Where have we been? Where are we going and what can you expect to see?

Expect the unexpected! Remember, imagination is the key to opening the gates. A sneezing Panda sits at the entrance of Pancity!

The animals that you will experience in Pancity are protective agents that will appear as you enter into new districts of Pancity. The sneezing Panda sits at the gate of the electric city. There is an abundance of portals or entry ways in the electric city.

Enter @Freakcast under the protection of the penguins in the city!

PanHandling (Banishing Of P@n)

This marks the beginning of the “Evocation of Pan”. The recognition of his presence and the realization that he has been there watching for some time now. Aleks will acknowledge that during his recent travels to Prague, that the sounds of Pan’s flute were everywhere.

There are electric currents penetrating through the ether. Unrelated tangents converge and there become plans to conduct a live performance.

The Electric Womb was conceived of instinctually through the ether by FreakCast and Happymooncake at the same time that I have been compiling my building blocks for the Live installment of Pancity.

We may all be living inside of what we refer to as an Electric Womb. This is both a negative as well as a positive space. To explain this we choose the allegory of the internet as one example of an abstraction that is both tangible and intangible at once: an ever evolving fabric, made of fibers, to create and over all expression that maybe as of yet impossible to shoot out from and see from all sides (at least for us). It has been regarded as a “world wide web” in which we live and communicate through, where we garner platitudes of sustenance from and find it evermore difficult to separate our lives away from this space (be it negative or positive.)

In the spirit of communication evolution and the recognition of these circumstances. We are prepared to run certain experiments in various spaces reserved for such work. If we recognize our current conditions as an electric womb, then by the laws of nature something must come of it.

The format to be experienced is light and space. In the next 6 months we will expose the world to new works of art and experiences that are frequencies of communication. Stay tuned for the Freakcasts in Pancity!

Till next time. Let your imagination loose. Catch you on the flip-side.

Panman

With help from Panman A.K.A John Knowles & Abi Prince A.K.A Fire Monster FreakCast and Lulu will embark on their next live show venture @ Fresh Long Island.

Check it out:

FRESH presents: Electric Womb (Cycle One)

February 4, 2010

@ Toast

242 East Main Street

Port Jefferson, NY, 11777m

7pm – 11pm

For more Info contact: FreakCast.tv@gmail.com

Electric Womb

By FreakCast and Happymooncake

We may all be living inside of what we refer to as an Electric Womb. This is both a negative as well as a positive space. To explain this we choose the allegory of the internet as one example of an abstraction that is both tangible and intangible at once: an ever evolving fabric, made of fibers, to create and over all expression that maybe as of yet impossible to shoot out from and see from all sides (at least for us). It has been regarded as a “world wide web” in which we live and communicate through, where we garner platitudes of sustenance from and find it evermore difficult to separate our lives away from this space (be it negative or positive.)

New generations are being born into this space every day and they, unlike our generation, may never know through actual experience what it is like without this fabric, this web.

What does this mean for us? This is the first question.

Science tells us that electricity exists. If you type in “electricity” into google the first response in the search will be the wiki entry for electricity.

It states: Electricity (from the New Latin ?lectricus, “amber-like”[a]) is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts, such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction.
In general usage, the word “electricity” is adequate to refer to a number of physical effects. In scientific usage, however, the term is vague, and these related, but distinct, concepts are better identified by more precise terms:

Electric charge – a property of some subatomic particles, which determines their electromagnetic interactions. Electrically charged matter is influenced by, and produces, electromagnetic fields.

Electric current – a movement or flow of electrically charged particles, typically measured in amperes.

Electric field – an influence produced by an electric charge on other charges in its vicinity.

Electric potential – the capacity of an electric field to do work on an electric charge, typically measured in volts.

Electromagnetism – a fundamental interaction between the magnetic field and the presence and motion of an electric charge.

