Brad Barrish

Since you asked… I’ve been trying to stay away from the computer lately, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been so successful. I’ve actually been working on a few things lately (including getting some work). A’s store is opening very soon, so I have been doing a few things for her, including a wicked mix of music for her to play in the store. She’s got a fancy Grand Opening happening in early August. As soon as she gives me the go-ahead, I’ll post a little something here about it so you California Girls can go give her your money. It’s gonna be quite the swanky shop. I’m doing some part-time Mac consulting, so if you’re in need of some Mac assistance, please let me know. You can email me at brad[at]whatevernevermind.com. I’ve been doing it for the better part of 10 years, so you’d be in good hands. Umm… lessee… what else… OH, Ryan Schierling launched his new site, which is fantastic. Expect an interview with him in the next week. He agreed to it and I’m holding him to it. All this time off, and I haven’t spent a single moment putting my rock photos in any kind of album or anything. Maybe I’ll get on that. I decided to dedicate some time to Driving Votes. Aside from all the ranting I do around here, I figured I would lend some of my time to a good cause. I’ve been writing a lot lately and working on the final edits of a short story, which I’ll post once it’s done. I’ve been doing tons of Buddhist stuff and listening to great music. I already have all the tracks ready for the August mix, just have to sequence. Maybe I’ll get it done early for a change. Oh, and make sure you check out the post about Ali G giving the Harvard commencement speech. A friend who graduated sent me the link. I’ve posted some new albums worth checking out. I decided to debut a new addition to the site in the form of an MP3 of the week. It’s called Weekly Fix. Get it.

I don’t usually post much, if anything about Hollywood bullshit, though I’ll admit to reading far too much gossip web sites. Anyway, so I thought it was funny that a reporter decided to write Superman a letter as Wolverine. And frankly, I’m bummed… if this is all true. No X3? WTF? I could give a shit about Superman. I want a third X-Men film. I know, none of this matters. I’ll stop.

If you are as concerned as I am about children growing up to be full-blown homosexuals, contributing to the downward spiral of our society, then you should probably brush up on prevention tips. God knows (or at least a few people from Arizona know) homosexuality leads to beastiality and keeps those terrible kiddie porn web sites in business. Straight people would never ever think of, oh I don’t know… fucking a sheep or sucking off a dog (I’ll spare you the links).

We live in a society where a CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT was brought before congress banning gay marriage. It failed to pass the Senate. If you had any questions about whether the Bush administration was trying to push some bible-thumping moral agenda on the American people, I think you now have an answer. I love how the Bush administration pushes for “family values,” yet his vice president is willing to sell his gay daughter for votes. The Bush administration does not represent my America.

10 Stories the world should hear more about. [via Kottke]

If you have a few minutes, read a letter that the RIAA submitted to Congress regarding the INDUCE Act, excessively annotated by Ernest Miller (you just need to know he’s a smart and rather funny guy). If you only have a minute, at least read the abridged version. [via Boing Boing]

Someone at Harvard decided that Ali G should give the commencement speech.

You iz de elite, u will be tomorrow's captains of industry. Sittin infront of me is probly da next Bill Gates, Donald Trump...or even Ronald Mcdonald. And even if you can't all be Ronald himself, most of you iz probably McDonald's Team Leader material. By da way, if any of u ever gets to do business wiv Sir Ronald, a word of hadvice - don't mention de size of his feet....him iz well sensitive about it. Me mate Dave hactually met him, and he said dat even tho him may seem like he's always smiling, dere's a sadness in de eyes...coz of dem feet. All de money in de world - and science still can't do nothing. Maybe dat's something dat some of u M.I.T. nerds can fink about innit.

Certainly to be considered one of the finest speeches of the 21st Century. I must see video for this! You can see the video [Real Media link - his is the last speech], which is way more funny than the new episode I saw. [via TMN]

Does it make you look like a geek? No, it makes you look like a nerd. I thought that maybe the belt-clipping post would have clued you in. Your vest makes you look like a nerd and so does all the stuff on yoru belt. Nerd.

If you live in California, you can make a quick phone call (takes less than a minute) to Governor Schwarzenegger to let him know you support gay marriage. His office is conducting a phone poll, and as you can probably imagine the right wing conservatives are flooding the poll. Make the call and make a difference. Here’s how it works:

Call (916) 445-2841 On the phone tree, press in order: Press #5 for “Hot Issues.” Press #1 for Same Sex Marriage. Press #1 to support gay marriage in California (my suggestion). You’re done.

Stacy Peralta and company are back with another outstanding documentary, this time on big wave surfing. If you were a fan of Dog Town And Z-Boys, you’ll at least appreciate the film for its outstanding narration, amazing mix of old and new surf footage and the adrenaline rush of seeing some of the most incredible waves on Earth. While I’ve never stepped foot on a surf board, I’ve always had an intense appreciation for the culture. I grew up on Powell Peralta Bones Brigade skate films in a quiet suburb in Kansas, so street surfing was all I knew. Every once in a while I would pick up a surf magazine just to look at the pictures, but that was the extent of my exposure.

I remember coming to Los Angeles for the first time and seeing the ocean. There’s something magical about it. I’m drawn to it and love the idea of it’s vastness. Standing on the sand a couple of blocks from where I live, I’m humbled, but seeing the big wave surfers in Riding Giants literally brought tears to my eyes. All you can do is sit, mouth agape, and bear witness to these human beings that have no fear of the ocean. They are at one with it. They live for it, and when they don’t have it, they literally get depressed.

