15 November 2005
Today in Oakland the sun is shining and it feels like Spring. 
It is near 80 degrees without a cloud in the sky. 
There is a lot changing in my life right now and I can't really talk about much of it in this arena. 
But things are good, I can say this much. 
I have been surfing around a bit on www.myspace.com today and it really is an interesting site. 
Overall it seems to be this "Modern Americana" sort of thing that is quite popular with youth across the country. 
It is really amazing to me to come across the countless revealing profiles out on the 'net
...folks looking for new and old friends, sharing thoughts, venting frustrations, seeking like minds. 
The internet is such a profound way of communication today and it blows my mind to think of how far it has
come in such a short time. 
In 1997, I set up my first e-mail account.  I thought it would work with the speed that we now enjoy through Instant Messaging. 
A little disappointed, I can remember thinking it was pretty cool but that it would never be able to
replace "hard copies" of letters, notes, cards etc. 
Now I use the internet to communicate with my employers, clients, research products and vacations,
pay my bills, check weather and traffic,
get directions, read worldwide news in real time and buy and sell items through helpful sites like www.craigslist.org. 
By the way, when I discovered Craigslist in 2000, I thought it was the greatest thing to hit the Bay Area. 
In a way, I was right.  Everyone seems to be familiar with Craigslist now. 
There are now over 3,000,000,000 page views per month, with sites for 190 cities in 35 nations,
ALL controlled by just 18 people working in one Victorian house in San Francisco's Inner Sunset neighborhood. 

How is it that so few people can control this vast wealth of information?
Could all the information on the net somehow be lost? In the event of a global catastrophe, information on the web that
has no backup could be lost forever.  The words I type here on this page exist only in my computer, on your screen,
and on this web of information we call the internet.  We cannot deny the practicality of sites like Craigslist. 
The postings come and go; they expire and are deleted... they are forgotten and rarely missed. 
Yet when it comes to more philosophical or "intelligent" type-written efforts, could all our labors be in vain?  
Are the countless hours we spend sharing ourselves, our thoughts, our beliefs and our convictions on the
'net simply a waste of precious time?

The point I am getting at is this: 
There is still much value to be placed on the art of writing a book, drawing a picture, and using ones hands to
physically create something.  This is why I always encourage other people, self-proclaimed artists or not, to
get in touch with the creativity within. 
We ALL have it inside of us, it just needs to be nurtured and encouraged in order to grow. 

This artist refuses to allow the current social climate to dictate his fate.  I challenge you to do the same.