Joe Mills

Olympic Photographs

I came across this great selection of pictures from the Olympics. Some of them are kind of goofy (multiple pictures of the Chinese cheerleaders, random behind shots), but they are worth checking out.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

End of the Summer…New Stuff!

Well, the school year is almost here, so I’m trying to finish up some things before kicking it into high gear.

First, I am very proud of this comic book artwork I did of the music artist Janelle Monae.

Second, I wanted to challenge myself by trying to sew something for my wife. It was not my pattern, but I thought I did a pretty decent job with the craftsmanship. Check it out here.

I completed a mural for my brother and sister-in-law. I think it worked out well.

And, I’ve added a new B video which can be found on my YouTube channel.

I’ve got some other projects lined up like a new computer desk, another B video, another mural, a game using Scratch, and I just read that Chicago wants people to submit “Why Chicago” videos on their Olympics web site…I’m all over that…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Beijing Olympics 2008

Maybe it was Michael Phelps. Maybe it was the number of tremendous athletes. Or, maybe it was because I had the time to watch during the day. Regardless, I got hooked on the Summer Olympics this year in Beijing. I knew I would watch the Olympics at some point during the past two weeks…I just didn’t know I would watch as much as I did. After watching the 4×100 freestyle relay early on in the Olympics, I was hooked. Yes, Phelps obviously had a big impact. It was hard not to pay attention. But, I found myself watching volleyball, beach volleyball, baseball, diving, gymnastics, track and field, water polo, and swimming. I guess when it gets right down to it, I got into the athletes. NBC can televise every sappy story in the world, but I’m sure every athlete in Beijing can tell a story of hardship and hard work. These are the top athletes in the world competing on the biggest stage of the world. That is the story of the Olympics and it doesn’t need to be dressed up with melodrama. The great thing about sports is watching the best compete against the best. That is why people watch Tiger Woods. That is why people will tune into the Red Sox versus the Yankees. And, that is why the Patriots losing in the Super Bowl was such a big deal. Why it took me so long to realize this with Olympics, I will never know. Thanks to the athletes this year for energizing my love for the Olympics. Now, I just have to hope Chicago gets their act together for 2016.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Fun House

I always thought the show Fun House (from about 20 years ago) was a great idea for a show. I always dreamed about going through the obstacles on the show. Here’s the basic explanation about how it worked from Wikipedia:

Two teams (Red Team and Gold Team) of two children (a boy and a girl) played messy games and answered questions to win a chance to run through an obstacle-strewn Fun House at the end of the show.

This might seem a little juvenile nowadays (maybe) and would line lawyers up around the block, but I always thought the premise and the execution was on point.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Bent Perspective

I came across this picture in the recent issue of ESPN the Magazine. I’m totally drawn to these bent perspective photographs and drawings. I’ve liked perspective ever since I was young, but this takes it to the next level. My goal is to eventually draw something like this. I gave it a shot this summer, but the results were…okay. I have to give it a second shot.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Lego Men in Famous Pictures

Image courtesy of Balakov

If these pictures weren’t so well done, I’d probably think they were lame.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Yeah, I’m Voting for Obama…I Admit It

I know that your vote is supposed to be something private, but I don’t feel that way. People will voice their opinion at every turn, but ask them to explain who they are voting for, and they will chew you a new one. Anyway, yes, I’m voting for Obama. I haven’t voted for a presidential candidate…ever, but I will this year. I never found anyone worth voting for. And while Obama is the stylish candidate right now, which has unfairly given him a rock star persona candidate, that is not why I’m voting for him. I like the fact that he is a political outsider. He has not been groomed for this since birth…he came too it organically. That’s how it should be. And, I know this has been beaten to death by his contingency, but he gives me hope for our political future. One thing I’ve found inspirational about his beliefs is that, during his stint as a Senator, he feels that all of the people he works with in Washington are generally good people who are trying to do the right thing. If you would ask most Americans, including myself, you might not here those kinds of words. And even if it turns out to just be political positioning, it is still a relatively radical statement. Here is a politician who wants to work with people and make compromises. In this day and age where people want THEIR ideas and THEIR wants and THEIR needs put to the forefront, here is someone who is willing to compromise. While it could be seen as weak, we need more of that kind of thinking in this world. Work with people and not against them.