The interviews with all of the originals were so entertaining. I laughed throughout the film as they spoke of the surfing way of life, the beginnings of big wave surfing and responding to the future. It’s hard to view surfing as just a sport when you see a film like this. These guys surf every day of their lives until they die. It’s inspiring to watch. Sure, it makes me want to surf, but at the same time it just makes me smile and yearn for that feeling, that connection they have with the waves.

When I saw Step Into Liquid last year, I was beside myself when they showed footage of Lance Hamilton, the modern day surfing superman. The footage of him being towed in to these gigantic waves is mind-blowing. I didn’t even know there were 80 foot waves, never mind that people surfed them! All I could do was shake my head in amazement and smile from ear to ear.

You will walk away from this film, adrenaline flowing, feeling like you can do anything. You’ll have an insight as to why surfers do it out of love and you will undoubtedly have new respect for the ocean. There’s still plenty of daylight left, so if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna go surf the sidewalks along the ocean for a while.

There are a few causes that will inspire me to write a letter to Senators, members of Congress and every once in a while the President. Personal privacy, especially with regards to technology, is one such cause. Recently, certain members of congress took aim at online pornography under the guise of protecting our children. God forbid the parents take some responsibility here. Luckily, the ACLU went to bat (for the second time on this issue) and won the Supreme Court case. Whether you condone pornography isn’t the point. Unless you are comfortable with people making decisions about what is available to you online, I suggest you put up a little fight. Left up to certain people, America will have a nice blanket of Christian-based values tossed over its head. The battle to “protect our children” has been won for now, so turn your attention (and your emails) to protecting P2P (Person-To-Person) networks on the Internet.

The following letter was drafted by a member of the Information Warfare tribe. If you don’t have the time to join the tribe, then at least give a few dollars to the ACLU or the EFF. At the very least, use the form letter below and send it. It will only take a moment of your time.

These are the Senators we MUST focus on:

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Orrin Hatch hatch.senate.gov/index.cfm

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist frist.senate.gov/index.cfm

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle daschle.senate.gov/webform.html

Judiciary Committee Ranking Democrat Patrick Leahy senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov

Mr. INSERT SENATORS NAME HERE, it recently came to my attention that legislation has been introduced to the Judiciary Committee that targets ‘P2P’ software.

While I certainly understand your intention is to protect children from “induced” piracy, you may not be aware of the other applications for this technology and market trend. You have probably been lobbied quite heavily by various industries in this matter, and could benefit from a balanced perspective given by average user.

P2P has become the most promising new form of sharing information and data. It does not discriminate between software, digitized documents, video or music. It is an electronic library. I belong to several information sharing groups on two P2P networks. We do not share music or major motion pictures, but instead focus on the exchange of culturally and politically relevant documentaries, commentary and news resources. Much of these items are obtained from The Library of Congress. Our groups have taken this activity offline by burning our compiled information to CD and have placed these at local coffee shops for the benefit of any member of our community. P2P promises to be a revolutionizing force as more people start shifting to viable and ethical uses.

Because of the nature of file sharing it is not possible to filter. In an age when industry has increased its push to commodify what we see and hear, it is necessary to have allies in office who are willing to protect the people’s right to self educate and make informed decisions. It is essential to the preservation of our Republic.

Ultimately it is the responsibility of every parent to determine what his or her children can see and do on the web. Regulating the Internet would be a huge mistake by setting an abominable precedent. We cannot begin filtering for the general public the way China does. While I agree with you that firms should not profit from “theft” there must be a better solution. If market regulation is necessary in your view, then I suggest the alternative of forcing P2P networks to only operate on donations made by its members or only getting profit through licensed works.

The RIAA may be telling you that their profits are shrinking, but they aren’t telling you the whole truth. Independent labels do not belong to the RIAA, and as the Hip-Hop and Indie movements continue to grow, more of our dollars shift to small production companies. The RIAA does not speak for the entire industry, in fact it represents fewer labels of the overall total present in our country than it did just a few years ago. Furthermore, this industry association has not taken into consideration that the tastes of the tech savvy public have changed and we are no longer interested in purchasing ‘formulated’ music. Indeed, the underground music scene has been able to self-produce and promotes through the use of home computers and live venues. Personal technology is now matching that which the industry previously invested millions in. This is what the free market is intended to do, bring prices down so the average consumer can benefit. More young Americans are interested in free music, but not necessarily monetarily free. Rather, independent of corporate or social engineering influences.

Services like Ebay ’s Half.com and Amazon.com allow consumers of music to sell or auction their old and used CD ’s for a fraction of the original price. This is a legal method of shifting licenses and accounts for a large portion of music purchases conducted today. I don ’t expect the various industry lobbyists to have told you about these services, so please investigate them.

Let us also consider the present economic climate in our country in comparison to Europe. In its European launch, Apple ’s iTunes service sold over 800,000 licensed song files in its first week. These sales were considerably larger than America ’s iTunes store, which has only sold ten times that in about one year. Both regions have access to the same P2P networks and both have high speed Internet accesses. The difference is that Germany, the UK and France are not in the midst of a serious economic crisis where a large portion of their population does not have money to spend on luxuries like music. Many American industries are suffering, but most are taking responsibility, exploiting market trends and improving their business models. Big labels are lagging behind because they lack vision or competent leadership, and now as a result they threaten the free flow of information.

I encourage you to use these arguments in asking tough questions of major label executives or representatives from the RIAA. You may also consider inviting executives from Amazon.com and Half.com to speak to you about sales on their services. Of course giving Indie labels a forum to share their ideas and statistics will assist in balancing big industry ’s propaganda.

Thank you for considering my objections to this legislation. I do hope to hear your response soon.

Sincerely,

YOU MUST INSERT YOUR REAL NAME AND ADDRESS HERE