Sitting in Sed/Strat lab today listening to 89.3, and one of their random, eclectic songs came on the air. Someone asked who it was, I search on my laptop and came up with the name Gotan Project.
Never, ever heard of them before.
Been listening to clips from their website all day and finally got around to buying some tracks off iTunes this evening. Its sort of a tango, electronic fusion. Watch the video on their website. It contains two of the three things Argentina is best known for: tango and beautiful women. (the third being asado.
I had the chance to experience asado while in Argentina, and it was with out reservation or doubt, the best meat I have ever had in my life. )
My entire history of music listening can be described by a series of these random events which wisk me off in another direction. We’ll see if this one goes anywhere.
*Note: Despite the Argentinean overtones, the group is actually French.
The trip is getting closer. My house is getting close to being put on the market and the semester is nearing an end.
Here is where some things stand:
Website
I’m probably going to have to get some help in developing the website. I’d like to keep the core of it a standard blog application like WordPress, but make some modifications to it. Associate country, lat/long, video, etc for each entry. That shouldn’t be much more than adding a few fields to the database.
I’ll also need a complete design for the website, which I am in no position to do. I also need to find a host that can handle any increases in traffic I might see. I have no faith that my current host could handle it.
Photo/Video Serving
At this point, I’m assuming I’ll just use Flickr and a similar service for video like Youtube or Google Video. They can host the files, and I can integrate them into the site. Its the cheapest, easiest solution I can think of.
Licensing
I’m going to release all the content I create via a Creative Commons License. Its my hope that some people may take some raw video footage and do some editing or do some photoshop work on the still photos. The license will be a “you can edit and distribut but you can’t sell” type.
Video Camera
I’m leaning towards a Sony Z1U, HC1 or HC3. There is a big difference between the Z1U and the HC cams in terms of price, portability, battery life, and weight. I’m not sure which way I’d go yet.
Computer
I think I’m going to get a Macbook. Not only is the bundled video editing software pretty good, but the universe of video editing knowledge out there for it is pretty rich. I figured out how to do the basics of video editing in five minutes at the Mac store. Moreover, the Mac warranty is now global, so if I have issues somewhere else, I can still get it fixed.
SLR Camera
I’m leaning towards the Nikon D200.
Misc
I’ll need a good storage container for my electronics. I’m thinking of going with a hard sided case at this point. I’ll also need some sort of bag for carring gear around when I’m out for the day. Preferably, something that could carry both the video camera and the SLR. I’m planning on having two containers currently. One for personal stuff like clothes, and one for electronics. Some sort of security device will be needed too.
I’ll also need some electrical adaptors, but I hope not much in the way of bulky transformers. I’m also thinking a small device for finding wireless access points, an iPod, and small pocket camera (which I already have). I’ll probably need extra DV tapes, DVDs for archiving, a small extension cord/power strip, extra batteries, and memory cards. A tripod would also be necessary as will a lavaliere mic and an waterproof bag for underwater shots. A small GPS (maybe a USB one for space) will be nice too.
I’m planning on taking 2 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, 4 pair of underwear/socks, 1 pair of shoes, 1 pair of sandals. I’ll have way more gear than clothes.
I’ll be looking for help to set up the website before I go. I’m assuming that there is little need for on-going support once its up and running. If anyone is interested, please let me know. I’m going to be setting up a dummy site soon where I can start working on it.
I’ve been following the World Baseball Classic the last few weeks. I think its a really great idea, given the international nature of baseball now.
If you haven’t been following along, and you probably haven’t, the US didn’t win. In fact, we didn’t make the finals. In fact, we didn’t make the semi-finals. In fact, we barely made it out of the first round after we lost to Canada (Canada!!! In baseball!! and they didn’t have Eric Gagne pitching!!!) We also lost to Mexico, Korea, and only through the grace of a horrible ump, beat Japan.
Japan beat Cuba in the finals, which was suprising only in that they beat a really good Dominican team to get there. There was only 1 Major League player starting in the final game.
What the WBC showed is that the US doesn’t own baseball anymore. Hopefully, it will spur more players to come out of countries like Korea and Panama who can field good, but not great teams.
As for the US, someone should punch George Steinbrenner in the face.
Next time some complains about Disney World being too commerical or corporate, point them to this photo:
This was a T-shirt sold in the China pavilion at Epcot.
If you have trouble reading it, this is what it says:
Mao Zedong
Poet, revolutionary, genius, and bumbler, the founder of the Peoples Republic was an icon to tens of millions and to a close few, a very human figure.
Of the thousands of people who walked past this display, I doubt if more than a few batted an eye. They should have. Mao was probably responsible for the deaths of more people than any single person in human history.
Consider your reactionion to the following t-shirt:
Adolph Hitler
Artist, revolutionary, genius, and bumbler, the founder of the Third Reich was an icon to tens of millions and to a close few, a very human figure.
I judged a college debate round the year after I graduated at Heart of America. One team ran a Maoism case. Everyone thought it was cute. I wrote the longest ballot of my life, and thankfully the affirmative bungled Topicality. What pissed me off, is that for all the high and might moralism you find with people running critiques, something like this can pass without comment.
I have a random quote on the side of my webiste from George Orwell that summarizes my thoughts very succinctly:
All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome.
70m people dead is guess is a “unwelcome fact”.
To a certain extent I can understand why we put Hitler in a special category that we don’t put Mao, Pol Pot, or Stalin in. We fought a war with Hitler, and we didn’t with Stalin or Mao. Moreover, Hitler lost.
Nonetheless, there is a difference between holding someone a particular level of disgust and out right celebration.
So much political discourse today is determined not by what people advocate, but rather by the side they are on. People loathe George Bush, not so much for what he does, but because he’s on the other team. The same was true with Clinton. Some policies advocated by the current administration (warrantless wiretaps) rightfully deserve scorn, but passed without comment in the previous administration. Likewise, those up in arms about lies and scandal in the Clinton adminstration and willing to lie down and let the current overlords do as they please.
Too many people suffer from such an intellectual gridlock, that they cannot bear to admit that there is fault in their side least it be used to advance the cause of the other side. It not so much about advancing an idea, as destroying the other guy.
Take it far enough (and it has gotten this far) and one result is you get Chairman Mao t-shirts at Disney World. There are lots of other examples on both sides, but I don’t think anything else quite makes the point like this t-shirt does.