Goatsilk.com http://goatsilk.com a goat that shoots silk is a work of art Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:53:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Shit People Ask at Cocktail Parties – "What Do You Do?" http://goatsilk.com/shit-people-ask-at-cocktail-parties-what-do-you-do/ http://goatsilk.com/shit-people-ask-at-cocktail-parties-what-do-you-do/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:48:39 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1512 After a barrage of holiday encounters with friends and acquaintances, the question “so what do you do?” starts to sound silly. The older I get, the less willing I am to spend time engaging in smalltalk. After all, isn’t it mostly just about comparisons and “keeping up with the Joneses?”

At the same time, this Chevy Silverado commercial has been playing constantly during the 2012 NFL playoff games. The commercial gets playful with the question, but me and some friends in SLC decided to make our own spoof version last week-end. Check it out. The original plays first, then ours.

]]> http://goatsilk.com/shit-people-ask-at-cocktail-parties-what-do-you-do/feed/ 0 Tim Tebow The Thinker http://goatsilk.com/tim-tebowing-and-the-thinker/ http://goatsilk.com/tim-tebowing-and-the-thinker/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:28:38 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1450 Whether or not you’re a Bronco’s fan, or just a football fan, you’ve probably heard of Tim Tebow‘s “Tebowing.” After a successful touchdown, he’ll put his elbow to his knee, fist to forehead, and take a specially postured moment to thank God. We’re all are familiar with how sports takes on the meanings and vocabulary of Christianity, from the “Hail Mary pass” to players thanking God in press conferences after a win. Likewise, the Bible is full of references to sports, from racing with “perseverance” in Hebrews to the apostle Paul’s assertion “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Many people see the match of Tim Tebow and Tom Brady as a competition between two opposite human facilities, faith and intellect. While it makes for entertaining drama, I wonder if there is too much ado about nothing. It’s impossible not to go back to the image itself: the chiseled, athletic figure in his now famous pose. But look closely and you’ll notice it’s almost identical to another iconic image, Rodin’s “The Thinker.” Perhaps the similarity should remind us that, at bottom, thinking and prayer are not that different. After all, both practices require blocking outside distractions and searching for answers within the confines of our own consciousness. The transcendent thought required to generate a miracle, or even just to do anything exceptional, necessarily differs from the systematic way we operate on a daily basis.  Keep Killin’ It! And enjoy the playoffs!

Tim Tebowing and Rodin's The Thinker

Tim Tebowing and Rodin's The Thinker

]]> http://goatsilk.com/tim-tebowing-and-the-thinker/feed/ 0 The Glass Bead Game http://goatsilk.com/the-glass-bead-game/ http://goatsilk.com/the-glass-bead-game/#comments Thu, 19 May 2011 23:12:29 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1442

2008 video loosely based on themes from Herman Hesse’s THE GLASS BEAD GAME. Shot in Michigan during the peak of last year’s financial crisis and just before the election of Barack Obama.

]]> http://goatsilk.com/the-glass-bead-game/feed/ 0 The Kate Middleton Jellybean http://goatsilk.com/the-kate-middleton-jellybean/ http://goatsilk.com/the-kate-middleton-jellybean/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:37:39 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1366 A British couple has discovered the uncanny likeness of Kate Middleton, prince William’s bride to be, in an orange colored mango jellybean they almost ate. It’s another one of these stories that captures the world’s imagination. The tiny image is so accurate and compelling that it seems nothing short of miraculous, and of course, when something bears those characteristics, it suddenly has value. We’ve seen it before, many times, as when that morning bun formed the spot-on shape of the head of Mother Theresa, or when a grilled cheese sandwich with the visage of the Virgin Mary burnt into one of its toasted sides sold for $28,000 on e-bay.  Now we have the Kate Middleton jellybean.

Perhaps what’s most fascinating about finding these images in banal foodstuffs like cheetos and jellybeans, is the possibility that they could be faked. Especially in this case it looks possible (though certainly difficult) to meticulously re-create the kind of speckling on the surface of a jelly bean to make some defined image.  You’d just need the right materials and a finely tuned ability to work on a miniscule scale.  Even if the Kate Middleton jellybean is a hoax though, it’s still a kind of notoriously clever artwork that managed to get its 15 minutes of online fame.  Like anything else in our electronically viral world, once people know about it–whether they’re wowed or mystified or disgusted –it will sell to any number of collectors who buy the likes of these strangely captivating things.  The couple plans to sell it on e-bay starting at 500 pounds (approximate $815), and already royal wedding fanatics are predicting that price could go much higher.  We’ll have to watch and see just how high it goes.

