So I decided to make the change from Spiderblog to Sobby. The former is a name that I thought was funny for like a few seconds due to the pun but then I discovered there’s another blog out there with the same name and the person actually talks about spiders. Anyway, the new name Sobby is more fitting for it is my nickname going on 2 years.
It originated when one of my friends looked up the meaning of my name in Latin. To her suprise and my mine, Maria means “Sea Of Bitterness”. If you know me, you’ll know that that is a freaky coincidence. And I’ve always been one of those people that felt worthy of a nickname. So it started as SoB and now it’s more Sobby. You may call it unflattering, I’d call it mine MINE MINE!!! And it’s really stuck: when people actually call me by my real name I look around the room to see who they’re talking to. Say hello to Sobby.
As I sit here at home, with a paralysing migraine (when I should be in the class this blog was originally created for), too restless to get any more sleep and too doped up to really feel anything, I thought I’d take time to reflect on this blog. Firstly, I named it Spiderblog because I thought it was a pretty cool, lame pun which kind of suited pretty cool, lame me. Spiderblog… of the World Wide Web… HAHAHA! Get it? Apologies to all.
ANYWAY… I’m still very much trying to find my voice. I certainly write with more confidence than I did when I first started but I still have so far to go. When I’ve been complimented by the few people that frequent here, I feel a real sense of pride and achievement and that’s something that I want to keep going. “RANDOM!” is the word most used to describe this blog, and I’ve had a few “You must be pretty crazy in real life” comments, which kind of work for me but I definitely hope they mean those in a good way. I most enjoyed writing my light-hearted criticisms of the likes of Bono, Tyra Banks, Sarah Palin etc. And it was something that I got the most positive feedback for, which is not surprising since celebrity and political scandals are closet addictions for a lot of people, including myself. I just tried to avoid the unnecessary trash-talk and malice of Perez Hilton, and provide (semi) substantiated reasoning behind my words. I also really really really enjoy listing things.
I’m fairly proud of everything I’ve put to cyber-paper here, although I am baffled that I spent as much time writing about the Olympics as I did. For the love of God, this wasn’t an Olympic themed blog and one blog post would’ve been more than enough! In hindsight I care so little for the Olympics that I want nothing to do with the athletes involved until at least the next Games. (Especially Phelps who should stay the hell away from acting!). In my defence, I’m the type that can get easily swept up in the moment, and I went from someone who never even thought about writing a blog to someone who had to write at least twice per week so I was starved for ideas. At least I can look at my weaker moments with an open-mind.
If I can take anything away from this experience, it’s definitely thinking far more highly of the blog-medium. I barely used to visit blogs prior to this class, bar on the occasions I used to scout for rare album links or new album leaks. But now I’m genuinely interested in what people think and write about, what’s important to them, and more so, how they have evolved as bloggers and found a voice their readers come back to time and time again.
1. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
The latest album by Brooklyn’s finest experimental rockers, TV On The Radio, is my new favourite album of the year. The guys behind 2006’s most hailed album, Return To Cookie Mountain, have produced something as equally undefinable but perhaps a little more accessible. Dear Science is funky and slick but with a dark, and broody edge made possible by Tunde Adebimpe’s lyrical themes. It’s an album that has both pretentious and mainstream publications alike salivating at the mouth, with P4K saying, “this shit-hot thrilling music”, and the UK’s Guardian calling it, “career-defining stuff”. TV On The Radio are also coming to our shores as part of the Big Day Out line-up. YAY!
2. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Say hello to the best show since Arrested Development. Described by creator and star, Rob McElhenney, as “Seinfeld On Crack”, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia covers almost every sore-spot and taboo in American society. Channel 7 showed it briefly in an awesome (NOT!) 11:30pm time slot, which is how I happened to catch one episode. Since there hasn’t been an official Australian DVD release of it, I was forced to download the rest. The end justifies the illegal means, if I do say so myself. And it’s the only way the characters would have it.
3. The case of missing Aussie girl, Britt Lapthorne
On a much more serious note, the case of missing Britt has been really tugging at my heart strings for the past two weeks. I joined the Facebook group responsible for generating media attention about her disappearance and I have followed every up-to-date media release so far. Despite thousands of people going missing every day, this hit a little too close to home for me. Travelling around Europe is a rite of passage for so many young Aussies; and this could just as easily have been me or someone close to me. I still have faith she’ll be found alive but I feel so very helpless.
