Noizer update....

GREETINGS FROM HOT-GLUE CENTRAAL...

Wooooo, things are really stinky around my little workshop since I've hit the hot-glueing phase of this project! But this is a good thing, as it means we are nearing the final stages of assembly, and this, my friends, makes me happier than you can possibly imagine-- mainly because I want nothing more than to get these babies out into the world and into the hands of all of you who have been waiting so patiently for so very long. We're in the home-stretch now, won't be long...

There will be some mp3's posted at the WTBTN website very soon with samples of some of the "noise cookies" along with some other interesting audio tidbits provided by some of the WTBTN artists.

ORDERING INFO:

The Women Take Back The Noise compilation is a limited-edition of 1000.

We will be making a small number of them available for order from the WTBTN website at the time of release. Please check back soon for more details as well as a list of participating distributors.

If you are interested in being notified via email about ordering online at the time of release, send email to: ninah@ubuibi.org

Stay tuned for more updates!

Dracorex hogwartsia

Harry Potter Meets Paleontology



A newly discovered 66-million-year-old skull from a new dinosaur species was named after Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, made famous in JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. This nearly complete skull, from a creature named Dracorex hogwartsia, now has a permanent home in the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, announced paleontologist Robert Bakker.

The 10-foot-long herbivore was recreated and publically displayed as scientists think it looked by mounting the skull on the skeleton of a closely related pachycephalosaurus. Children who visited the museum said the skeleton looked like a dragon. Robert T. Bakker, a national dinosaur expert and consultant to The Children's Museum, took that into account when deciding on its name.
CONTINUED...

Battleground God

Can your beliefs about religion make it across our intellectual battleground?



In this activity you’ll be asked a series of 17 questions about God and religion. In each case, apart from Question 1, you need to answer True or False. The aim of the activity is not to judge whether these answers are correct or not. Our battleground is that of rational consistency. This means to get across without taking any hits, you’ll need to answer in a way which is rationally consistent. What this means is you need to avoid choosing answers which contradict each other. If you answer in a way which is rationally consistent but which has strange or unpalatable implications, you’ll be forced to bite a bullet.

This is how "I" looked at the end:



Who knew "God" could be so abusive?

100 things to do with illustration...

Groovy art!

Check it

Would they Nomi now?

I have a new hero and his name is Klaus Nomi.

dAS and I just rented the DVD entitled Nomi Song from Netflix, and I haven't even made it all the way through it yet but I've been kicking myself for not finding out more about Klaus Nomi until now. You can watch trailers for the documentary here.

I can't believe that up until this point, all I ever knew about the man was from his performance with David Bowie on Saturday Night Live back in 1979. I remember begging my mom to let me stay up late to watch it (I was in 8th grade at the time) and thinking to myself, wow-- there's David Bowie with these two really freaky guys behind him singing. I had absolutely no clue that one of those amazing looking people was Klaus Nomi. I realize now, especially after watching the documentary and doing some reading about him online that a lot of the reason why I didn't really know much about him back in the 80's was due to the fact that most of his popularity hit Europe and not America. I was crushed when I heard he died so young, right in the prime of his life and creativity. He was only 39.

If you have no idea who I'm talking about but you're intrigued to find out more, definitely rent the DVD, which covers a lot more ground than any resource that I've found online. Highlights include segments of performances from many of his earlier theatrical appearances in New York, candid interviews with Nomi and many of his friends and family. My favorite bit has got to be the television show he was on that featured him, in full makeup and white gloves, giving a cooking lesson on how to make a lime tart, one of the exquisite pastries he was well known for among his closest friends and associates--- in fact, at one point in the beginning of his career, he used to trade lime tarts for his proof sheets and photo shoots by one of his photographers instead of money.

WATCH VIDEO
of Klaus Nomi singing "NOMI SONG" (via YouTube)



"The way I look is part of it. It sounds affected but I do see myself as a piece of living art. People do accuse me of being just decorative or an escapist. Well, I am. That’s what I do. So long as they realize that I am other things as well. I do kind of transcend the song and give it a different meaning. But satire would be too simple. There are moments in my show which are very moving as well as amusing. People should allow me to be many things, really give me room to put things in another dimension." --- KLAUS NOMI

No Other Radio audio archives (5/16)

LIVE SPOTLIGHT
WOBBLY
performance in the KPFA LIVE STUDIO

hosted by dAS (co-host Ninah Pixie)

Check out archived audio from the show 5/16/06:

http://157.22.130.4/data/20060517-Wed0000.mp3

Playlist is available at the No Other Radio blog

TONITE: KPFA 'No Other Radio Network': WOBBLY

11:59pm (PST) ::: RADIO: 94.1 FM / Berkeley CA

:::: NO OTHER RADIO NETWORK ::::

listen to KPFA ONLINE (live internet stream)

WOBBLY performs pre-recorded music live -- finding the inherent harmonies in disparate voices. (hopefully not fascist).

hosted by dAS (co-host Ninah Pixie)

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT WOBBLY visit: http://detritus.net/wobbly

Since 1981, KPFA's NO OTHER RADIO NETWORK has pioneered and provided a forum for underground, noise, electronic, industrial, psycho acoustic and many other genres of music, in addition to featuring live interviews and performance over the airwaves.

