The Sunyeti Soapbox

Next: Dolphins With Robotic Legs

2008-09-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

I'm really not going to spoil this momentous occasion with many words of my own.
But guess what...

The time has come to purchase and own genetically fabricated organisms. Enter: the GenPet, the world's first "mass-produced, bio-engineered pet". From the site:

Say Hello to the all New Genpets™ from Bio.Genica!
The Genpets™ are Pre-Packaged, Bioengineered pets implemented today!
--
Genpets are living, breathing mammals. Bio-Genica is a Bioengineering Company that has combined, and modified existing DNA to create the Genpets lineup. Genpets have blood, bones, and muscle; they will bleed if you cut them, and die if mistreated just like any other animal. The electronic components are only in the packages and are for basic life support, outside of the packages the Genpets are wholly organic.
--
The original prototype and breeding Genpets were created using a process called "Zygote Micro Injection" Thereafter the Genpets are grown in assisted breeding lab farms.
--
While the Genpets™ hang on retail shelves they are in a chemically induced type of hibernation controlled by a protein in the packages’ nutrient supply tubes. This was a natural trait found in many seasonal animals that would normally hibernate in colder northern climates that has been added to the Genpet line. This also ensures comfort for the Genpets™ while they are on store shelves.

The Genpet currently comes in two models, a 1-year and 3-year lifespan organism. as well as six individual, color-coded personality types ranging from athletic and energetic to communicative and serene.

Interested? then i urge you to visit the hot, fiery, center of it all:

Then realize that this is all just a little too silly and sudden to be anything more than an elaborate art project. because that's what it is. it's actually an exhibit called "It's Alive! A Laboratory of Biotech Art" by sculptor Adam Brandejs. and it's been making some decent press over the last year or so. but what i want to point out here, is that there was that moment there. with you. when you first saw this post (relying on the fact that you hadn't heard of it before). i saw it, don't try and deny it now. for a brief second you believed it, and maybe you were excited... maybe you were scared or worried, or perhaps even a little angry. but regardless, you felt something. inside you somewhere. where you feel your lack of control over the universe surface.

there's something special to me about that feeling. when you notice the momentum of life and science and time and human progression. it never stops. and we never stop. and there is no catching up or slowing down.

think about that... how far off are we from this being a reality? who knows? it could be next year, it could be never. but it's always a possibility. and when the time arrives, what stance will you take?

Don't turn around. There's a Hoax Behind You...

2008-09-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

So my roommate is off in the bahamas for a month working as a camera assistant filming sharks for television...

But i digress...

I came across a collection of infamous and unknown photoshop-doctored photos that have apparently been making rounds in popular media culture for the last five or so years. while a couple, i was already familiar with, many i hadn't seen before. alas, i found most of them a yawn, but i reasoned that the few good ones were worth the post here.

If you're interested, feel free to cruise over and check them out.

Unicorns As Lovers?

2008-08-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

So although i had never really considered this, i stumbled across a detailed and persuasive report today at tenreasonsitwouldruletodateaunicorn.com and my eyes were opened to the endless (read: 10) possibilities one is faced with when considering a unicorn as a potential romantic partner.

The reason that sealed the deal? #6. i can't really say if it was my passionate love for both skittles and jelly beans, or my deep, brooding hatred of mosquitoes that won me over... but seriously, where can i find me a unicorn... like, now?

On a side note, i'm sorry to say that unicorns.com was somewhat underwhelming. and i had such high hopes... actually, there are some very weird things 'unicorn' out there if you go looking for them. take for example, this picture:

i'm not sure if it's the monkey-girl, the blood red unicorn eyes, the skunk-striped power-mullet, or the self-important demand scrawled out in some cheesy hallmark font, but this image really creeps me out in a not cool way. This rendering of our potential future president, however? not creepy at all...

alas, i did stumble upon this gem, and with over 27 million views, i'm surprised i hadn't heard of it before.

charlie, i must say, just became my new favorite thing 'unicorn'.

shun the nonbeliever... shuuunnnn...

Witteh Kittehs...

2008-07-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so before i hit the month mark of going postless, i've decided to say something to cease any panicked outbreaks that may ensue from peoples thinking i've truly fallen off the face of the earth.

Today, i'd like to share with you a site that was recommended to me by my dear friend, andrea. at first telling i ashamedly (is that a word? it is now...) wrote off the site as being probably cute, but not worth my time. big mistake. a collective 3 or 4 hours (over the course of the past week) later, i've found that this site, appropriately named i can has cheezburger has filled many the mindless minute of occupational downtime with smiles, laughter, shock, and the occasional ping of overwhelming cuteness. i'm trying to decide if giving you a description of 'i can has cheezburger' would be appropriate, and i'm rather flip-floppy about the whole thing. you see, if i were to say... it's a photo-captioning site consisting mainly of reader-submitted snapshots of cats and kittens in various entertaining poses captioned by posters in interweb leetspeek... well that may turn some people off to it, as it made me judge the whole project before i had a chance to get to know it. regardless, it's a fabulously enthralling time-sink if you're looking for one. so check it out.

here are just a few of my favorites...

