A misfits quote by Umair Haque = two good things in one!
Proof that doing the unexpected can help to avoid defeat = priceless!!
http://youtu.be/CtePPNhcJaM
I’ll bet that you’re feeling pretty motivated right now, aren’t you? đ Yes, laugh in the face of impossibility.
So, Walk Off The Earth passed this commentary on “that Gotye song” that has me crying with laughter. You seriously need to watch this!
Yeah, we’ve all done something just like this, but not quite in such a hilarious way. The clip was directed by Vincent Pergola. We should all send him a note of thanks for this video. And check out more of their work on YouTube under BreakfastToms.
OMG – I can’t breath because of this…HA HA HA
Update: I just heard back from Max and his friend Jamie, who both played/produced with Ugonna, and they mentioned that they have put out a tribute album in memory of Ugonna’s brief but powerful light. Go and check out this link to buy his memorial album – all proceeds will go to his family. And drop a line of thanks and encouragement to both Max and Jamie as they continue to pursue their own artistic endeavors in music and film. Like I keep saying – there are some amazing people out there to find and support!
What I Still Haven’t Found – Ugonna
I was going through Reddit when a title caught my eye. There is so much talent in this world, and when it goes undiscovered, it’s a tragedy. One such talent by the name of Ugonna “Iggy” Igweatu falls into this unfortunate category. From the OP’s story, it sounds like he passed from an asthma attack (at the too young age of 24). After hearing his last song that remains untitled, I really wanted to hear more from this man with a beautiful voice. Wow, I was blown away at his talent with the harmonica and the Blues. Unfortunately, he only had four videos posted on YouTube, and they’re all incredible to hear. He really had talent. The world does indeed need to hear his voice.
A thought…
If you want to do something about your own dreams, do it before it’s too late. You never know what life has in store for you. Basically, it’s a short ride full of mystery that only you can uncover. Sure, we all have bills to pay. But, when is the cost of ignoring your dreams simply too high? Your worth is higher than anyone will ever tell you. Don’t be fooled by the conformists. They don’t know the real you. Only you know what you’re fully capable of…what you dream of…what you know is inside of you. There’s a lot of creative people who are finally embracing their true selves, going against the naysayer. Bravo! Â Trust me, squashing it down just so you can mindlessly shuffle through the day is not the answer. It hurts A LOT when you do this. You’ll never get back the chances that you lost until you try your hardest to reach for them.
All those people who say that creativity is about making it big don’t get why creativity really exists. There will always be those who need tangible proof of success. But there are even more who understand the importance of the intangibles. These intangibles are what fills up your creative well so that you can keep making something of your inspirations. That’s the real fuel for a visionary.
p.s. To maxlanman and the rest of Ugonna’s loved ones – So sorry for your loss. Ugonna sounds like an incredible man. He leaves behind some beautiful memories that can still be shared. He’ll always be an inspiration to others. That’s his legacy. We need to keep creating for him and the other silent talents that never got to share their full potential. It’s up to us to keep dreaming for them.
Don Tapscott loves openness, and it shows in this talk. But what’s most important about this talk is the all-encompassing overview of how openness touches every aspect of our lives. If you want to be completely overwhelmed with good feeling, then listen to what Don has to say. He talks about the four principles for openness: 1) Collaboration, 2) Transparency, 3) Sharing, and 4) Empowerment. These four principles came about because of the Net Generation, a global group of people who co-exist and collaborate on the Internet.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” – US Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis
This quote that Don used is perhaps the most profound idea to come out of the Internet. In our world, the established forces are battling against the forces of openness. This battle has only just begun, and is full of the same intrigue and corruption that pervades all such great battles that are meant to change our world. Who will win really isn’t all that important because the actions that are emanating from the openness which already runs rampant globally is now firmly rooted. It shows every time a piece of biased legislation is confronted by the voice of the masses, who are now fully educated about the topic because of the Internet. When you have information so easily accessible, no one really has an excuse that they didn’t know about something. The information is readily available through all sorts of open channels or easy-to-find directions to the treasure trove of data.
