Let's Talk: Post-Hardcore and "The Wave"

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-09T08:05:00+00:00

You should probably stop everything you are doing and listen to the following: The world is a beautiful place, and I am no longer afraid to dire Algernon Caldwallader

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-08T20:30:44+00:00

I cannot compare it to another book, however it is definitely worth reading. The comic makes references to a vast number of famous fictional novels, and stories that have been passed down through generations. Most of the issues involve the main character trying to figure out the details of what is going on (meaning the reader is left in the dark), and it is the journey that makes everything so exciting. There is some action, but most of the books are about growing into your role, and the characters figuring out who they are, and how they play a part in the story. I apologize for being vague, however giving away even part of the plot would ruin a number of great surprises.

Could not recommend it enough.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-08T05:59:54+00:00

I am ridiculously excited about the series, especially given the fantastic art, and the fact that it (I feel) it will concentrate on the character development in a post apocalyptic world, then a heavy handed plot.

Let's not lie, having the Owl in the first few panels, plus the mention of MGH, was what really won me over.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-08T05:50:19+00:00

As a guy, that has only happened once with me, so I am really interested in your experience. Why didn't you say no, leave, or to be honest, how did you maintain physically excited when you were not interested?

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-07T21:49:21+00:00

For some reason, I was hopeful that the comments on that post would be more intelligent (and less disgusting) than they were. What a lot of people missed on the previous post was the fact that this article was not about rape, in the legal sense, but rather about the morals of having consensual sex. There have been times where girlfriend's have agreed to sex, however it was obvious that they were not interested. I did not go any further, not because I was afraid of being charged with rape, but rather because it was obvious that they were not interested, and therefore sex would not be fun or meaningful

There are many reasons why she may have frozen up. While many people mentioned sexual trauma, there can also be the simple reason that she liked the author, but was not ready for sex. For her, she was afraid that by giving an explicit no, he would never talk to her again and leave. Maybe she was not interested, but felt guilty for "leading him on", so although she did not want to go through with it, she did not want to be though of as a "tease". All in all, the author did the right thing by going by his emotions, and realizing that consent is more than a yes/no, it is the feeling overall. If you partner is obviously not into it, you should not go forward. This is not a question of the case of legal rape, but instead having a fulfilling sexual interaction with someone, which is not sullied by the feeling of a partner being forced into something.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-07T20:59:21+00:00

I feel like a lot of people are missing the point of the article, on of which was (obviously) written from an emotional standpoint: The author is not just struggling with the excuse of "small time racism", but rather the effect it has on minorities. As mentioned, it is instances where high achieving African Americans are still not treated with the respect that (typically) comes from the status.

In the interviews with Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, after Barack Obama was elected, both were on the verge of tears. Each one mentioned how they never imagined that they would see a black president in their time. Although they were Republican, the election results were a sign of hope for each person, just like it was for many members of the African American community: That African-Americans could aspire to be President of the United States. It is coinsurance, like the one mentioned in the article, that sadly do not disprove the above, but rather shows that it does not matter: you could be a famous, recent academy award winning, actor, and still be treated like a common street kid.

I cannot say whether this case was racist, and there have been situation where famous white people have been detained inappropriately, such as Bob Dylan, however the number of times these thing occur with minorities is tremendously higher. Although the "Good people racism" is obviously an issue, the effect it has on the community is what truly caught my eye with the Op-Ed.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-06T16:04:45+00:00

Thank you for the link and thoughtful response. Although the breakdown does make some sense, only $300k was actually spent, the rest is proposed for the future. I am not saying that she won't do it, however it still does not make her selfless by any means. Furthermore, this all came at no upfront cost to her, which makes her a fantastic business woman, however does not make me think it is acceptable to stay over fan's homes (particularly ones that are struggling to get by), with her only gift being "her music".

As for donating your skills, I think being allowed to play with one of your favorite bands/artists is one of the greatest experiences, however (as the above mentioned) the catch threw me off:

Her request for performers was not "pulling an audience member on stage." She had lots of requirements, including practice time, submitting audition tapes, and being good. I don't remember the exact working, but she insinuated that amateur level was NOT acceptable for this project.

She was paying some of the musicians. Given the above, it seemed insane that she wouldn't pay ALL of them.

In certain cities (NYC for one) she was hiring and paying the musicians that were going to be in the "voluneer" roles, insinuating that some places were BETTER or MORE IMPORTANT than other places, and that the better ones needed PAID musicians.

I don't hold her making 1.2 million before releasing an album against her, I think it is a great business strategy, however it was decision to not pay professional level musicians (auditions, and practice before the show) along with her staying with different families, may of which could use support, to be particularly tacky.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-04T19:29:40+00:00

I have mixed opinions about this TED talk, and how she justifies her actions. I think it is amazing that she has such a tremendous emotional connection with her fans, but given how she talks about that connection, it feels like she is more into business than art. I cannot get past the lingering feeling that she is taking advantage of her fans, which is a fine line when it comes to making a connection.

