Spotify is a Microcosm of Billionaire BS - just another reminder for you and for me that we should all get off of Spotify. I struggle so hard with this because of the convenience but, ugh, it's just so transparently bad!
You're Not Crazy. America Has Gone Mad - I dunno if this gets filed under "Feel Good Affirmative" Reads or "Oh God, It's Really Awful" Reads. But whenever you're feeling like logic, empathy and rational thought has become extinct - know you're not alone!
You may recall I have mentioned various "AI poison-pill" concepts in the past. HarmonyCloak buries imperceptible noise into a track that makes it unusable by AI. Nightshade is a similar theory for images.
Benn Jordan's latest video - The Art of Poison-Pilling Music Files - takes those theories into practical application. He walks through the theory and then shows multiple examples of how to obfuscate the actual material of a song when being interpreted by a machine. It's truly fascinating.
It's also quite sad that we're in such early days of AI and already have the need to create tools to "combat" the machines. When Jordan shows his Mute Attack Method - in which Alexa simply does not hear him b/c of a device he has activated - it feels like a prototype scene from Snow Crash. The hackers have come up with their little tools to fight the machines, however small.
I look forward to Jordan distributing his next album with this pill baked in and, hopefully, the technology can become accessible enough for others to do it as well.
Fantastic interview with director Tony Gilroy over on Letterboxd covering all sorts of topics but, largely, how Michael Clayton came to be and what it means to folks. If you've never seen that film, put it at the top of your queue - it's one of those highly overlooked gems. From the sounds of the interview, it seems that Duplicity is another one for the queue (myself included).
It's rare to have a director be so forthcoming and open about their experiences. Gilroy is very refreshing with their insights start to finish.
This is incredibly inefficient but I find myself taking notes in meetings and conversations in whatever window just happens to be available. Google Docs open? Start typing. Zed hanging out in the dock? Start a new scratch doc! Sometimes I'll even use the native Notes app but rarely (not sure why - I think it's the interface).
Enter Antinote - a simple note taking app that is highly configurable, very out of the way and cheap as hell. Just $5!
I'm just getting it into my routine now but I am looking forward to having all my notes in one place, rather than strewn across my ecosystem willy nilly.
Longtime friend of the blog Jeremy Okai Davis released a hip-hop album in July of 2024 called Dinosaurs. Now, he and his emcee partner are releasing it on vinyl. It's a fantastic looking package with surreal
artwork by Eatcho and loads of features from the likes of DJ Steezo, Zai Outlaw, AMK, Mike Fish and more.
If that all sounds like gibberish - fine! Just know that J-Magic and Big Papa Warrior made a hip-hop record that nods to the golden era of the genre and infuses loads of modernity into it. It's worth a listen and certainly worth backing the Kickstarter.
Remember when Apple supported the iTunes LP? It was a "format for interactive album artwork" way back in 2009 that attempted to find a way to not let the immersive enjoyability of physical artwork be lost in digital translation. It never really took off and was fully deprecated in 2018.
But that doesn't make it a bad idea! Just a huge hill to climb. Enter Sleevenote, a combination music player and interactive artwork format. The website is really slick, beautiful and professional but I think that actually undermines the project a little bit! There are some UI Update videos that show the interface and device being worked on - seeing it as a slick-but-DIY project feels more appealing to me. Look at this latest prototype! That's a thicc boi! But it's a prototype, so that's okay.
Worth noting: this undertaking is from the musician Tom Vek, which I think does lend it some nice credibility for simply existing to appeal music lovers.
I applied for beta access and got it! I made a Talking with Hands Sleevenote and can see a lot of fun potential with it.
This Yoshinao Satoh short film, PAPERS, is mesmerizing to say the very least. Created in 1991, the nearly 3 minute animation was created from an unbelievable amount of newspaper clippings. Just wrapping your brain around the practical aspect of creating this is enough to make it explode but Satoh amplifies the entire piece but threading together a variety of concepts. Seeing the portraits rotating 360 degrees is... phenomenal.
There's also a shorter, somewhat more frantic, 1 minute version that served as a commercial for Mainichi Shimbun; a Japanese newspaper. I prefer the longer version but both are spellbinding.
