I haven't posted a blog here in a while. Truth be told, I'm not sure what to talk about.
I mean... I'm living in Boca Raton, FL right now. I need to take two more classes at Georgia Perimeter College, and pass them, to get my Business associates degree. Luckily I can take the two classes online, although one requires on-campus testing for the final.
Once that's done, I hope to enroll at Florida Atlantic University (most likely the Boca Raton campus) for the Music Business bachelors. The mainstream music industry is broken, and needs to be fixed. They need to stop fighting the move to the digital age (and I say that as someone who hates MP3, prefers CD to MP3 player, and vinyl to CD). They need to stop fighting torrenting because it's a lost cause... it will never go away. They need to embrace it... use it to their advantage. And the same goes for Recordings of Indeterminate Origins (bootlegs... or otherwise, unofficial live recordings and/or unofficial studio outtakes/sessions). Of course, I can't force these changes myself, but I'm hoping I can at least play a major role in helping the industry to make these changes... or even a minor role...
After that, I'm considering getting a double Psychology/Theology masters degree, after I get my bachelors. Why? No, I'm not religious. Indeed, I'm the opposite: I'm an atheist... although I'm not an anti-theist; I'm an anti-radicalist. And religious radicalism is, in fact, the reason I want to study Psychology and Theology.
The radical mind has always interested me. What is going on inside their heads, that they would rather die than throw away beliefs of theirs that all observation shows to be wrong (Creationism vs Evolution, Young Earth/Universe vs Old Earth/Universe, earthquakes caused by immodest women vs earthquakes caused by geological activity, etc)? And what are the origins of this state? I've been researching this topic for years, and although my primary love is music, and that is where I intend to establish myself, I still wish to study the mind of the fundamentalist, because I don't think it's been done... at least, not to my satisfaction. Again, that's the main reason for my considerations of a dual masters major in Psychology and Theology.
The other reason for Theology is because I believe if one wants to argue effectively against something, one should have some knowledge of it... perhaps even strive to be an "expert" of sorts in it. That's why I get so pissed off at Creationists who know fuck-all about Evolution and yet claim to know more than evolutionary biologists who've been studying it their whole lives...
*ahem*
Sorry...
For my more short-term goals, I'm looking to put together a band... a Psychedelic Blues Rock band. I'm writing songs for my album, many of which are unfinished and likely won't be used. The album will be called Heven, and the title track is a Space Rock instrumental ala Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun". I'm working on my guitar chops though because right now I'm still mainly a rhythm guitarist and I want to be a lead... a Blues lead. I have a few social statement songs ("Nobody's Fault but Mine" is a rewrite of an old Blues classic, rewritten to be an anti-Proselytizing rant... though it's a bit more Heavy Rock than Blues; "USA Blues" is pretty much an anti-conservative rant; "Middle Man" is an anti-tolerance song because I think tolerance is a lie... it's how bigots avoid having to accept what they don't want to accept, and people who preach tolerance don't actually practice it), a couple instrumentals (a short Blues Rock one called "Groovin' Monkeys", and then "Heven"), a couple fun tunes ("All the Best are Taken", an upbeat Blues tune about how all the best girls are always taken; "Evil Woman Blues", minor key, slow jazzy blues about the one thing all the old Bluesmen had in common; "Led Zeppelin", another upbeat Blues song, though using snippets from "Rock and Roll" and "Black Dog", which is about how music is my religion and my gods are Led Zeppelin), one cliche teenage-angsty piece-of-shit that I kept for the music rather than the lyrics ("There's Got to be More"... the lyrics meant something to me, oh, 5 years ago... but I still like the music... a minor-key acoustic thing... and I couldn't think of any new lyrics for it... so... yeah... oh, no... not Blues... post-Grunge, maybe?... Emo?... not sure... all acoustic, no screaming... though it's minor key and there is a guitar solo), and a cover (Syd Barrett's "Dark Globe").
