I hear them and they are wizards.

What about these voices sounding outside the window makes them illusionary?
What about these colors qualify them as abstract?
If they are real, does that fact make the stories false, strip the stories down to lies?

The stories were created to entertain, created in one's mind as an escape route from the true reality of their own thoughts; denial, inqusition, selfishness.
Nothing can be real, with the exception of what exists in the mind.

So the tangible, visual, auditory, illusions become real, and that leaves what substance left of the stories? And the minds the stories came from. Does this discredit the truth inside the storytellers own mind? And, where does that put truth? Back down, stripped bare in the overly willed scent of garbage?

Why does truth have to be yours, and why must you discredit mine?

Journey through hedonism?

Perhaps the occurance and recognition of petty trivialities are needed.

Perhaps.

The Knife (Remix Magazine)

THE KNIFE

Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Justin Kleinfeld

In the current music industry, it's not enough to simply make music anymore. These days, to make news, it's imperative for an act to combine quality music with an amazing image or interesting story. Those are three characteristics of Stockholm, Sweden's brother-and-sister team The Knife (aka Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer Andersson). Musically, The Knife's new album Silent Shout (Mute) sounds like the aural interpretation of horror films like The Exorcist, The Omen and The Ring. Visually, the Dreijer siblings prefer to “dress up as the music” and will only be photographed in their own macabre costumes — no exceptions. All gimmicks aside, The Knife makes the kind of cool electronic pop music that appeals to people who gravitate toward a number of genres. Might we have the first electronic act that appeals equally to fans of the Chemical Brothers and Christian Death?

The Knife is a good example of how easy it is to make music in today's digital world. In fact, if it weren't for the proliferation of computers in music production, chances are that The Knife would not exist — the extent of their musical training didn't make it past the guitar (Karin) and saxophone (Olof). The original incarnation of The Knife was little more than free-form chill-out sessions between the siblings in front of Olof's computer. “We actually didn't know anything about making sounds and producing when we started out, so it took some time,” Karin says. “We just hung out by Olof's computer, and I had a few songs I wanted to record. It took a year before we decided we were a band. I think when making Deep Cuts [V2, 2004], that was the first time we even talked about what it was supposed to sound like.”
While The Knife has certainly improved leaps and bounds in the realm of production, their core gear is still limited to only a few key elements: Steinberg Cubase, the Swedish-made Elektron Machinedrum SPS-1, Native Instruments FM7 soft synth, Casio RP-1 Rapman synth, Roland SH-101 synth and the Boss Voice Transformer. That voice transformer adds the gender-bending effects to Karin's voice that has become a trademark for the act. “It's important that the voice is a part of the music and written like its own instrument,” she says. “At the same time, we work with lots of characters in the lyrics, and the changing vocal follows the lyrics for great expression in the song. It's almost theatrical.”
As for the duo's image, it has been carefully constructed to not take away from the music. “We have masks so as to not be recognized,” Olof says. “On the second album, I got recognized, and I didn't like it. Dressing up as the music is a way of putting the music in focus.” That image translates into a newly conceived live show designed in part by Andreas Nilsson, who also directed the amazing video for “Silent Shout.” The multimedia live show consists of two giant projection screens (one in front of and one behind The Knife), two singing dolls and lots of moody lighting. To avoid being a distraction from the stage show, Olof and Karin are garbed in specially designed black suits that allow them to blend in with the background. For the live show, every song is mixed in surround sound, and roughly half the tracks are versions not available on any album. Even though that seems like a show conceived through years of trial and error, The Knife has only ever performed live a few times in six years. They just didn't feel like it was possible to perform electronic music well in a live setting. After rave reviews for the new show, more dates are being announced, and there is word of a possible U.S. tour.
With recent coverage by the mainstream press of electronic-based acts like M.I.A., Mylo and Ellen Allien, there couldn't be a better time for The Knife to break out in a big way. Musically, they don't sound like anyone else, and aesthetically, they reek of coolness. There's also a sense of rebellion and attitude in Olof and Karin, and that's incredibly appealing. You may not get to see the real people under the costumes; so instead, just turn up the speakers and let the music cut through

In here there is no outside.

I can cook soltitude and feed off of myself.

Sleep in the open state of alert insanity.

No one can watch me.

I can watch what deserves the naked eye.

Madly, obseesively,

f

a

l

l

into local oblivion.

Ghost

Here we are still. We are hiding.
Not out of fear, but waiting for more in the shadowed alley, so that it may sneak up on us. We are willing to pretend to be suprised, to be raped of all shock. We know it is coming to us. We will feign.
We have hope, hope does not have us.
We want more, we want to want more.We have become dark. We are hanging by the halo of the death rope.
We see everything and it looks so similar to everything, but it is nothing.
It is beautiful.
We are full of it, all of the nothing. Complete.
Time spent on nothing. We will lower our arms for it, bend our knees, break our eyes for the chimes and the trebled bells of voice so we can see ourselves hear.
We will lean and race.
Climb the mountains of the mundane to net and embrace it.
Save the blue sky and the white clouds for the somethings, give the rejected grey, the scabbed broken skin of the grey sky- for the nothings who need nothing..Save those somethings, save everything.
Keep nothing.
The demonic noise assimilates in the grey sky.
It is beautiful, it is where we will be.
We know to go.It is a journey on a softly spoken path, with sharp teeth spewing jaded words of wisdom and eerie laughter.
It is home, we see it.
We are already there, we are here.
Now we have to go, and find another way back.
We have nothing, yet we will return more than the somethings, the anythings, and the everythings can offer to sell.
We will return with what is not had.
Nothing.

