Life Pro: Mike Huckabee

My Ego doesn't want to get too political, but read this and found it way too funny not to quote in the 'ol blog.

The candidate who not-so-subtly has a white Cross behind him in his latest Iowa Christmas TV commercial, had this to say in the news today:

"The difference between us is that I did something he never had to do. I carried out the death penalty 16 times, more than any other governor in my state's history," Huckabee told reporters in Los Angeles before attending a Beverly Hills fundraiser. "That's hardly soft on crime when you make that tough decision and actually carry it out."



Ok, just to make sure My Ego has this right. The GOP candidate, famous for his Christian values, is ENTHUSIASTICALLY PROUD of the number of PEOPLE HE HAS KILLED.

My GOD Jesus would be SO PROUD of you, Mike! Kill a few million more, and you might be ordained a Saint one day!

Best,

~mIe

The Intern Economy

The Ecology of the Economy... an interconnected web of systems that shapes and drives the flow of cash at the local, national, and global level. We hear of the impending credit crisis, surging fuel prices, and the financial havoc potential in the face of terror, yet we rarely consider what could be the greatest lynch pin of them all--the final looming thread that, if pulled, could unravel the global economy as we know it.

This thread, my friends: the Intern.

Forget about illegal immigration. Let's talk about illegal internships. Let's talk about full work days for NO PAY whatsoever, lets talk about doing the most unsatisfactory work for little to no return. Lets talk about how the only kids able to first get, then maintain said internships are the one's whose parents are footing the bill for their Murray Hill 2 bedroom. The rich stay rich, while the poor get poorer thanks to our ongoing and ever-expanding dependency on the office intern.

It is for this reason that interns will never unite or unionize... they simply don't need to, cuz daddy will just get them another one... or until Phil from Marketing hangs over the office balcony railing after a few beers and a tequila shot at the holiday office party, thus leaving that coveted position of giggling, IMing fucktard wide open for them to get paid to take on.

Interns beware: your days are numbered. Quietly give the Blackberry back, and walk out the door.

Thanks,

~mIe

Dear Writers: Please End the Strike, For the Sake of My Ego

Look writers, My Ego gets it. You're not getting paid for DVD and online distribution, so you gather together and strike to get what you want. My Ego gets all its media from either iTunes paid downloads, or DVDs. So if anyone knows you deserve your percentage, it's My Ego.

But, Writers, there is a larger problem here, namely, My Ego. See, My Ego gets about 90% of the news from the Daily Show alone, so how the hell is My Ego supposed stay informed on what's going on?

And who is My Ego to turn to when reading the CIA has destroyed more evidence of this administration's wrong-doings?? My Ego needs to be numbed by slick wit of Dr. Jon Stewart, and the Zen-master-like-pointing-out-of-contradiction-through-satire of Professor Colbert.

Writers. Please, for the sake of My Ego, come back to work!!!

Thanks in advance,

~mIe

The Holon: Key to the Lock of Or

Its amazing how one word can solve so many complex questions and issues. Such words are the key to unlocking My Ego, and the meta-systems of Integral being-in-the world.

One of the most important key-words of this kind is "holon". Originally coined by Arthur Koestler in 1967, a holon is simultaneously a 'whole' and a 'part', or, a 'whole-part.' Everything is a holon. Thus, there are no wholes, and there are no parts, there are only holons.

For instance, a letter is a 'whole' letter in itself, yet in a greater context, is only a 'part' of a word. Seen through time, which is it? A whole, or a part? That word is a word in itself, yet in a greater context, only a part of a sentence. Sentence to paragraph, paragraph to page, page to chapter, chapter to book-there is no end (and no beginning... only begendings) to the holonic system. Take it down to the molecules in the ink, up to the total of all books ever printed; all holons.

Some say money is the root of all evil. My Ego says "or" is the root of all evil. Well, which is it... 'money' or 'or'?

