Sesame Street

For my last post, I want to go out with my favorite Comedian of all time, Dave Chappelle. This is a clip from his first stand up special, Killin em' Softly. This particualr bit is about Sesame street, and the things it teaches that are negative, such as judging people. If you haven't checked out any of his stand up specials, I highly recommend it, they are classic. Dave Chappelle's legacy though short, will forever be remembered.

Best Cat video Ever

I stumbled upon this video one night when I was just browsing through videos. I think it is hilarious, plain and simple. I don't have much else to say about this, just check it out, I'm sure you will love it.

Spore

So this game, created by Will Wright (Sims creator) has garnered some attention from the media. Time magazine recently labeled spore as the 20th best invention of 2008, which is quite an accolade for a video game. This just goes to show that video games are becoming culturally accepted, rather than being ostracized. I have not played the game myself, and probably will not, but I thought it was interesting that a game was recognized for being a great invention. If this game looks interesting, check it out, and let me know how it is.

Darfur

I did a research paper on the current crisis in Darfur recently, and what I found out really opened my eyes. The situation, which garners zero media as of now, is the worst humanitarian crisis in our world at the moment. Darfur, a region in Western Sudan, is currently embroiled in one of longest civil wars to this date. Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has been in a civil war for all but 11 years. Millions have died due to fighting, starvation, drought, and disease. Sudan is one of the poorest countries, and the region of darfur lacks the necessary infrastructure to support the people, especially with the war going on. Now I could write a book about what is happening because the amount of information out there is immense. I'm not here to tell you all of the details about this, but what I would like to say is that the people of Darfur need support from our global community. Here in the U.S., the crisis was touched upon briefly, but has since faded from the media. It is up to us as global citizens to help support the humanitarian efforts being undertaken by groups such as Amnesty International, and Save Darfur. There are numerous ways you can contribute, whether donating time or money, spreading the word, signing petitions, or contacting your representatives. If we continue to ignore this crisis, which is genocidal, then the promise echoed after the Holocaust, "Never Again", will be hollow.

Neff Steeze

So people ask me all the time, why do you dress so loud and colorful. My reply, why does everyone have to dress in accepted and traditional colors. Why can't I dress a little different from the majority. I just like colorful stuff, and I think my personality reflects it. The question that goes along with the previous one is where do i get all these colors. Basically I scour the internet for new sites that have clothing I can't find here in Durango, but my favorite site would have to be Neff's. They are a snowboard/skateboard/urban wear company that is based in Utah. The creator Shawn Neff came up with an idea to create a clothing line that is colorful, loud, and original. They have succeeded, and now there is a plethora of skate and snowboard companies following suit. So if anyone wants to check out the site and what they're all about, go to www.neffheadwear.com.

Knitting

I felt like posting this video because I enjoy knitting myself (when I have the time). I learned to knit and crochet from a high school class, as well as my grandma. It's something that I like to do when I have some time to relax and calm my mind. I prefer knitting over crocheting, but I still enjoy both forms. Lately, I haven't had time to knit much, and so my skills have dropped considerably. I plan on taking some time this break to knit again, and hopefully I will be able to make a couple of hats, which is all I really use knitting for. If anyone wants to learn how, I would be more than willing to help teach them, or you can find videos online like this one. Either way, I feel it is a great skill to know, and for you guys, the ladies love it when you can knit.

And 1 Update

So I went to the Streetball game in Ignacio last Friday, and I must say that these ballers are phenomenal. The players that came were not on the official And 1 team, instead, it was a new team run by Hustle Up Ballers, but they had former And 1 legends, most notably Hot Sauce. This man is a legend in streetball, inventing many of the tricks ballers use today. Hot Sauce is a legend, and anyone that has a chance to see him in action should check it out. His moves are mind boggling, and faster than the eye can comprehend. I find myself rewinding tapes of his moves over and over again before I can actually tell what hes doing. This video I posted is just a small collection of his moves, and in no can it encxapsulate his entire repetoire of moves.

