zykO

you are a very intelligent man, mike chase. deathbed conversion is a very serious problem with organized religon because a lot of the monotheistic faiths thrive on the premise of salvation. an individual indoctrined with judaism, christianity or islam simply wants to go to heaven... we're told that there is no other goal in life but to get to heaven and that all other things are secondary in importance. catholicism, for example, has historically received the brunt of the heat on the topic... a man can kill, and then go, confess and ask for forgiveness and all is well. in islam, the only true requirement of the religon is to "islem.." which is the verb form of the religon's namesake which means to "surrender" implying that you surrender your soul to God.... and to do that you have to do nothin more than verbally (and of course, it is expected to be genuine but you already know how that might go) announce that there is no God but God and that Mohamed is his messenger. Then all is well. these are quick fixes. there are countless instances in which muslims who have lived terribly and sinfully merely asked for forgiveness at the end of their lives by saying "ashadu ana la ila 'il allah, wi ashadu ana mohamedan ras'ul il' lah" and went into death under the impression that all is well. heaven bound and all... it is a universal weakness of any faith rooted in the concept that an all-forgiving lord would promise you an afterlife that is a salvation with a simple apology the movie is causing an uproar because the writer is making it so. if it weren't for his unusually aggressive commentary on the film, i'd doubt it would make much of a splash. is this a marketing ploy? did somebody put him up to it... advise him to attract as much attention to the underlying theme in order to stir up enough criticism to, perhaps, generate an immense amount of buzz around it? i wouldn't put it past anything where money is involved. i feel terrible for any child that is not trusted by their parents. a lack of trust in any relationship is the end of that relationship for all intensive purposes. i was very fortunate to have had the full trust of my parents. they knew they could rely on me to at least use my head to rationalize things even if my final decision was not what they'd have wanted for me. the reality of life regardless of chosen faith is that there are a million and a half stimuli in this world and many of them are going to challenge the moral foundations of us all. why not juice up your awareness to counter it? i see it kinda like a TomTom GPS navigator... if you had only 60% of the available maps, wouldn't you prefer to have all the maps? it would only improve your awareness and avoid the scenario that comes up when you are somewhere that you don't have a map for and you suddenly realize you're fucked keeping mindful of what is going on in the world of your children is the key to your communication with them. i don't get caught up in being "too adult"... i will watch mickey mouse clubhouse with my girl, play with her toys, disney channel is on whenever sportscenter is not =). as times change, so do standards and expectations. my parents tried to raise an american boy in the 80's and 90's as you would an egyptian boy in the 40's and 50's. it didn't work and with the way the world is changing, there is as much difference between 2007 and 1997 as there was between 1990 and 1960. the best a parent can do is keep it all in perspective... as far as christians and the battles they pick, you're absolutely right. i couldn't have put it any better.

or have zyko figure it out =)

Kanthos: very well spoken. i think the problem is just what you pointed out: parents almost (maybe not almost at all) don't trust the world surrounding their children enough to leave it up to the child to decide on their own and to support them on that when the time comes and they're older and can make those sorts of decisions... ultimately, it is the ideals that you want instilled in them. it's a little harder to not suggest that parents don't trust their own children (as it is a touchy subject) so i won't go there but it ought to be the parents' prerogative to prepare their children to make those kinds of decisions rather than dedicate themselves to dictating and shaping the actual decision itself. i say this because i am a parent and while my daughter was baptized in a catholic church by her mother, i am decidedly against forcing religon upon her despite myself having been raised muslim. the idea ought to be to keep her in an enviroment that values and preaches good practices and solid ideals but to brainwash her in either faith is to give her no choice and ultimately no trust in her ability to decide for herself. i am convinced that the opposite has the potential for being quite crippling. many zealous or uber-faithful parents would disagree with me... but if truly the importance of God and religon in a child's life is to teach them right from wrong and good from bad, then (at least at an early age) it really ought not matter the path upon which that is accomplished... only that it is. i value my upbringing as a mulsim because it definetly accomplished that and kept me pious long enough, at least, to establish a fundamentally sound foundation upon which i led the rest of my life... no matter what religous choice i make now, my parents trust that i am educated enough to make that decision. what about a child? can you have that same trust? of course, no, because the child is far easier influenced... but i doubt the movie would have that profound an effect. i've seen many movies in my life and i've yet to see a movie (aside from maybe, say, the ten commandments and that's cuz c. heston is the man) that has shaped my religous views in any way i would show this movie to my daughter. i wouldn't hesitate. there is no reason for me not to trust her intelligence. since i would never put her in a position that would compromise what her mother and i intend for her moral makeup, i wouldn't make that statement lightly. a movie that may imply that there isn't a god is the least of my worries in this day and age. i'm more concerned about the fact that she hears pop music that inspires her to "dip" and "put your back into it" and "my humps" and while i'm about as "hip" as anybody you'd ever meet, my 2 and a half year old daughter really shouldn't be dancing that way just yet..... you're absolutely right, though, kanthos. the main fear that every religous parent has (christian or not) is that their child won't go to heaven. my mother, who is a few bolts shy of zealotry, was very ferocious about that one point... she was distressed over many of my life's choices because of how they'd endanger my chances to get into heaven... rather than how it would affect me here on earth. eventually, she realized that she had still done a fine job on raising me and that some things are just what they are. she trusts me, now that i've grown into a man to make good decisions because she's already established that expectation. i assume that, except for the really nutty ones, any parent of any religon can eventually realize that it never really came down to a movie or two in keeping their children on the right path... it was merely a matter of picking and choosing your battles to BEST prepare your children to be adults later on. this movie is NOT one of those battles.

