Dispatches from the Brink

My letter to the Georgia Department of Transportation

2008-10-21T13:15:00.003-05:00

Who is in charge of installing traffic lights? Do they drive anywhere these lights go up? If they did, I would think they would put more thought into their installation.

The lights in this city are ill-timed, if timed, and likely, are not timed, turning from red to green whenever. This is probably one of the most significant contributors to traffic congestion.

Georgia DOT's solution to all traffic issues: more lights!

So my question is, what qualifications do you need, and what sort of accountability measures are standard for the people who make the traffic signal decisions. I know some downs syndrome kids and a monkey who could do a better job with this than whoever is doing it throughout Fulton and Cobb county.

Specifically though, and in all seriousness, the lights on 17th and McCaslin by Atlantic Station are absolutely unnecessary. And if they have to be there, make them smarter. They hinder through traffic on 17th, which actually has cars driving down it.

Secondly, the light on State St and North Avenue is useless. All you need is a sensor for State St traffic because otherwise, there's no reason for North Avenue to catch a red there. State St is not that busy.

Since the public you are supposed to serve can't seem to hold you accountable, please try to respect yourselves and do your very best at work. What you have been doing is haphazard and irresponsible at best.

these idiots kill me

2008-08-26T18:48:00.003-05:00

Nevermind the sham of it all... the republicrat vs demicans and all that. They all play us like a Nintendo Game and Watch. But this Hillary Clinton shit has got to stop:

Forget reality. Forget that they were being played to begin with.

The entitlement is sickening. The fact that they are reacting emotionally in such an irrational manner seems to only illustrate why women should not hole high office. These bitches are ruthless, vindictive, reality-denying cunts and have no business talking politics.

Whores.

Oh, Lindsay...

2007-07-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

Thought it would be a good time to repost this...

Saw this on the gorilla:

consistency of quality and quality of consistency

2007-07-07T08:26:00.000-05:00

They work hand in hand, you see?

If you're consistently bad, like Nickelback, you know to shy away from it. But when it's consistently good, like ranch dressing, it's cool. I can deal. You can.

In looking at the presidential candidates for the 2008 election, this idea of quality and consistency should be the most important factor in your decision-making process.

When you look at all the candidates, look at the quality. With Giuliani, you get enough ignorance to raise red flags. Romney can't decide until the market or the base does. Hillary bends like tall grass in the wind over anything and then tries to stand strong for the single moment she's asked to defend it. Edwards has a certain amount of cow-towing in his history but is more able to admit, "hey, I was wrong here."

We need that.

We need someone who can bring principled, consistent decision-making to the office. We need someone who can adapt and admit, "hey, I was wrong."

The world changes so fast anymore. Old law and rule will only last if we recognize tat the same universal virtues and truths hold true now, as they always have. But as more technology and ideas begin to saturate the culture, we as a free people need to be able to allow for those while maintaining a consistency of quality. Fads come and go. Gadgets come and go and are always replaced by new things.

What has always been true about the core of the American ideal is that we allow for that. But we can not sacrifice our virtues or quality.

On a tangent, I want to talk about the socialization of health care. There is an overwhelming amount of support for the idea of "free universal health care." This scares me. Why should it be free. I am writing this, between jobs, with a cold and lacking health care. Still, I don't want to be able to walk into a doctors office and say "fix me." I had insurance. I lost it. I never prepared. I wasn't responsible and I should not ask you or the doctor to make me nto the charity case. I shouldn't ask my goverment to make that possible.

That's what I hope SiCKO, the Micheal Moore movie does not do. know he wants that though. He wants us all to be able to walk into the doctor and ay "fix me" and it all get covered by your wallet, my wallet, the doctor's wallet.

As a designer, and new media producer, I wonder if we ever get to a point where we're so healthy or wealthy or whatever, will we all be entitled to free universal website design? I went to school for 4 years. Doctors double that at minimum. Why should we ask them to stop competing? Capitalism is not a bad thing. The free market is not a bad thing.

