I’ve updated my work machine (1.25GHz G4 sp) to Panther and it was almost pain-free.

Problems:
Needed to re-install Palm software and Logitech mouse software (no big deal). Still having problems browsing the Windows network (but can connect if I know the IP number via Samba) and a problem I’m having where a Lacie external firewire drive refuses to mount persists (must be a hardware issue).

Good things:
Much more polished and fast UI! Everything is much zippier! The updated BBEdit (7.0.4) works like a charm, Photoshop flies, Safari marches on, Eudora? No problems. NetNewsWire works too.

Overall, very, very pleased and the update and it was (almost) totally painless to upgrade (I did an archive and install while saving user settings after I backed up my important files to a network server).

I reccomend to all Mac users. permanent link to this post

I referenced J. Marshal in yesterday’s post and look what pops-up on his blog today: Fresh from the Department of Sublime Understatement …

"Experts in public opinion said it would be difficult for Bush to convince Americans that the violence was a byproduct of success."

From Dana Milbank’s and Thomas Ricks’ article on Bush and the bombings in Tuesday’s Post. If we weren’t so desperate for legitimate leadership in the White House and the news wasn’t so grim, perhaps we could laugh?

A Link For Howard Dean permanent link to this post

I’m glad the Yankees lost; too bad the Mariners and the Yankees couldn’t both lose. It would have been better if they had simply decided to strike in the middle of the world series.

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From the front page of the NYTimes as of 9:22AM today: NEWS ALERT: Bush Says U.S. Progress in Iraq Is Making Insurgents More Desperate, Fueling Attacks How stupid does he think we are? As J. Marshall says, "up-is-downism” at it’s worst." It’s very sad, especially for the families of those killed, but also for the world; that we have such an immoral and destructive individual leading the USA is very depressing.

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Speaking of Iraq, Steve Mumford’s show at Postmasters is a must-see. He’s showing a series of sketches he created in Iraq. You can see some JPEGs at artnet.com (go to magazine>features and click on the Baghdad Journal entries). This work shows that he’s undoubtedly a very skilled draftsman. The exhibition raises many questions regarding traditional graphic arts’ place in the global mediascape. Tamas Banovich (co-director of Postmasters) is thinking of having a panel to discuss the work and it’s implications and I’m sure hoping he decides to do it. permanent link to this post

It¹s come to my attention that more people look at this page on Tuesday than any other day. So , seeing that it¹s Monday night and I have not posted in a bit , (way busy until Nov. 1…tell ya all about it then…) I thought I¹d take a second and say hello Tuesday people. I love you and your Tuesday blog reading ways. permanent link to this post

Verizon, until yesterday, provided me with DSL service. They cut it off on Friday.

Why?

Because they are incredibly stupid idiots. They made a mistake and it was going to take them a week to fix it. Problem is, I’m moving in about two weeks. That is where the trouble started actually.

I needed to change my phone service for the move. I wanted to call early and get an appointment close to my move date and I did. The phone will be turned on in my new place on the day of the move. But some dipshit I talked to also put the cancellation order in for the DSL and as the morons on the phone kept robotically repeating yesterday, “Once the order goes in it can be cancelled at anytime.” Well, why didn’t the asshole I spoke to tell me that? “They should have.” Yeah, no shit.

After lot of yelling on the phone I was no better off than when I started. They could turn it on in a week, turn it off a week after and then we could wait another week to have it turned on in the new place. Talk about great customer service; golly what a deal, how could I pass that up? Well, fuck you Verizon. I’m switching to cable. Time Warner sucks too but I don’t see how they could suck as bad as you.

So, I’m stuck on dial-up at home until Nov 1st. And it sucks. But at least Time Warner can turn the service on the day after we move instead of 8 days later. Verizon is a joke, they didn’t even seem to want to keep me as a customer. STAY AS FAR AS YOU CAN FROM VERIZON! permanent link to this post

Maybe I should post more random thoughts to the blog, ie, this page which is known officially as the homepage of the MTAA Reference Resource.

I lost 40 bucks at poker last night. But Devin, who won it all, was kind and paid for a cab back to good ole Brooklyn. The kid was unstoppable last night. Beat me a few times in very close hands. Especially painful was a hand of Texas Hold ‘Em when his nines and fives beat my nines and fours. I hate anything with the word Texas in it these days (thx GWB) but I like this game, so I created a new game which added a ‘follow the queen’ rule (if the queen is in the flop then fourth st. becomes wild) and referred to it as ‘Big Hair’. It was kinda fun but resulted in two hands with four-of-a-kind on the table and the winner becoming the holder of the highest in the hole. Kinda dumb. But it was fun referring to a ‘hairy flop’ as we played.

M.River is overseeing the install and construction of the Eyebeam Beta Launch ‘03 show. AND he just finished working on the Rosenquist show at the Gug. He’s working too hard.

PS. fuck the yankees. permanent link to this post

Two posts in one day.. WOW!

