded the entire idea of a means in favor of the ends in almost every situation. Every thought seems so definite, like it's either good or bad. That leaves a lot of room in between untouched. Progress, of a nation or an individual, requires balance, tolerance, and the ability to both imagine and act upon a dream. Honestly, I believe that Gingrich's comment shows how the media and politics have becomes more cluttered than ever before. It's like tabloids, seeking resolutions for even the tiniest bit of conflict. Every single action requires a letter to the man upstairs, telling your mother every time somebody acts independent of the status quo, and at 68 years old, goddamn it!
I'm not trying to call out manners in general, I just think that they represent a step in the level of growth for humanity. It's like a musician learning an instrument through scales and practicing technique, but eventually finding his own flow and branching through that. Practice ethics to becomes an ethical human being, and I think the playing field stretches as far as the eye can see. At a certain point, allow ethical thought to become inherent and unsaid, free flowing actions that represent ethics and respect. It's a crutch and a paradox, in that to be sorry is to be untruthful either to the other person by lack of sincerity, or demeaning by calling yourself out. Be the judge of your own actions and let acting ethically be a part of who you are. I think that "Judge not lest ye be judged" of Matthew 7:1-5 in the Bible doesn't dissuade a person from judging, but it states that judging subjectively demands one to look at themselves as well from the same perspective as their other critiques, practicing respect by looking down.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Shweet Music!
And here, I shall link every song and video that I have posted via Facebook so far this year. Cool deal, gang!
...And that's 2012 so far from the perspective of Ed's Facebook ( : An eclectic mix!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Electronic Music
"In the year 3030, everybody wants to be a DJ," a lyric from Del the Funky Homosapien's album 3030. Delton's work is a concept hip-hop album about living and producing music in the year 3030, and fighting off the huge corporations that rule the Earth. As the years have progressed, it's easy to say, that when it boils down to it, 3030 is now! The ability to create through a variety of tools and resources is at the layman's finger tips, and the term DJ has become a household terms with programs like Sound Cloud and Band Camp, where users are able to post, exchange, and sell their work with the feedback from a large user community, extending to even some larger producers.
This continuous evolution of music has been bubbling ever since humans learned how to create auditory art, but it's been moving light speed just like everything else, since the ability to record sound was discovered in the late 19th century. I see a combination of the two main branches of popular music, classical (more straight forward, pre-created, hard...) and jazz (more impromptu, soft)*Obviously, there are more differences than just these, but I feel as if they are parallels in terms of music*, occurring through rock music, with metal being a direct extension of classical, and then into this strange, new super-genre of dance music, as well as hip-hop. It was like the song was always built on a certain 4/4 template, a basic drum track that seems like the foundation for a create-your-own song program. The magic in this format is that it's continuing today and branching into something wild and revolutionary! We've encountered Delton's prophesized (or maybe witnessed) age of individual creativity, especially through electronic music.
Words and music are inevitably strictly translation. You can never translate an emotion or thought as purely as the mind alone can, for we can exhuberate anything within a dream, but to channel it is to cut corners, for the experience becomes partially inauthentic in its nature. It's impossible to truly translate between languages, as each dialect interprets spoken work in a different light. It takes a unique and individualized skill to switch between languages easily, and a special gift to fluidly translate out loud for other people. I'd call it being a link between poetic tools. This is why we regard superb artists with so much respect at their abilities, for they are translators of the divine and they sculpt the flow. Imagine a sculptor, cutting away into emptiness to form his piece. Everything already exists, for mind and creativity is existence itself. It just takes the special artist to dig it out of the void. The coolest part is that anyone can be a poet, an artist, by learning how to maneuver whatever makes them happy, learning how to configure the flow through life and compassion.