4. Tina Fey’s SNL impersonations of Sarah Palin
Just when SNL was floating around shit creek without a paddle, Tina Fey single-handedly saved the show from the point of no return. If you ask me, her impersonation of Governor Palin is as good as any featured on the show, ever. She almost makes a satirical take appear more believable than the real thing. The highlights so far have to be the NBC interview with Katie Couric and the VP debate. Fey has said she’d be more than happy to stop impersonating Sarah Palin after November 5. I think we catch her drift.
5. Beautiful Photographs
I am now actively since seeking to buy a kick-ass SLR camera after spending hours in awe of the photographs on this website. Must-see links include:
35 Beautiful Examples Of Rain Photography
45 Beautiful Motion Blur Photos
Beautiful Black and White Photography
(Really) Stunning Pictures and Photos
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“I’d like to be remembered as a guy who tried - who tried to be part of his times, tried to help people communicate with one another, tried to find some decency in his own life, tried to extend himself as a human being. Someone who isn’t complacent, who doesn’t cop out.”
Paul Newman
1925 - 2008
Image taken from Google Images
Over the course of several hours, I rather painstakingly assembled this list. I scoured through my record collection and chose my favourite covers; it is therefore completely subjective and by no means definitive. Along will some iconic favourites, I wanted to throw some less hailed covers into the mix. I selected them based on how well I thought they reflected the music they accompany, as well as overall ironicness or just plain easiness on the eye. I also noticed a trend: all covers here are from albums which I enjoy a great deal. I figured no one would say how awesome they found a cover if they thought the album itself sucked. And none of these do, so be sure to follow the links if you are unfamiliar with any artists or albums. Without further adieu, I present you the list!
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (1969)
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing….. (1996)
Dinosaur Jr - You’re Living All Over Me (1987)
The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms (1980)
Betty Davis - Nasty Gal (1975)
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love (1995)
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (1971)
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (1969)
Husker Du - Zen Arcade (1984)
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)
Love - Forever Changes (1967)
Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (1970)
Prince - Sign O’ The Times (1987)
Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)
Mos Def - Black On Both Sides (1999)
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The
Machine (1992)
Slowdive - Just For A Day (1991)
Sly & The Family Stone - There’s A Riot
Goin’ On (1971)
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (1988)
Talking Heads - Remain In Light (1980)
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
(1991)
Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life
(1979)
The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle (1968)
Big Black - Songs About Fucking (1987)
Cocteau Twins - Treasure (1984)
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes (1982)
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1971)
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
& Nico (1967)
The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow (1968)
Pere Ubu - Dub Housing (1978)
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra (1974)
The Replacements - Let It Be (1984)
The Clash - London Calling (1979)
Glenn Branca - The Ascension (1981)
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Club Hearts
Band (1968)
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)
The Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage:
Animation Music Volume One (1999)
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (1956)
All images taken from Google Images
I came across this very cool blog inspired by web design. I plucked out two of my favourite gig posters by two of my favourite bands, Animal Collective (Whom I really used to detest!) and LCD Soundsystem. The first was designed by Little Jacket, and the second by Delicious Design League. The blog itself has 48 more gig posters on par with these that are featured in the post, ‘50 Amazing Gig Posters Sure To Inspire’. Similarily, it features ‘50 Incredible Film Posters From Poland’. Who would’ve known. Check it out to find out what a great blog is supposed to look like.
Image taken from Google Images
Hmm… where do I begin.
1. “MUSIC”. First and foremost, Bono is a musician and should therefore be judged as one. In short, Bono fronts one of the most overrated bands in the history of modern music.
The Joshua Tree was OKAY because it marked a coming of age and move away from trying to sound as hip as great post-punk bands that will never get their just deserves, (The Edge, original? Keith Levene might have a thing or two to say about that). U2 embraced their inner arena rock, which puts them more in line with Journey than Joy Division, The Fall, Talking Heads and so on, if you ask me. And their studio catalogue post-Zooropa has been absolute garbage but it still floods TV and radio. (Why, Brian Eno, why? *sniff*). Gotta love the muscle of a monopolised industry which can make absolutely anything popular.
