Home

New album from Silent Auction released by Nilaihah Records

2010-07-26T20:01:48Z

dated: July 23, 2010
SOURCE: Side-Line

Out now on Nilaihah Records is the Silent Auction album "H on Earth". Silent Auction works "to create a fusion between the underground and mainstream, building a bridge between both worlds through music". Mastered by Andreas Meyer (Usher, Yo Yo Ma) it holds remixes by mind.in.a.box and Cosmicity.

Formed in 1997 in Rochester, NY by Jason Barbero and Jason Rowe, Silent Auction began as a dark industrial project derived from grinding noises, intense rhythm programming and chaotic digital sounds. In late 2000 Silent Auction began to break away from the industrial noise scene and moved towards experimental dark wave and synthpop, with Jace Luce joining the band in 2001 to add live bass and additional vocals. Over the next two years Silent Auction shifted toward a melodic and far more danceable sound. With the addition of Theresa Snyder in 2003 as lead female vocalist and co-composer, Silent Auction completed their crossover into the realm of electronica, synthpop and futurepop.

For the full article, click here.

Repose of Nobility

2010-07-22T14:47:13Z

dated: July 21, 2010
SOURCE: Swell and Dandy

The noble traits that our ancestors once took for granted are dead. Nobility has been murdered. The culprit? Laziness. The abettor? Contentment. Too often members of modern society are content with climbing out of bed, throwing on their 'comfortable' (often common and tasteless) clothes, and blending in with the rest of the world as they stroll down the easiest possible route.

But it is the easy route, right? What is the cost? Simply put, the laziness and contentment of society has caused it to throw out all of its principles because it is too lazy to uphold them. The result of this is a disconnected, cruel, careless, and sloppy world devoid of culture. Society has thrown out religion, community, family, quality, formality, and culture. We allow manners and formalities to be thrown out and we allow ourselves to be influenced by pop culture.

For the full article, click here.

Stand-up comedy by Jon Robbins, of the U.S. Dept. of Justice

2010-07-22T14:41:52Z

Woody Allen is incapable of finding happiness

2010-07-20T19:08:29Z

by Andrew A. Anissi

Woody Allen is witty. Through his wit and his way with words, he convinces his audience that he is intelligent. On a purely cerebral level, Woody Allen is, in fact, intelligent. However, on an emotional level he is an idiot. Woody Allen is devoid of understanding of life, existence, and the human condition, though he believes himself wise. Woody Allen cannot conceive of anything beyond what he is already used to believing, which includes only that which is mundane, and nothing outside of the oft referred to box. Woody Allen cannot fathom the purpose of life, and hence is devoid of any capacity to ever truly be happy. As the world outside the box is non-existent to Woody Allen, he has no capacity for wonder or epic creation and hence no vision for positive change for himself, his family, or his community.

Others in the mindset of Woody Allen might find comfort in playing the victim, thus using their resulting self-righteous indignation, anger, and hate as a driving force for continued existence, while bonding emotionally with fellow victims. But, Woody Allen’s rational mind is too intelligent and rational to credit the blame game with any validity. Woody is left without deep emotional yearning, without any drive toward an epic purpose, and lives the life of a nihilist. As Woody Allen cannot attain true happiness, in order to avoid total despair and depression, he attempts to distract and content himself with an overactive hunger for transitory, base pleasures (e.g. gluttony, sexual perversion, outwitting his fellows, antidepressant pills, etc.).

But transitory, base pleasures are insufficient to escape from despair and depression. Doubtless, Woody Allen would be suicidal, except for the fact that he takes pride in his work. Though he acknowledges his own life is a mess, and acknowledges his own infamy, Woody Allen takes pride in the many films and characters that he created, and the widespread entertainment that they have brought about. It’s not enough to give Woody Allen true happiness, but it’s enough to keep him going without killing himself.

That’s my take on Woody Allen after the past two nights of having watched Deconstructing Harry and Whatever Works (and having seen most of his other films). Woody Allen is not an example to be emulated, but, through his wit and his appeal to human feelings that most can relate to, he amuses us, so we continue to watch his films.

Researchers Discover King Arthur's Round Table in England

2010-07-12T15:10:12Z

The UK Telegraph reports that historians have discovered a Roman amphitheatre in Chester, England, that they believe to be the Round Table of the legendary King Arthur.

Arthur (or Arturus) has been known in history as an early sixth century king or general of the Roman or post-Roman colony of Prydain (i.e. Britain) famous for uniting warring provinces south of Hadrian's Wall and fighting off invasions by the Saxons. Many legends surrounding Arthur depict him as England's greatest king, ushering in an era of peace and plenty, and surrounded by characters such as Merlin the court magician, Queen Guenevere, Sir Lancelot of the Lake, Sir Tristan and Iseult, Sir Gawain, and others.

In addition to the Holy Grail and the sword, Excalibur, of central importance to Arthurian legend is the Round Table in Arthur's court at Camelot. The Round Table is known in legend as the meeting place of Arthur's greatest knights.

The historians mentioned above believe that the Round Table was not actually a piece of furniture, but was rather a round, Roman amphitheatre where up to 1,000 people could meet at the same time, and where King Arthur could receive information and provide instructions to his knights and nobles. The castle of Camelot was built around the Round Table, which has been found in Chester, England.