Okay... maybe that album is finished... I just gotta record it... somehow... hmm... But first I need to find a guitarist who can shred but is a bit sloppy (like Page or Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan), who can also tutor me and help me get better at my playing, a pianist who can really play (I mean, like complicated leads and shit), a percussionist, and a bassist who isn't afraid to solo. Lofty, impossible goals aside... I need to find a few decent instrument-players... then again, I do know at least a pianist who has uber-incredible chops... at least in jazz... maybe he'll hit the keys for me.
Anyways...
Although any math beyond simple 9th-grade shit makes my head spin, I have developed an amateur interest in origins science: evolutionary biology, abiogenesis, astronomy, cosmology, physics, quantum theory, etc. Mostly because the idea of how we got here is mind-blowing. I'm not a believer in any kind of higher power... at least, in any kind of higher power outside of spacetime... so for me it's even more mind-blowing.
Quantum Theory is the study of the atom, and has shown us something absolutely incredible: events without causes. If the Universe was at one time smaller then an atom (which makes sense considering the fact that it's currently inflating), then the "Big Bang" doesn't necessarily need a cause. It could have just been nothing more then a quantum fluctuation.
And even if it did have a cause, a greatly postulated theory that I love is the Multiverse theory. I mean... if the Big Bang happened once, what's to stop it from happening again... and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again...
You get the picture...
Yeah... it sounds like science fiction... but that's the cool thing... it may just be science FACT. How cool would that be?
The Universe, to me, is incredible. It's such a mind-blowing place... and the thought that there could be more than one... what amazing sites have we not yet seen?
I mean, just look at what our own universe has to offer:
(<thumbnail... click to view larger image)
That, BTW, is NOT false color.
I know. It's my desktop, laptop, and cell phone wallpaper.
And to think... there could be a lot more than that, and not just in our own universe.
...
Um, sorry... I went off again...
...
I do that a lot...
...
Ramble...
...
...
Anyways... that's it for me for now... it's 3:12 am here (Eastern Standard Time). I need to get up at a somewhat early hour tomorrow... no later then 9:30 am if possible, though watch me snooze 'til 10 (am... duh).
So, to the one person who may read this... good night (or good morning, as the case may be).
I mean... I'm living in Boca Raton, FL right now. I need to take two more classes at Georgia Perimeter College, and pass them, to get my Business associates degree. Luckily I can take the two classes online, although one requires on-campus testing for the final.
Once that's done, I hope to enroll at Florida Atlantic University (most likely the Boca Raton campus) for the Music Business bachelors. The mainstream music industry is broken, and needs to be fixed. They need to stop fighting the move to the digital age (and I say that as someone who hates MP3, prefers CD to MP3 player, and vinyl to CD). They need to stop fighting torrenting because it's a lost cause... it will never go away. They need to embrace it... use it to their advantage. And the same goes for Recordings of Indeterminate Origins (bootlegs... or otherwise, unofficial live recordings and/or unofficial studio outtakes/sessions). Of course, I can't force these changes myself, but I'm hoping I can at least play a major role in helping the industry to make these changes... or even a minor role...
After that, I'm considering getting a double Psychology/Theology masters degree, after I get my bachelors. Why? No, I'm not religious. Indeed, I'm the opposite: I'm an atheist... although I'm not an anti-theist; I'm an anti-radicalist. And religious radicalism is, in fact, the reason I want to study Psychology and Theology.
The radical mind has always interested me. What is going on inside their heads, that they would rather die than throw away beliefs of theirs that all observation shows to be wrong (Creationism vs Evolution, Young Earth/Universe vs Old Earth/Universe, earthquakes caused by immodest women vs earthquakes caused by geological activity, etc)? And what are the origins of this state? I've been researching this topic for years, and although my primary love is music, and that is where I intend to establish myself, I still wish to study the mind of the fundamentalist, because I don't think it's been done... at least, not to my satisfaction. Again, that's the main reason for my considerations of a dual masters major in Psychology and Theology.
The other reason for Theology is because I believe if one wants to argue effectively against something, one should have some knowledge of it... perhaps even strive to be an "expert" of sorts in it. That's why I get so pissed off at Creationists who know fuck-all about Evolution and yet claim to know more than evolutionary biologists who've been studying it their whole lives...
