PIG FACE NOW REQUESTS YOUR CERVICAL ATTENTION

thoughts on marriage

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:51:58 GMT

As some of you may know, I'm getting married next autumn. Immediately, all sorts of things spring to mind, people have so many presuppositions about marriage that it makes me want to call it something else entirely. The word is fine, what it actually stands for is fine, but all the baggage drives me insane.

On its face, marriage is a partnership contract between two people. That's it. The nature of that partnership is as much up to those people as anything else about our lives: what we choose to wear in the morning, eat, how we want to spend our lives, etc. It means that two people are choosing to be partners in the ongoing drama of life. Though there's no good reason that it can't be more than two people, that's how the law paints it. And there is some precedent to the diad as a strong bond- just look at chemistry. On the other hand, we'd be pretty fucked without some of those three pair bonds, like say H 2 O.

Regardless, this is the law as it presently stands, and as it so happens I presently have one partner, not two. We are fed a bill of sale along with this basic agreement that does not necessarily follow. It may, if you choose for it to, but your marriage is ultimately what you make it to be. It does not mean you will take no other lovers, it does not mean that you will have children, or own a home together, or that you need to buy a diamond ring to seal the deal. It doesn't mean the bride will wear white, or that there even needs to be a grand expensive to-do where everyone you can think of is invited. (In our case, this is true except #2, which is undecided for the foreseeable future, and #3, until we can amass enough money to rectify the situation and have our library recording studio art studio king sized bed giant bathroom lovenest with kitties and maybe chickens if Jaz gets her way.)

Everyone is unique in genetics, upbringing, and that essential, indefinable quality that makes a person who they are and no other- so the same is true in the partnerships we forge. Compromise, communication, and individuality make strange bedfellows at times but they're the essential elements of any marriage. The specifics are unique- but we're given a one-size-fits-all image of what marriage is, what it means. There is no need. Make it as unique as you are. Love your partners for their uniqueness, why should we bend it to fit a mold?

A friend of mine had a costume wedding. He was an astronaut. If you knew him you'd understand why this was such a great expression of their wonderful peculiarity. And if your ideas and your partners ideas about marriage are irreconcilable, that may be worth looking at.

My take on marriage is this: Take in life together, and love, and lovers if you so choose, put the pleasure of your partner on an equal level with your own (that's where compromise comes in), and try to enjoy the ride.

This also leads into a push-button topic these days, that of gay marriage. I think what I've already said should very clearly demonstrate where I stand on this issue. (The fact that my mother has identified as lesbian for some time makes this even more pressing, and there is no good reason whatsoever that she shouldn't be able to engage in a partnership with whomever she chooses.) The government sanctions a partnership as a legal contract. It has no right to stipulate the gender or particulars of that contract, any more than it has the right to dictate the one and only way I can engage in business with a publisher. Further, marriage is not only a contract, but anything beyond that simple agreement - to engage in the process of living as a unit - rests outside the boundaries of governmental and cultural critique.

Too funny

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:55:07 GMT

From FB:

Sean Marsden - You have been attacked by the "Scene" ! You Recived +5 Frost Damage... ;p

James Curcio- "I rolled a 13. But I have a raven cloak of drama displacement."
"How the hell did you get one of those?"
" It was lying in some dragons cave. Dont even fucking ask me what a dragon does with a faggy raven cloak. Don't ask don't tell.)"
"OK. Well Bood Rice crawls out of the sewer. Your cloak is useless."
"Yeah. But I'm also wearing jackboots of retardation."
"Thats it. I'm not playing this game anymore."
Yesterday at 7:49pm · Delete

William Clark - When you guys are done, I still wanna role up stats for my triple-breasted, transsexual alien Girlfriend. But first... Oooh a Natural 20! I just breached Rachel's cloak of Asperger's and am going at her with the +15 pike of retard strength.

James Curcio - +15? Christ you guys must have been giving your previous dungeon master handjobs under the rule screen. OK...

Your absurd weapon pierces her defenses, but barely catches skin. Haywire's down to 90 hp.

Your turn.

