the soundtrack to my life, v2.02<img src="files/2005/01/jantzen49.jpg" /> <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/january_2005.zip">dealingwith's January 2005 soundtrack (57.2M ZIP of mp3's)</a>. I'm not sure who's singing these songs to whom, but they are the ones that have stuck out at me lately. 17 songs, 5 artists, nothing I've uploaded here before (although many of you may have most or all of these already); but I'm not telling what's in there. If things go badly, I am going to do something cool with this playlist, although the order in the m3u file might not be final if that is the case.30143123MusicDaniel2005-01-30T02:30:44stagelater.In other news, my sister is the best sister in the world. And my nefew is the coolest kid evar. "HE-WO DAN-L!" <blockquote>But this is the way it works, is it not? We have a personal space, and we choose carefully whom we let inside. And when people come into this space, it can be frightening. Sometimes the shock of it brings the voice of a child out of you, revealing secrets and making you blush with shame. We crave the light and warmth of intimacy, but intimacy is also very dangerous and frightening. We sense that too much of it will destroy a protective layer we keep around our hearts, a magnetic field that surrounds us and gives us at least the illusion of safety. To bask in the warmth of intimacy without being hurt by it is our goal.</blockquote><a href="http://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/01/29.html#a454">#</a> <a href="http://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2005/02/01.html#a457">#</a><blockquote>But in the end, to live a perfect life is to stop being human. The ironic beauty of humanity is its almost masochistic drive to be connected to itself in ways deeper than a casual drink, a political conversation, a hilarious joke. It's desire to be one with itself, the storm cloud desperately wanting to spin down a huge tornado, chaos be damned.</blockquote> <a href="index.php?file=2004_02.xml&id=165">#</a> This is turning into a longish post isn't it. <blockquote>But I knew that unless I explored intimacy and shared intimacy with someone else then life would never progress beyond a certain point. I remember thinking that unless I knew what was going on inside of someone else's head other than my own I was going to explode.</blockquote><a href="index.php?file=2003_11.xml&id=128">#</a> <a href="index.php?file=2004_01.xml&id=114">#</a>29141420MinutiaDaniel2005-01-29T01:58:21stageso.In the last 24 hours I've gone from feeling the least lonely I've ever felt to the most lonely I've ever felt. It's not the latter that is so difficult as it is the transition. In the past week and a half, I've lost most of my hope in both Christ, as guide, and humanity, as helper. I'm beginning to think we're in dark times. I'm still not telling you what's going on, am I? In other news, the dog got into just about everything tonight while I was gone, and puked up the entirety of his dinner. Yay concrete floors.29024306MinutiaDaniel2005-01-29T02:39:34stageug. day 3.When the truth cannot be seen or found, it is a bad thing...no matter who is right and who is wrong. Confusion and darkness is a cancer that will eat everything in its path, the righteous and unrighteous alike. <blockquote>At the heart of [evil] is the proclivity for deception. The essence of evil is to deceive, distort and confuse. It prospers by imitating that which is good and true, only to invade and colonise it with death. ...evil creates confusion wherever it spreads. Issues which were previously clear become mired in layers of subtlety until no one can be sure what is happening any more. And even when terrible things are being done, it is not at all certain how they occur or who is responsible.</blockquote> <a href="index.php?file=2003_11.xml&id=123">#</a> <a href="index.php?file=2003_11.xml&id=124">#</a>28123240MinutiaDaniel2005-01-28T12:32:00stageug. day 2.<img src="http://www.danielsjourney.com/blog/files/2004/08/zzzzazzdggg85.jpg" /> <img src="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/files/2005/01/zzzbambam30.jpg" /> <a href="http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2018&version=31">#</a> <a href="http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2018;&version=49;">#</a> The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, But as for a broken spirit who can bear it?27141640MinutiaDaniel2005-01-27T02:16:20stageug.