A friend says to another, "Friend, you look a little stressed. What gives?" The friend replies, "I am a little stressed. My responsibilities never end. I'm always busy and can't seem to grab a free moment for myself anymore. I sometimes wonder if it's because of this." A smartphone is held up for the other to see. They lightly nod while continuing to listen. "This—this thing—is supposed to make our lives easier...
"In a world that rewards aptitude and alertness amongst its citizens, its employees, COFFEE IS KING! Perhaps someday that will change when psychedelics reign but we'll see." ...
I was touring Europe and found that too many people held up smartphones and cameras in front of their eyes that not only blocked our view of Italy and Greece’s wondrous sites, but also got me thinking about the state technology and the rabid photo-seeking habits we all have. For instance, why don’t people want to see things with their eyes? So, my wild imagination ran amuck and out of it came a story called Datapocalypse. Datapocalypse?! What’s this guy’s beef with technology? You might ask. Well, nothing really. So long as it doesn’t enslave those it purports to help or provide conveniences to. Let me explain… Like any good idea, new technology needs to have safeguards and controls—even some regulations (sorry libertarians!)—to ensure it doesn’t have a runaway effect that diverts from its benefits and leads to unintended consequences (or maybe intended consequences if you’re a conspiracy theory buff). It reminds me of a mushroom patch growing fervently in front of eager mushroom pickers’ eyes, except the mushrooms are poisonous and nobody knows it yet. Okay, maybe that’s a little melodramatic but I aim to entertain as well as get a point across. This is kind of the theme behind Datapocalypse, not...
I've put a lot of thought into what it means to take pictures of things. Sometimes photographs are artistic, other times they're hackneyed; most are probably somewhere in between. Pictures' significance are in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. Whatever it is, I hope it's for art's sake! Otherwise everything is logical, and logical can result in, well, boring. That's right, I said that. Logic is static but art takes the normal and creates the abnormal. Art takes the paradigms conditioned in society's collective mind and brings it to the brink of shift. Art lets us see through the every day menial nature of things and adds flare and vitality to normality. I've heard about art therapy, and wonder if it's for pre-ordained artists, or newbie artists, or both. There is a valid point to it, though. It reminds me of a quote from the great dark poet, Leonard Cohen, who said: “...