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Hello World!

Los Socialistas del siglo XXI, siguiendo una centenaria tradición antiliberal, se desgarran las vestiduras contra los medios privados de prensa. El presidente del Ecuador, Rafael Correa, es uno de los exponentes más activos de esta cruzada contra la libertad de opinar.Repite una frase que en su mente sonará lapidaria: la libertad de prensa ha sido históricamente la libertad del dueño del medio de prensa. Y con ello pretende justificar sus proyectos de censura(perdón, de regulación) mediática.

Lo paradójico del caso es que tiene toda la razón. La propiedad privada de los medios de prensa ha sido su mayor garantía de independencia frente al poder.  Y sí, lo que se defiende–lo que yo defiendo al menos–es eso: su libertad de hacer lo que quieran con su propiedad privada (imprenta, canal de televisión, estación de radio, etc.). Eso es todo lo que se necesita, y todo a lo que podemos aspirar. El uso que cada uno haga de esa libertad es otra cosa.

Tenemos ejemplos históricos de sobra. La propia Encyclopédie, potenciador intelectual de la Ilustración, no hubiese sido posible si no gracias a la propiedad privada del medio de prensa empleado y el satánico ánimo de lucro de sus dueños.

La historia la cuenta con detalle el francés Philipp Blom, en su Encyclopédie. El triunfo de la razón en tiempos irracionales  (Anagrama, 2004). La  Encyclopédie fue una obra iniciada por un grupo de intelectuales fraceses, en 1750, que se convirtió el éxito editorial de su época, responsable parcial de la explosión de las ideas liberales por toda Europa y el mundo, que contó con la contribución de las lumbreras académicas del siglo. Denis Diderot, su editor y fundamental artífice, se enfrentó a la ruina económica, a la debastación familiar, a la censura e incluso a la cárcel para poder sacarla adelante. Fue una empresa en la que el ánimo de trascendencia intelectual y de lucro económico se conjugaron con absoluto éxito, como lo describe Blom:

Y, desde luego, los tartufócratas de turno también hicieron lo posible por silenciar a Diderot y sus socios, por ser enemigos de los intereses del “público”, del “Estado”, del “bien común”, y la doctrina religiosa del momento (hoy sería el Buen vivir). Lo bueno es que la mirada torpe de los censores de la fe y las buenas costumbres (hoy les dicen órganos de regulación) era fácilmente burlada con ironías y sarcasmos encubiertos.

Como en materia política y religiosa los autores no podían defender tan frontalmente la libertad, por miedo a la censura, en economía se explayaron. En una entrada, encargada al conocido economista Étienne-François Turgot, existen frases que por su simpleza y realismo siguen siendo un diagnóstico exacto del presente: “mientras que el curso natural del comercio es suficiente para la creación de mercados, nos vemos enfrentados al desafortunado principio de… la manía de controlar y regularlo todo y nunca servir a los verdaderos intereses del pueblo”. Esta, como tantas otras, es una verdad que seguimos si digerir.

En cualquier caso, Correa tiene razón, aunque derive de ello conclusiones erróneas. La propiedad privada de los medios de prensa es la esencia de la libertad de prensa. Sin la propiedad de los medios de producción (intelectual, artística, periodística, industrial, etc,.), no existiría esa frontera de autonomía personal que nos permite ser libres ante el poder estatal. Porque el respeto a la propiedad privada es eso: respeto para escoger nuestros propios fines, que inexorablemente requiere del control de los medios obtenidos para satisfacer dichos fines. Por ello, cuando defendemos la “independencia” de la prensa no se pretende otra cosa que la aludida: control independiente ejercido por los propietarios de los medios de prensa, por contraposición al control ajeno, estatal. No se alude al uso que hagamos de dicha “independencia”, si este es ético, o estético, si es bueno o malo. Libertad de elegir, eso es todo, y ello incluye la libertad de ser grandes periodistas, o mediocres; de ser amarillistas, facciosos, serios o imparciales. La propia obra de Diderot no estaba exenta de terribles prejuicios y graves falacias.

Si no, imaginemos qué hubiese pasado si los emprendedores de la Encyclopédie no hubiesen sido dueños de la imprenta, si el ánimo de lucro de sus inversores no hubiese facilitado los medios económicos necesarios, si hubiesen sucumbido a la pesada persecución del Estado, justificada en el bien común. 

