This past weekend was The Next HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference presented by 2600 Magazine. I myself am an avid lock enthusiast and enjoy the challenge of manipulating locks. Below is a video of the Lockpick Wizard competition sponsored by Locksport International. The object of the competition was to pick as many locks as possible in 8 minutes, while unable to see the locks and tools. Contestants had to place their tools and locks inside the burlap sack and pick away. The second round was done blindfolded. In hindsight I wish I’d have joined in the fun, but alas I chose to be a spectator on this one and record the spectacle. (Please forgive the blue tint in the video… apparently Qik is broken on the iPhone 4 at this time. I hope they fix it soon.)

Last month I was fortunate enough to attend the George Clinton and P-Funk All Stars concert at the B.B. King Blues Club in midtown Manhattan. It was an early birthday gift from my Fiancé, quite possibly the best birthday gift I’ve received in quite some time (if ever). Because of George Clinton’s policy of allowing fan recordings (much like the Grateful Dead’s policies), I was able to shoot some video at the concert. It isn’t the best video as it was shot on my iPhone 3G, but still not horrible. I figured I would share it for all those true funk fans out there. Already looking forward to my next George Clinton concert (this one was my 5th).
Continue reading »

Last night I had the opportunity to visit the Gizmodo Gallery in NYC and check out all the cool exhibits. By far the coolest was the Singing Tesla Coils by ArcAttack. The Tesla coils are programmed to emit various tones and pitches to make music, mostly video game music. The Tesla Coils are backed up by a robotic drum kit too. Check out the videos below for an example. If you ever have the chance to see ArcAttack live, I highly suggest you do, you wont regret it.





(Apologies for the crappy audio and sub-par video… I shot this with my digital camera.)

Some of you may have already seen this video, but I thought it would be worth posting as many may have missed it (I know I didn’t see it back in March when this video hit). The video shows what Microsoft predicts the future will look like in 2019. The geek part of me drools, the paranoid privacy/security advocate in me is freaking out. Either way, it will be an interesting decade if one of the richest companies in the world wants it to be this way. Please watch the video and leave some comments about what you think of this possible future. I’m truly interested in what you think.
Continue reading »

Everyone should watch the episode of Frontline: Inside the Meltdown that aired Feb 17, 2009.  It gives a great chronological of what lead up to our current economic crisis.  What really gets me, is how there were certain people (think Ron Paul) saying that this event would happen back in 2007 or earlier, yet they  are and were ridiculed for sounding the warnings about an imminent disaster.  Hindsight may be 20/20 as the old saying goes, but it does not make any difference if you don’t learn from the experience.

We will continue to see the same problems over the next few years, only worse.  As I write this, the DOW sits at 7495(!!!) and people continue to lose their jobs, homes, and savings.  Yesterday our new President Obama has signed into law another bailout bill, and by the market’s reactions, it is probably not going to help.  Many of the same people who’ve gotten us into this mess in the first place are still in positions of power in both government and private industry.  The fools in the US Government continue to give $BILLIONS$ (In reality it’s now in the $$TRILLIONS$$) to their old pals in the private sector that caused this mess through greed and corruption. Now millions of American tax payers for generations to come will suffer the consequences, while these greedy bastards continue to live the good life.

There are many people who feel they have the solution to our problems.  Truth is, nobody knows what the best fix will be, but I can tell you printing money and giving it away to the same people who fucked us in the first place, is not the solution.  Harder times are on the horizon.

Please enjoy the episode of PBS’ Frontline: Inside the Meltdown.  Encourage others to see and understand how this mess has happened, and continue to educate those close to you.

Continue reading »

Well, the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica have begun to air on the SciFi Channel.  If you are like me and do not have cable, or want to re-watch the latest episode (Season 4 Episode 13 that aired 1/16/2009), you can stream it here (at least until hulu takes it down).  Enjoy!

Continue reading »

The late Robert Anton Wilson ( January 18, 1932(1932-01-18) – January 11, 2007, age 72) was the author that woke me up at an early age to how the world really works.  R.A.W.’s main thesis is that your perception of reality ultimately controls reality.  While that is an oversimplification of his ideas, he’s one of those prolific writers that you really must spend some time understanding.  I think that everyone can get something out of reading Robert Anton Wilson.  As an introduction, I’ve decided to post a documentary film entitled: Maybe Logic.  If you enjoy the film below, please consider purchasing it, or some of his books.  Trust me, it’s worth it.
Continue reading »