We welcome artists to send us their works.

Archived playlists from all UBUIBI-hosted N.O.R.N. shows are available at the No Other Radio Network blog

MP3 Archives NOW AVAILABLE (in case you can't listen live)

Station call line: (510) 848-4425

The science of moths and light...

dAS and I were pondering the question of what attracts moths to light yesterday. According to some of the information I have read on the internets, there seems to be some conflicting answers. It seems not all of the "experts" agree exactly what it is that attracts moths to light. Here's one article on the subject that particularly amused me, from the archives of The Straight Dope:

For many years it was thought the moon did have something to do with the attraction of moths to light. The so-called light-compass theory held that moths used the moon as a navigational beacon. By keeping it at a constant angle to their direction of travel, they were supposedly able to fly in a straight line. The trouble (for the moths) came when they made their sightings on a close-up light source like a candle flame. Instead of heading in a straight line, they flew around the flame in an ever-narrowing spiral until finally, phhhht, moth flambé.

But this theory had more holes in it than a moth-eaten sweater. The main problem was that moths simply don't fly around lights in spirals. This was shown by an ingenious bug researcher named Henry Hsiao. He tethered moths to little styrofoam boats in a tiny artificial pond--I love guys like this--and tracked their flight as they headed toward a light source. He found the moths flew more or less straight at the light until they got up close, at which point they veered off and circled around it at a more or less constant distance. They seldom actually touched the light.

A number of other theories have also been discredited. Some claim that, to the moth, bright lights mean open space and open space means safety. But moths are nocturnal, and the night sky has no light sources anywhere near as bright as a porch light. Besides, why should the moth feel compelled to fly around the light in circles? Others argue that moths associate light with warmth. Yet ultraviolet lamps, which are much cooler than incandescent bulbs, attract more moths.

Henry Hsiao to the rescue. He said moths exhibit two kinds of behavior. When they're distant from a light source (they're drawn to light from as far as 200 feet away), they make a beeline straight toward it. Why, nobody knows. Maybe they've tumbled to the fact that lights mean people, and people mean: Wool sweaters! On an even more basic level, a light means: Other moths! Par-ty!

However, when the moths get close to the light, a different kind of behavior takes over. Instead of being attracted to the light, the moth is actually trying to avoid the light. When you think about it, this is only natural. To a creature of the night like a moth, daylight and by extension any bright light means danger. The moth doesn't fly directly away from the light due to a peculiarity of vision called a Mach band. A Mach band, which apparently is common to all sighted creatures, is the region surrounding a bright light that seems darker than any other part of the sky.

Hsiao conjectured that the moth's atom-sized brain figures the darkest part of the sky is safest. So it circles the light in the Mach band region, usually at a radius of about one foot, depending on the species. Eventually either its momentum carries it away or it finds a dark corner to hole up in.

In short, moths like some light but not too much--just like other creatures I could name. Nobody wants to get burned, naturally, but at some point in our lives, aren't we all attracted to those bright porch lights?

--CECIL ADAMS (source)

This looks like fun, but....

it still doesn't make me wanna get an RFID chip implanted in my skin (see previous mutterings). However, for unique artistic concept and technical execution, I still give the dude props.

Here, read about this whacky thing and then watch the video to see how it works:

The High-Lighter is a trampoline based flame effect. The installation involves a volunteer from the audience jumping on a unmodified trampoline. An ultrasonic sensor placed below the trampoline measures the changes in the height of the trampoline canvas as the user jumps up and down. A microcontroller notes the changes reported by the sensor and triggers a single solenoid valve to open and close. Based upon on the amount of force being applied to the trampoline the solenoid valve will behave differently. The harder someone jumps on a trampoline the longer the solenoid valve will stay open, illuminating a cylindrical metal tube with stenciled designs. LP-Gas will be released through the solenoid valve while it is open and ignited by a nearby pilot light covered in steel wool. A RFID reader is included used to prevent the trampoline from being used without proper authority present.

via weBlogART

Bush Yoga

Here, you will find the leader of the free world demonstrating a variety of ancient yoga poses.



Upavista Konasana in Sirasana
Settled Head Angle

Make no mistake, this pose will make sure that we leave No Child Left Behind. When you get so much blood rushin to your head, you can't help but get smarter. Funding for books, and teachers pay? Come on. Just stand on your head, and learn you silly kids. All you do from Sirsasana is split your legs out to the side and feel peeanceful and freeanceful.

