I've been a freelance writer, newspaper reporter, photographer and Website person. I've worked for both traditional press and online sites. Herein lies some of my writing and Web work that I've done over the years.
Writing
Hanging the Flagpole sign.
L to R - Mathew Greenia, Dennis Greenia, Pete McCommons, Rachel Reynolds (on the ladder), Alicia (then) Nickles, me (in front)
Some of the magazines I've written for include Flagpole and Creative Loafing to Huh and Raygun.
I've written about music, the Olympics, politics and general profiles. Some of the people I've photographed, written about or interviewed include: Billy Bragg, Chickasaw Mudpuppies, Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, U2, Robyn Hitchcock, Nirvana, Indigo Girls, Luka Bloom, James McMurtry, Poppy Z. Brite, Anne Rice, Spaceghost, Jeff Buckley, Kevn Kinney, Dashboard Saviors, Jim Dickinson, Elliot Wigginton, Peter Tork, Hothouse Flowers, Jack Heale, and many others.
Web
These are some of the sites I've worked on in the past as an online producer, graphics designer or content developer.
I don't use this site as a blogging site. In fact, I never have time to blog. It's funny because I work with other people and help them to blog. I build blogs for people (WordPress rocks!). I read blogs. I've inspired other people to start blogging. Yet, I never have the chance to do it. Here's my chance. Blog blog blog. You see? I have no idea what to say. So many people that have started blogs have things to say. I do things, I make things, but I have a hard time writing about it all.
I just needed to get that off my chest. Blame it on the Nyquil. But who knows... maybe I'll just start blabbing away on this thing. Make it my stream of consciousness dumping bin for all the crud inside my head. I need to make more room in there anyway. Wouldn't it be cool to pull out your thoughts like the wizards do in Harry Potter? Thin, silvery threads of thoughts all stashed in a pensieve ready to be activated upon when needed. I do wonder how we hold so much information in our brains - just think of all the numbers you've got in there. Social Security number, phone numbers, addresses, birthdates... There's an infinite amount of bytage in our brains - more than a brontobyte, I'm sure. And that's a real number. Check out this chart from the Ask a Storage Expert dude:
1000 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte
1000 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte
1000 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte
1000 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte
1000 Terabytes = 1 Petabyte
1000 Petabytes = 1 Exabyte - In 2000, 3 exabytes of
information was created
1000 Exabytes = 1 Zettabyte
1000 Zettabyte = 1 Zottabyte
1000 Zottabyte = 1 Brontobyte - that is a 1 followed by
27 zeroes
I had never heard of anything past terabyte and I can barely imagine how much space that takes up but it would look like this on paper - 1000000000000000000000000000. How did someone discover this? It boggles the mind. So I thought I would take this question up with the great, almighty GOOGLE. I asked, "how much memory capacity does the brain have?" And can you believe it? There's an answer thanks to WikiAnswer:
"The human brain contains about 50 billion to 200 billion neurons
(nobody knows how many for sure), each of which interfaces with 1,000
to 100,000 other neurons through 100 trillion (10 14) to 10
quadrillion (10 16) synaptic junctions. Each synapse possesses a
variable firing threshold which is reduced as the neuron is repeatedly
activated. If we assume that the firing threshold at each synapse can
assume 256 distinguishable levels, and if we suppose that there are
20,000 shared synapses per neuron (10,000 per neuron), then the total
information storage capacity of the synapses in the cortex would be of
the order of 500 to 1,000 terabytes. (Of course, if the brain's
storage of information takes place at a molecular level, then I would
be afraid to hazard a guess regarding how many bytes can be stored in
the brain. One estimate has placed it at about 3.6 X 10 19 bytes.)"
The quote is attributed to "some researchers," meaning the 12 year old kid next door who's been trying to find his way to the moon and came upon the ultimate equation to figure out brain capacity. I suppose, according to the "researcher," the formula would equal a petabyte. I think.
But my favorite answer so far is from Ace Pincter on the Answer Bag. "1 gigglebite," they wrote. It made me smile.
How heartbreak gave birth to a band and recording contract & helped Kevin Barnes make new friends
Odd things happen in Athens, Ga. But don't go running around thinking something's in the water. Nope. But there is something to be said about a mass of musicians migrating from Louisiana to Athens just because the music scene "seems" better. That's what happened with the Elephant Six collective, but more on them much later.
For now, take the band Of Montreal. Formed in Athens originally, the band migrated towards the Elephant Six collective and have somewhat become immersed in their auras.
In the meantime, Bar/None, a record label in Hoboken, NJ, once put forth Athens band Chocolate USA onto the record buying public. But eventually, as most small bands go, they dispersed, separated, moved around... general mayhem ensued, lead vocalist/writer Julian continued collecting cows... stuff like that happened which meant Bar/None desperately needed a band just as quirky to fill the gap.
That band turned out to be Athens, Ga.'s Of Montreal and their debut album, "Cherry Peel" offers plenty of Beatles-esque riffs, Robyn Hitchcock style lyrics and plenty of charm.
Everybody Has A Story...
(Press Archive index - Flagpole, Athens GA, July 1993)
I can imagine Linford Detweiler standing outside a
Denny's, deep in the heart of Ohio, calling from a pay phone to promote
his band, Over the Rhine. The band hails from Cincinnati, is touring
their debut IRS release, Patience, and will appear at the 40 Watt on
July 24 with Vigilantes of Love. Linford plays bass and keyboards and
writes most of Over the Rhine's material, though he considers the band
to be a collaborative effort. "I have written most of the lyrics but we
really try to allow the personalities of the band come through," he
said.
Odd things happen in Athens, Ga. But don't go running around thinking something's in the water. Nope. But there is something to be said about a mass of musicians migrating from Louisiana to Athens just because the music scene "seems" better. That's what happened with the Elephant Six collective, but more on them much later.
Fresh from Porkopolis