What is most interesting here could be that science (if science is an entity of knowledge) refers to electricity as a phenomenon. A meditation on this will lead any thinker to several smiling revelations. But that should not be vastly important. The fact remains, the human/animal body has always been induced by this phenomenon which has inevitably connected us to nature. Not to mention the notion of conduction. If the body may be about 60% water than we are perfect vehicles for the movement of this charge. We seem to reside in a space (such could be its property) that by this principle should be magnetized by this charge and so, we have all the capacity to control the fundamental interaction of polarity.

This seems to correspond with the philosophy of magick: the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.  And for whatever reasons the notion of 2012 has everyone talking, thinking outside the box, hypothesizing, people are charged up on this issue. There certainly seems to be a great polarity of how people feel about these impending circumstances. Time keeps on moving and the years keep changing.

In the spirit of communication evolution and the recognition of these circumstances. FreakCast and Happymooncake are prepared to run certain experiments in various spaces reserved for such work. If we recognize our current conditions as an electric womb, then by the laws of nature something must come of it.

A birthing, a miscarriage, an abortion, a spiritual marriage, another greater womb… All possibilities are possible and we would like to investigate and get a greater divined insight into those possibilities.

Pedro Sousa and I have an enduring relationship; for a long time he wanted to kill me. His rage towards me wasn’t unwarranted. If you know anything about me, Marlo, you wouldn’t suspect otherwise.

In 2000 we were both attending Stony Brook University. Pedro had a sweet studio on the fourth floor of Staller Art Center. He was sharing the space with several artists and it was no-holds-barred-art-making-central.

Pedro is a photographer, so naturally he kept his tools at his studio space. Why wouldn’t he? It’s not like anyone went back home in those days or took days off from making art-stuff. While other artists prized their brushes and oil paints, Pedro’s payload was about eight cameras and loads of lenses.

On one particular day I remember visiting the collective studio space. A girlfriend of mine hung out with that crew and she probably wanted to see her ex-boyfriend who shared the studio with Pedro. To say I knew these art-folk would be an over statement. I maybe had met some of them once or twice. It’s a good bet I didn’t know anyones’ name. And if Pedro was telling this story, I’m pretty certain he would stress the exclusive nature of those studios. This was a tight knit community to which I wasn’t even worth spitting on. I was a freshman, but i certainly did not regard myself as such.

Back in those days I wasn’t easily impressed. Everything and everyone, that is, besides me, was “pretentious.” Being in a room of older more “established” males was not doing anything positive for my ego. Clearly these were a bunch of pretentious dicks! With a judgment of that caliber I took out a cigarette and lit it.

I almost remember smoking it out the window…

That was it. The rest was related by Pedro in a death threat back to my girlfriend of that time. He accused me of burning down the studio, but in more visceral words than that. To this day no one really knows if the cigarette I was smoking was the cause of the fire. One party believed it was. I believed otherwise.
What’s more, nobody cared for apologies which later morphed into half-excuses. In fact, certain members of that studio still consider me an arsonist and a prick, and I very well maybe a prick. But, I can tell you dear reader, that it was not my intention to create this animosity nor to burn down any studio.
Why am I telling this story here? Well, it’s a testament to Pedro really. He lost the most in that studio and at the same time he was the first to forgive me. After we moved on beyond that mishap, I was able to clearly see that here was a guy that was neither pretentious nor a prick.

Pedro is one of the most driven guys I know. He’s got the skills to rally people for a cause. To get shit done! Straight out of college he opened a gallery in a dead art zone known as Long Island. It is a miracle that his space held out for six years –packing out the house at every opening.
That was almost all Pedro’s work. While others spoke of a vision he executed his. He enabled other artists and himself by having a space to show work. For artists that is a huge deal! Having an art show means that you must produce. If you keep producing your work matures, you build a portfolio worth showing, collectors become interested, etc. Pedro fostered not only this space but its culture as well. He created a community where people could experiment and show those experiments. I was no exception.

