BIRDMEN!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!

A new subspecies of human was recently discovered in the hills of Washington State. The public has unofficially named them ‘the birdmen of Washington’ because of the giant wings sprouting from their backs. It is still unknown if these wings are actually functional, or have some other purpose. Some scientists have suggested that they may be only for show and used in finding a mate. The bodies of these birdmen are somewhat shorter and stockier than an average human’s body. It seems that they use some sort of primitive, guttural sounding language. So far there is no concern for the safety of those living near the colonies of this new species. They have not shown any aggressive tendencies or attacked anyone as far as we know. Many people are hoping to get close to the culture of the birdmen, and try to integrate them into modern society. An opposing voice has also sounded, stating that the mixing of species in society simply will not work. “These birdmen could disrupt the whole social order,” stated one anti-integration supporter. “Imagine if we let them mix into the workplace. I know my job would become jeopardized. As a professional sky scraper window cleaner, I could not compete with someone who could fly.” Only time will tell how these newly discovered ‘people’ will be accepted into the world.

A blog to be idealized

The thing you instantly notice about this site is the bright pink banner across the top with the sites name on it. I don’t really understand the meaning of the sites name, “we make money not art”, but it is an interesting title none the less. The author of the page is a media art consultant and writes about the intersection of art and technology. The page seems pretty straight forward, with a plain white background and black text. Pictures are incorporated into every post a number of times and I found I liked the pictures more than I thought I would. The visual stimulation keeps interest in the story and also breaks up the writing. I think I will try to include pictures more often from this point out.

One very cool feature I found on this site was each post had a few link boxes above linking you to other posts with the same topic or from the same writer. This blog has one main writer, Regine, and several contributing authors. These buttons were very convenient because if you had an interest in what the blog was about you didn’t have to search through the rest of the site trying to find other posts on the subject. Each post also contained a number of hyperlinks, though they weren’t in the traditional blue and underlined format. The only difference was that they were in bold, which I think was not noticeable immediately. I only realized these were links after my mouse accidentally moved over one of the bold words. I think I will keep the traditional blue underline style since it is so easily recognizable. The layout of the blog was very nicely done and easy to use. On the left hand side of the site were the most recent posts. The right hand side was mostly for navigation. It included ways to contact the writer, an ‘about us’ link, links to interviews, and links to all the specific subjects discussed on the page. On the far right hand side of the page were advertisements and sponsor links. I don’t think I really have to worry about where to place my sponsor links, because I don’t really see my blog becoming that popular anytime soon.

The biggest complain I had was the length of the page. To get to the bottom I had to scroll down a very long way. I find it somewhat unappealing when all the navigation and sponsor links end and the writing continues for some time. I think it’s better to have all three sections be about the same length, and have the page just big enough so that you can see most of it without scrolling. I think the maximum should be that you can see half the page on the screen. In this page you could only see 1/20^th of the page without scrolling (I measured). Another thing I noticed was that from the 16^th to the 22^nd, each day had at least one post if not a couple. After the 22^nd there were no new posts. The author is considered a professional blogger, and I just found it strange that she would go a few days without making a post.

Observational Essay: Congas, not Bongos

“How old are you? Twenty?” James asked. I nodded in agreement. “Yea, I’ve been playing for twice as long as you been alive. At least forty years.” He sat in front of six drums, which a sign written on cardboard in front of him stated were conga drums, not bongo drums. I had found James playing at the edge of a crosswalk on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado. Street performers and musicians have always interested me. They go out day after day and express their talents in front of a live audience hundreds of times, hardly earning enough money to live on. They do it for the sheer love of their craft, because they enjoy doing what they are doing. James is one of those people, and his love is music.

The late afternoon air made for a not quite comfortable, but not quite chilly Colorado day. The area is a pleasant one to sit and watch. The smell of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and the Boulder Café mingle in the air to create a pleasing aroma. The red brick walkway is dotted with trees and pieces of art. About 20 yards away a boulder garden is set in the middle of the path, with 5 or 6 kids exploring the peaks and valleys. The sun was setting but it had not yet become dark, still enough people walking the mall to earn a few bucks. The purpose of my being here was to find a street performance, and the deep bass of a drum beat was a promising sound. I saw the source of the sound just ahead, an older black man sitting on a corner of a crosswalk with six conga drums circling around him. Each drum was about two feet high, but not nearly as wide. They were worn and looked like they had been in use for quite some time. Some paint flecks still stuck to the sides of the drums, alluding to a brightly colored past. The man, who I would later find was named James, was rhythmically beating the drums with two equally worn drumsticks. He was wearing a somewhat dirty red parka, a black beanie, and had a content smile on his face. In front of the drums was a small cardboard box for collecting payment for his performances.

