misunderstanding

 

I think the first time I encountered this type of theory was Asimov’s Naked Sun. Humans lost their ability to have actual… human contact.

They projected holograms and allowed only the presence of robots around them. Furthermore, the human contact was not only obsolete, but utterly disgusting.

Imagine that this book was published in 1957. Check the real prophets of literature: Wells, Orwell, Asimov and watch out.

In 1995, The Net was another alarm pulled by visionaries. I freaked out after that movie because I realized we are moving fast toward that direction: a life in seclusion with everything at hand, but nobody around.

And it started: internet, mobile phones, home delivery, online shopping, SMS, messenger…

Net 2.0 that allowed people to actually live virtual lives and interact with no fear of harm.

Second life, blogs, social networks…

And some people – I repeat: SOME – took it literally. Tools of communication used INSTEAD of real life.

Next step?  Surrogates. You hide in the safety of your house, while an improved version of yourself lives your life. How you would like to live it, but don’t have the confidence to do.

Maybe it’s a good idea. You feel braver and you might achieve more, have an adventurous life and evolve more than you would ever dream.

How about the cliché “no pain, no gain”?

If you become so frightened of getting hurt, of discomfort, pain, rejection, how can you truly appreciate triumph, pleasure, happiness?

I meet young people that would rather spend their life behind a keyboard than go out. They flirt online with partners they would never meet in the flesh. They dare more, they prove a sense of humor, wit, charm.

And than you challenge them to a real life conversation. No keyboards, no SMS abbreviated language – maimed communication in my opinion – and they are unable to emit a plain sentence!  

Hoards of young people – they look the best they will ever look, they have the stamina they will never get back and they practice abstinence like brushing their teeth. Why? It’s easier, cleaner, no complications, no disillusions. The easy way out.

I’m still an optimist. I still hope it’s just a trend. And trends come and go. The need of companionship, of human touch, of reaching out and actually meeting a real person will come back.

We are ultimately animals. A species that lives in groups. Not in seclusion. We are supposed to interact to survive and evolve.

I’m positive also that one day we’ll be searching and finding life mates, not affairs. Maybe not your average traditional couple. Maybe it will be a best friend for a lifetime.

I don’t know what will be. But I hope we’ll go out and meet real people, have real talks even if sometimes they generate blow ups. It’s good, because they are followed by making up.

For the moment, I’m watching like a hawk my Facebook agenda. I keep only people I have something in common with, we met at some point or we actually share something.

I don’t want just an impressive count of unknown faces, of people who have nothing to give and I’ll probably never want to meet.

I’ll just take the best of evolution: better, faster communication tools to share thoughts and feelings with friends.

No exhibitionism, no drawing attention with shocking messages just to seem interesting for 3 minutes or less.

Why would I? I still have the privilege to share a real life with real people who are able to SPEAK and LISTEN.

Follow my lead, get the fuck OUT!

 

trend forecast – already in motion

 

rethink your space

 

Ages ago houses had a room called library or study.

Wall to wall shelves of books.

 

Also the music room to fit your piano or cello.

 

In my parents flat one of the rooms is filled from floor to ceiling on every wall with books. Their hallway ha shelves and the bedroom too.

 

Nowadays we hold yards of CDs on the computer, ipod, mp3, iphone…

No need for physical space.

 

The movies are downloaded from the net, maybe saved on DVDs.

 

It’s the books’ turn.

 

So what should you do with all the space that’s left? We can now easily fit our entertainment center in a square meter – an armchair and a laptop it’s all you need to have access to music, books, movies, games or even visiting friends on your webcam.

 

My rock & jazz CDs, the entire Disc World collection, my towers of Vogue magazines became an anachronism?

 

Should I be glad I have more space for my shoes instead?

 

How will the houses of our children look like?

 

You don’t need the state of the art kitchen appliances, as you eat out.

 

No bookcase, no heavy music equipment, a flat huge screen and very slim speakers sticking to a wall and an entire world of entertainment on your tiny portable computer.

 

Can I keep my HUGE bed filled with live, space hogging cats, PLEASE?

 

 

return to innocence

 

what we need now in this mad world where traditional morals and values are rotting in the past is a return to a joyful candor and simplicity.

Maybe that’s why music turns it’s face for inspiration to the 50s, advertising and fashion to the 80s, as I stated many times before.

Here is my latest crush, an Australian young designer, Josh Goot.

His simple shapes are seductive without being revealing.

He handles strong colors as well as pastel in demure smoldering femininity.

It’s a new age we’re living, let’s try and get inspired from this clean designs or pure music.

It’s an evolution we should all embrace.

smoke ‘em if you got ‘em

When I was younger, so much younger than today,

[...]
Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors.
[...]

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
[...]

 

Help me if you can, I’m feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.

HELP – written by Lennon-McCartney 1965

 

 

 

Due to the increasing menace of banning public smoking, we might witness a return to traditional entertainment.

 

“When I was younger, so much younger than today,” we used to gather in ones home. The entire group of friends.

 

We were having a beer and a cigarette, listening to music, dancing and chatting. Till dawn. Sometimes for days in a row. Very innocent and pleasurable.

