you must look at this picture:... http://rdu.news14.com/content/business/
AC=&ArID=100252&SecID=83

i: and tell me if George Washington is angry about his re-minting

j: it's not coming up

the little blue bar is aallllllmost there...

i: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi
f=/c/a/2007/02/15/DOLLAR.TMP

try that one

nevermind, don't try that 2nd one

j: ahhh

there it is

just like canada

i: hahaa

he's frickin angry

j: he looks like scrooge

i: hahaah

precisely

j: humbug

i: secondly, why are they making a Milli Vanilli movie?!

why, oh why!

j: i didn't know

one ov them is dead

i: neither did I. But damnit I do now, and I'll never get to stop wondering why

thirdly, I know the topic of conversation tonight

it will be....

....

.........

j: elipsis?

i: ................

ob ser va tion

it just struck me

as I was cooking a quesadilla

and imagining somehow our conversations becoming quite 'referenced'... how things change once a certain number of people and varying perspectives jump on board something, or begin partaking in it

for instance...

this morning I was reading a brief article on this female blogger who was hired by the John Edwards presidential campaign... to help build Buzz for Johnny... which I must admit, must be one hell of a hard job. The sum of the story was that the blogger got taken to task for previous things she had written criticizing the logic of certain religions, namely the preposterousness of 'virgin births'...

... taken to task by apparent christian fasci-wackos...

and so she 'voluntarily' (according to her account) quit the campaign.

Now obviously she had to limit her self and speech when joining Edward's campaign, and more than likely one would assume her job becomes purely reporting 'good'.

for eddy

but the entire drama, when you just step back for a moment and 'observe' it, is wholly ridiculous. Like, and I can't emphasize 'so' enough... so many of the events that constitute 'news' or congregate attention and participation, albeit without any real sense of observation or 'awareness', which I think we could easily equate with some pure form of observing

j: it all comes down to one thing

false outrage!

i: and I thought, how would we respond, and who and what would we become in similar circumstances. Based on what we write and talk about now. What will happen in the future for us, and how will our actions now affect our perceptions then. And will we set a precedent of awareness and observation to be able to understand what transpires as it transpires...

yes!

a great 2 words to sum it up

and that last sentence of mine is so incorrect :)

j: false outrage is funny

i wonder why people actually take it seriously

i: exactly! it's almost like there's no real awareness of the situation or the events that are happening. There is participation. Often plenty of it. And the bigger the STORY the more the participation, and the BIGGER THE STORY

closed loop style

another example?

j: but you feel like you have to rake it seriously, because the false outrage is so intense

i: hahaha

j: the people actually seem sooooo upset!

but someone needs to say "HEY!"

i: "I feel it swelling in my guts" "The outrrage!!!"

j: it ain't that bigga deal!!

i: hahaha

but people find that outrageous!

"HOW CAN YOU SAY IT'S NO BIG DEAL!!!"

"You're not understanding the seriousness of this situation!"

j: JOHN KERRY MADE FUN OF THE TROOPS!!!

i: hahahaa

he dissed 'em good

only it was really the presidento!

he dissed

j: yup

i: and that emphasizes the whole lack of any inherent seriousness to the matter in the first place.

Another example... Rolling Stone magazine posted a message on their website wondering outloud which album is better: "Nevermind" by Nirvana, or "OK Computer" by Radiohead. There were like 500 posts in response when I stumbled upon it, not even 2 days old. Some of them very seriously and articulately thought out. And I just stepped back (which is my usual stance anyway) and for the life of me...

... couldn't understand the question in the first place.

j: better in what way?

i: exactly. It's contextless. And it begs the question of the meaning and purpose of comparing them anyway

is it just to kill time?

j: everyone ov course knows nirvana blows radiohead away

i: hahahaa

j: because if radiohead was as dreary and depresso as they claim

they would have done what kurt cobaine did!!

i: hahaa... (nervous laughter)

j: keepin it real, yo

i: hahahaa

some girl posted a particularly scathing comment and summary of her take on OK Computer and Radiohead's style of music being de facto contradictive and petty ironic, in that they write and sing about all the bad things, while offering no solutions

therefore contributing to the bad

apparently

which I kinda found myself agreeing with

interestingly enough

as it were

hahaaha

I kill me

j: hmmmm

well

i: oh no!

he's thinking!!

j: they're observational

i: yes!