That 4/4 back beat is the tip of the iceberg that brings together most electronic music, and it allows a certain style to be configured in our heads, with the ease of simply switching from track to track, like CDs. Not just everybody can access this self-mastery of music creation, but it's available for the world to mess around with, and lots of music making software is around from Garage Band on Apple computers to Ableton Live, a popular program for music creation and real-time production. I've seen friends of mine, some with not as much musical experience pick up a program and develop their own sound within months. It's pretty rad hearing the translations of the unique minds of young musicians, and with practice comes growth! If I find things that I like I tell people about it, so I can help talented artists gain popularity, and it's awesome to help promote your friends! Here are some beautiful sounds, created by good friends of mine from high school:
(((shwex)))Ω Mumukshu Ω
Codemeist
(((ॐPatchFooTॐ)))
Tree͒Bone
Aaron J Levin
Profesher
That 4/4 back beat is the tip of the iceberg that brings together most electronic music, and it allows a certain style to be configured in our heads, with the ease of simply switching from track to track, like CDs. Not just everybody can access this self-mastery of music creation, but it's available for the world to mess around with, and lots of music making software is around from Garage Band on Apple computers to Ableton Live, a popular program for music creation and real-time production. I've seen friends of mine, some with not as much musical experience pick up a program and develop their own sound within months. It's pretty rad hearing the translations of the unique minds of young musicians, and with practice comes growth! If I find things that I like I tell people about it, so I can help talented artists gain popularity, and it's awesome to help promote your friends! Here are some beautiful sounds, created by good friends of mine from high school:
(((shwex)))Ω Mumukshu Ω
Codemeist
(((ॐPatchFooTॐ)))
Tree͒Bone
Aaron J Levin
Profesher
The history of music has alternated between being independently minded to working through collaboration, and often a combination of both. The bard is an archetype, with singer-songwriters throughout history. Conductors are the puppeteers behind classical music, big band jazz, and also visible in certain bandleaders, but the contemporary playing the same role is most definitely the DJ. He or she guides the flow like a wizard, with each individual song controlled and modulated by the work of the fingers acting as an extension of the mind. We've already it in certain artists, but I think the future of music is in collaboration, and therefore an exponentially quick paradigm change in culture, with parents in both of the two genres previously mentioned, classical and jazz. EOTO revolutionizes this, a band consisting of the two drummers from jazz-bluegrass jam band, The String Cheese Incident, based out of Colorado. Michael Travis and Jason Hann create improvised electronic music on the spot, traveling within their own style of infinity with Travis on on various keys and instruments and Hann on a drum set, both of them linked in real time through individual computers using Ableton Live. The best part is that they tour essentially every night! I highly recommend attending one, if not more of their shows, as just being there allows you to help participate and mold the experience. The crowd controls their shows, communicating with the two on stage as they channel the music and speak back to the crowd in dirty bass and funky rhythms. Their ability as a group has been constantly evolving too, and they're easily able to access whatever genres of electronic, and music in general, that they seek out, ranging from dubstep, to down-tempo, to jazz, to bluegrass. The limit is there imagination, and I don't think you can ever really hold that back! As they travel from venue to venue, they seem to represent the magic of each place through flow, and from experience, I can tell you that a show in Minnesota is going to be different from a show in Colorado, which is different from a show in Washington. I've got dozens of their shows on my iPod, and they'll play anything from straight jazz to this 3-day festival that they played in Hawaii! Festivals galore, a whole 'nother story in themselves (See my post 'Portland Ride Share')!
Dave Tipper seems to do just the opposite of EOTO live extravaganza. Rather than produce the sounds through live improvisation, he creates the sound using real instruments and messing with waves, to construct the perfect sounds, and then he'll mix on stage using him pre-recorded material, at least, not until he's released a killer album! Tipper doesn't tour nearly as much as EOTO, as he's generally in the never ending of his own musical laboratory. His sounds are naturalistic, and they're so crisp they could fit in your pocket!
Tipper
I like EOTO's idea, and they throw an unbelievable party, yet they know as well as anybody else that they are still searching for the perfect balance between live and digital, to create the ultimate improvised experience. DJ tracks, like Tipper, have no limitation in their spacial quality besides the artists themselves, as the sound is all coming from one place. To see a DJ live is like seeing someone playing with a musical box on stage, the ones where you crank the handle and the music comes out. As odd of a concept it is, the DJ controls the crowd as if he's playing with a marionette. Everybody has a different experience as we all have separate perspectives, but maybe the future of collaboration and music will allow each viewer to form the show and sounds in a way where they can channel their imagination at the same time, and even with, the artist. Whatever it is, I think that electronic music and all of the artists behind it deserve respect in the same manner that any visionary, poet, and creator does. It's an auditory painting, but it doesn't have to be limited to just that! Painters will sometimes accompany the musician on stage to draw their own expression of the music, and there are even shows that are designed to be visual experiences as well (like light and laser shows). The Zebbler Encanti Experience is an audio/visual duo, whose work appeals to more that just one of the senses. Zebbler, who also does the visuals for EOTO's tours, works with producer Encanti to make some pretty fat tracks.