 

We called those gatherings “tea parties” though no tea was involved. No idea why.

 

In the 90’s the tradition faded away. Nobody wanted to act as the host, we’d rather hit a club or pub…

 

Now there are two reasons for a return of the old tea parties: the economic crisis and less and less places where you can smoke and have a drink simultaneously.

 

We shall remember how it feels to throw a party in your own home. Wash the wine stains from the rug with head pounding and throbbing in dark hangover.

 

Mountains of plastic cups and saucers around the entire house… in places you can’t explain.

 

Dirty looks from neighbors, complains and sometimes even the police banging on your door.

 

Still, I adored those times and those parties. Miss them terribly.

 

coronation

 

Bear with me. Probably most of the blogs in the world cover yesterday’s Inauguration.

 

It was another show to remember. I have an obsession – who is the actual Director of these American shows: election night, inauguration day?

 

What impressed me was the actual appearance of the 44^th President and his first lady.

 

After Bush clumsily went down the stairs – I was waiting for him to stumble and fall every second now – the new President GLIDED. He is really majestic, distinction and class seen seldom if ever. His presence is overwhelming.

 

The first lady reminded me of a Queen mostly due to her adorned brocade golden outfit completed with the precious necklace. I guessed Prada or Balenciaga, but I was wrong.

 

Of course, her garment was a statement of change and youth – out with the old, in with the new – a Cuban young designer, Isabel Toledo.

 

She accessorized in great style with a pair of teal kitten-heeled Jimmy Choo pumps and lime leather gloves.

 

And the King and Queen are backed by the American people and the entire world. Rarely in the entire history was a leader endorsed by so much hope. Never before was the planet so united in worshiping a sole God.

 

Not even the artists benefit from such unanimous support.  I hope he’ll deserve this general emulation.

 

This is a different century by all means. All the norms and stereotypes are blasted away – socially wise. I’m an amateur anthropologist that doesn’t cease to wonder.

 

we will rock you

 

I would like to share the most mind blowing experience I had in London: the musical We Will Rock You.

 

 

The music (no need to describe), the setup, the story, the audience…

I really felt ALIVE like rarely before.

 

Such happiness is hard to encounter but I’m so eager to try to repeat it.

 

If you ever get to London, PLEASE don’t leave without seeing this unique performance.

 

The plot – right up my alley – is set in the near future.

Teens look and behave like avatars, they don’t have names, but mess IDs.

 

The music is solely computer generated, the musical instruments are forbidden.

Another dystopia, as gloomy as Orwell’s 1984 in my view.

 

But, there are two rebels – a boy & a girl – that leave on a quest for Queen’s instruments, that are hidden and protected by charms under the stadium of champions.

 

Believe me, there’s MAGIC in this tale. It’s like a spell to keep Freddie’s memory alive, a pious tribute to the late God.

 

In the musical, when referring to his death, the characters explain that he flew too close to the sun. I think this is the most beautiful metaphor for the tragic loss we all suffered.

 

Also the English humor and sarcasm hitting the American pop culture & consumerism, the bad music that brain washes youth, the praise of Brit culture… such immense satisfaction!

 

I think this is the best way to travel – to enrich your soul with such… religious extasy.

 

There were two moments this year when I thanked God for the intensity of my feelings: when I stepped in Sagrada Familia and when the artists encouraged the audience to help them conjure the magic instruments to appear, by stomping their feet in the “we will rock you” famous beat…

 

 

obama school of communication presents

 

Type “Obama” on Youtube. You get 775,000 Videos.

 

Type “Beatles” – 61,000

 “elvis presley” – 32,000

“george bush” – 36,900

 

 

“britney spears” – 386,000

 

Topped with:

 

 

Now, second wave of communication:

 

 

still to come!

 

 

spinning the wheel

The future has a way of arriving unannounced

- George Frederick Will

 

 

So things don’t fall in place quite as expected, but as long as I’m living in turmoil of changes for more than a year by now, I should get used to it already!

 

What I’ve learned by now is that every change that took place was for the best. I shouldn’t plan ahead for too long because something more mesmerizing might come my way.

 

I’m shocked by my lack of shock. I’ll just adjust.

 

So, what’s next? I’ll play along.

 

fountain of youth

 

 

Ponce de León

 

 

 

 

No wonder Ponce de León looked for the Fountain of Youth in the New World…

 

It is there. But in the meantime, it spread across the entire world… for a few chosen people.

 

It’s not easy and it’s not cheap. But it’s possible. Within some boarders.

 

You can look 20 when you’re 40, you can look 30 when you’re 60 and so on.

 

Sport, health food, miracle potions and ointments, and finally the certainty of plastic surgery.

 

A few decades ago, just the fortunate genetic endowed people didn’t show their age. Now, people with money can choose to look young.

 

New surgery and procedures were invented for problem areas that betrayed your real age before.

 

These days there are ways to have younger neck, tits, hands, cleavage, knees… WHATEVER!

 

I most certainly would be a candidate for scalpel or laser once my good genes can’t take the load off by themselves. But not yet

 

Why this entry? Because last evening I had a “hands spa” for the first time. It lasted for 2 hours, plenty of time to ponder upon turning back time…

 

After all, they are living proof: