hacker emblem

BluePojo

Josiah Kiehl

0 Notes

2009 Art Prize winner on being supported

Nicole Caruth:
You’ve expressed that you are able to place more energy into making work since winning the prize. Has the prize changed the way that you and your assistants work in the studio?
Ran Ortner:
Well, I never had assistants before. That’s ridiculously wonderful. To extend yourself through the energy of people who are helping you is such a gift. I was able to be an artist when I was dirt poor and I’m able to do that now with resources. That is exquisite. It has taken a lot of heaviness out of my soul. I think what we have to learn from deprivation is very limited. I think struggle is common in our notion of “paying your dues.” And, yes, there is that. But at a certain point we need to be supported. It is just so lovely to be supported …You cannot give the fullness of your life to your work if a large percentage of it is spent on survival. I can just feel the energy. The acceleration is exciting, because you see the world appearing quicker. What you’re pushing for happens faster.

0 Notes

Some public stations, as well as commercial stations, program the “Neighborhood” at hours when some children cannot use it … I have always felt that with the advent of all of this new technology that allows people to tape the “Neighborhood” off-the-air, and I’m speaking for the “Neighborhood” because that’s what I produce, that they then become much more active in the programming of their family’s television life. Very frankly, I am opposed to people being programmed by others. My whole approach in broadcasting has always been “You are an important person just the way you are. You can make healthy decisions.” Maybe I’m going on too long, but I just feel that anything that allows a person to be more active in the control of his or her life, in a healthy way, is important.
Mr. Fred Rogers arguing in favor of allowing people to record TV shows and play them whenever they choose

0 Notes

I’ve always wanted to be smarter than I was. I’ve never been that smart and I’ve always wanted to much, much, much, much smarter and the people that I saw doing drugs and alcohol were getting stupider and I hated that.

Penn Jillette

http://bigthink.com/ideas/20812

2 Notes

“Because those people aren’t English majors. They’re just useless.”

This is written by an English major as if it’s something most people from his or a similar major never stop to consider. This echoes a lingering thought I’ve had over my years of interacting with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

In my world, software development, the attitude presented here taken for granted. The people I work with are all like this, and the ones who aren’t are filtered out very (very) fast.

Man, I have to say, the worst part about being an English major has got to be this attitude among people doing the same degree as me. It’s even worse than everyone else that says my major is useless.

I don’t want to beat up on you, but I’m here to drop some fucking science on your liberal arts, downtrodden ass.

Did you work for your school paper? I did, but before that I was blogging like a motherfucker and honing skills. Not just writing skills, but finding out what people want to read. I worked on my fiction, read a shit ton of books and wrote. I wrote forever. Before I was 19 I had a body of work I would actually want to show people.

Do you live in a city that doesn’t suck balls? If you do, move. Write for free for every alt-weekly and internship suck hole that will take you. Do things, because in this world we have inherited your arts degree doesn’t mean dick. That’s the truth. English majors, in my experience, seem to take that shit lying down though.

At some point after summoning this shit from your very guts for long enough, you’ll be too good for people to ignore you. Your degree gave your research skills and writing skills. Put them to use and show people why they should give a shit. Nobody is going to hand it to you, and an English degree basically guarantees you will get no sleep and no free time while you take it.

Take it. That’s what they teach those meatheads we like to make fun of so much in business and economics. Taking what you want, not asking for it.

There needs to be a 100 level English class on Nutting The Fuck Up, because most majors I know won’t take what they want. They just whine that their degree got them nowhere.

Yeah. It didn’t. Shit is tough all over. I’ve positioned myself to do what I love, to practice freelance journalism about arts and culture. I’ve sacrificed my social life and my GPA to get there, and where I got isn’t glamourous. The hours and pay suck, the pond is shrinking and the fish are getting nervous. But that’s okay, because I’m young and stupid and having a fucking great time and I know that if this doesn’t work, I do something else, and know I can because I’m willing to put in the work.

But I knew the degree was useless because everyone said it was. Listen, and do something.

What are you doing? Your only option is not a Fryalator, it’s doing something. So what are you doing?

Take something.

Good luck man. Don’t sweat the shit job while you do something rad. Just do something, anything to get you where you want to be. Just don’t be stagnant. Because those people aren’t English majors. They’re just useless.

Of course there are exceptions. Every profession/background/etc. has the standouts that do phenomenally… what they share in common is the attitude above. Jerry Seinfeld is well known for his staggering levels of writing. He writes extensively every single day, trying to get better and better at what he does.

Why is it that being defeatist is more common in people majoring in English or Communications or _____________ than in Engineering or Science?