Why didn't I think of this?

Mozilla Maids.

1 A.M.

On Alterati.com

Phillip K Dick on Writing

I used to write all the time. I used to just get up at noon and sit down at the typewriter and write until two a.m. You've got to do that when you start out or you're gonna die on the vine. I mean, you've gonna live on two thousand dollars a year, and you're gonna eat rocks and dirt and weeds from the back yard fro the first ten years. And then after the first ten years, you get to eat instant breakfast. Then you work you way up so that you're rich enough to get a phone put in and buy an old automobile.

Yeah, he hit the nail on the head. Funny thing though, by his measure, I'm actually ahead of the game?

Fallen Nation: Quick update

For those of you asking about such things-- I'm doing back and forth editing with Tovarich, the deadline for completion of the manuscript for the first version is still June 1st. We'll see how that stands up to reality.

Boobs, fire, I think I want another latte

Been in Phoenix a week now... The desert hasn't swallowed me whole yet.

My survival plan is that my supreme whiteness will reflect enough sunlight to terrorize any scorpions or coyotes who get to "fillin' tha touch" as Mr. Banks says in 'All Ya Know.'

Several nights ago was First Friday here. The scene for First Friday in Philly is good, but the scene here is much better. However the visual art in Philly is better on the whole. I saw a couple pieces that were decent but for the most part it seemed like the gallery owners were incredibly competent at all the elements of running a gallery except, you know. Curating a decent show.

That said, I encountered one of the most unusual performance artists I've ever met. (And I went to Bard so, that's saying something.) His name is Barry Schwartz. He plays with electricity... 500,000+ volts... and dry ice. Giant metal armatures. Contact mics that translate the dry ice grating into intense ear pain the likes of which might make Blixe envious. You better believe there's going to be an Alterati article with that in there... so, I'm keeping that under my hat. Though alas I don't have a portable mp3 player or DV cam yet so all I have is still photos and my shoddy memory. I had a frenetic tour guide named joey and got myself fairly hung over from cheap wine and bummed cigarettes. I talked to what seemed like hundreds of people and can't recall any of their names.

On Saturday I filmed the Scandalesque burlesque troop at the Paper Heart. Ok, ok, I've been saying to all the burlesque people "I don't want to touch burlesque on Alterati." Fuck it, you guys win. The phenomenon is worth bringing up. Burlesque, roller derby, fire spinning. (Sometimes all together, too.) I'll do it all, if the content falls on my lap and people seem to want it. But as for the roots of these reincarnations- What gives girls? Just curious. I have a theory brewing but I'm open to input.

I'll edit a shortened version and put that up there probably sometime in May, along with a shitload of other content I don't have the time or inclination to talk about right now.

Finally, I got up Submission Guidelines for Alterati. If you're interested in running something with us, check it out.

Alterati version .9 (for real, now)

We Are Already Here
A lot of people are going to quickly assume we are a “counterculture site,” so let me make this absolutely clear: we aren’t.

As a matter of fact, there is no counterculture. Yet there are ideals which once were a part of various vibrant, (if short-lived), countercultures, and these rest close to my heart: self-expression, freedom, irreverent humor, an element of egalitarianism mixed liberally with pirate capitalism, a sense of pragmatic community, and even compassion. Somewhere along the way it became about toothless political movements, cool-points, and self-defeatism, sprinkled liberally with pointless elitism and a side of Who Gives A Fuck? Somewhere along the way it got co-opted. So it goes, brands are a dime a dozen. Life keeps on moving.

The old countercultures, if they even existed, are dead. The time is nigh to make way for the new, and leave the labels at the door.

Read the rest of this entry »

What’s Going On Here?

You may have noticed that many of the menu items on our site are greyed out.

Well, at the moment, we’re just moving in. The site should be in full operation by May, 2007. Between then and now, we still have a lot of great content for you. The rest of the site will be coming online throughout this time.

So we hope you make yourself at home, and check back often.

Alterati – The Other Culture

This is a statement, not an appeal.

Most great art movements, like surrealism, dada, or situationism all started with a manifesto, a statement of position.

Here is our position: We are already here.

The proscenium has been breached, disbanded and dismantled.
Information networks span the globe, and cultures, ideas, and realities are converging and being redefined minute-by-minute.

This revolution will not be broadcast, although it may be televised, on demand, portable and configurable— but it will be your choice. Possibly, it will be your creation.

Remember the Future of “no future”?

Well, this is it.
That’s not a statement of doom.
It’s an expression of freedom.
Kill your clocks, burn your calendars, and hang out.

Alterati has built the platform. All you need do is show up.

http://www.alterati.com

ALSO: We need a tagline. Click on {insert witty tagline here} and enter the contest. If we choose your tag-line, you win a iPod!

(offer void where prohibited by law)