http://angelingo.usc.edu Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:01:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Although copyright and fair use have traditionally been seen as the specialized purview of lawyers and big media conglomerates, it has become increasingly clear that such terms are beginning to hold importance for anyone and everyone who consumes and produces culture. Particularly during the last few decades, we’ve seen a ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=605 The focus of this blog is orchestral electronic music. This genre strikes me as significant to contemporary times in more than obvious ways. For example, an obvious observation of this genre would be that it mixes the old instances of music with new technology, say, strings with a ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=598 10 ½ . You know the hacks for check out lines at your local Target. 10. The employees at the Starbucks next to that Target know you. 9. Every single xmas and birthday present you have received for the past four years is a Starbucks gift card, and you now own the ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=583 From a semiotic perspective, the word “freedom” may be the most slippery of all signifiers. Throughout the history of the American media, it has been most commonly and strategically utilized by politicians as a dangerous simulacrum: conjuring up romantic images of flag-waving, battle-waging, apple pie patriotism, while using the powerful ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=573 10. Alcamy; Origin: American; Meaning: Alternate spelling of Alchemy; Guaranteed: Your kid will fail chemistry. 9. Cloud, Cricket, Denim… Please refrain from naming your child after the first random object that pops into your little brain. 8. Butch 7. Aim; Origin: American; Meaning: Direct toward target… or “My parents are social networking whores.” 6. ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=570 A little while ago I wrote a paper on experimental music and attempts to thwart, or at least chip away, at the music industry's glorification of what we might call "mainstream music." In this context I am talking about your Billboard top 100, or the most advertised albums in ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=568 10. The Flowers… Changed Daily. 9. The Doheny Book Stacks. 8. The Over-the-Top Cinema Building, à la George Lucas. 7. The DPS Tri-Motor-Scooter-Mobile-Things. 6. The Construction. 5. The Squirrels. 4. The Finger Fountain. 3. The 29 Plus USC Fountains. 2. The Globe. 1. The Ghetto. http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=559 “Television is a toaster with pictures.”   - Mark Fowler, FCC Chair, 1981-1987 Although I originally intended for this blog to have a specific “film” focus, in the age of convergence, hyper-conglomeration, and incestuous horizontal integration, I’m finding that this narrow distinction is becoming less and less pertinent. After all, when film ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=557 10. That one time his scooter was trashed… 9. “Come live the nightmare of your choice… Tales from the Darkside: The Movie” 8. That one time he plays a troubled teen… Oh wait, that’s every movie. 7. Young rookie lawyer working Alcatraz row. 6. Once upon a time when he was a sexy, almost ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=554 Why is it that we are required to learn a foreign language in high school and college?  In my personal experience, I've never had a practical use for the languages I've learned and have focused more on the things that I am interested in pursuing.  Like music.  Music is very ... http://angelingo.usc.edu/?p=550