Zebbler Encanti Experience
It's cool to be a witness to musical evolution in progress, and to see the ties that contemporary rhythm & funk has to worldly music of the past millennia. We'll all see how it progresses, at least within our own lifetimes, but to participate and create is to partake in a revolution. There are not limits to creation, so I believe that any art form has access to reconstructing and interpreting music in its own way. The revolution will not be televised, so cut out the middle man that is your consciousness and sense of doubt, and upgrade your grey matter through imagination, creativity, and the balance of universal collaboration!
I have more to add to this/edit when I have some time.
Tipper
I like EOTO's idea, and they throw an unbelievable party, yet they know as well as anybody else that they are still searching for the perfect balance between live and digital, to create the ultimate improvised experience. DJ tracks, like Tipper, have no limitation in their spacial quality besides the artists themselves, as the sound is all coming from one place. To see a DJ live is like seeing someone playing with a musical box on stage, the ones where you crank the handle and the music comes out. As odd of a concept it is, the DJ controls the crowd as if he's playing with a marionette. Everybody has a different experience as we all have separate perspectives, but maybe the future of collaboration and music will allow each viewer to form the show and sounds in a way where they can channel their imagination at the same time, and even with, the artist. Whatever it is, I think that electronic music and all of the artists behind it deserve respect in the same manner that any visionary, poet, and creator does. It's an auditory painting, but it doesn't have to be limited to just that! Painters will sometimes accompany the musician on stage to draw their own expression of the music, and there are even shows that are designed to be visual experiences as well (like light and laser shows). The Zebbler Encanti Experience is an audio/visual duo, whose work appeals to more that just one of the senses. Zebbler, who also does the visuals for EOTO's tours, works with producer Encanti to make some pretty fat tracks.
Zebbler Encanti Experience
It's cool to be a witness to musical evolution in progress, and to see the ties that contemporary rhythm & funk has to worldly music of the past millennia. We'll all see how it progresses, at least within our own lifetimes, but to participate and create is to partake in a revolution. There are not limits to creation, so I believe that any art form has access to reconstructing and interpreting music in its own way. The revolution will not be televised, so cut out the middle man that is your consciousness and sense of doubt, and upgrade your grey matter through imagination, creativity, and the balance of universal collaboration!
I have more to add to this/edit when I have some time.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
"If Twitter Is a Work Necessity"
Apart from channeling the drive to construct this blog, and my Flavors.me account (http://flavors.me/edwotica), the class that I'm currently taking, Digital Humanities, is a continuous conversation regarding the merging of the digital world and the ability to think, create, and interact as human beings. I really like this, as the internet not only represents this vast tool, but it also can be how we relate, network, and communicate within the moment, with both ourselves and our global community.
Over spring break, our assignment, besides the construction of our personalized 'Flavors' pages, was to read the article If "If Twitter Is a Work Necessity", and write a response using quotations from the writing to support the use of a unified web presence.
I think, that like most contemporary human beings, there is a division between this idea of too much and too little interaction, and sometimes the difference can be either under- or over-whelming, depending on the mood, and desire for socialization of the individual. It's a world of opportunity, but it's easier now than ever before to get swept away in the collective network of the digital age. I wrote this response to the article, and I really like what I had to say. This is only a snippet of writing, but I'd like to continue on this topic on and off whenever I have some time! Society has become the internet, and in terms of creativity, collaboration, and paradoxically, individual freedom, we are entering a golden age of interaction:
Over spring break, our assignment, besides the construction of our personalized 'Flavors' pages, was to read the article If "If Twitter Is a Work Necessity", and write a response using quotations from the writing to support the use of a unified web presence.
I think, that like most contemporary human beings, there is a division between this idea of too much and too little interaction, and sometimes the difference can be either under- or over-whelming, depending on the mood, and desire for socialization of the individual. It's a world of opportunity, but it's easier now than ever before to get swept away in the collective network of the digital age. I wrote this response to the article, and I really like what I had to say. This is only a snippet of writing, but I'd like to continue on this topic on and off whenever I have some time! Society has become the internet, and in terms of creativity, collaboration, and paradoxically, individual freedom, we are entering a golden age of interaction:
In a quickly moving world, it takes a sort of dedication to be able to ride the flow of technology and mass social interaction, however, at the same time, to be able to represent yourself as an individual in a world of seemingly group consciousness is an ability that can entertain, as well as enlighten, becoming more of a hobby in addition to a digital skill. In reading the article “If Twitter Is a Work Necessity”, I saw several examples of people, both young and old, becoming informed in how to best present themselves, and mingle within the digital world. I especially liked the timelessness presented in the article, as it reigns true. The Earth, in both nature and technology, is an organism with no boundaries or limits. If a direction must be labeled, it’s constantly moving forward, but the ability to be and grow through individual effort and connection with others stems from the singular, and networks to create a vast image of humanity and a digital society. “He emphasized, ‘There is no timeline tweeting me questions.”
