19 December 2007
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 19th, 2007 @ 04:53:36 am, using 110 words, 281 views
Zen students are with their masters at least two years before they presume to teach others. Nan-in was visited by Tenno, who, having passed his apprenticeship, had become a teacher. The day happened to be rainy, so Tenno wore wooden clogs and carried an umbrella. After greeting him Nan-in remarked: “I suppose you left your wooden clogs in the vestibule. I want to know if your umbrella is on the right or left side of the clogs.”
Tenno, confused, had no instant answer. He realized that he was unable to carry his Zen every minute. He became Nan-in’s pupil, and he studied six more years to accomplish his every-minute Zen.
17 December 2007
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 17th, 2007 @ 05:23:10 am, using 121 words, 295 views
Whenever someone asks me for suggested reading material, one of the first books that comes to mind is Ben Mack’s Poker Without Cards: A Consciousness Thriller. It’s a dark and twisted book that delves into the murkier regions of the brain which deal with control, power, ego and greed. I was originally tipped off to the book through a hypnotist friend of mine, and I ended up finishing all 180 pages in one sitting. Needless to say, it’s a fascinating book by a very peculiar author. And so, in the spirit of enlightening brainfood, I present to you both the ebook as well as a video interview with the aforementioned author.
http://www.skilluminati.com/docs/323.pdf
And the interview..
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 17th, 2007 @ 03:46:53 am, using 62 words, 191 views
A journey..
In a wide-ranging talk, Vilayanur Ramachandran explores how brain damage can reveal the connection between the internal structures of the brain and the corresponding functions of the mind. He talks about phantom limb pain, synesthesia (when people hear color or smell sounds), and the Capgras delusion, when brain-damaged people believe their closest friends and family have been replaced with imposters.
15 December 2007
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 15th, 2007 @ 03:02:02 am, using 28 words, 198 views
Not much to be said about this new tool video, I imagine the effect is much greater with the stereoscopic package. Still, meh.
11 December 2007
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 11th, 2007 @ 08:24:51 pm, using 37 words, 211 views
A beautiful collection of medium-res PNGs for Timothy Leary’s “8 Circuits Neurocomics.” I’ve recently discovered these and enjoyed them thoroughly so I thought I’d share for those who are interested. RIP Leary.
Http://www.sinesthesia.com/Neurocomics1.rar
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 11th, 2007 @ 04:27:53 pm, using 60 words, 211 views
I never quite expected Through the Eyes.. to come out with such a killer album, but 2007’s Malice will swiftly kick you square in the balls. So, I present to you, the first video from the first song on the record, Failure in the Flesh. Don’t allow the cheesy video to deter you from the music…
05 December 2007
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 5th, 2007 @ 06:15:04 am, using 144 words, 224 views
Buckethead and other “technical” guitar players tend to catch a lot of heat for not having any feeling put into their music. Many ‘cut-and-dry’ guitarists have claimed that artists like buckethead or yngwie are simply robots who practice scales and finger exercises way too much while ignoring what it means to write and play a powerful song. Slash [of Guns and Roses fame] once said that the mysterious guitar player, who’s famous for wearing a creepy mask which was probably stolen from the set of ‘The Three Ninjas Kick Back’ and a (hopefully washed out) bucket from KFC, had no soul or feeling in his playing. I disagree with that statement adamantly. Need some proof?
And here is some more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpr498vngFQ
I think someone’s tacky top-hat is cutting off cranial blood flow.
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 5th, 2007 @ 05:50:44 am, using 6 words, 200 views
From 2007, enjoy.
03 December 2007
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 3rd, 2007 @ 07:16:16 am, using 77 words, 132 views
It’s pretty sad when the host of a game show (which deals with the subject of intelligence in such a credible way..) not only makes fun of a young woman who would probably admit that she’s about as smart as a pile of bricks, but then goes on to so eloquently pronounce “Hungary” as “Hungry” over and over.
The stupidity present in the following video may cause your mouth to suddenly fill with vomit.
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 3rd, 2007 @ 06:57:16 am, using 338 words, 3098 views
Tool’s Vicarious DVD cover.
Here are some reviews taken from amazon.com for the Vicarious DVD set to drop mid December.
By Ronaldo Jones
I got my hands on a copy early. This is the best work Tool / Adam Jones has done yet. The video is amazing!!! Can be watched with steroscopic lens or 3D glasses…the 3D is out of this world.
There is a hidden code that took hours to unlock. It is live video from The Pearl concert in Las Vegas…shot over 2 nights. This is really what all Tool fans have been waiting for.
The behind the scenes look at Adam’s art is great too.
The real reason this will be their biggest seller is the video and live concert.
(And the second review):
By Leroy Jenkins (Los Angeles, CA)
I got this early by having ties with the recording industry and was simply blown away. The packaging is pure art. Adam Jones and Alex Grey collaborated perfectly on the artwork on the package as well as the music video images. The music video itself has an extra 3 minutes added to the original cd version of “Vicarious". In addition, there is a live recording of “Vicarious” and “Swamp Song” from the April 28, 2007 show at the Pearl theater in Las Vegas, NV. This is the first time Tool has ever realesed live video recordings from their live shows. This is a must have for all Tool enthusiasts.
