... was created by a relief worker in the Philippines, an Editorial Assistant at America's leading Buddhist periodical, and a poet-at-large. Highbrow poetry and cultural criticism. New content posted daily!
http://norecord.wordpress.com
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Book Review
Depraved Press recently called "None of That Will Do. Now What?" one of the best books of 2007, drawling parallels to Denis Johnson and F. Scott Fitzgerald in the process. Not bad results for a work composed in three days in a Kyoto apartment building fueled on meditation, vending machine booze, and the desire to avoid a 6'8" Australian roommate's inevitable monologues on the state of NCAA basketball. Thanks, Caleb!
http://www.depravedpress.com/Book03.html
http://www.depravedpress.com/Book03.html
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Further Dispatches from Colombia
Joshua Marcus is at it again - south of the equator, flying on military planes, observing frontier plastic surgery, taking dirt-road motorcycle rides in search of fruit, and finding out just how hard young children will fight each other for free pencils and blank pads of paper. This time, thanks to recent advances in portable digital recording technology, you can see his journalism in live action here:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peterucker
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peterucker
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Article in the New York Times
Yuriko Katori, whose artwork graces the homepage of the No Record webiste, has recently enjoyed her first major gallery exhibition in SoHo. We were there at the party, drinking stiff drinks and hobnobbing with bearded aesthetes; it was a smashing time, and we didn't mind the friday-morning hangovers one iota. But now that the booze has worn off and her etchings are officially for sale, we're tempted to say a lot of nice things that will convince you to visit the gallery. Then again, why should we go to the trouble, when the New York Times is already convincing you for us?
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/travel/29weekend.html?ex=1186372800&en=d3f506d6ab6d1e91&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Johnathan Shorr Gallery, 109 Crosby St., New York, NY
Hours: 11AM-6PM
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/travel/29weekend.html?ex=1186372800&en=d3f506d6ab6d1e91&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Johnathan Shorr Gallery, 109 Crosby St., New York, NY
Hours: 11AM-6PM
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Mosiac Musings denounces its own writers
http://forums.mosaicmusings.net/index.php?act=SR&f=8
Mosaic Musings LLC, a large story-posting forum, strictly prohibits any copying of information from its site, and we aren't ones to break the laws of the internet. However, we read through their "instructions for posting" page (which does not technically fall under the umbrella of protection), and discovered a disturbing suggestion: that authors earmark their stories with emoticons such as "happy," uplifting," etc. that would help fellow writers more immediately identify the intentions of each piece. It would be far from No Record's mandate to question the use of this dietary staple of the internet. And one must give a certain latitude to anyone attempting to symbolize ephmeralities. Our issue is not the fundamental use of emoticons, which we believe to be a worthy one. Our issue here is with their classification; that, at times, the use of these emoticons stretches far beyond the pale of accpetability, and seems intent less on helping a reader, than deliberately misleading or prejudicing him. Worse still is the pernicious subtext of this misuse, and its reflections on the artists themselves. To wit:
Their "Gloomy" emoticon features a silver gray cloud, with raindrops emanating from the bottom. Unfortunately, the cloud also appears to be smiling. While many writers revel in their own sorrow, it seems an odd fact to disclose, and may distort or dampen the impact of said gloominess.
Their "In Memorium" emoticon features an animated candle. This image is unique, as the only of the symbols which "moves." I find it somewhat strange that expressions seeking to highlight past accomplishments should also be those which indicates action. What is Mosaic Musings trying to say about the saliency of our life achievements here? They say: not only can your life achievements never be truly appreciated by others; furthermore, their living memory is tethered to a wick which will eventually blacken and disappear. Hence: all life is tragedy. I refuse to accept this. They should switch this with the "gloomy" emoticon.
"Political" appears in the form of a gavel. This is unduly cynical, considering that the forum is in English, a common law system, in which the judiciary is kept separate from politics. Since Montesquieu (the second-most quoted author in "The Federalist Papers," after God), we've come to understand that good politics is premised on the idea of balance; tyrants, in his system, are given cursory descriptions. Does Mosaic Musings think its contributors view politics as tyrants do? Are they similarly unrefined to follow rules? Or is Mosaic Musings' intention to establish a metaphor between the adversarial nature of common law jurisprudence and current bipartisan politics? This, unfortunately, presupposes a sharp divide between ideologies of two parties which does not currently exist, and unconsciously endorses a two-party system as inevitable. I don't know which of these I find more offensive.
