LotW (not now) & Dada IV (not yet)

The link of the weeks is canceled, due to the miniscule size of the internet. Just didn't find anything...I mean, there's nothing there...

Also, evidently I'm in school, and applying for grad school, and finishing projects...this would have been nice to know! Dada IV will continue..

//End of Post//

When the pressure exceeds the art (Dada IV, iii)

Nothing

Can I survive on Cheese and Wine alone? (Dada IV, ii)

First of all, Congratulations to Wendell Berry on receiving the 2006 "Art of Fact" award from SUNY Brockport. Your 40 books and poetry certainly deserve it, your talk was amazing, and the reception?...I have never seen so much cheese, wine, and fancy desserts in my life!...and I bought "Another Turn of the Crank"

Secondly, Congratulations to my mom for her new job! I hope it was as wonderful as you anticipated!

Finally, for you link-enjoyment, check out Burning Man, a festival of fire, self-dependence, and self-expression.

//End of Post//

More on the bike (Dada IV, i)

So I didn't write yesterday...

That generally happens after long bike rides, particularly those when the shifters were uninstalled. I thought I could manage it well (while I waited for new derailleurs, and maybe new shifters) - until the hills came! I missed a turn, and went an extra three miles, bringing the total trip to about 35 miles (both ways). Mendon Ponds Park is very expansive, but weather kept me from exploring too much. The rear derailleur arrived, and the bid on the front exceeded my limit by $10. Too bad.

That's why I didn't write yesterday.

//End of Post//

The Coming Apocalyspe (Dada IIIb)

Much of the current talk about communities in a post-oil age seems driven by an anti-suburb sentiment (eg. "The End of Suburbia"). Added to this we should look at Kuntsler's attack on modern skyscrapers, and a general artistic question "Where are the people?"

Kunstler discusses the difficulty in maintaining structures larger than 5 stories. In his vision of the future, cities will be scaled back dramatically, with people living near water sources (which will be revitalized as a mode of transportation).

Throughout his lecture, he showed many photos of buildings that have received architect awards, presumably for their aesthetic and creative design. However, his images weren't of the entire buildings, they were only at the 1st couple stories - hence, most were images of solid brick walls along a dirty sidewalk. "Who would want to walk down this street?" he would ask. These buildings did nothing for the people next to them; no shops with street entrances, no windows or chairs set up outside. No contribution to the city.

Reflecting on this, it occurred to me how difficult it is to see a skyline if you live in the city. I remember my first visit to Chicago, looking out of my parent's car, straight up at the tall buildings. Who benefits from modern buildings elegant and diverse tops? People outside of the City!

So, if you live in the city, you must walk past these gigantic buildings with little immediate benefits; you have the common problems of cities such as noise/pollution/loss of identity. Because many people have left the city, there is an increased poverty, leading towards crime. And why have people left the city? Because of increased crime! And they get a great view of the city!

Where will you live?

//End of Post//

LotW (vi) [a tad NSFW] & The Coming Apocolypse (Dada IIIa)

Last Tuesday, I attended a lecture for extra-credit. The class is my Dance course, which isn't about dance in any manner (although we have been known to bounce around on pilate balls) - Community, Earth, and Body. The event was at the German House, and was hosted by the Rochester Regional Community Design Center, a group built around the idea of Sustainability.

The Speaker: James Kunstler

This week's link: James Kunstler (He has some language issues, so you may want to cover your eyes)

I remember in elemenary school reading about renewabl vs. non-renewable resources. The book said: "Most of our energy comes from non-renewable resources, but some of it comes from renewable resources." (not verbatim, but pretty close). The book left it at that, and I did too, for about 10 or so years.

So what was the lecture about? His futuer; however, in order to understand his future, you had to make two asssumptions:

1. We will run out of oil.


2. When we do, our culture will be the same as it is now

These terms aren't as easy-to-understand/lucid as I make them to be. When I write "We will run out of oil" I don't mean we will wake up and find our tanks empty, gas pumps broken, a caved-in middle East. I mean it won't be Economically Viable. It will be so expensive - not because of price-gouging, but because of extraction and refining costs - that it will not be able to be used. Hence, we will run out of oil.