<img src="files/2005/01/zzzzazzdggg55.jpg" /> In the last seven days: love, fear, anxiety, frustration, disappointment, anger, guilt, confusion. All in heavy doses. I'm ready for a little boredom in my life. Update: "P.S. For fuck's sake." *sigh* �:-Q <a href="http://www.halsamples.com/blog/files/2005/01/Robyn%20Hitchcock%20-%20If%20You%20Know%20Time.mp3">Robyn Hitchcock - If You Know Time</a> <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/Starsailor%20-%20Track02%20-%20Poor%20Misguided%20Fool.mp3">Starsailor - Poor Misguided Fool</a> <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/Starsailor%20-%20Silence%20is%20Easy.mp3">Starsailor - Silence is Easy</a><blockquote>Everybody says that they're looking for a shelter, Got a lot to give but I don't know how to help her, I should just let it go till they learn how to grow, And how to liberate. Everybody says that she's looking for a shelter, Got a lot to give but I don't know how I felt her, They should just let it go till these cities learn to grow, And how to liberate. Silence is easy, it just becomes me, You don't even know me, all lie about me. Everybody says that I'm looking for a home now, Looking for a boy or I'm looking for a girl now, I can still let it go, I can still learn to grow, Into a child again. Silence is easy, it just becomes me, You don't even know me, why lie about me. Silence is easy, it just becomes me, You <s>don't</s> even know me, why do you hate me.</blockquote> incase you missed it <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/index.php?file=2004_11.xml&id=22235616">the first time</a>, it's still up <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/">there</a>: <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/Starsailor%20-%20Born%20Again.mp3">Starsailor - Born Again</a> <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/13%20Oh%20God,%20Where%20Are%20You%20Now_%20(In%20Pickeral%20Lake_%20Pigeon_%20Marquette_%20Mackinaw_).mp3">Sufjan Stevens - Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?) ...(In Lake St. Claire? Dearborn Heights? Hamtramck?)</a> <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/03%20For%20The%20Widows%20In%20Paradise,%20For%20The%20Fatherless%20In%20Ypsilanti.mp3">Sufjan Stevens - For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti</a> <blockquote>being the conflict lovers we are, we'll pull the shit every year, they'll talk shit, and we'll keep the power to the servers for at least a few more days.</blockquote><a href="http://whatthefuck.com/faq.html">#</a>26005919MinutiaDaniel2005-01-26T12:50:33stagecrap<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4183561.stm">Dublin hi-tech labs to shut down</a> <blockquote>Dublin's hi-tech research laboratory, Media Labs Europe, is to shut down. The research centre, which was started by the Irish government and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was a hotbed for technology concepts. Since its opening in 2000, the centre has developed ideas, such as implants for teeth, and also aimed to be a digital hub for start-ups in the area. The centre was supposed to be self-funded, but has failed to attract the private cash injection it needs. In a statement, Media Labs Europe said the decision to close was taken because neither the Irish Government nor the prestigious US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was willing to fund it... "There were a lot of very talented, creative people there and they came up with some great ideas that were helping to ensure greater benefits of technology for society. "I have no doubt that the individuals will be quickly snapped up by other research labs, but the synergies from them working as a team will be lost." Future concepts Noel Dempsey, the government's communications minister, said Mr Ahern had been "very committed" to the project. "He is, I know, very disappointed it has come to this. At the time it seemed to be the right thing to do," he said. "Unfortunately the model is not a sustainable one in the current climate." ...The Labs, set up in an old Guinness brewery, housed around 100 people, made up of staff, researchers, students, collaborators and part-time undergraduate students. It is thought more than 50 people will lose their jobs when the Labs close on 1 February. According to its latest accounts, Media Lab Europe said it spent 8.16 million euros (about US$10.6 million) in 2003 and raised just 2.56 million euros (US$3.3 million).</blockquote> <a href="http://www.davids-world.com/archives/2005/01/obituary_media.html">David Reitter: Obituary: Media Lab Europe</a> ** previously quoted text removed at the request of Mr. Reitter <a href="http://www.dynamicobjects.com/d2r/archives/003066.html">via diego</a>25120035ElsewhereDaniel2005-01-25T12:00:22stagedum dum dum da da dum dumI've had a really, really, really, really, really crazy week. Maybe more detail later. In the meantime, apologies to all I owe emails, phonecalls, and work. <img src="files/2005/01/vanilla_ice.jpg" align="right" />In the meantime, I sat right next to <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=robert+van+winkle">Vanilla Ice</a> in the <a href="http://www.wafflehouse.com/">Waffle House</a> in <a