Danny Shekhtman

Pondering the Singularity

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:10:00 -0500

GET THIS

Okay, so the internet is basically a way to connect far away geographical places together. That is to say, to communicate information without the need to be in the same physical space.

We have only 5 ways to communicate information from person to person: sight, smell, touch, taste, sound. Those are the only ways information can get from one brain to another—which is the ultimate goal, isn’t it? Communication is essentially encoding some thoughts from your brain into one or more of the 5 senses by manipulating the physical world around you, and then transmitting those to someone else who hopefully catches them, decodes them and places them in their brain. Throughout history we’ve figured out a bunch of ways to do that better, farther, faster, more accurately and to more people more efficiently.

The internet is another in the long line of those things that have, over time, overcome certain physical limitations. Language let us yell to each other from hilltops and developments in body language, pictures, and eventually written language, let us communicate certain things from far away, using sight. We developed hearing and smell to glean certain elements about our location we couldn’t otherwise feel or see.

So the internet has been able to bring sight and sound across insane geographical and physical barriers, better than any previous medium. You can more or less communicate to anyone in the world with sight (written language, images, videos, etc.) and sound (music, talking, etc.) instantaneously. Not quite instantaneously, but basically about as long as it would take as if you were standing right next to each other. Those problems seem fundamentally solved by the internet, with some room for improvement.

Really, all that’s left is to be able to smell, taste and feel through the internet and it would become a way for us to essentially be everywhere at the same time. Because once you can communicate through all 5 senses instantaneously, you’re essentially THERE with the person you’re communicating with. All geographical and physical limitations are removed. All the 5 ways that you could receive information are plugged up and there are no other ones, so you as a person cannot tell the difference, assuming the quality is high enough.

Is that the singularity?

We need to advance Smell-O-Vision and Taste-O-Vision to make this singularity thing a reality!

Also, Touch-O-Vision… o0o0o0o0o0o

sippycupeverything: Team Teamwork’s Cool Rap / Cool Sax...

Fri, 06 May 2011 12:13:04 -0400

sippycupeverything:

Team Teamwork’s Cool Rap / Cool Sax Mixtape

Side A: Cool Rap // Total Running Time = 29:22
1 Immigrants “Thieves and Doctors”
2 Tyler the Creator “French” (Toro Y Moi remix)
3 E-40 ft. Beeda Weeda & Work Dirty “In The Morning”
4 J Dilla “Lazer Gunne Funke”
5 DJ Jazzy Jeff ft. Slum Village “Are You Ready”
6 Big K.R.I.T. “Dreamin’”
7 Cannibal Ox “Real Earth”
8 Paper Route Gangstaz “Bama Gettin’ Money” (Diplo remix)

Side B: Cool Sax // Total Running Time = 30:31
1 Deerhunter “Coronado”
2 Destroyer “Blue Eyes”
3 Menomena “TAOS”
4 Okkervil River “Starry Stairs”
5 Black Mountain “Modern Music”
6 Iron & Wine “Big Burned Hand”
7 Gayngs “The Gaudy Side of Town”

download ZIP of all 15 MP3s
Thanks to Team Teamwork for sending this proper mixtape over… two sides! That’s bigtime for this website.

For a few years, Somerville’s Team Teamwork has been taking big name rappers and introducing their rhymes to the oddest of backbeats, including Zelda (The Ocarina of Rhyme), Final Fantasy (Vinyl Fantasy 7), and your Man Mans and Drug Rugs of the world (Good Ass Remixes Vol. 1). BTW: listen to them all on his Muxtape page, and download/donate moneys on his website. His latest is called Super Nintendo Sega Genesis, and with its release have been some his first live sets. The next one is May 25th at Good Life, where the venue will be setting up Ataris and Wiis to fuck around with. Hell yes!

In the meantime, this mixtape should serve as a nice introduction to Team Teamwork’s world. Excellent hip-hop on the A side, from brand new locals Immigrants to Mississippi’s Big K.R.I.T., and the horn-heavy B side features the titular woodwind instrument on compositions by Deerhunter, Menomena, Black Mountain, and more. Team Teamwork says Side B’s inspiration came from landing on Side A’s closer, the “Careless Whisper”-sampling remix of “Bama Gettin’ Money”. Well played.

listening to "Joe Henderson - Foregone Conclusion"

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:38:54 -0400

listening to "Joe Henderson - Foregone Conclusion":

Seriously MASSIVE Joe Henderson solo. Dudes shreds my face off.

That’s why you smell like a faht. Sage Francis - The Best...