but also contributional

so there's this art to the balance of observation and contribution

that's what I'd like to discuss

but this is a democracy, and you have a vote

j: i am the watcher

i am allowed only to observe

i: but I will steal it with Diebold's trusty accuvote

j: not allowed to interfere

i: that the role you're playing

j: hahaha

that's a comic book character

i: hahahaa

hilarious

j: he's the watcher

there are a bunch

i: never heard of him

j: ours lives on the moon

he observes

like radiohead

i: the new enigma song has similar lyrics

hahaha... no no no

you got it all backwards

j: remember during hurricane katrina

when the media was there

taping people dying

and everyone was like "why don't you help them?"

and the media people said "we are observers"

i: hahah 'the media people'

j: "we just report what we see"

i: there exactly. A pure example of the ease with which we become participants, rather than true observationalists

they think they're observing, but in reality they're actually participating... in however incomprehensible of a way

they're participating with they're lack of assistance. With their assumption and refusal to relinquish their 'role'

but even my stating so, even if somehow I had access to the truth, and just now stated it (which isn't likely), it's still - like radiohead - a benign observation and participation. perhaps even useless

dare i say

:P

unless I offer alternatives

j: what's the prime directive?

i: hahaha

Riker

hahaha

'Number One'

j: "observe, but do not interfere"

i: (Jonathan Frakes): "Yes captain"

fuck that star trak bullshit

j: PRIME DIRECTIVE!!

i: 8-)

laughing

j: but by having a prime directive

i: hahahaaa

j: they're interfering!

i: I am so cracking up

exactly!!

It's like quantum physicas

you can't just observe

but you must start with observation

j: is that spanish quantum physics?

i: hahahaa

that's quantum quirks in my misspellings

j: so

a movie critic

is only an observer

and they report on their observations

i: they 'participate' with their observations

yes

and we can then say... we can then observe back

j: but the movie is already made

finished

i: what is the sum of the observation and participation that the movie critic puts forth

j: they need someone to review the movie while it's being made!

i: what is its relevance, importance, purpose, need, meaning, etc

haha

That sounds like a really good career

think you can sell the studios on it?

j: "we're thinking about making a movie about a diverse group of people who don't know each other but who's lives intersect and make quaint observations on race and class relations"

i: hmmm CRASH

HAHAHAA

you must interfere with the creation of that movie!

must!!

j: it's funny that you're one ov the only people who wasn't taken in hook line and sinker by that tripe!

i: I know! Me, of all people

:D

sometimes I win 'em

most of the time I lose 'em

j: did that movie piss you off?

i: yes

yes it did

j: did you want to participate by throwing stuff at the screen?

i: it angered me so that Sandra Bullock got to say this great line "I'm so angry all the time and I don't know why." and she hacked it in the context of the whole crappy lot of it

only if Sandra Bullock and the cast are in the theatre, at the premiere lets say... so they can learn from the constructive feedback/participation I would impart them with

j: hahaha

there are 2 kinds ov observation

seeing

and contemplating

"i have an observation"

i: hahaha

expound on the type of observation that contemplating constitutes

for the class

j: it's like, you observe 2 + 2

and come up with 4

(or sometim,es 5)

i: because of the +

j: it's not real observation i suppose

i: what is real observation

lets observe something together

i have this news article pulled up on my screen, behind my discussion window here

j: there's this websites called "huge knockers"...

i: and the sentence I can see says "BBC News reports that 67-year-old Ernst Zuendel, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for violating Germany’s law against denying the Holocaust."

lets observe the law against denying the holocaust

without treading into mel gibson territory

j: hahaha

i: because we don't want that bad PR!

and we don't have good enough PR agents yet

or any for that matter

j: by the way

i wanted you to know

i'm anna nicole smith's babies father

i: hahaha!!

I knew it

I just knew it

lets observe that people die

at oft and inopportune and unexpected moments

I like this 'lets observe' thing

its like a moment of peaceful silence around things

j: hmmm

well hang on

first, let's print the dictionary's definition ov "observe"

i: which dictionary Webster, or my gut

j: webster

i: shucks

j: let's see what they say first

1. to see, watch, perceive, or notice: He observed the passersby in the street.

2. to regard with attention, esp. so as to see or learn something: I want you to observe her reaction to the judge's question

3. to watch, view, or note for a scientific, official, or other special purpose: to observe an eclipse

ok those 3 are pretty close; pretty much the same

i: sounds good

sounds like a good solid word

described by other good, but less solid words

j: but then there's also:

4. to state by way of comment; remark: He observed frequently that clerks were not as courteous as they used to be.

5. to keep or maintain in one's action, conduct, etc.: You must observe quiet.