Cautions: Contraindications include the inability to perform Vrksasana, osteoporosis, neck problems, obesity, menstruation, glaucoma, detached retina or high blood pressure. If you feel any pressure on your neck when in the pose, please come down one leg at a time as your arms may simply be too short for the traditional version. Consult a qualified teacher who knows about these concerns when in doubt.

UB Radio #12 (YAK BEER) mp3 & pics

Our final broadcast of UBRadio on s&S -- it was a truly great year! Hats off to the host, we'll certainly miss you, Fausto!



DOWNLOAD the entire show HERE

YAK BEER

The UBRadio Players for this show were:

dAS
Ninah Pixie
Cheryl E. Leonard
Fausto (our host)
Jesse Burson
Kerri Pidnow
Melissa Margolis
Cliff Neighbors

More photos here.

ARCHIVE page from Shirley & Spinoza for all UB Freeform radio
(excerpts and full mp3s)

http://ss.2inches.com/archive.php?numsongs=6

Embracing your inner fish!

My co-worker just turned me onto this amusing little music video from one of our members here at the organization I work for, Ray Troll, a very talented artist who has provided many of the little cartoons for our magazine and on some of the t-shirts we've used for fundraisers in the past.

The video is titled DEVONIAN BLUES and it's got a catchy little chorus that I'm probably gonna be singin' for the rest of the day...



"Your momma was a lobe-finned fish..."

uBcoming 5/7: the LAST uB-radio on s&S...

uBradio #12: YAK BEER

Our good pal Fausto, most honorable host of Shirley & Spinoza internet radio, will be heading back to China for a while to pursue his adventures, so we wanted to put together a sort of send-off with our last uB-radio broadcast on s&S as we wish him well and show our appreciation for hosting the uB-radio show for a while. A lot of good times were had at these shows and much camaraderie and creativity was shared. We're equally as appreciative that Fausto put forth all the great creative energy to help archive them online in their entirety.

Feel free send Fausto goodwishes over the wire this Sunday if you listen to the live webcast-- contact via AIM or iChat:
screenname: shirleynspinoza



SUNDAY, MAY 7th
8:00-11PM (US Pacific Standard Time)

LIVE from the s&S studios (and the hallways in between)

The "uB radio players" for the evening will be:

Ninah Pixie
dAS
Cliff Neighbors
Fausto (our host)
Jesse Burson
Melissa Margolis
Russ Kent
Kerri Pidnow
Tom Dimuzio
Cheryl E. Leonard

LISTEN LIVE!

SHIRLEY & SPINOZA
Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. PST. (California Time)
Live streams beamed directly from the catacombs of Oakland.

MP3 audio archives (and excerpts) available here

Gut instinct....

This is making me really mad. I'm trying to maintain an open mind but my gut instinct tells me people who think this way are getting the whole lot of us into deep doo doo.

Pixie's day off...

I was out shopping in San Francisco last Friday, hitting a few of my favourite haunts around the Mission District, and basically just enjoying a blissfully sunny afternoon after such a long, rainy wintery-season. You see, I hardly get outside these days as I'm mostly stuck indoors working on the noise project or at the dayjob, but since I had to be in town anyway for a long overdue lunch with my ex (who I hadn't seen for almost seven years, a very long story which I won't go into here!) I decided to spend the rest of the day away from my worktable and tools and see what's been going on in all those cute little shops I've missed so much.

My first stop was Scarlet Sage (highly recommended if you are in the area of Valencia and 22nd Street, San Francisco), and was sort of like a kid in a candy shoppe with all of the hundreds of varieties to choose from. I ended up with a nice arrangement of incense, ranging from loose charcoal powders to resin-dipped sticks. They're all wonderful, but out of the assortment my favourite one is made by a company in New Mexico called Fred Soll. I have never found a stick incense quite like it. It's got so much resin in the stick that the second you hold a match to it, the oil starts to glisten and almost drips right off the stick. This is a good thing, actually.

I was very happy to find that Fred Soll's incense is also available online via his website and the prices are exactly the same as in the shops. I highly recommend the White Sage & Dragon's Blood (the package contains 10 heavily-resin-coated sticks that have been rolled lightly in crushed white sage).

mmmmmmmmmmmm..........

Colbert's Bush stunt

YouTube has all three parts of this-- if you missed it on CSPAN over the weekend, you just gotta see it.

whisper[s]

Wearable body architecture

Gorgeous design. I would totally wear this stuff.

weBlogArt

a totally bitchin' art blog, dig it.

Paik

Official website of Nam June Paik

(a must-see if you haven't already!)

Sorry for these short, image-less posts lately -- I haven't had much extra time to put forth the energy required to make them as interesting as I usually try to do-- however, the links themselves are definitely worth checking out, so I will plunk down a few more here throughout the rest of the week. So much great stuff "out there", yes indeed...

Bent Sounds

How circuitbenders and chiptune artists are taking electronic music into strange new places...

Woohooooo!