Joshua Talbot

It seems like every time I make an effort to post more often I end up slacking. Even the thought of posting makes me not want to. What’s the deal? I do so good for a week or two and then come screaming to an abrupt halt. But alas, posting about not posting. At least it’s something eh?

As most of you know I’ve sighed up for the old Facebook. Not too shabby. And while most of the basic functionality is the same as Myspace it’s interesting to see how a few tweaks and a better user interface puts a whole new spin on things. Some of the activity notifications are a little too much for me. I’m not terribly interested if so-and-so commented of whats-her-names photos. But with that said I think the ability to comment on someone’s comment to you (or even on a state update) is very clever. And they’ve handled the visuals very well.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been absolutely amazed with Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast. He classifies himself not as a history teacher but a history fan. And let me tell you friends, this is fandom at it’s best. Every thought about doing breathalyzer test on the major leaders in history? Sit down and try to truly grasp the effects of the “Bubonic Nukes”. And don’t get me started on the What ifs of 1066. This stuff is brilliant. My ears are glued.

A few weeks ago I was turned on to Horse Feathers. Not unlike Bon Iver but feels a little more on the surface. Follow the like to download their new release.

Awhile back I mentioned Field Notes. A handy little tool created by the folks at Coudal. They’ve also created a series of documentaries. “Each examines an artist who approaches his work in a non-traditional way”. You’re probably a fan of their work (or music) and might not even know it.

enjoy.

Myspace is dead? Face what? Did everyone make a planned mass migration from one to the other? For the most part I’ve been disenchanted with general social network sites for sometime. But I’ll have to admit, I’m a little embarrassed. It’s like that time I lived in Oregon in 1992 and still didn’t listen to Nirvana until 3-4 years AFTER the release of Nevermind.

But seriously, what drew you to Facebook? There are a fair number of general social networking sites out there and I’m curious as to what Facebook is doing right. I am after all a web designer (thus making this even more embarrassing). So color me enlightened. And please, don’t tell my boss.

I typically shy away from political discussions. 1. On a whole I’m uneducated on the topic(s). And 2. It’s difficult to not assume that someones opinion stems simply from a high level of pre-determined bias surrounding an Issue (especially in a campaign year). So you’ve chosen candidate A. Now everything candidate B says is preposterous. I see this in almost everyone I talk to.

And so each campaign year I endeavor to find answers, dig deeper and only get frustrated by the media blitz and ensuing bias. But in my recent attempt to go after the true focus/philosophy of each party I’ve been relatively encouraged. For the first time in my life I’m putting more attention into each campaigning party instead of it’s candidates.

Now sadly I think there are still some pretty major compromises that have to be made in choosing either candidate. But I feel I’ve made some pretty significant ground in my understanding.

So here’s a question. Could you vote for the candidate in one party (based on a belief that there stance is beneficial for the current national situation) but be more disposed to the other party (in general)?