Under terms that I would not burn down the gallery Pedro let me into this culture. I felt a belonging and now other people were looking at me as the pretentious dick. It was a great feeling. We were able to pull off all sorts of great events and spectacles: film festivals, experimental video nights, vaudeville art shows and other performances. The space like the people around it were in constant evolution.
When Pedro closed the gallery it was a surprise, but he listed the fact that he was spending too much time doing administrative work and not enough time producing art as a major factor. Sure, now that I am curating both the Solarium Art Gallery and the Lobby Gallery at the Roger Smith Hotel, I can relate. That is why I proposed an art show to Pedro as well as a co-curatorial role.
That is the relevance of community, of friendship, of culture. It is the ability of relation. To be able to relate is far beyond understanding. That is the torch that we carry and pass to each other. Back and forth it goes…

The Exhibit is Open: January 4, 2010- March 12, 2010

Roger Smith Hotel Lobby Gallery

501 Lexington Ave.

The Opening Party: 2.26.10

Time: 7:30pm

@ Roger Smith Solarium Gallery

Dear AT&T,

These past few months we’ve grown apart. In fact, we’ve been in a relationship for the past two years, but it feels much longer. The arrangement has been thus: I use my iPhone and you charge me as much money as you can for the worst service you can get away with. In this respect you have been utterly consistent. I got so used to it. Can I blame you? You were the only one for me. I got my first iphone a few months after it came out. It was shiny and new, and I was full of hope. AT&T, I’m sorry to say this but…I’m leaving you. That’s right, I’m gone. I have been loyal to you, given you thou$ands of dollars, and even stood up for you at times. Alas, you took every opportunity you could to drop my calls, over and over.

These are some pictures I found while moving out.

Our first date: your dad scared the shit out of me.

Forever? For-ever ever?

Remember that time we went to church together?

How’d you get in there? Mnnnnmmm…that’s nice.

I loved you so much. It’s fucking over.

I forgot to pay my bill on time and you suspended my account and charged me late fees (nearly everytime). The thing that makes me so sad : ( is that I tried. I really tried. What else could I have done?? Maybe I should have been easier on you. Perhaps I shouldn’t have used 3g so much? (Did that anger you?) Should our parents have intervened? Your dad Steve has been so quiet these past few years. In fact, he’s only upgraded my iPhone (the reason for our relationship) to such a minimal extent that you barely excite me these days. Where is a reverse facing camera for videochat? Cut and paste? I had to BEG for that. Open access for developers? Maybe I have been blind and you care more about Steve than you do me, your loyal customer. So, I’m leaving you AT&T.

Goodbye.

Sincerely,

-John Birdsong

Ps. If you care where I’m going, I will be taking my unlocked and permanently scarred iphone 3g to t-mobile for a NSA “no strings attached” relationship with unlimited talk text and web for $79.99. I have included a picture of my new girlfriend Catherine Zeta-Jones. : )

That’s right. I’ve been cheating on you.

What do you think of AT&T? I think they suck.

John Birdsong is a producer editor director for Panman Productions. He has more than one favorite color and sometimes he grinds his teeth when he is sleeping. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his girlfriend Morgan-Jo.

For Christmas I received the best present I have gotten in a really long time…

It was an awesome terra bite drive from the Panman Team. For those of you who don’t know, that’s a lot of space to put lots of media files.  What could make a girl happier? (O.K. flowers are cool. I love  flowers, but you get the point .)

Anyway, as a result of this really great gift, I was inspired to clean up my old storage drives, and during this process I started watching all the work I had shot and edited over the years. (Admittedly some pieces were better than others.) Nevertheless, as we approached a new year, I thought it was appropriate to take a look back …… not just on the last year, but the last ten.

This is a medley. Not just a year in review, but a cleansing of my drives and releasing of content I have been holding onto for years.  Hopefully it is a fond farewell. I like what I have done in the past, but as they say, your only as good as your last story… So alas, I must press on.

This year has been a huge period of change for me. I find myself in a completely different place than I was in January 2009, and I look around with amazement. The only constant in life is change, and therefore I must go with the flow and facilitate that momentum within my work.

I want to re-approach my traditional way of creating content and start the New Year off fresh, with a cleansed pallet.

I am not looking to banish the past, but rather release it. I want to evoke the storyteller inside me and really think about new ways to create and live, but first this process was necessary.