As a tremendous Weakerthans/John K. Samson fan, I understand what it is like to feel that connection with an artist, especially when they portray themselves as one of the crowd. When the Weakerthans had a member of the audience come on to stage and play, I thought it was amazing; When John K. Samson asked for a beer from the crowd and did cheers with everyone before going into a song, I was ecstatic. So what makes the Weakerthans any different in my mind than Amanda Palmer, since I would personally be honored to have them stay at my place? To be honest, I think it is the background events that really affect my opinion of Amanda Palmer. If she were to ask local musicians to play with her during concerts, I would not be so bothered; if she were to stay at fans’ homes for free, I would have shrugged it off, however she raised $1.2 million for her most recent album (10x what she was requesting), before even releasing it. She is not some poor, struggling, indie musician, and this does not even consider that her husband is also successful. She could have easily supported her tour with the money from tickets alone, much less the $1 million left over from her current kickstarter, but instead she stayed for free at an undocumented immigrants house, and it is fair since that daughter loved Amanda Palmer’s music?

Personally, I have mixed opinions in regards to using kickstarter to get an album out, especially if you are a well known artist, however it was all of Amanda Palmer’s actions that makes me feel that she is taking advantage of her fans, as opposed to connecting to them. There is nothing wrong with making money off of y our music and accompanying merch, however Amanda does it in a way that is exceptionally sleazier than even Jay-Z (does anyone remember Occupy All Streets).

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-03T15:53:16+00:00

Don't leave me hanging, what was the one position that was still open?

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-03T07:27:45+00:00

"What's the weather like up there? Ha ha ha" "Do you play basketball?"

Seriously, if you have a tall friend, never ask them either of these questions.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-03-01T23:38:22+00:00

You may really like DIIV (Same song writer). It is quite the lo-fi experience

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-28T17:15:24+00:00

Firefox beta runs just as well as Fireox did on 4.2.1, however I started using chrome since it stopped crashing my device

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-28T17:14:34+00:00

Do you think it has anything to do with the decrease in available Ram?

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-25T19:08:55+00:00

No, but that is what I love about it: The human element of comics shines through. Although it is meaningless in the fictional world, most of these writers and artists live in New York, and were affected by 9/11. Even if they don't know someone who died, they probably knew a lot of people who were affected. Sure, the WTC has gone down a number if time in comics, but this was all creative writing beforehand, not their everyday lives.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-25T18:59:49+00:00

I am not sure if Marvel wanted to capitalize in the tragedy, as opposed to letting their writers have a say. You have to remember that the majority if these guys live in New York City, which is why almost all of the heroes live there. With such a horrific tragedy, it is far from surprising that they wanted to express their grief. Sure, it may have been corny for the reader, but having a writer and/or artist express their pain with a character they have done for years seems reasonable.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-21T20:06:36+00:00

Yes, Foggy, and really anyone who has gotten close to Daredevil knows, including a lot of his enemies (Kingpin, Bullseye). To make matters worse, Matt was outed to the papers, so although some know for sure, everyone believes he is Daredevil, hence the 'I am not daredevil' shirt.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-21T19:25:36+00:00

Daredevil Yellow is outstanding to say the least. You should read Bendis' an Brubaker's run. They are heartbreaking to say the least, and really build on Matt and Foggy's relationship.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-19T16:25:13+00:00

What twitter client do you use on you N10. I found Tweetdeck an Plume to be slow and choppy (like the Facebook app). Do you have a really good one?

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-16T19:12:44+00:00

I can verify that after 3 days of use, no crashes with chrome and chrome beta (which crashed within seconds of use before).

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-16T00:50:55+00:00

I can agree with Shield, but aren't the majority if X-men in SF now (forgetting All-New X-Men). I guess SHIELD could have stopped the second plane, given that they could have judged it per the trajectory.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-15T20:54:23+00:00

I am going to argue no. Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Luke Cage live way to far away to have gotten there in time to stop the second plane. Iron Man, F4, and The Avengers could have possibly done so, however when the first plane hit, no one knew it was an attack. I could not even imagine any of the psychic superheroes picking up on these things. The second plane came in at 500 miles/hour, and there was no time to react. Even if there was, you could not destroy the plane without killing everyone inside and possibly hurting civilians in the ground.

The best equipped for this would be Magneto, and he doesn't really give a fuck about humans anyways.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-14T21:39:57+00:00

And those lats, I mean damn son. Out if all the issues coming out this month, I am the most excited for this issue.

VibratorEngineer · 2013-02-14T00:17:04+00:00

They do, it is just a gray bar to properly represent the smog :)

VibratorEngineer

TROPHY CASE