"Our culture will be the same as it is now" Obviously this refers to our thirst for oil. We all understand how much oil affects us, I'm sure; but yet, there are so many hidden uses that are hidden deep within our social system. This willl be explained in a couple paragraphs.

The conclusion Kunstler arrived at was: "Life as we know it will end". Again, another phrase with a different meaning. Not life as in a life-force, our sense of identity; rather (like above) our culture, the method in which we live. We won't die (this is a divergence from Kunstler), but our excess and large buildings will certainly lose their ability to function.

So what will life be without oil? Where do you get your food? Where did it come from? How did it get to your house/store/community? Without oil, we will not have a trucking industry. Unless we have localized Fritos and Coke plants, we will lose our abilities to consume major corporate food products.

How will houses be heated? Supposedly (meaning this is an area I have yet to investigate) Natural Gas will become a problem as early as next winter. Imagine we find ways to heat our homes efficiently with renewables. What about our skyscrapers (from yesterday) ?

This first-half of Kunstler's speech was quite depressing. Later, during a question session, someone asked "You said people would leave the cities and suburbs. What will happen to them?" Kunstler's reply? "Medicine will be difficult to transport; I imagine life expectancy to decline." Boy, was that encouraging (especially for a boy from the suburbs).

-------------------

To keep the suspense, I will continue tomorrow...

A Tale of 200 Towers (Dada III, iv)

The Skyscrapers are coming!

My brother has sent out a similar link in years past, primarily discussing the scoring card for buildings (this goes with "Skyline" awards, given to cities with distinguished skylines. Somehow cities with a couple REALLY TALL buildings can beat out others with more modest, though technoligically, environmentally, and aesthetically superior cityscapes) I have agreed with my brother (hence the link) - and as further information will be provided tomorrow (and I don't want to ruin surprises), I leave you with the thought of maintaining these buildings.

BTW - I have a photo of "Taipei 101", taken before I knew it was the tallest building, it did seem pretty big.

Happy Dreams!

//End of Post//

An Inconvenient Post (Dada III, iii)

Again two posts. Little discussion, due to late homework, and actual work tomorrow (figure that out - huh):

1. An Inconvenient Truth


2. DetroitYES

1st is a must-see movie, a slight divergance on this week's posts (but hey, what's wrong with divergences?). The 2nd, discovered yesterday, I have not fully looked through, but you may want to check out "Detroit Rises" and "The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit" - in the "Tour the Ruins" section. Just looking at the photos seems to be enough for me at this point. Like "An Inconvenient Truth" the words written and spoken are so small when placed next to the visceral images. Enjoy!

//End of Post//

Gosh I'm Hungry! (Dada III, ii)

Of course, one might expect this following post to be about food; it's not (it actually is, but you'll have to wait to find out why) - I only have one link, but it acts as a repository of links, so it's pretty similar.

I remember my brother talking with my new brother-in-law (I think that's the right title: the brother of my sister-in-law), and they were talking about the days gone by, when gas was plenty, and cheap enough to accommadate cruising, a passion that seems to have gone south (something I didn't really practice). Oh, well; times change, and although I try to focus on Main Street, I imagine Wall Street is a good place to look towards too.

Global Oil Watch (as it passes $70).

Carrot anyone?

//End of Post//

Now it's Blogeral (Self II, ii)

Your Blog Should Be Green

Your blog is smart and thoughtful - not a lot of fluff. You enjoy a good discussion, especially if it involves picking apart ideas. However, you tend to get easily annoyed by any thoughtless comments in your blog.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

It's a good thing it is!

