Posted tagged ‘iPhone art’
Even in Central Park (You Can Find Them Anywhere)
January 28, 2011You Can Find Them Anywhere (Pt. 3) (On Pearl)
January 27, 2011
You can find them anywhere.
This was actually taken in between snow storms yesterday, before the big one last night.
A Gnashing of Teeth (State of the Union)
January 26, 2011
Obama must really frustrate the GOP. For months, some have painted him as an anti-American (as well as non-American) totalitarian mastermind determined on jamming things down America’s throat in order to bring her to her knees. (Stephen Colbert had a wonderful rif on this after Obama’s speech in Tucson accusing Obama of causing him to be moved by Hitler.)
Obama’s inherent “otherness” has contributed to this caricature: his mixed race, his articulate and complex intelligence, his Hawaiian birth, his school experiences overseas, even his bony physique are atypical of U.S. politics (and not exactly “Reaganesque”.) On top of this, his intense decorum, which sometimes translates into a kind of aloofness, have kept him from directly responding to the kind of crazy character-assassination that has dogged him through the last election cycle.
But he has taken the national stage at some very charged moments recently-from pushing through compromises at the lame duck session, to the Tucson Memorial, to last night’s State of the Union–and unmistakeably (and on television) shown himself to be compassionate in ways that are tied to religious as well as moral precept, and to be open, thoughtful, serious, pro-progress, and notably unvengeful, petty, or throat-jamming.
One imagines a great gnashing of teeth (some of them tea-stained.)
PS – Although, at first, I found it a little disconcerting, I was happy for the absence of endless applause lines in the speech. Also, I was very glad that O. left out the traditional phrase = “the state of the union is strong.” Yes, I want it to be strong, but I’ve always found this phrase to be somehow, well, childish, as if the president were playing doctor.
PPS – don’t forget to check out “Going on Somewhere” by Karin Gustafson, Diana Barco, and Jason Martin on Amazon! (The state of its poetry is strong!)
Uninvited Guests At State of the Union Address
January 25, 2011
Pearl and Friend Get Front Row Seats
You Can Find Them Anywhere (If You Really Look) Part 2
January 25, 2011
Even At The Fulton Street Subway Stop
Updated Brain in Bed (With Canine Companion)
January 25, 2011
Updated Brain in Bed (With Dog)
The dog is supposed to be nestled in the curve of the temporal lobe, pons and medulla.
(When you know very little either about the brain or art, and are working on an iPhone, it’s hard to get those details.)
Putting Brain To Bed
January 24, 2011
Brain In Bed
Sometimes the brain just gets tired–too many holidays, too much work or age, (any is too many) reports of violence.
It begins to shy away from the unpleasant and the uncertain, merely scanning (at most) headlines, seeking out known books to re-read, vaguely trolling through mild TV show clips on the internet.
What the brain is really looking for at these times is a full frontal lobe lie-down, an occasion for occipatal un-occupation, a cozy cover for the cerebellum, i.e. sleep. Indulge it! (Says she to self.) Try to shut the lids of the eyes (and laptop.)
P.S. – for poems about brains, even villanelles–check out “Going on Somewhere” by Karin Gustafson, Diana Barco and Jason Martin on Amazon.
Gratitude for Steve Jobs – Unplugged
January 18, 2011
I like to think of myself as fairly technologically advanced. This is primarily because I type well and practically live on a computer.
Even so, the one area where I’ve definitely been behind the curve is the iPod. I’ve never had one before my current iPhone. I don’t much like ear phones (or ear buds). My brain feels invaded by sound at close range; the inner monologue gets panicky when drowned out.
So I was surprised tonight when I tried, for the second time, to use my iPhone as iPod at the gym and found it not to bother me. I could hear my book on tape perfectly, without my brain feeling invaded. I could get used to this, I thought, happily pumping small amounts of iron. My enthusiasm even seemed to be catching, since the few other people I saw at the gym all seemed to smile at me.
On my way back to my apartment, however, as I took out the ear buds, I noticed that I had not plugged them into the iPhone properly and that they were playing at a relatively normal pitch, i.e. they were not broadcasting into my head but at large. (As in no wonder the other people in the gym were smiling at me!)
A failed attempt. Still it brings up what I truly wanted to write about tonight: my gratitude to Steve Jobs, who has recently announced his decision to take another medical leave.
Even without using an iPod, Apple’s iTunes has been a major fixture of my life for the last several years. My family and I have listened to endless music, pod casts, and audiobooks. (I feel sometimes like a small child, getting solace from having the same books read to me again and again.)
But with the availability of so many iterations of music–different singers, composers, pianists, iTunes allows for broadened horizons as well as comfort food.
Then there are the computers themselves–so fast! And pretty! So many things that you can make with them!
A phone that you can draw with! (See above.)
And the stock. I was lucky enough to buy a few shares some time ago. That act has made me look like a smart investor (even as so many other choices have tanked.)
So now, with the earpods out, but still listening to iTunes, I want to thank Steve Jobs, who has brought me comfort, fun, productivity, and all kinds of both mild and profound enrichment. I wish him well.
(Disclosure–writer still owns some Apple stock.)
Public Bravery/Kings/Gun Craziness
January 16, 2011
In the wake of the Tucson shootings and Obama’s inspirational memorial speech, and now on the eve of Martin Luther King’s birthday, it is hard not to think of the bravery required to put one’s self in the public eye, much less to take a stand.
Just after writing that sentence, I read about Colin Firth winning a Golden Globe for The King’s Speech, which brings up another kind of public bravery. I don’t mean overcoming the stutter so much, as George VI’s role in World War II, particularly his remaining in London during the Blitz, where he and the Queen Elizabeth–the Queen Mother–narrowly missed death by a bomb on Buckingham Palace. “I am glad we were bombed,” Queen Elizabeth reportedly declared, “we can now look the East End [previously heavily bombed] in the face.”
I’m not here comparing the bravery of the different Kings, only noting that the requirement of bravery in public life is not a new phenomenon.
I will note, however, that it took the air force of an entire nation (Nazi Germany) to attack King George VI, while in the U.S., a lone gunman seems to suffice.
It’s a truism to say that Americans love their guns.
Just before writing all those sentences above, I read about the Massachusetts’ acquittal of a gun fair organizer on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an 8 year old from accidentally shooting himself in the head with an Uzi machine gun. The defendant Police Chief Edward Fleury’s firearms training company had co-sponsored the annual Machine Gun Shoot and FireArms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman’s Club, near Springfield, Massachusetts. The 8 year old boy was shooting only under the supervision of another boy — an unlicensed fifteen year old. (Apparently, his father who had taken him to the fair and was videoing the incident was also there.) The Uzi machine gun kicked back when the 8 year old fired it, shooting him in the head. The event’s ad read “It’s all legal & fun–No permits or licenses required!!”
The ad also said: “You will be accompanied to the firing line with a Certified Instructor to guide you.”
Neither of these statements turned out to be true. (It is thankfully not actually legal to arrange for an 8 year old to fire a machine gun in Massachusetts.)
These facts did not seem to overly influence the jury, however. Accidents happen.
Flight Downs and Ups
January 5, 2011It’s never a good idea, when traveling, to forget a Swiss Army Knife in your backpack.
Oops!
Either you have to give up the knife, or stay off the plane.
It only works for some.
ManicDDaily 
Recent Comments