What is bad is the hand that's been in this jar. The giant jar of medical money-making. Once the government and the AMA and the insurance companies started meddling in all of this, that's when things went south. We don't need more government intervention in our lives.

That's not what free people should want!

The declaration of independence was signed leading to a revolutionary war that was fought to be rid of government intervention. Government intervention catalyzed our yearning for real freedom.

And now that our world changes all the time, every day, we need to consider the ideas that brought our forefathers to the point they were drive to, to make the hard decisions that led to this country being born. Those were not easy decisions for our forefathers to make. A lot of people were terrified to stand on the ground that brought this country into existence. Ben Franklin's only son sided with Britain and they never mended that relationship.

Don't confuse the American Dream for the American Fantasy. The American Fantasy, as seen on TV, where we all win the lotto, or become pop stars, or get away with murder, or become the hero in an unprecedented character arc, or get free health care at any hospital. Those are fantasies.

The real American Dream can be realized the same way it always has. It takes hard work- working for quality, consistently. Consistently reaching for higher quality in any and all the work we do. Sometimes the cards are stacked against us. Look at the civil rights movement or gay rights today. The fantasy America has become the new tyranny. So, recognize when you're being manipulated by the old media. Television and newspapers are old media, bought and sold, controlling the mindsets of our American brothering, like our brains are bowling balls in a bumper bowling tournement. Sure it looks like we're doing it. But sooner or later, we all end up at the pins, an end they have defined for us.

No, real freedom lies online. That's why the government keeps looking for ways to control it. Controlling the press became key in American policy-making. This is not a recent development. It was key in changing the hearts and minds in the swing toward bringing freedom toward the states. Publishing anti-british material was treasonous before the revolutionary war.

The government today is quietly more polite about it, but don't kid yourself. They want you lock-step with the policy. And with all the money and politicizing of real issues, it's hard to see how any of this became an issue to begin with.

Ron Paul is a hit on the internet because he speaks of freedom. His message is heard and droves of people are responding. You look at the consistency of his political decision-making and you can see, he's easily the most conservative, principled candidate there is.

Our country, as a constitutional government is the oldest in human history. Like all great giants, we might fall. I don't think we'll go down easy though which leads me to believe there will be jail time, oppression, and death, on a massive scale.

But I believe if we can sort of, reset all of this. If we can go back to what made us free in the first place, we have a chance to last a lot longer.

Our Iraqi invasion has lead us as Americans to look at ourselves and our country in some sort of mass introspection. We need that. We meddled with others before taking a good long look at ourselves.

Let's look at ourselves. Let's fix what's going on inside before presenting ourselves on the worlds' stage the next time. For the sake of consistency and quality, and the quality of consistency, let's elect Ron Paul to help repair our American freedom.

Voxtrot @ the Drunken Unicorn

2007-07-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

I recorded the whole show. The sound is outta the camera, not the board, but it still sounds pretty good. They played a whole hour. Here's one of the songs they played- Raised by Wolves:

LOST: My dignity/humanity

2007-06-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

answers by the name "schmuck" and looks like it's been through hell. Last seen being beaten mercilessly from me at my place of work. Cash reward. Please call or write with any info.

I've been thinking about a couple of adages I was taught to keep a positive attitude about my work.

The first one comes from my dad, and it goes, "It's a poor workman who blames his tools." In thinking about this, I think, so say I'm a lumberjack and the foreman gives me a hammer. Yeah I can still chop down trees but it will take for-fuckin-ever! Or say I'm on car-drying duty at the car wash and the boss is only giving me kleenex. Say I'm an 80 year old porn-star and the director is skimpin' on the Viagra. A fry-cook with a shallow pan and 10 orders of extra-tasty crispy...

