Bildekor/a>

I've never been good at following simple directions, which I assume can lead me down an unstable path, to where I may not be sustainable and consequently perish. And while the most aggravating part of my computer may be the left arrow key which is now permanently stuck in the downward position (but not, however, moving my cursor constantly to the left, but instead preventing me from using it), I am intrigued as to which this keyboard will in fact be sustainable to me in the future. Speaking of the future, which is now the present in reference to when "sustainability" was first introduced to me officially: in an e-mail from Prof Doyle, I came to realize that I just may not have a good grasp and what sustainability actually means. And while this may seem amusing or idiotic to some - wait, I don't care.

While I may or may not have admitted to knowing what "sustainability" means, I forgot to make on thing clear. In reference to this class, I was unaware of how it was geared to nature, biology, et cetera. The definition of sustainability I had prior agrees with what this nifty dictionary in the upper right hand corner of my screen showed me. "1. to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of, as a structure."

To all those bothering to read this far into my rant, I thank you.

Keep your eyes open.

Date Unknown:

While I would like to agree with ArizonCitrus’ POV about reverting back to how we once were to achieve sustainability, I do not think it is possible in today’s world. Consumerism and greed has pushed us beyond limits, I agree, but unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to leave us with much of a choice but to conform to a degree in order to maintain sustainability. I sound pessimistic, yes. But unfortunately, if one were to ignore the truth (which can be pessimistic as often, if not, more than optimistic, depending on what the glass looks to you) it could lead one to being further from sustainable than one ever imagined. Unfortunately once time marches on, so must we all, even if that means we can only do so only in SUV’s.

Think it's still 2006:

Remixing XMilitary’s definition of sustainability, to remain sustainable one must be active. While I often cringe when someone I know responds “nothing” to the simple question of “What’s Up?”, I often want to cry at their banal lifestyle. But some other times I get the sudden urge to smack them across the face (guys only) and tell them to get going with their miserable and semi-futile existence. We must keep up because “Life won’t wait” (to quote punk rockers Rancid’s 1998 record title). Failure to recognize this significant (and what most would believe) irrefutable (word?) claim as common knowledge. But the unfortunate fact of life is that more often than not, people just don’t give a fuck, which by no means is a sustainable attitude that needs to be resolved one step, one person at a time. We need to get up off our ass, and keep up with the pact. And while we’re on the subject, is there anything good on tv tonight?

Returning to the Past:

"As puzzling as life is for us, so was death for them" states MArgulis on page 33. Now for a statement as outlandish as this one, it does not matter who "us" or "them" are.

I begin to wonder if the author believes (because of this statement) that we understand death and they understand life. What is life? What is death? Dammed if I'm going to pretend to have a dictonary definition.

"There is only one way to enter this world, but so many ways to leave" to quote Sentenced, a metal band from the land of ice and snow. Now they may not be the original authors of that statement, but that is besides the point. We know how "life" is created, and what constitutes one to be dead (physically). But beyond that? I know that right now I am physically alive and that Gene Siskel is dead.

So where do we go when we die? Hopefully not Siberia.

The weekend Ponders

I thought it would be interesting to learn about this so-called Peak Oil on Thursday. As a film major, I like to watch movies. Now for the less obvious, I especially enjoy documentaries. Less often are there retakes and the people portray REAL CHARACTERS - themselves. But as the class chuckled at the ridiculousness of the production value, my anger began to increase as I realized that money went into making this documentary. I thought that perhaps the doc was shot in one location? There are no establishing shots, but rather a series of nauseating close ups, which at times are effectively used before revealing locations. But not here. I was impressed that the subjects were level to the camera, while the background appeared to be at a severe tilt, leading me to believe that none of the subjects knew how to stand upright, therefore forcing the camera man to shoot at an angle the entire time.

I'll just pretend I didn't notice the camera going out of focus more often than my first student film.

Where is my mind? And my link on the main page? I hate the internet! Damn you Al Gore!

