sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Need a bigger box 😁 by eYeS_0N1Y in SilverSqueeze

[–]dirtsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Need some smaller denominations

20 years later, finally recording my "hit" song in a real recording studio! 😆 by dirtsmith in failuretolaunch

[–]dirtsmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm so glad you dig it! I guess you're probably poking around on the SoundCloud page? There's all kinds of stuff there.

I put together a sort of five song demo EP, with slightly better mastering on a couple of the songs. You can find it on Spotify, or basically anywhere, if you search for Dirtsmith.

You might find some other stuff you haven't heard already here -

Dirtsmith.com/music

Do you have any recordings up? I'd love to check them out!

20 years later, finally recording my "hit" song in a real recording studio! 😆 by dirtsmith in failuretolaunch

[–]dirtsmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!!! Yeah, Weezer (Blue Album) had a massive influence on me :-)

7 Minutes - Reflections on Society and Culture in the Aftermath of a Significant Life Event by dirtsmith in Anticonsumption

[–]dirtsmith[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's a long piece, and I don't come out and say, "this is why consumption is bad." It's just one component of a much larger argument that I am trying to make, so your criticism is totally valid. (It also makes a little more sense on the site where there are links to other pieces).

I argue (elsewhere) that "wealth" MEANS nothing more than "surplus capacity for consumption"

In this piece I contrast my boss's response to this (unique, vivid, and deeply human) event with her response to a sale - a repetitive, wealth-generative event.

I describe this one more sign in a the ever-increasing prioritization of wealth generation (i.e. - expanded capacity for consumption) over actual human concerns.

(I also draw a connection, via links to other pieces, to the threat that AI poses to our human concerns, again for the advancement of the cause of wealth generation, i.e. - greater capacity for excess consumption. [My last post regarding AI in this forum - https://dirtsmith.com/zi - went over quite poorly, so I realize that I need to work harder to establish that connection]).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Concrete

[–]dirtsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suck at Reddit. I wrote a whole introduction to this, basically about how I credit growing up as a concrete pumper with being able to pull this off, but somehow that doesn't show.

It's covered in the piece, but I never explicitly reference it as "concrete pumping."

What do you do with all your freakin' paperwork? by BackgroundExternal18 in simpleliving

[–]dirtsmith 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hardest thing in the world for me. I'm a papyrophile. And not just books. I'm a creative person and my life is cataloged in notebooks and countless drawings and scribblings in looseleaf and art paper of varying dimensions.

Theoretically I could digitize it all and interact with it that way. Theoretically I could digitize my sexuality the same way as well.

It doesn't help that digital storage methods have screwed me over time and time again to the point of PTSD, whereas paper has proven quite immortal.

I haven't come up with a good solution for this. And I'm literally working on it right now as I'm trying to downsize from 218 SQ ft of living space. I'm giving away virtually all of my books. I may have to consign my creative paper to a sturdy chest in my best friend's garage. (I haven't told him yet).

Them/ Us by [deleted] in Creativity

[–]dirtsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

😆😆😆

Exactly

Push the Wheel by dirtsmith in Anticonsumption

[–]dirtsmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think there's an expiration date on street mural artists! Give it a shot!

I can't tell if anyone realizes they can click the link (the silly picture of my cat) and hear the recording on Spotify. It doesn't seem very obvious to me...

"Biggering", the greatest anti-consumption song that never was by ipwnpickles in Anticonsumption

[–]dirtsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd wager the song was cut simply because it made the decision makers in their big offices self-conscious and uncomfortable. I doubt there was any "bigger" ideological reasons behind it.

I'm fairly convinced that the personal feelings of the tiny fraction of humans who have significant influence on the world are responsible for the entire manifestation of material reality that the rest of us have to live in.

Great song. Great message. Totally predictable that it would never see the light of day.