Splice

This post goes along with the previous one about mash ups. There is a site on the web called splice music that allows users to create their own songs from other user created content. The program runs off of your browser and does not require any installation, which makes it easy to work on your songs anywhere. The site takes a little getting used to, but their are great tutorials on the site, and the community is always happy to help newcomers. I've messed around with the site a little, but I stopped using it because I got a new program called Tracktion that does the same thing, only it is more powerful and allows you to mix any song. Still, if you are interested in learning how to create mashups, this site is a great starter.

http://www.splicemusic.com/

Mashups

So I am a huge fan of a musical genre called Mashups. They are becoming increasingly popular as artists like DJ Z-Trip and Girl Talk are breaking into the mainstream. I recall too from class that we are in a post creation era, where we are recycling already created art, in turn creating new art. Now there are thousands of djs creating these mashups, both legally and illegaly. There's one particular site that I go to to find new mashups from artists that I am unfamiliar with. It's called mashup-charts, http://www.mashup-charts.com. The site is community driven, and anyone is allowed to upload their creations. A top 10 chart is listed, which is dictated by user votes. You can also find songs that contain a certain artist, such as any song with Jay-Z in it. I really encourage everyone to check this site out, especially if you have never been introduced to mash ups.


http://www.mashup-charts.com

Will Ferrell as Bush

Will Ferrell as George Bush - watch more funny videos

I love Will Ferrell, he is a genius at what he does, and this particular video has to be one of my favorites. This clip came out during Bush's second presidential race, and it was created by the group ACT. I enjoy this because Ferrell does a really good job at Bushisms, and he really makes bush seem like an idiot.

Papa Bear and Fox

Nas interview + Sly Fox Live COLBERT REPORT SHOW 2008
Uploaded by Bounce2dis

I'm a huge fan of the Colbert Report and The Daily Show, and Nas. Nas gets a lot of negative press because of his controversial lyrics, but he never advocates murder, or pursuing the life of a gangster, rather, he tells stories about that kind of life because he used to be a part of that, but no more. Fox news takes his lyrics out of context and arranges them to portray him as a violent person in this selection, which shows how manipulative they are. I completely agree with Nas' view that Fox is racist, and that they should change their policy. The fact that he got over 500,000 petitions shows that people are aware, and care about this subject. Basically, just watch the video, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Heisman!

So they presented the Heisman trophy last Saturday, and my boy Sam Bradford won it. I was born and raised in Norman, Ok, so I am a huge Sooners fan. They steamrolled through teams this year, and it is only fitting that they will be playing in the BCS championship against the Florida Gators. Two records they broke this year was most points by a team in a season, 702, but they also scored 60+ points in 5 straight games... amazing.

Music for the video!

So I'm pretty stoked that we got a song for our video that goes really well with the footage. The song we picked is actually the one I wanted to use for my first project, but the artist hadn't released the album yet. The artist is Chain Gang of 1974 and the song is "We at the Disco." I already posted a video of it in one of my earlier posts if you want to check it out. Everything else is coming along pretty smoothly and were pretty excited about it.

Wale!

Hands down, Wale is my favorite MC right now. He just absolutely kills it, and he hasn't even dropped his debut album yet. This is his newest video for his song, Artistic Integrity off his newest Seinfeld themed mixtape, "The Mixtape About Nothing." One of my favorite lines from the track is "we apples and oranges, but everybody pears."

Honestly... who throws a shoe?

I saw this on the news yesterday when I was up on the mountain, and I must say that it made my day. This video just shows how the Iraqi's view our president. He definitely deserved that, and it would've been even better if he actually got hit by that shoe. Apparently, the man was a distraught journalist who was angry about the coalition forces and what Bush has done to Iraq after six years of war.

That's It That's All!!!!!!

So this is Travis Rice's latest snowboard video, and all I have to say is that the title explains it all. The tricks that Travis pulls are out of this world! All i can really say is that you need to check out this film, it is the pinnacle of snowboard films.

Evidence Show

Everyone come to the show at the Abbey tonight! It's Evidence from the Hip-Hop group Dilated Peoples. The concert starts at 10 and is $15 in advance, $20 at the door, all ages. This is a video off Evidences debut solo album The Weatherman.

And 1 Street Ballers

Friday, December 12th, the And 1 Street Ballers will be coming to Ignacio, CO to play the Southern Ute All-Stars. The game is free and it will be played at the Rec center, with doors opening at 6:00 and the game starting at 7:00. They are widely known for the show that they put on when they tour the country. For people that aren't familiar with them, they are similar to the Harlem Globetrotters, but are more recent. The normal rules of basketball don't apply which allow them to perform flashy and entertaining moves. This particular video is of the Professor who is one of the most well known players not only because he is the lone white player, but because his skills are phenomenal. Enjoy!

Salida Skating!