“The timeline is the rest of our lives,’ he said.” A quote from the article by chief executive officer of Likeable, Dave Kerpen, he is implying that an individual’s timeline for networking has no bounds, as it exists within the vastness of the internet and their own mind. As we live collectively on planet Earth, we are able to treat our lives as a chance at collaboration, and therefore, we essentially live one communal life, helping each other to learn and grow, and allowing our artwork of progress to represent humanity. It’s what excellent story, threaded by the individual’s desire to accommodate to the whole, string by string.
“As part of the course, industry leaders, who often appear at major digital conferences, deliver their presentations online during a webcast. At the same time, she says they still offer students small online workshops and one-on-one guidance with instructors who give them advice for whatever specific social media project they are doing.” This is another excerpt from the article, and it shows how people are able to connect by whatever means that they wish. Online interaction is getting smoother, and differences in location are becoming meaningless. With programs like Skype, Facebook, various chat rooms and other social networking sites, we are able to collaborate face to face, and even face to face to face to face, etc. There are no limits, and a team can easily go from somebody working alone, to somebody working as a group, sometimes even still from the confines of their own home. This constant ability to interact can seem golden, but as we continue to shape and glisten our connecting abilities, I think that the next big step will be coming back to our roots, and finding a means of isolation and true independence throughout a world easily cluttered by group thought. When a balance is created, home will become a synergy between introversion and extroversion, and the ability to turn on and off on a whim, and truly ride with the wind, shifting with the smallest, yet most significant vibration.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Ride Share
I've picked up rides with strangers, through hitch hiking a couple times and then through mutual friends, like once to a festival in Colorado, but something that I'd looked into but never actually tried has been the Craigslist Ride Share. On my trip to Portland over spring break, I managed to jump in a car both down from Tacoma on the 12th, and then back up from Portland today, on the 16th.
Like everything else on Craigslist, people can post commodities that they have to offer (radios, concert tickets, babysitting abilities, apartments, sexual favors, rides, etc.), as well as particular things that they are searching for (watches, rides, roommates, sexual favors, babysitters, etc.). People have been using Craigslist as a localized network for online resource exchange since around 1996, when it quickly grew in popularity, and it's been huge ever since, almost as more of an underground community though. It's localized in that there are separate categories and search engines depending on your location, by city and county. Part of the reasoning for it being more underground is because there is a certain controversy behind the site's use due to the impending threat of "Stranger Danger." Anybody has the chance to be a potential victim, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time in exchange with the wrong person. Obviously, some people are risk takers, especially those that use sites like Craigslist (or they could just be oblivious to said risk, but there's a lot of education around internet safety nowadays), which is why these sites are able to run, for in a sense, the people are truly the products. In any case, there have been several occurrences of "Craigslist Killings", and common sense should be used, especially when dealing with people...always carry a gun :P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigslist_killer
Like everything else on Craigslist, people can post commodities that they have to offer (radios, concert tickets, babysitting abilities, apartments, sexual favors, rides, etc.), as well as particular things that they are searching for (watches, rides, roommates, sexual favors, babysitters, etc.). People have been using Craigslist as a localized network for online resource exchange since around 1996, when it quickly grew in popularity, and it's been huge ever since, almost as more of an underground community though. It's localized in that there are separate categories and search engines depending on your location, by city and county. Part of the reasoning for it being more underground is because there is a certain controversy behind the site's use due to the impending threat of "Stranger Danger." Anybody has the chance to be a potential victim, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time in exchange with the wrong person. Obviously, some people are risk takers, especially those that use sites like Craigslist (or they could just be oblivious to said risk, but there's a lot of education around internet safety nowadays), which is why these sites are able to run, for in a sense, the people are truly the products. In any case, there have been several occurrences of "Craigslist Killings", and common sense should be used, especially when dealing with people...always carry a gun :P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigslist_killer
The night before, after we spontaneously decided to travel to Portland, I searched the Seattle-Tacoma area for rides heading to Portland for the next day. I emailed a few, and for a majority I received fairly immediate positive responses. We ended up going down with a guy with a green Suburu, carrying a bike on top. His name was Bernard, a computer science graduate from the University of Illinois, and we were accompanied by Anna, going to Olympia, and Emma, also heading for south east Portland. We spent a majority of the trip listening to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" podcasts from NPR.