My point with this is yeah, I get it. You do the best you can with what you got. I know that. But when the right tools are out there, and they are more conducive to the work, why shouldn't I as a knowledgeable professional practicing my craft get those? Further than that, and to go back to the lumberjack, say I need to scale a tree and the harnesses are inferior to others available. Then this is a safety concern, and it is the employer's responsibility to listen to their employees when those people, the people that do that work, are certain that there is a better way to do things. This is not just respectful, it's a smart business move.

It all started with the Mac vs. PC thing. I work in the creative industry and recently accepted a job where we use Windows machines. I wasn't told this before I accepted and had I been, I probably would not have accepted the offer. It's an awful experience working on a Windows machine and the whole clunky process is just a hindrance to getting things done. There's nothing a Windows machine does better when it come to design. I can't say enough about how awful it is.

I would go so far to say the main recent that IT is as big of an industry as it is, is because Windows is an awful, consistently failing, mystery of an OS with no rhyme or reason to much of it's offerings or performance.

uck

The next adage is this gem: "Ours is not to question why, ours is but to do or die.”

-which is a popular misquote of The Charge of the Light Brigade by
Alfred, Lord Tennyson. And in that, I find myself asking (though I know I shan't) who are these schlumps and why don't they have any respect for themselves. We should always ask why. Our superiors would certainly love to believe that they hold all the knowledge in the universe inside their highly educated, senior staff minds. But the more real ones, the people who I can certainly respect, have no problem being asked why we would do things a certain way as opposed to another. It's how we learn. It's how we come to make good decisions as a team. Kings and emperors get to make self-serving decisions. My boss is not my king, not my emperor, and even if he were, I'd still consider questioning him, if not overthrowing or killing him. I mean, I don't want to be a peasent. I don't want to be a drone. Fuck!

Why are these two attitude inspiring statements so dehumanizing? Fuck that. No way. If that's what the boss believes, I'll fucking walk. I will question and I will want the best tool for the job, and even more... my life, and my opinions matter. My opinions matter when it's my experience that got me the job. You want people to say yes all day and never question you or ask for better equipment? Then hire a bunch of fear-filled, yes-men, pussies. I'm not that person.

And then on a side note - Do this... send like 5 bucks. Just send a little ya know?! I mean if we all send five, that's a lot!

Dear Joseph Wagner,

Thank you very much for your donation of $20.00 to the Ron Paul 2008 Presidential Campaign.

Your donation will allow us to expand and grow our campaign.

We depend on donors like you to help us spread the message of freedom, peace and prosperity through Ron Paul’s candidacy.

Thanks for being a part of the campaign!

Make Your 2008 Presidential Decision in Just Under 9 Minutes

2007-05-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

Every time I see this guy, it gives me hope.

We need to get loud about him and make our voices heard. Vote for him in the primaries. Tell your friends. Ron Paul in in it to win it and anyone who cares about restoring these United States to "the land of the free" should become an ambassador for the presidential campaign of Ron Paul for 2008.

Prepare yourselves though. This article describes a very real attempt at smearing and silencing Ron Paul in our politically charged and owned (it is, don't kid yourself) mainstream media.

Is it 2001 already? The Strokes - "You Only Live Once" sci-fi music video

2007-05-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

I just want to be brief about this.

The video looks amazing. Visually, it could not be any more appealing in terms of subject matter, editing, and imagination. My problem is with the song/the band. I liked the first album a lot. I had a hard time getting into this album. Frankly, I don't feel the song and visuals are the right mix.

But hey, the Strokes are still around, ya'all. And it looks like there may even be thoughts about shooting them into space... which might not be all that bad for them as their sound might actually sound "fresh" to any life that may exist 100's of 1,000's of miles out in space.

You should see what gorrilla vs. bear found

2007-05-20T08:52:00.000-05:00

go to the light...

I got this dead horse back at my apartment

2007-05-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

You want to come by and beat it?

Yeah so, I sorta said some mean (but true) crap about Falwell. A lot of people did, including Chris Hitchens, author of "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything".