Posted: April 15 by B Bloch

A British couple discovered this uncanny likeness to Kate Middleton in the speckling pattern of a mango flavored jellybean

A British couple discovered this uncanny likeness to Kate Middleton in the speckling pattern of a mango flavored jellybean

]]> http://goatsilk.com/the-kate-middleton-jellybean/feed/ 3 Killin’ it! with Paul Crik http://goatsilk.com/killin-it-with-paul-crik/ http://goatsilk.com/killin-it-with-paul-crik/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:45:30 +0000 admin http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1350 Goatsilk created the web series, Killin’ It with Paul Crik, in 2008, in collaboration with Paul Crik.  It has been growing on a weekly basis since that time.

Killin’ It is wireless motivation for a new generation.

Killin’ It is a mantra. Its a philosophy that’s as simple or as complex as you like. When we say I’m Killin’ It we know the basic meaning of the phrase. Were on top of it, ready to meet life head on at work or play. Killin’ It doesn’t conform to social mores or expectations. The growing numbers of people who have succeeded at Killin’ It form social ties that don’t just land them a network-based glad-handed favor, they make friends for life; an extended family of some of the most entertaining, good-hearted, humble, and successful people currently alive.

The metaphysical aspect of being human hasn’t changed since we became human, however and whenever you believe that occurred.  From cave wall art to the renaissance to the digital revolution, humans have grappled with the simple fact of existence.  This tumbleweed of feelings and desires which we call the human experience has always begged for instruction, enlightenment, and guidance.  To soothe our natural existential fears humans have created layer upon layer of story, metaphor, legends, gods, and rituals; and each generation requires its artists and shamans to re-create these in new ways.

Hence….Killin’ It!

We have reached a new epoch in the cycle.  The speed with which new images and meanings are digested – and the breadth of images and meanings which can be found – leaves the individual in charge of creating his/her own myths.  For many this can cause angst and depression as they get tossed between names and movements, trying to grab hold of something that feels meaningful.   For others it’s a glorious fulfillment, the sought after peaceful union of the free individual with functioning society.  Perhaps, even, the first real opportunity for spiritual fullness unfettered by the reigns of institutionalism.

Or not.  Because the digital revolution is not a fundamental shift in the paradigm of power.  The illusion of democratic power on the internet is already being harnessed by the old bedrocks of power.  We can spare ourselves bemoaning the giant mass of human energy that is corporations and universities and political parties – they will exist in some incarnation as surely as blood cells and enzymes will exist.

Killing It is a demonstration of this idea.  It is an example of redistributing gathered truths into new sentences, new images, new formations which may bring those old truths closer to us.  Where the chords strike you, embrace them; where they do not, reject them.  But always remember that the point of Killing It is is not merely to leave a bread crumb trail of your existence (digital or otherwise), but to construct your own successful habits and pathways in the quest for physical and spiritual fulfillment.

[button link="http://www.paulcrik.com" color="silver"]Click Here to Start Killin’ it with Paul Crik![/button]

]]> http://goatsilk.com/killin-it-with-paul-crik/feed/ 0 Conservative Prankster James O’Keefe: Political Activist, Journalist, or Artist? http://goatsilk.com/reading-james-okeefe-as-an-artist/ http://goatsilk.com/reading-james-okeefe-as-an-artist/#comments Sun, 13 Mar 2011 03:19:04 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1135 Recently the 26 year old Rutgers graduate and prankster “journalist” James O’Keefe has been in the news for masterminding a damning hidden camera taping of Ron Schiller, the now former director of NPR. The sting operation, and subsequent manipulation of the tape, produced a video document which made Schiller look like yet another corrupt man at the helm of a large organization. The renegade exposure forced Schiller’s resignation, along with a wave of curiosity about the man behind the boldly executed entrapment. It seems no one cares much for James O’Keefe’s tactics. Even Glenn Beck’s people – whom we would assume would be totally in love with anyone working to expose liberal figureheads as total hypocrites, have questioned O’Keefe’s modus operandi on Beck’s news website, The Blaze. O’Keefe has done similar hidden camera exposees of ACORN, Planned Parenthood, and The New Jersey Teacher’s union. When he executes these recordings, he uses actors (sometimes himself) to play characters that interact with professionals with the goal of extracting something notably undignified or unexpected from his targets. It’s certainly as deceptive as can be, and very bold. But despite the means I think we all agree that if it’s making national headlines and forcing resignations and organization restructuring, well, then it’s also extremely effective.

