Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand
Krisis has been creating Crushing Krisis since 2000, writing songs since 1996, and reading comics since 1991. He is a Customer Success and Digital Brand Strategy executive, serial organizer, parent, and feminist, among other things. Based in Philly through 2017, he now resides in Wellington, NZ.
by krisis
I have a policy where i do not walk to campus if it is below 20 degrees outside, with a one degree handicap for every inch (rounded up) of snow there is on the ground. As such, i plan to rate 500 songs today rather than making money or doing my Senior project. What’s your excuse?
by krisis
And, in case you were unaware of how fucking cool the internet is:
On one hand, we have SongFight, where computer-recorders such as (but not yet including) myself vie every week to write the best song to match titles like “Tomorrow’s Almost Over,” “Soft Orange Glow,” and “What We Need More Of Is Science.” Everyone discusses the merits of the tunes, but the audience is the ultimate arbiter of the winner. I need to find the time to participate, as i always have some catchy idea when i see the titles. If the idea sounds intriguing but you’re afraid you will be eaten alive (ahem), Sharing Machine might be more your speed — their winners are crowned by a panel of constructive judges rather than the whims of the democratic process.
On the other hand, there is Nowheresville and his Photoshop Tennis Matches (that one with commentary by Jett Superior), which must be seen rather than described.
On yet another hand, which might just be the first hand wearing a glove to disguise itself (or maybe not giving the finger), there is Some Songs, where anyone can submit a song for rating (and occasional praise or drubbing) by an audience of their peers. While the singing is sometimes slightly under my par of expectations, the mixing is often far, far above. With nearly thirteen hundred songs in their archive you could easily find a new favorite song once every week.
Between the three hands, it’s enough to keep you busy for weeks!
by krisis
Not shockingly, i play Sims much like i play life: I’m out the door for work at the last possible minute, i eat just enough to subsist (which occasionally leads to some large meals to make up for the difference), i indulge in any practicing activity too much (guitar, sit ups, playing sims ect), i maintain my friendships only as much as i have to, and i never get enough sleep unless i miss the proverbial car pool.
Of course, my sim always turns out happy and successful, so, go figure.
by krisis
I cribbed the A-Z game from Largehearted Boy, but originally it’s from here via a Guided By Voices mailing list. The concept seemed like it would be an overwhelmingly easy exercise, but it definitelty wasn’t. Aside from the obvious S dilemma, i don’t own any artists whose name start with Qs, Xs, Ys, or Zs, so a combination of cheating and omission was in order.
Well, okay, i have some Ys, but i hate Pete Yorn.
You see that i’ve gone out on a limb to select a few worthies with only a single album out, and have similarly selected more than a couple whose catalogues i cherish despite giving up on their present endeavors. Unfortunately, due to our unkindly tiny alphabet, i was forced to leave off such luminaries of my collection as Garrison Starr, Lauryn Hill, No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, Sarah Shannon, Guster, Elastica, Juliana Hatfield, Elliott Smith, Mike Kovacs, Tracy Bonham, Sleater Kinney, Ben Folds Five, & Michael Jackson. Otherwise, this just about covers it.
Maybe one night i’ll get bored and link to good resources for all of those artists. Until then, feel free to bash my taste in music and create your own lists in the comments section.
by krisis
Elise is a Photography major, with all sorts of practical and historical knowledge to bring to bear, whereas i have never used a manual camera and still describe pictures as pretty and nice. To rectify the gap in our knowledge, i occasionally endeavor to make myself learnèd about photographers and their craft. To that end, i think i stole this fashion photography slide-show from Kottke; i liked it, and subsequently narrated it to Elise, who proclaimed something about Nan Goldin ruining everything and how gorgeous Lisa Fonssagrives looked.
The second slide in the show is by David LaChapelle who does some wonderful things with light and motion in his pictures though, we both decided after looking through his portrait collection, they are mostly souless (though i have a few favorites). And, to round out the trio of links, i love this portfolio of digital retouching, complete with before and after pictures and photoshop layers (cribbed from Metafilter, but again originally from Kottke).
I’m never introducing this Kottke guy to my girlfriend ;)