existdissolve.com
the singularity of being and nothingness
blogactionday.org
Aug 17th
Today, I ran across an interesting site: blogactionday.org . The concept is very simple-this website is organizing as many blogs as possible to join together on October 15, 2007 to talk about the environment. The orginators of this idea believe that a mass, one day conversation about the environment from the myriad perspectives in the blogging world will raise consciousness about the environmental issues and challenges that face our planet.
As of today, blogactionday.org suggests that a quarter of a million people are currently represented by the 500+ blogs that are registered.
existdissolve.com is now a registered participant, and I am already brainstorming ideas for the specific post that I will make on October 15th. I would encourage others to do the same by clicking here . (I will also be linking to it in the bottom section of this site). Even you feel that environmental activism is bunk, register and blog about that. The point of blogactionday.org is not to promote a specific hegemony of environmental thinking, but more generally to get people talking and thinking about the environment.
A Brand-Spanking-New Website
Aug 16th
Yeah, so I've been out of the loop quite a bit lately. The primary reason is that I have been working a ton! Beyond my normal web design and development duties at my regular job, I have also been working on some freelance projects which have occupied most of my ridiculously sparse free time (finishing Final Fantasy XII didn't help, either…).
Anyway, I am proud to announce that my first major freelance account is complete and live !
In a nutshell, landscape-expressions.com is a online photography portfolio for Gary Compton, a native of Somerset, Kentucky. In addition to displaying his photographs in an organized fashion, Gary also wanted visitors to be able to purchase various-sized prints online via PayPal.
Overall, this site was incredibly fun to do. Not only was is something I had not done before, but it also provided me the opportunity to utilize some new technologies that I've been dabbling in over the last few months. Primary of these is Adobe's Spry Framework , a robust yet ridiculously easy-to-implement javascript framework which provides the majority of the functionality on this website. One of the particularly nice things about Spry (beyond providing the engine for the gallery) is that it has some nice, native More >
Another Notch in the Belt: Final Fantasy XII
Aug 10th
Well, it’s done. I stayed up until 1:00 this morning and finally put Final Fantasy XII to rest. Total gamplay hours: 72:32.
On the whole, I enjoyed this installment in my favorite video game series. At first, I HATED the battle system, but as I progressed in the game, it became pretty interesting and became a formidable weapon in my hands as I cut through the pathetically weak enemies which I encountered.
The plot was not as good as some, and at times I felt as if I had missed gigantic sequences of storyline as characters, events and other random factoids were presented as if already well-established. One interesting aspect of the storyline is that it was not as single-protagonist-focused as other FF games. Although the player begins with Vaan, the story quickly transforms into an epic about another character (the Lady Ashe), while still drawing into the narrative the lives of several others. Although the storyline felt rushed at many times, it was engaging and satisfying on the whole.
Typically, I finish most FF games in about 30-35 hours. The reason for the over two-fold increase on this installment is multifaceted. First, with most games, finishing the game is my only goal. More >
CD Review - Fuel's "Angels and Demons"
Aug 8th
In the post-grunge rock fallout of the late 90's and early 00's, Fuel became a mainstay for rock fans, fusing the emotive spirit of Nirvana's musical revolution with a progressive and compelling sound that made alternative rock a viable option in the face of the rise of rap and hip-hop. Although bands are always more than the sum of their parts, Fuel was uniquely successful because of their long-time frontman, Brett Scallions, and his equally unique vocal stylings. In a world of mass-produced and equally burned-over redundancies like Nickelback and Creed, Fuel found in Scallions a vocal persona with sufficient gravitas to provide separation and differentiation from the broader and more painfully genericized rock genre.
However, with their 2007 release, "Angels and Demons," all of this has changed. Pursuing other musical interests, Scallions recently parted ways with Fuel, leaving the band to find another to fill the incredible void, a space filled by Toryn Green, formerly of the band Something to Burn.
From a somewhat disinterested perspective, "Angels and Demons" is a fairly solid album. Although Green brings an extreme measure of newness to the sound, Fuel does not depart significantly from the status quo, delivering the typically-Fuel fusion of hard-hitting, More >
CD Review – Jake Smith's "Real"
Aug 1st
In the face of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans native Jake Smith proves that even disaster cannot stifle the soul of the Big Easy. Released under Christian pop guru Michael W. Smith’s Rocketown Records, Smith’s debut album, Real, is a funky, soul-filled musical journey fused with penetratingly thoughtful lyrics that broach subjects of faith, loss, hope and love.
Musically, Real is significantly diverse. Tracks like “Get Up” and “Can’t Save Your Soul” are bright and groovy, while others like “Real Love” and “Run” are hauntingly melancholy. Yet within the diversity, a common thread of soulfulness unifies each track to the whole, creating the impression of a well-crafted, robust, and surprisingly mature project.
Somewhat reminiscent of Elliot Yamin’s earlier, and less impressive, 2007 release, Smith’s vocals are smooth and infectious, enrapturing the listeners’ attention without becoming overbearing. Yet behind these inherently accessible vocal performances is a depth and earnestness of lyricism that sets Smith worlds apart from the burned-over, made-for-radio pop which is so characteristic of today’s music scene. While comparisons to the artistry of John Mayer are surely overreaching, Jake Smith’s debut with Real heralds significant promise for this new artist.