As he begins striking the drums, all eyes in the general vicinity turn to see where the noise is coming from. Some people simply give a fast glance and walk past, while others slow their pace and continue to watch. Most children continue to watch even as their parents are pulling them along by their outstretched arms. The sound is fast and deep, somewhat tribal sounding and almost entrancing. It would certainly seem that way for the much younger members of the crowds. One girl, who was maybe 3 years old, stopped in her tracks and stared with incredibly large eyes until her mother walked back and picked her up. Even as she was being carried away the young girl turned to see and hear the performance. One middle aged woman in a bright blue jacket walks over and slips a bill into the box, which warrants a smile, nod, and thank you from James right before he breaks into a faster beat. Their seems to be 3 groups of people; those who will walk by without turning their head even if James says something to them, those who might drop a dollar in the cardboard box and continue walk, and those who stay to enjoy the rhythmic sounds. Although somewhat fast the deep sound of the drums sets a mellow mood. It adds to the already relaxing and seemingly carefree environment.

It’s starting to get darker and there are less people along the path. James stops playing, but intermittently hits a few beats. He stands to stretch, picks up the cardboard box and deposits the money into his pocket. As he’s doing this another man dressed in army fatigues walks up and gives him a hug. He has a backpack with a few holes in it on his back along with a sleeping bag. He looks about the same age, if not a little older than James. They talk for a few minutes, but I’m just out of earshot, and am unable to hear anything they say. James sits back down and begins to play, while his friend begins to sing. His voice goes perfectly with the drums, adding a reggae sound to the newly formed duet. I’m unable to make out all the lyrics but something about Babylon is being repeated. The combination of drums and vocals seems to draw a few more people. One father and daughter couple in particular walks up and stands right in front of the two. The newest member of the band begins to sing directly to the daughter who in turn hides behind her daddy’s legs, peeking around to get a glimpse of what is going on. Before long her curiosity gets the best of her and she leaves her safe haven. James offers her the drumsticks and she delivers a few quick notes before returning to her dad’s leg. He drops a couple bills in the box, hands the drumsticks back and they are on their way.

“You gotta understand about the time I grew up in,” James says to me. “In the 40’s and 50’s you saw musicians playing for the love of the music, not for anything else except that simple purpose.” I walked over to talk as James took a break from playing. “I got my inspiration from them. That’s probably about when I first started playing. I been playing here for a long time though. Every once in a while a cop will come and say he’s never seen me around before. I tell him I’ve been playing here longer than he’s had his job.” I smile and thank James for the music and answering my questions. “Ah ya, come by anytime. We just enjoy playin down here. It’s not really bout the money we make, we just like to come down an’ play, if someone wants to throw a bill in the box that’s cool, or if someone wants to smoke a lil that’s cool too. If not whatever, ya know.” I thank him again and slip a twenty into the box before I leave.

Oh so random

Randomly selected words: algraphy, babble, cicadas, diacope, elephant, flogging, gaggle, helipad, ingenious, jaguar, kevlar, laminate, monitor, nominal, orangutang, prefect, quintessence, rebellion, stallion, tramp, usher, vitamin, wishful, xanthic, yams, zuni.


L'attuale tipolitografia ALGRAPHY s.n.c. di R. Menoni & C. Use your broadband to phone and text (SMS) around the world. No periodical cicadas are expected to emerge in 2006. Repetition of a word with one or more between, usually to express deep feeling. An ordinary high school day. Except that it's not. We're home with our families after the extremely fun SideOneDummy College Tour. This document explains your rights and obligations as a user of Gaggle. Helipad is a web-based tool, which means you can use it wherever you can get online. Whereas the consequences of modern science and technology dominate our lives and thoughts, we have been slow to incorporate scientific concepts into our culture. Introducing the breathtaking XK and XKR (available in early 2007), Jaguar´s latest, most muscled athletes. KEVLAR® is an advanced technology that helps transform the ordinary to the extraordinary. Welcome to Wilsonart International, celebrating 50 years as a world-leading producer of decorative surfacing products. Tackles issues of strategic importance to clients including, but not limited to, questions of competitive strategy, organizational strategy, and corporate structure. A nominal quantity (e.g., length, diameter, volume, voltage, value) is generally the quantity according to which some item has been named or is generally referred to. Jerome Hamlin's Wildlife Photos/ contact: dinofish@cloud9.net for further use information and hi-res images. The word praefectus means 'the one who stands in front' (of others). Are you a current Quintessence journal subscriber, but have not yet used the on-line editions? Whilst we're busy working hard on bringing you some exciting titles for each of the three major next-gen home consoles, we're also pleased to announce a multi-platform next-gen title too! The acquisition by Lantronix will enhance Stallion's already considerable capabilities. While they may do odd jobs from time to time, tramps aren't looking for regular work and support themselves by other means i.e. begging or scavenging. Your purchase of a "Love 4 Life" dog tag benefits Usher's New Look "OUR BLOCK" program in New Orleans and Mississippi where residents and citizens from across the country are committing to help rebuild gulf coast communities destroyed by hurricanes Rita and Katrina, one block at a time. Sluggish internet speeds may be a thing of the past, but instant page loads are still the stuff of the future. Wishful thinking is interpreting facts, reports, events, perceptions, etc., according to what one would like to be the case rather than according to the actual evidence. On here you will find all the downloads to give your mac a GUI makeover to the tiSuite look. Yams of African species must be cooked to be safely eaten because various natural substances in raw yams can cause illness if consumed. The Zuni Indians of today are one of 19 original tribes that once inhabited the area that is now called New Mexico and Arizona.