Rachel Haywire - [Would you like to fight back?]
-Rachel Haywire runs over Bood Rice with giant panzer tank
[Would you like to take his money?}
[Pockets are empty]
-Rachel Haywire launches witch hung against scene
[You have been banned from the internet]
[Would you like to fight back?]
-Rachel Haywire adds machineKUNT propaganda to giant panzer tank
-Rachel Haywire runs over scene with giant panzer tank
[The scene has ruined your musical career]
[Would you like to fight back?]
-Rachel Haywire just ignores them
[The new holocaust has now begun]
-Bood Rice has hacked your account

Jazmin Lee - I love all of you.

Rachel Haywire - This is almost as much fun as real life. You guys are the best.

James Curcio - Fuck real life. They don't have platinum dragons or pikes of retard strength or those elf bitches.

By the way, guys. There's something really important I need to tell you all.

I'm truly a silver dragon... trapped in a human body. I've finally come to terms with this and want to come out to you all because you're my friends. I have found MY PEOPLE : http://main.otherkinalliance.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=100&Itemid=34

Of course- You must accept my new way of life or you are all fucking dead to me.

Another Fallen Nation concept piece

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:07:49 GMT

Bacchante 2 by ~agent139 on deviantART

Lilith Piece

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:13:27 GMT

Lilith Y by ~agent139 on deviantART

Making some prints available through deviantart for now. Lilith first. Click the buy button for options.

Keeping up with me--

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:52:18 GMT

I haven't been using livejournal much, despite my intentions to start using it as a dumping grounds for my random thoughts. In theory I'd like to return to that, but based on my available time these days my twitter has become a better format for stuff like that. (It also keeps the incessant rambling down.)

I've been keeping my musing on the subject of media/myth to Notes From The Underground. (RSS).

Right what I'm posting most frequently to the Fallen Nation blog are new episodes of the Join My Cult! audiobook. You can also find the previous Fallen Nation audiobook episodes there.

Keep in touch!

Join My Cult audiobook

Fri, 22 May 2009 18:38:40 GMT

The psychedelic prologue to Fallen Nation: Babylon Burning, Join My Cult! has been rewiring drug-addled brains for the past five years. First brought to the public by New Falcon press, now, for the first time (because we never bothered to get around to it before), here is an installment of the book in audio form.

Why? Because people kept asking for it. Granted, many of you wanted me to do this as a crazy elaborate thing with different voices for each character. Not that I think that's a bad idea, but the amount of time and effort that would go into that-- let's just say, until one of you bankrolls a project like that, you'll take me reading the book and you will like it, goddamnit. Feel free to share and spread these, they're all creative commons.

So, here are the first two episodes:
Episode 1 Share link - http://bit.ly/ALXQ (approx 12 min)
Episode 2 Episode 2 Share link - http://bit.ly/92sp (approx 14 min)

More will be running on Mythos Media. Or just follow my twitter feed.

The free ebook is here if you'd rather read it & don't want to order the book off Amazon. (PDF)

(Soundtrack includes the work of P. Emerson Williams, Scott Landes, Babalon, Venoma feat Agent 222 RIP, & many more to come I'm sure.)

The Medicine Show

Wed, 06 May 2009 03:11:50 GMT

A Mythical Tale Of Frontier Life Told In Words & Pictures

They who suffer tribulation and pain need suffer never more again!

Dr. Chak Votan's patented elixir combines a variety of robust, natural ingredients to provide a wonderful remedy. It cures most ills, including (but not limited to): Aches, Coughs, Constipation, Incontinence, Neurosis, Nervousness, Stammers, Eruptions, Night Terrors, Cannibalism, Somnambulism, and Complacency.

Accept no substitute. It's the Primordial Libation that effects proper cures where other remedies and treatments fail!

Interview with the author/illustrator about the process of creating a myth, Reality Hackers, working on Dragon Magazine & Magic The Gathering and the I Ching (Alterati.com).

Pick up the early release edition.

Falcon, Falcon, burning bright

Fri, 01 May 2009 20:25:15 GMT

Joseph Matheny talks to Nick Thacher and Linda Miller about Falcon Press and why there appears to be two Falcon's selling virtually the same catalogs since the death of Dr. Hyatt.

Also in this episode:

A new In Your Ear with Psuke, and a special bonus track at the end: James Curcio presents the first installment of the Join My Cult audiobook, and releases Join My Cult as a Creative Commons PDF that you may download at Original Falcon. Also, as a side note, we were contacted after this show was recorded by an organization calling itself the New EII. Keep an eye open for an interview with them in the future.

