Frank Stella stands up for Copyright Laws...etc.

Frank Stella stands up for Copyright Laws...etc.
Current mood: rebellious
Category: Art and Photography
Thursday, July 31, 2008


Artist Frank Stella (I'm not going into it - you can check him out on Wikipedia...and you should... his stuff is fantastic - especially anything post 1980s in my opinion... although his late 1950s cardboard work was revolutionary in its own right) wrote a nifty little article here:
http://theartnewspaper.com/includes/common/print.asp?id=8022
about a proposed change to current copyright law, which would wreak havoc on current policy as it pertains to an artist being compensated for use of their work in a commercial sense. It would remove any penalty for copyright infringement if the creator of a work, after a diligent search, cannot be located.

Current law holds steep fines and penalties for piracy of a work of art in any form (copyright holder may obtain a halt to the infringement, the destruction of infringing copies, and damages that may be up to $150,000 for each work of art infringed!). The proposed change in copyright law would leave it up to the potential user to make a "good faith" effort to locate original artists of "orphaned works". There is no stipulation on what consists "good faith" insofar as I can find. And, the only recourse for an artist after the fact would be lengthy legal proceedings which may or may not reward the artist with a limited amount and makes no mention of halt to infringement.

Stella also points out in his article in "The Art Newspaper" that it is especially easy for drawings paintings, etc - in contrast with songs or works of fiction - to become separate from their source, and any identifiers, in this digital age.

One can only hope that Congress rejects the proposal...made by...here it comes... The Copyright Office itself!!! So my ultimate question is this: why would a body (The Copyright Office at a federal level) attempt to institute legislation to make its own job (maintaining legal aspects of Copyrights and policing the piracy of said copyrights) more difficult?!!

I just don't get it. Go Frank Stella... tell it like it is...


Currently reading:
Survivor: A Novel
By Chuck Palahniuk

All Hail Ramen! King of the Noodles!

In hunting for a picture of Cup of Noodles (don't ask)

I came across this cross section of a Cup O Noodles..

And do you know what I found out?
Go ahead, Guess.
Nothing? Okay - I'll give...

Apparantly, Osaka has an ENTIRE MUSEUM dedicated to Prepackaged noodles:
It's the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum.
Momofuku is apparantly the guy who invented instant noodles.
Ando founded Nissin ( the company that makes Cup O Noodles).
The museum even has a Wall of Ramen! And a ramen making workshop!

*sigh*
it is NOT that busy today.

Genetically Skimmed Milk or "Make Mine Skimmed Please!"

Check it out... Researchers have discovered cows with genes that allow them to make skim milk. So what do we do? Exploit it of course!!!!

Herds of cows producing skimmed milk could soon be roaming our pastures, reports Cath O'Driscoll in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI. Scientists in New Zealand have discovered that some cows have genes that give them a natural ability to produce skimmed milk and plan to use this information to breed herds of milkers producing only skimmed milk.

The researchers also plan to breed commercial herds producing milk with the unique characteristics required to make a butter that is spreadable straight from the fridge. They have already identified a cow, Marge, with the genes required to do this and say a commercial herd is likely by 2011. The milk is very low in saturated fats and so should be high in polyunsaturates and monounsaturated fats.

Experts say that the discovery of these rogue milkers could completely revolutionise the dairy industry. Ed Komorowski, technical director at Dairy UK says that the New Zealand approach could be used to breed cows that still produce full-fat milk but with only the good fats, which could swing things back in favour of full-fat milk. In the UK, for example, only 25% of milk sold is full fat. 'In future if whole milk can be made to contain unsaturated fats - which are good for you - then it might mean that people change back to whole milk products. The big thing about dairy products is taste, so this would be a way of giving the benefits of taste without the disadvantage of saturated fats,' according to Komorowski.

This may also overcome the problem of waste. 'If you can genetically produce milk without fat then that may turn out to be a very good solution to what might later be a big disposal issue,' says Komorowski. Producing skimmed and semi-skimmed milk means there is a lot of fat left over.

Now if we could only engineer some sort of Oreo cookie producing squirrel...

oh...not again...

i'm afraid i've let myself become the stand-in girl.
again.
i'm not sure exactly how it keeps happening, really.
just a series of small concessions over a string of years i suppose.
there's a fine line between lending a friendly ear, and letting yourself get taken advantage of.
Somehow, i tend to pole vault over that line and land in the next county. i'm not saying i don't have a blast taking the flight, the plunge, the dive into the unknown (mixed metaphors are really just too delicious sometimes) but the reality and repercussions gnaw away at my independence and feelings of self worth. It gets harder and harder to plaster a smile on my face when you realize your time in the sun is waning.
Do i pony up and stand up for myself, possibly ending what could still be a long and enjoyable relationship?
Do i smack myself in the face to snap myself out of self-recriminating thoughts and just live in the moment?
Can I phone a friend?
Poll the audience?
help.

Me...Laughing...

Ever worry what you look like when you laugh?
I know that my eyes go all squinchy and the cords on my neck stick out and it looks pretty forced when I try to smile for the camera...apparantly laughing isn't much better.
Oh well. At least I don't have to look at me!

Exposing Kids to Culinary Culture

My kids aren't picky by any means. They're pretty much your basic mac & cheese lovers as toddlers go. But, they also LOVE trying new food. Hence, a problem arose after they saw their dad eating sushi for the first time. Any toddler (for you non-parents out there) under the age of two isn't supposed to have shellfish, raw fish, etc. So actual sushi was pretty much out of the question at the time their fascination with sushi began. Hence - the development of faux-sushi in my house. I've done a variety of styles - Jelly and Creamcheese, Lunchmeat and Cheese, Cheese and Tomatoes...the possibilties are endless.

Check it out:

Because sometimes you just need chocolate cake... RIGHT NOW

Chocolate Cake In 5 Minutes!

June 26th, 2008 | Author: Dizzy Dee | Category: Dizzy Dee, Food, Recipe
Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons cake flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Mug

Instructions:
Mix flour, sugar and cocoa:

Spoon in 1 egg

Pour in milk and oil, and mix well

Put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power (1000watt)
Wait until it stops rising and sets in the mug
Tip contents out of mug onto saucer and enjoy!

Why you should be very afraid when your kids get really quiet while you’re in the shower:

Why you should be very afraid when your kids get really quiet while you’re in the shower:
Current mood: amused
Monday, July 07, 2008


yeah...enough said...




Monday, July 07, 2008

Surprise!

Surprise!
Current mood: pleased
Category: Life
Friday, July 04, 2008


So I stopped over at cvs earlier today for a box of tampons (tmi... i know...sorry) and guess what? Kotex has colored applicators now!

It's kind of like - hey, sorry you're on the rag and all but here's a purple applicator to brighten your day!

Which then reminded me of the open letter from the disgruntled customer to the to Mr. James Thatcher, Brand Manager, Proctor and Gamble...

Linked below for your further enjoyment:

http://wendi-aarons.blogspot.com/2007/03/as-seen-on-mcsweeneysnet.html


Currently listening:
Nothing But The Best
By Frank Sinatra

The Muppets are my Salvation

The Muppets are my Salvation
Current mood: bored
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Tuesday, July 01, 2008


On an afternoon where there's nothing more interesting and/or pressing to do than float around YouTube watching random snippets of hilarity - The Muppet Show has saved my sanity...

Enjoy..



Beaker & Benson and the Banana Sharpener

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ayQelkb1uk&feature=related

The Swedish Chef Makes Donuts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbs64GvGgPU&feature=related

And, of course, Menha mehna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YevYBsShxNs&feature=related