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Damn It's Björk!

Instead of doing homework Monday night, I decided to look around for sites that could 'cartoonify' me. Swell idea. Eventually, I came upon a site that lets you make Miis and---DAMN, IT'S BJÖRK!
DAMN IT'S BJORK

DAMN IT'S ME
DAMN, IT'S ME!
I'm a cutie even in Mii form, huh?

Here's a deliciously dark remix for you:
Download< "Cover Me" (Plaid Mix) (Wikisend) (Link expired)
You can visit the Mii-site here.

Halloween Treats

Halloween

Hey! It’s Halloween!
Well, it was Halloween. Daylight savings time, that’s my excuse.

Non-Stop Pagan Party Dance Music that I’ve been digging as of late:
The 5.6.7.8’s – Mr. Lee
Björk – Batabid
Wendy Carlos – Moonscapes: Io
Converge – Color Me Blood Red (Original master)
Islands – Vapours
Yoshimio – Chuwow
The Knife – Poetry by Night
Five Hot Bitches – Wet Mattress
The Gerogerigegege – Ensam I Natt

Download all of these treats


Also, wow, NEW BRIGHT EYES LEAK ZOMG DL DIS NOW!!!!!

Grow

Grow
Click on the photo to visit its page at Flickr.
July 10, 2009. Nikon D40. Taken in a small herb garden at my little cousin's school.

Big Post for Great Justice (I still love you long time)


Click on the image for a super-sized version. Press 'Esc' to exit.

Over the past two weeks, you may have been asking yourselves, “Where is Squid? Did he die? Contract swinebird flu ? Or did he watch too much Degrassi, and he has now abandoned the Webs?”

Well, if you were asking yourselves these questions then you’re nosy, and you care too much about other people’s business. Go read a book. But if you were simply content to wait for updates from beneath the sea, then congratulations—you are an Admiral of Coolness.

But let’s see, where have I been? I tried to have a life these past few weeks, and it worked! I spent time with some friends, went on a Vacation to Vermont (photos soon), and took the bus to get groceries (highly exciting; no joke). As is usual during prolonged absences, I managed to get a ton of new music (bargain CDs in Burlington, VT, etc.), and I’ve also been fiddling around with Lala. I’ll put up a link to my profile there as soon as I can find a suitable icon. Aside from pretty cheap Mp3 albums (most top at $7.49), Lala allows you to import your existing Mp3 collection as long as the albums imported are available on Lala. If for some strange reason you want to look through my collection, you can do it here. But just know that it’s not really representative of my Mp3 collection—it doesn’t include the CDs I haven’t ripped, and I’m pretty sure that I don’t own Now 22.

Next on the agenda: vacation stories. (Hey, this is still a culture blog. Sort of.)

Story Un (The official Cabot cheese store)
Woman in early 30s: I like your shirt.
Me: Oh, thanks.
Woman: I saw them live.
Me: …
Woman: Grizzly Bear? The band, right?
Me: Oh, yeah.
Woman: Yeah, nice shirt.

Story Deux (CD rack at a department store)
Old woman: I’m looking for something, can you help me?
Me: Uh, sure.
Old woman: Something with nice melodies.
Me: Frank Sinatra, maybe?
Old woman: No, not that.
Me: Hmm, one min.

Me: How about Barry Manilow?
Old woman: (scans the back cover) Ooh, I’ve heard that song. Hmm, this sounds good. I’ll try it. Thank you.
Me: Oh you’re welcome.
Old woman: (Proceeds to tell story about a Floridian tape deck that I don’t get)

Story Tres (Burlington Borders)
Mom: Let’s see George McGovern come up the stairs.
Me: Okay.
(We wait; McGovern enters for a book signing immediately after his posse)
Me: Wow, he’s ancient.
Mom: Yeah, he’s so old.
(People begin to clap)
Me: Do we…do we have to clap?
Mom: Nah. Let’s go.

Anything else about me for this post? Let’s see. I’ve been drinking tea heavily lately. And I’m reading My Ántonia. I’m also listening to about 100 songs a day now. Wow, this blog is boring as shit.

So what’s coming to Squid Can? Well, I had some time-sensitive (read: MJ-related) material I wanted to post, but I didn’t really write it, so it’s pretty much a moot point now. I do still have another feature in the works that I want to post as soon as I finish it. I have some reviews backed up—among them Amiina, Chris Clark, and Lesley Gore—as well a few book review things I need to get working on. And there’s also a decent amount of photos coming up. So, in short: more stuff, soon. I hope to start posting on a daily basis and really start canvassing this blog around the web; hopefully by September I should be on some sort of posting schedule. I also have some more creative projects that I’m planning; I hope to have some doodles/ideas up by August. Speaking of which, note the Mira Calix-Doris Day combo sketch at right. Pretty postmodern, huh?

Did you read this entire post? This whole, sprawling post of ridiculousness? You deserve a treat. Here are some songs I’ve been digging. This isn’t really a mixtape, but don’t worry; I have one of those on the way. Enjoy, and remember—me love you long time.

Downloads
Doris Day— It Could Happen to You
Death By Chocolate— Zap the World Chorus
Nat King Cole— On the Sunny Side of the Street
Mira Calix— Daydreaming at Night

Oh, and OH MY GOD THERE’S A NEW AUTHOR PHOTO.

And the site may be slow. I'm workin' on it.

P.S. If you notice some slightly differences in the site design (such as the download formatting above), I'm trying to get things set so Squid Can be beautiful. Like City Beautiful, except more obscure and without the anti-immigrant angle.