"Or" is the cold metal shell of the lock that is opened using the key-holon; a lock that when opened show limitless simultaneity and inter-connectedness of all holon systems, all the way Up (heaven), all the way down (hell). Or is the last protector of the Great Western Myth, Dualism. Break the lock of duality with the holon key.

Us or them? This or that? Here or there? Being or Time?

I, or thou?

What would happen if Or was removed from syntax all together?

Us and them. This and that. Here and there. Being and Time.

I and Thou.

~mIe

time for Time

Dear Friends,

Its been a while, hasn't it?

I hope you are well!

Best,

Yours,

All the Best,

Thanks!

Many thanks!

Respect,

Till then,

Sincerely,

~mIe

The X-Mas Season Begins With Even More Waste

Dear All Retailers,

PLEASE STOP SENDING MY EGO CATALOGS.

Thanks,

~mIe

From My Ego's Poetry Archive

My Ego has been researching Keats' Negative Capability theory, which in essence is that truth, beauty, and goodness manifest themselves when one is 'standing in duality', or 'being in uncertainties.' Another interesting synonym is liminality. Negative Capability is the ability for a human to attain a stage of being-action that allows for the simultaneity of multiple perspectives to mutually co-exist.

This concept reminded My Ego of a poem written back in the college years, that My Ego will now share with you. Why? Because its My Ego. Enjoy, ~mIe


Lost, Ever-Binding

The See is deep here.
Real Me in
Nothing.

Standing in the undertow
is my only true love.

drown wishing you were there
as if you’re already
Not.

A ship on the Horizon
appears
to those lounging on the beach
as
waves crash to the rhythm
hearts dance to the rhythm
drums beat to the rhythm
feet swing to the rhythm

rhythm moves to what.

Found, Ever-Loosing

The Doctor Story, Then and Now

When My Ego was a little developing Ego, Dad used to tell this story any time My Little Ego would complain about a physical problem.

He'd say, "When I was your age, I went to the doctor, and I said, 'Doc, every time I raise my arm up like this, it hurts!'" The doctor then said, "So don't raise your arm up!" That was the end of the story.

My Ego went to the doctor this week, and said, "Doc, every time I raise my arm up like this, it hurts!" The doctor then said, "Here is a prescription for some pain killers for your arm, and one for anti-depressants until you get over the trauma of it."

Happy Thanksgiving,

~mIe

Theo Watson = Smart

There are a few humans in this world My Ego will outright label 'geniuses'... My Ego has had the pleasure of the years to stumble upon a handful of them. While there are certainly the megalomaniacs of the genre, it must never be forgotten that many, if not most, of said genius' happen to some of the sweetest, must humble and authentic people My Ego has encountered. Perhaps true genius is found in one who is constantly facing the limits of one's knowledge and imagination as juxtaposed against the total sum of all knowledge; the strategic dance within the juxtaposition in turn becomes wisdom.

One such creative force is interactive programmer Theo Watson. Currently out of Amsterdam, Theo combines the forces of techne with the forces of nature, to produce stunning interactive multimedia installations that simultaneous engage one's sense of fun and deeper purpose.

Check out Theo's latest installation, Funky Forest, to see genius manifest.

Enjoy!

~mIe

Fear of the Unknown: Improvisation and the Indie Scene

My Ego went to see one of My Ego's favorite band, Broken Social Scene, at Webster Hall last night. The show was solid, but lacked something that My Ego finds lacking in just about every 'indie' or 'hipster'-related scene: improvisation.


Improvisation is the bedrock of American music, if not the genesis (and end goal) of music itself; to part the Curtain to let rays of light through by teasing it with the dance of vibrations in the air. To My Ego, musicians must have this goal at the forefront of his or her intentions--be it dark, fast, melodic, rhythmic, skillful, soulful--parting the Curtain is the Ultimate release, the very essence and purpose of music.

It seems as though a fear of the Unknown is at play here... Fear of messing up, hitting the wrong note. Fear of being boring, 'wanky,' or too 'noodly.' fear of being associated with certain relics of the past that don't agree with a particular current culture. Denying improvisation for the sake of a scene is simply absurd. Even a band like Broken Social Scene, who My Ego feels a more likely candidate for extend improvisational segments of a set, seemed to lack the fire of improvisation, and the spirit of the Moment.

