The Ghosts of Giants - An online art journal.

Main page = updated, the rest, not so much

2007-11-14T19:30:00.001-03:30

I still need to work out a few flaws in the layout and such, but it's almost done, which is rad.

In the meantime, however, I must go eat and study for a political science test.

Updating?

2007-11-13T20:37:00.001-03:30

Soon.

Yes.

Soon.

Redesigning

2007-09-29T03:12:00.000-02:30

So I'm a slacker, I know this. I'm redesigning the site though. It'll be up soon.

In the meantime, I made a new deviantart account: http://theghostsofgiants.deviantart.com

That is all.

I'm not dead!

2007-07-02T22:58:00.000-02:30

But my creativity seems to be in a bit of a coma. To try and wake it up, I've decided to start redesigning this bad boy. You'd think being unemployed and bored would result in a lot of artistic productivity. Not so much, apparently.

This is actually my first post since November. That's just ridiculous.

That's all I've got, so here, have a video, oh non-existent readers.

And go check out my other blog too, because you've got nothing better to do.

Two month intervals, whut!

2006-11-18T16:56:00.000-03:30

So once again it's been almost two months since my last update, and I've still got nothing worth posting. Kinda busy with school, and completely drained creatively, it seems. Hopefully the stagnant period ends, so that all zero of you can start enjoying some new art soon.

Maybe I'll have something new within the next two months. maybe I'll stop sucking horribly.

And with that, I must bid you adieu to go clean a piercing.

Once again, almost two months

2006-09-21T16:26:00.000-02:30

I have started, but have yet to complete, new illustraive and photomontage works. I'm just not feeling overly motivated right now. I'm still not completely settled into my new place. Perhaps once I am I'll start feeling motivated again.

I deleted the disclaimer though, because I really don't care, haha.

With that, I have to go to class.

Suckfully yours,
Jonathan Mikael Kennedy, Esq.

Yay updates!

2006-08-04T22:08:00.000-02:30

So I redesigned the wallpaper I had on the Art page. Resolutions out the wazoo. I'm getting a new monitor soon, so I need a good desktop for it. Looks much better than the old one, I think.

1680x1050
1440x900
1280x1024
1280x960
1024x768
800x600

I also updated the website layout ever-so-slightly to match the new and improved desktop. I think it looks pretty fresh, haha. Hopefully I'll have some other new art in the very near future.

Bulimic rainbows vomit what?

2006-07-30T18:04:00.000-02:30

(It's a thumbnail. You click it.)

This is actually a relatively old illustration, but I wasn't 100% pleased with it, so I reworked it a bunch today. It is now officially the first illustration on this site. Woo! I originally named it after an Armor For Sleep song which I had been listening to at the inception of the image. I just renamed it to "Bulimic rainbows vomit what?" because Amber reminded me of that line from "Burn Piano Island, Burn" by The Blood Brothers.

I've got another illustration in the works. Not surrealist in nature like this one, but fun nonetheless. It's nice to be creative again.

In the meantime, go to my LiveJournal and read this really fucked up dream that I had the other day whilst taking an afternoon nap. Some good surrealist material in there. I actually want to use the disappearing sky and the mirror thing in a film. Definitely working them into the screenplay somehow.

That's all for now.

kthxbye

Sweet zombie Jesus, almost two months without an update

2006-06-25T03:05:00.000-02:30

I really suck at this website bullshit. I never have anything new to post. I barely have time to work on any art now anyway. Lousy summer job, sucking up all of my creativity. I also have strep throat, so that's not helping either. Argh. Last summer was way more fucking productive for me. I'll try to be productive with all the artistic crap soon, I promise.

In the meantime though, I guess I could post a mini-rant that I posted on DU yesterday in response to a poll asking "'Funny' political nicknames [note: like "Condosleaza Rice"]: yea or nay?" (I've touched on the topic of decorum in political discussion in another post, but it's an important topic.)

