Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
TEDTalks (video) - Sebastian Seung: I am my connectome - Sebastian Seung (2010)
Check out this episode of TEDTalks (video) at Sebastian Seung: I am my connectome - Sebastian Seung (2010) - http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TEDTalks_video/~3/7QZm6UhRiZw/967
Sent from iPod
Sent from iPod
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Minnesota Bloggers Conference 2010: Meet the #MNBlogConf attendees
Topics discussed included improving writing style, analytics and SEO, ethics and the ever-interesting "why we blog." For a group of (largely) self-proclaimed uber-narcissists, the event was quite friendly and collaborative. I guess "Minnesota nice" is prevalent in the blog world, as well.
Michael Owen Hill via BlackBerry. Visit michaelowenhill.com. Follow me on twitter @michaelowenhill.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Independence Day, 2010
Fireworks finale, Taste of Minnesota, Harriet Island, Saint Paul, MN [July 4, 2010]
I edited out my buddy yelling "F*** you England!" Talk about holding a grudge.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Hands Across the Sand Protest in Seaside, Florida
Our friend and neigbor, Dave Rauschkolb (the owner of Bud & Ally's restaurant in Seaside) started Hands Across the Sand as a protest against offshore drilling and as a statement about the need to protect our beaches, our waters and our wildlife.
In February 13, 2010, thousands of Floridians representing 60 towns and cities and over 90 beaches joined hands to protest the efforts by the Florida Legislature and the US Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling in the near and off shores of Florida. Florida’s first Hands Across The Sand event was the largest gathering in the history of Florida united against oil drilling.
On June 26th, 2010, a second event brought tens of thousands of people to the beach in locations across the United States and worldwide. We gathered at local noon to stand up, link hands and be heard.
The event was particularly poignant for those of us with deep roots in the Gulf Coast. As a thousand of us or more stood hand in hand on the beach at Seaside, Florida, the talk was about tar balls, skimmer ships, local fishermen and the devastating impact of BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster and the subsequent mishandling of the spill.
It was a beautiful day on one of the nation's most beautiful beaches. Even with concerted action -- and no more disastrous errors and delays -- it is likely to be the last summer for many years that families can enjoy the pristine white, sugar sand beaches and emerald-clear waters of Seaside, WaterColor, Grayton Beach, Rosemary Beach and other communities along the scenic Highway 30-A corridor.
This has always been a special place. It may be damaged forever. That is where the "drill, baby, drill" attitude and oil company windfall profits have brought us. It's sickening and sad.
In February 13, 2010, thousands of Floridians representing 60 towns and cities and over 90 beaches joined hands to protest the efforts by the Florida Legislature and the US Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling in the near and off shores of Florida. Florida’s first Hands Across The Sand event was the largest gathering in the history of Florida united against oil drilling.
On June 26th, 2010, a second event brought tens of thousands of people to the beach in locations across the United States and worldwide. We gathered at local noon to stand up, link hands and be heard.
The event was particularly poignant for those of us with deep roots in the Gulf Coast. As a thousand of us or more stood hand in hand on the beach at Seaside, Florida, the talk was about tar balls, skimmer ships, local fishermen and the devastating impact of BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster and the subsequent mishandling of the spill.
It was a beautiful day on one of the nation's most beautiful beaches. Even with concerted action -- and no more disastrous errors and delays -- it is likely to be the last summer for many years that families can enjoy the pristine white, sugar sand beaches and emerald-clear waters of Seaside, WaterColor, Grayton Beach, Rosemary Beach and other communities along the scenic Highway 30-A corridor.
This has always been a special place. It may be damaged forever. That is where the "drill, baby, drill" attitude and oil company windfall profits have brought us. It's sickening and sad.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Livably Urban
I truly adore downtown Saint Paul. It's one of the most livable urban landscapes I've ever seen -- at least in the U.S. It's a veritable ghost town after dark, unless you are near the theaters, concert hall or event center. When I first moved here a year or so ago, I was most struck by the quiet. There were a few truly spooky "I Am Legend" moments at first, but now I really appreciate the combination of urban architecture and small-town energy.
Experimental Video
Ah the life of the dilettante artist. I love the freedom to create with no expectations ...
Right now I'm attracted to simple subjects and abstract -- if somewhat formal -- composition.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Seaside Storm Brewing
Today was the day we saw the first tar balls from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida coast has thus far been spared the worst, but there's something really disturbing about seeing a scattering of brown tar on the white sugar sands.