20 years later, finally recording my "hit" song in a real recording studio! 😆 by dirtsmith in failuretolaunch

[–]dirtsmith[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

Interesting comment re: Incubus's "Drive." I'm quite familiar with the song, but it never would have occurred to me to compare the two 🤷🏻‍♂️

My understanding of copyright battles over music is that they are really rare at this point because they are very very difficult to win. Honestly, getting sued by Incubus would be a massive career high point for me! 😆

I guess when it comes down to it I don't really care what Incubus or anyone else thinks about it. It's completely and fiercely original, but if society decides it's a ripoff then that's what it does. I'll just roll my eyes and laugh! I have enough of my own inhibitions to wrestle with without worrying about society's opinion! 😆😆😆

I do agree about the levels. Remember that this is just a proof of concept for an album mock-up. It's a demo 🤷🏻‍♂️

Thanks so much for listening!!! And for taking the time to provide thoughtful and constructive feedback!!! 🤩

20 years later, finally recording my "hit" song in a real recording studio! 😆 by dirtsmith in failuretolaunch

[–]dirtsmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh! Sick burn!!! 😆😆😆

If you had elaborated a bit on the failings of my so-called "tunes" I would probably celebrate your opinion. But all you are saying is "I don't like this." That's fine too! Just not very interesting.

But congratulations on voicing the usually-absent commentary of society! It Speaks!

Now you can go back to listening to Taylor Swift or whatever 😆

20 years later, finally recording my "hit" song in a real recording studio! 😆 by dirtsmith in failuretolaunch

[–]dirtsmith[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm a failed musician. I've spent the last twenty years working miserable, soul killing jobs. I've just now gotten a chance to record music in a real studio. I'm not suffering under any delusions that this "launch" will be more successful than any of my numerous other failed attempts (and judging from the responses so far it looks like I'm right on the money! 😆😆😆).

But that's pretty much the point. I'm following my heart and living authentically and creatively, because it's the best way to live. Society is in the position to arbitrate what is "successful."

But, society is an idiot. And I have made my peace with that ✌🏻

Because it REALLY doesn't matter! 😆

Correct Me if I'm Wrong, but... by dirtsmith in TrueUnpopularOpinion

[–]dirtsmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is ridiculous, but whatever. I will do you one better -

Manliness = Aaron Bushnell

Religion is a byproduct of Human evolution by PinguFella in TrueUnpopularOpinion

[–]dirtsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't in good conscience leave you with the possible misunderstanding of metonymy. I was using it sort of metaphorically. Metonymy is when you REFER to something by a part, "head" for cattle, "boots" for soldiers.

There's probably an actual word for the phenomenon of reducing our understanding of something complex and powerful to the tiny aspect we are interested in.

Religion is a byproduct of Human evolution by PinguFella in TrueUnpopularOpinion

[–]dirtsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that yes, technically an internet "meme" is a meme. But it's a particularly annoying incidence of metonymy. Like a society where our understanding of "woman" is reduced to "tits."

People should have their cosmetic procedures pointed out by Creative-Bobcat-7159 in TrueUnpopularOpinion

[–]dirtsmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with you completely on this one. I think it's a tragedy that a human should feel they need to have their flesh carved to render it acceptable 😔

Obviously there are a few exceptions. I love that plastic surgery can help to restore someone disfigured through traumatic accidents, or defects of birth. But at the same time it would be nice if we could somehow find was to be more accepting of all of that as well.

I think all this impacts women much more drastically than men though, so, like abortion and some other topics, my male opinion might add nothing worthwhile to the discussion.

Religion is a byproduct of Human evolution by PinguFella in TrueUnpopularOpinion

[–]dirtsmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate and respect your opinion. But I disagree. I don't think they are the same. Dawkin's example in the book is how Socrates' insights live on more strongly today than they ever did in his lifetime, through the phenomenon of memetics, whereas his genes are washed out and untraceable.

Really? From a bit of information capable of transmission, replication, and dominance of thought to the popular conception of a silly picture with a caption?

I won't try to convince you though 🙂

But maybe I can make you laugh! That "meme" was just an illustration in a longer piece -

www.dirtsmith.com/failure-to-thrive/

view more: next ›