So I lived in Salida, CO for 8 years prior to coming here for school. Now if you don't know Salida is a very very small town, so there is not much in the way of skate spots besides the skate park. What's cool is that everywhere, during the biggest festival in Salida, there is a skate competition that draws pros from all over the country. This year it was sponsored by DVS, and the turnout was great. This video shows some of the highlights of the comp, and one of kids in it is from Salida and he competes in the pro division which is amazing because he is only 17. I can remember actually teaching him and some other kids that are phenomenal now how to skate, back when they were just coming into middle school.



The other video that I have posted on here is of Michael Debuano, who competes in the pro divisions. Now I couldn't make it through this whole video, and I don't expect you guys, because the filming is so terrible that it made me nauseous. I'm going back to Salida for Thanksgiving break, and I thought it would be really cool to get some real quality film for him, help produce a short section that he can use to show sponsors. It would also provide our group with some great skate footage for the project.

Newspaper Website!

So I am working on the Independent's website along with Dan and Kyle Jones, and we are using Joomla, an open-source CMS (Content Management System). I haven't worked on websites since High school, and that's when we had dreamweaver 8. That program has changed drastically, and it is much more powerful as a result, but for what we wanted to do with the website, there was no way we could just use dreamweaver. Since I am not proficient in HTML, CSS, PHP, or Flash, it would be impossibe for me to put slideshows, video players, and anything else besides your basic text and picture format. As a result, we are using Joomla to solve our media needs. So far, I am still learning the ins and outs of the software, but as I put mroe and more time into, it is becoming easier to manage.
My only gripe with it right now is that we have to use a template for our site. That means finding one that suits us, but even then, it might not fit your exact needs. These templates have pre assigned boxes for content, so a lot fo times you might not be able to place a picture exactly where you want unless you go into the template's folder and alter the files in that, which can require some knowledge of code. That is why I want to eventually be able to create templates, which would make it much more custom and unique, but to do that, i must learn more about coding with html and css, so that will be something for the future. For anyone wanting to create a website for their project, I would be more than happy to share my knowledge. If you are looking to make a simple website to host your videos or pictures, then I would say Joomla is the way to go, but Dreamweaver is also a good path to take. It really just depends on what you want to do with your site. If you want to check it out, go to joomla.org for further details, and remember, it is FREE!

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

This is my favorite non-cartoon sitcom on television, and I thought I would share it with some people who have never heard of or seen it. The creators of the show all star, write, and produce it, which I thought was really cool. What is also really cool is that they created their first pilot episode with just a consumer grade handicam, and less than a $100 budget, which shows that if you have the right material and you are dedicated enough, it is possible to go anywhere and do anything you want. Danny Devito also signed on to the season shortly after the first, and he is one of the great actors alive today. This episode also parodies one of Devito's first films, "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest," which I thought was funny since Devito played almost the same role as in the movie. Anyways, I think this show has a great premise, and Charlie is probally one of the funniest characters of my lifetime in any tv sitcom.

Obama Party!!

So I am just as thrilled as the majority of Americans that Obama is going to be our next president. I wanted to celebrate and party for the occasion but I had lots of school work and classes early in the mornign so I took it easy that night. I think that this south park clip of last night's episode is very representational of how I would've been if I could have partied. Now when I found out they were doing an episode on the election, I thought they were going to really make fun of the candidates and just slam them, but I was surprised that it was nothing like that. I just really like this clip because Randy Marsh is my favorite character on SP, and the way he was acting really portrayed how a lot of Americans treated this election, as a sports cmopetition where you root for your side. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this clip as much as I do!

73-Year Old Makes College Basketball Team

After seeing the headline on Msnbc yesterday during the presentations, I had to check this out. Just hearing that a 73-year old is still playing basketball amazed me, but the factt hat he's actually playing for a college team is phenomenal. After watching this video, I came to the conclusion that nothing is impossible. People were probaly trying to tell Mink that he had no way in hell of ever making the team, but here he is, 73, and hes playing with people 50 years younger than him. I also laughed when they talked about him going to parties, and how he would slide downhill. Asking his wife if he could go was priceless. I really hope people that see this get inspired and never give up their passions, no matter how old they are.

Inspirational Video Producers

So after hearing Stacey's friends speak and talk about their influences, I thought i would post some of my major film influences in the snowboarding world. This video is from the Think Thank crew, and it is called Thanks Brain. It came out last year, but it is one of those videos pushing the envelope with creativity and innovation in the snowboard world. From their unorthodox skate and snowboard moves, to the unique spots, this movie has it all. I wanted to get a video of their new one, Stack Footy, because it is even more amazing than this one. Pat Milberry, the focus of this video, was one of my snowboard coaches at Windells camp. He was a really down to earth and hilarious person. He actually lives in breckenridge, so he is a local CO rider. When I get a chance, I will upload their skate bonus feature because it is absolutely mind-blowing with the amount of unique tricks that I have never seen before. Hope you guys enjoy this!

