Death Wish or The Grinch Delusion
December 18, 2006
Still in Tokyo, clear day, Mt Fuji looks very nice.
The weekend before Xmas here, lots of shoppers. Actually lots and lots of shoppers.
The only thing more horrific than Americans shopping for Xmas is
X mas in Japan. X mas decorations in Tokyo are just bonkers.
On the topic of Santa and what not check this out:
The Grinch Delusion:
An Atheist Can Believe in Christmas
By RANDY KENNEDY
Published: December 17, 2006
NY Times
"Presumably your reason for asking me is that ‘The God Delusion’ is an atheistic book, and you still think of Christmas as a religious festival,” Mr. Dawkins wrote, in a reply printed here in its entirety. "But of course it has long since ceased to be a religious festival. I participate for family reasons, with a reluctance that owes more to aesthetics than atheistics. I detest Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and the obscene spending bonanza that nowadays seems to occupy not just December, but November and much of October, too.”
Back to the post, i would like to thank Time Magazine for making me one of the people of the year.
I guess we all beat the dude from North Korea and Iran.
Read on:
Person of the Year
Person of the Year: You
Yes, you. You control the Information Age. Welcome to your world.
By LEV GROSSMAN
"To be sure, there are individuals we could blame for the many painful and disturbing things that happened in 2006. The conflict in Iraq only got bloodier and more entrenched. A vicious skirmish erupted between Israel and Lebanon. A war dragged on in Sudan. A tin-pot dictator in North Korea got the Bomb, and the President of Iran wants to go nuclear too. Meanwhile nobody fixed global warming, and Sony didn't make enough PlayStation3s."
More BS:
"The answer is, you do. And for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, TIME's Person of the Year for 2006 is you. "
This is just kinda wack. We have You Tube, MySpace, Blogs and the World Wide Web. We are connected but detached. We can post a movie of a dog chasing its tail, send it 2 our friends, sit and wait for it to download, and then watch a very small picture of a dog chasing its tail.
Great.
Hey i love technology, but digital democracy. Sounds like that old Marx idea, opiate for the masses.
Maybe outside of our virtual democracy we can fix something in the actual world like????
The conflict in Iraq.
The vicious skirmish between Israel and Lebanon.
The war in Sudan.
The tin-pot dictator in North Korea.
The President of Iran.
Global warming.
Sony should make more PlayStation3s. Its all SONY's fault, if they made more playstation's the world would be fine. But they should be more expensive. So more people go into post Xmas debt.
Please add to this list of things to fix. Or not fix.
Welcome to Post Modern Sainthood, we all all so great. In the words of Borat, "High Five".
Fuck Time Magazine i do not want to be man of the year, i want to sue them.
Maybe next year Santa can be man of the year, i mean where can you go after "You" are the man of the year. It seems like a Death Wish.
Rip should be man of the year, he got a cool T shirt.
More men of the year, fans at FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2006 Finals
70,000 men of the year at the game
Late night man of the year kinda stuff, Shibuya Larry.
And the real man of the year is Charles Bronson, dude come on a turtleneck and a sock full of dimes. Thats a man.
Paul Kersey, did not surf the web. Paul Kersey took a stand.
Plot Summary for Death Wish (1974)
Paul Kersey, New York Archtitect, is a bleeding-heart liberal whose world is suddenly torn apart by the murder of his wife and the rape of his daughter. After a vacation to Arizona, Kersey returns to New York with a vengeance against crime, and takes to vigilantism.
Paul Kersey is an architect who served in the Korean War in the medial corps, and he lives in New York City. One day, three street punks posing as grocery delivery boys break into his apartment while he's not home. At first, they are simply looking for money, but when they find a lack of cash, their intentions turn more sinister, as they batter and physically humiliate Paul's loved ones, beating up Paul's wife Joanna and raping his married daughter Carol Toby, and both women are spray-painted "just for fun." Joanna later dies of her injuries, and Carol is left catatonic. Paul's life is ripped apart by this. Paul's boss decides that Paul needs to get out of New York for a while, so he sends Paul to Tucson, Arizona to meet with a client. There, Paul witnesses a mock gunfight at Old Tucson, a reconstructed Western frontier town that is often used as a movie set. Paul's client, a gun enthusiast, gets Paul interested in guns, and even gives him one. When Paul returns to New York, he brings the gun with him, and when the police are unable to find the rapists, Paul sets out to find the rapists himself. Paul begins patrolling the streets, killing street criminals as he encounters them. While his obsessive search for street justice sickens him at first, Paul begins to enjoy it as Detective Frank Ochoa tries to find the man who is doing the police department's job for them. The public sees Paul as a hero, and the public feels thankful that someone out there is actually taking a stand against criminals, doing a much better job than the NYPD could ever do. As a result, in Ochoa's search for Paul, there is a problem: when it comes to public relations, Ochoa and the city government would have a political nightmare on their hands if they actually find Paul.