Well, Sean Hannity don't so much appreciate it and demonstrates himself for the childish bully he is as he tries raking Hitchens over the coals.

But hey Fox News, let's not forget your send off for Kurt Vonnegut.

How short does the media think our memory is? Hitch is straight-forward and honest about his "disrespect for the dead" but Fox pisses on Vonnegut's grave through condescension, slander, and a misrepresentation of the truth. Cowardly. Passive aggressive. Hypocritical.

Fair. Balanced.

sharing is caring

2007-05-16T16:03:00.000-05:00

I got a fun comment a while back. Finally, I got back and thought it was worth sharing the correspondence.

you left a comment for me...
Joe,

How's it going brother? My name is Jason. I don't know how I found you but I did, so be it. I awoke a recent morning to find "Dispatches from the Brink" on my Favorites list.( Tight name for the site.)I figure I was most likely fucked up on a previous night and read "Forget what's important", a very solid bit of writing.It was written with great style, kinda "1950's BEAT" style but it wasn't. That was a mere comparison, your shit was more complex, highbrow, quiet/soft, chill and not obnoxious.

I dig it you wrote something pretty original at a time on earth when there is a lot of fuckers trying to be different and express themselves artistically. I would give a liberal number of 99% never achieve it. Not even once. I think in this piece you did it once. Deep subject I think most thinkers our age have conflict with. Man, Shit and if you just watch a good doc on a 3rd world nation, an unjust situation in the world, the Iraq war or even Fight Club... Man then I'll be like " fuck this rat race shit " I'm ready to sell everything and start doing somthing I TRULY BELIEVE IN. Pack my fucking bags.

If we're on the same page, I understand "Forget What's Important". Good job. Secondly I think I might start a blog. I would appreciate some advise brother, hit me up at xxx@xxx.com.

Later, Jason
I've had plenty of mornings where I woke up with a computer screen full of indiscretions.

As far as selling all yer stuff and packing the bags, I totally did that! I did it in 2005. It felt great, but all I learned is that I sort of have to suck it up and take shit for the most part if I want to continue trying to enjoy my time, this life, and reinterpret it on the blog or in videos or whatever.

If you feel that itch long enough and it doesn't seem to go away, you might have to scratch it and hit the road. You just have to experience it to know.

And if you want to start a blog, do what I failed to do and give your readers something they can't find anywhere else. Try to create more of back and forth with your visitors. Aim for creating a community of ideas. Also, any "success" I see here seems to be where I focus outward and look at the world around me. It's somewhat personal opinion but it's less self-celebratory and more observational. People relate to the things we all see and share so if possible, stay away from dwelling inside your own thoughts, feelings, life... unless it's exploding with drama and excitement and you write superbly about it. I know this blog could use a lot less of me exploring my inner-12-year-old-girl.

My decision is made

2007-05-16T13:51:00.000-05:00

I like Obama and all. I don't want to have like, 10,000 of his babies like most of the press does. Already though, the 2008 campaign just looks like another bunch of double-speak, condescending, feux caring, wind bags in a self-sucking contest. Both sides.

But this guy ain't mincin' words:

Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas)

The press and those most interested in maintaining the status quo (mainstream press, other polititians and the like) have nothing but awful things to say about the guy and are making a huge effort to remove him from other debates and silence his message.

That's the way we do things... we see a threat and we try to eliminate it. Do it dirty. Twist arms. Intimidate. Slander. Lie. Even kill.

But why's this guy such a threat?

Find out. Go watch his performance during the debate on his website.

Or here:

VOTE FOR THAT GUY!

Holy hot hoppin' God on a Pogo Stick

2007-05-16T00:47:00.000-05:00

I mean, seriously... just read what this douche bag had to say. Death is one thing...

I understand that.

Life is where we all get a shot in making life meaningful. So just look online and see where the world finds meaning in this guy's life.

