May the gods have mercy on us all. Over 9,000 Iraqi civilians killed by US military action -- and now American radio technician Nicholas Berg has been beheaded live on video.

If I prayed, it would be for the families of these innocent men and women and children. Can we please get to work to abolish this sick mindset of bloodletting as solution? Didn't we learn centuries ago that leeches don't heal the sick?

The Subjectivity of Failure

Well, I didn't think the Newgrounds crowd would like my latest project The Sphere, so I shouldn't be surprised that it's been blammed (completely deleted from the site due to horribly low ratings). Whatever -- I knew it wouldn't be their cup of tea. But it got me to thinking...

I've never really hit it big with any of my creative work. I mean, I've won awards and regional stuff, but I've never had any kind of massive widespread acceptance. I don't really have a problem with this -- I believe I'm doing good work, and most of the people who consume my work tend to like it okay.

Furthermore, I'm at peace with the work. I'm pretty satisfied with what I produce. But I have to wonder -- how do we know if our work is really any good or not? I mean, lots of horrible garbage gets produced by major companies (record labels, publishers, etc). And some really good work goes completely unnoticed. Also -- obviously -- lots of good work gets promoted, and lots of bad work gets rejected.


So how can I tell if my work is solid? Surely my own perception is important, but can it be enough? Doesn't every mediocre talent believe him/herself to be producing work of high qaulity? Doesn't every unworthy writer and musician have at least some people telling him/her s/he's doing a good job? How much really good work does go unnoticed? I suppose we can only look at the work that goes unnoticed for a long time -- if it goes unnoticed forever, we never learn about it.

Maybe I'm just feeling sorry for myself for no good reason. Just some thoughts wandering through my brain.

Random

Michael Moore is having trouble getting his latest movie made. Diane assures me that many other companies will be all over it -- I certainly hope so.

John Kerry wants tougher teacher testing. Yeah, like we don't have enough to do already.

This is a gem, worthy of Bill Hicks: Gun Safety Instructor Shoots Self During Demonstration. Bwa ha ha ha ha!

TimeWaster™

Check out ShyGirl. Watch her nose very closely.

Today I'm listening to: Looking Back 4!