Sitting by and open window, close your eyes.

Imagine that this is your world. Listen to your world for five minutes. Don’t do anything else.
When you are finished, remember that this world is in-the-world.

My in-the-world has shifted, from 11211. Now I am 10013. But being in the world reminds me of how small shifts are always happening in my listening, whether I am aware or not. Now, new shock against my body, my heart. Strangely, this new external shift, from the rumble of a brooklyn train to the third-world sounds of canal street, has brought me a new sense of urgency. We must make a change now! The lull of complacency transformed to a renewed drive.

And now:

Go see Old Joy

brilliant movie, starring will oldham. one of the favorites i have seen, and I had the fortune to do the sound design. It is a film about trust, and listening.
here is a well known track by will, covered by cash, uploaded from 10013.

Listen Now:

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i am going through some serious “return to ny madness”. this is one way i keep it together.

john cage’s 4′ 33″

the commentary after is rather silly, but the piece is everything.

When I was 8 or 9, playing piano in my small town, my teacher was impressed with my rendition of the “little cabellero”. I had managed to move the tempo from a mere trot to a full speed gallop, eventually reaching derby speed.

Blair Smith, my teacher, told me

“Music is the space between the notes.”

Later, I found out that this most salient piece of advice was actually a quote from Claude Debussy

I have, for better or for worse, tried to justify my country’s actions on a number of occasions.

My explanation for our tyrannical and despotic actions is that the education system in the united states of america is fundamentally flawed. For years, I have tried to do something, whethere undividedproductions with alex, steve and others, or directly with Eyebeam, first at the DDC and the New Media Collaborative

While rewarding, it is difficult to not be discouraged–it all seems to do so little good, and I am often frustrated.
Though I am loathe to place this video of CNN on my blog, I think this report about the poll of USA residents regarding the non-connection between al qaeda and the war in Iraq is, at least, representative of a trend to look at Americans as, effectively, ignorant of global and national politics. This comes via crooks and liars

(interestingly, bbc has this report today which resubstantiates the total separation of Iraq from the events of September 11, 2001 )

formal education = criticality? at the very least, formal education = scepticism

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