To think of how very far away the Deepwater Horizon well is from northwestern Florida -- how far the oil and tar had to travel to make it to our beach -- brings home the enormous amount of oil spilled and the impact the disaster will likely have for all parts of the Gulf for years (or decades) to come.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Seaside Bounty
The Seaside farmers market was good to us today. All this plus a hundred eggs (chicken and duck).
Friday, June 18, 2010
Chocktawhatchee Bay. Only an hour and I'll be home in Seaside.
The first thing that hits you when you fly into northwestern Florida is the smell. If you're used to the beachy smell in other parts of the country -- part fish, part gasoline, part cocoa butter -- you will be surprised.
Here in the Panhandle, the smell is pine. Clean and inviting. Even though the area has become a bit overdeveloped in the past 20 years, there's still that pristine, back-woods sort of smell that, to me, speaks of hot Summer days cooking, shopping, swimming and laughing with friends and family.
All tinged with the lilting Southern accent of scrub pine.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
If you had a radio show, what would it be about or what would the format be?
Well, I love the sound of my own voice, so it would probably be something in the old 'four-hour diatribe' format. I would probably cover the same topics over and over, and I would definitely avoid anything too factual or informative. Just heaps of opinions, vague threats and accusations, and vehement, if incoherent, ramblings.
I doubt I would worry much about other people understanding what I was going on about; however, I am very vain and concerned about people liking me, so I would probably pitch my show at a smallish but attentive group of people with no lives, narrow views and a propensity for violence, irrationality and devoted idol-worship.
Now that I think about it, Rush already owns that niche. Oh well.
I guess I'd better just stick to a weekly debate over which mythical or fantasy creature would win in a cage match. This week's episode: Unicorns vs. Monkeys Controlling Killer-Robots With Their Minds.
For the record, my bet's on the monkeys.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
An Interview with Michael Owen Hill
Download now or listen on posterous
A free-form conversation with Will Conley (@willconley777) from his podcast series, "Searching for Meaning at the Brink of the Unknown."
Topics discussed include:
- Western popular culture, materialism and narcissism
- The value of arts education
- Meaning and perception in the 21st Century
- Fetishism in activism
- The transformative power of technology and social media
- The spirituality of service
- The future of humanity
Enjoy. Comments are welcome.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
That is weird. I say "jiminy Christmas" all the time. Weird. Are you still down for taking over the empire with me?
Sure thing. I think we've resolved the scepter/crown conundrum. Now I just need to figure out cape or no cape.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Very boringly, what do you find most boring?
When I wore glasses -- and was therefore smart -- most things bored me to tears. People, politics, culture, etc.
Now that I have contacts and my IQ has dropped 10 points, the world is suddenly a fascinating place full of interesting people.
I asked you a question. I was polite enough to answer yours.....sir?
Sheesh! Which question ... What's my story? Oh, you know. I'm just some guy who says stuff and does things sometimes. Either that or I'm le Comte de Saint Germain. At this point, your guess is as good as mine.
Ask me a question...are you not curious?
Oh, good grief. A) I am far too self-absorbed to ask other people questions. B) I am also far too concerned with being liked not to. What a conundrum.
how are your contact lenses going darling? :)
You know, it took a couple of weeks, but it's now at the point where I am largely unaware of their presence. There was an awkward transition period when neither contacts nor glasses felt right, but luckily that has passed.
Interesting note: My IQ seems to have dropped. I guess glasses really do make you smarter. ;)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
What literary character do you find most similar to yourself?
Hmmm. Interesting. Maybe Sherlock Holmes meets Artemis Fowl with a dash of Bertie Wooster and a smidge of Buggs Bunny.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Do you find that people are more dull than curious: Don't you find life more interesting when you ask questions and learn. A lot of people are so afraid of discussion.
Okay, statement-in-the-form-of-a-question-person: Yes, not particularly, and yes, they are.
I do find people are mostly rather more dull and listless than curious. I myself am on the dullish side, at least when measured against the ideal. (Not really. In fact, I'm tremendously brilliant -- scintillating, even -- but it doesn't do to toot one's own horn, now does it.)
Genuine curiosity about one's fellows is an exceedingly rare quality. Most of us are only curious insofar as it translates into direct personal benefit. I want to know about you so I can get you to like me or to let me do things to you (in the naughty way).
(When I say I, I don't mean I, I. I mean I in the ironically-self-deprecating-but-really-above-all-that-spiritually-superior sense of the word.)