So, you might end up reviewed here. Oh, and this band certainly didn't complain about playing to a crowd who appreciates improvisation. If only they'd (actually) stretch it out here and there.

To sum it up, Indie folk: please, for the sake of My Ego, will you just jam???

~mIe

A Revelant Idea

My Ego has been trying to find a word for a particular phenomena for the past few weeks. There are some synonymous phrases and concepts, but not a set word to describe the phenomena. There is a (good) chance a word does exist, would love to know what it is, so please send it along.

Thus, My Ego has created a new word to add to Webster: (n) revelant.

A revelant is a meta-literal (a literal happening that serves as a metaphor) sub-contextual occurrence that 'sums up' a larger contextual occurrence; a revelent 'reveals the relevant.' Rather, when someone or something does or says something that 'reveals' who or what they are in a greater sense. A revelant may also be described as a moment that reveals quintessence.

A fine example of a revelant:

"Other Republican candidates may retort to personal attacks and negative ads."—Fund-raising letter from George W. Bush, quoted in the Washington Post, March 24, 2000

This one moment reveals the greater context of Bush's idiocy and blatant contradictory actions.

Revelants happen often, and can be found if one is Listening through a holonic contextual lens of interpretation. If you Listen carefully, you'll see them often.

~mIe

The Looming But...

I really like this post,






























(but)


~mIe

Prey for Fat Christians

My Ego's in-laws from Arkansas sent along this joke, with the CC field wide open. Sorry, but if you make the Rev Billy Graham into the hero of the joke, My Ego is going to react, and reply to 'all'. Please don't think the reaction was in support of Hillary. There is nothing that makes My Ego more angry than the contradictory Christian. My Ego loves the teaches of the man named Jesus. What they have to do with Billy Graham has yet to be discovered...

The Joke:

A plane with 4 passengers is about to crash, but has only 3 parachutes. The first passenger said, "I'm Kobe Bryant, the best NBA basketballplayer. The Lakers need me, I can't afford to die.."

So he took the first parachute and left the plane. The second passenger, Hillary Clinton, said, "I am the wife of the former President of the United States; I am the most ambitious woman in the world. I am also a New York Senator, a potential future President and, above all,the smartest woman in the world." She grabbed the second parachute and jumped out of the plane. The third passenger, Rev.
Billy Graham, says to the fourth passenger, a 10 year-old school boy, "I am old and I don't have many years left. As a Christian I will sacrifice my life and let
you have the last parachute." The boy said, "It's ok; there's still a parachute left for you. America's smartest woman took my school backpack."


My Ego's Reaction:

A passenger plane with 300 million Americans is about to crash. George Bush is the pilot. He comes onto the intercom and says, "Don't worry passengers. Everything is going to be fine, God told me so. Iraq is progressing, the mission is already accomplished there, the economy is in great shape (just look at how well all my friends are doing!), the fine people of New Orleans are safe and sound, and all of the people aboard this plane are insured, healthy, fit, and happy."

Then the plane crashed into the mountain of 7 TRILLION dollars worth of debt; a mountain created in a mere 7 years by a so-called 'small government, free market' Republican.

But don't worry, everything is going to be fine. God told me so.


~mIe

Sorry Excuse Makers... Mercury Is Out of Retrograde...

My Ego is sorry to say Mercury is no longer in retrograde.

Those of you outsourcing your responsibility onto this poor little planet will have to find another crutch to lean on for now, of course until the next Mercury cycle goes retro. My Ego highly suggests global warming (ie child-with-matches) induced forest fires, the Bush Administration, more absurd lies from Giuliani or the sad truth that Colbert can't run for president as good scapegoats for your lack of will and evading acceptance of personal responsibility.

~mIe

mIe

Folks have been asking who "mIe" is. For those of you not tuned in on a regular basis (ie no one), this is My Ego's abbreviated name at the end of each post. But who is My Ego?

mIe is not m"L"e, that is an "I" (as in i, but really I, as in i, but, really, I)(or 1), pronounced "eye" or otherwise-spelled-as "eIe" (as in i, but really I, as in i, but really, I)(or 1).

mIe = I through me. Lowercase "m," Capital "I", lowercase "e."

I = You = mIe = You = I


~mIe

The Green Suicide Bomber

Finally! A suicide bomber who actually cares about the future of the planet! Most suicide bombers could care less about being green, but this selfless being has finally woken up to see the plight of our Mother Earth!

"A suicide bomber riding a bicycle Monday killed at least 28 Iraqi police at an Iraqi police base in Baquba, the U.S. military said."

Gone, my friends, are the days of the gas-guzzling 'car-bomber' style suicide explosion attacks on our humble troops and sensitive environment; this next-generation, consciously-evolved trend of the bike-bomber can only mean good things for the future of sustainable warfare.

It seems both sides of the war seem to agree, from green nuclear waste to the army going green, its easy to say our future will be as bright as the flash a mushroom cloud...

mIe

The Mnemotechnosphere

Warning: this post is philosophical. If you're not into thinking (if you want to see a stark example of the sad state of our country, read the comments below the video), please spare yourself the effort. Like all philosophy, much of this exploration has already been said, but My Ego has the ability to make up new words to describe phenomenological nuances thereof, so its new enough to share. Maybe.

***

The Mnemotechnosphere

My Ego sure is surrounded by technology. Digi cams, DVD turntables, videocameras, and My Ego's soon-to-be iPhone (once v2 is released, of course) surround My Ego like thoughts surround the mind, dancing hither and thither, sometimes alone, often in unison. It increasingly seems as though this mind-dance is literally manifesting itself into the world; the subject slowly mutates into an object (Nurture becomes Nature, but more on that later...), blurring the line between the meta and the physical.

What is all this tech doing to My Ego? How is My Ego affected (therefore effected) by the endless sea of pixels and mountains of iRacks? It seems to My Ego that memory is becoming externalized; our thoughts, memories, and desires are being exported from our minds, hearts, and souls, and downloaded into our various devices for the world to see.

My Ego sees a new sphere of memory evolving as Moore's Law unfolds. Lets call it the Mnemotechnosphere. The Mnemotechnosphere is the realm within which our memories become digitally externalized, the newly-emerging and ever-expanding network of externalized memory systems. The Mnemotechnosphere is the in-the-world Tango parter of the Noosphere. In other words, our collective memory is literally becoming objectified and revealed for the world to see and share as the Mnemotechnosphere. The Mnemotechnosphere is the realm of the subjective-objective; the Sobjective.

For instance, My Ego snaps a photo with the iPhone. My Ego is there, perceiving the moment, and downloading it into My Ego's subjective memory system. This system is mine and mine only; not even words can come close to describing what these memories are to me. The exterior reality the photo is taken "of" is the object, in this context. My Ego shows you the photo on the iPhone a few minutes later. This phenomenological experience takes place within the Mnemotechnosphere, between two subjects viewing a Sobject. The Web 2.0 is of course the best example of the Mnemotechnosphere in action, the blogosphere being a finger on the hand of the Mnemotechnosphere.

The more we externalize and meta-tag our memories into the Mnemotechnosphere, the more the Noosphere becomes a 'viewable' presence in our every-day life. Another great example of the Mnemotechnosphere is the Virtual Earth project, that pieces together photographic images to form shared objects in computerized space.

The question returns back to the a/effect this is having on us. It is easy to fear that the more we externalize our collective memory into the Mnemotechnosphere, the less we'll be able to remember. Therefore, like any other technology, the reliance on the Mnemotechnosphere is the greatest danger.

More to come on this...

mIe


***UPDATE: David Brooks wrote about the Mnemotechnosphere the DAY BEFORE My Ego posted about it. While his prose smokes My Ego's, he didn't come up with a pseudo-philo-scien-psycho-term to describe the realm within which it develops.

