All posts by d dot b

Breathe & Stop

January 18, 2008 d dot b Leave a comment

Breathtakers
Virtues: Cot damn, sexy, ravishing

They come when you least expect it;
Taking you back to a place in time where bliss stays rampant & inhibition is diluted;
Their mere presence alters your rhythm;
Thought is interrupted, Breath is suspended, Mobility is stalled;
Time slows to a snail’s pace, and vision acuity is crystallized
Focus, ready, shoot.
Snap!
The memory is sharper than any Digi SLR;
Filed & archived away as a moment in time that will last forever as I continue my walk down the city sidewalk.

Entertainment, videos

Manoj: India’s Elite Telemarketer (mockumentary)

January 14, 2008 d dot b Leave a comment

India’s ‘The Office’

A very funny spoof of outsourcing in India as ‘Manoj’ takes the viewer on a mockumentary on his business and lifestyle in India. This video takes some cues from the popular TV show ‘the Office (U.S. & U.K. version), and adds an Indian flavor to it – while also touching on the outsourcing issue as many American corporations put their call centers in India.
I put this video up (besides the fact that is funny & intriguing) is that I had an idea which was similar to this a couple of years ago, and I still think, if written and presented properly, this idea would be a hit. Something for you striking Hollywood writers to think about on your laptops in Starbucks.

.:: d.b
http://desieb.blogspot.com

Popular Culture, Social

Starblocks

January 7, 2008 d dot b 1 Comment

StarBlocks
“The culture of the coffee-stop empire.”
This is just an observatory piece of being at a Starbucks on a Friday night in the T Dot. My unorthodox biz partners & I, decked in modern hip-hop attire; hoodies, loose fitting jeans, and portable mp3 players walk into a Starbucks in one of the moderate-to-affluent parts of our city (* Note, I don’t know about your city, but there are no Starbucks in our hoods). Naturally, when 3 big black guys walk into such an establishment, there are the usual quick glances away from us, and awkward pauses in their conversations with each other. Which I understand, sadly, because you know, we are out of our element – however I’m not writing about that … been there, done that, ya dig?

So after getting hot beverages that were obtained/stolen/exploited from Africa (topic for another day), we sat down & got to business. After getting work done & cracking jokes, it hit me that this Starbucks was jumping: big line-ups & the cash register, friends coming in rocking the Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, and American Eagle, and dudes rocking the California Beach Boy look that Starbucks is into a bit more than selling coffee. Some patrons were studying amidst elevator & jazz rhythmics, while other patrons were discussing the previous week’s events with their friends. What was interesting, besides the fact that they were predominantly white, is that they dressed similar, represented the “Millennial” generation – cohort 1 & 2, and all embraced & understood (consciously or not) the point of this piece. Starbucks is not about selling coffee, Starbucks sells social experiences. People literally were dressing up, pulling up in upscale vehicles, and not just to order marked-up coffee, but to meet friends, gossip, engage each other, pretty much to ‘connect’.

This is just my logic of the $7.8 billion dollar a year coffee shop, and why they nicely decorate their interior with earth tone colors, play non-popular music, and use distinct language (grandé, tall).

So now I guess I know why they looked @ us the way they did; its not the usual racial prejudice mixed with a dash of stereotyping.

We did not fit in with their social experience & the cultural norms that come with it.

But F*** ’em anyway, I’m about re-defining the box, not assimilating to it, bitches!

Music Videos, videos

Exercise w/ Elephant Man

January 4, 2008 d dot b 1 Comment

Get in shape with the Energy God, Elephant Man

Fun Times & Working Out Bahd

2007 was all about the dance/rap gimmick; tons of rappers came out with a one-hit wonder accompanied with a catchy dance. This didn’t really work out for the artists (exception may be Soulja Boy with Crank Dat) as they will be back on the block hustling in no time.
However, Elephant Man represents the dancehall reggae scene that has used dances as a gimmick in their music for years — since the early 90’s. Whats funny about this is that he is trying to bridge the gap between dancehall dancing & exercise … kind of a cheesey attempt, but stranger things have worked.

Fan dem off …

.:: d.b
http://desieb.blogspot.com

Economics, Social

Utmost Positive Regard

December 22, 2007 d dot b Leave a comment

Utmost Positive Regard
Virtues: Business, Lenders, Strategy, Knowledge

Power must be the most coveted attribute in this universe; people crave for it & will do just about anything to achieve it – lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, extort … kill. In the world of business, power must mean a measure of influence – basically stating that the more influential that one is, the more power they have.

