thehumanmicrophone.com

For my main 670 project, I have created a website thehumanmicrophone.com. This is an audio blog which features sound-bytes that I recorded in conversational settings. Check out the site, it is a work in progress, any feedback you can give would be appreciated.

Sleep In Heavenly Peace!

I was going to make a short video about a chromium plating plant, that is being sued for illegal toxic dumping, in Willits California - the town I grew up in. But, because I have been feeling so tired and overworked lately, I decided to make this little ode to sleep instead. So kick back, relax and enjoy this silly little video, and stay tuned for the Willits/Remco video.



The video was edited using Eyespot, and the audio was recorded using Odeo, an online digital audio recorder. Odeo works very easily, just remember to speak loudly into the mic!

Kiss Me, SOG!!

Eyespot.com is the online video editing tool with which I made this video. It took me quite a long time to make it, I think I went a bit overboard with the symbolism of it all. The tune, by They Might Be Giants, is not the happiest of songs, but I think the lyrics are hilarious! I spent most of my time on this video searching for usable free content, uploading the clips, and trimming the sections I wanted. The actual mixing of the mash-up-montage, and adding music, was quite easy using Eyespot. I recommend the website, for entertainment purposes, just remember not to work with clips longer than five minutes.

Catch A Breeze!

Wind Power works by creating an electrical current with a turbine and an electrical generator. Wind acts like a mouse in a wheel. Technologically, turbines are the oldest form of creating electricity known to man. So why, then, do we rely primarily on non-renewable energy resources? Due to recent advances in turbine technology, wind farms are only now becoming a profitable investment. Wind farms have a low marginal investment, because the wind itself is free. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), wind energy is the fastest growing energy industry in the world.

There are a few drawbacks to wind farms, as anyone who has driven Interstate 580 through Altamont Pass already knows. They take up space, they are noisy, and many people consider them unsightly (although, personally, I think they look pretty cool!). Another ecological concern is the number of birds and bats who die flying into these turbines. However, the climate changes caused by global warming may be a larger threat to wildlife.

I think it is only a matter of time until we are dependent on renewable-energy resources, almost exclusively. The thing about "non-renewable-resources" is that, soon, they won't exist.

Clean Incentive.

In case the threat of global warming, and struggle for foreign oil, weren't incentive enough, the X PRIZE Foundation is offering a new reason for inventors to come up with a new "Super Efficient" automobile. The Foundation is offering a prize, which is yet to be determined, to the makers of the first consumer ready 100mpg car. The actual prize has not been announced, but it is said to be a large sum of money. The global benefits of a car such as this is beyond measure. I hope this prize inspires some rich person to hire some scientists, and create the car that saves the world. It is unfortunate that money is considered by many people to be a greater incentive for change than death and devastation.

Hemp Can Save The Planet!

Hemp is a naturally growing plant that is often confused with marijuana. Although the two plants are related, and look similar, Hemp contains less than 1% of THC - the chemical intoxicant in marijuana - and therefore is useless as a drug. In other words, hemp does not get you high.

Hemp is a useful, and renewable, natural resource. It serves as an economically effective alternative to lumber and cotton, and has been utilized by humanity for hundreds of years. One hemp plant yields more fibrous material than a cotton plant, and grows to maturity in one year, as opposed to lumber, which takes at least 25 years to reach maturity.

Hemp can also be converted into clean burning biodiesel, and could reduce air pollution as an alternative energy source.

Hemp cultivation is legal in many countries throughout the world, including Mexico and Canada, but is illegal to grow here in the USA.

Make Arbor Day Mandatory!

I think there should be a Federal law that requires every U.S. citizen to plant at least one tree a year. This law shouldn't be uncompromisingly enforced, but it should be in the books. This law would help the quality of our air, as well as improve the landscape of every state.

Deforestation, is the systematic annihilation of our National Forests. This ecological problem affects not only local environments and economies, but also causes drastic, and irreversible harm to the global climate.

2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, had this to say about deforestation: "We know that trees and intact forests are central to our efforts to slow or stop global warming. Trees, and native forests, also keep soil healthy, stem erosion and protect rivers and streams, which are critical sources of water. it is important for all of us to take note of the changes occurring in our environment and our role in that process. Each of us can do something, change some of our daily patterns, to secure the planet and stem global warming"

My mandatory arbor day law would not harm anybody and it would be one of the most important piece of environmental protection legislation ever passed. Plus, it would increase property values, as well as create an aesthetically pleasing landscape.

Plant a Tree!

What is the solution?

Pollution isn't a "just don't do it" problem. People can't help but be litter bugs. Pollution is something we all do, all day, everyday. We do it unconsciously, it is part of our culture and lifestyle. We continue to pollute every time we turn on a light-switch. We wouldn't be normal if we didn't pollute the environment. We would be strange if we refused to drive cars, or use name brand laundry detergent. What would the neighbor say if we used composting toilets?

The problem is due to mass consumption. If we were to use less, we would produce less waste. But no one is willing to give up the creature comforts of life because we all feel so self important. It is my right to drive a car because I pay good money for it. I buy gas and insurance, and pay to park it here and there, without ever considering the true cost. The fact is, we don't need to do any of that, we are just unwilling to wait for the bus in the rain.

What is the solution? I wish I knew. I can't start telling everybody how to live their lives! Who would listen? The only thing any of us can do is lead by example. I try and consider the environmental impact of all of my actions, as inconvenient as that tends to be.

Interesting Blogs

It isn't as fun and exciting as Lasagna, but I decided that if my Blog needed to have a theme, or identity, it would be one expressing environmental conservationism, and peace. I know, I know, I am a tree-hugging hippie. I blame my parents for that.

My idea is, of course, nothing new. I have found hundreds of links to blogs dedicated to environmental issues. Each with their own unique style and voice. Some, such as Franke James' are Humorous and poetic, while others, like The Conscious Earth are news and fact driven. One that I like is about personallifestyle choices we each can make in order to reduce our individual ecological footprint.

I still don't know the identity this blog will take, but I hope it will be entertaining as well as thought provoking!

Also Betty Boop

Minnie the Moocher

Guirilla Media Project

Practice Post

This is a youtube.com link.

"I once shot an elephant in my pajamas, how it got in my pajamas, I don't know."

Today's Headline:
"Man Found Dead in Cemetery."