And no, I don't find life to be substantially improved by the asking questions. Questions? Blech. If you ask questions you get answers that people expect you to pay attention to and remember, and who needs that kind of pressure. (See how relatable I am? Charming. A real "everyman," don't you think?)
How is it that you know Italian?
I never studied Italian formally, though I did study Spanish and French for years. Once you have enough exposure to the Romance languages, they all tend to blend together.
Plus, I am secretly le Comte de Saint-Germain.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Do you find vampires just a bit overrated and boring? Besides that, what has been haunting you most lately, you know, those haunting thoughts that sometimes ooze into your sub-conscious and slap you conscious?
I've never been attracted to parasites, supernatural or otherwise. Besides, everybody knows vampires smell and have terrible taste in music.
What haunts me? Well there's a funny, flippant answer and there's the truth.
I've been haunted recently by the sound of banjos playing in the distance and the muffled voices of angry old white men shouting about Jesus and taxes and ni***rs and homasexshuls -- perhaps I've been paying too close attention to the whole Tea Party phenomenon. (shudder)
But in truth, what haunts me is what I suspect haunts many -- the fear that I am alone, and will remain alone, truly alone, forever.
'Cause I roll all existential like that.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
What do you find most valuable in a person? What do you find interesting?
Valuable? Honesty. I mean, I basically make stuff up for a living, and I could be accused of living in a fantasy land most of the time, but I am absolutely honest with myself and others about my own shortcomings. I can be arrogant, self-righteous and self-centered; but I can also be kind, generous and empathetic. I hope others value that honesty in me, and I certainly value it in others.
Interesting? I'm most interested in people whose experiences and views are different than mine (as long as they are not dogmatists or proselytes). Knowledge and intellect are interesting -- and important -- but so is emotional depth. A sense of humor is a real turn-on for me.
Oh, and extreme physical beauty and 'flexible morals,' of course. Verrry interesting.
See, honest :)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
in decay
Take a look at my body
Look at my hands
There's so much here
That I don't understand
Your face saving promises
Whispered like prayers
I don't need them
‘Cause I've been treated so wrong
I've been treated so long
As if I'm becoming untouchable
Well contempt loves the silence
It thrives in the dark
With fine winding tendrils
That strangle the heart
I'm a slow dying flower
A frost killing hour
The sweet turning sour
And untouchable
Do you remember the way
That you touched me before
All the trembling sweetness
I loved and adored?
They say that promises
Sweeten the blow
But I don't need them
No, I don't need them
I need
The darkness
The sweetness
The sadness
The weakness
O, I need this
I need
A lullaby
A kiss goodnight
The angel sweet
Love of my life
O, I need this
Well is it dark enough?
Can you see me?
Do you want me?
Can you reach me?
Or I'm leaving
You better shut your mouth
And hold your breath
Kiss me now you'll catch your death
O, I mean this
Look at my hands
There's so much here
That I don't understand
Your face saving promises
Whispered like prayers
I don't need them
‘Cause I've been treated so wrong
I've been treated so long
As if I'm becoming untouchable
Well contempt loves the silence
It thrives in the dark
With fine winding tendrils
That strangle the heart
I'm a slow dying flower
A frost killing hour
The sweet turning sour
And untouchable
Do you remember the way
That you touched me before
All the trembling sweetness
I loved and adored?
They say that promises
Sweeten the blow
But I don't need them
No, I don't need them
I need
The darkness
The sweetness
The sadness
The weakness
O, I need this
I need
A lullaby
A kiss goodnight
The angel sweet
Love of my life
O, I need this
Well is it dark enough?
Can you see me?
Do you want me?
Can you reach me?
Or I'm leaving
You better shut your mouth
And hold your breath
Kiss me now you'll catch your death
O, I mean this
[Natalie Merchant, My Skin]
Friday, April 2, 2010
How to Be Authentic on Twitter and Other Social Networks
I recently wrote an article for uTweet.it, the UK social media (and more) blog, entitled Fakery, Authenticity and Spotting the Twitter Pretender.
While I had to use the first part to get in some shots at twitterfakes and gurus and autotweeters (wow, I hate those guys), the second part is a message about authenticity that I think is pretty valuable.
Here's an excerpt:
What side do you come down on? Do you find it easy to be yourself on Twitter? Or are you playing a numbers game just to get more followers?
While I had to use the first part to get in some shots at twitterfakes and gurus and autotweeters (wow, I hate those guys), the second part is a message about authenticity that I think is pretty valuable.