What is concerning to me is when people give TOO much power to those in high positions; catapulting such people to a level where almost anything they say is golden & coveted. Before, you point out the obvious, yes, I concur that in business, ‘powerful’ people are a valuable resource for intelligence as they can provide insight, scope, and perspective. However, powerful people should not be an irreverent source for validity – because at the end of the day a consultant, entrepreneur, investor, or producer only provides an opinion based on the information presented & their knowledge/experience.

They can not ensure success &/or failure (even though many try), they can only provide probability.

And any advice should be taken as such, and should NOT be taken as an affirmation. This is for the small percentage of the population that embodies the entrepreneurial spirit, whom are at the mercies of ‘powerful’ individuals because they have money & influence. I am in such a category as my squad has innovative ideas and concepts for the betterment of society, but we unfortunately have no capital.

You, the budding entrepreneur, should have done your research & homework to know that your idea is hot; to know that your idea is feasible, and to know that there is a market out there for your endeavor.

You don’t need ‘Evan McMoney Bags’ to validate what you already know.

Ya digg?

.::
Peace,
d.b > www.vacantlot.org
::.

Love

Venus and its attempt to engulf Mars

December 19, 2007 d dot b 3 Comments

Stop saying ‘mines’ and start saying ‘ours’
Virtues: Venus vs. Mars, relationships, comprimise

This is actually a line from a Lil’ Kim song back in the day. The line surfaced in my head after a discussion with my girlfriend when she said, you need to stop thinking “I”, and start thinking “WE”. I had to stop & think about this for a sec as maybe she was inferencing that I am selfish, self-centered, and other ‘self’ absorbed attributes (of course she is wrong about that).
But on a larger scale, I think that when women say such things like ‘think WE’ it is more so a code for ‘think like me’, assimilate to my ideology.

Mars & Venus
It is true that men are from Mars & women are from Venus, and when the two planets meet, the goal of Venus is to engulf Mars, change its gravitational force, modify its outer appearance, and change its atmospheric behavior. More times than not, Mars is content with Venus & all of her many flaws, but Mars rarely tries to change them to assimilate to Mars’ world; Mars has a better ability to understand that our differences make us unique & tolerance is easier than cohesion.
But enough of inter-planetary dynamics, women are very meticulous & calculated creatures. ‘We’ & ‘ours’ is the logical progression for any relationship as feelings of love & affection grows, BUT be cautious just as an amber light. Because ‘WE’ should not have to mean the end of YOU, and your mind, body, & soul.

Be careful of those bodysnatchers …

— d.b
http://www.vacantlot.org/

Popular Culture

V~ick~ed

December 14, 2007 d dot b 1 Comment

V~ick~ed
Virtues: Responsibility, control, logic

Its sort of wicked what happened to Michal Vick, but he is a victim of his own ignorance.

Michael Vick was on top of the world, he was an all-star Quarterback with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, with the right team chemistry, Vick could have gone on to win several NFL championships as he is a unique quarterback that can throw, run, and get out of the ‘pocket’ (football term).

However, it is unfortunate that Vick felt the need to engage in Dog fights which resulted in a 23-month jail sentence conviction. As details emerged about Vick’s dog fighting events that happened in his estate, it became apparent that Vick would do some jail time for his crimes, but I never thought he would have gotten so much time – 2 years is a lot for dog fighting. Dog fighting is inhumane, violent, and barbaric – I get that, but in the case of Michael Vick, does the ‘punishment fit the crime’? Would someone without his status receive the same sentence? Probably not, and what is even more disturbing is that there have been sport celebrities that have committed more violent crimes against humanity that have received lesser & lenient sentences. For example, NHL hockey player Dany Heatley received 3 years probation for vehicular homicide after a drunk driving incident. In comparison, a drunk driving incident that results in death deserves 3 years probation (no jail time), but a victimless human crime results in 2 years in solitary confinement? Something doesn’t seem right about that.

Now, I’m not excusing Vick’s behavior because dog fighting is against the law, and he should be punished for his actions, but what is probably the most disturbing aspect of this story that is not receiving any light, is the fact that many sport athletes and celebrities foolishly spend their money and engage in activities that are problematic. I guess its the fact that many of these athlete’s come from marginalized backgrounds, and when they are doused with a whole bunch of money; they simply act-out irresponsibly. It happened to Mike Tyson, which is really sad, because he had millions of dollars, but spent his money on foolish items and lavish luxuries; with no regard for ‘saving for a rainy day’. And with Vick, he was making millions of dollars a year, and yet he felt the need to earn extra money with dog fighting; which was only pulling in thousands of dollars a year.