Of Course There Should be a Title (Dada III, i)

I've written about biking before (here and here), but I may have only given it a trivial, recreational value. I wanted to stress the idea of using a bike as a commuter tool. So I have provided two links:

1. Bicycling Live


2. Eco City Cleveland
(Where I give a shout-out to my sister!

I don't want to write too much, as the sites are pretty good representations of the benefits of bike-riding, both personally and socially (and environmentally). My eternal hope is that someone will take something from my blog (hopefully not a pirate!), but as I told a friend today, all we can do is say. My control ends at the edge of my lips.

//End of Post//

[edited Tues. April 18, 10:15 AM]

Now it's Political (Self II, i)

Thanks to Connor:

Your Political Profile

Overall: 5% Conservative, 95% Liberal

Social Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

And to think I was just telling myself today "We shouldn't be thinking of politics in a conservative/liberal dichotomy anymore.

//End of Post//

LotW (v)

This link marks the beginning of the cycle, whereby I only allow four links on the LotW list (to avoid cluttering). It should work out so you can check the monthly archives, and see the list of links for that month. If I ever lose a link, and you want me to find it, let me know.

And on to the link...

Sometime around my freshman year in college (I can't remember if it was before or after), I was invited to see the Blue Man Group perform in DTE (it's in Michigan). I had seen their theatre performance in Chicago, but not their more "rock-concert" event that was on tour. Anyway, I agreed.

I can't remember the first opening band, but I do recall their second: Venus Hum. I saw on stage three people, two guys working electronics, and one woman singing. The music was pretty intense, with a lot of well-designed effects, and it could, at points, be quite loud and brash. But all I truly remember of their performance was Annette, the singer, jumping around on stage like she had had a lot of sugar. It wasn't aggressive; it was fun. Added to this was her rather conservative choice of clothing; it was like she was dressed for church. Enjoying it so much, I turned to my friend and said, "I'm going to marry her."

Well, four or so years later and no proposal. But I have found their website! Sadly, I don't think they have been able to pick up any momentum they had back then. The reviews I have found of the first major album "Big Beautiful Sky" have been extremely positive. The website is well-designed, but still incomplete. You can buy their CD's for significantly reduced prices (BBS is $10, Songs for Superheroes is $6!) I hope they finish bios et. al. soon, but for now I'll be content with the downloadable samples (which have gotten significant airplay this week on my computer).

So, here's to Venus Hum. And here's to fun and innocence. And here's to Soul-Sloshing.

//End of Post//

Sincere Apologies

Evidently Work can pile on. This week has been particularly straining, not on the schedule (although I've found myself lagging in the Recital Attendance Dept.), but on the mind. Must complete work and begin final projects. Must understand financial aid. Must make sure to sleep. Ahh!

In brighter news, there will be a LotW tomorrow (meaning Friday) morning, and next week's entires will be much better constructed.

//End of Post//

If Money Doesn't Grow On Trees, I'll Assume it's a Vegetable (Self I, ii)

With the bicycle sapping me of $5, I thought it would be good to address finances in general this week (and month). Added onto this is $50+ for a cap and gown, and other misc. expenses (I suppose food might fall in this category), all at a time when I was gearing up to kick down my credit card debt.

To add to the spacy-ness of finances, my ALP course discussed taxes today. I went in confidently (I've taken calculus, discrete math, etc. Shouldn't be a problem), but my head was realing after about 5 min. Eaahhh!

Add again the work I must do for school loans. I'm quickly learning about this responsibility thing. England doesn't have Teaching Assistantships, but they do have Bursaries; essentially work study, but much less work (and consequently, much less money); I would be expected to pull about 20 hours a semester (contrast this with a student work visa, where I can work 20 hours a week); essentially 2 1/2 full days of work a year, or 1 1/2 weeks of 9-5. However, in order to apply for a bursary, I must show my current/potential financial status for next year. This means Student Loans! Wonderful. I love paperwork.

//End of Post//

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Dear Dad,

[image removed]

Happy Birthday!
I hope you have a nice day, and every day as well!

