Below are the most recent 3 friends' journal entries.

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
jasoneppink	4:47p	Pixelator (video) on three Times Square jumbotrons Hilarious news! Pixelator is a runner up in the Babelgum Metropolis Art Prize. This means the Pixelator video will be screened on three jumbotrons in Times Square, jumbotrons that usually show advertising. Please take a moment to bask in the irony. Improv Everywhere won the Audience Award for their Subway Yearbook Photos mission, so they'll be on the jumbotrons, too! It all happens tomorrow night, including a screening of a new Guy Madden/Isabella Rosellini short featuring an electric chair, with Rosellini in person. Sweet! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 14th, 2009
jasoneppink	10:47a	Guerrilla Handbell Strikeforce In 2006 I came up with the idea for the Guerrilla Handbell Strikeforce, a roving handbell choir that would provide unexpected accompaniment for those ubiquitous Salvation Army bell ringers, with the hope that my sister and I could gather musically talented friends in Houston and tour around the city's busy shopping areas. It was a follow up to our two previous pranks, the Christmas Lights "Participation Award" Anti-Prank of 2005 and the Parking Lot Note Anti-Prank of 2004. Alas, we could never pull the project together. But last year, after working with Improv Everywhere on the Subway Art Gallery Opening, I pitched the idea to Charlie to see if he wanted to help make it happen, and he was in! Three years later, the Guerrilla Handbell Strikeforce came to fruition! Check out the video and Charlie's write-up. Hurray! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, December 5th, 2009
jasoneppink	5:53p	Unsolicited Criticism on Unsolicited Political Pandering (A Letter to My City Council Member) I received the following in the mail a couple days ago. It appears to be a reminder about a state law that went into effect last summer. (For some reason, the Board of Elections misread my name when I registered to vote, and despite repeated attempts to correct it, the misspelling remains on the books.) I decided to write back. For those who don't follow NYC politics, the letter, reproduced below, is annotated with hyperlinks! Esteemed Council Member Vallone, I appreciate your reminding me about the Lawn Litter Law, but surely you see the irony in doing so by sending me an unsolicited flier (on my own taxpaying dime, no less). In return, I am sending you some unsolicited criticisms. The copy on the back of your flier is misleading, at best. Simply displaying the card isn't enough; landlords and homeowners must submit written complaints to the Department of Sanitation in order for fines to be levied. Really, it's a difficult law to enforce, and I expected that as a lawmaker you would know the details of the actual law. However, I suspect this flier is merely disguised as a public service in order to trick your constituents into thinking you're doing something worthwhile for them. The "Council Member Peter F. Vallone, Jr. Says:" at the top of the notice is especially egregious ego-stroking. Why is your name on this, exactly? The Lawn Litter Law was the state's doing, not the city council's, as I'm sure you're well aware. While I am disappointed you explicitly ignored the will of the electorate by giving yourself the chance at a third term, I am hopeful that these next four years you will spend less time constructing elaborate photo opportunities for yourself and instead use your family's political capital to address actual problems! For example, instead of convincing bodegas to stop selling a specific energy drink because it makes a reference to graffiti (a political triumph, for sure) perhaps you could spend your time educating the public on the health effects of energy drinks and other popular beverages laden with high fructose corn syrup and unhealthy additives. Or instead of trying to keep art supplies out of the hands of budding young artists because a fraction of them may scrawl their name in a back alley somewhere, maybe you could address the multi-million dollar industry of corporate vandals that plaster the sides of buildings all across New York City with illegal advertising. These are just a couple of ideas. If you're interested in doing something productive with your ill-gained power instead of engaging in the same old back-patting publicity stunts, I'd be happy to have a dialogue. And I'll leave the snark at home. I promise. Your Friend, Jason Eppinle or Current Resident (1 Comment |Comment on this)