Paul Kersey is an architect, who is a peaceful man. But when his wife and daughter are attacked in their apartment, his world changes. His wife is killed and his daughter is in catatonic state. His boss decides that Paul needs to get out of New York so he sends him to Arizona to meet with a client. While their the client, a gun enthusiast gets Paul interested in guns and even gives him one. When Paul returns, he brings the gun with him when he goes out and when a mugger tries to hit him Paul shoots and kills him. After that he goes on killing spree. The police of course are investigating it, but the public feels thankful that someone out there is taking a stand.
End of the World, tour that is.
December 16, 2006
The Stussy World Tour is almost over. For the next two weeks an art show will be in Tokyo to celebrate its grand year. If you are in Tokyo please stop by (STUSSY WORLD TOUR 2006 -A GLOBAL COLLABORATION-12月16日〜24日 OPEN12:00 CLOSE20:00 ENTRANCE FREE ZAMIANG東京都港区南青山5-3-18 UNIMAT Blue Cinq Point C棟 B1Tel：03-3407-1020
Today our last shoe with Nike Drops, the trainer is a great shoe; do not sleep on this one...
It is a perfect blend of style and function. A great way to end a true collaboration and a year I have been proud to work on with a wonderful group of artists, coworkers, project management, builders, craftsmen, a team of people from a multiplicity of positions and processes came together this year and worked in conjunction letting each member do what they do best.
This collective rose to the occasion and pulled together to make a true series of global "happenings".
Alexis, The man with the hand. Homey can hook up some OG sign work. This is the kind of stuff that elevates a vibe from some vinyl peel off bullshit to top billin words on a wall. These word s talk. Details like this make shit worth experiencing.
The worlds greatest Chicken Katsu
STEPPERS My favorite record shop in Tokyo. Great selection of vinyl and don't miss the mixed Cd's they make. A mellow dub shrine with a mix of some serious beats.
Ladies and Gentleman...the most exciting art show you've ever
witnessed...appearing live...KAWS, REAS and the one and only Sk8thing.
The Show
REAS
KAWS
Sk8Thing
Urei1620 with a very special isolator, this set up shapes a wonderful sound.
Thanks to all for a great year.
And a super shout out to all that made it all happen you know who you are.......
PS
To all the haters and non believers, cheer up its the holidays.
Oh ya back to that AF1 party in NYC last week, KRS One, is still #1. The BLASTMASTER tore shit up. He might be old school but KRS One is the Teacher and you all must learn. Age was not an issue
For this man old school or new, he was just as good as he was back in the day at the LQ or Union Square. On that stage he was, "The Show".
Krs One and the AF1, still dope after all these years.
Quality gets better with age, mediocrity just fades away.
AWAY FOR ONE NIGHT
December 12, 2006
IT'S HARD TO BLOG ON THE ROAD. I MEAN WHY GO TO A CITY IF ONLY TO RUN BACK TO THE HOTEL AND POST WHAT YOU JUST SAW? MAYBE I WAS JUST SLEEPY LAST NIGHT OR I THOUGHT IT COULD WAIT?
ANYWAY, ONE NIGHT ONLY WAS DOPE....FROM THE INVITE TO THE WHITE ESCALADE'S, NIKE GAVE A FITTING SALUTE TO A CLASSIC. THE CONCERT WAS A VERY SPECIAL SPECTACLE AS REAL AS ANY JAM FROM BACK IN THE DAY COULD HAVE BEEN. AND THE VENUE WAS VERY COOL. KRS, NAS, RAKIM AND KANYE TORE IT UP. BUT KRS IS STILL #1, AND DON'T SLEEP ON JUSTICE HE COLD GOT DUMB.....