Love,

Cody

{edited April 14th, 11:02 AM}

Now It's Personal (Self I, i)

To save you the painful reading of heavy-handed analyses, I thought I would throw in a little about my days. Also, I was bit unsure about any Dada features I could present this week.

We shall begin with Sunday:

The first thing my dad told me to do was "Get some exercise!" Which I thought was very good advice. I could certainly use a few extra muscles, here and there (although, to be honest, I remember a nightmare where I was really buff. I looked goofy, and felt awkward wearing t-shirts. I'll keep away from that angle of fitness).

I decided to ride my bike, in honor of the great weather we're seeing. Rather than just ride for a short while, I chose to ride the furthest I have to date. I found a park just outside of Chili (Black Creek Park), which I thought was worthy of investigation. It would be about 12 miles (or so) (It intrigues me to think that I can place a compass on any home I've been in, draw a circle 12 miles in radius, and know I've never exceeded that on a bike.).

The ride there was nice, although I felt like I was never going to get off Chili Ave. The park was also nice. 1500 acres is a lot of space, so I could stretch out and get lost in the dense woods, marshes, wetlands, swamps. Being early spring, I didn't see too many people, and those that were there were staying in the more cultivated areas (i.e. the cut grasslands).

It was the ride back that became interesting. Returning via Chili Ave. I realized I was peddling awfully hard. Knowing this is often because of a lack of air in the tire, I pulled off the road. Aha! Not only did I have little air in my rear tire, whatever I added didn't want to stay in. A FLAT!

This created about the most frustrating 1/2 hour of my life. I had to take off the rear wheel (Always more difficult than the front), remove the tread, then the inner tube; patch the inner tube, and put it all back together.

Even more unfortunate was manner the tube was broken. One leak was patched fine; a second was located on the nozzle, and couldn't be repaired. What was I to do? It's at times like this that one finds their options are quite limited:

1. Ride bike despite flat (Not desirable)
2. Hitchhike (Not desirable, possible consequences)
3. Call a cab (No phone, Too expensive)
4. Walk (So much for the evening recitals I would attend)

Weighing the options, I decided for a combination of 1 & 4, with 3 as a back-up. It was in this manner that traveled back to the far-off land of Eastman. I certainly got my exercise (and some nice food from a local restaurant), and my bike made it clear without any destruction. All that was needed now was a new inner-tube and I would be ready to go!

//End of Post//

Copyright: A quick explanation (Dada IIa)

I was going to wait several weeks before tackling the elephant of copyright. However, time seems to have caught up with me, and I want to at least present the key questions/themes in what will become a recurring discussion in this blog. This presentation may seem a bit sporadic, to which I have to humbly apologize; but future entries will provide more coherence and glue.

The initial question to ask is: Who does copyright serve? This is a fundamental question that has evolved over the past couple hundred years in America, and even more hundreds in Europe. To remain in an American context, we find the Consitution stating: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries (Article I, Section 8). There. There it is. Copyright serves the Progress of Science and useful Arts ("useful" meaning ?) Once copyright stops serving the Progress of Science and useful Arts, it becomes unconstitutional.

Is the Progress of Science and Useful Arts issued a copyright, then? No, of course not. It's given to a Creator, who can do what they want for a limited time, then becomes public domain. Because the Creator will lose a sizeable income from material that becomes public domain, they will have an incentive to Create More. This may all seem like review from the past week, but I want to stress how copyright (and other "intellectual property") serves the Progress of Science and useful Arts.

Taken directly at face value, the Constitutional excerpt is government-mandated monopoly. However, the underlying principle (The Progress part, or incentive) exists upon the completion of the limited term. If I created a hit song, and could only sell it exclusively for 14 years, I would have to make another hit song in that time, if I wanted to make any money later in life. Given this, copyright serves progress not through its initial piece, but the secondary piece created under the premise of a lost income.