Nicknames like that trivialize something that is anything but trivial, and they drag the decorum of political discourse down so fucking low that it becomes a fight between kids on a playground, not a political discussion at all. And for what? So you can have that smug chuckle to yourself, "Heh, 'Condosleaza,' I'm so clever," when it'd be infinitely more effective to just lay out the facts? Nevermind the fact that since we do it here amongst "ourselves" that we think it's okay when discussing politics with someone on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Whether it's amongst ourselves or to other people, it serves no real purpose. It doesn't prove a point. It doesn't make people stop and realize "Oh shit, Condoleeza is TOTALLY FUCKING SLEAZY! HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS BEFORE?!" It doesn't make people think "wow, this guy knows what the fuck he's talking about." Most people would actually dismiss every single point you make, no matter how true, the second you drop one of those stupid little names. They're probably thinking, "hey, this guy is making some really strong po--wait, did he just say 'Condosleaza'? Yeah, he's probably full of shit." It makes you seem like you've got a personal vendetta (which yes, I know some do) but in the public's mind, personal vendettas also make a person much more likely to stretch the truth or lie, so they would be much less likely to trust anyone who uses those nicknames.

Ugh, I am way too sick to think anymore. In conclusion: Stupid fucking nicknames: bad; decorum in political discourse: good.

So yeah, that's something worth posting here, I guess. ART SOON, I SWEAR!

Sketchbook updated? Holy crap!

2006-04-04T21:15:00.000-02:30

Yeah, my pencil maked sweet sweet love to my sketchbook last night. The results have been posted on the Sketchbook page. Peep that!

In other news, I have finals coming up soon. That should be fun. Don't expect much (if any) art from me in the next couple weeks.

Nothing too exciting

2006-03-23T18:09:00.000-03:30

I added The Beatsmith's website to the Design page. I'm slowly but surely getting this sucker fully functional.

I recently got a new Moleskine sketchbook for my birthday (it was an early gift), so hopefully that will inspire me to start drawing more so that I can actually put some shit on the sketchbook page.

That's about it, really.

Also, in my infinite boredom, I decided to create ROFLMAO Zedong:

This is what happens when I'm up too late studying history.

Pat Robertson is still a douche

2006-03-15T18:52:00.000-03:30

From February 3, courtesy of Media Matters: http://mediamatters.org/items/200602030003
(Yeah, I know, I'm a little late, but fuck that.)

Let's break it down into individual segments of bullshit, shall we?

ROBERTSON: Well, one day [Hugo Chávez is] going to be aiming nuclear weapons; and what's coming across the Gulf isn't going to be Katrina, it's going to be his nukes.

Chávez has been in talks with Argentina on the topic of nuclear development. This is the extent of Venezuela's nuclear capabilities right now. You want to know WHY Chávez is discussing such things with Argentina?

Chávez is serious about pursuing nuclear technology, in particular as a component of a long-range plan for energy cooperation among South American countries. And behind the idea of energy cooperation is energy independence, he adds - which could be a means of building the continent's political independence. (Courtesy Christian Science Monitor)

The fear here seems to be that Chávez is some sort of dictator-in-the-making (which seems to have little to no basis in actual fact) and that the only possible reason he could have for his interest in nuclear technology (the reasons for which I have already stated) is that he wants to blow the fuck out of the United States. All Robertson's rhetoric about nukes (Hannity's as well, for that matter) seems to be is paranoid fearmongering.

ROBERTSON: One day, we're going to have to go to war, I'm afraid, if he continues his policy, you know.

Wow, I thought the reasons for invading Iraq were fucking horrible. Robertson now expects the United States to go to war with Venezuela over policies like South American energy cooporation? Or does he mean Chávez's other policies, such as extending education, healthcare, subsidized food and micro-credits to the country's poor, and bringing "marginalized and excluded people into the political process and democratized power."?

Honestly, that last link, which is to an article called "The Op-Ed Assassination of Hugo Chávez" discusses the media and the right's false characterizations of Chávez, including the issue that he is some sort of authoritarian dictator, far better than I ever could. It's a worthwhile read.

All it really comes down to, it seems, is disinformation as a means to try and protect capitalist interests. Robertson himself mentioned "mobilizing Marxist forces," as though Marxism itself is some inherently evil thing.

Oh, and one last point...

COLMES: He's very popular with his country.

ROBERTSON: Well, yes and no. But he does --

COLMES: He's extremely popular. Eighty-percent of his country --

ROBERTSON: He's also calling for the destruction of George Bush. He calls him a war criminal.

First, what the hell does "Well, yes and no," mean? Second, a lot of people call George Bush a war criminal. Just because the leader of Venezuela opposes Bush and his imperial foreign policy, that is not a reason to want him assassinated.