Speaking of activities that I detest (along with not being able to find my way). I despise pumping gas. My first nightmare encounter with the gas pump (without the assistance of someone who actually pumped it for me) occurred in Virginia in the year of our lord, 2004. I stood with the pump in one hand and a tight fist in the other, clicking away and waiting for the gas to leave the machine and enter my vehicle. Nothing. After pushing the "help" button a number of times, I beagn to doubt that anyone would come help a northerner that couldn't pump his own gas. A native walked by holding back a laugh as she pumped away at the next tank. I'm smarter than her, I thought. What the fuck is wrong with this picture. Suddenly, it struck me. There's a lever here, perhaps I should push it up. Presto! My gas troubles were over. Little did I realize that it was only a matter of time before there would be no gas in the world. It's a good thing I'm going to die before that happens.

PeakOil, although not very well made does make a point. And while the "filmmakers" won't be winning an oscar anytime soon, I must admit their success in making those uunaware of the situation (the cave dwellers) to think a little more next time they go to pump gas. Perhaps to make the documentary more effective, they could had interviewed the average middle class citizen and questioned their knowledge of the topics, and include a solution, or even ways that one could begin to reach a solution to the problems. Celebrities, if one can afford them, also helps.

Although I have not posted photographic proof that i attended class on Tuesday, Brendan and I filmed 15 minutes of glorious footage, will soon put the Center for Sustainability in moving pictures on to the internet. We filmed interviews of Lisa Arizona, and Silas; one was more familiar with sustainability than the other, but both gave insightful interviews. Brendan was the man with the microphone as he talked to the camera about what he knew about the center.

ii.

A girl in my English class is interested in the center! She knows little to nothing about it, and hell, I can't remember her name so I can't claim much better. I plan on incorportating her first trip to the center along with reactions. Here's hoping she's provides a good interview.

Speaking of documentaries, I recently stumbled across a trailer for the doc "Who Killed the Electric Car." A what seems to be an interesting documentary about electric cars that were produced, and quickly taken away from the market. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSBykAngDpY

iii.

Davis Guggenheim's "An Inconvenient Truth" came to be not because people "care" about global warming, but because Al Gore was in it. I don't know if I'd call it a documentary rather than an elaborate camera set up for a slideshow presentation. But with a topic as globally important as this one, I can't say the classification of this arrangement of motion pictures to matter.

I learned something from in "An Inconvenient Truth," so in a way, A.I.T. can be considered a documentary. I'm glad Al Gore took a subject he cared about genuinely and made it into a piece for others to see. I can't completely look passed the fact that it also serves as propaganda for the democratic party and perhaps another shot for the internet inventor at the presidency.

i.

Who Killed the Electric Car? appears to have the qualities of a promising yet politically over done documentary. I have yet to see the film, but from the preview, it appears to blame, big oil companies. Survival of the fittest? I wouldn't doubt it. Perhaps the onset of electric cars into the mainstream didn't make the headlines of the papers in Jersey, or maybe I didn't pay enough attention. Either way, it's in the past.

I love my jeep. Yes, I know it cost a lot to fill my tank and it's harming the environment and blah blah. Yes, I know. But the thing is, I'm more concerned about my own survival, than say, that of others. I'm not stating that if a bomb went off in SC and everyone died but me (cause I was in my bombshelter jeep of course) that I wouldn't be uber melancholy. But driving home 4 hours in the snow and ice, I feel much SAFER in my gas guzzler than I did in my old Nissan Sentra. Survival of the fittest. It's simple really.

ii.
Brendan and I collaborated on 2 short videos about the Center. They should be on YouTube soon, I don't know where though. Ask Brendan. He's the genius who actually loads them on. I just make sure the moving pictures look pretty.

10.28.06

I look forward to helping piece the podcast together. However, I would like to collab witth someone when mixing sounds. I know what sounds good to me, but I am just one (awesome, but imperfect person). We have a good start, but we need a 15 page script in order to produce a 15 minute podcast. What about 10? We could probably do a couple if they were shorter. Perhaps if we intercut pieces of lecture into the skit as our travellers find their way to the holy grail of sustainability. And also, can someone tell me where the bus sounds are on this site? Thx. - jC

11.07.06

"Unlike bands such as the Rolling Stones and Coldplay, Radiohead do not offset the carbon emissions caused by their tours, because they are not convinced of the environmental benefits of such schemes, which claim to make activities carbon-neutral by planting trees or investing in renewable energy projects..."Some of our best ever shows have been in the US, but there's 80,000 people there and they've all been sitting in traffic jams for five or six hours with their engines running to get there, which is bollocks."