I’m destroying M.River in the “Who Can Post The Most To The Blog Contest”. That’s right M.River, it’s a contest and I’M WINNING! HAHAHAHA!

Like everybody else says, the new Outkast, Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below is great. There is a Wal-Mart (‘clean’) version on iTunes, but they must have had to censor half the lyrics. Don’t buy the Wal-Mart version whatever you do.

I’m really hoping my company is successful because I’ve been working there very diligently for over 3 years and if we are successful I’ll make lots of money.

I realized while editing the Pirated Movie video last night that I’ve become a Pee In My Face With Surgery fan. Devin Clark is actually doing the editing, MTAA is just looking over his shoulder and buggin’ him. permanent link to this post

If everything goes well tomorrow I’ll no longer be a Williamsburg hipster. It looks like I’ll become a Cobble Hill yuppie instead. Tomorrow my gal and I should be signing a lease for an apartment on a beautiful block of Pacific St. in Cobble Hill. The rent is 200 bucks cheaper then our current place (ah, soft rental market, thank you), the block is about 10 billion times more attractive then our current block on Grand St., and, hopefully, it will be roach-free.

We’re leaving our current place in the middle of our two-year lease. Our landlords were cool and let us out of the lease. But we needed to get out because, due to the ownership of the building by complete idiots, basic maintenance isn’t being done. The hallways are filthy and there is a roach problem. My gal and I have battled them for months using professional grade poison we acquired from the web. But the morons who own the building won’t exterminate the entire building (though, by law, they must) so even when we get them killed in our apartment they eventually find their way back.

It’s just not something we feel we need to live with. The landlord won’t help, so, we decided to leave. Word to the wise: if you’re thinking about moving to a ground-floor space on Grand St. between Bedford and Berry, ask about the roaches.

And now, Cobble Hill, thought to be the upscale ‘hood, is cheaper than junky, old Billsburg. Ain’t that strange? permanent link to this post

For those of you who attended MTAA’s Pirated Movie a few weeks ago I’m sure you haven’t forgotten the ear-splitting performance of Pee In My Face With Surgery.

If you’re a sucker for more aural abuse then you won’t hesitate to download an MP3 of PIMFWS’s performance.

This is a direct link to the MP3 (11.4 MB)

And, just for reference, we also have a short quicktime video online which summarizes the night’s audio and visual delights. This is a direct link to the video (8.3 MB). permanent link to this post

Below, some MTAA memorabilia, that is, the very first Direct To Your Home Art Project ever mailed. I’ve included it exactly as it first appeared on Rhizome in November of 1997. I’ve decided to post it now because it being posted on 11/01/97 means that M.River and I were working on it in October of ‘97.

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Mriver & T.Whid Art Associates proudly present:

The Direct to Your Home Art Projects!

Tired of waiting around for your new paintings from Germany to clear customs?

Sick of not knowing how that installation of dead bunnies will look in the bedroom?

Wondering if it is worth fighting off the repo man over a stack of welded scrap iron?



We at Mriver and T.Whid want to ease your pain with our new line of Direct to Your Home Art Projects. All you need to do is follow the easy to install instructions found below, then send us a documentation of your results. Upon receiving your documentation of the project, we will send you a signed certificate of authenticity. It’s simple and better yet, it’s FREE!

*Direct to Your Home Art Project #1 (Nov. 97):

Using a #2 graphite pencil, write the phrase “Johny Appleseed slept here” on your wall. The text should be placed near the floor in small ( no larger then 1") cursive letters.

Documentation may be in hard or digital form. Please include name, address, and label your documentation Project #1 Nov. 1997.

Send hard copy documentation to:

Mriver & Twhid Art Associates
39 Ainslie 2L
Brooklyn, New York 11211

digital documentation:

mriver102@aol.com or twhid@spacelab.net

NEW ART PROJECTS TO FOLLOW EVERY MONTH!!!!!!!!!!

all documentation becomes the property of Mriver & T.Whid Art Associates, to be used for their somewhat suspect activities. permanent link to this post

I posted this to Rhizome, but figured I’d post it here too.
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http://www.designinteract.com/features/

I’ve been thinking a lot recently on how to marry net/web/new media art with more of a friendly interface when exhibited in galleries.

The article above describes an interactive poster which uses new tech to display video output on a window and have the window act as a touch-screen.

I can’t help but wonder how much more impact works like Napier’s p-Soup and other simple and lovely aesthetic interfaces would have if ported over to this sort of display instead of the computer monitors on which they now reside.

Even projects like They Rule when exhibited in a physical location could be strengthened by this sort of display.

The display, being close in size to the viewer, would cause a much more visceral response IMO. Something large interacting to one’s touch is a much more intriguing physical interaction then mousing about.

And since it’s displayed on a window, it even keeps the democratic nature of net art intact, you don’t have to go into the museum to interact with the work. Folks happening by who have no idea what net/web/nm art is can see and touch the work.

Also, you could easily exhibit an entire show on one display. permanent link to this post