Listen to podcast on this page

DEAR FAITHLESS SWINE

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:07:37 GMT

It has come to my attention that just because my Micio Productions website is presently down for renovations (which is to say we haven't bothered to put it up in the first place), and that none of my films are likely to be available, well, just about anywhere, that you don't believe I'm producing the movie adaptation of Join My Cult!

Frankly, I find your lack of faith disturbing. Since I can't just force choke you all at a distance like Darth Vader, I'll do the next best thing: show you the aforementioned (and soon to be in-famous) Virgin Mary, Lao Tzu & Buddha gang-bang scene.

(Well, not show it to you, since we're still rounding up funding and haven't even started casting yet. But you can get the idea. Use your imagination. After all 90% of sex happens in the mind, right? I guess the other 10% happens on someone's face or tits. I'm not sure how they came at these questionable figures. Honestly, I don't care.)

FULL ARTICLE on POPPORN.com

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:03:33 GMT

People who follow me directly- I'm looking for a couple artists to lend sketch work and their brains to the concept part of production design. (Other, more involved parts come later but we're not getting to recruitment for that yet.)

Talk to me if you're interested and have "mad skillz".

DPRGRM, PILOTLITE, MYTHOS MEDIA & FOOLISHPEOPLE PRESENT Y

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:36:39 GMT

http://www.mythosmedia.net/blog/post/77-dprgrm-pilotlite-mythos-media-foolishpeople-present-y

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DPRGRM, PILOTLITE, MYTHOS MEDIA & FOOLISHPEOPLE PRESENT

Y

In a post-apocalyptic world, Y is a documentary-style reality show where the grand prize is the future of our species on planet Earth. Mythos Media and FoolishPeople will join with DPRGRM/Pilotlite to create 'Y', a feature film that starts shooting in Los Angeles July 2009.

LOS ANGELES, CA 02/27/09 – DPRGRM/Pilotlite announced a project today that forges a new path in independent cinema by bringing together real world experience and film in a unique way. 'Y' brings an audience inside the creation of a modern myth. The audience will become actual cast members, and be immersed in the story in real time. The film crew will also be part of the story as well as part of the cast, therefore creating a total immersive experience that bridges the traditional proscenium of audience/performer.

The ambitious staging and shooting technique is enhanced by the premise that in the future, government facilities, such the as one depicted in this film, will have to turn to unorthodox means of funding, such as contracting the facility out as the subject of a reality based TV show. The actual crew will be made up of news, reality and documentary style cinematographers and the production will be filmed entirely in the Cinema verite style.

Written by John Harrigan and James Curcio, and directed by Joseph Matheny, Y is a unique production fusing characters from Curcios second published novel, Fallen Nation: Babylon Burning and Harrigans screenplay GraveLand, currently in pre production.

DPRGRM will finance and distribute the film, working alongside online media corporation Pilotlite, a joint venture between Joseph Matheny and Michael Mailer Films.

Joseph Matheny, founder of DPRGRM and Pilotlite co-founder says: We will be employing cutting edge production, post production and distribution techniques that have been gestating for several years while the technology caught up to the vision. We chose this project and this team specifically because the project lends itself to the medium and the people can keep up.

James Curcio, Creative Director of Mythos Media, says: Mythos Media was founded specifically to work on projects like this, and modern myths have been my life passion. I am eager to dive in and create this world, both as production designer and producer of the soundtrack. However, even more, I am eager to collaborate with all of the creatives that are already lining up to become a part of this truly one-of-a-kind project.

John Harrigan, Artistic Director of FoolishPeople comments: Members of FP and I are extremely excited to be working on a project with such a talented and unique team. 'Y' will redefine what is possible in film production and I'm looking forward to taking on the role of Performance Director.

About Y: Civilization has fallen. In the rubble, we at the Y Corporation have developed the ultimate solution to save society: the Y Show. We encourage all good citizens to sign up for the Show.

You will be housed within a wonderful Haze Treatment Facility and undergo unique psychological treatment, which will clear away the illness of individuality. This reprogramming will be broadcast to the eyes and ears of Citizens in our New World, populated with previous contestants and patients. This is a reality show unlike any other!