Don't Forget Artax...

2008-06-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

So there is really no true reason or motive or logic behind me posting this, other than the memory crept into my mind at some point during work today and i sought it out, only to find that years.... years after watching this movie, and even with this scene completely extracted from the context of the story, i still struggled to not burst into tears at my desk, prompting genuine concern from all nearby cubicle-dwellers.

needless to say... it's sad. and i think we should all take a moment of silence to remember and respect the friend that was artax... and also to remember that sad thoughts will only help you sink.

...and mud kills.

EDIT: Ok, i just want to note here that, yes, in the movie artax comes back, and things are apparently all smiles and good times, however, in the book (which i will pretend to have read) i know for a fact that artax never comes back, because obviously michael ende knows that real life sucks, and sh*t happens. also, artax's return was tainted with the haunting suspicion of flesh-hungry zombification or cursed demon-blood. sh*t don't just come back to life free of charge.

Venice, Anyone?

2008-06-08T20:53:00.001-07:00

Copied over from the sanctum:
(this is a disclaimer for those who are severely irritated by being tricked into reading something they had assumed was new information, but turned out to be nothing more than a photocopied post from some other affiliated page. i know you're out there.)

The time is fastly approaching when my work will climb the stone walls of venice's hip and laidback brunch joint, the brickhouse kitchen. june nineteenth, actually. that's the date if you didn't notice the flier. you should definitely swing out to the opening if you've got nothing planned. i can guarantee good music and cool art and whatever else chance may care to throw in. and hey, if you can't make it, i'll be sad for a moment, perhaps, but i'll rest easier knowing you have a whole month to come check it out by your ownsome. excitement!

Some Alone Time...

2008-06-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Just came across this site, "garfield minus garfield" whilst surfing this morning. it's an edited collection of old garfield strips with garfield completely photoshopped out, leaving only bizzarre little schizophrenic vignettes with jon alone. here's the description from the site:

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb."

it's definitely worth checking out, i'll stick a couple examples here for your pleasure. there are plenty more at the site archives, although after ten or so pages, you start becoming a little hauntingly depressed yourself.

Albananas

2008-06-04T03:31:00.000-07:00

So that Jessica Alba photoshoot i worked on in march finally hit the stands this month. and i have to say, i'm quite glad it did... not only because i get some hard evidence of my prop polishing skills, but i also get to stop shamefully browsing through allure at grocery stores and barnes & nobles across LA looking for any mention of Jessica Alba.

For your viewing aid (and also because i really have no care for the paranoid, fame-drunk mess that turned out to be the Albs in person) i used big red arrows to point out the important things in the shots... ie: those that i was in charge of manhandling in the photocircus. if you can't make out what they are... in boring list fashion, they were: park bench, street lamp, baby carriage, baby bottle, cane, and a bunch of other props that didn't make it to print.

so yeah, i totally bought that bottle at ralph's like 20 minutes before being in the albs's hands. imagine if the checker only knew where it were headed. also, i polished the sh*t out of the carriage. look at it shine. ooo yeah. *pats on back* thank you, thank you, no, please...

on another note, Albs was totally preggers. like... 1/2mph-duck-waddle-hands-on-lower-back-looks-like-it-may-be-twins preggers. good job photogs and photoshop wizards at keeping that unfortunate disaster obscured from the lens's eye... a hitler-stache is far more attractive.

hurrah.

Sea Wolf - Leaves In the River

2008-05-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

Sea Wolf is a band. their music is chillingly pleasurable to listen to. they just released a new album nearly a year after their debut five-song EP. i wrote things about listening to it. you should listen to it too. i'll make it easy.

Simply, sea wolf is deeply poignant and playfully gloomy, dipping down into nearly spooky verse lines and minor chords. they pull influences from entirely too many sources to wrap your head around. From eastern european vibes to early seventies acoustic anthems to dark western soundtracks, the songs take you on audible journeys across guitar string guided soundscapes. lead singer/songwriter alex brown church's distant lyrics and word choice are something reminiscent of an era from the past, (but one you can't quite put your finger on) lending a mystical and un-placed nostalgic vibe to his catchy and warming acoustic lead melodies.

It's comprised of songs that i feel i've known and loved for years, but i'm still getting those thrill-driven shivers of experiencing something new, fresh, and exciting. listening to the album, you sit on the verge of nearly singing along to songs you're hearing for the first time. trying to lock in the words as quickly as possible to keep the song with you for the rest of the day.