You be the answer

Here I am still. I am hiding.
Not out of fear, but waiting for more in the shadowed alley so it may sneak up on me.
I am willing to pretend to be suprised, to be raped of all shock. I know it is coming to me.
I will feign.
I have hope.
I want more, I want to want more.
I have become dark. I am hanging by the halo of the death rope. I see everything and it looks so similar to everything, but it is nothing.
It is beautiful. I am full off all of it, all of the nothing. Complete.
Time spent on nothing, I will lower my arms for it, bend my knees, break my eyes for the chimes and the trebeled bells of voice I can see myself hear.
I will lean, and race.
Climb the mountains of the mundane to net and embrace it.
Save the blue sky and the white clouds for the somethings, give the rejected grey, the scabbed broken skin of the grey sky- for the nothings who need nothing..
Save those somethings, save everything.
Keep nothing.
The demonic noise assimilates in the grey sky.
It is beautiful, it is where I will be.
I have been told to go.
It is a journey on a softly spoken path, with sharp teeth spewing jaded words of wisdom and eerie laughter.
It is home, I see it.
I am already there, I am here.
No I go and find another way back.
I have nothing, yet I will return with more than the everythings, the anythings, and the somethings can offer to sell.
I will return with what is not had.
Nothing.

Proof of Global Warming

Today, one of my astrobiology professors presented this image as proof that Global Warming is real.

Universe, help us all.

La Causa and Feminism

Dolores Huerta on feminism, specifically, women in the 21st century. This lecture opened up many doors for greatly made points and thoughts to be considered, I consider myself lucky and enlightened to be in the presence of such a bold woman. Progression comes, but doesn't always stick around for too long. Change?

I am a woman, and we are the majority now.

Pay attention!

Tonight,( 3 Mar 09) many ideas, comments and questions were presented at the symposium, Obamanomics: Socialism vs. Free Market Capitalism. However, I felt, and several others voiced, that the forum was attempting to direct the conversations towards the failure of the big banks and corporations, who to blame for these failures, and why they happened. The demise of these megalo-..institutions is indeed, something that should not be ignored or something that will just disappear or self resolve overnight, in weeks, or perhaps, even years. However what should be done apparates in the form of idealism for almost every individual or affiliation who has an opinion on the matter, simply because there is no concise right or wrong answer. There will be no winners in the game of free market capitalism or socialism, when there is no team with clear, logical objective. Therefore, a balance of the two concepts must be kept in an open mind. The question is now, which was brought up, should government step in and begin to regulate the private sectors, such as President Obama is implying with his 3 trillion dollar stimulus deal or should the people not have to pay for the mistakes and failure of these massive spending institutions? Government regulation- one entity controlling the business' and banks decisions leaves no room for the individual, private controlled entities to make rash decisions and overspend the means allocated them (similar to the american middle class and the trend of 2ND and 3rd mortgages) or for that matter attain the "american dream" of wealth and luxury. In turn, should we leave these spenders dry? Attack with the "not my fault" attitude? Will that approach decimate the debt or reform the monetary system? Astonishingly enough, health care was brought up surprisingly late in the evening, with many universal health care supporters contributing thoughts. One man, introducing himself and stating that he came from Mexico attested that the universal health care concept would be simply providing basic human rights. One man claimed he works for his health care and doesn't want to be supporting health care for those who do not contribute, this set off some flares. These are all decisions which people want to be made. Should we be concerned with rebuilding such a capital wealth hungry system? Should health care be provided exclusively to those who can afford a $500 deductible? These are decisions that will definitely affect our future with enormous capacity. A point brought up by a university student (one of a few, actually), as the threat of a depression becomes more realistic each day, "would it really, be such a bad thing?" Humans have been through many tribulations, and "humans are resilient." We naturally demonstrate vigilance in the inevitable hard times. "Maybe, by experiencing such an event, people will come out better" and more closer to their absolute potential. There were conservative, pro capitalist arguments and a surprising amount of pro socialism arguments. Sadly, the argument I did not hear, save the 'resilient human', or even speak on behalf of, was the pro humanist proposal.Really, what are we all fighting for the rescue of?

spare bullet (rough)

I am deeply troubled by many things that I am witnessing in the world I meander in. I see my peers, my fellow youth who will be responsible for the years to come sittng back and doing nothing to change the atrocities and shameful behaviors being allowed by the governments, respected public figures, corporate upper class and the descrepant monster identified by name and proven exsistant by action- mass consumer capitlaism. The poisonous media is reignigng in its own monster, creating issues that are by far biased and negatively suggestive to the empty minded people with no concern and supportive of the radicals who are full of fundamental extremist beliefs that decemate the meaning of the human spirit, while coherting with the diabolical ideals damocracy has come to rely on . rallying in robots, who filll in for paper advertisements for the upper class causes, disasterously and unknowingly adding to the fires of free enterprise. individuals are being turned against one another, therefore crushing the individual spirit by eroding sturdy ground creating sinking holes for the human spirit to conform in, making masses of citizens who think they have a cause yet in all reality have an obosolete knowledge of cause and no sense of the action that is to believe . To believe is not exclusively to think about the potential or the idea that would be satisfying to attain, to believe is too express passion, to demonstrate action, to influence, to create, and to thrive. There can be no change without belief. Humainty cannot support one another and thrive in its true essence without the recollection and contribution of passsion with the equal dispersion, save the prejudice selections. Abolish selection, class, status, perhaps then we can finally know what t is to artfully live, rather than merely payig to survive.