harlan erskine — photography/blog

Kim Jong-il loves the new selection of rare “Junk-il” artist edition kicks.

I’m loving this! The Boston Globe’s internet picture show The Big Picture presents a sick collection of images from North Korea: On the Spot with Kim Jong-il. The 69 year old Kim Jong-il is the coolest crazy militant dictator in the world right now. These are some of my favorite images from this collection. I’m super fascinated with North Korea not just for its dictator but also the state of suspended cultural and technological animation it is in. If they ever open the country up to to outside world they may have to declare the entire country a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Kim Jong-il surveys the latest in computer technology.

Kim Jong-il loves a good cracker.

Kim Jong-il found a bucket.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

I have been meaning to post this all weekend but Horses Think who I quoted in my last post, beat me to it. Either way this is a great piece of art coming out when we need it most. Which works hard to make something which is so confusing and huge into something people can begin to understand.

Apparently the inspiration for the designer, Jonathan Jarvis for his video and Crisis of Credit website was the reporting which grew out of NPR’s This American Life and the new NPR podcast Planet Money. I have been religiously glued to those podcasts for some time and I comment them for putting is clear english what been happening to the economy.

Obama took office today and there is a relief on people faces. I watched the Inauguration yesterday before class at home with a big cup of coffee. It was a great experience I wish I was able to go to DC but School was calling.

MSNBC is to my knowledge running the first news story using Microsoft’s jaw-dropping technology, Photosynth. What better way to usher in the new President then with this cutting edge technology. I encourage everyone to hurry up an install Microsoft Silverlite and see what you’ve been missing.

On Photosynth’s web site they have a more in depth look at the Inauguration from several vantage points. using Photosynth is like using the ultimate panoramic software but with a mush better depth perception. Photosynth stitches together many many images from different angles, viewpoints, cameras and focal lengths to bring a fascinating new experience.

I originally wrote about Photosynth at the end of this post.

May your holiday be filled with celebration for not having to call Palin, Vice President.

I don’t know about you but doesn’t this feel like Christmas Eve? Its quiet in the city now but the air is full of anticipation with what tomorrow might bring. We all wake up in the morning and give our gifts of casting our ballots. Some friends and relatives have sent them in by mail. Then this evening the gifts will be opened and we’ll either be getting CHANGE or a big lump of coal. Sadly we will not be getting this day off America has decided that celebrating Columbus Day is more important then celebrating the act of voting. Oh and one more thing, if you not give the gift of voting tomorrow because you thing they are run by the same shadow government I’m going to beat you with my jar of change – and I have a lot of quarters in there.

I rejiggered this ‘poem’ from another site to my liking…

‘Twas the night before the election
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Bush and his boys

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had paid for their way!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bus
As I gagged from the political stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

‘On Blackwater, on Abu Ghraib,
On Pailin and Wolfowitz!
On Blackwater, On Rove,
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn’t stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note –
If you don’t want
more destruction,
more corruption,
more lies,
more deceit,
GET OFF YOUR ASS AND
GET OUT TO VOTE FOR CHANGE!!!