"Necessity"

I'm told now that I have a blog, I need to link to other blogs to spread the e-love far and wide. Surfed around for a bit, and was "impressed" with the "sensibility" of The Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks.

That's all. My Ego is ready for "bed."

mIe

Out of Rainbows

Presumably to make them feel better about themselves, folks have been asking for My Ego's opinion of the new Radiohead record, In Rainbows. First, lets address the nearly impossible set and setting with which to judge this record. While the 'out-of-nowhere' drop of the record earlier this month helped reduce some of the expected zeitgeist build-up of the ten-track mp3 download, there is little doubt that getting an unbiased listen is next to impossible. Besides, it seems any criticism of Radiohead is looked upon with utter disdain, scorn, and disbelief within the (lets call it "music-savvy") community. Open-minded, Radiohead fans are not.

Lets face it; Radiohead is without-a-doubt the most important band in the world--if the world you live in is one of constant fear of the Not-Yet, the "inevitable" End of Time as we know it. Of course, if your limited (unlike My Ego) construct of reality is so reductionist and limited as to think we're living the End. Wild fires in Malibu, Tsunamis, Katrina... the only difference between these calamities and those throughout history is the ability to capture them digitally, and cut them up into little tragic loops of despair and destruction that we can YouTube day and night. Not a generation goes by that doesn't believe they are seeing the End, and this truth will never change. Thinking we're the first and only is where the mistake lies. But more on the End in another post...

Or, if you're of the conscious-construct of Robert Nesta Marley, you may think something along the lines of "Have no fear for atomic energy/none of them can stop Time." My Ego akins this sentiment as a universal Truth, while "The infrastructure will collapse/Voltage spikes/Throw your keys in the bowl," is getting all a bit boring, don't you think? Whether we're here or not, Time will Ing. More on Ing in a future post...

Of course we have all sorts of references to love, desire, and even sexuality on In Rainbows, yet (and finally, a thesis?) there seems to be one (most) essential element lacking from the record: Melody.

Throughout musical history, from the East to the West, melody is the sign of Spirit in music; and what, after all, is Mus-ic, without Spirit/Melody. Really, how many of the In Rainbows tracks do you find yourself humming? Whistling while walking down the street?

Some tell My Ego this is because In Rainbows is a very 'complex' record, and it takes time to understand the rich layers and blah blah blah. Nothing, folks, is more complex than the simple. And Nothing more Beautiful than the Simplex. Woa wait a second, Ego. What's this about Spirit? What are you, some sort of religious fanatic? Yep. That's right. Religion and Spirituality are the same thing.

In fact, it seems that Thom has lost God. WHOA EGO, take it easy. God is a four letter word! For the faint of heart (meant quite literally), I'll use My Ego's alternate spelling, _0_.

Go ahead, I dare you to throw The Bends into your iPod, and have a good walk. In My Ego's never-humble opinion, The Bends is the Ultimate Radiohead record. Listen to those melodies; feel the attainment of the 'Simplex' and the cohesion of _0_ throughout. OK Computer, certainly one of the most incredible records ever recorded, certainly attains near _0_ levels, yet begins to strive for the complexity that eventually weaves its way through Kid A, Amnesiac, Theif, to the _0_-less experience that is In Rainbows.

Umm... Ego... isn't that entire paragraph just a subjective, opinionated rambling on what you enjoy, and therefore consider to be 'of' _0_.

I'm sorry, have you forgotten that this is My Ego?

mIe.

The Real Punk Rockers

**UPDATE 10.23.07: To add some more relevance/context to this post, read this BBC article

Wikipedia says:

"Punk rock is an anti-establishment rock music genre and movement that emerged in the mid-1970s. Preceded by a variety of protopunk music of the 1960s and early 1970s, punk rock developed between 1974 and 1977 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, where groups such as the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement."