The historians plan on presenting their discovery of the Round Table to the world via television broadcast later this month.

Wonder. Story. They're Back!

2010-07-08T16:16:32Z

Panverse Publishing, a small press recently started by Dario Ciriello, released its initial volume, Panverse One, the first in a series of original anthologies.

Panverse One has almost broken even just seven months after its release, a rare feat for a first volume from a tiny new publisher. Though still in a struggling start-up phase, Panverse Publishing is putting out two more anthologies this year.

Ciriello's self stated goals are:

"First, to publish work that evokes that unique sense of awe, wonder, and sheer story that's missing from much of the work published in the field. Ask most adults if they read Science Fiction or Fantasy and they're likely to reply, "I used to read it all the time in my teens / high school / college, but for some reason or other I don't anymore." Somewhere along the way, the genre grew less accessible, more introspective, and so preoccupied with literary respectability that it lost sight of what the wider readership actually wants--fun, excitement, wonder, and solid storytelling.

"Second, the Panverse anthology series exists to help new, pro-level writers into print. Conventional publishers are taking no chances in today's economic climate, with the result that many gifted new writers, especially those who write at longer lengths, find the bar to publication is set higher for them than for established authors. Yet Panverse One, with its five novellas (short novels) by mostly unknown writers, was an immediate hit with both readers and reviewers. Gardner Dozois, the most acclaimed editor in the genre, wrote in a recent review that Panverse One was '... something different in today's market, and definitely worth seeking out.'

"Finally, Science Fiction is, and always has been, a subversive, even revolutionary, literature. In the non-English speaking world, it still is: writers take chances, dazzling and challenging us in the process. But the US publishing market has become so timid and conservative that most of what's published is bland and formulaic. If 1984 were written today, I very much doubt that it would see print!

It seems that Ciriello has discovered the truth about the fantasy and sf genres, which is that they stimulate belief in possibility and by doing so stimulate the imagination and inspire readers with the confidence to achieve great things due to their heightened belief in possibility.

Is Chivalry Dead?

2010-06-22T19:48:12Z

by The Black Baron
dated: June 19, 2010
SOURCE: Monarchist Manifesto

It seems these days that chivalry is as dead as Tsar Nicholas II and his family. It is sneered at by the vulgar people who control the television and film industries. Chivalry is only revered by the few who know the truth. Who is responsible for the death of this honorable institution? Many would point fingers at the feminists. And they indeed are largely responsible for its demise. Yet another closer look will show that the people who were responsible for the fall of Old Europe after WWI. The revolutionaries are responsible for the murder of chivalry.

To the feminists chivalry was social barrier which kept them from achieving their sinister schemes. To them it was an elitist oppression of women by the aristocrat classes. Chivalry promoted true love, marriage and family. The feminists fully opposed these values since they saw these as chains of oppression which kept women from focusing on their career. The feminists believed that in order for women to be truly free there must be a sexual revolution. A revolution which promoted casual sex and a death to marriage and the family.

For the full article, click here.

Economists Erroneously Focus on GDP Rather Than Net Worth (i.e. Savings)

2010-05-18T17:45:17Z

GDP is not an appropriate way to assess the strength of an economy. GDP only really measures production and sales. The appropriate way to assess the strength of an economy is net worth.

Modern economists think that producing more means the economy is doing better, but that viewpoint only pushes the country to focus more on borrowing money and buying unnecessary things (i.e. reckless consumerism). This viewpoint is based on the modern economic view that an economy's goal is to provide jobs for everyone. But that's not the goal.

The goal is savings. The goal is for everyone to amass enough wealth that they're no longer dependent on jobs. With a savings goal, thrift is a good thing, because it reduces waste. With a jobs goal, however, modern economists look down on threat and push consumerism to increase production. The modern economists viewpoint taken to the extreme would result in Soviet Russia where the people produce thousands of tanks but have no bread. Or modern America where people have margarita makers but no savings.

Why I Steal Movies...

2010-05-17T14:17:09Z

...Even Ones I'm In.
by Peter Serafinowicz, a British writer/producer/director/actor/musician/voice talent
SOURCE: Gizmodo

With bandwidth and storage increasing exponentially, getting cheaper, and consumers becoming more tech-savvy, it's becoming easier every day to grab free copies of books, movies and albums. This is why Internet users are thrilled. Including me. This is why people in the entertainment industry are terrified. Including me.

Torrenting is probably too hassle-y for the average viewer: Installing Transmission, VLC, perhaps re-encoding to watch on my TV—but I'm pretty techy (ok, a geek) and have been doing this for years. However, if a show is available on iTunes—as South Park is to me now I've set up a US iTunes account (yet another tech hassle I had to overcome…)—I'll click and buy. It's simple, quick, better quality, not to mention legal. It's also cheap. Graham Linehan (creator of The IT Crowd) described this situation to me as ‘better than free'. Matt Stone and Trey Parker of South Park have always tolerated torrent sites hosting pirate versions of their show, as I imagine they see it as constant promotion. Also, they've realised there's nothing they can do about it.

For the full article, click here.

Hitler orders DMCA Takedown of Hitler Parodies

2010-04-21T18:02:16Z