WE ALL VOTED FOR THE BEST AF 1 EVER AND I WAS TOLD THIS MORNING THAT THE KICK THAT STASH DID WITH THE SPRAY NOZZLE PATTERN WON!!!!!( AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT I WAS TOLD SO I HOPE ITS TRUE, IF SO CONGRADULATIONS STASH)
BROOKLYNS FINEST DJ, KLARK KENT
THE SHOW
JU AND ACYDE
TOKYO IN EFFECT
DJ MILO AND MR MAN U (WAYNE ROONEY)
RASHEED IS VERY TALL, VERY VERY TALL
EVEN TOONZ COULD NOT FRONT THAT THE EAST COAST GETS SOME PROPS
I LIKE KICKS BUT A SHORT BLACK DRESS, WELL LETS CALL IT A GOOD NIGHT........
WOW 25YEARS. I WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THE 5O YEAR PARTY. FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY, CAN ONLY HAPPEN ONCE. THANKS FOR INCLUDING ME...
The problem with design
December 7, 2006
I am a designer. I live in a world of critics who mostly are not designers. That is fine.
However, I do find it amazing these days how many people have become critical without having a historical position or knowledge of the practice and process of design.
I like critism, when it comes from a valid place. “Yo, those kicks are wack”, is not exactly an interesting commentary. Even when it is true and many times it is true. But let us understand the difference between subjective and objective. Some times I hear, “that graphic is lame, some one else already did that”. Thanks for the uncanny obvious comment, we all know that many ideas are reused and often redundant, but is not a great part or postmodern thought based on “appropriation and authorship”???? Cultural studies danced and around and these issues and might still (it has been a while since I thought about this)? I would venture to say that with out sampling (or at least before all the laws were made) a big part of golden age hip-hop would not exist, and where would we be with out that? Many albums we love could not be made today.
I think as usual I have lost my point, but I have one. (Or I think I do????)
I am a designer. I make some good calls and some bad ones. I do not know if I am a good one or bad, but I still have a job so I must be OK? I have never designed a great thing, but I think I have made some good things. More valuable than what I have made is what I have learned. I now know what it is to be a designer. I have walked in the shoes, broke them in and I can say they are great too wear but hard on the feet. I have never done accounting so I have no idea what it is like to be an accountant. Maybe, if you are an accountant it is interesting? God knows I hate Quik books and I loath writing checks. I cannot balance my accounts, so hats off to the men that can. The problem is at this juncture, this crossing of having to understand or appreciate someone else’s task and process is a grand one. For truly being able to criticize some sense of understanding must be involved.
I do not think that design is off limits to critism but maybe before you say, “that sucks”.
Think what you might of done a year or more ago when it was designed and how the whole process unfolded?
I found this at FROG DESIGN:
The problem with design
This passage is as true today as it was in 1970 when John Chris Jones wrote it:
“The fundamental problem is that designers are obliged to use current information to predict a future state that will not come about unless their predictions are correct. The final outcome of designing has to be assumed before the means of achieving it can be explored: the designers have to work backwards in time from an assumed effect upon the world to the beginning of a chain of events that will bring the effect about. If, as is likely, the act of tracing out the intermediate steps exposes unforeseen difficulties or suggests better objectives, the pattern of the original problem may change so drastically that the designers are thrown back to square one… The instability of the problem is what makes designing so much more difficult and more fascinating than it may appear to someone who has not tried it.”
I like design and I like criticism but I must say I love good design and critism more than bad.
PS
I wish I were a better writer. Writing is a hard job.
GR what?????
December 3, 2006
Unlike most of the Honeyee crew that uses the Ricoh GR i am a Leica kinda guy.
Ricoh has produced a special edition of its GR Digital commemorating the 1st year of the camera and the 10th anniversary of the GR series. Designed by renowned Japanese illustrator Katsuya Terada, this special edition is limited to only 1000 units.
I think Ricoh should of called the Honeyee gang to save the day, for sure some one on this blog could of hooked up something a bit better than a blue camera. I thought when a special edition was made one the the goals was to try and make it better than the regular one?????
Well, i guess not. Happy anniversary GR.
I will not be putting this on my Xmas list, i am keeping the Leica M8 on the list however.