At the end of the week, again, I ran a search, but this time I only emailed one name. We met up with Tony, a burlesque performer, and his girlfriend, a belly dancer. The couple were very open, and we had good conversation, and easily joked around. They chatted in a lewd, yet respectful way, and it was funny to listen to what they had to say to each other.
Both trips ran incredibly smoothly, and we were with good company going both down and up, but I think that when you're surrounded by strangers, the fun comes from making it a memorable experience. The easiest way to do this, besides pouring hot wax on the driver's lap or removing articles of clothing whenever someone says a particular word, is by conversing in a humorous way. Every relationship is different, be it someone you can talk with seriously, or a friendship in which you both can make each other laugh. Not that an exchange with a stranger can't be a serious interaction, but neither members really expect much out of the other besides that extended moment of a two hour or so drive. To make each other laugh is to make the trip a healing experience, as not only does laughter forget boundaries, but it's also the best medicine (in case you didn't know!).
I don't mean to make the Ride Share experience sound superficial, because I don't think it needs to be. People put a label of falsity on exchanges over the internet, like in forums and marketplaces, but those are legitimate interactions, especially when both participants are willing to put themselves into the relationship. Ride Share is a trading of resources, and therefore acts as a gateway into the networking process. It's a world of connections, so to interact with someone is an opportunity to call them up in the future if need be, and add them to your subconscious address book. The sense of humor to initially jump start the relationship is a way to come together harmoniously, but if you feel that instinctively, this connection will get you somewhere, or even if you have something to offer the other at some point in one of your lives, then hold onto the name, and reflect back when that time comes. It's funny, but you each have already pierced each others stories; your bubbles have bounced. You will never truly separate from each other's histories now, as you both happened!
I think of exchanges like this, and real world social networking, as a sort of means for the existence of music festivals, not that festivals aren't a means in themselves! By means, I mean an opening of possibility for meeting new people, and then a plane for the relationship that surpasses the real world! The internet is like a festival in itself, in that many social boundaries and wall are torn down. Festivals are communes, and are bridging the gap between societal expectations and free love! I see lots of people who are used to the reigns of society attending festivals and treating them like an amusement park, which there is nothing wrong with, but the potential of these gatherings is to let free of all bounds, and to create together in unity. Some people live for festivals, and during the summer, there lives become the Festival Express, hopping from one event to the next, and even following groups, sort of like Dead Heads. I've found that the most cost effective way of doing this is through volunteering: sacrificing a day to help pick up trash, take tickets, or just to refresh the atmosphere of the park. You get a free or less expensive ticket in exchange for your contribution to the festival. It seems like it would be difficult to be a regular without this kind of behind the scenes plan! (For those of you in or around the mid-west U.S area late May, check out my "First Post" for a couple awesome, smaller festies.)
I digress, and jump from idea to idea, but part of the reason I wanted to talk about festivals was because Tony's girlfriend was a belly dancer who was going to performing at Symbiosis Gathering, which is like a Burning Man in that they don't release the entire artist list before the event. This is one of the festivals of the year, and is held in Nevada in May to celebrate the coming solar eclipse. I'm not attending this particular party, but I know some people who are, as well as a number of the performers, and woo hee, it'll be quite the time! I think that it's cool when the festivals are what bring people together inside, as well as outside the event. When I heard that she was dancing at Symbiosis, you bet that I had a lot to say, and some recommendations of musicians to check out!
Maybe the moral of the post is that no matter who you run into, be it on the internet or in a make shift ride down to Portland, you can usually find something that'll connect you and the other person, be it an interest in festivals or just an appreciation of a sense of humor. I like to say, I wish the world consisted of "Me" and "You", because it would make everything so much easier. The archetypal relationship can be fit with whoever is demanded in the situation, like in my case, the "You" can be a certain friend, my mother, my dog, the cashier at a grocery store, a man on the street, etc. With this mindset, your individual respect will be shared with whoever the particular partner in the moment is, and you're also protecting yourself, by not becoming susceptible to all of these different incoming energies possible when you're attention isn't focused on one thing at a time. From this point on, when you think of one, you can extend it to mean something larger, but at the same time, it can never be bigger than the respect that you give yourself, and therefore, the respect that you give a partner. To be a public speaker is to allow your attention to face a crowd, and I think that for most talented speakers, they look at the crowd not primarily as a load of individuals (only, I suppose it takes a combination between the trains of thought), but rather, as one whole, and a partner in terms of interaction.