href="http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/North_America/United_States/Texas/Localities/C/Carrollton/">Carrollton, Texas</a> last Friday. He wished us well. In the meantime, last night at the bar, written in Sharpie on the wall above the urinal, were the words: "popjesus?"23121256MinutiaDaniel2005-01-23T11:57:42stagemichelle, photographerA bit of a diversion from my extended "12 Days" visioncasting crapola. Still formulating what I want to say next there anyway. <img src="files/2005/01/michelle00.jpg" align="left" /> Friends of mine housed me for a few days while I was in FL, and their daughter Michelle is definitely in the running for cutest kid evar. At one point she got ahold of my phone, and within 1 minute figured out how to take pictures. Her results were great. It reminded me of the minimalistic shots my professional photographer friends try to create, but she was doing it right out of the gate. The funny thing was she "learned" in the process how to take "proper" pictures (again, no instruction), so later on she was taking better framed but less interesting pictures of various things and people. <img src="files/2005/01/Image(09).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(15).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(18).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(19).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(23).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(24).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(28).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(29).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(30).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(31).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(39).jpg" /> <img src="files/2005/01/Image(40).jpg" /> 18190206ImaginingDaniel2005-01-18T07:01:35stagethe narrative future: smart<img src="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/files/2005/01/zzzzazzdggg84.jpg" alt="via gapingvoid.com" /> from <a href="http://erikbenson.com/entries/2005/01/15/the_hidden_cost_of_being_good.html">Erik Benson</a>: <blockquote>I read this theory of fun that basically said that something is fun when you are surprised and find a new way to solve a problem (whether or not you knew another way to solve it before). Or a different way to see something that you had seen before. That's maybe why fun fades away if you do the same thing too much, or see the same thing too often, unless you find better and better ways to do or see it. Once you've optimized to the point that you aren't finding new patterns or new tricks, it gets boring... Then Josh said something about a theory of intelligence that sort of seemed related. Intelligence is basically the ability to make predictions. People who predict better are smarter... Art is most fun when it defies explanation. Moral stories aren't fun...ambiguity is. I think I believe this. It is fun to interpret, interpret, interpret, over and over, all the while getting closer to a "final" interpretation. Which of course is the reward which then renders the thing no fun...Stories or movies or pictures that have one interpretation fail to entertain very long. That's why artists never tell you their interpretation, they never tell you what happens a page after the book ends because they instinctively know that it will make them mortal again.</blockquote> <a href="http://integrationresearch.org/node/view/6">Trickster</a>, <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/index.php?file=2004_10.xml&id=03004606">trickster</a>, etc. Man, there's just so much to this one. Being smart. So many books to read to even catch up, to know of what we speak. So many books yet to read. Today I spoke to a friend of "gaming the gamers." On my LJ I railed against TV drama. Every day in my RSS reader arrive the words of some of the most brilliant people in their fields. Yet more knowledge on the bookshelf and in my reading list. Three art house theatres, dozens of art galleries, a hundred bands staffed by truly talented musicians. Beautiful midnight poets, scribbling in their notebooks in bars across the street. It just seems so easy to choose to be smart. Yet many choose not to be, to consume via the path of least resistence, to take offense, to do to what they're told. The boss at 1, Fox News at 6, NBC at 9, lorazepam at 11, pastor on Sunday. Yet I consistently find myself surrounded by either smart people or their words/creations. I like that kind of company.16043030Values.Goals.StrategyDaniel2005-01-16T04:30:00stagethe narrative future: ethical<img src="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/files/2005/01/zzzbambam19.jpg" alt="gapingvoid.com" /> <blockquote>But for the grace of God, go I.