Ian Gary's MySpace Blog | Diary Of A Madman

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Saturday, November 07, 2009

A Line

This is a line I want to use some day.

"He just has no decorating sense. He thinks he's being kitschy, but his house looks like a Bennigan's."

Oh, and the person who says it needs to be a grungy graphic design student who loves weird homo dong and still lives in the suburbs with his parents.

2:45 AM

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Friday, October 16, 2009

Markets In Action: VHS vs. BETA

Affirming my nerdiness I was at a going away party for a friend and one discussion particularly stuck. It was between my buddy Alex and a recently introduced gentlemen about the format wars (hd-dvd vs. blu ray) when the "beta vs. vhs" analogy was made. The statement made was that "the market failed" considering the "superior" technology (beta) fell to its inferior opponent (vhs). Afterall, beta was undoubtedly the superior product..so if the "invisible hand" seems to be so infoulable, what gives? How did the better technology go the way of the dodo? Answer. A confluence of events. None of them totaling a failure by any means. First, we must concede that while pure technological mastery may be measureable, what is not measureable is superiority. That, of course, is a relative term. But, if we ignore this for the purposes of argument, there are still clear reasons why beta failed. And its failure is the summary of why markets are the preferrable system to handle business and goods/services exchanges...Simply put, the market is FAR MORE democratic than the supposedly more "populous friendly" methods of legislation and government. Rather than a law, which makes a uniform (and more often than not, arbitrary) ruling on an issue, the market allots for the sum opinions, preferences and desires of all those involved in the process. In short, it is not an act of blunt force and mob rule, as even the best of laws are by their nature, but rather is the most consulted, democratic and peaceful means of achieving societal movements. From the major to the minor. Now some would argue where this argument always falls short is that law provides equality in decision making, whereas the market fails because those with money are the preferred. But this is proven false by one of the key reasons beta never made the grade...Flat out, beta was just too expensive. Consumers came to the conclusion that the "superior" product, with its better picture and sound came at a literal cost. A cost most people werent willing to pay. They preferred less technological mastery, and more cost efficiency. So those without dollars spoke the loudest. Betas failings however were not limited to expense. Its failings were rooted in its inability to satisfy the consumer in virtually every regard. Consumers wanted tapes with longer recording time. Beta was an hour. VHS was two. Potential format backers wanted flexibility and innovation. Beta attempted to dictate to them, VHS was happy to cater. Consumers and marketers wanted a format for pornography. Beta would not entertain the idea. VHS was happy to. By the time Beta had realized the err and arrogance of their ways (lacking innovation, attempting to dictate policy of the format war, high prices, and failure to comply with the demands of producer and consumer alike) it was too late. VHS was the more supple, evolving and reactive format. Beta was the slow and cumbersome beast. Beta, despite being a "superior" product, failed on its own. And this happened ironically enough for the exact opposite set of reasons that those who criticize the market mechanism would have you believe. Beta failed because they did not respond to the sum demands of those around them. They attempted to dictate the terms, rather than respond in equity to them. VHS worked with everyone, listened, and provided the best product...and, these actions assured their survival. As for Sony's Beta? Well, we all know how that worked out. So did the market fail? Well, I suppose that answer depends on if you have a dusty betamax in your garage somewhere....But what the market did do was answer the sum desires of all persons involved....and no bureaucrat had to lift a finger.

7:44 AM

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Friday, October 09, 2009

The Audacity Of Hope

You can say that again...

Recently, in a little digital correspondence with a friend, I spoke of how silly I felt Barack Obama receiving a Nobel peace prize was.

This was met with a reaction from a friend of his which was not entirely pleasant. He claimed that I would have to be a bitter cynic if I were to not embrace this award's placement and it's recipient.

He claimed so despite the fact that by his own admission, the award is simply a fashionable one; provided to the elite, the status given, and the well connected.

I was astonished that after such an admission that the discussion of credence could continue, but it did. Unabated.

He claimed that the award was deserved since Obama had given "hope" to so many, and that by simply giving this hope (by means he failed to define) he was providing the first step.

The question naturally is. Hope to who?

Therein of course, lies the rub. The well connected of the western world would imply that by giving "hope" to THEM (which I would contend is based on absolutely nothing) he has given "hope" the the WORLD...A typically myopic and self aggrandizing contention that has landed the west in a majority of it's conflicts for the better part of a century.