You were a real prick, Jerry Falwell. Thanks for allowing anyone with the intelligence to see past your fear-mongering idiocy a reason to justify their arguments. You suck. If there's a hell, go ahead and rot in it. You've earned it.

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
Susan B. Anthony

Kermit:NIN

2007-04-02T20:56:00.000-05:00

If this isn't violating copyright laws, it's certainly violating my inner child.

it's gonna rain

2007-04-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

I started doing a weather forcast. No, seriously:

It's on the homepage.

One day, I hope to be as good as Ollie Williams...

NPR is putting the "ass" in classical

2007-03-14T11:32:00.000-05:00

So I wrote the NPR station here in Atlanta finally. I wanted to express my disinterest in the unrelenting, nonstop, "classic" music they play. I did one page of research to support my argument and you gotta check out these links. Funny funny criticism.

I was a member when I lived in Ohio. I happily paid a bit of money each time the drives came around. As your Spring drive approaches here in Atlanta, all I can think about is how terrible the NPR radio programming is down here compared to up there. The main difference is that up there, they actually hadskanklady on to spic "classics". Ugh and her voice! Beyond the fact that spinning classic music all day is a lazy cop out that serves the public little to no good, it's just so annoying to hear her speak. I'm not alone in this:

http://atlanta.metblogs.com/archives/2005/10/pledge.phtml

http://www.plasticnoodle.com/archives/000733.html

http://community.livejournal.com/atlanta/1359326.html

http://annepages.blogspot.com/2006/04/i-s-i-t-m-e-ahh-hosts-of-atlantas.html

That's just a few off the first page in Google searching only for "Lois Reitzes".

sure is a far cry from what ya'all wrote here:
http://www.pba.org/about/wabe/hosts/music_hosts/#anchor4

Give the public what they want and give us good programming like WBUR in Boston I believe, or like Columbus or Cleveland in Ohio.

If yer feelin froggy, and you live in broadcasting range of this shit-shop they call an NPR station, write them here. And even if you don't, feel free to write in and tell them Lois Reitzes is an anooying bitch. Don't worry, you wouldn't be lying because it's pretty true. She's like this woman:

forget what's important

2007-02-20T22:02:00.000-05:00

forget who you are
forget all you did
forget all you fought for
forget what it took to get here
across from you
so forgetful of all we could ever bring
the person we've played at least some part in crafting
and the shape we can take from here on out
if there's any value intrinsic to it,
it'll have to be done with confidence
but then you run the risk
of offending those who are wholly against notions such as those
those that you own
and are unafraid to present
and just teeter along the tightrope toward what end
one where something is gained
or lost
for fear of what you might lose
forgetting what may be gained
by turning away
or staying the same
and being left with your principles
a ground, a foundation
upon which you can stand strong
but cannot be shared by all
a ground you found solid
that was slated to fade away by 30
at which point you learn to give in
forfeiting what made you noteworthy
one that shaped you
one that allowed you to settle
and recognize the ground others stood on
that ground is bound to sink
at 30
when we all learn to sink
swim for a time
and eventually drown
in popular opinion
where we hold our breath
for as long as possible
until finally, we need to give in
and learn to live in
the cloudy deep
thick with opinions you don't share
but have not the air to care about
rising above
remembering love
and the stance you had mastered
where you know if you can't stand on principle
and live by your own convictions
you painstakingly learn to live
drown
(breath)
and die
by the slim, shallow convictions of
others.

what of it

2007-02-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

We got a guy who asserts and decides without being well-informed.
He's also reluctant to admit his mistakes.
Separately, these are unsavory.
Combined, they're a disaster.

Pride is best left to homos and high schools.

Valentine's day sweets

2007-02-14T13:11:00.000-05:00

fresh truffle shuffle:

Valentine's Day love quiz

2007-02-13T10:12:00.000-05:00

The False Messiah
Deliberate Brutal Love Master (DBLMm)

People believe in you, and then you send them to hell. Behold, the False Messiah.