Until next time, Edward
Both trips ran incredibly smoothly, and we were with good company going both down and up, but I think that when you're surrounded by strangers, the fun comes from making it a memorable experience. The easiest way to do this, besides pouring hot wax on the driver's lap or removing articles of clothing whenever someone says a particular word, is by conversing in a humorous way. Every relationship is different, be it someone you can talk with seriously, or a friendship in which you both can make each other laugh. Not that an exchange with a stranger can't be a serious interaction, but neither members really expect much out of the other besides that extended moment of a two hour or so drive. To make each other laugh is to make the trip a healing experience, as not only does laughter forget boundaries, but it's also the best medicine (in case you didn't know!).
I don't mean to make the Ride Share experience sound superficial, because I don't think it needs to be. People put a label of falsity on exchanges over the internet, like in forums and marketplaces, but those are legitimate interactions, especially when both participants are willing to put themselves into the relationship. Ride Share is a trading of resources, and therefore acts as a gateway into the networking process. It's a world of connections, so to interact with someone is an opportunity to call them up in the future if need be, and add them to your subconscious address book. The sense of humor to initially jump start the relationship is a way to come together harmoniously, but if you feel that instinctively, this connection will get you somewhere, or even if you have something to offer the other at some point in one of your lives, then hold onto the name, and reflect back when that time comes. It's funny, but you each have already pierced each others stories; your bubbles have bounced. You will never truly separate from each other's histories now, as you both happened!
I think of exchanges like this, and real world social networking, as a sort of means for the existence of music festivals, not that festivals aren't a means in themselves! By means, I mean an opening of possibility for meeting new people, and then a plane for the relationship that surpasses the real world! The internet is like a festival in itself, in that many social boundaries and wall are torn down. Festivals are communes, and are bridging the gap between societal expectations and free love! I see lots of people who are used to the reigns of society attending festivals and treating them like an amusement park, which there is nothing wrong with, but the potential of these gatherings is to let free of all bounds, and to create together in unity. Some people live for festivals, and during the summer, there lives become the Festival Express, hopping from one event to the next, and even following groups, sort of like Dead Heads. I've found that the most cost effective way of doing this is through volunteering: sacrificing a day to help pick up trash, take tickets, or just to refresh the atmosphere of the park. You get a free or less expensive ticket in exchange for your contribution to the festival. It seems like it would be difficult to be a regular without this kind of behind the scenes plan! (For those of you in or around the mid-west U.S area late May, check out my "First Post" for a couple awesome, smaller festies.)
I digress, and jump from idea to idea, but part of the reason I wanted to talk about festivals was because Tony's girlfriend was a belly dancer who was going to performing at Symbiosis Gathering, which is like a Burning Man in that they don't release the entire artist list before the event. This is one of the festivals of the year, and is held in Nevada in May to celebrate the coming solar eclipse. I'm not attending this particular party, but I know some people who are, as well as a number of the performers, and woo hee, it'll be quite the time! I think that it's cool when the festivals are what bring people together inside, as well as outside the event. When I heard that she was dancing at Symbiosis, you bet that I had a lot to say, and some recommendations of musicians to check out!
Maybe the moral of the post is that no matter who you run into, be it on the internet or in a make shift ride down to Portland, you can usually find something that'll connect you and the other person, be it an interest in festivals or just an appreciation of a sense of humor. I like to say, I wish the world consisted of "Me" and "You", because it would make everything so much easier. The archetypal relationship can be fit with whoever is demanded in the situation, like in my case, the "You" can be a certain friend, my mother, my dog, the cashier at a grocery store, a man on the street, etc. With this mindset, your individual respect will be shared with whoever the particular partner in the moment is, and you're also protecting yourself, by not becoming susceptible to all of these different incoming energies possible when you're attention isn't focused on one thing at a time. From this point on, when you think of one, you can extend it to mean something larger, but at the same time, it can never be bigger than the respect that you give yourself, and therefore, the respect that you give a partner. To be a public speaker is to allow your attention to face a crowd, and I think that for most talented speakers, they look at the crowd not primarily as a load of individuals (only, I suppose it takes a combination between the trains of thought), but rather, as one whole, and a partner in terms of interaction.
Until next time, Edward
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