Kindlewood

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Talent and creativity live all around us. I was reminded of this when a friend of mine and his band played at the Black Cat in Washington D.C. My friend's name is Galen Smith and the band is Kindlewood.

I met Galen not all that long ago. We are work colleagues by day. I knew from work that Galen was a member of Kindlewood. That was the extent of my knowledge.

That all changed, though. I discovered that Galen, along with Kelci Smith and Jamison Lyman, have created a unique and wonderful sound with Kindlewood. Subtle and understated yet haunting and powerful, Kindlewood is truly a local Baltimore/Washington D.C. musical treasure.

Kindlewood, to date, has produced two albums and is currently working on their third. Their first album is entitled, I Don't Believe in Ghosts. Their second album is entitled, Desiderium. The video presented here is from a track off of their second album entitled, Dangerous is the Sound. It was shot as a live motel session by Cory Pampalone and is a delight to watch and listen too.

If you are in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, I highly recommend experiencing Kindlewood in a live venue. It will be a truly memorable and enjoyable experience. If you are not local to the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, do not despair. Kindlewood is also available through iTunes and well worth your support.

Enjoy!!
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Paper Trail:

This post was originally published on Kerrsplat.com, dated November 16, 2013.

Snow Crash

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“When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens.”
- Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash

Snow Crash is a science fiction novel written by Neal Stephenson. It was published in 1992 and broke new ground as post-cyberpunk tour de force that became an immediate modern science fiction classic. Due to it's original lexicon, Snow Crash is not the easiest of reads initially, but is well worth the investment. The characters are well developed and complex. The story is unique and unfolds as a classic mystery with lots of discovery. As pure escapism, Snow Crash completely transports the reader into an alternate reality of a near future will be immediately recognized.

The novel begins with Hiro Protagonist, last of the freelance hackers and the greatest sword fighter in the world. Hiro works as a high-speed pizza deliverer for the Mafia (a Deliverator). Living in a U-Store-It near the Los Angeles airport, Hiro splits his time between the real world and the Metaverse, a three-dimensional virtual world accessed by personal computers and public terminals. Strapped for cash and living on the edge in reality, Hiro is a warrior prince and one of the original hacker elite that created and developed the Metaverse.

After an unfortunate mishap while delivering a pizza, Hiro teams up with Y.T. (short for Yours Truly), a 15 year old female skateboard courier that is streetwise and sassy. Together, Hiro and Y.T are pursued by Raven, an Aleut harpoon Master that drives a motorcycle with a sidecar nuke. Their goal? Unravel the mystery that is Snow Crash, a new a dangerous drug and computer virus.

Snow Crash is a rocket ride from start to finish and one of my favorite novels. It is an absolute recommendation and a must read for any fan of cyberpunk or science fiction. If you have not read Snow Crash, what are you waiting for? If you have read Snow Crash, get comfy and read it again!

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Paper Trail: 
    ▪    Neal Stephenson - Official Web Site
    ▪    Wikipedia - Snow Crash
    ▪    Amazon - Snow Crash
    ▪    Audible - Snow Crash

This post was originally published on Kerrsplat.com, dated October 27, 2013.

More Noir Than Noir

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This remix of the Blade Runner movie trailer, by Chet Desmond, is a superb example of creativity and vision. Blade Runner is Ridley Scott's film adaption of Philip K. Dick's classic science fiction novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Released in 1982 and shot in a modern film noir style, this trailer is a full-on film noir experience with dialog from the movie and music from the soundtrack.

To springboard off of Dr. Eldon Tyrell's moto for the Tyrell Corporation, this movie trailer is... More noir than noir. Not sure of the reference? This is your que to watch this classic film and then read the book it is based on. Time very well spent.

Enjoy!!

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Paper Tail:

This post was originally published on Kerrsplat.com, dated October 22, 2013.

Band of Brothers

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I recently finished re-watching HBO's, Band of Brothers. Band of Brothers is a ten-part miniseries that takes place during World War II. Based on the Stephen E. Ambrose's book of the same title, Band of Brothers follows the fictionalized history of Easy Company (part of the 506th Parachute Infranty Regiment, 101st Airborne Division) from training through the end of the war.

This viewing marks the forth time I have watched the series. The first time, I viewed it as it unfolded on HBO directly and it was captivating. I was completely enveloped by both the production and content of the miniseries. This time was no different. Every episode floods me with emotion. Every episode puts me there with the soldiers of Easy Company. Every episode, even the last, leaves me wanting more. 

On this viewing, I had the pleasure of watching it with my 15 year old son. We watched an episode a night. We waited until the rest of the family went to bed and then meet up in the family room. Taking our usual positions, me on a comfy sofa and my son in an overstuffed chair, we settled in for an hour or so of pure escape into a time and world that few now can remember. 

This was my son's first time watching Band of Brothers completely. He was filled with emotions and questions and wonder that made him think and ponder. A rare gift to a 15 year old. He was enthralled. I enjoyed watching him and his journey through the miniseries as much as I enjoyed my own. 

Band of Brothers… This miniseries is, without a doubt, one of the finest works to ever come out of Hollywood. It is a true cinematic masterpiece and a creative body of work that will stand the test of time. If you have not had the pleasure of seeing the miniseries, you should.

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Paper Trail:

This post was originally published on Kerrsplat.com, dated October 19, 2013.

Timelapse From The Silk Road

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Chris Northey shot these timelapse images along the Silk Road from Chine to Uzbekistan in 2012. This is truly a delight to watch. The locations featured, include:
 
China - Beijing, Xi'an, Turpan, and Kashgar
Kyrgyzstan - Tash Rabat and Song Kol
Uzbekistan - Tashkent, Bukhara, and Samarkand

Chris is a freelance digital designer who creates websites, 3D animations and motion graphics. Checkout his work.

Enjoy!!

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Paper Trail:
    ▪    Chris Northey: Chris Northey Digital Design
    ▪    Chris Northey: Chris Northey on Vimeo
    ▪    Chris Northey: Chris Northey on FaceBook
    ▪    Chris Northey: Chris Northey on Twitter
    ▪    Chris Northey: Chris Northey on Flickr

This post was originally published on Kerrsplat.com, dated September 15, 2013.

Stanley Kubrick As Photojournalist

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I recently discovered that Stanley Kubrick was a New York City photojournalist before he became a filmmaker. In 1945, while only 17 years old, Kubrick sold a photo to Look Magazine. The folks at Look, must have liked that image. From 1946 to 1950, Kubrick shot more than 300 assignments for the magazine while detailing and documenting the sights and people of New York City.

Based out of New York City, Look magazine also sent Kubrick to different locations. One of these locations was Chicago where, in the summer of 1949, Kubrick shot images for a story called “Chicago, City of Contrasts.”

As one might expect, the images Kubrick captured are both unique and wonderful. Each image represents a forgotten moment in time from a lost Golden Age in America directly after World War II. Sometimes gritty… Sometimes thought provoking… These images all foreshadow the creative perspective and genius that Kubrick later develops as a filmmaker.

Presented below are a few images from Stanley Kubrick's photojournalism work. You can also see more by following the paper trail links at the end of this post. In addition, some of Kubrick’s early photography work can be viewed in a collection curated by Museum of the City of New York. 

Enjoy!!

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Paper Trail:

This post was originally published on Kerrsplat.com, dated March 16, 2013.