This talk is exactly why I and so many others are actually pretty positive about the future. Sure, the present is full of pain, but the possibilities that lay just within reach are absolutely breathtaking. Now, it’s up to each and every one of us to make sure that someone reaches those possibilities and collaborates openly with others to turn them into a reality that truly inspires us all. We’ve seen some realities coming into being: the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement, Kickstarter, and so many more groups of highly motivated and visionary people. We need many, many more to completely kill the roots of the current establishment which no longer seeks true innovation. Our current world is full of decay. Who wants that, unless you’re a director of horror movies? Openness gives us another alternative that actually builds in a healthy and sustainable way.
The 21st century is our time. Grab it with both hands and an open mind, heart, and soul. Others are already waiting for you to join them, and boy do they have some amazing dreams to share.
p.s. You’ve probably already heard of Don from his multitude of books, including Wikinomics.
I just stumbled onto this series on Vimeo, and am absolutely mesmerized by the concept!!! Using silhouetted animation, we’re all taken on a wondrous ride in a world full of magical machines that combine technology with creatures. But what seems innovative on one world can be downright perplexing on another, and the movie shows that one guy who is cutting edge on his world is nothing but a curiosity on another.
The Bendito Machine is a series of incredible animations created by Jossie Malis that seeks to teach us about how we evolve. Jossie has done four machine films, and is working with Kickstarter to see if he can keep on creating many, many more. I can totally see why people are excited and addicted to Jossie’s creations. They’re so beautiful and quirky that you just have to keep watching. And they’re significant because they make a powerful commentary about our own little world (which completely inspired him – and left him in despair until Bendito Machine helped him let it out).
And follow his blog to see just what he’s up to in his mechanistically twisted little world of wonder. Â How did I miss this until now (he’s been working on it for 6 years, and boy am I inpressed)??? Jossie and his team needs to be supported in any way we can, because the Bendito Machine is nothing short of magnificant!
How about a thriller wrapped up in obsession? Yeah, that’s what they’re usually wrapped in, but what happens when the obsession takes on our reality and our means to quantify it? Numbers permeate our world, seeking to describe everything around us – both seen and unseen – in an orderly fashion. Though we continue to fight the disorderliness of our universe by fitting it into patterns that we cherish, the numbers seem to show us that nothing is ever really properly packaged.
What if there’s a secret number that can open up a new dimension? What would it describe? And if we found it would our dimensions shift into one another, perhaps even bending space or time? Scientists have sought out just such ideas since any of us had our first thought about the unknown. And Colin Levy along with his amazing team from the Savannah College of Art and Design have given us a thrilling vehicle to go along for the ride in finding…The Secret Number.
Strap yourself in for a mind-bending experience. The universe is about to take a turn towards chaos. Or perhaps it always was and we’re finally realizing that nothing is as it seems. This short is absolutely brilliant with its gorgeous package of timing, atmosphere, and acting. This is the kind of movie that we should all be crying out for.
Reddit found a pretty smart video (started with an Imgur image) by our favorite astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson. And you have to admit that he is completely right on this topic. Children aren’t the problem. We adults are.
If you look around at many of the biggest problems that we’re facing, it started at the hands of adults and it continues to grow by adult hands. As a matter of fact, children are stepping up to the podium at many public events to tell us adults that we’ve got screwed up priorities, and they’re right.
When we’re young, we’re not afraid of dreaming the impossible or looking a little ridiculous when we make a mistake. We shrug off the negativity and keep moving forward. As we get older, it becomes harder because we’re so invested with our personal standing. And that was taught to us by this mixed up system that we continue to support. Why? Darned if I know.
But if we’re smart, we’ll start to listen to the children and maybe even follow some of their reminders. Kids aren’t the only ones with something to learn. We all are students in life. Those with open minds are the ones who can help us change the present so that we all have a future.
