Improvisation, Creativity, Hip-hop and Nerdy Asians

This is probably the best title for a blog post that I've written. Ever.


Catching up on my blog reading Sunday night and came across surgeon and researcher Charles Limb on TED talks.


Some observations:
1. He has the worst powerpoint presentation. Ever. (Please see below)

2. 13: 30 He raps in his TED talks. Yes, he raps. Dorky Asian Guy raps. Back to my thesis that Hip-Hop + Asian People = Love (Please see below)

3. 14:26 Pan to a bunch of white people crossing their arms, yawning and scratching their heads -- as Dr. Limb stands bobbing his head. Womp. Womp. (Please see below)

4. In the related article, he says: 

And I have to tell you, I’ve been having a ton of fun with this study, just experientially. When we were making our beats and our stimuli, trying to design the study, there’s no way to do this study without trying to rap yourself. It really transforms the lab!

I wish I was there to watch him come up with freestyles about his life. Got em.

Close

I stumbled upon "Closer" via Clutch Magazine's article "Is It Really 'Just Sex'?" - though I think that question might lead one to believe the short is less complex than it is.

One night after a casual 'visit', Angela is all but ready to leave Derek's apartment. Derek, however, is determined no to let her go without a fight.

Programmer's Note: Tahir Jetter makes his first visit to the Sundance Film Festival with his dramatic short film "Close." With its truthful and intimate look at a turning point in a relationship, Jetter describes "Close." as "heavily autobiographical." In fact, at the New York premiere of the short, one particular audience member found the film's narrative more than coincidental, to which Jetter can only comment, "Nothing like making a movie about a person you've been romantically involved with and then having that person go and see it." A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Jetter is working on expanding "Close." into a feature film.

It's hard to figure out where exactly to begin. The gender dynamics are interesting - not only superficially because of the gender reversal - but because of the violence. It is interesting how Derek's violence is juxtaposed with his earlier behavior imitating a highly sexualized, stylized dancing (Beyonce's Single Ladies dance) that almost initially makes him seem effeminate, or at the very least at ease with his sexuality. His violence - rapelike - is harsh in comparison to our first few images of him. What's more interesting is reading the caption to the video in which the director shares that it's autobiographical. I wonder what he makes of his own violence, especially since he is able to so vividly depict it. 

It's funny because I went to follow him on twitter and he had posted something about Blue Valentine (another must-see). Closer is reminiscent of Blue Valentine (or perhaps the other way around) in that its eerily real, the silences palpable, the frustrations understandable. 

Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back

Sorry folks for the long hiatus from the blog. I got caught up in *studying* and work and life. I also probably went out too hard - posting every day. I'm going to start posting again, but probably once or twice a week. Or whenever I have something interesting to say. Keeping up a blog took much more time than I had expected and suddenly it was taking too much time, but instead of scaling back I just stopped.


Moderation - that's one of my words for 2011. 


Now, on to my post for today:


I've decided that one of my 2011 (re)solutions is to give more of my money away. I like fancying myself a benefactor of the arts and supporter of the cause. Obviously, my work is devoted to my causes, but I want to put some of my money where my mouth is. And, since I am a poor poor non-profit worker bee, it's more of a sacrifice and thus I want to examine how wealth, money and the pursuit of it factor into my life during 2011. 


The first thing I want to draw your attention to is Kickstarter - a relatively new website where artists look for funders for their projects. 

Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative ideas and ambitious endeavors.

We believe that:

• A good idea, communicated well, can spread fast and wide. 

• A large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement.

Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands.

And, my first funding project is: Shakedown - a documentary about the lesbian strip club scene in L.A. Seems like a cool concept, plus I'll get me a DVD if the funding ends up going through.

I think all too often people still believe donating money is only for wealthy people. With the advent of microfinancing and other microfunding opportunities, I think the general sentiment is beginning to change. But, I think its an interesting way for me to begin to contemplate what money means to me.