Welp, it finally happened! The COVID caught me. It's been five years and I've managed to avoid it this whole time but I started feeling real brain foggy the other day and decided to take a test just as a precaution.. positive results! In a bad way! No clue where I got it but I'll blame the Deftones show I went to. Had to be that, right?
If you haven't watched this yet, please do. It'll mean a lot to me. Otherwise, here's some distractions for you and for me!
Treadmill Fruit Race - the ultimate fruit and vegetable race on a treadmill. Make sure you watch the more recent rematch.
Fully Flared Intro - this Spike Jonze skate video intro is insane. Watch it and then watch....
Fully Flared Making Of - great behind the scenes footage and insight on how that video was made. Those skaters were in some legit danger!
John Mulaney, Bone-Thugs Intro - if you have not heard the tale of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony appearing on Mulaney's Netflix show, enjoy this treat.
Bob Mortimer's Magnificently Unhinged Magic Show -there's a British "reality competition show" called Last One Laughing in which a bunch of comedians hang out in a room trying not to laugh at one another's attempts. Apparently the show has been around for a decade but Amazon recently picked it up? Not sure on the whole history but Mortimer is a great entry point. There's loads more clips on YouTube. Here's one vs Richard Ayoade.
Over the last few months I've been slowly chipping away at a music video for the Talking with Hands song, "Unprofessional Artist." It's the first song I heard from his album Organic Machine and it's a song that consistently speaks to me. It's an atmospheric piece musing about the creative process, finding connection and the haunting thoughts that invade our minds. It's also got a killer robo-bridge to it.
The video is out today. I jokingly told people this was my magnum opus - but I'll be vulnerable and admit that it actually is! This was a ton of work and I'm very proud of the end result. I took a lifetime of influences of computer art, videogames, ANSI art, glitch and AI and was able to swirl it all together into something that I think is rather compelling. I don't toot my horn on most projects but this one feels toot worthy.
The album this track is part of is on Bandcamp, on Ampwall and streaming too. I think it's a great album and this song is the midway point, worthy of a little pause and contemplation.
Hope you enjoy it! And, if so, show it to a friend.
First Venus bounce with the Dwingeloo telescope - did you know that you can bounce radio signals off the surface of Venus? This Earth-Venus-Earth (EVE) bounce was done frequently in the 60's and 70's but only done by a amateur in 2009. They've done it again and documented it extensively. Again, do I comprehend this? Not exactly. But I love to see it.
HAM Weekly - keeping on theme, do I know anything about HAM radio? No, not a thing. Do I highly enjoy this weekly blast of Amateur HAM Radio insights? Enthusiastically, yes!
Looks like Friendster is coming back? Is the answer to social networks a full circle return to the first social network? I will admit I'm intrigued but, mostly, can't imagine needing this in my life. Nostalgia is a helluva drug but is it this powerful?
The Austin Kleon newsletter always provides a litany of delightful treats (every week!). One recent bit of manna is Erik Winkowski's Zinemail - "An email zine filled with collages, photos, animated gifs, paintings, and a soundtrack."
Go look at the first issue and then subscribe. No brainer.
Really fascinating looking film here - Secret Mall Apartment captures the story of a group of artists and friends that get displaced from their home because a giant mall complex is going to be built and then decide to build themselves a new home.. inside the walls of the mall. Not streaming anywhere yet but I'm keeping an eye on the official site for when it drops.
Side note: this is executive produced by Jesse Eisenberg, who also EP'ed on The World Before Your Feet that I previously mentioned. I suppose I should make it a goal to see all the things he's involved with.
As I understand it, Superwhisper is an AI model hosted on your Mac that powers speech to text combined with processing prompts to personalize the process. The demo is straightforward and I certainly think this is what plenty of people envision when they think about AI assistants.
My old self is not super prone to speaking commands aloud or transcribing. I barely even use the speech to text option on my phone and never do so on my laptop. I acknowledge this is the behavior of an ancient individual but it's gonna take a special something to get this kind of behavior worked into my routine.