Now, with that being said, I think there is about a 95% he gets eaten by the “good ol boys” in Washington and then spit back out. He could just be taken advantage of. And if he does, I think that will be the biggest commentary we can make on modern day America. Like I mentioned above, though, he gives me hope…and that’s what most of us have to go by this day as we look towards our leaders.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Shipwreck Island

Image courtesy of Shipwreck Island

I have been working on an artwork called No Waiver Park. The basic premise is the ultimate amusement park. The joke being that you do not need a waiver…the thrill is just being a kid a being able to do all this cool stuff. It made me think of this water park called Shipwreck Island that my brother and I used to go to in Panama City Beach when we used to visit our grandparents. Our favorite ride was Raging Rapids. The image above does not do it justice, but it was a tube ride that was sort of free form. They used to just send a bunch of people down at a time and you had to sort of maneuver yourself around the rapids and chutes. It was never the same ride every single time because you could always try and do different things. One summer when the kids in Florida had already gone back to school and the park was pretty much empty, I rode it 31 times. Years later, we went again but they had pretty much ruined the ride I remembered. They sent people down one at a time, and there were people stationed throughout the ride to usher you through the rapids. What a waste! It is too bad in this day of lawsuits and fear and finger-pointing that something like this great ride can be ruined…oh well, at least I have my memories.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

The Shock Doctrine

Image courtesy of The Shock Doctrine

When Naomi Klein came out with her second major book, The Shock Doctrine, I was skeptical. Klein had built her name through the publication of No Logo, a well-researched investigation into the impact of globalization. No Logo was excellent, and I wrote about it here. So, I just did not expect The Shock Doctrine to be as good since a lot of folks go on reputation alone to sell books…I was wrong. Once again, Klein has written a well-researched and deeply interesting book about a topic I think we need to spend more time caring about…disaster capitalism. Disaster capitalism is built on the teachings of Milton Friedman. Friedman believed in a truly free market. He felt that government should have a minimal role and just let the market act on its own. With many countries already entrenched in a political and economic system, Friedman’s dream of a “blank slate” to try out his completely free market was almost impossible. During political upheaval in Chile in the 1970’s, many people who studied under Friedman were given the chance to run this completely free market system with Chile in disarray. The idea was that while the people of the country were reeling from political uncertainty and questions of freedom, true capitalism could be installed and no one would question it.

Starting with Chile, Klein examines how installing a completely free market while the country is in a state of shock makes a select few people money and sends the rest of the poor and middle class into a time period of mass layoffs and financial uncertainty. Believers in the teachings of Friedman have received many chances over the years to try out this system during times of political chaos. Argentina, Poland, China, Russia, South Africa, and, most recently, Iraq have been laboratories for this type of free market. And while a select few make a ton of money, the poor and middle class are set in a tailspin. More often than not, the United States backs these markets because so many American corporations end up benefiting. Sadly, many of these policies are set in motion behind closed doors (often, the countries trying to “help” will only provide aid if the country in chaos agrees to a free market) while the politicians and media focus on the newly found freedom of the people. Klein contends

I feel that this is an important book because it sheds light on why the United States has such a bad reputation in the rest of the world. It has also made me think differently about what I saw in the media during the fall of Communism, the destruction of apartheid, and the student blocking all those tanks in Tiananmen Square. Even as we celebrated the triumph of freedom, the real story was taking place outside of the headlines…the establishment of a free market. While I agree with a lot of the reasons behind establishing a free market, I also believe there are some systems that should be taken care of by the government like health care and schools. And, I do not believe that you should ruin the livelihood of your own people just to make money. Klein relates a story about fisherman being displaced from their homes in Sri Lanka while huge tourist resorts were built after the tsunami. I think a lot of people in our government and in our corporations would like to privatize as much as possible and that is scary. It is even more scary that they try to install these free market rules and regulations while some people are just trying to survive.

I wish I could do a better job of encapsulating all that Klein writes about, but I guess that is hard to do in a couple paragraphs. I think it is awesome that she can take these seemingly heavy subjects and write it in a way that makes me not want to put it down.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Family Guy…It’s a Freakin’ Art Show

Image courtesy of The Paley Center

I’m not sure exactly how I feel about this, but since I am a big Family Guy fan, it should be something I should be excited about…if it were in Chicago. Basically, it is an art show based on the Family Guy. Part of me thinks it is a great way to pay homage to something that interests you, but the other part of me wishes we wouldn’t glamorize television in this way and try to come up with some original ideas. In truth, I should really just lighten up and if the art is well done and it puts a smile on my face…what’s the difference?

Bookmark It

Hide Sites