2. PREACHING ROCKSTAR. Bono, please don’t use one of your sold-out shows as an opportunity to push your world-poverty agenda.
People come to enjoy the show, not to be reminded that they’re not doing enough to save the poor from dying on a daily basis.
If you caught U2 on their Vertigo Tour, you would’ve been lucky enough to experience the following words uttered by Bono as he held the audience in total silence: “Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies …” A voice from the near front at a Glasgow show decided pierce the silence: “Well, fucken’ stop doin’ it then,” he said. IN YOUR FACE, BONO!
3. HYPOCRISY. So, Bono helps by pouring money into Africa and raising awareness about poverty, right? WRONG!
“Bono participates in the worldwide offshore tax-evasion system that is to a large extent responsible for the poverty of Africa… The African Union says tax dodging by foreign companies costs it $150 billion a year – three times what it receives in aid.”
I guess hypocrisy comes hand in hand with amassing hundreds of millions in personal wealth; but what is the point of the self promotion when you end up having endowed investments in businesses that contribute to the very ills that you are apparently trying to correct. Let’s not also forget he owns a private jet and half a dozen luxury houses worldwide.
He’s also snuggled up with President Bush.
Image taken from Google Images
And if you think it’s just him doing it all in name of poverty and he doesn’t actually respect Bush, think again. In 2006, Bono backed the video game, “Mercenaries 2: World in Flames”, that promoted the destruction of Venezuela and the overtaking of their oil industry. Bono’s investment company, Elevation Partners, has invested $300 million into Pandemic Studios which is responsible for manufacturing the game. Venezuela, under Hugo Chavez, has made real strides to eradicate poverty and oppression but is hated by the US for opposing their domination of Latin America and the Middle East. “Make poverty history”? Yeah, riiight.
4. BLASPHEMY. Bono compares Brown and Blair to Lennon and McCartney.
Please refrain from speaking about real musicians, Yoko Bono. Kthanxbye.
5. Last but certainly not least, his SUNGLASSES.
They simply the most awful and annoying fashion accessory I have ever laid my eyes on. And they apparently fetch upwards of $5000 a pair. The thing about Bono; he is possibly the uncoolest rockstar alive and tries to disguise this fact with lame sunglasses and dark, loose-fitted clothing. Seriously, Donny Osmond is cooler because at least he doesn’t try nearly as hard.
Bono, the man of the hour… of every hour, of every day since I can remember anything about popular culture. With a new U2 album on the way set to be the best ever (Bono’s words, not mine), I’ve braced myself for yet another Bono overdose. (Why, Brian Eno, Why??? *sniff*). As for poverty and world issues, it’ll be interesting to see what he can drone up this time. We can only hope that the average citizen who becomes aware of the African problem via Bono’s misdirected agenda can actually take steps in the positive direction. The Australian satirical newspaper The Chaser put it brilliantly:
“For many years, my people and I have felt ignored,” said Eric Mbeke, 13, of Ethiopia, with what later proved to be his last breaths. “But now that Bono has taken up our cause, we know that not everyone is ignoring us, just the people who are in a position to do something about it.”
Image taken from the whalehunt.org
Two weeks ago I did an in-class presentation on The Whale Hunt – a very exciting PowerPoint presentation to be more specific. Here, I hope I can provide some more concise information in regards to this site than I did during my rambling mess of a presentation. For those not familiar, The Whale Hunt is a Webby Award winning web site by internet guru, Jonathan Harris.
WHAT IS IT?
Jonathan Harris spent nine days living with Inupiat Eskimos in Barrow, Alaska, photographing their annual whale hunt. He photographed the harpooning of two Bowhead Whales by the Barrow community. The site features all 3,214 photographs taken on the expedition. Photos were taken at least five minutes apart, even at night. The frequency of photos increased based on levels of excitement – to maximum rate of 37 pictures per 5 minutes.
Harris wanted to experiment with a “new interface of human storytelling”, in a way that allowed each viewer to experience the whale hunt differently. In doing so he takes an experience from the physical world and translates it optically so many people can experience it. Interestingly, the Whale Hunt also allowed Harris to appreciate the complexity of his work, and revaluate the role of the computer in order to humanise it: “Much effort is spent making computers understand what it’s like to be human (through data mining and artificial intelligence), but rarely do humans try to see things from a computer’s perspective,” he says on the Statement page.