"Lyric" appears as a music tune. There surface symbolism here makes little sense, as the musical notation refers to scale, and not the chirographic output itself (lyrics, after all, carry no suggestion as to tone). Hence, there is no way for contributors using this emoticon to truly indicate the sense of rhythm and scale progression necessary in their works.
"Uplifting" depicts a sun with shades on. While I sympathize with any attempt to lasso a term as difficult as "uplifting" while remaining religiously neutral, the image chosen makes no sense; after all, the image of an angry sun, in Weatherman-Speak (where this emoticon certainly had its genesis) is almost identical; no one who has spent a summer in Los Angeles will ever view an unobstructed, well-hung sun with anything but hatred. The benign smile on said sun may mitigate, but in no way expurgate, the bile from the subtext of our souls.
Finally, "tender care" appears in the form of a life preserving donut. I am unclear of the meaning here. What is "tender" about a life preserver? Is there anything "tender" about taking your blonde secretary out on your speedboat, getting plastered together on deck, sleeping together below it, crashing at high speeds into a floating manatee, and having some greasy longshoreman frisbee a hard-pastic disc to you from the side of his trawler before you both drown? That seems like relief to me. Better would be an emoticon showing one stick-figure giving another a sponge-bath. Such an image would incorporate the theme of water and buyouncy, while depicting this social act far more clearly.
What this emoticon misusage points to, more than anything, is a subtle message, from the moderators of Mosaic Musings, to their authors: try as you may, you will inevitably fail to express yourself in your given medium. No wonder negative comments are not allowed; the powers-that-be want it all the laughs for themselves.
Mosaic Musings LLC, a large story-posting forum, strictly prohibits any copying of information from its site, and we aren't ones to break the laws of the internet. However, we read through their "instructions for posting" page (which does not technically fall under the umbrella of protection), and discovered a disturbing suggestion: that authors earmark their stories with emoticons such as "happy," uplifting," etc. that would help fellow writers more immediately identify the intentions of each piece. It would be far from No Record's mandate to question the use of this dietary staple of the internet. And one must give a certain latitude to anyone attempting to symbolize ephmeralities. Our issue is not the fundamental use of emoticons, which we believe to be a worthy one. Our issue here is with their classification; that, at times, the use of these emoticons stretches far beyond the pale of accpetability, and seems intent less on helping a reader, than deliberately misleading or prejudicing him. Worse still is the pernicious subtext of this misuse, and its reflections on the artists themselves. To wit:
Their "Gloomy" emoticon features a silver gray cloud, with raindrops emanating from the bottom. Unfortunately, the cloud also appears to be smiling. While many writers revel in their own sorrow, it seems an odd fact to disclose, and may distort or dampen the impact of said gloominess.
Their "In Memorium" emoticon features an animated candle. This image is unique, as the only of the symbols which "moves." I find it somewhat strange that expressions seeking to highlight past accomplishments should also be those which indicates action. What is Mosaic Musings trying to say about the saliency of our life achievements here? They say: not only can your life achievements never be truly appreciated by others; furthermore, their living memory is tethered to a wick which will eventually blacken and disappear. Hence: all life is tragedy. I refuse to accept this. They should switch this with the "gloomy" emoticon.
"Political" appears in the form of a gavel. This is unduly cynical, considering that the forum is in English, a common law system, in which the judiciary is kept separate from politics. Since Montesquieu (the second-most quoted author in "The Federalist Papers," after God), we've come to understand that good politics is premised on the idea of balance; tyrants, in his system, are given cursory descriptions. Does Mosaic Musings think its contributors view politics as tyrants do? Are they similarly unrefined to follow rules? Or is Mosaic Musings' intention to establish a metaphor between the adversarial nature of common law jurisprudence and current bipartisan politics? This, unfortunately, presupposes a sharp divide between ideologies of two parties which does not currently exist, and unconsciously endorses a two-party system as inevitable. I don't know which of these I find more offensive.
"Lyric" appears as a music tune. There surface symbolism here makes little sense, as the musical notation refers to scale, and not the chirographic output itself (lyrics, after all, carry no suggestion as to tone). Hence, there is no way for contributors using this emoticon to truly indicate the sense of rhythm and scale progression necessary in their works.
"Uplifting" depicts a sun with shades on. While I sympathize with any attempt to lasso a term as difficult as "uplifting" while remaining religiously neutral, the image chosen makes no sense; after all, the image of an angry sun, in Weatherman-Speak (where this emoticon certainly had its genesis) is almost identical; no one who has spent a summer in Los Angeles will ever view an unobstructed, well-hung sun with anything but hatred. The benign smile on said sun may mitigate, but in no way expurgate, the bile from the subtext of our souls.