There is a secret that haunts Haze01, the original treatment facility. Two patients, locked deep within its walls, contain archetypes that reject all reprogramming. They channel portents and omens of another future, a world where myth and divinity remake reality, manifesting a planet fit for Gods. In this season of the Y show, the doctors of the facility make their final attempt to process these two patients, before they break free and unleash total anarchy. Tune in.

###

Notes to editors:

About DPRGRM/Pilotlite: DPRGRM was founded by auteur Joseph Matheny to meet the new age of media convergence head-on with cutting edge media projects like Y and Pilotlite, which Matheny co-founded with Michael Mailer of Michael Mailer Films. For more information visit: jmatheny.wordpress.com

About Mythos Media: Mythos Media was founded by James Curcio, Peter Emerson Williams, Michael Szul and Tovarich Pizor in 2006 to produce modern myths. In the past, these have taken the form of comics, novels, and albums. For more information, please visit: www.mythosmedia.net

About FoolishPeople: FoolishPeople was founded by John Harrigan in 1989, taking its name from one of the major arcana of the tarot, card 0: The Fool. FoolishPeople create weaponized art, ritual theatre, collaborative events, books & film to raise a numinous experience within the witness. FP engineer immersive, open source experiences that become a catalyst for positive change. For more information, please visit: www.foolishpeople.org

Press Contact: Joseph Matheny DPRGRM jmatheny@dprgrm.com 310.928.6959 http://citizen-y.com

The life of an independent director is not an easy one.

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:38:59 GMT

Micio will be making Join My Cult! into a movie- that is if he can raise the funds as he claims. I have no idea how a novel, which occurs primarily inside the head of a variety of narrators, all re-presented by a meta-narrator to his psychologists, could possibly make a decent movie. But then again, Naked Lunch came out alright. He might just be crazy enough to pull it off. ---

"The life of an independent director is not an easy one. You can be led astray by the glitz and glam fantasy, thinking your pot of gold is just one more blowjob or can of tuna away. Even when it is, chances are you'll be so fucked out of your gourd you won't even realize it. The truth is generally pretty disgusting, and not in the way that'll likely get you hard. (Well, except for Stanko.) Case in point: Slash would often get so drunk that he'd piss himself in his sleep. When he'd pass out, they'd often drag him into the garage and toss him on a mattress that was to be used for this express purpose. (I wonder if that mattress ever got sold on eBay?) There are also legends of him puking mid solo during the Appetite sessions. Think that's cool? You're not the one who had to clean off his Les Paul afterwards. You see my point: the myth often outstrips the reality, even if reality is far too weird to have been invented. Let me share just a couple of the unpleasant and simply weird experiences that I've endured during my spectacular ascent to complete debauchery and general obscurity: READ ARTICLE ON POPPORN.COM.

jamescurcio dot net, relaunch

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:01:37 GMT

On weeknights when I'm not working on freelance client work, or the script for the sekret project I keep alluding to, or when I'm not being (pleasantly) accosted by cute naked women and convinced (I put up such a fight) to dye my body hair purple-- I'm working on my portfolio website. Well, it isn't done yet but it is now far enough along that I feel comfortable pointing you towards the URL. It is now live at http://www.jamescurcio.net ...

I'll post large updates as they happen. This is all hand-coded (I've been using notepad, just because), and uses all of the things I've been learning about semantic code and presentation managed entirely in CSS. I know I did a huge no-no by using the italic tag in one or two places, which I'll get back to, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with how damn clean it is working this way. (And now, looking at nested tables or messy code makes me- and baby Jesus- cry. Tears of blood.) Over the next couple weeks I will be filling out the music, podcast and design areas, and hopefully setting up a flash player for media and a lightbox app of some sort to present images. Setting up styles that denote the type of file associated with a link, and other nifty things like that. For now, it's a good start. I hope you like.

(the) Micio, bio

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:16:59 GMT

Micio is a self-described “antinomian crypto-Dionysian” film director who has dedicated the past decade of his life to exploring “esoteric, erotic art” through the rampant exploitation of unpaid, impressionable young women. (In the biz we call this “film credit” and “method acting.”) His films are known for being “…tangled, incoherent nightmares only redeemed by the fact that breasts might appear at any moment.” That is, to the thirty people who have seen them.

It is truly baffling that Micio finds would-be starlets to fill his demanding roles. This can only be explained by how persuasive his female producers can be—enough that they offset the inherent creepiness of him speaking exclusively in third person and blogging in his underwear while receiving head. Like right now.