My suggestions:

Black Dirt - This was the first song i truly fell in love with. i heard it on his myspace the first time, and couldn't get it out of my head for a week. when he released his EP a little over a year ago, this track wasn't on it, and i was somewhat crushed. needless to say, when i saw the song on this album, i bought it immediately and without question for this track alone. i didn't regret it.

Song for the Dead - When this song came on during my first listen-through of the album, it was the moment i actually realized in my head. "Wow, this is a good album." It kicks off with a very different feel and sound than the songs comprising the first half of the album, but it blends in with the flow of the tracks seamlessly, taking established chords and note progressions and thrusting them forward with steampowered drum machines. it literally picks the listener up and pushes them greedily forth into the second half of the album. the song feels appropriately anthematic, but sitting around the campfire while the wagons are circled and the horses tethered anthematic, not like choir of small british children echoing the chorus anthematic.

You're a Wolf - this song is probably the album's most popular and "widely-known" single. it introduced me to sea wolf as well when it came on the radio while painting in studio alone late one night. when the song ended, i scrambled to scrawl out "seawolf" in oil paint on a paper towel. it's a wonderful and simple song, i've listened to it far too many times, and yet i still thoroughly enjoy it. it's very representative of sea wolf's sound, and touches a basic feel that runs through the backbone of the entire album.

Black Leaf Falls - this song i think epitomizes the potential of church's writing abilities as well as his ability to make basic, rythmic, and simple repeating melodies both chilling and compelling. it's a beautiful song and while it may feel somewhat somber there is a resonating warmth that spills out of it... like looking back on a time when you thought life would never be ok again... and now it is.

Sea Wolf's space
Official page

Well I'm Impressed...

2008-05-17T01:09:00.000-07:00

i don't even know what to say about this yet... except that now i feel like i completely waste my free time.

watch it though. totally worth it.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

O is for Murder

2008-05-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

I got home from work tonight and read a post on geekologie about this new site that let's you graffiti any website you fancy defacing. Essentially the program takes a screenshot of whatever url you type in and sets it as the canvas for an MSpaint-esque art simulator complete with all the old nausea and mouse-biting frustrations that we all missed so dearly. Needless to say, I am weak and wasted 20 or 30 minutes scribbling with a sharpie on oprah.com. It was her or Disney, and the O took the dive. (sorry mom). regardless of the number of times my hand cramped from stubbornly trying to carefully write words with the smallest tool i had at my disposal, i actually enjoyed my time spent there quite nicely.

see for yourself...
(sorry about the music if you click on the picture and your speakers are up. believe me, i didn't get to pick it.)

JOIN TODAY!!!
FREE JUICE!!!

for those worried... no, i am not a member of oprah's death club, nor do i have some strange inner rage bubbling out via interweb graffiti, soon to escalate into bloody soulsucking.

but murder.... such a purty word.

...and versatile.

/devious grin

A Daunting Review...

2008-05-03T00:30:00.001-07:00

I met a guy tonight who talked like a textbook. he slung sophisticated words around in casual conversation with hardly a glancing effort. progeny. that was one that stuck out... there were definitely worse, but i mean, what twenty-something anybody uses a word like progeny in casual conversation? maybe i'm behind the times or semi-illiterate and progeny should be at the top of my lexicon, but it felt strange and unfamiliar to hear. on that note, i've noticed myself working the word "daunting" into random conversations throughout the day. i remember the first time it happened, too. about a week ago. i was doing that sort of quick mental search for that one word that would fit perfectly. a moment where you can feel it floating out there in the abyss, evading the sweeping grabs of your intelli-tendrils. but then, in a moment of blinding light, it flew in out of left field and cracked me in the face. the word, that is. daunting. great word. it was a moment of epiphany and it felt so right when i said it. really satisfying. daunting. love it. hopelessly saturated. anyway, the word has pretty much taken over. it slips out at the smallest possible convenience, often before i realize what i've just done. it seems my mind feels that the smallest tasks have recently become incredibly difficult, all in favor of using the word. and sadly, i let it. because it's a pleasure to say. daunting. mmmm... maybe i can forgive progeny.

the one nice thing that i will credit textbook boy with is something he said at the end of our conversation. "I've been finding recently, that there is a lot of worth in the question: Why?" He told me, in reference to the fact that our production was heavily shrouded under a coat of mystery (which it is, as none of us are able to tell curious hotel patrons what's going on). "It's funny," he continued. "there was a point, not too long ago, where i had somewhat written it off. but lately i've noticed that it's an incredibly significant and important question." I apologized for not being able to tell him more about the production, but he happily shook his head, saying, "No, i think it's good to have secrets. humanity thrives on secrets. i think... if there were no more questions in the world, everything would collapse. if people could no longer ask why...?" he shrugged at me and shook his head. i nodded.