The glorification of the individual, acting as the salmon racing up the industrial stream, provides the paradigm shift in thought about copyright. Mark Twain began the push for American copyright to meet the standards of Europe, and imagined a day when copyright would be pushed beyond the age of the Creator "to provide for one's daughters [e.g. - Twain's children]" But to reiterate a paragraph above, where is the incentive to further create if one is set for life by a single piece?

Secondly, what are we doing with our copywritten material? If I write a bum song, but someone else finds a use for it, how have I served the progress of useful Arts? Or, from a better vantage point, what if I've written a song that once was useful, but whose copyright has outlived it's "natural" life? If someone finds a new use for it, can I claim infringement?


YES!!! This is what happened in the early 80's in the Hip-Hop community. Rappers would use old LP's as material for the new songs, and would be sued by long-dead groups. Courts ruled in favor of the oldies, and hip-hop has now been forced to background their material by bland, uninteresting MIDI (worse yet, the LP's were not arbitrarily chosen; they found deep significance between their raps and their backbeats). This is an example of Copyright acting against the Progress of Science and the useful Arts. This is an example of Unconstitutional Copyright.

To add another perspective to enforce my point, my brother sent me an article from Mother Jones:

FOR INCLUDING a 60-second piece of silence on their album, the Planets were threatened with a lawsuit by the estate of composer John Cage, which said they’d ripped off his silent work 4’33”. The Planets countered that the estate failed to specify which 60 of the 273 seconds in Cage’s piece had been pilfered.

And John Cage's music will become public domain in 2062. Unless Congress expands copyright again.

...to be continued...

//End of Post//

LotW (iv)

As I previewed to Daria, this week's Link is Bag News Notes. I've commonly seen this site advertised on the sideline of other blogs, such as Hullabaloo and TPM, but had failed to sufficiently check it out until recently. The blog takes a different stance on political events and the media, by focusing on Images instead of dialogue. For this reason it has sometimes been thought of as a "light" (lite) blog, with visual interpretation being being considered more a casual social discussion rather than intense political discourse. I may have even agreed with this for awhile, until I saw this post. In a continually faster social environment, where people process information in smaller and smaller bytes, initial impressions and visceral reactions become more important to discern and resolve.

Oh, and they won Best Post in this year's Koufax Awards for Katrina Aftermath: And Then I Saw These.

//End of Post//

You're Possesions Will Now Become Public Domain (Dada II, iv)

Another light blogging day (you've had quite a bit to read over the past week)....

Today's assignment: Find music in the public domain. Remember, the current copyright law, with the Sonny Bono Copyright extension, allows creators Their entire life, plus 70 years, to control what the public sees of their work. That means anybody who died before 1936 is definitely fair game (It becomes a bit confusing during the 1920's because some copyrighted material went into the public domain 50 years after the creator died. If material was still protected at the time of the extension, it was added as well. To be safe, let's just look at those who are defintes)

This year currently includes Aleksandr Glazunov (29-Jul-1865 to 21-Mar-1936) and very soon Ottorino Respighi (9-Jul-1879 to 18-Apr-1936)

Happy Hunting!

//End of Post//

I Sentence you to Life + 70 years (Dada II, iii)

Sorry for the late post, Yankees game (sorry Daria).

If you want to forgive me, then go here.

If not, maybe here.

Either Way, go here.

2006-28=1978 (Just so you know). This would be the date for materials in the public domain, had we gone by the original Congressional Act (which would have been 14 years plus a 14 year extension)

//End of Post//

You are Found Guilty of False Claims (Dada II, ii)

Legal Times, "Too Quick to Copyright", by Jason Mazzone

It's enough reading for one day, so I won't add too much, except pay attention to the 2nd paragraph...and pretty much the rest of the article. Happy Reading!

//End of Post//

Control (Dada II, i)

Hello Christopher,

Unfortunately we do not allow lyric changes of our classic Disney copyrights.
If you are not changing the song/lyrics and I misunderstood your request then
please let me know. Otherwise I am sorry I couldn't give you a more favorable
reply.