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:58:58 -0500

That’s why you smell like a faht.

Sage Francis - The Best of the Underground Kid Battle, 1999 (90.3 WRIU) (via hoakyman)

listening to "The Books - An Animated Description Of Mr. Maps"

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 14:16:35 -0500

listening to "The Books - An Animated Description Of Mr. Maps":

Books, best band. This song has sweet drums and the drum/speech matching solo thing rules.

Hahahahaha, love this one. Mikeshea for...

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:17:39 -0500

Hahahahaha, love this one. Mikeshea for president.

supersonicelectronic:

Mike Shea.

supersonicelectronic: Mike Shea. (Aged Rappers Series, Lil’...

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:16:57 -0500

supersonicelectronic:

Mike Shea. (Aged Rappers Series, Lil’ Wayne.)

Photo

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 11:19:06 -0400

“Sanford’s First Record from Ft. Jackson” I...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:49:57 -0400

“Sanford’s First Record from Ft. Jackson”

I found this record a bunch of years ago for 10 cents at this used record/book store in DC that I never learned the name of. The only evidence that there was even something going on inside was a handwritten cardboard sign taped to the front door that said “Books”. It was tucked away in a corner at the end of a long row of stores next to a mall. The records were completely disorganized and literally just strewn about the floor, thousands of them, everywhere. It ruled!

I had heard about those little cardboard records that people used to be able to record themselves from back in the mid part of the century but I had never seen or heard one before so when I saw this I was really excited. Though I couldn’t even play it because it was a 78 and my turntable doesn’t play 78s so I had to manually spin the platter at a speed that sounded kinda right.

The record contains a guy at Fort Jackson military base recording a letter to his family during WWII. I always wondered what happened to this guy. I wonder who threw this record out or donated it? Could the guy still be alive? I’ve tried finding him but couldn’t. I went to the library and did research and contacted public records and the military. I can’t find him! How many Sanfords could there possibly have been stationed at Fort Jackson in April of 1943? Wouldn’t it be cool to give this record back to the dude’s family? Wouldn’t it be cool to hear your grampa’s voice from 70 years ago?

Transcript:

Side 1:

Hello Mum, and the rest of the folks. I bet ya dollars to donuts this is being played at, uh, Al’s machine right now so hello Al and [inaudible. “Doyle”? “Voyle”?], how are ya. This is Sandy the soldier boy, feeling pretty good, pretty chipper. Considering that I just got finished with [“a bout of KPs”?] that I got for my usual procrastination. Dad will enjoy this. Uh, hereafter I’ll see to it that I am on time for things I should be on time. I’ll learn yet, give me time.

What in blazes is happening to you folks that I haven’t been receiving so much mail? I hope I explained myself in a letter that I wrote to Blanche that in case anything should be wrong, for cryin’ out loud, please write, so as I don’t think that something horrible happened. I tried to put a call through but it takes so doggone long I didn’t have time to hang around and wait. I’d like to, uh, hear from you folks a bit more often, if you could, please.

And uh, oh yes, this may be kept along with the other record that I brought back, uh, Hungarian Rhapsody. Tell Al, if he still has it, to keep this record along side of it so’s that I could be remembered very, very well.

[Woman’s voice heard saying “It’s getting near the end.”] It’s getting near the end now so I’ll get ready to say my adieu until I can get to the other side of the record.

Side 2:

This is the second side [record skip] …starting in on this side please turn over and start at the beginning. This is Soldier Boy Sandy talking, to his folks I hope, and reminding you that you owe me a letter! We will proceed from there.

Uh, I received a letter the other day, as I know that I explained to you, from [inaudible] Gordon. I don’t know who in blazes he is. Uh, very nice letter. He’s in [inaudible] senator school in Fort Custer. And, uh, well, he’s given me a nice invitation.

Oh yes, we had a company dance last Thursday, I attended. And, uh, it was a very nice affair. And, uh, I didn’t do too much dancing. Uh, that is the agreement that Francis and I have between us that we will only attend USO affairs. He’s attending the one, [prominent rag time piano is starting to be audible] uh, uh, Temple [“air fare”?], or USO [“air fare”?] to attend [“one before”?], act as [“hostess”?] And uh, I think it’s only nice to [“make”? “meet”?] some [“folks”? “friends”?] who undoubtedly feels the way I do.