. to obey, comply with, or conform to: to observe laws.

7. to show regard for by some appropriate procedure, ceremony, etc.: to observe Palm Sunday.

i: we'll definitely have to leave the latter half to a different day of discussion

there's a lot of material there though

j: how about:

9. to note or inspect closely for an omen or sign of future events. –verb (used without object)

i: a lot to be said about the lot of it

interesting

who's in charge of definitions by the way

j: god

i: who dictates this stuff

god is webster? hmm, makes sense

j: noooo!

google is god

we've already established that

i: then youtube is the devil!

j: and wickipedia?

i: oh wait, no, God is in the TV

that's right

i: wickipedia is the holy spirit

oh shit, this will come back to bite me in the ass

j: what context did you decide to discuss 'observe'?

i: 'observe' in the context of awareness, watching, noticing,

j: you were observing the deliscious, artery clogging butter melt in the pan preparing to put a tortilla in for you quesadillas

and you made the observation "that's going to make my heart explode some day"

i: but would those be observations or creations?

or is the act of observing a creation

j: very observant

i: hahaa

likewise

your observance of my observancy

hahaaa

j: what made you think ov this particular discussion?

i: I can tell you precisely

I was looking at beyonce on the cover of the new sports illustrated swimsuit edition, and...

no, really... I find that that the state I am most consistently in. A state of observation. I feel like I'm constantly observing everything around me, and then descriptions and definitions and categorizations arise, and I connect things together or I observe the connections. Maybe its not so much even 'doing things' with the observations, as much as just observing as many things as possible, and..

.. once done, the connections reveal themselves.

as something more to observe

j: can you observe non-emotionally?

i: I read the news, and I just take it all it. I don't feel like I judge it good or bad. I feel like I see it for what it is. Noting with irony that many people probably feel and believe exactly the same

but some people I feel I observe don't seem to be aware or observing what they are doing... observing their participation(s)

j: maybe they are observing something else

i: perhaps we all observe in the same way, but we have differing 'creations/participations' that arise from those observations

or that!

j: maybe, while you're observing them...

i: if you observe something only in part, you then might act only in part

j: they're observing you!!

i: freaky

or do you ever observe yourself in a mirror?

in a 'I can't believe I'm alive' way

j: not relly

i don'tlike mirrors

i: hahah

j: i always see the anitchrist behind me

i: how can you not like mirrors!

hahahaa

he's your friend

despite what your mother told you

j: i have an observation

i: let's 'hear' it

j: why do people hate commercials all the time

except during the super bowl?

i: yes, the super bowl's done a fine job of somehow altering reality on that one

j: i know a guy who has a tivo so he can skip past commercials

i: its like they found access to a parallel universe, but they only utilized it to allow them to make people like commercials for their event and monetary benefit purposes

j: and he tivo's the super bowl

because he wanted to watch the commercials (he didn't even watch the game)

i: its because they're no longer commercials. They become spectacles, events!

how much money can be spent. How funny, serious, or wacky can they make it

we want to kno

know

inquiring minds

want to know

j: did you observe valentine's day?

i: I believe I did. But I don't recall

hahaa

I did. I called it 'love day'

though I had no love

only self love

and not in a happy ending massage way

in a real... why the hell don't I love myself way

j: you used to love yourself

i: which is a seriously unasked and difficult to answer question

I still do

but I just don't understand love

I wonder if it can be understood. I wonder what understanding is

j: you need to observe more

i: yes!

j: you lived with your sister

so you got to observe 2 kinds ov love

husband/ wife

and parents/ child

i: this is why I love talking with you jASON... because you always have the best observations

actually 4 loves

j: (i would also say sister/ brother, but you were too close to that to observe it well)

i: husband wife, parents/child, sister/brother, brother/brother-in-law

touché

j: haha

i: I think maybe we're splitting observation off from participation unnecessarily, or prematurely, or not understanding exact breaking or meeting point of the two

j: "is that like the love of a man for a good cigar, or something else"

i: haha

ahhh, goold old dr. hebert? was it hebert? or herbert?

j: it was indeed

i: that's not an answer!

hahaaha

j: i think it is hibbert

i: so to summarize, I think observation could add a great deal of value to life. But we're not exactly trained in observation in general. We are trained to observe what authorities say... but not just to observe in general. Or not taught with emphasis that it could be one of the most crucial aspects of enjoying life

j: i am very observational

and i enjoy observational humor

i: which is why you're so fun and 'alive'

and isn't practically all humor observational!