I would imagine that Afghani children who've been bombarded by increased air raids dont have hope. I'd imagine the Iraqi people who see an impotent posturing towards U.S. withdrawl and reclaiming of their own nation don't see hope. I'd imagine the Iranian people, whom have EVERY reason to be anti-west, yet still remain optimistic of a future with us, have no hope when they are threatened with open warfare and sanctions by Obama for....well, nothing actually except for *complying* with all international regulations and demands placed upon them for the enrichment of uranium.

For this I was labeled a cynic, but if if the inherent subtext means not applauding a man for recieving a prize via well polished rhetoric, while he oversees and instigates policies responsible for death and despair, I'd say we need more cynics.

The audacity of hope is the belief that hope to the west, is hope to the world.

11:30 PM

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Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Poetry?

Eww, gross.

Believe me, Im as fully ashamed of myself as anyone. But it just happens to feel relevant.

God created something, but not the sands of time.

God created nothing except a single line.

God created one thing and I don't know what to do.

God created the distance that exists between me and you.

See? Now after writing that, I feel better as a person. But after reading it, I feel worse as an artist.

Its why I fully believe that poetry is a perfect cathartic for the 14 year old girl, or 27 year old pathetic man child.....but should be left at that.

Its not art goddamnit. Its just not.

8:51 AM

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Sunday, July 12, 2009

How Heterosexuality Makes You Gay

With a big show coming up tomorrow (Our opening of Sunday Of The Dead) I find myself ironically distracted and unable to concentrate on it, so I will go back to one of my old loves. This hear blog.

And while I speak of love, allow me to segue into how that makes a straight man gay.

Its an absolute that no matter how "hetero" a man is, no matter how pipe necked and macho, when a man falls in love with a woman, he turns a little gay.

No man, whether they admit it or not, has ever truly loved a woman, and when talking to her on the phone late at night, or cuddling her in bed, or kissing her with a long goodbye on her doorstep has been able to resist baby talking. And that is gay.

No man who has truly loved a woman has ever resisted the inevitable gayness of baby talk when waking up next to that woman and asking what they wanted to do on a lazy sunday morning. Or as they might put it, "A wazy zunday mohnin."

Straight men evolve pet names for their lovers, and gladly take on labels of their own.

Ive had several "punkins" a "baby bottom" and a "sweetness". I in turn, have been many a "babe" a "mah munchie" a "duckie" and many another cutesy pie name. And thats fucking gay.

As you grow to love a woman, your thoughts drift away from the original fantasy of "I wish that girl Im dating was here....so I could fuck her" to "I wish she was standing at the end of a field of lillies, so I could run to her....ever so gayly."

Men become gay when they fall in love, whether they admit it or not, which is part of the reason why I suspect men fear intimacy on some level. Not only is it "weak" but its "kinda queer".

This of course moves on and on, until you get married. And once that happens, you are standing in Macy's, holding a purse.

And that's gayer than dipping your nuts in glitter.....and glitter is a drag queen.

Hooray for writing something thats not a sketch!

5:47 AM

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Saturday, May 02, 2009

Great Cartoon

Its about 10 minutes long. Pretty awesome.

8:13 PM

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Sunday, March 08, 2009

Less Is More

Hey kids

Long time no blog. The demands and outlets of my current gig with the Sunday Company currently has my desire to write, my ability to write, and any other thing related to writing tapped out.

Hence the recent death of this blog. At least in terms of posts...

Whats funny, is that seemingly every time I check in to my neglected step child of the internet, this blog now gets more views in my absence, then it ever did when I posted every day.

Perhaps these are the energy waves and pulses of the internet, politely telling me to take it down a notch and shut the fuck up every once in a while.

Thanks anonymous readers!

4:45 AM

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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Hope And Spare Change

I didn't bother paying attention to it, as I really couldn't care less. But I did find a great deal of humor in the idea of our new man of the people, spending 160,000,000 dollars on his inauguration.....Far and away the most expensive inauguration in history, while we are in the greatest financial crisis since the great depression. I haha.

8:39 PM

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Saturday, December 20, 2008

This Is A Real Song

And it is the greatest thing I have ever heard.

12:05 AM

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