Finally, "tender care" appears in the form of a life preserving donut. I am unclear of the meaning here. What is "tender" about a life preserver? Is there anything "tender" about taking your blonde secretary out on your speedboat, getting plastered together on deck, sleeping together below it, crashing at high speeds into a floating manatee, and having some greasy longshoreman frisbee a hard-pastic disc to you from the side of his trawler before you both drown? That seems like relief to me. Better would be an emoticon showing one stick-figure giving another a sponge-bath. Such an image would incorporate the theme of water and buyouncy, while depicting this social act far more clearly.
What this emoticon misusage points to, more than anything, is a subtle message, from the moderators of Mosaic Musings, to their authors: try as you may, you will inevitably fail to express yourself in your given medium. No wonder negative comments are not allowed; the powers-that-be want it all the laughs for themselves.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Don't Waste Your Time With Mosaic Musings
http://forums.mosaicmusings.net/index.php?showforum=8
I've just saved you time by sharing this tip with you. I visited the forum in search of quality writing and in hopes of contributing my two cents. Visit the forum and take a cursory look at the so-called short stories. The comments will also give you a laugh. Enough said. Tell them No Record Press says hello.
I've just saved you time by sharing this tip with you. I visited the forum in search of quality writing and in hopes of contributing my two cents. Visit the forum and take a cursory look at the so-called short stories. The comments will also give you a laugh. Enough said. Tell them No Record Press says hello.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Coffe Shop Aptitude Test
Ned Vizzini
“Beauty”
Approx. 700 words
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/beauty/
In the world of coffee-shop stories, there are those that take themselves seriously, and those that do not. Only those coffee shop stories that do not take themselves seriously warrant consideration. Ned Vizzini’s “Beauty” is not set in any place other than a coffee shop, and is worthy of consideration.
If the above statements are true, it can be properly inferred that:
a) This story is not set in a coffee shop
b) Only coffee shops playing Phil Collins’ Susudio are taken seriously
c) Ned Vizzini is an extraterrestrial; “setting” does not apply
d) Setting up a blind date in a coffee shop is worthy of consideration
e) Beauty is relative concept
In Ned Vizzini’s “Beauty,” the protagonist does all of the following EXCEPT:
a) Discuss corporate strategy relating to the release of the iPhone
b) Lament his hellraising youth
c) Speculate on the conversation between a mother and daughter
d) Listen to Susudio in a coffee shop
e) Make use of the phrase in media res
In the shadow created by my arms, the shiny end of my headphones stands out. It must have exposed itself as I leapt up.
In context, the following sentence is meant as:
a) An impromptu mating signal
b) An exposure of the protagonist’s intimacy with electronic media
c) A metaphor of Christ ascending to heaven
d) An allusion to American Psycho
e) None of the above
The primary purpose of this story is to:
a) raise awareness of the potential enjoyments in coffee shops
b) raise awareness of Ned Vizzini’s talents as a writer
c) raise awareness of the impending release of the iPhone
d) raise awareness of the existence of mother-daughter conflicts
e) all of the above
“Beauty”
Approx. 700 words
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/beauty/
In the world of coffee-shop stories, there are those that take themselves seriously, and those that do not. Only those coffee shop stories that do not take themselves seriously warrant consideration. Ned Vizzini’s “Beauty” is not set in any place other than a coffee shop, and is worthy of consideration.
If the above statements are true, it can be properly inferred that:
a) This story is not set in a coffee shop
b) Only coffee shops playing Phil Collins’ Susudio are taken seriously
c) Ned Vizzini is an extraterrestrial; “setting” does not apply
d) Setting up a blind date in a coffee shop is worthy of consideration
e) Beauty is relative concept
In Ned Vizzini’s “Beauty,” the protagonist does all of the following EXCEPT:
a) Discuss corporate strategy relating to the release of the iPhone
b) Lament his hellraising youth
c) Speculate on the conversation between a mother and daughter
d) Listen to Susudio in a coffee shop
e) Make use of the phrase in media res
In the shadow created by my arms, the shiny end of my headphones stands out. It must have exposed itself as I leapt up.
In context, the following sentence is meant as:
a) An impromptu mating signal
b) An exposure of the protagonist’s intimacy with electronic media
c) A metaphor of Christ ascending to heaven
d) An allusion to American Psycho
e) None of the above
The primary purpose of this story is to:
a) raise awareness of the potential enjoyments in coffee shops
b) raise awareness of Ned Vizzini’s talents as a writer
c) raise awareness of the impending release of the iPhone
d) raise awareness of the existence of mother-daughter conflicts
e) all of the above
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