Ah, what the hell? One last article about what an evil, evil man Chávez is, just for kicks: http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/386659opinion09-03-05.htm

More information about Venezuela:
http://www.zmag.org/venezuela_watch.cfm
http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org/democracy_venezuela_misinformation.htm

The Beatsmith website online

2006-03-11T22:25:00.000-03:30

Recently I did a little web design work for my friend Julian aka The Beatsmith.

Check out the site here.

I actually lifted the colour scheme for this site from the colour scheme I devised for his site. So it's my site that I got lazy in designing, not his, haha.

In other news, it's been over a month since I last updated this place, and sadly, I have no new art. (School once again went apeshit on me.) I did buy a few new paintbrushes recently. I have a couple paintings to work on, but I doubt either of them will make it online. Actually one might. I'm doing one for my dad, which probably won't make it online, since what he wants is radically outside of my usual style and subject matter. My friend Robyn also wants a painting. I'll have much more freedom for my work on that, so it might wind up online.

I've been talking to this great local band called Marceno. I might end up doing some artistic work for them, which should be really cool. Those fuckers know how to rock.

00:03 - The Third Floor

2006-02-08T12:05:00.000-03:30

"It looks like Radiohead sounds."
-mega3

Best comment ever. Hooray for new art!

(Click the thumbnail, fool.)

Part three of Fifteen Stories in Thirteen Seconds.

A friend of mine, upon seeing this, mentioned to me that floating mystery doors is a common motif in Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series. I've never read a Stephen King novel in my life. The Shining is one of my favourite films, but that's about the extent of my King knowledge. (And according to King purists, it's not that good of a representation of the book, so even knowing the film, I know very little of King's work.) This can only mean one thing: Stephen King has a time travel device of some sort which he uses to travel forward in time and steal ideas from obscure artists like myself.

School work makes me sad

2006-02-04T23:00:00.000-03:30

I have two political science tests and a psychology test this week. Awesome. I'm also working on a new photomontage, finally, and am trying to finish up the website I've been working on. All in due time, I suppose.

In the meantime, I have a date with Plato and Socrates.

Ouch, my government

2006-01-24T09:50:00.000-03:30

Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The phrase alone depresses me.

Just for fun, let's take a look at seat arrangements and the popular vote.

The Conservatives got 124 seats, and 36.25% of the popular vote.
36.25% of the seats in parliament would be approximately 112 seats.

The Liberals got 103 seats and 30.22% of the popular vote.
30.22% of the seats in parliament would be approximately 93 seats.

Bloc Quebecois got 51 seats, and 10.48% of the popular vote.
10.48% of the seats in parliament would be approximately 32 seats.

NDP got 29 seats, and 17.49% of the popular vote.
17.49% of the seats in parliament would be approximately 54 seats.

An independent got 1 seat, and 0.52% of the popular vote.
0.52% of the seats in parliament would be approximately 2 seats. (Though a lone independent might have trouble occupying two seats, but for the sake of argument...)

Other parties (I would assume mostly the Greens) got no seats, and 5.05% of the popular vote.
5.05% of the seats in parliament would be approximately 15 seats.

Anyone else see something wrong with this picture?

(Statistics courtesy of CBC.)

Fuck first-past-the-post elections.

VOTE TOMORROW!!!

2006-01-22T18:23:00.000-03:30

If you are Canadian and 18 or older (and by some incredible act of God actually reading this), fucking vote tomorrow. Even if you support NONE of the parties, go in and spoil your ballot. Write something ridiculous on it, like "UP THE PUNX" or something. That's just as legitimate a form of voting as checking off the candidate of your choice. Think of it as a "none of the above" vote. The more people that actually get out there and vote, the more accurately the population as a whole will be represented in parliament. It won't be perfect, but it's the best we can hope for (until we get some proportional representation up in that motherfucker, but as I've said before, that's another rant).

Voting

2006-01-19T17:01:00.000-03:30

So Monday is election day. I was just thinking about something a friend of mine said the other day. He said that voting for the NDP is a waste of a vote, because they're obviously not going to win in this riding. The part about them not winning in this riding is true. Norm Doyle, the Conservative candidate, is most likely taking this riding again. However, the idea of not voting for the NDP just because they're not going to win is bullshit. The way I see it, the point of voting is to vote for who you WANT to win, not who you THINK is going to win. This is the whole point of democracy: you vote for who YOU want, not what you think everyone else wants. That way, every voice should (though with our electoral system not every voice will, which is why I'm a proponent of proportional representation, but that's a different rant) be heard. I want the NDP to win in whatever riding I happen to be in at any given time. As such, I'll be voting for Mike Kehoe on Monday, because that's what I want. Do I want the Liberals or Conservatives to win? No. Which means it would be completely asinine to vote for either of them just because I don't think the NDP candidate is going to win.