Here's an excerpt:
Say what you think. Don’t hold back out of fear of losing a follower. I’m not advocating saying hurtful things that drive people away, but if you censor yourself because you’re afraid the truth might not be popular, you’re only a hop, skip and a jump away from fakesville.
Being authentic makes you interesting. It makes you valuable. It makes you a member of a real community, instead of a player in a meaningless game. If you simply “be yourself,” people will follow. Maybe not tens of thousands or thousands or even hundreds, but how much artificial validation do you really need?
It is absolutely possible to form real connections and even friendships on Twitter. But that’ll never happen if you don’t let people see the real you.
Be yourself, follow people who are interesting and real, talk to them, post and retweet things you think others might like to see. This, my friends, is the “super duper Twitter secret to success.” Nothing more.
What side do you come down on? Do you find it easy to be yourself on Twitter? Or are you playing a numbers game just to get more followers?
Thursday, April 1, 2010
What are your five most cherished memories from your childhood (pre-18)?
1. Seeing the redwood forests for the first time.
2. Getting lost at White Sands
3. Swimming with my pony (he loved the water)
4. Watching my mother pick tomatoes while funnel clouds blew overhead
5. That one, very sweet kiss that seemed to last an hour
Who's your favourite artist (as in painter or other media) and why?
Yikes. Good question. Let's do a pick three: Leonora Carrington, Sally Mann, Cindy Sherman. Leonora was absolutely mad, but painted beautifully. I love what Sally has done recently with the "What Remains" series. Cindy is also mad, and her work pleases me in a disturbing, visceral and often unpleasant way. I must say I prefer her early work. She really blurred the line between artist and subject, which I find intellectually appealing.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Follow Friday
Whether you believe it effective or not, Follow Friday is a Twitter tradition that is not going away. For new tweeps and old hats alike, here's a group of interesting, interactive people to follow. Click
There's no theme to this group. Just interesting folk.
Happy Follow Friday.
Monday, March 15, 2010
On Friendship and Social Media
Is it possible to make real friends on Twitter and other social media sites? How do you distinguish between real friends and "twitterfriends" or "facequaintances?" Is it ever okay to claim friendship with a celebrity who follows your updates on Twitter?These are a few of the questions I took on in my new post for uTweet.it.
After a long rant against the banal douchebaggery of people claiming to have intimate connections with celebrities on Twitter, I come down on the side of those who believe that yes, it is possible to form real friendships on social networking sites.
How those friendships are defined, how they rate against friendships based on face-to-face interaction, these are important questions. The answers may shape the landscape of friendship in the 21st century.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Boy Raised by Wolves? Shocking Truth Revealed!
I was recently interviewed (or, more properly, questionnaired) for a UK social media blog. Here's an excerpt:
You'll find more of the shocking truth at uTweet.it, including answers to all your burning questions, including:
I was ...
taught to walk by a wolf. For real. My parents had a wolf named Bo when I was a toddler. He was horribly embarrassed by me — I think he assumed I was his ugly, hairless child. He made it his mission to whip me into shape. He would sit patiently next to me until I grabbed onto his hackles. He would then pull me up and walk along side me very slowly.
Some kids have those little toddle-around toy things to help them learn to walk. I had Bo.
It's true. I think there are even pictures somewhere.You'll find more of the shocking truth at uTweet.it, including answers to all your burning questions, including:
- Just how posh and devastatingly handsome am I?
- Am I or am I not a servant of the robot overlords?
- Who is my favorite British comedienne?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wow. I've never seen the parking lot empty.
Leaving work at 8:00 is unusual for me, but not as bad as you might think. I kind of like the two or so hours alone in the office. That time can be very productive. It's amazing how distracting my colleagues are -- probably because many of them are too interesting and too likable.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Is Social Media Making You Antisocial?
[Excerpt from my new post on uTweet.it]
It's the question that is being asked by media pundits, concerned parents and scientists alike: Is social media making us more connected, or is it making us antisocial? Here's my personal take on the issue:
It's the question that is being asked by media pundits, concerned parents and scientists alike: Is social media making us more connected, or is it making us antisocial? Here's my personal take on the issue:
I have a fairly social job that involves lots of interaction with clients and colleagues alike. I participate in three or four group social activities outside of work every week. I’m not dating at the moment, but otherwise I would say I have a fairly normal social life.
For me, social media is an extension of my social life. I interact with many of my real-life friends and acquaintances on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, etc. In fact, several acquaintances who began to follow me on Twitter have commented that they feel they know me better now than when we only interacted face-to-face.
