So, um. Let me get this straight. THIS is supposed to persuade me to FIGHT global warming/climate change? Apparently the hotter it gets, the more clothes these models take off.

My Parents Were Awesome.

Star Trek + Nine Inch Nails = Closer

Awesome.

Recently I heard from friend from way back in the day. My friend (who shall not be named out of respect for his/her privacy) was a religious individual. One who searched for the truth in the belief of a god, or THE God, or what have you. I have great respect for people of faith. Evangelicals not so much, but educated individuals searching for truth, not hillbillie bible thumpers damning all that disagree or challenge their “view”. Anyways, my friend recently contacted me through email to ask me my views on certain theological topics, from an atheist’s perspective.

Just as a sidenote, it’s no secret that I’m an atheist. I’m not ashamed of it, nor do I feel the need to be. Some of my friends and family strongly disapprove of my views, or my publicity of them, but most are indifferent or at least not vocal about it. It is one of those three taboo topics for dinner conversation though. The others being politics, and sex; one pure, and one evil…but I’ll let you decide for yourself which is which.

I felt like the questions that were asked in My Friend’s email were extremely interesting from a purely theological perspective. I feel like it was a chance for me to really define what I believed in relation to what was being asked by someone who’s religious faith had been shaken. My friend’s identity will be protected, but I’ve included the theological portion of the initial email, and my response as I think it starts a very interesting conversation.

My Friend’s Initial Email:

Hey Mr. Tibbs,

< snip >

Secondly, 2009 has sucked for me because I quietly disowned my lifelong exploration and quest of trying to believe in a god. The admittance that our existence is, by default, without purpose makes me sad and intimidated by this huge world that has little governance. What’s more: we’re born, then we die, and for nothing worth bragging about… done.

My question is, how do you enjoy your life from day to day knowing that what we see is what we get?

Any insight you can provide, I’d appreciate.

< snip >

My Response:

Mr < snip >,

< snip >

I’m terribly sorry to hear of your disillusionment in the pursuit and understanding of your faith and exploration of religion/god. Having a realization (if you can truly call it that) which balks at the very epicenter of what you’ve grown to believe and put your faith into cannot be a very easy ordeal by any stretch. My deepest condolences to you for that. The reasons for your departure of faith are your own. It’s something very personal and I empathize with your internal struggle with it.

That being said I don’t think the question is how do I enjoy my life from day to day knowing that what I see is what I get. Rather, I find the question to be more how do I not enjoy my life with all the wonderful fleeting moments that are in it?

My self-actualization comes from the belief that each and every moment I experience while alive is limited, finite, and fleeting. Every path crossed. Every friend made. Every fight won or lost. Every tragedy. Ever triumph. There is a very simple, but astoundingly subtle beauty in it for me. No moment is unique. No moment is ever the same. No moment will ever be repeated. And at some point, in my life, I will cease to be aware of those moments, I will cease to exist, and all those many multitudes of experiences I’ve encountered will also cease to exist with me (though it can be argued that I live on through my shared experiences with friends, children, and/or family, etc…). It’s this time limit that makes it so special. If it continued evermore in whatever incantation that man creates to dull the mind to the fear of death, then the value of my life and my life experiences would be diminished. I personally believe that because there is a limitation, or an end to life, that anything experienced during that duration is that much more special.

To me, the beauty is that nothing lasts forever.

As for the declaration that “our existence is, by default, without purpose…”, I disagree with you. For that statement to be true, some higher power would have to decree that you have a specific use and purpose. In my personal beliefs, I find that to be one caveat of religion that I truly cannot understand. To me an individual’s purpose is whatever he or she wants it to be. You can choose to be and do whatever you want. You can affect peoples lives in great and deeply moving ways. You can spend your years doing absolutely nothing, and that’s okay too. Purpose to me is a personal choice. It’s whatever you want it to be and the fact that it’s yours makes it significant. I think that however you feel about what you choose to do should be the barometer by which you measure your own greatness. That freedom of personal choice is scary though. The question of “what is my purpose in life?” is one of the most complex and challenging questions that mankind faces.

I hope that my personal opinion can offer you some solace, or even direction on this experience you’re having. These questions you’re asking now will only beget more questions…but that’s the beauty of it. You’ll be viewing your world and your experiences through a lens untainted by the dogma of doctrine. You can experience life in it’s purest form.

What are your thoughts?

So back in February I got hit by a cage (car for the non-riders). Hit and run actually. Banged up my 96 XJ600 Seca II pretty bad (I walked away unscathed; take the MSF course and ALWAYS wear gear). Lost my front fairing, scraped up the exhausts on both sides, bent the handlebars (not the fork or trees thankfully), and generally turned my once pretty bike, into a mangled mess.

At the time I was unemployed so I just took the money and pocketed it, and fixed the mechanics on the beast to keep it running until I had some money to buy a new bike. I’ve since been working again but instead of a new bike, I decided that a new computer is more important (I’m an aspiring director so I need good tools) so I’ve decided to make a cafe/rat/hooligan bike out of my old SECA II, and since I love the project threads so much, I’ll be making my own.