I'm not dead!

2006-01-10T19:30:00.000-03:30

(Insert Monty Python scene here.)

Yeah, so I'm back at school, but I'll try to update shit. Really should get my galleries up and running. I'm working on a website for my friend Julian, so that should be online soon. I should be doing some painting soon too, since I got an easel and cnvases for Christmas.

So hang in there, even though there's probably no one reading this anyway. New stuff lies ahead.

Happy new year!

2006-01-01T00:35:00.000-03:30

I'll update eventually. For the time being, I have a date with The Psychedelic Furs.

Happy Christmas!

2005-12-25T07:00:00.000-03:30

Hope it's a good one...

Enough with this "War on Christmas" bullshit

2005-12-08T21:27:00.000-03:30

So today I managed to get myself pulled into this "War on Christmas" debate. This has to be the absolute most ridiculous shit I've ever come across. (And believe me, I've seen some ridiculous shit in my day. I'm talking people getting in suitcases and tumbling down a flight of stairs for fun here, haha.) Anyway, I responded to an article called "Why the World Rejects 'Christmas'" with the following:

It isn't about rejecting Christmas or its religious connotations, it's about accepting and including those who don't celebrate Christmas but do happen to celebrate some sort of major holiday, (whether religious or secular, whether they call it Chritmas, Hanukkah, Solstice or whatever), around the same time that Christians celebrate Christmas. Is that really so hard to understand?

So someone (I have no idea if it was the original author or not, as the website gives no names) decided to respond:

No, it is NOT difficult to understand. We Christians have been sharing Christmas with those who do not share our beliefs for centuries. We have been most tolerate and understanding. It is the other side who insists that "MERRY CHRISTMAS" cannot be uttered in the public square any longer. It is the "other side" who insist on being intolerate! We have not told anyone they cannot say "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings." Many Christians have even adopted (unfortunately) the story of Santa Claus and allowed him into their homes. No, we have been tolerate and accomadating. But enough is enough. No more Christian bashing from you secularist! Please! And MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A fairly incoherent argument to be sure, bearing no real relevance to the original article (aside from the mention of Christians embracing Santa Claus, which I frankly don't give a shit about, that's their problem, not mine) or to my comment. The point of the article is that "Jesus is why we celebrate Christmas!" My point, of course, is that not everyone celebrates Christmas. So here's my reply to this person, (which they apparently haven't posted yet):

First of all, how exactly am I bashing Christians? I never said a single negative word towards Christians in my post. As a matter of fact, while I may be a secularist (which you seem to be using as a pejorative, so you might want to be careful when talking about bashing people), I strongly believe in respecting ALL religions, including Christianity (as I was raised in a very Christian environment).

No one is saying that "Merry Christmas" can't be uttered. Saying "Merry Christmas" to someone that actually celebrates Christmas is absolutely fine. However, you can't just disregard that there are other holidays being celebrated. Saying "Merry Christmas" to someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas is a mild faux at best, and if you insist on saying it to everyone whether or not they celebrate it, that is just downright ignorant. Now how might one extend a greeting over a holiday season without actually knowing what particular holiday the other person celebrates? "Happy holidays!" How about a large crowd of people who, while some might celebrate Christmas, others might not? Rather than potentially excluding some by specifying a holiday, (how would you feel if it was insisted that they only acknowledge, for the sake of argument, Kwanzaa, to the exclusion of everything, including Christmas?), saying "Happy holidays" includes everyone.

Then, if you take into account that people who celebrate Christmas might also be celebrating the New Year holiday, and you might have Canadians or Britons who also celebrate Boxing Day, it's pretty logical to use "happy holidays" in such a context as well, rather than saying something as long-winded as "Merry Christmas and a happy New Year (and if you're Canadian or from the UK, happy Boxing Day)."

As a matter of fact, I happen to celebrate Christmas (like I said, I was raised in a very Christian environment), so Merry Christmas to you, too. And happy holidays to anyone reading this who celebrate other holidays.