So, ignore those adults who ridicule your renegade nature. They just haven’t realized that you’re part of the group with the potential solutions that will get us to that better future we all dream about.
p.s. Read Umair Haque‘s latest: Declare Your Radicalness – he’s right. It’s your move.
http://youtu.be/UNWQgJCbuJY
In addition to the beautiful aerial view we get of Minsk, this flight has a pretty powerful message to the people and to the ruler of Belarus. We’ve heard about some of the repressive laws that are being passed in this country regarding free speech. Well, it looks like Studio Total wanted to do something more, and they did: the Teddybear Airdrop Minsk.
The backstory on prepping for this aerial mission is pretty interesting, as is the fact that two of Studio Total’s crew took flying lessons in order to do this mission. Now that is dedication to your message. Sadly, the report on The Local also pointed to some skepticism on the part of the “public” that the airdrop took place since many of the bears seem to have been collected by cleaners and given to the local police. Fortunately, others caught evidence of the floating teddies.
So, it looks like these guys did another daring feat (I heard about their School of Sex hoax a while back). Gotta love their sense of humor and adventure, all tied up with a dedication to talk about what’s right. A strong message with a twist of cute. NICE!
– find out more details through Good, The Local, and RFE/RL
I missed this movie when it came out in 2007, but I’m glad that I finally got to see it during this Independence Day holiday (a great kick in the teeth). This production is a timely and powerful reminder of what we’re going through in this country, and the forces that are in play at controlling our world. It’s not a conspiracy movie, because it’s been happening in the background of our lives. And now we’re beginning to see the evidence of the fallout from this dangerous “game” (Libor, global market collapse, Euro-crisis, and on and on).
Robert Redford has some amazing company in this movie (here’s the Wiki page so that you can see), but it’s the message that this movie portrays that is really so powerful. I’m not a fan of Tom Cruise, but he plays the perfect politician-type (you can guess why) Â who’s obsessed with the greatness of America. Robert Redford and Meryl Streep play the disillusioned counterparts (a college professor and a journalist who’ve seen too much to be fooled any longer) who are trying to figure out how to make a difference in a world whose feet are firmly planted in the path of the status quo. But no matter how hard they try, the establishment has a way of letting reality grab the inspired (in this case, two brilliant college students who enter the military to fight from within) by the throat and bleed. The ending is climactic because there is always another hopeful youth to take the place of those who lose against the norm.
I’m not sure why this movie got bad reviews because it was deeply thought-provoking. Considering where we’re currently at with bank failures, out-of-control war mongering, and corruption at a level not seen since the Robber Baron days, this movie should be required viewing for everyone. There are no clear cut answers – only evidence of catastrophic problems that are engulfing the globe. It’s not the time to just go out and vote, then hope for change. It’s time to be part of the change, no matter how painful the involvement will be.
Here’s one of the most powerful moments of the movie (and there’s a lot of them):
Do yourself a favor and watch this movie if you haven’t. It’s that powerful because it makes you think.
So, I never read the Gantz manga series because I’m tired of collecting series that just never seem to end (34 volumes and going strong). I did when I was younger, but not so much anymore because the physical books take up a ton of room. I had heard and saw some of the craziness that is in Gantz, but never got into the series until I saw part 2 of the live action movie series.
I stumbled upon this pretty great movie when I was floating through Frye’s movie section (wow, the San Jose store has so much more than San Diego), and decided that it might be interesting to watch. Needless to say, we were both pretty enthralled by the action (by we, I mean that it even captured my hubby’s attention).
The story is about a group of dead people who are called by a black orb named Gantz to do missions that it chooses for them. It all takes place in a game scenario where they have to keep competing until they reach 100 points (the perfect score). The fact that there are aliens involved gives this is the interesting twist. I heard that the manga was pretty gory (they usually are in this genre – Japanese love horror), but the live action movie played tricks with your mind so I thought that it was a fair trade. If you haven’t seen it, then you should. It’s not a zombie movie – it’s actually better. It makes you think about what you might face in an afterlife. Gantz’s afterlife is as brutal as real life is. Ouch!