Pearl street!!!

When I leaned of our observational essay assignment, one place automatically popped into my mind, the pearl street mall in Boulder. The combination of an open air mall, comparable to the 16^th street mall in Denver, and the overall vibe of the city of Boulder should make for an interesting observation. I have previously visited this mall a few different times and have always enjoyed myself. There are usually some sorts of street performers, hundreds of people to watch, and a collection of unique stores and places to see. I figured I would rather have an interesting time doing this assignment than doing something that would be predictable and boring.

My main focus for this observation, if I am able to find them, will be the street performers. I’m hoping that I will be able to find a show going on while I am there, but if not I think it will still be pretty interesting just to watch people exploring the shops and general area. Considering that there isn’t really a schedule for these performances, or even a designated area, I will need a little bit of luck to find what I’m looking for.

A couple of sites I found that could be helpful are Boulder visitor guide and map sites. These will be able to give me a context by giving me a little bit of history of the town and area. More importantly they can help me find parking. I don’t know if anyone else has ever been to Boulder, but parking is horrendous at best. The other website I will be using is wikipedia. I’m using this in order to give me a better context. I’ve looked up street performing and will be able to better understand, and more accurately view, whatever performance I hopefully catch. I think understanding more about both the city and street performances, will help me immensely in completing this assignment.

Keeping the audience in mind, the internet public, I think this would be a good topic because it is something not everyone can experience. As I’ve said before, what sparks a person’s interest is usually something that is unusual or they haven’t experienced before. Street performances in Boulder are something that most people wouldn’t normally see. Especially considering that the audience is effectively the Earth. That is the great power of the internet, anyone who wants to can reach people from all over the world.

I personally want to use this as my topic mainly because I think it would be entertaining. Also I’ve always had an interest in street performing and other people who gain their income in non traditional ways. I find your average, go to the office every day, non spontaneous job depressing in many aspects. I think in able to enjoy life you have to have some unknown aspects to it. With spontaneity comes excitement, and with excitement comes a more enjoyable living experience.

Here are the websites I'm using:

Visiting Boulder

Downtown Boulder

Street performers

A real life fight (aka not scripted)

The video I chose from youtube is quite hilarious, in my opinion. I tend always to look at the more comical videos whenever viewing websites like this because I enjoy being able to see things that one wouldn’t normally see everyday. The unusual seems to spark some sort of interest for me. I guess it doesn’t have to be funny but just somewhat uncommon. The video I chose has this element, was short so I could quickly see the reason for the video, and also happened to be funny.

The context of this video is important to make it seem unusual. You can see that this video takes place in the work place. There are a couple of different ways to tell this. First, the title refers to someone at work, “Guy freaks out at work.” Second, you can tell from the part of the video leading up to the outburst that these people are in some sort of office environment. Another important part to understanding this video is seeing the section leading up to this mans outburst. If you were to just see the part of the man leaping across the table and attacking his coworker you would not have any context to place the purpose or reason for the fight. Seeing his coworker pestering him by throwing things at him from across the room gives you that context. It also makes it easier to associate with the person. I know I’ve wanted to leap across a table and kick the ass of someone pestering me.

The difference between watching this video online or seeing it on TV or in a movie is that it is more believable. If I were to see something like this in a movie I would think that it was part of the script or planned out before hand. The same goes for seeing a scene like this on TV. It makes it funnier, at least to me, that this was just a spur of the moment thing and took place in a real life setting. Even more convincing is the fact that this was caught on a security camera. The odds of someone making a home movie in their office while this event took place are slim to none, so if that were the case I would immediately think the event was staged. Security cameras, on the other hand, are constantly running and catch anything that goes on throughout the day.

Overall I find there is a large difference in viewing online media as opposed to traditional movies or TV. It’s made for a more of a variety in video viewing. If I want to see something that is a tape of something happening in real life, I can search internet video websites. If I want to see something that has incredible special effects or story lines that would in all probability never happen I can watch a traditional movie. The new forms of entertainment available have made for an all encompassing viewing experience.