j: not always

some things you see that you can't 'unsee'

i: not always, but definitely always in ways

but isn't wanting to 'unsee' a factor of thought or 'participation/preference' rather than observing the reasons why you would want to unsee it

phew!

that was a question

j: yes

yes it is

i: lovely

what is love, btw

why is it so talked about and desired

j: a chemical reaction in the brain

i: why is it that

what causes the chemicals to react

j: your brain

i: hahaha

j: and gravity

hahahahaaha

and boobies

i: hahaahaaaaaaaa

no

wrong

F

j: the question is:

why do boobies make the chemicals in your brain react in a certain way?

i: and other areas

hahahaaa

'stop reacting damnit!'

j: hahahahaaa

and why do 'man boobs' make you react in a completely different way?

i: its the essence behind the boobs, rather than the boobs themselves

not the blood and tissue

the 'woman'

the 'energy'

ooh lala

the breasts represent the nurturing of life

this is so Psychology 2.0

like web 2.0 but less 'clean'

j: how observant

i: I hate how everything web 2.0 is so sterile

its so professional

so, lacking life

youtube's got a little life in there

j: well

if you want life

i: google's got lots since they're essentially just an empty page

the way I like em

j: turn off the damn computer and go outside!

i: the Nintendo Wii tells you to do just that after playing for 30 minutes!

no no, you see, the computer is life too

j: i would if it were better air conditioned

i: hahaaha

the computer is actually the 'ether' of life. ala, the ethernet

that's why we love it so much, and are so addicted

http://www.netaddiction.com/resources/
internet_addiction_test.htm

j: hahaha

i'm not addicted!!

i: you're addicted

the first step is admitting it

j: nope

i: why is that ALWAYS the first step

why can't killing a cat be the first step

a particularly crabby cat

j: cats aren't crabby

you had a cat

i: well, this one

that's why you'd kill it

j: it had a bveautiful personality

i: agreed

j: haha

i: alright, nice now I neutralized that hugh

j: i wonder if it's still with the old people

i: I like how huh, began hugh

wow

feels like so long ago

j: yeah

i: I was thinking you should take a vacation

and come to faeke plastically calliforn I A

j: hahaha

could i bring tim?

i: no

j: hahahahaa

i: this conversation is over

invitation revoked

how's timmy

j: oh he's ok

about the same as always

i: that good

j: the neighbors are bothering

i: has anything interesting happened to him, for him

j: him

i: still!

j: yeah

i: I suppose there'll always be someone around to bother him

j: and everyone is 'layed up' while he has to work

i: hahaaha

now there's a word combination I haven't heard in 3 years

j: hahaha

do you work tomorrow?

i: indeed

both jobs

and got lotsa homework to boot

j: me too!

i: :)

j: i get to work with tim tomorrow

nice and early

i: you lucky duck

j: what time do you go in?

i: 7am

j: hahaha

well then

i guess i'm gonna go to bed soon

gotta get up at 5

weeee!!

i: that's a good idea... I'm gonna solve some math problems and hit the hay too

j: and see tim

i: weee!

j: hahaha

math problems!

i: yep

j: before bed

= bad dreams

i: 2y -5 = 6

find the value of y

j: there is none!!

i: but he'll give me an F!

j: unless it's

6 - 1

2 x 6 = 12

12 - 1 = 11

11 - 5 = 6

i: actually, I think it's y = 1.9

j: y = 6 - 1!

i: see, good ol' al G' bra

G' money homes

j: waste ov time

i: I know,

I still can't come up with what practical use it is

other than memory practice

j: you should be learning how to break into houses, and how to fight transients off your shopping cart

i: those bee good skills, but I live in the OC, where only the most upright christian outstanding citizens reside

j: algebra is very practical

but all the practical uses are already built into our noggins!

like, if you're going to cross the street and a car is coming

you use algebra to determine how far across the street is, how far away the car is, and how fast the car is going; you equate it all together to figure out how fast you have to walk to get across without the car hitting you

i: then WHY AM I LEARNING ALGEBRA!

and why is it sooo hard

j: because it's incredibly boring

yur brain is rebelling

i: damn brain, I'll show it

j: hahahaa

i: alrigh

t

well get to sleep alraedy

j: kay

next week

same bat time

i: I think we solved the whole 'observation' problem

j: the prime directive

i: next week sounds good

hahaa

sleep well

j: "khhaaaaaannn!!!"

i: hahahhaa

sweet

j: laterzz...

^top