And here is where I want to suggest something else about why O’Keefe has been able to gain so much traction in the media. Because more than being a conservative or a journalist or a low-down dirty liar, O’Keefe is actually a pretty dynamic artist. That’s right. He’s a creative force to be reckoned with.  Dare I say that contemporary artists–especially, perhaps, performance artists–would do well to pay attention to what he’s doing. While on the surface it may be easier for the public to define him as just some sort of demented activist, the argument for him as an artist is an entirely different picture to paint. Here are a few reasons why I would defend him as such:

His work, which isn’t so dissimilar from actions by people like Michael Moore or The Yes Men (though I would argue it’s more grave and less humorous), really engages the world as a stage, right down to the characters he creates and the characters he targets. He creates situations where fiction collides head-on with real life, and the interplay of the two produces something truly fascinating to the public.  It seizes strongly upon that ever-growing ultra-current tension between the real (the “true”) and the artificial (the “fake”).

Many artists take politics as their subject, yet they use it only to make work which reiterates some political idea we’ve already seen or heard a million times over. Artwork about redundant political issues is a yawnfest. O’Keefe, on the other hand, uses political positioning and political interaction first-hand as a sort of canvas, as a medium to produce a new, raw, dangerously revelatory material. This, it would seem, is the goal of any artist who wishes to be effective, to make an impact.

A few other interesting facts related to O’Keefe, from Wikipedia.

  • His sister is a painter and a sculptor.
  • He graduated from Westwood High School in Bergen County, New Jersey, where he showed an early interest in the arts, theater, and journalism. He played the leading role in his high school’s 2002 production of the musical Crazy for You.
  • One of his former Bosses, Morton Blackwell of The Leadership institute, said O’Keefe’s longstanding ambition was to catch his subjects in videos “breaking the law.” O’Keefe, however, told the Los Angeles Times that his videos “are not supposed to necessarily show people breaking laws. They are supposed to change hearts and minds.” Somehow I believe this sentiment, despite the deceptive tactics he uses in his projects.
  • In 2010 O’Keefe formed his own organization, Project Veritas, whose stated mission is “to investigate and expose corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct in both public and private institutions in order to achieve a more ethical and transparent society.” Now if that doesn’t sound like the highest goal of an ambitious and effective art, I don’t know what does.

Together we can acknowledge that no one ever expected great artists to adhere to the weak moral codes created by man-made laws and manners. Countless numbers of artists have made their good works–and their good points–by breaking laws. To use an easy and over-popular example, look at the well known graffiti master Banksy. One of the best things about art is the boundless possibilities it presents, part of which means an ability to transcend the commonly accepted social mores that make us supposedly civil. O’Keefe realized that was bullshit a long time ago, and moved on in the name of making some unusual things happen.

Last, I give O’Keefe credit for a certain fearlessness, a sheer will, an intensity of vision, and an incredible ability to follow through–all qualities which any truly successful artist must possess in order for his/her work to have heart. O’Keefe is uncompromising in the face of enormous rejection and ridicule, no matter who tells him what an asshole he is, or how foolish. There’s just something about that which I can’t but think is artful. The irony in all of this is pretty simple: sometimes the biggest lies are part of the bigger truths. Whatever you may feel about him personally, it’s definitely something to think about.

]]> http://goatsilk.com/reading-james-okeefe-as-an-artist/feed/ 5 Does Steve Jobs Have Just Six Weeks Left to Live? http://goatsilk.com/does-steve-jobs-have-just-six-weeks-left-to-live/ http://goatsilk.com/does-steve-jobs-have-just-six-weeks-left-to-live/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:07:45 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1118 The National Enquirer is reporting that Steve Jobs, the genius tech guru and CEO of Apple, has only approximately six weeks to live. Many people are dubious of stories that appear in The Enquirer, but in fact their reporting tends to have some validity. I’ve found that often times they report news which a couple of weeks later we see in the likes of Time, Newsweek and other more trusted sources.