</blockquote> What do I mean by ethical? (This is what I've been asking myself for two days.) Well, firstly, I mean the human condition. I mean those of us who have chosen to accept our little corner of its landscape and yet strive for something Other. I mean honesty. I mean process. I mean conversation. Those <a href="http://biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=23&chapter=42&verse=6&end_verse=8&version=31&context=context">calling to and from deep</a>. As it relates to the vision that is formulating, this means the days of Enron are over. If values don't shift globally, then we'll at least just hang out with those that would prefer to sleep at night in a not-so-expensive bed. It means <a href="http://cluetrain.com/">Cluetrained</a>, <a href="http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/000823.html">Hughtrained</a>, and Sustained. <blockquote>And I dreamt of a house Haunted by all you tweakers with your hands out And the headstones climbed up the hills And the headstones climbed up the hills ...If anybody comes to see me Tell 'em they just missed me by a minute If anybody comes in to our room while we're asleep I hope they incinerate everybody in it And I dreamt of a factory Where they manufactured what I needed Using shiny new machines And the headstones climbed up the hills</blockquote> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000U98KI/qid=1104770550/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl15/002-0326914-3646438?v=glance&s=music&n=507846"><img src="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/files/2005/01/cvr_cad2401.jpg" alt="we shall all be healed" align="right" /></a>-- the Mountain Goats, <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/mountain%20goats%20-%20we%20shall%20all%20be%20healed%20-%20Track02%20-%20palmcorder%20yajna.mp3">Palmcorder Yajna</a>. <a href="http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=3530822107858490869">rest of lyrics</a>.15200430Values.Goals.StrategyDaniel2005-01-15T08:04:00stagethe narrative future: generousThe nice bit about having a bit of an artist in you is you can take something, even though it seems <a href="index.php?file=2005_01.xml&id=12003707">inauspicious</a>, and run with it. There's more that goes into "generous" than just giving away money. One can be generous of spirit, help, knowledge, information, idea...the list goes on. The definition I'm leaning towards here is more like <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=magnanimous">magnanimous</a>, or a secondary <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=generous">definition given</a>, "not petty in character and mind." I wrote to my mom in September: <blockquote>So much of what we do as society is to maintain normalcy. Hence the suburbs and big cars and malls--protection from the outside world. That's why I couldn't live in the suburbs; for me, it's spiritually choking. I don't want to feel afraid when one of my neighborhood panhandlers walks up to me at night, you know? Christ gave dire warnings about ignoring such people. And I certainly don't want to be cynical and say they're going to spend it on booze. (Besides I certainly would in their shoes!) Because of my last year, I am closer to those people. My skin color, education, and established economic status give me quite a pad. I imagine all those things taken away and I'm in the same boat with them.</blockquote> More recently in my personal journal: <blockquote>Last night I had a homeless guy knock on my door. I chatted with him for a while, got his story...recently out of jail, on the streets three weeks, mostly in shelters, made 4 bucks panhandling over in the hood but spent it on food... I ended up giving him 7 bucks for the shelter and a bit of food, whatever I had he could just carry away with him. It wasn't until later when I was telling the girl and I said how he asked when I came to the door, "You're the art gallery guy?" She was like, "He heard about you." Apparently I have a reputation now...</blockquote> I've recently, and I would say finally, had the realization that I am a privileged person. And you know what privileged people like to say, don't you? "With great privilege comes great responsibility." <img src="files/2005/01/lemis.jpg" align="right" />Which almost always means, "If you piss this away like that dude in the bible don't expect <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/index.php?search=Luke%2015:11-32&version=31">the story</a> to end the same way." I want to be the father in that story. I want to be the bishop in Les Mis�rables. Etc. After I recently mentioned to someone that I plan on making in my lifetime what many would consider a substantial amount of money, she commented that my attitude towards wealth had changed, saying that I had hated money and people with it in the past. I must have been misunderstood. One cannot be generous in any area without living within their means in that