It’s getting near the end now so I might just as well sign off now. You can play this again if you ever wanna hear my voice. I’ve got a little bit of a cold so it sounds a little funny but it’s still the same old Sandy.

listening to "Worst Band In The World - 10cc"

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:38:51 -0400

listening to "Worst Band In The World - 10cc":

WORKINONIT

I once found THE HUGEST GROSS SPIDER EVER WITH HAIR AND SHIT in my kitchen and after...

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:12:01 -0400

…attempting and failing to get my dog to take an interest in eating it, I worked up the nerve to drop a paper cup over it. Then I slid a piece of paper under the cup and taped the paper to the cup thereby TRAPPING the spider in an inescapable paper cocoon. Then I went outside and lit the paper on fire and watched the spider burn to death. I actually felt super bad about it immediately afterward but I was so angry that this spider invaded my life that I lost control.

I'm going to narrate this Russian cartoon

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:17:00 -0400

It’s called: How The Lion Cub and the Turtle Sang Songs (Как львёнок и черепаха пели песню)

[awesome music]

Dude introduces a lion cub living in Africa whose name is “Prrr-Meow”. “Yeah, seriously, ‘Prrr-Meow’,” he says.

The lion cub went out for a stroll one day and came upon a “biiiiiiiiig turtle”. The turtle was lying in the sun, enjoying himself, and singing this happy song.

[Turtle singing]
I’m lying in the sun
I’m looking at the sun
Just lying
And lying
And lying in the sun

Prrr-Meow LOVED the song and went closer to the turtle so he could hear better. The turtle didn’t even notice because he was singing with his eyes closed, in ecstasy.

[Turtle singing]
The monkeys are going
The crocodiles are swimming
But I’m just lying
And lying in the sun

At this point, Prrr-Meow has come so close that he’s crouched down with one ear up to the turtle, to hear even better.

[Turtle singing]
The lion cub is lying nearby
And wiggling his ears
And I’m just lying here
And looking at the lion cub

The turtle finishes his song, opens his eyes and introduces himself as “a big turtle”. Prrr-Meow introduces himself by name and tells the turtle he really liked his song. Prrr-Meow proceeds to sing an imitation of the song except he doesn’t sing very well and messes up some of the lyrics. He says he’s sitting in the sun instead of lying in the sun and the turtle corrects him. Prrr-Meow rebuts, telling the turtle that he is, in fact, sitting and not lying down. They continue singing and finish the song.

After the song, the turtle again insists that Prrr-Meow should really be singing the lyrics that the turtle came up with, which are “lying” and not “sitting”. [This is an interesting moment because the turtle, who is clearly male by the sound of his voice, uses the female form of “I” when referring to himself, presumably because, in Russian, turtles are grammatically female.] Confused, Prrr-Meow asks how he can sing that he’s lying down if he’s sitting.

Turtle: “Well then you lie down and everything will be in order. You’ll be lying down and singing. And I’ll still be lying down.”

Prrr-Meow: “But I don’t like lying down, I like running! And in rare instances, sitting.”

Turtle: “But you were lying down when you crouched down next to me.”

Prrr-Meow: “I was only crouched down so I could hear the song better. I only lie down in very specific instances.”

Turtle: “Then how do you sleep?? Sitting down?! Ha ha ha!”

Prrr-Meow: “Well, no, I sleep lying down. But when I’m sleeping, I’m not singing.”

Turtle: “Well, then, imagine to yourself that you’re sleeping… <i>and</i> singing.”

Prrr-Meow: “I’ll try it… Let’s start again!”

They sing some more of the song together but Prrr-Meow stops them, saying it’s not true, because how can he see the sunshine when his eyes are closed? The turtle suggests that Prrr-Meow try opening his eyes and imagining that he’s sleeping with his eyes open. They continue singing and Prrr-Meow asks if they can sing about something else because he doesn’t like singing about himself. The turtle finishes off the song by himself while Prrr-Meow whistles.

Prrr-Meow remarks on how wonderful the song was and then asks the turtle if he can ride him arounf. Then there is a 1 minute montage of Prrr-Meow riding the turtle around the desert frolicking around and having fun.

Finally, it gets dark and they stop frolicking. Prrr-Meow hugs the turtle, says goodbye and asks if he’ll come up with another song tomorrow. “Of course,” says the turtle, “come by tomorrow.” “Until tomoorrrrrooooowwwwwww!” exclaims Prrr-Meow as he walks off into the wilderness. The turtle goes to sleep.

The whole way home, Prrr-Meow can’t understand how it is at all possible to sleep with one’s eyes open and sing all at the same time.

Then he sings some more, does a dance ending in a freeze, and waves goodbye.