I Still Don't Think Ghost in the Shell is Believable

...even if Japanese scientists are building lifelike copies of themselves. After watching a little bit of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, though, I think we may have one malfunctioning robot in need of putting down:


Somebody get me a shotgun.

The Best of Times, and the Worst

To mix metaphors, when the shit hits the fan, it pours. Not only did we have a PR disaster, a hacked website, and total chaos when I arrived at work today, we've had some Crafty setbacks, idiots abusing our good name, and otherwise shitty shitty stuff. Work sucked and I have every legitimate right to say so.

On the other hand, I got to see DJ Shadow after a 10 year wait. ROOOOOCK! He's my favorite musician, the man whose sound has defined Ten Thousand Bullets, and the show was fucking amazing. Act 1 of the set was a lengthy mashup of his own compositions rather than the sampadelica he's known for, starting with my favorite song of all time, Building Steam with a Grain of Salt, and then mixing work ranging from Endtroducing to the Outsider with a LOT of B-side material. After the first break, he brought on an unannounced guest - The Gift of Gab! GoG is an astoundingly talented MC, and a total surprise since he was not announced on the tour material and generally fellow Blackalicious member Lateef The Truth Speaker tours with Shadow. The first track they performed was brand new, concocted YESTERDAY by Shadow and GoG, called "Gabracadabra" and the crowd of 1500 ate it up. Act 3 turned out with what was essentially an apology/explination for The Outsider, Shadow's latest album (and quite a departure from his earlier work), then rocking a number of his UNKLE-era tracks, namely Cosmic Annhilation, Rabbit in Your Headlights, Be There, and a few others whose names escape me at the moment. Utterly fantastic.

Also got a chance to literally meet Portland's hottest hip-hop group, the Lifesavas, who opened the show. They release their next album, Gutterfly, tomorrow, which is a soundtrack to a blaxploitation film that doesn't exist. Totally awesome - unfortunately I didn't pick up a copy at the show because I was spending all my loot on Shadow stuff. But they're definately my sort of hip hop - intellectual, clever, not mysoginystic, and political (recommended track: "Resist," a very characteristic slice of Portland). Jumbo the Garbageman and Versatyl were worked up into a lather, totally excited about the new album, and spend the 15 minutes between their and Shadow's sets shaking hands with everyone who hung out for their performance. It struck me as a very Crafty sort of approach - making those sales one record at a time.

So, in conclusion today has not really sucked, and my wife, despite all my teasing, is one of the best gift givers I know. Thank you again, honey, for giving me this chance to have such a wonderful experience with an artist whose work brings me great joy. Now...to bed.

For Chuckles

Rock on, brah, rock on.

On a completely tangential point, you've come up at least 4 times in conversation this week. I've used the story of your advice for dealing with child soldiers in Congo in particular ("always refer to him as 'sir'").

And I'm going to see DJ Shadow tonight at the Crystal Ballroom. I've been waiting for this show for 8 years. ROKK!!

Geeks During War Times

A con I'd have a hard time attending, even if they flew me in...Zigguarat Con. I'm glad to see that the men and women over in Iraq can still find some time to relax and enjoy a bit of fantasy...even if daily life tends to more closely resemble hell.

R.I.P. Kurt

Today's a sad day, as we've lost one of America's finest science-fiction writers and satirists. Rest in peace.

3 Decades, Looking Back

Tomorrow, I turn 30, and I'm surprisingly zen about the whole thing. I've seen many of my friends have an 'early-mid-life crisis' as their 30th birthdays loomed, but I've had no such worries. I think that's with good reason - I'm married; I own my own house; I've started two businesses; I've traveled the world; and I have a steady job, a great family, good friends, 3 beautiful nephews and nieces, and nearly everything I really want in life. The only thing I haven't done that I'd thought I'd do by this age is have children, and that doesn't really bother me - Becky's on her way to improving her career which is worth waiting for (at least, for a little while), and I have plenty of kids to dote on the meantime.

I can honestly say that my regrets over the last 3 decades are inconsequential. Sure, I regret being too reserved at times, for not taking risks or making the move on many of the women I really felt strongly for when I was younger, but I got the one that really mattered. I'd always convinced myself that I'd never be able to work a 9-5 job, but I realize doing so has opened a doorway to my making my own satisfaction in the world of work through Crafty Games. I regret being a cheapskate and occassionally selfish towards my family or friends, but in the end my relationship is strong enough with them that no serious damage has been done. I regret that sometimes I allowed myself to become distant to my family back east, but I know that love, as everything else, is a two way street, and I honor and carry those that have passed deep within my heart each day.

I recognize that I'm lucky - lucky because, often, I've done things that put the most valuable things I have in life at risk, but I've not lost them. I love and am loved by many wonderful people. I have been granted opportunities and the talents to successfully capitalize on them. I've had to work hard for the things that I have, but what I have is real and true and undeniably mine. The people that matter the most to me recognize their role in my life, and value my role in theirs. I can see only growth in the future. I have never had to take a step back - just smaller steps forward on occasion. That's really something.

So what do I want out of the next 10 years? I'm not one for setting goals in life, just because I think we all live our lives as best we can, regardless of the result. The one thing I want is kids, and the things they need to grow up happy and healthy. And maybe a larger house and salary :). Beyond kids, though I just want to keep what I have now - my wife, good friends and family, (reasonably) good health, stability and all the things I need to live in comfort, the ability to be creative on my own terms and to steer my own destiny, to some degree.

So, that wasn't quite the wonderful introspection I expected it to be, but then maybe I'm in a good spot because I am introspective as I go. Oh well. When next I post I will be definately older and theoretically wiser. Catch you on the flip.

Reprehensible.
What do you do when your close friend and advisor spends years telling you the path you're on is wrong, dangerous, and wasteful? Discredit his personal life on national television, I guess.

I have no lost love for Matt Dowd, one of Bush's right-hand men for these last 6 years, but I certainly feel he's not getting a fair shake. When the man has the courage to come forth and challenge his boss on the front page of one of the world's most read newspapers because he feels that's the only way to force the administration to acknowledge that it is against the will of the people, that's a bad, bad sign. But when the administration doesn't have the courage to address the points, but rather exploit the recent death of one of the man's premature daughters and son's impending employment to the very war he advises against, well, that shows the lowest sort of character.

Just remember - Eleven Zero Four Zero Eight. I await anxiously.