area. And one cannot live within their means without simplifying their needs. Dan and I have joked that cocaine abuse becomes mandatory at a certain income level. Perhaps emotional abuse is "mandatory" at a certain affectional level. So it's a short jump then to understanding that <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:3&version=31">the poor are indeed blessed</a>. <img src="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/files/2005/01/zzzzsteak39.jpg" /> <blockquote>He said I'm going to buy this place and see it go Stand here beside my baby watch the orange glow Some'll laugh and some just sit and cry But you just sit down there and you wonder why So I'm going to buy a gun and start a war If you can tell me something worth fighting for</blockquote> -- Coldplay, <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/media/Coldplay%20-%20A%20Rush%20Of%20Blood%20To%20The%20Head.mp3">A Rush of Blood to the Head</a>.13191458Values.Goals.StrategyDaniel2005-01-13T07:14:25stagethe narrative futurethis is my next blog entry. i promise to not use the word "still" in this entire entry, except for in this sentence explaining that i shant use it again. and i'll finish this entry later. later: Someone has said to me twice now, "Hope your 2005 is better than your 2004." No. I had a great 2004. If 2003 was the year I lost my naivety, 2004 was the year that I grew into my adulthood, steadfastly living <a href="http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018:4&version=31">like</a> a <a href="http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:15&version=31">kid</a>. The cynicism and (most of) the depression slipped away in the night. Wisdom stopped by and left its volumes on the mantle. The 2003-2004 transition slipped by in a sea of limbo. The sight of land was not the priority; staying above water after this next wave was the priority. I let it go. It was actually nice to literally not be worrying about the day after tomorrow. In a way. <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/art/installations/wtf/images/title.JPG"><img src="files/2005/01/bullets_and_clothes.jpg" align="right" /></a>But this year just has this gravity to it. The seige is yet on but the tide of the war is shifting, and the whole city can feel it. Old women are beginning to open their blinds and briefly expose their beautiful, cavernous faces to the sun. I've sat many times, trying to collect my thoughts for 2005, both for myself, and in an attempt to splant some seeds here on the world wide interwebbie. So far all I've got down are three words, in a document named 'vision.doc' sitting on my desktop: Generous Ethical Smart It feels like an inauspicious start, but there you have it. Maybe a bit better than <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/images/2004_01/london/grace/london_04_01_16.jpg">last year</a>'s, though. Before last year, I would use words like "success," an arbitrary word dripping with expectation...others' expectations. For me at least, it holds a connotation more akin to a visiting mother-in-law than closing a big business deal or a basketball team holding you up on their arms. This year, I will be "successful" because I already am...a success. More to come... (p.s...I had to go back and remove two incidences of that word I promised not to use.)12003707Values.Goals.StrategyDaniel2005-01-12T12:36:53stagehmCrazy good jazz music is pouring into <a href="http://integrationresearch.org/gallery/">the place</a> from <a href="http://newamsterdamcoffeehaus.com/">across the street</a>. I'm still processing what else I want to say in what is still a transitionary period b/w 2004 and 2005. Maybe it's going to be a big year this year and I need the prep time. Maybe I'm just still behind from 2004. But I'm still looking backward a little bit and thinking heavy about the future. So for some more looking back while the other thoughts continue to congeal. got this meme from <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/_no_good_news/8905.html">here</a>: first sentence of every month of twenty o four January: mike holden is a great guy with a newish website <a href="http://mikeholden.com">mikeholden.com</a>. February: <a href="http://integrationresearch.org"><img src="files/2005/01/london_04_01_26.jpg" /></a> March: <a href="http://www.freebandnames.blogspot.com/">Donkey Fire</a>. April: <a href="http://www.ajealousyissue.net/dm/">DM & FH @ RLP 3/19/04</a>. May: <a href="http://socialsoftware.weblogsinc.com/entry/6189743542028497/">Muslim Social Networking Service - The Social Software Weblog - socialsoftware.weblogsinc.com</a>. June: <a href="http://www.hardnphirm.com/music/Rodeohead.mp3">Hard n Phirm - Rodeohead</a>. July: <a href="http://www.citylinkmagazine.com/musica.html">Check out the Freakin' Hott cover article</a> in this week's <a href="http://www.citylinkmagazine.com/">City Link</a>. August: My kidneys and my car's shocks are just about done with Dallas roads. September: [...] October: I am constantly comforting myself, when rejection repeatedly rears its ugly head and I am faced with the divisiveness occurant in our country, that the trickster and prophet is remembered and the individual citizen raising one arm high in tapestried stadiums is not. November: <a href="http://blueeyesmagazine.com/"><img src="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/files/2004/11/01_a.jpg"> photo � brian peterson/star tribune. used w/o permish.