Music for my project!

So before we started filming, I began searching for music to play during the skating part in the film. I have to say that I was successful, and I'm pretty happy about it. A friend of mine recommended this artist to me the other day, and I checked him out on myspace. The artist's band is "The Chain Gang of 1974", and he is straight out of Denver. His real name is Kamtin Mohager, and I contacted him on mySpace to ask If I could use his song "We at the Disco" in my project. He was cool with it; so now I'm going to promote his newest song. Hope you enjoy the video.

You suck at photoshop!

So I found out about this series of tutorials from reading time magazine, and they were right when they said it was both hilarious and informative. If you want to learn some very essential photoshop techniques, while getting a few laughs in, then this is for you. It's a pretty neat concept that this "Donny" came up with. He uses pictures that are relevant to something in his life, usually negative, and then he shows us how to use certain photoshop techniques to fix his mistakes, such as taking a wedding ring off his hand. I haven't watched many of these tutorials because I have not had much reason to use photoshop until now. Since I am a part-time photographer for the Independent, I will be using the program frequently, though not in the same manner as Donny.





I just felt like posting this last video because I always get a kick out of it, and also because a lot of people don't know that Jim Carrey was on "In Living Color" for a couple of seasons. In fact, many people that I show this to are completely oblivious to the show, and have never heard of it. There are plenty of other great skits by Carrey, sucha s the one where he is the captain of the Exxon Valdez'. Check them out, I bet you'll love em'!

http://thewildernesswanderer.blogspot.com/2008/09/song-of-week-2.html My Comment!

Project Update

So my crew and I began filming the skating portion of my video on wednesday, and so far, everything looks pretty good. We got over thrity minutes of footage, with maybe 1-2 minutes of usable film. I also got a good wreck that will transition perfectly to the next scene, so I was pretty happy with that. We had over 6 people skating, so their is quite a diversity in styles, as well as the shots filmed. Since I wanted to have a couple parts in the film, other people had to record, which is nice because it switches up the shots and angles. One problem that I didn't anticipate though is weather. If it is raining, then we simply cannot get any shots because we can't ride our boards in the weather. Another problem, though it only pertains to me and my parts, is that skating can be hazardous. My body is definitely feeling the effects from the past two days, and add weightlifting into the equation, and that equals linguine legs. The good thing is that I have plenty of talented skaters willing to do what they do best, skate. Today is the last day that we are going to film skating, and tomorrow we will begin filming the razor part, which should be pretty fun. Basically, I am on schedule so far in regards to filming, and hopefully everything works out like it should by tuesday.

Rodney Mullen

Who is the first person that comes to mind when skateboarding is mentioned? Tony Hawk. While Tony brought skateboarding to the mainstream, Rodney skated in the background. What most people don't know is that Rodney is the most accomplished skateboarder of all time, and he is still going strong. Mullen and Hawk skated together growing up when they were a part of the Bones Brigade. One interesting fact about Mullen is that out of 34 contests, he had only lost once, coming in second place because he was sick. He is a pioneer of more tricks than any other skater, and he is still pushing the envelope. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Mullen,

"Do what you love and try not to look at what other people occupy themselves with. Most people seem restless and bounce around too much to focus or even pay attention enough to themselves to figure out exactly what they really do love, as opposed to what the people that surround them are doing."

After school, one of the things I would like to do is be involved in the production of skate media, whether I'm filming or editing. For our first project, I am going to be filming friends and I skating, and I thought this was a good indicator of what the best in the world are doing right now with skating.

Mockumentaries

Mockumentaries are something I enjoy thoroughly in the world of film. The name mockumentary pretty much explains itself, a mockery of a documentary. Spinal Tap is a classic example, and Reno 911 as well. The following video I selected is from Gangsta Rap: The Glockumentary. It's about a rap group, "Gangsta Rap", that started the entire gangsta rap scene is now making a comeback "at the top of their game." Murda Mike and Du-Rag provide the lyrics with DJ Ballistics at the wheels. The movie had me laughing throughout, and it shows that you don't need a large budget to create something better than what is offered at the theatre. This particular song is their single off the related soundtrack, which I discovered in the KDUR station. Many of the songs on the cd are featured in the film, and they all sound like 80's gangsta rap (NWA).

Mindmap Exercise