On a side note, last night was the first night in a long time where i've felt legitimately like a crazy person. after haunting me for the past five days with its glaring and crippling orange light, peering at me from inside my dashboard.... my check engine light went off!!! huge success exclamation mark! i felt insane right about the moment i realized that i had spent five minutes petting and thanking my car. promising it gas and new oil. rubbing the dash... calling it baby...
needless to say, i was happy. also i saw a possum on the way home. best drive ever!

EDIT: it's the mickey mouse of my recurring disney-themed nightmares...

Cats in the Cubicle

2008-05-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

So the production i'm on is currently working out of a hotel up in the hills above LA and last night during some downtime, i got the chance to sit at the bar and draw for a little bit. there was one other patron at the bar, a woman in her early fifties with a heavy new york accent, who had enjoyed 3 or 4 too many cocktails and was aggressively chatting up anyone within a 20 foot distance. the two easiest targets, of course, were myself and the bartender. the bartender was a nice guy, late twenties, kept shooting me apologetic glances when miss X would get powerfully excited about whatever she was going on about.
I guess the unfortunate thing about drawing around people who you don't necessarily want to continue a conversation with, is that they have a constant 'in.' the drawing itself can spur numerous conversation topics and questions and the like. now, i won't dictate the entire conversation... for two reasons. 1) there's no possible way i could remember it all and 2) that would just be cruel, but let's say this: it was long and aimless and never seemed to come to a conclusion but felt like it was really trying to hammer points down that never really existed. strewn throughout the conversation were accusations of: "you just think i'm drunk." (which i did), "you just think i'm nutso." (which i did), and "you couldn't care less could you?" (which, sadly in her state of point-making, i really couldn't). all this was chalked up to the fact that "you west-coasters just don't understand us east-coasters." and "you know, on the east coast we all think that you're crazy." The most forceful point, however, that i think she was trying to get across; the thesis of her argument, if you will, was that in her opinion, cats would make far better rulers of the earth than humans. cats, yes. she felt that cats wouldn't make all the awful mistakes that people had made, and she wholeheartedly felt that they would treat us reasonably well too. she even forcefully asserted to me many times that if she could, she would write a thesis on the examination of what the world would be like with cats in charge. i asked her what she thought it would be like. she told me there would be far less problems. i asked her what problems would be fixed? after a moment of thought she said something about the rainforests and then quickly asked if i agreed with her theory. i told her i felt there would be an entirely new set of problems for this cat-ruled society. she responded by telling me a story of her siamese cat biting her in the leg, piercing her leather boot and then having to be taken to the hospital when it swelled to the size of a grapefruit. "sure," i said. "cats. that would be interesting."
Now, normally this conversation may have intrigued me. possibly if it was a coherent individual with better reasoning and support. or perhaps if i had been drinking whiskey instead of coffee. nonetheless, eventually she buggered off, stumbling to her room, but only after asking the bartender to page the front desk and remind her of her room number.

Hair For Everyone!

2008-04-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Hairstyle Appreciation Day! Yes, it's official, look it up. anyhow, let's all take a moment today to reflect on the fact that whatever our desires, our hair can be as amazingly awesome or awful as we could possibly imagine.

think i'll wear my wig out in public today in celebration. here's to getting strange looks from the coffee shop baristas who most likely remember me not having long black hair.

Locke Up

2008-04-29T22:00:00.001-07:00

It's official!

The Soapbox is officially up and running. Thanks for holding out... if you were actually holding out, that is. anyhow, yeah, it's got some little tweaks and adjustments left to go, but i'm feeling pretty good.

alright... not to pigeonhole myself into posting pictures for every post, but i came across this drawing last night that i have to share. Now, i know LOST is a sensitive subject these days what with all the extremist fanatacism out there, but i truly enjoy the show. i think it's the bees knees. to get to the point, if you watch LOST, this drawing will probably carry more weight than for those who don't. either way it's a badass drawing of an awesome character. long live john locke.

Side note: the drawing was done by Bartek Ostrowski over at papiohead. he(or she) has some pretty good stuff over there. bunch more lost caricatures and other drawings (the ben one is also very good). definitely worth checking out if you have the time.

Welcome Squirrels

2008-04-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you just crossing over from the sanctum, thanks for your interest in what I've got to say here. As you can see, however, the soapbox is still being somewhat built. I threw the link up so y'all would know it's here and that in a short bit, this will hopefully be a somewhat entertaining blog. So hang in thar, things should be up at full pace rilly soon.

At any rate, I'm envisioning it to be a tad less-formal forum than the art site. To prove it to you, here's a picture of squirrels fighting with lightsabers.

EDIT: What's with everyone always ganging up on the dude with the purple saber?