</a> December: I wrote to a friend yesterday: "i'm sequestered/chained to the computer watching deadlines fly by me at light speed...."10235613Values.Goals.StrategyDaniel2005-01-10T11:54:14stage11th and 12th Day of XmasI will catch up later. Like, Thursday night or Friday morning. <blockquote>And you, liar, teller of tall tales: you trample all the Lord's commandments underfoot, you murder, steal, commit adultery, and afterward break into tears, beat your breast, take down your guitar and turn the sin into a song. Shrewd devil, you know very well that God pardons singers no matter what they do, because he can simply die for a song...</blockquote>-- From The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kaztantzakis. Lifted from the cover of Ray Lamontagne's record Trouble. Later: I'm going to make a departure from the standard Days of Xmas fare for my last post. For now check out Dan's site for: <a href="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/2005/01/january-4th-eleventh-day-of-christmas.html">The Eleventh Day of Christmas: Watch Lists and The Future Deferred</a> and <a href="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/2005/01/january-5th-twelfth-day-of-christmas.html">The Twelfth Day of Christmas: Just the beginning - The Future: Part II</a> <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/smartcommons"><img src="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/images/sc-buttons.jpg" alt="smartcommons merch heheh" align="left" /> And buy some buttons! heheh.</a>0509365512_DaysDaniel2005-01-05T09:31:27stage10th Day of Xmas<a href="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/2005/01/january-3rd-tenth-day-of-christmas.html">The Future: Part I</a><blockquote>I like <a href="http://flickr.com/">Flickr</a>. The folks at <a href="http://www.ludicorp.com/">Ludicorp</a> do what they do very well. They have honed a supremely useful tool for one very specific purpose. Some low-hanging fruit that will be rolled into the live SmartCommons site soon is <a href="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/images/galleryphaseIII+feeds.jpg">adding syndicated image feeds</a> to your <a href="http://smartcommons.com/PhotoGallery.aspx">Gallery</a>. Taking a couple of steps back for a moment: the Gallery on SmartCommons is a simple way to display a small number of images for your friends and family. It also happens to be the way you set up your main picture that appears in the upper left corner of your Start Page. Adding syndication to the SmartCommons Gallery allows you to associate your Flickr photostreams with your SmartCommons personas. This means that you will be able to show your family and fishing buddies live feeds of relevant pictures that you are already uploading into Flickr (most RSS or ATOM feeds should work).</blockquote><a href="http://gigaom.com/2005/01/04/six-apart-to-buy-live-journal/">Big news: Six Apart to buy LiveJournal</a> (<a href="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/2005/01/om-malik-on-six-apart-buying-live.html">via dan</a>). I hope <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/dealingwith/">I</a> still get to post mutant cat pictures.0501554312_DaysDaniel2005-01-05T01:55:23stage9th Day of Xmas<a href="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/2005/01/january-2nd-ninth-day-of.html">Presenting Oneself: Of Snaps, Notes and Profiles, oh my</a><blockquote>Snaps ~ SmartCommons is built to be a flexible tool for self-presentation within the limited scope of private interaction that it seeks to facilitate. Part of this flexibility is in the arrangement of your Start Page. You will notice when you log into SmartCommons that each of the modules on the first page can be moved and minimized so that they present your information in a layout of your choosing. You will notice in the picture on the left that I have moved the profile Snap over the main image Snap and minimized it (given my disdain for profiles). I can save this layout by clicking on the "Save Layout" button in the left navigation. Now whenever I log in or when someone looks at my Start Page the layout will be set to have the minimized profile module on the left instead of on the right. More Snaps are on the way along with the flexibility to remove individual Snaps from the Start Page and host more Snaps in all three columns. There are still anomalies, but I like the flexibility.