history lessons

Briefly mentioned this in my previous post about a certain developers company back in Cyprus. A friend of mine works there and we were discussing some of their marketing and business strategies. A developers company normally makes buildings. They get permits, get proposals from contractors and then finish the job. At least I thought it was that simple. But from what I've been told this particular company will for example sponsor an event, take over the whole advertising campaign (most of it being outsourced) and in return get cheaper contracts, permits from councils and so on. This of course is legit. Surely, to get a permit for building a structure you go through a lot of procedures, so why not speed things up with spending a lot of money. I don't believe this is something purely happening in Cyprus. Large corporations need to invest in other sectors of the economy as well in order to keep their number one objective, increase profits. I consider this approach makes a good name...

Who can work under crystal clear blue skies and a bright sun? Holidays back home are almost done and I do wish I had another 4 weeks here. Although I did bring my sketchbook and books to read for my dissertation I have done none of it. Sure I attempted to read, tried very hard. But the sun is calling out my name (and my phone is ringing) and I end up having a pint or coffee (or both) under the sunny Cyprus sky. There have been work developments ofcourse although they appeared in an unexpected, unpredictable way that made them almost being part of the fun process. Fishbone Records owner and friend asked me, over a cup of coffee, to redesign his websites. He is the guy that managed our concert a couple of days ago. The outcome was quite successful and he has made an offer to sign us up to his record label. That means after 12 years of struggle we get a chance to get into a proper studio without time restrictions to make a proper album. Friends exchanging services really, but with the mon...

You see I've learned something today.

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Micheál O'Connell's 'Feed Lack Loop' had been a surreal experience to say the least. Whether to call it performance, installation piece I don't know. But what surely fits a description is 'experimental'. Upon entering Lighthouse there was a huge projector I noticed the familiar face of Dave (if I remember his name correctly), the clown Micheál used in some of his other works. There is indeed something intriguing about clowns, but that's another story all together. The event would take place both at Lighthouse and in the virtual world of Second Life supported by Ars Virtua Gallery. The projector would show the event in Second Life while a camera in Lighthouse would show in Second Life what was happening in First Life (or am I wrong, my head hurts already). The result is a strange loop. The avatar in the virtual world, designed to look far from attractive -unlike ones everyday encounters in the MMOG- was controlled by Micheál, while Dan from Grey Area assi...

I have recently made a post regarding two female artists. The post reviewed their works and character in inappropriate mannerism. Coming from a small island in the Mediterranean sea, where Greek is the native language, I did not know that using such terms were considered as defamation. A foreigner watching the mainstream media in the UK, from R&B and Rap music to contemporary arts and stand-up comedy, comes to consider these words as everyday terms. I walk the streets of Brighton to hear the words 'wanker', 'bitch', 'asshole' and so on in repetition, yet I do not see anyone complaining. Evidently such words are seen in the eye of the beholder, and some people take offend. So it is in my deepest humility that I apologize sincerely for using the term 'bitch' to characterize another person. This situation has given me the opportunity for self-reflection and a general evaluation of society. Critics of modern society such as Bill Hicks, Trey Parker and Ma...

Under a different light than the post on Seraphina, I will talk here about the informal talk I had with John Higgs, author of "I have America surrounded - the life of Timothy Leary". We met up outside the "Druids Head" pub in the north laines, went in and despite my efforts to buy him a drink he insisted on paying for both. Got a pint and sat down at a table where the first thing I thought was "damn, the speaker is there, I'm gonna find it hard to understand what he's saying". So I explained my idea to him, putting the whole Collective Unconscious, Web 2.0 into perspective. He immediately recommended the book "what the dormouse said". The book discusses how the American counter-culture of the 60's shaped the history of the personal computer. The title refers to one of the lyrics in the song "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, a homage to both Alice in Wonderland and the use of psychedelic drugs as food for the mind. This a...