Critical Section – LL

If your a regular reader you know I love Ottmar Liebert. His music is amazing, and he’s a savvy guy who understands that you can’t put the technology genie back in the bottle, so you’d better embrace it instead. He and his team recently posted a new listening lounge, which is the exact way an artist should present themselves online, IMHO.

You can download free tracks, purchase tracks for $1 each (no DRM) in a variety of formats, browse through the music by tags, and explore other artists’ work. And everything is released with a Creative Commons licsense. If you like Ottmar, you’ll love the lounge, and if you’re not familiar with him this is your chance to become acquainted!

Thanks Ole.

LED Traffic Lights

LED Traffic Lights Spread Berlin Cult Figure

Berlin_ampeln.jpg
Although the first use of a gas light to control traffic dates to the 1860’S in Britain, the forerunners of the modern traffic light with red, green and yellow lamps were first set up in New York in 1918. (But before you Manhattanites claim all the credit, please note that this was a small modification of the green and red light concept already pioneered in Cleveland). The USA kindly sent an example of their new invention to Germany, where it was installed in 1924 on Potsdamer Platz. The light was a veritable tower on four legs, with a roofed platform on which a policeman stood to control the horizontally arrayed lights.

But Berliners, East-berliners specifically, made their own history with the design of the unique Ampelmännchen (crossing-light men) pictured above. The short, chubby, hatted figure stepping smartly out or standing roundly at attention has evolved to a cult-figure and symbol of the former East. Thanks to the ‘rescue committee’ established to prevent its replacement by the western standard crossing signal after the fall of the Berlin wall, this figure has survived to indicate not only when it is safe to cross but also that you are in the former East Berlin territory. Now the green revolution is mixing things up a bit: the installation of LED technology is bringing the Ost-Ampelmann to (former) West Berlin.
(Via Treehugger)

Continue reading by clicking on the above title-link.

Story

Micro Story: awaken, realize yourself, climb the mountain and reach the top, become enlightened or translucent…

Macro Story: live your life, play the game of life and being human, show the way by following the way, be the way, walk down from the mountain and enter the marketplace, spread the Dharma, enable other people to awaken, go about your business…

Meta Story: Evolution! evolution of consciousness, conscious contribution to the evolution of mankind/planet/universe…

This is your universe and just as the scientist’s presence in the lab will influence the result of the experiment, changing yourself will surely change the whole universe. When you want to create change, will you try to change the projection (universe/world) or the projector (self). Clearly, changing the projector will change the projection.

Some thoughts inspired by the book The Translucent Revolution

Balancing Act


Kerry Hodge plays a guitar while balancing another on his forehead as he entertains passers-by on a Sydney street Thursday, July 29, 2005

Thanks MJ

Culture Court Audio April 05

From Culture Court:

In 1996 Ottmar Liebert toured & played with Carlos Santana. From this heady experience, Ottmar composed the samba Ballad 4 Santana… the mp3 version here is from OL & Luna Negra’s concert in San Antonio, Texas, last fall. Some old timers might recognize that beautiful closing lick — it comes from Gabor Szabo, the Hungarian gypsy jazz guitarist who swapped licks with George Benson… who in turn passed it along to Carlos… who passed it to OL.

Culture Court updated their April features and also added a link to our new ListeningLounge. Thanks!