</blockquote> Profiles: <blockquote>Connected to profiles, but more interesting from my perspective, are the auto-generated FOAF files. You can generate yours at the bottom of this page and link to it from your website or blog. These FOAF files, unlike most others, are 100% opt-in and all email addresses are hashed.</blockquote>0321204912_DaysDaniel2005-01-03T09:20:02stage8th Day of Xmas<a href="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/2005/01/january-1st-eighth-day-of-christmas.html">Resolutions</a><blockquote>There are a lot of areas that are being improved within SmartCommons as you read this. Birthing is always a messy process. I shudder sometimes when I compare the current release to the one on deck (and all the other stuff in my head).</blockquote>One of the problems with working in technology these days is the incredible amount of stuff released by one dude in his spare time. But some things take more than one man's spare time, or even all of one man's time. These are also normally the ones that have the most potential, in terms of social effects and financial gains. Dan has been working his figurative ass off on this <a href="http://smartcommons.com">SmartCommons</a> release. But he's still just one guy; and <a href="http://integrationresearch.org">we</a> just ran out of money, which means he's back to working nights on it. But the Vision will not die! The Vision haunts us at night, gives us halucinations during the day, it drives us to madness and nearly to <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/index.php?file=2004_11.xml&id=22235616">ear autodismemberment</a>. So hang on. And help!<blockquote>Finally, this year I'm dying to see social software (and SmartCommons specifically) interact with how I use my computer currently rather than being a destination on the internet. Let's dream a little.</blockquote>Others posting about SmartCommons: <a href="http://www.sarahjanesemrad.com/blog/000395.html">Sarah Jane Semrad</a> and <a href="http://antiherocomics.com/2004/12/102704-antihero-gets-smart.html">David Hopkins</a>.0223535812_DaysDaniel2005-01-02T11:52:29stageThe tradition of summing up the year past in short, pithy lists of the best and worst of the year is in full swingI was going to just do top ten records of 2004, but I actually couldn't think of 10; I'm not sure I bought 10 records this year that came out this year. So I'm going to do top 10 cultural things of 2004. It's going to be really local/biased, and where it's biased it'll get kinda corny. Just warning you now. Also, the order is pretty arbitrary. <img src="files/2005/01/ray.jpg" align="right" /> 10. <a href="http://www.raylamontagne.com/">Ray LaMontagne</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002S947K/qid=1104091125/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-0326914-3646438?v=glance&s=music&n=507846">Trouble</a>. Authentic, beautiful songs in a voice that makes me want to cry. 'Nuff said. <img src="files/2005/01/polyphonic.jpg" align="left" /> 09. <a href="http://www.thepolyphonicspree.com">The Polyphonic Spree</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002IQ1QC/qid=1104687653/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-0326914-3646438?v=glance&s=music&n=507846">Together We're Heavy</a>. Various Dallas contingents' idolatry hasn't ruined it for me, which is saying a lot (normally constant gushing in love letters uttered in blogs and bars across a community turns me off from a record/movie/etc.). I normally start the record on track 7 or <a href="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/index.php?file=2004_11.xml&id=22235616">8</a>. Those last 4 tracks prepare me for taking over the world quite nicely. I'm proud to live in the city that this band calls home. <img src="files/2005/01/eternal_sunshine.jpg" align="right" /> 08. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006B2A2E/qid=1104688225/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/002-0326914-3646438?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846">Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</a>. (<a href="http://www.eternalsunshine.com/">On Amazon</a>.) If you've seen this film I don't have to explain anything; if you haven't, I couldn't possibly explain anything. The only film on the list, possibly because of how good it is, possibly because everything else in the cinema this year was crap. <img src="files/2005/01/book.gif" align="left" />07. <a href="http://www.anthonygoicolea.com/">Anthony Goicolea</a>, who showed (for example <a href="http://www.anthonygoicolea.com/NewAnthonySite/images/treedwellers.jpg">this piece</a> from <a href="http://www.anthonygoicolea.com/NewAnthonySite/pages/kidnapmain.html">this series</a>) at Angstrom Gallery in December, but specifically the work contained in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931885117/002-0326914-3646438?