You're usually a very kind person, and conscientious, too. Socially, you're a leader, and your friends and associates look up to you. In intimate relationships, you're a capable, responsive, and experienced lover. Outside the box, however, you run into trouble.

Your exact opposite:
The Pool Boy

Random Gentle Sex Dreamer

Guys fall hard for you, but you're much more ambivalent about them. The beginnings of your relationships are unusually intense, making it all the rougher on him when they end. At first, using all your accumulated tricks of the trade, you ladle on the affection. But once he's all covered in soup, you withhold the true napkins of commitment. What's that all about? We should've called you the False Waiter.

You're looking for Love. But history tells us you struggle to settle down and accept it. There's a deep streak of carnality within you. And while you'll never be a predator, you'll always fight the urge to roam free. You like to plan things out, so plan this: find someone who can indulge your selfish side, has a healthy sexual appetite, and doesn't mind uncertainty.

FLEE: The Slow Dancer, The Boy Next Door

PURSUE: The 5-Night Stand, The Loverboy, The Billy Goat

Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating.
My profile name: facereplacer

prepare yerself and take the valentine's day quiz.

this guy is a tool

2007-02-02T11:52:00.000-05:00

I wrote the BostonHerald.com to complain about them giving voice to this blowhard, Howie Carr. Read that crap and tell me you don't think he's an ass. You can't. Dude's an ass.

So I wrote on their contact page:

Howie Carr is a tool. His take on the Turner marketing story is nothing but pathetic, self-celebratory bloviating based solely on his own ignorant opinions. Those opinions are not relevant or newsworthy and he should pick up a mop. He might be valuable in that role.

Tool.

Yeah I mean it's in the opinion pages but c'mon. This is all the media and government, who are both totally gay for each other, trying to point fingers elsewhere when they (the gov, media) are the embiciles.

The moon rulz

Super Deluxe

2007-02-01T10:11:00.000-05:00

There's some pretty funny shiz up on that piece. John and I actually went to pitch ideas to them when they were still developing the programming. We bombed pretty hard on account of the fact we have ADHD and can't think episodically.

Like I said, there's funny stuff there. The quality is superior to YouTubealso. Check out this little diddy:

Also, I put the Donkey and the Bear up there ( I know, I know ). I was hoping ya'll could head over there, register, comment and/or vote. That would be radtastic.

Split

2007-01-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

What do you want?
A month?
You need a month to decide on you and I?
A year?
Two? Three?
We got all the time in the world-
at least one of us sees it-
sees it clearly enough to wait.

You got shit.
You got all this shit-
that shit.
You got all this shit and now,
we gotta put it all in boxes.
We gotta put it all on a truck.
We gotta get the fuck outta here.

You see it clear and it'll be fair
if we split it all up.
Not your shit- our shit...
Split up the drive.
As long as we get out
and get out alive
we gotta get this truck full of boxes full of shit somewhere else.

Isn't it practical?
Isn't it crazy- insane?
I go back in a van, I arrived on a plane.
Your shit and my shit
in boxes
in trucks, closets
and garages.

What is "back" now?
which one is "there"
or "here"?
As long as one of us sees it clearly-
as long as one of us cares.
We'll split it all up.

A vast and shattered landscape
remains the same far away.
An escape from the inside, out
will take more than a well-concieved
allocation or logistical success.
You never had to move.

Filling the Online Void

2007-01-01T20:53:00.000-05:00

Couldn't find a link to any good muppet stuff other than the mahnamahna thing, but I really wanted to see the Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear sketch.

Muppets are wholesome.

the only thing more pathetic than my life is someone watching it

2006-12-06T11:27:00.000-05:00

Read this.

It's about a new law that might have you thinking twice about everything you do online (if you weren't already anyhow).

Don't forget:
downsizedc.org