Oh one last thing…

There are a few shots I borrowed from other members of the Panman team, so thanks guys for making me look good….again.

The music is from the “IN C REMIXED” project. I highly recommend music lovers check it out.  Jad Abumrad, a composer and radio producer created the version I used. Among other things he’s one of the hosts and creators of RADIO LAB. I insist if you haven’t heard it, you must. It’s my lifeblood.  If you’re curious, start with THIS EPISODE, but listen to them all. You’ll Laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll learn something new. This is the direction I hope to take my story telling.
-Abianne Prince

Cinémonde is all about great drink, great food, and great film. The screening on December 14th, at  the School of Visual Arts Theater (on 23rd Street, bet. 8th & 9th Aves, in NYC) featured WONDERFUL WORLD, directed by Josh Goldin, starring Matthew Broderick, Sannaa Lathan and Michael K. Williams.

It was a smashing event. Not only did we have the pleasure of watching two fantastic films but we were able to engage some of the people who make this soiree possible. One such person was the director of the School of Visual Arts Theater, Gene Stavis.

James Knowles speaks with Chef Nata Traub about her childhood summers in France, and her love of Mediterranean flavors. Nata Traub has amazed and excited Cinémonde’s guests with her delightful dishes and exquisite taste.

The Rogé is the beautiful bronze statue, created by James Knowes, CEO and Artist in Residence of the Roger Smith Hotel. It is the award given to the filmmakers as a way of recognizing their artistic achievement.

Last but certainly  not least we spoke with the director, Josh Goldin. Lets go Behind the scenes and check it out.

It was just after the Turkey season and we wanted to develop a unique way to kick off the shopping spirit. From this desire the Emerging Designers 2009 Holiday Bazaar was conceived! 

I looked diligently for an eclectic group of 10 talented designers; a medley of emerging musicians; and a brand new to market spirit to sip on.. all at a location that fosters the creative world, the Roger Smith Hotel. 

We assembled a penthouse full of gifted people- mingling, shopping, networking, performing, drinking… 

You come off the elevator to the Roger Smith penthouse and are offered a refreshing glass of Voli, a new low calorie vodka (finally!) enhanced with electrolytes, and it was smooth! You enter a room filled with acoustic performances by independent local artists singing everything from rock to folk to reggae and wander throughout to a collection of designers displaying their creations. 

Designer dresses by Dolita Paris 

Architectural and versatile knitwear from Gail Travis 

Transformational forms by Nicole Arama 

Delicately crafted silver by Alex Pimienta 

Hand manufactured silk and velvet scarfs by Peter Charles

Exuberant and funky designs from MacKenzie-Childs 

Little treasures of art to wear by Geri Roucaute 

Sensuality enhancing lingerie from Claudia Ochoa

Environmentally conscious tote bags by Shira Entis and Alexandra Bell

And an argan miracle bottled by Jebel 

In one night our guests were able to unwind from their day with Voli, listen and take in some cultural music performances and find unique treasures from friends and family for the holidays- and a few grabbed a treasure or two for themselves. I know I did :) 

Can’t wait for the next shopping event with RS POP! 

www.rspopshop.com 

 - Melissa Gonzalez, host of Homemade BFF’s: Beauty, Fashion & Fitness.

Seriously, it is…well, cable TV to be precise.