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance">this limited edition book</a>. Check out <a href="http://www.anthonygoicolea.com/NewAnthonySite/pages/whatarmymain.html">You and What Army</a> and the <a href="http://www.anthonygoicolea.com/NewAnthonySite/pages/detentionmain.html">Detention Series</a>. <img src="files/2005/01/london_04_01_37.jpg" align="right" /> 06. The installations in <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/">Tate Modern</a>'s Turbine Hall: <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/eliasson/">Eliasson's The Weather Project</a> (<a href="http://danielsjourney.com/blog/index.php?file=2004_01.xml&id=110">ref/pics</a>) and <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/nauman/">Nauman's Raw Materials</a>. Haven't experienced Nauman's installation in person, but the site for it is excellent; and, it's Nauman. <img src="files/2005/01/cvr_cad2401.jpg" align="left" /> 05. <a href="http://www.4ad.com/artists/themountaingoats/">The Mountain Goats</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000U98KI/qid=1104770550/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl15/002-0326914-3646438?v=glance&s=music&n=507846">We Shall All Be Healed</a>. Since Over the Rhine's last record was in 2003. Just kidding. The best lyrics by far this year, full of colorful characters and metaphors. Brilliant, minimalistic production. <img src="files/2005/01/john%20kim%20my%20shot_2.jpg" align="right" /> 04. <a href="http://www.integrationresearch.org/gallery/archives/2004/11/john_kim_11171215.html">John Kim, IR Gallery show</a>. Towards the end of his time in the Gallery, I said to Sarah Jane, "We need more artists like John." The media really picked up on this one, and John took full advantage of his time in the space, meeting potential buyers at least once a week. And for good reason: elegent, beautiful work you can count on only becoming more and more valuable. <img src="files/2005/01/icon.gif" align="left" />03. <a href="http://lormusic.com/">Legends of Rodeo</a>, <a href="http://southfm.com/">SouthFM</a>, and <a href="http://happybullets.com/">The Happy Bullets</a>. All three "local" bands (the formost in SoFL, the latter two in Dallas), all three playing out the best live music you can find, and all three recording in 2004 projects to be released in 2005. <img src="files/2005/01/htbc.jpg" align="right" />02. <a href="http://www.gapingvoid.com">Hugh Macleod</a>'s <a href="http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/000932.html">How to be Creative</a>. <a href="http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/000876.html">Short version here</a>. Definitely buying the book when it comes out, what I would consider a key text on how to be a visionary. His cartoons are fucking funny too. <img src="files/2005/01/five-crop60.jpg" align="left" /> 01. <a href="http://www.sarahjanesemrad.com">Sarah Jane Semrad</a> curating IR Gallery. Well, I don't want to gush too much. Sarah Jane rocks. 'Nuff said. I honestly don't know anyone else doing more to change the lives of artists for the better. No one in Dallas can match her vision.02124615Values.Goals.StrategyDaniel2005-01-02T12:45:37stage7th Day of Xmas<blockquote>Another year ends. The tradition of summing up the year past in short, pithy lists of the best and worst of the year is in full swing. Blogs, movies, photos, posts, etc. etc. etc. Such things are a lot more fun in pictures. SmartCommons can help you list your, "Best Baby Clothes of 2004" and more using the easy, but somewhat hidden Lists feature. You can begin your year in review list (or any other kind of list for that matter), by making sure the <a href="http://www.theyblinked.com/blog/2004/12/december-27th-third-day-of-christmas.html">things you want on the list</a> are in your SmartCommons Collection. Then, from the <a href="http://smartcommons.com/ManageAssets.aspx">Collection tab</a>, click on the "Manage Lists To Share" link. Type a name that sums up your list's purpose and click the "Add New List" button. <P /Click on the Collection tab again and locate all of the items you want on this list. At the bottom of each item's page your will notice a drop down box with the names of the Lists you have created. Select the list you want the item on and click the "Add to List" button. When you have added all of the item you want on this list click the "Manage Lists To Share" link once more and click the list's "Generate JavaScript Include" link. Copy the mark up and paste it into your blog template or other HTML page. There you have it. Happy New Year!</blockquote>0103383212_DaysDaniel2005-01-01T03:37:59stage