Now the robots are stealing our music!

Over at Freakonomics they have added short little videos that explain the process they went through to discover some of their findings. Interesting viewing. I also like how they splice in a montage of old clips.

"So you see son, someday you could grow up, become a meme, and have people laugh at you for fifteen minutes. Then, when you think it's all over, someone will make a tribute video about you."

It's interesting how history repeats itself. The current craft movement is taking off. But it was during a very similar time over 100 years ago when another craft movement took off. Arts and Crafts flourished between 1880 and 1910. It was in revolt to the industrialization of work that had been the realm of the master craftsman. It was about humanizing created objects. Today's movement is very similar. With most consumer goods being made by unknown people in a far away land, a sense of connection to objects is difficult at best. That is unless they are humanized and individualized. iPod cozies, resized clothes, and a plethora of recycled items all attempt to reconnect the human to the mass produced objects that fill our everyday lives. And all allow the cultural rebellion of individuality.

During the Arts and Crafts movement, focus was on the mastery of the craft and the rights of the craftsman. Guilds were formed and socialism helped influence the expectation of workers. Today the focus is on individuality more than mastery. Six billion humans and a Western culture conditioned for mass consumerism of bland goods leaves the individual with few choices for uniqueness. A single Spencer Tunick photograph expresses this lack of physical uniqueness in humans. Along with the obvious protection from the elements a nude body gains, clothing gives the wearer the ability to be visibly unique. Lately, that uniqueness has been corrupted by an aggressively invasive culture industry that replaces objects with actual content (your father's vintage sweatshirt) with slightly skewed soulless clones (distressed A&F hoodie.) But with self made items, fashion becomes unique and personal. A boring refuse from the corporatocracy is transformed into a unique symbol of individuality. A new identity is born within the boundaries of the existing schema.

Ironically, the latest technological innovation empowers the movement. While the Arts and Crafters of old fought against the evils of industrial technology, modern crafters embrace it. The Internet has allowed communication between crafters throughout the world. Complete How-to's for almost any craft are readily available for anyone access. This is in contrast to the classic mass media that is distilling into demagoguery and infotainment. And while the entertainment industry has taken to copyright litigation of it's own customers for profit, many crafters are following the ideals set forth by the open source and creative commons movement to share their techniques openly. The guild of old is now all of humanity. Anyone with a computer and Internet access can learn, discuss and transform any craft technique into personal art. So in a way, the progressive dream of an egalitarian craft movement is finally succeeding.

Crafting is also about recycling. With the billions of packaged goods produced each year, thousands of tons of waste are added to our landfills. Many crafters are using this refuse as raw material for imaginative solutions and installations. It's certainly not a complete solution to the waste problem, but it is at least a recognition of the value these objects still contain.

Due to economic restraints, most crafters are hobbiests. Mass production has almost eliminated scarcity in crafted goods. Because of this, hand crafted objects have difficulty competing with imported goods, even with an aesthetic premium attached. There are some that have been able to make a living, but by and large most crafts are made by people in their spare time, as a diversion from the usual television viewing or web surfing. But even the hobbiest can take their turn at shop keep. Sites like Etsy and Ebay allow crafters to easily sell their works to a global market. The returns may not make them millionaires, they do at least help support the habit.

And perhaps this is crafting's higher purpose. In a time of media inundation, telling us which clothes, music, hobbies, politics and beliefs we are supposed to have, the simple act of crafting allows a quiet defiance to prepackaged, homogeneous culture. A rebellion not so dissimilar to the khadi of Gandhi . A rebellion of the simple ideals of liberal democracy upon which the modern West has been built; individual freedom and equality. A rebellion of making your own things.

The new ugly is really about robot domination...of fashion.

(Updated to repair a link)

I am going to work harder at keeping this thing up. I read about so many interesting things and get great ideas, but they never seem to make it here. So be patient while I learn some new dance steps.

My friend Steph made this really cool tote bag from an old bird seed sack.

Fantasy football not your thing? Skip over the usual alternates of Fantasy baseball, golf, hockey or fishing. How about joining a Fantasy Terrorist, Fantasy Congress, Fantasy Superhero, Fantasy Fashion, Fantasy Music, Fantasy Porn Star, Fantasy Moguls, Fantasy Anime, Fantasy Husband, Fantasy Video Game, Fantasy Celebrity, Fantasy Weather, or a Fantasy Hurricane League!

Here's another new sport for your amusement, Urban Sprinting. via buzzfeed

How can a game that requires one team to wear sombreros not be fun? Presenting Whiffle Hurling for your amusement.

Here's another study showing that a unprocessed diet is better for you than a low carb, or low fat diet or any other type diet out there. In fact, it may even prevent type 2 diabetes altogether. The more your body has to work to get the nutrients out of the food, the more calories are burned. If you let a machine in some factory do all of the work for you, your body will end up storing those calories as fat. And you don't get the side benefit of the flavonoids, trace vitamins, minerals and, of course, fiber in raw food.

This is a link to the wonderful 10 hour 1985 documentary that looks at why we are who are. The Day the Universe Changed should be required viewing for everyone. Haven't you ever wondered why certain things are important, that when you look at them closely, don't make a whole lot of sense? Watch and be truly enlightened. James Burke actually says "telecommute" in 1985! Amazing, simply amazing insight.

Cruisin' on my scraper bike!

Ever wanted to know where a ship is? Well now you can know instantly.

Tired of the same old send your kids to boring old summer camp in the middle of the woods somewhere? Would you like your offspring to learn the important skills on canvassing, polling, and organizing fundraisers? Then Camp Obama is for you! And if they do well enough, they too could even end up as a Whitehouse staffer and eventually in front of a Senate committee not remembering meetings with people that they see everyday!

It puts the lotion in the basket...the tribute song.

As some one that has done a fair amount of ceiling painting recently and has some more in the next month, I am excited that Glidden has come out with a new ceiling paint. Painting ceilings is so difficult because you can never tell that you have completely covered the ceiling with new paint. You can usually only tell after the paint is dry and by that time you have moved on to the walls or trim. But this new paint is pink when you first put it on. It will then dry white. So if your ceiling's 100% pink, you're done. This reminds me of another pink'ed product, DAP spackling compound.

16 Words. via William Gibson's Blog.

How pop stars are manufactured. Great documentary preview.

What is Circuit Bending? Interesting short about the hacking of new sounds through everyday common electronic circuitry.