I also have a number of friendships with people around the world who I only know through social networks. In any given week, I may exchange ideas – or more likely, snarky comments and thinly veiled innuendo – with hundreds of people who I may never meet in real life, and who I certainly would not know were it not for Twitter.
For me, social media really is social. Ultimately, the fact that I want to have interesting things to share on Twitter or Tumblr or Foursquare or Yelp often gives me a little extra push to be more social and try new things in my “real life.” And the information and ideas I'm exposed to on social networking sites often generate interesting and rewarding face-to-face interactions.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Other people use the skyway during winter. I wait till spring.
I just realized I have spent hours of my precious time wandering from place to place aimlessly and risking exposure to the unsavory elements that congregate at ground level.
From now on, it's the skyway or the highway for me.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Last Car Wash of Winter
Winter car washes are the best. There's something viscerally satisfying (and almost decadent) about having your car sprayed down with warm, soapy water on a gray, sub-zero day. It's my own personal FU to winter.
Today was probably the last winter car wash of the season. That means that spring fever is right around the corner.
Spring fever. For those of you who don't live in the friggin' tundra (sort of), it's a real thing. Makes you feel like a hormonal 15 year old.
It's not pleasant. It lasts two months, maybe more. I am not looking forward to it.
We need a vaccine.
Monday, February 22, 2010
My Take on Buzz in Five Points (now with added fantasies of married life with Pete Cashmore)
A confession first. I love Pete Cashmore. Makes me totally weak in the knees. Thus, I am predisposed to liking things he likes. And he likes Google Buzz. But as much as I want to marry Pete and live on a desert island with him, four pugs -- Puglet, Pugly, Miss Pugglesworth and Mister Wigglebotham -- and a houseboy named Jesus, I can't say I'm a fan.
I seriously doubt Buzz will supplant Facebook or Twitter. Here are the five reasons that came to mind:
1. Most people are like me, in that I e-mail one group of people, tweet another and facestalk -- I mean Facebook -- yet another. Sure, there is some overlap, but I don't need to "network" further with any of those people. I'm already networked with them to the extent that I want to be. I do not need a social mashup "when worlds collide" service. Let me keep my twitterfriends and facequaintances. I'll use e-mail the way God intended -- to talk to my family without having to talk to my family and to let my boss know I'm going to be late for work.
2. People use e-mail in a wholly different way than they consume social media. You check your e-mail; or, more likely, you receive an annoying notification on your phone that lets you know you've inherited millions or that you've won an iPad. You don't visit your e-mail. You don't follow people on e-mail. You certainly can't -- or shouldn't -- use e-mail to stalk former classmates, co-workers you have a crush on, or fauxlebrities. That's what Twitter and Facebook are for.
3. Wait three seconds until the spammers and the phishers and the Farmville freaks sink their diseased talons into Buzz. I can put up with the static on social networks, at least to a certain extent. I choose to visit them, and it's the risk I take. But a "social inbox" full of spammy, hammy, oversharing nonsense and "chain letters 2.0" will send me screaming back to Hotmail in a second.
4. Almost every Google product is hideously, hives-inducingly ugly. I mean, come on. Is there a single designer in Mountain View? Were they all killed or rendered blind by some horrible disease? Some engineer back in the '90s confused the terms "retro-Web geek-chic" and "just plain janky" and nothing has been done about it since. Seriously. Urk.
5. The level of discourse on Buzz is, well, unevolved. It has rapidly become a haven for teabaggers, birthers, climate denialists, racists, homophobes and rightwing nutjobs of the worst stripe. While I am sure Twitter has more than it's fair share of tincup teabag tyrants, it's very easy to ignore them. Unfortunately, Buzz shows you not only the posts of people you follow, but the inane ramblings of the mouth-breathers who view it as a forum to air their vapid, self-righteous blatherings. In short, Google Buzz is becoming the Fox News of social networks.
Ultimately, Buzz is a nice way for Google pretend it isn't scared witless about Project Titan. Guess what, it is scared. And it probably should be. Titan is the elephant in Google's parlor at the moment, and we'll all have to see how this one plays out.
Please visit uTweet.it for a more detailed discussion of why I hate Buzz (but want to marry Pete Cashmore anyway)
Aaaand another thing ...
Straight from the horse's mouth. This blog is by Michael Owen Hill, about Michael Owen Hill and for Michael Owen Hill.Follow me on Twitter @michaelowenhill
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