Gou Miyagi - Heroin's Video Nasty - even if you do not consider yourself a fan of skate videos, please watch this. There is so much delightful absurdity woven in here that it's impossible not to appreciate.
The Fibrovisor - turning a dollar store fiber optic wand into an actual lo-res display. The end result is quite neat but the process to get there is unfathomable. The patience required! Remarkable little project.
George Harrison 1992 "Taxman" - some rehearsal footage for an MTV performance at Shepperton Studios. I don't claim to know much of the history of this clip but I love the alternate lyrics and seeing members of The Heartbreakers playing with him.
ULTIMATE SOUR MILK SEA MASH-UP (2025) - speaking of Harrison, "Sour Milk Sea" was a Esher demo from him, properly recorded by Jackie Lomax (with multiple Beatles backing him up) and now subject to a lot of Beatles fans using AI tools to create new versions. It's a fascinating mashup and a very fun rabbit hole to explore.
Daffy in Wackyland - I swore I posted this previously but maybe not! I don't consider myself much of a Daffy Duck cartoon watcher but the style and manic energy of this is undeniable. It's like Claymation Beetlejuice, Ren-and-Stimpy, Sifl and Olly Show, Gumby and Memphis Group design vibes got thrown in a blender and put back together in the best possible way.
You may likely appreciate the pieces more if you live in Nashville and recognize these spots but even as an outsider, I think you can appreciate the style of the art and the diversity of the weirdo buildings in our town.
What if someone told you they wanted to walk every single street in New York City - including the parks and piers? It would be, roughly, 10,000 miles. You may say that task would be insurmountable! Somehow, for Matt Green, it was a calling that could not be denied.
Back in 2018, The World Before Your Feet was released. The documentary follows the aforementioned Matt Green as he walks through every street in every borough. It is an incredibly long journey but Green does not have a 9-5 job, so he can devote a lot of time to the undertaking. Along with the walking, he also documents the progress on his site, I'm Just Walkin'.
This has been covered in the NY Times and other high profile publications but it was entirely new to me. I was blown away by his patience and his incredible insight on the world around him. I don't know that the task is enviable per se but his calm drive to achieve it certainly is. The film finds a great balance around pointing out how insane all this is, not shying away from Green's flaws and appreciating the absolute beauty of what he's doing. Definitely give this one a watch.
California automaker Telo recently unveiled their lineup for Urban Adventure Vehicles, aka trucks. They are about the size of a Mini Cooper and are certainly.. unique! They even released a promo video of the prototypes in action.
I'm posting this not because I'm a fan but because I want their to be some documentation of this trend we're starting to see emerge. The Cybertruck did not start it but definitely popularized it. Designs like this Telo are extremely futuristic and slightly offputting because of their atypical form factor.
Long story short: the future of car shapes is gonna be wild.
I've been watching SNL fairly regularly since the mid-90s. Not religiously by any means but undeniably regularly. I also listen to the The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, have seen the James Franco Saturday Night doc and generally devour all of the behind the scenes insights I can get. I don't know why - it's just a fascinating place.
With the show turning 50 there is all sorts of new content to indulge in. The music doc - Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music - from Questlove and Oz Rodriguez has been receiving, deserved, praise. But you may have missed out on the similar-yet-different docuseries from Peacock SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.
It's four distinct films from different directors covering four distinct topics - the audition process, the in-depth history of the Cowbell sketch, the Writer's room and "The Weird Year" (1985). Each is well done, quite fascinating for a person like myself and never too long.. each running about an hour. Worth a watch!
Today I learned that LaserDisc's initially started out being called DiscoVision, a format demonstrated as far back as 1972 and released commercially in 1978 with Jaws. It did not take off and MCA sold the rights in 1981, at which time it slowly became LaserDisc and still didn't catch on. The VCR / Betamax beat them too badly because they could record, not just playback.
Anyway, the point here is that DiscoVision is a fairly terrible name for a product that may be referred to as a noun. "Can I borrow your DiscoVision of Jaws?" just doesn't roll of the tongue. Sure, "Can I borrow your V-H-S of Jaws?" is pretty weird too but at least VHS only means one thing. Disco is pretty specific!