*ahem*
Sorry...
For my more short-term goals, I'm looking to put together a band... a Psychedelic Blues Rock band. I'm writing songs for my album, many of which are unfinished and likely won't be used. The album will be called Heven, and the title track is a Space Rock instrumental ala Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun". I'm working on my guitar chops though because right now I'm still mainly a rhythm guitarist and I want to be a lead... a Blues lead. I have a few social statement songs ("Nobody's Fault but Mine" is a rewrite of an old Blues classic, rewritten to be an anti-Proselytizing rant... though it's a bit more Heavy Rock than Blues; "USA Blues" is pretty much an anti-conservative rant; "Middle Man" is an anti-tolerance song because I think tolerance is a lie... it's how bigots avoid having to accept what they don't want to accept, and people who preach tolerance don't actually practice it), a couple instrumentals (a short Blues Rock one called "Groovin' Monkeys", and then "Heven"), a couple fun tunes ("All the Best are Taken", an upbeat Blues tune about how all the best girls are always taken; "Evil Woman Blues", minor key, slow jazzy blues about the one thing all the old Bluesmen had in common; "Led Zeppelin", another upbeat Blues song, though using snippets from "Rock and Roll" and "Black Dog", which is about how music is my religion and my gods are Led Zeppelin), one cliche teenage-angsty piece-of-shit that I kept for the music rather than the lyrics ("There's Got to be More"... the lyrics meant something to me, oh, 5 years ago... but I still like the music... a minor-key acoustic thing... and I couldn't think of any new lyrics for it... so... yeah... oh, no... not Blues... post-Grunge, maybe?... Emo?... not sure... all acoustic, no screaming... though it's minor key and there is a guitar solo), and a cover (Syd Barrett's "Dark Globe").
Okay... maybe that album is finished... I just gotta record it... somehow... hmm... But first I need to find a guitarist who can shred but is a bit sloppy (like Page or Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan), who can also tutor me and help me get better at my playing, a pianist who can really play (I mean, like complicated leads and shit), a percussionist, and a bassist who isn't afraid to solo. Lofty, impossible goals aside... I need to find a few decent instrument-players... then again, I do know at least a pianist who has uber-incredible chops... at least in jazz... maybe he'll hit the keys for me.
Anyways...
Although any math beyond simple 9th-grade shit makes my head spin, I have developed an amateur interest in origins science: evolutionary biology, abiogenesis, astronomy, cosmology, physics, quantum theory, etc. Mostly because the idea of how we got here is mind-blowing. I'm not a believer in any kind of higher power... at least, in any kind of higher power outside of spacetime... so for me it's even more mind-blowing.
Quantum Theory is the study of the atom, and has shown us something absolutely incredible: events without causes. If the Universe was at one time smaller then an atom (which makes sense considering the fact that it's currently inflating), then the "Big Bang" doesn't necessarily need a cause. It could have just been nothing more then a quantum fluctuation.
And even if it did have a cause, a greatly postulated theory that I love is the Multiverse theory. I mean... if the Big Bang happened once, what's to stop it from happening again... and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again...
You get the picture...
Yeah... it sounds like science fiction... but that's the cool thing... it may just be science FACT. How cool would that be?
The Universe, to me, is incredible. It's such a mind-blowing place... and the thought that there could be more than one... what amazing sites have we not yet seen?
I mean, just look at what our own universe has to offer:
(<thumbnail... click to view larger image)That, BTW, is NOT false color.
I know. It's my desktop, laptop, and cell phone wallpaper.
And to think... there could be a lot more than that, and not just in our own universe.
...
Um, sorry... I went off again...
...
I do that a lot...
...
Ramble...
...
...
Anyways... that's it for me for now... it's 3:12 am here (Eastern Standard Time). I need to get up at a somewhat early hour tomorrow... no later then 9:30 am if possible, though watch me snooze 'til 10 (am... duh).
So, to the one person who may read this... good night (or good morning, as the case may be).
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Read these books: The Family & C Street. Both are by Jeff Sharlet who may be one of the most important investigative reporters in this century.