I was watching “Six Feet Under” the other night, which I’ve just gotten into and is so far pretty good, and I thought: A couple years ago this wouldn’t even be possible. I had just downloaded the show on itunes, for a couple of bucks, and it doesn’t even have to fully download before you can start viewing. It already seems native, but think back…a few years ago I would have had to clean the snow off the car (it was snowing like crazy) drive fifteen minutes to Blockbuster, only to find that someone had already rented it, and I was out of luck. BUMMER. Not anymore. There are so many ways to ingest on demand media now. There are the legal platforms: itunes, hulu, vimeo, youtube, netflix watch instantly, amazon on demand, abc.com, southpark studios (there are a bunch more, but you get the point). Then there are the illegal ones: bittorent (alas pirate bay is dead), and gnutella (aka frost/limewire), and all the bizarre flash based overseas American TV video hubs (awful quality). You’d think the name of the game here is you get what you pay for, but hulu defies that. (at least as of this writing). Hulu has hinted that there will be a pay model, but I’ve read you won’t lose shows like “the cobert report” and “the office”. They (hulu) has hinted at upselling premium content such as HBO and showtime shows. I say go for it. The keyword here is on demand. If I want to watch a movie and I have the choice of renting it on Amazon on demand and being able to watch it immediately, or downloading it from bittorent and having to wait for it. I’ll take amazon everytime. Here is a brief description of some of the free and pay on demand media services available on the internet right now.

iTunes

Who hasn’t heard of itunes? Aside from offering digital music downloads, itunes now also offers movies and movie rentals. I suggest the rentals if you have a bluray and decent TV, becasue if you are going to own a movie itunes downloads don’t match the quality of bluray.

Amazon on Demand

Amazon is making hand over fist tax free $$ with their retail business (I did all of my Xmas shoping with them online.) So why shouldn’t they compete with apple? They should. Competition is good. Competition means lower prices and a wider range of products/service. Thank god itunes has competition. I think the quality of video is little better here on amazon, but it’s a close tie. The video codec they use seems to be a little easier on you computer as well if you have an older system.

Hulu

Free doesn’t get better than this. Seriously, everything here is free. Hulu is my go to place to watch shows like 30 rock. People my age (28) don’t really have landlines. Services like Hulu allow us to get rid of our cable subscriptions too. Screw you comcastcablevisiontimewarner.

Netflix Watch Instantly

Some great movies and TV here and new ones everyday. You have to pay for this, but if you’re into movies you already have netflix and this comes as part of your built in service. Plug you’re laptop into you’re TV, and you’re good to go. Great stuff here.

YouTube

Funny cat videos and people getting hit in the balls is hilarious! I never get bored of it. Check out their screening room for more highbrow content, plus they have a new tv and movies section with a bunch of content (most not that great).

Vimeo

Art house YouTube. Cool stuff here.

Daily motion

Youtube uncensored. Kind of a cool platform, but aside from showing boobs (which is great) I don’t really see how it separates from the pack.

12Seconds.tv

My grandmas spoiled chihuahua on 12seconds.tv (sorry the embed wasn’t working here : )

Cool platform. Short videos.

So…check out these platforms. Invest in a cable to hook up you’re laptop to you’re TV. Cancel you’re cable subscrition. Take a trip with the money you’ll save. Besides, you watch WAY to much fucking TV.

John Birdsong is a Producer Director Editor with Panman Productions and lives in Williamsburg BKLYN with his girlfriend Morgan-Jo and their cat Fanny Fae McNamara.

As an appreciation for all of the support we received in 2009, the Roger Smith Hotel will be giving away one room every day in the month of January to our online community.   We will be releasing information regarding Roger Smith Room giveaways with the twitter hashtag “#Rogersrooms” so that you will be able to track the promotion.

How does the Rogers Rooms promotion work? 

Roger Smith Rooms will be given away by members of your community. Every day at 11 am we will announce who will be giving the room away and how they plan to do it. At 4 pm, we will announce a winner and that person will be able to pick a date in the month of January to come and visit us. Based on the scheduled availability plan on staying in Suite 1102.

Participation is the name of the game!

Each day a room will be given away through an online interactive method. It could be trivia, a creative competition, or just a first initiated response. For more information regarding this promotion please engage with us on Twitter with #Rogersrooms and we will answer any questions you might have. As an added bonus, even if you are not picked for a free night, we will Direct Message all participants an exclusive promo code (only offered here) for substantial savings when booking a room in the future.

We aim to engage with you as a member of the Roger Smith Community. What better initiation, than to have you stay with us and experience the pride of Roger Smith, his rooms. 

We look forward to having you as our guest.  Thanks for the support.

See you soon. 

Roger Smith.