Regards,

XXXXXX

-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Coyne [XXXXXX]
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 9:05 PM
To: XXXXXX
Subject: RE: Disney Permission (ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH)


Dear XXXXXX,

I am still interested in using "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah." The request is for
"derivative use" rather than "performance" because I wish to implement the
song into a current composition. The earliest performance would be Spring
of 2005.

I will send an artist's statement as well as further description of the use
and meaning behind my choosing "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" upon request. I have
prepared a substitute song in the event that I cannot receive permission,
but I would prefer Disney's tune.

Please reply promptly, I am currently reviving the piece from a two-month
hiatus and wish to have it underway and completed by the end of the summer.
Thank you for your time and patience. I have provided the e-mail you sent
for further reference.

Sincerely,

C. Cody Coyne


>From: "XXXXXX" <XXXXXX>
>To: <XXXXXX>
>Subject: Disney Permission
>Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 15:42:29 -0700
>
>Hello C. Cody,
>
>I am writing to see if you are still interested in using Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
>in your performance at the Eastman School of Music. If we missed your event
>date I apologize for our delay in responding to your request. If your event
>date is approaching I would be happy to help you with your request. Let me
>know where you are at and I will try and assist you.
>
>Thank you for your interest in Disney music!
>
>Regards,
>
>XXXXXX

That was the e-mail of a Sad Little Boy, back in 2004. He just wanted to write a compositional cycle, as he desperately explained in a follow-up:

Daer(sic) XXXXXX,

I was planning on using the song in its original form, untainted. It was
simply going to be sung by the audience and performers seven times in a row
(The piece has a bit of a modernist feel, somewhere between John Cage and
Lamont(sic) Young). If this is acceptable, please let me know.

Sincerely,
C. Cody Coyne

Would this clear things up? The Sad Little Boy waited patiently...

Hi C. Cody Coyne,

Please tell me again what the performance is and in what context you wish to
use Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. This will help me clear your request.

Thanks,

Evidently not...Once again, writing so fast he didn't know what was going or coming, the Sad Little Boy described in much better detail the inner workings of his cycle:

Dear XXXXXX,

The full project is entitled "Control" and is a cycle of six pieces, each
dealing with a differenct aspect of relations between entities and power
struggles. The First piece, "Balances I" deals with the relationship held
between the performer and the audience. Throughout the piece (it consists
of five movements), the focus and power strays from being centered entirely
on the performer to allowing more audience input. For example, in the
fourth movement, the performer is supposed to make a statement and gauge the
audiences reaction to allow for a more fluid presentation (similar to how a
comedian may read his/her audience). "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" appears in the
final movement, when the entire body (performer and audiece) sings the
former song seven times in a row. Here is the trick in the composition:
despite enjoying such a happy tune, the Law of Diminishing Returns will take
affect and the audience may become tired. Thus, despite power of the
musical experience being handed over to them, they are still controlled by a
larger entity (the composer). This conflict will be resolved in the Fifth
piece "Balances III".

I hope this clarifies my desire and intent. I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you for your time and patience.

Sincerely,

C. Cody Coyne

Surely Disney would understand. We are all artists. We see the world around us, we hear the sounds of life. What could be better than bridging the world through collected music spanning generations?

Very good. Can you give me the number of performance planned and the size of
the venue and the cost of each ticket.

Thanks you

Okay...the Sad Little Boy explained that tickets would probably be free, and if the piece was performed at all, it wouldn't be in an auditorium exceeding 300 seats.

....

There was no further correspondence..


//End of post//

LotW (iii)

This week's link is a bit on short notice. When home, my brother's friend Lynn talked a little bit about Detroit and it's sustainability movement. Since I haven't written that much on sustainability, I figured a link would be the best way to introduce everyone unfamiliar with the concept. Much more than just tree-hugging environmentalists, this is a philosophy and way-of-life. If I ever end up in Detroit, I would want to be active in a world like this. I haven't been able to search everything, but what I have seen makes me feel confident to put it on the list. Good reading for everyone!

//End of Post//