All of this "War on Christmas" crap is just indicative of a nasty persecution complex and really has no basis in reality. These conservative Christians, (it's only the conservatives, I know a number of liberal Christians who think this is all ridiculous as well), are just upset that they no longer have a monopoly over the idea of what religion is, (especially in the United States). They feel threatened. I think my point here is pretty well stated, so I'll just leave it at that and I guess report back if the discussion continues.

Desktops for all!

2005-12-07T14:27:00.000-03:30

Actually just A desktop, but whatever. Go to the art section. Download it. Impress members of the opposite sex (and/or the same sex).

It's styled after the header of the site. Not an exact replication, but close. Why are you even still reading this? You should be on the art page downloading it right now. How are you going to impress members of the opposite (and/or same) sex with your mad desktop steez when you're still here reading this crap? GO! GO! GO!

I feel so productive

2005-12-05T23:22:00.000-03:30

5/5 sections are now up and running (though the three main ones, Art, Design and Sketchbook, have no real content yet).

Now all I have to do is make thumbnails and whatnot and get that content up.

1/5 of the way there...

2005-12-05T19:37:00.000-03:30

The Ghosts of Giants - An online art journal.

Main page = updated, the rest, not so much

Updating?

Redesigning

So I'm a slacker, I know this. I'm redesigning the site though. It'll be up soon.In the meantime, I made a new deviantart account: http://theghostsofgiants.deviantart.comThat is all.

I'm not dead!

Two month intervals, whut!

Once again, almost two months

Yay updates!

Bulimic rainbows vomit what?

Sweet zombie Jesus, almost two months without an update

So yeah, that's something worth posting here, I guess. ART SOON, I SWEAR!

Sketchbook updated? Holy crap!

Yeah, my pencil maked sweet sweet love to my sketchbook last night. The results have been posted on the Sketchbook page. Peep that!In other news, I have finals coming up soon. That should be fun. Don't expect much (if any) art from me in the next couple weeks.

Nothing too exciting

Pat Robertson is still a douche

From February 3, courtesy of Media Matters: http://mediamatters.org/items/200602030003(Yeah, I know, I'm a little late, but fuck that.)Let's break it down into individual segments of bullshit, shall we?

Chávez has been in talks with Argentina on the topic of nuclear development. This is the extent of Venezuela's nuclear capabilities right now. You want to know WHY Chávez is discussing such things with Argentina?

The Beatsmith website online

00:03 - The Third Floor

School work makes me sad

I have two political science tests and a psychology test this week. Awesome. I'm also working on a new photomontage, finally, and am trying to finish up the website I've been working on. All in due time, I suppose.In the meantime, I have a date with Plato and Socrates.

Ouch, my government

VOTE TOMORROW!!!

Voting

I'm not dead!

Happy new year!

I'll update eventually. For the time being, I have a date with The Psychedelic Furs.

Happy Christmas!

Hope it's a good one...

Enough with this "War on Christmas" bullshit

So someone (I have no idea if it was the original author or not, as the website gives no names) decided to respond:

Desktops for all!

I feel so productive

5/5 sections are now up and running (though the three main ones, Art, Design and Sketchbook, have no real content yet).Now all I have to do is make thumbnails and whatnot and get that content up.

1/5 of the way there...

I have the "About" section up and running. I feel so productive.

So I'm a slacker, I know this. I'm redesigning the site though. It'll be up soon.

In the meantime, I made a new deviantart account: http://theghostsofgiants.deviantart.com

That is all.

Yeah, my pencil maked sweet sweet love to my sketchbook last night. The results have been posted on the Sketchbook page. Peep that!

In other news, I have finals coming up soon. That should be fun. Don't expect much (if any) art from me in the next couple weeks.

From February 3, courtesy of Media Matters: http://mediamatters.org/items/200602030003
(Yeah, I know, I'm a little late, but fuck that.)

Let's break it down into individual segments of bullshit, shall we?

I have two political science tests and a psychology test this week. Awesome. I'm also working on a new photomontage, finally, and am trying to finish up the website I've been working on. All in due time, I suppose.

In the meantime, I have a date with Plato and Socrates.

5/5 sections are now up and running (though the three main ones, Art, Design and Sketchbook, have no real content yet).

Now all I have to do is make thumbnails and whatnot and get that content up.