Like any other movement, eventually Punk Rock became a caricature of itself, with sheep-like droves of 'post-punk-hipsters' slurring about town with what often times can be confused as a uniform, less style of dress... especially a style of dressed based upon 'freedom,' 'originality,' and 'counter-culture.' Seems like most of these folks are nothing more than robots, seemingly programmed to cover their bot-limbs with tight black jeans, a tattoo sleeve, and ironic t-shirt.

With such a sad state of Punk affairs, where is the true spirit of Punk? Where is the true revolt, and what are these Punk-rockers revolting against?

Eclectic Method, the UK's audio-video mash-up masterminds, fit the bill more than any other talent in the world. Yet their revolt is one of the intellectual variety, specifically that of intellectual property. Purposefully doing so or not, Eclectic Method continue to break through barriers of intellectual property the likes of which have never been seen, and will in no doubt re-shape the way video property is used and distributed throughout the world.



Video by video--be it a Britney video or the hottest HBO program--the Method take the last vestige of massive media property, and mash it to beat-driven, danceable shreds. One can't help but feel the undercurrents of a big fuck you to the Man when watching the Method perfor live, with a healthy dose of humor, scratch chops, and psychedelic wizardry for added measure. Using Pioneer's DVJ DVD turntables, Ececltic Method scratch and mix video/audio samples as a DJ would audio tracks, creating improvised, play-to-the-crowd experiences like nothing else in the world.



Ladies and Gentlemen, the next true Punk Movement--lets call it Meta-Punk--is upon us. All hail the video Sex Pistols...

mIe

Yep, It's Definitely Mercury's Fault

Hey did you hear? Mercury is in retrograde. Ohhhh. So that explains why I can't get any work done today. Or why my computer is acting slowly. Or why I have time to even write this. Clearly, any problem I have is due to Mercury being in retrograde.

So... When the fuck isn't Mercury in retrograde, anyway? For a week in the Spring when the flowers start to bloom? Then it gets hot and muggy... must be Mercury!

Here's a tip to ward off people who give more importance to planets then to humans:

When you see a Astriopath sizing you up, judging your every-last attribute, lips trembling in eager anticipation for asking you, "What is your sign?" Clearly this person already has you pegged into one sign or another, and man are they sure.

When this happens, simply tell the Astriopath this:

"If you can tell me what sign I am in three guesses, we'll keep talking. If you don't guess in three tries, you have to give up on Astrology altogether."

No better way to get an Astriopath to shrivel into a tiny, scared, submissive fool than this.

Man does MY EGO just love making people feel like that!!

mIe

Your Ego??

Folks have been asking me:

"Is this your ego" I am reading?

The answer is yes, this is your ego.

Best,

mIe

Drowning in Easy Green

If I see one more advert, commercial, magazine, newsletter, or blog dedicated to "Going Green", I'm going to vomit... and it will certainly be more colors than green, although that spinach was tasty last night. Last I checked, there were more colors in nature besides green--the number might even be infinite.

Why are we so fixated on Going Green, anyhow? (Reductionist alert!) The same reason we Americans do anything else: because we are promised it is "easy" to do so. And what more could we ever want out of life than the 'easy' way out? Nothing rewards MY EGO quite like the quick and easy; after all my ego is a series of the quick and easy all balled up into one gluttonous, ever-expanding glob of misinformation. We live in The Culture of Easy (a theme I'll be coming back to more in the future), where speed is the ultimate means to an end... and End which may come sooner than we all think. Or perhaps has already come?

Just buy some carbon credits to offset that massive rock tour! Plant a tree, save a life! Switch to LED bulbs and viola! You're green!

Clearly, use of "Green" seems to hearken back to an older usage of 'green', a synonym of 'naive' or 'new to a way of thinking.' To think that the task at hand, if there is even any point to said task, will be easy... well... You may want to do a bit more research before painting the world one color...

Then again, its just MY EGO talking...

mIe

Don't Read This

Warned you, no?

So My Ego decided to create a blog. Suppose you are wondering why, so My Ego shall reward you with an answer. As soon as you stop talking to yourself. Stop it, now, seriously. Ok world, My Ego awaits. Be prepared to read all about it.

- mIe