joy machine

Life is amazing. I have a 2-year-old (almost 3) son and coming home to him lifts my spirits beyond what I could have ever imagined. Most of the day I’m in the trenches of design and code, and the drive home is really a decompression chamber for all the technical-brain-lock. When I get home and see his happy little face (or fussy-fuss depending on which side of his toddler bed he woke up on after naptime), nothing else matters.

He’s learning his numbers and alphabet, and essentially all I’m doing is learning more complex versions of the same. It’s actually pretty funny. Web development is a lot of language+logic+creativity, and I’m sure he gets just as excited when he can recognize the letter J as I do when I learn a new programming concept or design method. It psyches me up to think about that.

Both my wife and I have been anticipating this coming election with palpable excitement. We’ve felt the economic and occupational instabilities, while making choices that will ultimately keep our little man healthy and happy. We’ve seen the ravages of unchecked, unwieldy power in the White House tear apart not only our own country, but other nations in our global community. Hopefully, this war machine presidency is finally at an end. The death tolls in Iraq are ridiculous. Too many people suffering from poverty and injustice let alone the killing factor. Past, present, future – we are permanently marred. There is a lot of darkness in our world.

Then there’s my little boy. I am so thankful to be able to come home to him every day. So many parents have lost that ability through war or poverty, or some other horrible family severing event. If love covers a multitude of sins, even those of such epic proportions as our country has committed, than we have hope. Reaching into our souls and pockets in this country to help this world reach it’s potential in hope and love should be our purpose. Culturally, we have succeeded and are still succeeding in so many ways. Now is the time to sew our glorious allowances with responsibility to make this world a better place – forever.

We need to end our predatory, destructive behaviors and get back to the basics. Get back to where we belong; to love, peace and creativity. And learning like a 2 year old.

Cities in dust

This has been done to death. I am aware of that. The crux of this message, and the reason for the post is that I don’t want to go to the dark side – I really don’t.

Let me preface by telling you that I am a musician, artist and graphic designer/web developer. I stand to succeed or fail based on talent, perception and distribution.

I have never downloaded one song, one software package, one movie or anything else that I have not purchased or obtained legally. Even though I am VERY well versed in technology to the extent that I could have started doing this many (many!) years ago, I have chosen to wait and see how the media companies handle it (RIAA and MPAA). They have NOT responded well at all (RIAA in particular) and I will not suffer those fools for much longer. They have failed at an alarming rate.

Essentially, for the music industry, it comes down to this : The artists need to get the lion’s share of the profits. The distribution channel and the record company (if there is one involved – at this point anyone with a laptop and a digital audio interface can make music indistinguishable from the ‘machine’) should each get equal parts of what remains. Oh and one more thing – the prices will change dramatically or piracy will increase.

RIAA, you are bleeding out. Take the help we are offering you or prepare your Last Will and Testament, because your next stop is the morgue.

The MPAA has a bit more time – but they need to learn the lessons that the RIAA did not. This is how their ‘suits’ will survive, albeit in an altered state than the previous comfort that had been afforded to them. Research, execute the necessary changes, adapt and deliver. Don’t screw it up.

It’s ok to make mistakes along the way to repair. Just keep in mind – blatant disregard for the new organic revolution of public distribution and user defined experience is a mortal wound from which you may not recover. Just check with your friend the RIAA, but get to them fast. The last rites have been read, and they will not survive for long.

Next on the revolution hitlist? ‘Professional’ sports. Overrated, over-doped (thus the overrated) and over-priced. Welcome to your overhaul, athletic-mega-corps!