–
TOOL will issue a DVD called “Vicarious” on December 18. According to a press release, the disc will contain the title video — which was for the first single from the band’s 2006 album, “10,000 Days” — along with “a tour that takes you through the history of [TOOL guitarist] Adam Jones’ visual effects work, and the process and people involved in the creation of the groundbreaking, all-CGI video ‘Vicarious’, as well as a tour of Alex Grey’s CoSM.” The audio commentary on the video was done by comedian David Cross
–
A Stereoscopic music video? This should be fucking incredible.
Fidens
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 3rd, 2007 @ 06:44:58 am, using 148 words, 66 views
..and the I Appears
Back-peddling through a water line of bad chemistry and
ugly dreams, clouds settle into starving chests. It’s difficult
to remember that this life is merely a ride when it begins to
slip away from you. You bought your ticket, and the ride
is over. Some of you turned bone white in fear, some
of you laughed hysterically; like wild bats.
Others are left motionless.
You painted the sky in streaks of ruby red and ocean
purple; an ode to change. You turned an ear to crying
rocks. Like gods, you boiled the flowing rivers.
Face to face with mean fucking ivory meant dinner time for your
beautiful children. Love and sex were joyous celebrations
of being present and alive. A “cheers” to the wine glass itself.
An energetic swirl of smoke,
stretching up to the stars.
…and still, most are afraid of this place.
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 3rd, 2007 @ 06:43:59 am, using 72 words, 79 views
Give a man the idea or notion that he has some kind of ultimate purpose or goal to reach and you instantly imprison him. The only goal worth pursuing is the goal of losing all desires of finding a specific purpose. The flower doesn’t strive to be beautiful, it just happens to be that way.
Abandon your shackles and be free to sing life’s song.
Free yourself.
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 3rd, 2007 @ 06:37:44 am, using 486 words, 57 views
DEATH IS CERTAIN,
LIFE IS NOT.
how easily we forget this simple truism..
CounterPoint: I find that life, is a constant. Death is only a change in the state of living. My body may be living, my mind aware and conscious. When my body fades to dust, and my shadow no longer stands beneath my feet…it may ‘die’ but will continue living…and may not be aware of its state no longer. My soul freed from its machine…and maybe thats where life is not certain…it may never be certain of its death the way my body will be…but again i restate…life is constant…death is only a change of how and where the mind, body and soul branch out to universe…in its everything and nothingness.
Maybe instead of ‘Death is Certain,’ it would be more suitable to say that change is certain, and certainty itself is not. I think this better summarizes the idea I was going for.
It’s interesting to me how you choose to view the mind-body relationship as being a machine to be freed from. Do you value your soul more than your body? I wonder how many people would answer yes to that question. Amazing, a massive group of people who value something which is merely a hunch more than something tangible and intricate. If you think about it, based on very crude perceptions of what a soul is and what a body is, you could even argue that the body is more complex than the soul.
CounterPoint: My body may feed out just as much to the universe as my soul does. It feeds nutrients to the earth, reincarnating itself in a ‘physical sense’. The two work in a beautiful unison, both are complex…one is understood in a sort of ’scientific’ manner where the mind is vast and capable. But while here, and while in this ‘reality’ my body acts a vessel for my mind to exist ‘here’. If both had the same purpose, then you would be able to gauge the importance of one next to the other. But they are both reusable in whatever way the ‘change’…or where they’re energy is channeled.
Excellent post. I’m delighted by, “while in this ‘reality’ my body acts a vessel for my mind to exist ‘here.’” As if to say, this single sprout (a.k.a. “me") of the collective subconscious (a.k.a. everything) thinks and behaves in the way that it does because it’s currently sitting within a specific physical being with an identity and ego.
I’m suddenly reminded of schizophrenics. Unlike “normal” individuals they instead seem to be able to bring multiple roots or threads of the aforementioned collective subconscious into their physical bodies.
Would this prove, then, that the body is indeed less valuable after all?
Counter Point: We should ask a scientist. Or perhaps a wizard.
Perhaps. 
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 3rd, 2007 @ 06:33:58 am, using 10 words, 91 views
A work in progress, god bless whoever invented the wacom.
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 3rd, 2007 @ 06:14:58 am, using 9 words, 140 views
Enjoy this old favorite of mine.
Written by
Fidens (
)
Published on December 3rd, 2007 @ 06:10:21 am, using 196 words, 65 views
After some consideration as to what this site is going to be “for,” I have come to the conclusion that this project must be a project of nothing. I hope to gain nothing from the site and the site, and I will lose nothing from it. Very few people practice the art of doing nothing, and it is indeed quite an art. And so, this little spec of dust on the net will have no labels or concepts. You will never figure out what exactly it’s all about, nor should you. No labels should distract you from stepping down into your psychic basement to breathe in our collective water.
This home is only about expression for sake of the ability to express. We stretch our legs of artistic consciousness together for no reason at all - and it feels fantastic. This is writer’s yoga. This is enlightenment. This is inside all of us.
So one day you might see a news item, the next day you might see a book suggestion, or a music review, or anything else that I damn well please. This is for you and me and whoever needs an outlet to express.
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