Imaginemos que la autoridad de turno hubiese dicho, en defensa de la persecusión montada: defendamos a aquellos que no pueden pagar la suscripción, que no pueden acceder a otras fuentes alternativas de información, que son proclives a la manipulación de sus autores. Imaginemos también al censor hablando de “dimensión social de la libertad de expresión” y otras babosadas, mientras justificaban una Ley de comunicación enciclopédica. Imaginemos que, en vez de inversores privados, el Gobierno francés hubiese utilizado dinero ajeno arrebatado de forma coactiva a sus súbditos para emprender su Corporación Enciclopédica Nacional.

PD. Imagino a un genio, en arrebato de felina agudeza, argumentando: pero las frecuencias electromagnéticas son de propiedad del Estado, y solo concesionadas a las estaciones de TV y radio; ergo, no pueden hacer lo que les da la gana. Respuesta simple: ese es un problema que deberíamos eliminar, privatizando el espectro electromagnético, posibilidad que nunca se ha ensayado. De hecho, ese es uno de los mecanismos más comunes que los políticos en el poder tienen para presionar a los medios, cuando se acerca la época de renovación de licencias, y es la forma que tienen también de contentar a sus aliados mediáticos.

“A la hora de la verdad, la Encyclopédie sería más cara, y mucho más lucrativa, de lo que habían pensado los libreros. En su momento culminante, daba empleo a un millar de impresores, grabadores, dibujantes, encuadernadores y otros. Lo que significa que casi uno de cada cien parisinos se beneficiaba económicamente de la empresa, directa o indirectamente… El director de publicaciones tenía que haberse dado cuenta que la Encyclopédie no sólo tenía ramificaciones ideológicas para la Iglesia y para el Estado, sino también otras económicas  muy importantes para el comercio del libro francés…” (p. 93)

La Encyclopédie: obra de la libertad y el ánimo de lucro.

Por Aparicio Caicedo, editor de Tartufocracia.com 

Crazy Saudi Driver

Via: World Star

machine gunnin' drifters

Omega Red

Nothing is cool like 70's cool.

KIKI VALDES 

I am honored that the organizors of Social Media Week Bogota have invited me to their beautiful city and country to let me share my take on being an artist in this social media age and how to self publish artworks online through platforms like Ownzee. Below is what i will be discussing and i will make sure to post pictures and commentary next week. Below is insight on what I will be discussing and more about the other great speakers. Thanks! 

Self Publishing in Arts: Kiki Valdes

Friday, September 23 at 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá

Kiki Valdes is a contemporary artist and the founder of Ownzee, a digital magazine maker that allows artists, designers, photographers, or anyone to easily promote their work online. Kiki has found in the web the most valuable channel to showcase his work and do business. Kiki will be speaking about the importance of digital technologies and social media as an effective promotion tool.

For Social Media Week Bogotá, the Z-team has put together a really impressive line-up of speakers, both from within Colombia and international. We thought we’d take a moment to highlight some of the international speakers who will be traveling to Bogotá (most of them for the first time) to speak at Social Media Week.

Meg Dalton (@megdalts), of SeeClickFix, will participate on a panel entitled Urban Initiatives and Social Media. This panel will reflect upon how social networks have empowered the ordinary citizen. She will also lead a workshop, focused on See Click Fix and how the tool can be used.

Christian Ligorsky (@Kbzon) of Social Media Latam, will share The </R>evolution of Communications, which will show us how the rise of social network platforms have affected the way we communicate, and how the same networks can help companies have stronger relationships with their consumers.

Jonathan Richman (@jonmrich) will share Your Computer Is The Next Wonderdrug, originally presented at South by Southwest 2011, to critical acclaim.

Peter Shankman (@petershankman) will be presenting Monday’s keynote, Social Media Doesn’t Exist, explaining how social media must be integrated with traditional media to be truly successful.

Kiki Valdes (@KikiValdes) will present Self publishing in Art, showcasing how artists can use social networks as an effective tool for promotion.

Brian Wong (@brian_wong) of kiip will address the young entrepreneur in 8 Tips for the Young Entrepreneur, with a focus on what he himself learned as a young and successful entrepreneur in the social gaming space.

Some sponsors of Social Media Week:

Learn more about Social Media Week (Bogota) 

KB13's Weird Dream

So I just had an interesting dream less than an hour ago with Wednesday in it that I would like to share with you ghouls. Now I've had other weird dreams involving him, but this one is weird and I can't make of it. So here we go!

The whole dream he was dressed like he was in Frankenstein Dragqueens From Planet 13. Infact, he was wearing this exact outfit the whole time.