As everyone knows, Steve Jobs is no stranger to illness. He’s had cancer before and beaten it, returning to the helm of Apple each time. However, his recent medical leave has seemed more ominous, given it’s his second disappearance in 3 years. The Enquirer has printed recent pictures of an extremely gaunt Jobs entering the same cancer center visited by Patrick Swayze in the weeks preceding his death. It is also reported that Jobs was to have met with President Obama yesterday, another grim detail which to my mind signals tragedy.

The thought of Steve Job’s death is deeply saddening to me. Anyone who admires creativity and technology has to tip their hat to the man who conceived and realized Apple computer. It is safe to say that Apple has revolutionized the tech industry in many ways. In recent years, Apple’s innovations have made Microsoft look like a flailing old dinosaur made of cheap plastic parts. Jobs is an iconic force and an important representative not only for Apple, but for the kinds of ideas that make people devoted to a company in an almost spiritual way. He is as much (if not more) an artist as he is a businessman. If The Enquirer‘s prognosis is correct, and something tells me it may be, I can only imagine what a sad day is coming soon…our hearts will sink along with Apple’s stock price.

Steve Jobs is sick again, and has taken a medical leave from his position as CEO of Apple Computer

Steve Jobs is sick again, and has taken a medical leave from his position as CEO of Apple Computer. These pics show a gaunt Jobs entering the same cancer clinic that treated Patrick Swayze just weeks before his death.

]]> http://goatsilk.com/does-steve-jobs-have-just-six-weeks-left-to-live/feed/ 0 When Having a Stroke is Perceived by the Internet as Funny. Plus, Killin’ It with Paul Crik on Being Borderline Retarded http://goatsilk.com/when-having-a-stroke-is-perceived-by-the-internet-as-funny-plus-killin-it-with-paul-crik-on-being-borderline-retarded/ http://goatsilk.com/when-having-a-stroke-is-perceived-by-the-internet-as-funny-plus-killin-it-with-paul-crik-on-being-borderline-retarded/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:50:58 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1097
CBS-Los Angeles Reporter Serene Branson

CBS-Los Angeles Reporter Serene Branson is rumored to have suffered a mild stroke while reporting live from the Grammies last nigh


The first thing I saw when I checked in on facebook today was this video featuring Los Angeles reporter Serene Branson losing all verbal faculties while trying to deliver some news on last night’s Grammys. I thought it was strange and hilarious. Some people were saying she was drunk, others were saying she had a sudden anxiety attack. Youtube videos of the moment were flying all over the place with titles like “Grammy Reporter’s Massive Fail” and “CBS Reporter Speaks Alien Language.” Whatever the case, it started to get passed around the Internet as something funny. I thought so too, and I reposted it on my own page. Within minutes I received a message from a friend saying that in fact the reason she started fumbling so hard is that she was actually suffering a mild stroke on camera. Whew. Not funny at all, right? Just goes to show how fine the line can be between hilarious and horrific, doesn’t it? Still it seems that there is no confirmed truth about the story. I haven’t seen any official announcement that acknowledges she had a stroke. It almost leaves one wondering further: could the station have made the story up to save face? I doubt, but in today’s Internet culture, anything is possible….

]]> http://goatsilk.com/when-having-a-stroke-is-perceived-by-the-internet-as-funny-plus-killin-it-with-paul-crik-on-being-borderline-retarded/feed/ 2 Killin’ It with Paul Crik – TRAIN YOURSELF (2011 Dance Video) http://goatsilk.com/killin-it-with-paul-crik-train-yourself-2011-dance-video/ http://goatsilk.com/killin-it-with-paul-crik-train-yourself-2011-dance-video/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:46:02 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1090 In a brand new dance video for 2011, Paul talks about how to train yourself, and reflects on the most influential advertising campaign of all time: Nike’s JUST DO IT.

]]> http://goatsilk.com/killin-it-with-paul-crik-train-yourself-2011-dance-video/feed/ 0 Killin’ It with Paul Crik – HYGIENE OVERKILL http://goatsilk.com/killin-it-with-paul-crik-hygiene-overkill/ http://goatsilk.com/killin-it-with-paul-crik-hygiene-overkill/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:43:21 +0000 B Bloch http://www.goatsilk.com/?p=1088 Paul explains why you have to be careful not to be overly hygienic with yourself or your children. You can’t sterilize everything or you’ll end up sterilizing your soul.

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