HOW IT WORKS
If you navigate away from the homepage to BEGIN THE WHALE HUNT, you’ll see why Harris calls the Whale Hunt an “experimental interface” for human storytelling. You’re greeted by no less than all 3,214 photos taken in the shape of a colourful mosaic. This mosaic can then be switched to a timeline interface or a pinwheel interface in the right hand corner which works much in the same way. It’s when auto-play is clicked do things become really interesting – you don’t have to sit through every photo, as I first thought, but can completely navigate your experience. This supports Jakob Nielsen’s idea of the internet as an “active medium”. The most notable features include:
- The full sequence of photographs is represented by a medical heartbeat at the bottom of the screen; its magnitude indicating the frequency of photos and thus the level of excitement. You can skip straight to the action as indicated by the heartbeat intensity.
- Below the medical heartbeat is a row of small text and icons, indicating the metadata, or categories, featured in the currently viewed photograph. These include the CAST (who is featured in the photo), CANDENCE (the level of excitement at the moment), CONTEXT (where it was taken) and CONCEPT (what ideas are represented, such as blood, boats, food etc).
- The above categories can be isolated from the larger narrative by clicking the CHANGE CONTRAINTS icon in the centre top of the screen. You can then navigate what portion of the narrative is viewed, depending on your interest or curiosity. Multiple constraints can also be combined to make different sub-stories. For example, “Ronny” (CAST), “Blood” (CONCEPT), “Arctic Ocean” (CONTEXT). This is how Harris believes the storytelling process will be different for everyone.
WHAT’S RIGHT AND WRONG WITH IT
Of course the innovative interface is what makes this web site. The photographs are beautifully shot and coupled with the hands-on approach of the interface, there’s a real sense of immediacy to viewing it. The homepage is simple and inviting, a modest introduction to such a grand adventure. Given the sheer number of photographs; the site loading so fast is a testament to Harris’ web-making skills. The Whale Hunt doesn’t come without its support either, as the Homepage links to Statement, Highlights, Interface, FAQ, and Credits. These make sure you’re equipped with the right tools to navigate the whale hunt, while also giving it some context and additional information. If you’re like me, you’ll find it pretty hard to find your way around unless you know what all the shapes and links mean. The Highlights page is particularly useful for those that want a quick glimpse of the expedition.
Although Harris insists this is not political and he is merely acting as an observer and storyteller, I can’t help but feel like he does have somewhat of a moral obligation to this isolated community. His ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’ approach works more to enhance his portfolio – he may humanise the computer’s role but fails to be equally as effective portraying the people involved. Perhaps it doesn’t matter in the wake of his outstanding graphic achievement, but I like my adventures to come full-circle and, from a storytelling standpoint, he just leaves me hanging.
His supporting pages may be useful but I have qualms with anyone that links to explanations on Wikipedia, which is what Harris does. The only really great links are the ones that link to his former works – this then lead me to discover that he has a portfolio to die for. Without wanting to sound too nitpicky, this website could have also done with a small disclaimer warning of the graphic content since some of it is not for the faint-hearted.
MORE ABOUT JONATHAN HARRIS
Image taken from the whalehunt.org
Artist and computer scientist, Jonathan Harris, is a former two-time Webby Award winner for his creations WordCount and 10x10. Ted.com says about Harris: “His computer programs scour the Internet for unfiltered content, which his beautiful interfaces then organize to create coherence from the chaos.” All his amazing works can be found on his personal website, Number 27.
Image taken from webbyawards.com
FORMER WEBBY AWARD WINNERS IN THE SAME CATEGORY
The Whale Hunt won the 2008 Webby Award for Best Personal Website. Former winners include: Jonathan Yuen in 2007, Steven Sebring in 2006, This is our son, so far in 2004 and Nobody Here in 2003. All former winners are uniquely different in their approach, with an underlining excellence in graphic design. The personal website category has established itself as the ‘artist’ award for web-makers who choose to push the boundaries of online communication. 2003’s Nobody Here, in particular, is a mind-bending display of one’s random thoughts and boredom. Check it out.
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