Tours would continue because others in the band did not feel as strongly, he said...

In case sustainability fanatics needed another reason to love Radiohead, lead singer Thom Yorke has expressed deep concern that touring is damaging to the environment. Read the full article here:
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1924074,00.html

11.13.06

Bucky has some good points. I call them "good" points because he raises issues that I have yet to think about, but am intrigued by at the same time. The theory of up and down, and how we can't be at the highest point, unless we're Black Sabbath (or something like that). (lost my train of thought, I'll fix this up later)

11.13.06

Who killed the electric car? There a quite a number of suspects. I blame the car itself. Electric car = GREAT IDEA! But not being able to drive more than 60-70 miles before recharging? Not on my schedule. Are these cars great for the elderly and those without lives outside their jobs? Maybe. But what about Christmas morning when they have to drive an hour or two to see the family? LEt's hope they have a charger too so they can get home...and they don't need it the next morning? How long does one have to charge their car for anyway? Overnight? A little vague, perhaps? Im gonna assume that with more money for research that perhaps that 60-70 miles could have been doubled per trip. I'm comfortable driving from A-B on near or beyond the "E", but only cause I know that there is a gas station close by.

11.15.06

Last Wednesday I hugged my wonderful gas guzzling jeep grand cherokee goodbye, as it went in for much needed body repairs. Luckily, and for the first time in my not too accident prone life (behind the wheel that is), someone else was paying for it, along with my rental car, which worried me slightly as an enterprise rep picked me up to take me to the dealership.

"What kind of car would you like?" the representative asked me as we drove down Atherton street.

"A BMW, of course" I replied. Atleast I thought I was funny.

"You're outta your fucking mind!" She replied. I think that's what she said. It was hard to tell since I wasn't listening.

I felt I atleast deserved a comparable gas guzzling jeep because it's better to be safe inside your car during a crash rather than the peon in their volkswagon bug (who most likely deserved physical harm after making such a purpose)at the other end of the crash or perhaps even a bystander forced to inhale the toxic flames at the scene of the accident.

She offered me $15/day rental insurance which wouldn't be covered by the bastard who hit me and his insurance, but if anything were to happen to the car from a bump to totaling the car, all I would have to pay would be $15 times the number of days I had the car.

"Absolutely," I replied while detailing in my head exactly how to incorporate a car crash into my next film.

As I walked over to my rental car, I noticed that it wasn't a Malibu (score!) but a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. Sweetness. Oh, and it costs a lot less to fill up at the gas station, and more importantly it fills up faster, which means I have to spend less time feeling so ashamed when being forced to pump my own gas.

-jC

11.27.06

It's not just people that go to Florida to die anymore

The state of Florida doesn't have a center for sustainability, but a large junkyard called the highway. It's monday night and state college is cold, as always. Earlier today I bid farewell to Beautiful Sarasota, Florida and shouted a big, "fuck you" to Atlantic City as I got off the plane, before driving back up here. Someone remind me to check my oil.

Back to the junkyard. As you may or may not be aware of, Florida does not require inspection on all cars, & they don't give a shit about emissions either. So next time you're driving in Life's Endzone, bring a screwdriver and some tools, because the number of dead cars on the side of the road will some day rival the number of residents in wyoming. Let's hope some of them have nice radios that have abandon. It's only stealing if you get caught.

-jC

11.30.06

Shooting went...Brendan and I filmed some man on the street interviews and it turned out more people knew about the center than we guestimated, about a third. We shot in the outback ski store (without asking permission first) and met Elliot, a college-aged non college student who is very interested in coming out to the center. Go us.

While getting my hair cut, I ran into a friend who made a project based on sustainability...or something like that. He's also very interested. We are changing the world. Go us.

-jC

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