Its sad, because Vick had so much potential, but threw it all away because he simply didn’t ‘grow up’; which is the problem with most celebrities (i.e. Britney, and so on), and know the system is showing him that just as much as they can bring you up, they can bring you down.

Economics

Flipping, keeping the balance

December 2, 2007 d dot b Leave a comment

image by ddotb.grandejunction.com

Flipping, keep the balance
Virtues: hustle, equilibrium, power, control

Flip – “To sell a product or service at a higher price than what was purchased for – for the purpose of making a profit”

The concept is simple: take something at a marginalized price, mark it up, profit. That is what your neighborhood drug dealer is doing while he pushes that ‘weight’. Its what Sean John does when you buy that nice sweater for $80, is made for like under $5, and the country that the sweater is made in flips off the blood, sweat, and tears of their people in the name of globalization. But, the government still flips, they get their money, but unfortunately with each flip, there is one, or one group of people that will always suffer, always get ‘flipped under’.

When I hear pleas wrapped in optimism about equality & fairness, I laugh. Because, flipping is all about balance, but more about controlling balance. Economics are structured in a fashion where the rich exploit & profit off of the poor, unfortunate, but fortunate at the same time … ya digg? Unfortunate for the humane aspect, fortunate for the technological advances that society has made by exploiting cheap labor and parts. Corporations & the government are the big flippers in this world as they have made Africa poor, for the benefit of the West. As with anything almost in this universe is made up of matter, and matter is made up of molecules that constantly try to procure homeostasis: a relatively stable state of equilibrium or a tendency toward such a state between the different but interdependent elements or groups of elements of an organism, population, or group.

And that is what flipping does – it keeps stability, it allows those to stay in power to stay in power, and keep those that are marginalized, marginalized. So what would, uh, disrupt this equilibrium? Well, tell me if you have an answer, because any disruption is surely going to be met with opposition, of course from the flippers. I ask myself, would a disruption actually be a good thing? I mean, can a world exist where economies of scale (world economies) are equal? Can, or will Africa ever be on par with Europe/America?

Share your thoughts, peace.

Economics, Social

Tip What, Pt 2

November 25, 2007 d dot b Leave a comment

Tip What, Pt 2
(view Part 1)
Virtues: Social Customs, service, ethics

As the Christmas holiday season approaches I’m hearing a lot of talk on tipping. For instance, people give tips to their mailman or mechanic – which I find interesting. I mean, I would love to work in a service industry where I am tipped just for performing my job duties, shit, maybe being a waiter is my calling as I purposely hang around your table after the bill has been served to ensure that I receive my tip. Or better yet, I should work in a hotel as a bellhop and conduct the same behavior. It would be sweet – I mean, I would get a regular salary (not much), but then I would base my service to customers on how well they have tipped me. Its interesting that this social customary called ‘tipping’ is almost mandatory in the service industry, however essentially it is almost a bribe – I mean, if one were to give a service contract or even a government employee a ‘lil extra’, society as a whole and I’m sure most courts of laws would consider that bribery. You know, ‘Scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ type of logic.

I may sound a bit, ah, um … real, but we have reached a pivotal time in our society where we want to be rewarded more for simply doing our jobs. I don’t know what generation this has spawned out of, but this creates a climate where we don’t necessarily tip for ‘exceptional service’, but we tip to ensure service. Meaning, you are not going to tip your mechanic because he does such great work, but more or less, you’re tipping him for the hope he doesn’t screw you over in the coming year. Same with the mailman, I don’t know exactly how the mailman can provide ‘exceptional’ mail service (please share if you do), but if you tip him, you are doing so with the intentions that he performs his job by giving you regular mail service.

Now, maybe – correction, I know that people do actually tip these people during these seasons just based out of the goodness from their heart, and that is truly a beautiful thing. BUT, if you are planning on tipping just to procure services or to pretty much BRIBE, then you your f*cked.

Happy Holidays

(P.S. I rarely tip, only for exceptional above & beyond service. I don’t do any percentage calculations of the bill, I dont give a ______ < insert word here)

Life in B Major