It started off with in the a pool with a big waterslide in front of me. I was taping it with a little camera in my hand. I was confused on why I was doing that until Wednesday comes down the waterslide on a floaty. Then him and the floaty skidded across the poole and I yell "that was awesome!"

Then it cuts to me walking up to Wednesday in a field. He's at this big wooden shipping box hammering plywood on the top to close it. He says when I walk up, "Hey you wanna help me out here?" I say "Sure" and grab a hammer. We get about half way down with top when I look inside and see two dead clowns. But, then the strangest thing happened. Me and Wednesday both laughed and kept hammering.

THE END!!

Website LINK

God Fearing

The idea of a God who plays favorites, instills fear and punishes is like the King who rules over his kingdom by control.

www.thereserelucio.com

Is Nicholas Cage a Vampire?

Cage 'Vampire' Claim Is Pretty Creepy (PHOTO)

and has he been living for thousands of years and goes unnoticed?

Via: TheStir

MOST

STYLISH

NEW YORKER

VALISSA

YOE

By Cristina Velocci and Rachel LeWinter/ Photograph: Zenith Richards

Via: Time Out New York

VALISSA

NEW YORKER

YOE

STYLISH

MOST

Embryonic Superheroes?

Parisians know what real art is. Part of an exhibit at the St. Pierre on Rue Ronsard, these photos were snapped by Jalal Gerald Aro but the sculptures are by an unnamed artist. So much for Pro-Choice...shit...you might be killing Batman of the future. lol

Source: Buzz Feed

Favorite Pics

of the Week.

Just some pictures I've been collecting this week that I wanted to share with you in one blog post. Enjoy :-)

Five Finger

Skeleton

Hand Ring

Rose McGowan could bite me if she wanted to. I wouldn't give a shit if she sucked my blood and made me a vampire. lol

Kazuki Guzmán

High Fashion Bananas

These banana as object artworks are incredible. I also think I like the idea that the work itself rots away and it can only exist afte by photograph. There's something really human about that.

As he says on his site “I enjoy taking jokes seriously, until they become ‘art’ in one way or another. My artworks are often the accidental outcome of playful interactions between the materials and myself.”

 Artist Bio:

In a way, even my name ‘Kazuki Guzmán’ is an important reflection of my unique heritage. My father is a macho Chilean and my mother is a delicate lady from Japan. Because of them, my work reflects not only the things I love, but also my most essential character traits. My cultural background, my personal experiences, my family, friends, and hobbies are common themes shown in my pieces; the convergence of their disparate origins is an important part of what makes my work dynamic. I take confidence in my art and use it as a way of expressing my feelings, as well as my appreciation and love for the people, places, and things that make me Kazuki Guzmán.

Like my own history, my media is never fixed; my artworks range from large installations that are activated by the space or the viewers, to series of sculptures made from everyday objects. I consider my art practice as part of a playful exploration of ideas and materials. The notion of ‘play’ is at the core of my art practice. I enjoy taking jokes seriously, until they become ‘art’ in one way or another. My artworks are often the accidental outcome of playful interactions between the materials and myself. I equally enjoy allowing my materials to define the context of my artwork, and conversely, the challenge of letting the context of my work dictate the material execution. Most of my inspirations arise from mundane events: a trip to the antique store, revisiting children’s books and toys, or buying groceries. Most importantly, I strive for intricacy and exquisite craftsmanship in my work, while focusing on not loosing my very whimsical sense of humor and play.

Via: Kazuki Guzman

Another day.
Another Dollar.

what is a personality brand?

Excatly how it sounds. A brand that has a set of characteristics that align very closely to an individual's personality traits (fun, sexy, charming, masculine, exotic, adventourous)! People of course can be a personality brand (Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama, Hugh Hefner), but so can companies (Starbucks, Mac, Gap). And guess what...so can new and even small companies!

So, back to the topic at hand...why do personalities brand better than products alone? Because of course we (as humans) can connect to things that can be felt and understood. Personality traits such as Victoria Secrets sexy brand connects with women much better than the same cute pink bra on ebay! This allows Vicky to sell customers on the image that the company portrays then align its products accordingly.

So why the picture above? Well, this is my newest client's, BarHopper, personality brand image. As you can tell this isn't your standard bartending service! Barhopper's new brand convey's the owner and her staff's larger than life personalities and mixology skills that are delivered to each and every event!

Party like Eddie

Party like Eddie