J.S.G. Boggs Which Bill is the Copy? (or How Much Does An Idea Weigh? One Pound?)

J.S.G. Boggs is considered a fine artist by some and a counterfeiter by others. Through his work he tries to call into question what we consider "real" and what we consider a "copy". He makes life size drawings of money using high grade currency paper and India ink. He then makes purchases with his "money", always informing the vender that his bills are not legal tender, but exchanging them based on their "face value". He typically waits 24 hours to allow the person who accepted the bill to "contemplate what had just transpired and the dual nature of money". Then Boggs sells the information regarding the whereabouts of the bill to the highest bidder who then gets to purchase the phony from the original recipient. His work usually ends up hanging in a museum or gallery, framed, along with all the accompanying "residue" from the transactions: articles such as receipts, ticket stubs, packaging, etc.

Although he is always certain never to pass his bills of as legal tender, Boggs' artwork has gotten him into trouble in a number of countries. The Bank of England prosecuted him for counterfeiting British currency. At his trial he held up an "authentic" British one pound note and called it a copy (because it is really a print made from an original plate), then referred to his "counterfeit" as an original (because it was hand made by him).

Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired magazine, "When copies are superabundant, they become worthless, while things which can’t be copied become scarce and valuable. What counts in the end are “uncopyable values,” qualities which are “better than free.”
While it isn't practical for artists to go to the lengths Boggs does in order to be paid for their work, Bogg's sets an example of how in our digital reality creators must seek reward for their "uncopyable values" rather than their easily copyable work. It's not as straightforward as the pre-digital concept of protecting work from unauthorized copying, but in the digital reality it's necessary to move beyond that mode of thinking into an unexplored world of copyright 2.0.

Prep or pre-op?

In preparation for the launch of karmiclandfill.com I did a bit of research. What's cooler than cool? Who cares? What's harder than rock? The Diamond!

Coming home to a bulldog

or "Meditations on picking a Derby winner"

We always bet on the Triple Crown races. The build up to the Derby is FUN FUN FUN! Poker is all the rage now but I think the biggest fun is betting on the ponies. We pour over stats and reviews of the horses and pretend to comprehend and then throw some money down on a cleverly named horse, or a jockey or trainer whose name we vaguely remember from last year.

SOOO . . . Who do we like this year? My dad is hooked on the favorite, "Big Brown", who drew the far outside post. He's named after UPS (what can brown do for you?) I think he'll be remembered for being full of "big brown", if you'll pardon the euphimism. Hillary likes the only filly, "Eight Belles", so does my mom. Aunt Carol likes "Colonel John" probably because of his military background. Miki's for "Adriano", to be ridden by Edgar Prado. The longshot, "Big Truck" gets Greg(g)'s bet. Jimmy's playing a 1,10 with a 20 exacta. The #14 horse is Monba. Whose got heart? I like #8 Visionaire. I'll take him to win it and I'll play an exacta with Visionaire, Cool Coal Man, and Monba.



I'll take one bulldog over a stable and a half of top thoroughbreds any day.

Yes he can?

. . .if they let him

Right now the most vicious attacks being levied against Obama are not coming from the right or from the Clinton campaign but from the African American preacher Jerimia Wright. White, middle class voters in PA and Ohio were key to Hillary's victories. Seems like Ohio, PA and Wright see only the things they hate and fear personified in Barack Obama. For the 2 rust belt states he's Obama the powerful black man and for Wright he's Obama the powerful white man. Obama is both. Obama is both black and white and he is becoming confounded by the fact that he appeals to the best in all of us yet is bringing out the worst in a very few of us.

St. Pat's

So creeping in on St. Pat's. Still finding it next to impossible to keep up with writing in this thing. You see, I really tried to be a writer and failed with the book I wrote and have been a real sissy about the writing process since. Distractions come too easy and frustration even easier. Weak, I know.

On my mind;

• Angus had knee surgery so we're doing bulldog rehab
• PITT hoops, the lads will go deep into the NCAA's
• website redesign
• new series of paintings

Quick Picks

Hillary v. McCain in November with Hillary Clinton getting the win. Right now I couldn't be happier with it.

I thought the handles seemed small

or Is choosing a brush the same as choosing a President?

I bought a paint brush made by Z¡bra have been using it for the past week. Usually I like Wooster brushes, Allpro's are ok and everything else is prety much garbage. This Z¡bra however has REALLY smooth bristles and loads like crazy. I can't seem to get a decent grip on the thing though and I just found out why. http://www.enjoyzibra.com/ Apparently this company was founded by women, to design products for women. Maybe I'm overthinking things but whenever I think about voting for Hillary I get the same feeling as when I pick up a Z¡bra brush. It works well and performs like I want it too but just feels funny. This is that stupid, "I want to vote for I candidate I'd like to have a beer with." idea that led the suckers to vote for W. Twice. (hurts to write that)