He has agreed to be the designer for Popporn, at least when he can find time to fit it into his busy “production schedule.” His contract stipulated payment in blowjobs, but not by whom. (This might be a minor oversight that could require renegotiation in the future.)

He is presently working on a shooting script for the film adaptation of the novel “Join My Cult!”, and hunting for financiers. He calls the movie “a family film, if your family happens to have the last name ‘Manson.’” Casting for the gangbang scene with transvestite Jesus, Lao Tzu, and the “Virgin” Mary is still open, if you’re interested.

Finally, Micio has a refined ability to break the fourth wall. It comes along with being a talented director. The LSD lollipops also don’t hurt.

Follow at-
http://twitter.com/themicio

Terror marketing

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:22:35 GMT

"Terror marketing, or toxic marketing, is one area of negative psychological triggering that works when the target demographic has developed resistance to mass-marketing techniques. In some sense, all black metal relies on toxic marketing. Most horror films use toxic marketing, and a great example comes from the 1990 film Crazy People, in which an advertising executive places an ad for a film called The Freak with a tagline that states "This film won't just scare you, this film will fuck you up for life."

http://www.publicindividual.com/memetics/page59.html

Solstice and New Years Presents from Mythos Media

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:30:07 GMT

A New Year For Us All - From the www.MythosMedia.net team.

Amidst all of the turmoil that has occurred both in the US and abroad in 2008, many of the media giants are stomping around blindly. There is no better time for truly independent groups of artists, musicians and myth makers to band together to collaborate, share and grow their myths. This is why Mythos Media formed in 2006-2007, and it remains our singular goal. The time is ripe now, but we need to meet each other halfway.

The purpose of this message is to alert you to what we have been doing over this past year, and what we look to create in 2009. The days of purely passive media are through. Sure, everyone likes to unwind and watch a movie from time to time, but always existing in that state of consumption leaves people shut-down, and isolated. This is why social media is exploding, even if major corporations are trying to turn the Internet into an ad-laden, vapid wasteland.

We all need stories that we can participate in, and a framework for us to collaborate and create work together. This is our goal moving forward- not only building our own myths but creating a sandbox for you to build your own as well. We believe static media like books and DVDs are merely entrance points into interactivity, collaboration, and the creation of new myths in the future, using technologies that are still being refined even as we speak. We hope you join us.

--James Curcio, Christmas Eve, 2008.

See the full, unabridged State of the Union, with tons of free books, music and more, go here: http://www.mythosmedia.net/content/2008/mm-12-08.html

Free music, books- mailer

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:37:25 GMT

New Years / Christmas presents coming soon from www.MythosMedia.net: free releases of almost everything we've put out. How's that? Sign up. (Newsletter, bottom of page.)

This is your brain on anime: Paprika

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:45:15 GMT

There is a story of the Chinese sage Zhuangzi that goes:

"Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. Between Zhuangzi and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things."

Though on its face this may seem an almost childish idea to most, if you have ever experienced a lucid dream, or if you really pay any attention at all to your inner life, you may come to realize that there is truth to it. What is more, there is a real terror that can accompany realizing that the ground we stand on, at least figuratively speaking, is not solid. All experience is simply experience, whether it involves balancing your checkbook or talking to the monk levitating above a colossal, marching procession of cymbal-crashing frog men.

Many movies have dealt with this idea. (The Science of Sleep and Vanilla Sky are the first two that come to mind that do it any justice, but there are many more.) However, few have done it with such a brilliant flare for the surreal as Satoshi Kon's Paprika. Like his previous film, Perfect Blue (review here), the animation is top notch, and the script solid, though even the best animes tend to be a little stilted in translation. He also utilizes many of the same techniques in both movies, including breaking that fourth wall nearly every scene. In the case of Paprika, these techniques are being applied for a different purpose, and I would say they are done somewhat more gracefully.

(Read full article on TLA Attacks The Movies.)

for jamie cuz he likeded it

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:48:13 GMT

Long time no LJ

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:19:11 GMT

So some of you may have noticed that I've been using my livejournal more infrequently lately.

This is due to a number of things, (none of which have anything to do with any sort of weird anti-Six Apart sentiment. I could care less.)