Independence Day Photos

Fourth of July is always a great opportunity for photographers. Last year, I took well over 600 shots on the Fourth. This year, the results weren't as hefty, but I still managed to take a few decent shots (images 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 42, and 46 are my favorites). These are shots from parties, the parade, the carnival, on the street; some with people I know, some with people I, well, don't know. Well, enjoy the photos. Just click on the first thumbnail to get started, and then use the arrow keys to move around (or rollover the image for clickable arrows). Also, pressing 'Esc' will close the slideshow. But I'm sure you knew that already.

P.S. I'm switching all my photos over to Flickr. I know it won't get me as many views as Zooomr, but 1) I can make snazzy galleries like this easier with Flickr, 2) I just bought a Pro account, and 3) Zooomr is balls.


Fun Factory Time Fresh Cut Looking Rockwell Rising Waters A Little Before Noon

Round Goldfrapp's Glitter Rose  read more »

"DSC_0666"

DSC_0666
Click on thumbnail for a larger image.
Alex Joseph. DSC_0666. Sept 30 2008. Digital photograph.

Comments
Yes, the title is intentional. I noticed the number and, given the ominous atmosphere of the photograph, I decided to let coincidence keep its place

"Morning Yolk; Crackling"

Morning Yolk; Cracking
Click on thumbnail for a larger image.
Alex Joseph. Morning Yolk; Crackling. Aug 25 2008. Digital photograph.

Comments
I took this photo at about 7:30 in the morning after I had stayed up all night. Early morning photos always seem to have this strange ambiance---creepy and comforting stuck together.

"Pink Eye"

Pink Eye
Click on thumbnail for a larger image.
Alex Joseph. Pink Eye. Oct 21 2007. Digital photograph.

"Parade of Loved Ones"

Parade of Loved Ones
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
Alex Joseph. Parade of Loved Ones. Apr 18 2007. Digital photograph.

"Drift Blossom"

Drift Blossom
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
Alex Joseph. Drift Blossom. Apr 21 2008. Digital Photograph.

"Of Mammal Bondage"

Of Mammal Bondage
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
Alex Joseph. Of Mammal Bondage. Apr 5 2008. Digital Photograph.

"Super Ply 1.4"

Super Ply 1.4
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image
Alex Joseph. Super Ply 1.4. April 11 2008. Digital Photograph.

[Untitled]

[Untitled]
Click on the thumbnail for a larger version.
Alex Joseph. Untitled. April 23 2008. Digital Photograph.


Check out my Zooomr page if you haven't done so in a while. Many photos have since been added.

Rubber Series

Click on the thumbnails for full-sized images.

Also available on Flickr.

Rubber: Far

Alexander Joseph. Rubber: Far. Mar 23 2008.

Rubber: Get Close

Alexander Joseph. Rubber: Get Close. Mar 23 2008.  read more »

The Complete Neon Series!

The complete Neon Series is now available on Zooomr! Enjoy these photographs, and remember that the thumbnails link to higher resolutions. You can also view the photoset on Zooomr.

Neon Series #1: Redirection

Alexander Joseph Neon Series #1: Redirection . Jan 9 2008

Neon Series #2: Retaliation

Alexander Joseph Neon Series #2: Retaliation . Jan 9 2008  read more »

"Greeny"

Greeny

Alexander Joseph. Greeny. Feb 21 2008. Digital Photograph.
Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page.

"First Blade" and "Second Blade"

First Blade

Second Blade

Alexander Joseph. First Blade. Mar 20 2008. Digital Photograph
Alexander Joseph. Second Blade. Mar 20 2008. Digital Photograph
Click on the thumbnails for each photo's Zooomr page.

MediaNation Series #1: Couch

MediaNation Series #1: Couch

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created Jan. 11, 2008
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Another series I'm working on. This one takes screenshots from popular TV shows and places them out of context. The purpose is to shed light on the often hidden ideologies that we passively inherit from mainstream media.

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created Apr. 29 2007
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Please view full-size!

Sagrado Corazon

El Corazon Sacro

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created June 28 2007
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Used the spotlight filter in Photoshop. Translated from Spanish it means "Sacred Heart."

Idyllic Dream

Idyllic Dream

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created July 2 2007
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Added a nostalgic tint in Photoshop using "adjustments."

Polar Carnival

Polar Carnival

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created Jan 19 2008
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Made in Adobe Photoshop with the polar coordinates filter.

Porcupine Spine

Porcupine Spine

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created Jan 19 2008
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Same as "Porcupine Spurt," except this one was sans gradient map.

Porcupine Spurt

Porcupine Spurt

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created Jan 19 2008
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Created by adding a few simple filters in Adobe Photoshop.

Neon Series #6: Reggae Fireball

Neon Series #6: Reggae Fireball

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created July 3 2007
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Neon Series #5: Armageddon

Neon Series #5: Armageddon

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created July 3 2007
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Neon Series #4: Love Letter

Neon Series #4: Love Letter

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page

Date Created Jan. 13 2008
Medium Digital Photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Edited in Photoshop with "liquefy."

Neon Series #3: Diffusion

Neon Series #3: Diffusion

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page.

Date Created Jan. 13 2008
Medium Digital photograph (Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
Edited in Photoshop with the "liquefy" filter.

Neon Series #2: Retaliation by Alexander J.

Neon Series #2: Retaliation

Click on the thumbnail for this photo's Zooomr page.

Date Created Jan. 9, 2008
Medium Digital photograph (Kodak Easyshare V803, Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
This is actually a photo of Christmas lights, created by shaking the camera during the exposure.

Neon Series: Et Tu? by Alexander J.


Click on thumbnail for a full-sized image

Date Created Jan. 11 2008
Medium Digital collage (Dover clip art and digital photograph composited with filters in Adobe Photoshop El. 3)

Artist's Comments
I needed a desktop background, so I managed to create this in about eleven minutes.