As a final note, Smith has recently partnered with More >
existdissolve.com Receives Design Recognition
Jul 26th
As if having a blog devoted to nothing more than my own personal aggrandizement isn't enough, please allow for but a bit more gratuitous self-promotion. As many of my readers know, my "day job" is web-design. From initial concept creation, to html programming, to database architecture and application development, this is what I do. While I am certainly not the best, I do strive to make things work well and look good.
This site is a product of my most recent efforts. In designing and developing it, I operated with simplicity in mind. While there were a lot of other bells and whistles that I would have liked to add, their inclusion seemed to unnecessarily bulk up the site. Also, I attempted to make the site as bright and inviting as possible. While I liked the color scheme of the old template, it did get quite dreary after a while, and I for one welcome the change.
Well, finally my hard work has paid off in part. Over this last week, I was privileged to be featured on no less than 3 web design showcases. While they all have varying criteria for their entries, the majority of these sites base inclusion More >
Towards a Redefinition of Truth
Jul 24th
"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
With the dawn of the Enlightenment, it seemed to many that the evolution of human epistemology was nearly complete. The application of logic and scientific methodology, to the minds slowly waking from the lethargy and darkness of the Middle Ages, seemed incontrovertible proof that absolute knowledge was not only extant within the universe, but moreover that it was the proper subject of investigation, from the phenomenological, to the legal, and even to the metaphysical. In all areas of thought and study, the Western mind was intoxicated with the seeming success of propositional truth and its corollary assertion within the parameters of human paradigms of thinking.
However, as the unimpeded rush to lay claim to the absolute and objective proceeded forward at a frenzied pace, the tiny cracks of inconsistency which at first seemed to be but small bumps in the road to a fully formed and infinitely encompassing epistemology soon manifested itself for the disastrous cancer which it had always been. Like a patient who has learned that they are terminally ill and that nothing can be done to stop the spread of the destroyer, the modern Western mind was More >
The Good Samaritan and the Enemy
Jul 23rd
Recently, my pastor spoke about the parable of the Good Samaritan. As with other messages on this parable, the crux of the issue came down to the identification of the "neighbor" in the story. As was concluded in the message, it was the Samaritan man-not the religious elites-who was a true neighbors to the bloodied, violated man, for he alone showed care.
As I was reflecting upon this story, I was struck particularly by the identities of the characters in this parable-the three Jewish men, and the Samaritan. Most of the messages on this parable that I have heard conclude that the point of the story is that the definition of "neighbor" must be expanded beyond one's friends, family and acquaintences, and must more inclusively be defined by all humanity. While I believe this is certainly a part of the import of the story, I think a much more poignant point is being made by Jesus, the point that one's neighbor not only includes "everyone" generally, but one's enemies, specifically.
I think it is no accident that the protagonist of the story is a Samaritan. Hated by the Jews and despised for their mongrolized religious belief and praxis, the Samaritans were a More >
Where No Man Has Gone Before
Jul 20th
Okay, I have some theological bits coming soon, but I can't resist this.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - SEASON 1 !!!!
There are a lot of reasons, of course, so here we go:
1.) Terrifically cheesy. Okay, so we have to give some grace to the first season. After all, the producers were trying something very new (for the time) with state of the art technology. There is apparent tension between trying to keep the spirit of Kirk's enterprise (notice the "wheeeereee" noice of the computer from the OLLLLDDD Star Trek…and the mini-skirts…and the many LED display computers) and move forward into a more inspired (and, let's be honest, better looking) future. Also, the acting is quite suspect, as each of the main actors (with the exception of Patrick Stewart) is clearly struggling to find the pathos of their particular characters.
2.) Overtly political. Whether it is a commentary on the evils of rampant capitalism, the rarified cuteness of religious belief, or the villifying of basically the entire 20th century on Earth, the first season never pulls punches nor wastes an opportunity to weigh in on (what was then) pertinent and contemporary political/social issues.
3.) Respect for literature. Okay, I love More >
Lifehouse – Who We Are
Jul 14th
Hmmm…two CD posts in a row…
Anyway, I checked out Lifehouse's newest album, "Who We Are," a couple of weeks ago and…
Wait, let's cover this first. If you are a Lifehouse fan, you know the appeal of their music. The songs are thoughtfully written with intelligent lyrics. Musically, they are not phenomenal, but the songs are interesting and something one might like to listen to repetitively. Finally-and perhaps the biggest draw-is the incredible melodies which they consistenly deliver from song to song. I can think of few other bands that I listen to that are capable of producing songs that are endemically sing-a-ble and incessantly hooky.
…I loved this album. Like their other work, Lifehouse's "Who We Are" brings no surprises, no random stylistic changes that smack of artistic evolution (or devolution, as it might be). To the contrary, Lifehouse continues indefatiguably to BE Lifehouse. It is similar to eating at McDonald's. With every visit, one is not expecting to have a gourmand rebirth; one goes there because it tastes like you want it to taste, and how you know it will ALWAYS taste. On this album, Lifehouse continues to be the double-quarter pounder with cheese that is not a revolution in taste More >
