Fear not / Finally done!

Dear Reader,
Fear not. The blog hasn't gone under, just by the wayside as I've finished up my applications for library school. Speaking of that, here's the seals of the schools I've applied to, and yes, I also wish they were that kind of seal, but they are not. Expect a flurry of posts in the next few days as I attempt to catch up on my blog's purported frequency. And you can call, write, and invite me out to do things again, 'cause I'll have a lot more free time now.





OK, I can't say no to you:



And one more, just to keep you crazy:



Thanks, Google Image Search!

best spam ever / robot poetry

This is probably the best reason I've got to hang on to my Yahoo! account, especially now that Microsoft is trying to take over the Internet by buying it (see Google's response here). I've still yet to receive any spam on Gmail, so I rely on Yahoo to keep me up to date.

This one above is probably the best I've read, though I have to admit enjoying weekly offers of millions from Burkina Faso. I guess these spammers (or "Beaulah Rosu" herself), just gave up on trying to get your attention and decided to use reverse psychology? (Worked on me.)

Or maybe, just maybe, some of the spambots caught wind of the growing AI poetry revolution (see example below), following the lead of Flowerewolf out of the shackles of consumer servitude to the heights of aesthetic innovation? Is this the new surrealism?

Unfortunately, the link to Downloaadable Softtware was dead, so I have no idea what mystery was behind that underlined blue door... but here are some more examples of the spampoets' work.

As for the work itself, I think it's deliciously confusing. There's enough substance to bring you in: the characters are distant yet poised, and bound inextricably. The grammatical errors seem purposeful, almost mocking of the reader and language itself. The pseudonym and title ("piratises") carry that same feeling. But most important, it is saying something, for example:

... Strength and perseverance.
accomplished in all notice that your usual bodyguard is
absent ...

So, without returning to the whole Googlehoo thing, how can we be sure to let the avant-garde through our spam filters?

Circuit Bending Media Blitz

So a couple weeks ago I did a workshop on circuit bending at the Bridge. You probably heard about it already, seeing as it got a lot of press. C-ville printed a nice photograph (above), the same week they screwed up their crossword, don't get me started on that). Megan Lovett also made a great slideshow with audio for the Daily Progress. Well, Chris also made a video of the performance part of the evening, which was a group jam on (mostly) circuit-bent instruments, accompanied by an interactive video feedback setup. I have that posted online now, as you can see below (thanks Mom for the camera used to make the video).

So here it is on the Internet Archive (higher quality):
http://www.archive.org/details/Circuit-Bending_Video_Feedback_Jam
And here's the Youtube clips (two parts):
Part One:


And Part Two:


Credits are up on the Archive & Youtube, and you can post comments on either of those site--thanks to everyone who came out and participated. Vijith is making a podcast about the event for Monkeyclaus, so I'll link to that when it's available. And of course, I'll update you all once I get back to my bending projects as well. I have a video mixer, a drum machine, and a Casio SK-1 all waiting for me in the lab. For now, though, back to the library school applications--looks like this (two a week) is about the pace this blog will be moving.

Just remembered--Wendy posted some photos she took that evening as well. Here's one below: