Recommendations: Organizations
Theater Oobleck, Chicago
Experimental theater
by Theatre Oobleck. Jeff Dorchen certainly
makes a convincing Dick Cheney.
Theatre Oobleck Website
I took a year off my studies at University of Michigan in the early 1980s and became a prop artist for a small theater group called Streetlight Theater. They touted themselves as a communist theater with no director, that was dedicated to promoting various leftish social and politacal agendas. One fine day, the whole theater troupe picked up and moved to Chicago leaving me behind to finish my degree.
The group is now known as Theatre Oobleck and has been successfully surprising, antagonizing, and inspiring the people of the Chicago area and beyond with their work. Some of their works have even been produced off Broadway and over seas.
Here's a spot from their Manifesto:
Putting the burden of innovation on the director is like putting the prime minister in charge of the revolution, for the director, insofar as he remains a director, cannot help but defend that kind of theater in which he has a place of importance, suppressing those ancient models of the theater which do not require his services.
Posted on 09/29/11
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NPR
It's a sad day.
My Government's Senate no longer supports public radio. I made a donation and will make more. Support your local NPR station. http://www.npr.org/stations/donate/
Posted on 03/17/11
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Blender.org
Blender is a FREE open-sourced software program for making 3D digital animation
Blender.org is a community of artists and software engineers who use and develop one amazing software package. Whether you are interested in digital animation, games, or making 3D models, Blender can help you. It can be complicated to use, but that's because it is so versatile. I recommend the website, too because it is full of helpful tutorials and examples. There is another forum for helping with Blender use, http://wwww.blenderartists.org The p.rogram can be downloaded from Blender.org. Make certain that you get the newer version, 2.5 or greater. Blender is as powerful as similar software programs like Z-brush and Maya, but it is entirely free. It also runs on mac and PC. My biggest tip is to learn the keyboard shortcuts. I have made summary sheets of the keyboard and mouse shortcuts that you can download ShortCuts.pdf . Above is a mesh that I built from the ground up using Blender.
I also have some free blender lessons that introduce the the complicated program in small steps, suitable for teens or methodical adults.
Blender 2.5 Keyboard Shortcuts
Posted on 03/14/11
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The Brights
Illuminating and elevating the naturalistic worldview
The Brights are an organization that promotes the idea that all truths are derived from a universe that follows natural principle. The Brights include folks like you and me, but also an impressive listing of brilliant and controversial individuals like Richard Dawkins, Penn & Teller, Leo Igwe and Daniel Dennett to name only a few. If you're having difficulties coming to terms with theology, you're not alone. Check out The Brights.
Posted on 03/13/11
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