For posterity, here’s how my baby looks right now:

She’s in dire need of a bath, but mechanically she’s pretty solid. Could use a carb cleaning and all, but that’s part of the plan. I have it pretty much worked out that I’m going to rebuild her in stages.

Stage 1 – The Basics
In this stage, I’m replacing the dash cluster with an Acewell Unit, 7″ headlight, LED turn signals, LED brake light, black clubman bars, grips, and bar end mirrors. I went online and purchased a bunch of stuff and it’s slowly arriving. Hopefully by this weekend I’ll have all the parts I’ll need for this stage.

Stage 2 – Performance
I’ve recently come into a V&H Supersport Exhaust full system for my bike. They usually go used for about $500, but I picked this gem up for 1/5 of that. The thing is super light. I can effortlessly lift it with one hand. Definitely a departure from the heavy and gargantuan system currently weighing my bike down. It does have some surface rust and scratches, but I’m going to refurbish it (more on that in another post). Anyways, Full 4-into-1 Exhaust System, black heat wrap, silicone sealing spray (for the wrap), a 20mm Pilot Jet, FactoryPro Jet Kit, and a good ole fashioned carb cleaning and (if needed) valve adjustment.

Stage 3 – Suspension & Propulsion
For Stage 3 of the Hooligan conversion I’ll be getting a new rear shock (progressive 420, or an OEM), going with a heavier oil on the front forks, getting some steel braided brake lines, going down 1 tooth on the rear (48 -> 47) and going up 1 tooth in the front (16 -> 17), new Pirelli Sport Demon Tires (upgrading from a 130 to a 150 in the back), POSSIBLY do a FZR front end swap so I can get dual front breaks (and better stopping power), and a partridge in a pear tree.

Stage 4 – Spit and polish
Re-black the engine, matte black (or graphite grey) paintjob for the tank, side panels, and rear plastic.

I’m budgeting ~$2k for this upgrade. I know I can buy a faster, better bike etc, but I’m doing this because it will be awesome to build my own custom bike, I’ll learn a buttload about bikes, I’m an artist so this kind of thing appeals to my creative side, and I think those mad max looking bikes just look badass (if done right).

This week on Embedded, The Silversun Pickups, K’Naan and Arcade Fire.

Another great episode. Check it out at 11pm ET/PT, 10pm CT/MT.
Current TV can be seen on: DirecTV 358, Dish 196, Comcast 107 or 125, Time Warner 103 or 142!
If you’re a total douche (or your cable sucks), you can also watch it on Hulu. So no excuses.

So I’ve been working at Current TV since this past July and I was immediately thrown into the chaos of a burgeoning new show being created called Embedded. I’m one of two artists/animators on the project (the other is the talented Mike Beynart). Mike and I have been on the project since inception working on the graphics, animations, transitions, extras, you name it.

The best way to sum up the question of “What is Embedded”, would be to go to the source. Pulled directly from the show’s descriptor:

“Embedded is a six part special that puts you on the ground and behind the scenes with unrivaled access to your favorite musicians. We’ve traveled the world, going beyond performances to bring you the most intimate and unfiltered moments in artists’ lives. When others stop the cameras, we capture the real story of today’s top musicians.”

Here’s the trailer for the show:

This show is good. It’s a documentary, but not in the whole lame and intelligently barren MTV style “documentaries” on music and musicians. Whereas most TV docs will try to sell you something, or try to promote something, Embedded just focuses on the artist. It’s unhosted, meaning the artist is speaking freely of his/her/their mind(s). This show is for people who really love music. And not that mainstream Britney Spears crap, but real artists. I’m very proud to have been apart of this show.

In the three months I’ve been working here, my friends and family have been asking to see what I’ve been working on, but I haven’t been able to show anything since there hasn’t been an aired episode yet. Here’s a clip of something I did for one of the outtakes on the Silversun Pickups Episode: A sing-a-long to the song “Panic Switch”.

I hope you all get to check it out tonight. Embedded airs at 11pm (ET & PT) and is preceded by Vanguard, a show I also have been spending a lot of time working on for the new season. Check them BOTH out with Vanguard starting at 10pm (ET & PT), followed at 11pm by Embedded! It’s intelligent TV.

Current TV can be seen on: DirecTV 358, Dish 196, Comcast 107 or 125, Time Warner 103 or 142!

A lot of video posts lately I know. But still. Wow. Do you really need more booze at this point? Who does he think he is? Lindsey Lohan?

Seriously, what kind of joke set-up begins with “Pantene Volumizing Shampoo…”?
Gah.

I distinctly remember this piece from when I was a kid watching Sesame Street. Such a beautiful visceral experience.

From the Muppet Wiki:

“Geometry of Circles” is a series of unnumbered animation pieces created for Sesame Street in 1979 with music by Philip Glass.

The shorts consist of the movement of six circles (each with a different color of the rainbow) that are formed by and split up into various geometric patterns. Glass’s music underscores the animation in a style that closely resembles the “Dance” numbers and the North Star vignettes written during the same time period as his Einstein on the Beach opera.