The first is that my life is beyond hectic right now, as is demonstrated by the chronic stomach ailments I've been manifesting. I'm working a full time job with TLAvideo, doing a lot of stuff on the side at night, and running back and forth to NYC and NJ pretty much every weekend.

Thus most of the time I spend "online" is either at work- where I don't have time for real blog posts- or in transit. As a result, I'm using a Twitter a hell of a lot more - http://www.twitter.com/agent139 and reserving blog posts for my "real" blog Notes From The Underground- http://joinmycult.blogspot.com

I may stop in here from time to time, but if you want to keep tabs on me virtually or otherwise, I suggest you add my twitter feed and/or go to the Notes From The Underground blog and subscribe (on the right sidebar you can subscribe to the feedburner feed.)

culture de tragédie (preview)

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:54:03 GMT

Inspired by the alternative beauty pageant "Miss Catwalk Tragedy" this 134 page, full color 8.5" x 11" collection features some of the country's top alternative photographers and a few promising newcomers.

Features:

Lithium Picnic

Kyle Cassidy

Jeff Cohn

Scott Church

S. Jenx

And many others! (See full credit list on the purchase page.)

Look for an upcoming interview with photographer S. Jenx on Alterati about this collection in coming weeks, covering what inspired him to curate this collection, his own photographic process, and knowing us, probably a lot more.

James Curcio.

Two Headed Monster

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:07:47 GMT

(Photo by Matthew Cooke.)

In my opinion, Collide’s recent release, Two Headed Monster, is both a culmination and a departure from their past work. Though it may remain in the same rack in the record store (those still exist, right?), you can feel that a maturation has taken place.

Contrary to opinion, maturation of this nature doesn’t simply come with time. As many artists prove, you can create and re-create the same thing for a lifetime, if you so choose. There is a deceptive, almost infinite freedom provided by working on projects exclusively in the studio, as much of Collide’s previous work has been. Sometimes those boundless 3 a.m.-in-the-studio possibilities can become a creatively stagnating trap. I’m happy they managed to avoid that trap, instead creating a thickly-textured, lively album that stands up to many listens.

As some of you probably already know, I’m not a fan of regurgitating the experience of listening to an album in an attempt to entice you into buying it. (Though as that goes, the Fearnet.com review was pretty good.) Rather, I leave it to you to check it out, and form your own opinion. The process that created a work is always most interesting to me, so I am happy that I had the chance to talk to kaRIN and statik about how this album came into being…

James Curcio: The first thing that stood out to me on this album was that it seemed to be more collaborative than your previous work. Correct me if I’m wrong on this, but it feels to me that Collide really took a step forward in that regard, and several others. After so many years with the two of you primarily working as a “two headed monster” (as it were), what was it like opening the songwriting process up to other band members and contributors?

kaRIN: The primary song writing for Collide is still primarily Statik and myself. Over the years, we are just trying to evolve as much as we can and not make the same songs over again. We were very lucky to have gathered up some great live players, so the live influence and the fact that all of our live members contributed to each of the songs is definitely evident on Two Headed Monster.

(Read the full interview on Alterati.com.)

Netwar

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:39:47 GMT

The rand corporation published this white-paper on the subject that I think many of you may find interesting. (Not surprisingly, many of these are ideas I played with liberally during the creation of Fallen Nation.)

"Editors’ abstract. As with other new modes of conflict, the practice of netwar is ahead of theory. In this concluding chapter, we suggest how the theory of netwar may be improved by drawing upon academic perspectives on networks, especially those devoted to organizational network analysis. Meanwhile, strategists and policymakers in Washington, and elsewhere, have begun to discern the dark side of the network phenomenon, especially among terrorist and criminal organizations. But they still have much work to do to harness the bright side, by formulating strategies that will enable state and civil-society actors to work together better."

The use of "bad guys" and "good guys", used so liberally throughout, is rather comedic. However, the central premise is sound.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:19:39 GMT

Sometimes, I really hate company politics.

Especially when I make the mistake of opening my mouth.

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:59:29 GMT

It really doesn't matter- so far as I can tell- that Obama is half black. The fact that it does matter just shows how far we have to go.

What does matter is that he's intelligent, and, despite being a politician (and all that comes along with it), he is also an able statesman. How much that matters is yet to be seen. The work has just started- and I do not envy his job. Talk about first-day-on-the-job pressure, at least in January. The entire world seems to expect a miracle.