a cool take on a commune

Walking on Eggshells

“Walking on Eggshells” is a 24-minute documentary about appropriation, creative influence, re-use and intellectual property in the remix age. It is a conversation among various musicians, visual artists, writers and lawyers, all sharing their views on why and how we use and create culture, and how intellectual property law, originally designed to provide people with incentives to create, sometimes hinders creative production far more than it enhances it.

Walking on Eggshells: Borrowing Culture in the Remix Age from Brendan Schlagel on Vimeo.

via Yale Law & Technology

Hanging from chandeliers, same small world, at your heels

You probably [haven't] heard this in the news, but it's been an interesting few days. On Saturday through Sunday, Nashville had at minimum 13 inches of rain--25% of the amount for the entire year. This caused major flooding throughout the state. The Cumberland River, which generally snakes its way calmly through the city, finally peaked yesterday at 52 feet---over 10 feet above flood levels, flooding downtown, the Titans Stadium and more. The Harpeth also flooded. So far there have been 28 confirmed deaths related to the flooding. There were over 600 water rescues. Thousands of residents and homeless have been displaced from their homes or shelters, and many have returned to those homes to find them destroyed. Downtown, MetroCenter, Opryland, Clarksville, parts of Franklin, Bellevue, Hendersonville and more are still covered in water. (photos here) One water treatment plant is submerged and the other is operating at 37%. Nashville citizens are being asked to conserve water usage to half.


Despite all this, Nashville has grown closer together. Inmates have helped sandbag, HandsOn Nashville has had over 7,000 volunteers and counting, there are numerous churches and businesses donating their time and resources and allowing their employees to use company time to help friends and coworkers and strangers salvage their possessions or find help. Musicians are putting together benefit concerts and the radio stations are having phone-a-thons. Social media, through twitter and facebook and blogs, are filling in the cracks for the lack of national media coverage, and keeping everyone up-to-date on news, benefits, and opportunities to volunteer. It's amazing the community that happens when a city loves each other.



I went out on Monday with a group to the house of a coworker and her husband. Their entire basement flooded, then the water proceeded to flood over two feet into the main-level floor of their house. Anything that wasn't above that water line is ruined. Their backyard looks like a swamp, and there is still four feet of water standing in the basement. We packed everything salvageable and took it to storage.

Yes, we did good, but as we drove off to another coworker's house, we were driving away from this: an entire neighborhood who doesn't have a group of 10 people to magically swoop in and help them. An entire city of garage-sale lawns. A friend who asked me to hold on to their home videos to see if they can be saved after those tapes sat in water for days. I have friends who have been gutting out carpet and possessions from flooded homes in East Nashville who have talked about the same thing. How hard it is to start with your friends and wait before helping the rest of the street. How hard it is to have to work even one day while so much needs to be done.

I'll leave you with this song, which I've been playing on repeat, and somehow feels so perfect. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks - The National (live version found on google)

what's going on with me these days

1. My blogging has focus issues. Not really too worried about it.

2. Moved in with (nash) Stephanie and Jessica to a sweet apartment. Yes, I just moved in January. It's a long story.

After this new move a couple weeks ago:
a. Jessica was offered, and accepted, her dream job in Birmingham.
b. Steph and I are in need of a new roommate. Open for suggestions.

3. I did the most cliche Nashville thing ever and joined a band, albeit temporary and for a work competition. I play bass. No, I never played bass before 2 months ago. I probably suck. Also, my fingers hurt.

4. I love nashville.

5. I'm in a book club with some friends. We read books that have movies. (Like Push, Everything is Illuminated, and All the Pretty Horses.) I pretend that that fact makes it less nerdy. Probably not the case.

6. I have 80-year-old woman eyes. It's true. If you actually care, I'll share the saga.

7. I'm excited about helping out at the farm this summer, and if the mustard greens are any indication, I'm ready to eat that food, too.

8. I'm going to actually start being outside-of-work creative this year. Let's see how it goes.

9. Did you know there's a word for those sneaky social/economic/ecological issues that everyone always argues about and there never seems to be a solution for? Don't worry, I wiki-ed it.

10. Would it have bothered you if my list only had 9 points?

music monday: Buffalo Clover

Midnight Circus from MasterMovies on Vimeo.

where i'll be for the next week

learning some photoshop:



and hopefully seeing some of this:

music monday

here's what i'm listening to today:

in memory of Sparklehorse: Dark Night of the Soul with Danger Mouse

also, Florence and the Machine