there is always going to be a double standard when it comes to media that deals with religon... if it is church-safe, it is widely considered to be generally safe. when movies such as this one or anything that would imply a deviation from the monotheistic faiths of the world do so in such a public forum as the movie theatre, you're gonna have to expect there to be that kind of backlash. it is unreasonable, ignorant and myopic. but it is what it is.

you're right, he's a dick i don't care so much if the book or the associated movie has anti-christianity lines in it... christians should grow slightly tougher skin as jews and muslims have tough-to-swallow movies made about them all the time... i am just appalled that he would be so bold as to have such a ridiculously incindiary attitude towards it. what, is he picking a fight? it isn't even a fight worth taking.

most creationist thought goes against the idea of life outside of earth as the implication that the exact same set of circumstances (size of planet, distance from star, etc) could yield another earth with similar life forms to humans. this would go against God's design... that man was created in his image and that man is unique and supreme. it contradicts the premise of Man. you're right, i'm not talking about little green martians from mars, either - not disagreeing with you really but i've always interpreted that verse as stating that there were other beings in this world that are not in the physical realm... rather than humanoid aliens.

damn, i was going to say something but fuckin mustin already jumped on it like white on rice he's the man so i respectfully sneak back into the shadows.... by the way mustin, if you read this, i got your message - i'll get back at you

what bothers me is that there have been countless secular films and few of them have stirred this much shit in "protest." sometimes, people crave controversy and i think this might be simply an example of that... perhaps even fueled by the success of the big screen adaptations of narnia... but whatever the reason, i'm curious why it is suddenly such a big deal the children? are you serious? are christian zealots really playing the children card?? suddenly we have to boycott a film because of the influence it might have on children? what is truly worse... instead of being brainwashed with an indirect, fantasy kid's movie implying that there is no invisible dude in the sky, is the exposure to the constant barrage of worldly bullshit that is forcefed our children throughout pop culture i'll admit that i haven't read the books yet (or have and just can't remember them) so i can't claim to know how extensive pullman's criticism of creationism is but i know that there wasn't nearly as big an outrcy over star wars or any other film that is based on life outside of earth... a direct contradiction to the big guy in the sky and his design. i don't remember because i was very young but did they line up with torches and pitchforks outside of theatres when ET came out? and even if they did, isn't that a bit ridiculous? the children, they say. the poor children who will walk away, scratching their heads, collectively questioning god after watching a couple of giant polar bears tear each other apart. right

well there have been some book series that have stopped after the first book because the film never caught on in the box office and from all indications, i haven't heard anything about a multi film deal like the one the narnia series made with disney.

amen brother

oh you mean, all those awful little atheist people who are terrible for not believing what you do? ohhh i think watching the movie because it is entertaining should be the only motivating factor. those polar bears look wicked. if you are going to the theatres for a religous experience, you are severely misguided, as it is.

nothin retarded about that at all - i've been scratching a lot in the past year and i'd do anythin for a vg vinyl to rip up some beats with like even one of game sounds. i've thought extensively about the potential of grabbing one of those turntable units that play a blank vinyl that plays mp3s of your choice (not little dj console type things but an actual turntable with, i believe, a clear record). i can't remember the model and i don't even remember the product all that clearly (my memory has a few... erm... pot holes...) but the upside of being able to scratch mp3s of your choice without having to resort to one of those fake little pad turntable mixers is fascinating! ah yes!

oh shit, i wanna do this! do you guys do this every month??

oh snap, happy birthday!

amen to that. can we say, perhaps, the reason the scene works so well for music lovers? EDIT: maybe what i'm really saying is that there couldn't be a more perfect way to give back to what we might be taking for granted =)

hmm i think i need to listen to this on my headphones... on my monitors, i didn't actually catch any of the distortion... i thought this only lacked in the midrange and was trebly... which isn't really enough to kill something completely. but i don't think i heard this right. let me get back to you after i've heard this on my beyerdynamics rather than my jbl's

i think in the spirit on the holidays and giving and love and all that good stuff, we should all review remixes made by our beloved judges... seeing as how we review all your music with very little in return outside of fame, fortune and hate =P haha, or merry christmas!

this is pretty freakin groovy the production isn't really bad at all and doesn't even warrant more mention than thus. i am all about the variation, sure hand and excellent musik i dig YES

you know, judge hate is very 2004 i think darkesword and zircon have put it well enough that anybody and everybody ought to understand what the problem is and the difference between a RESUBMIT and a Conditional YES. i think any argument and/or resistance on the issue is done for the sake of doing so and not from any legitimate standpoint. if we wanted you to simply increase the volume and send it back to us, we'd have told you to do so. it's really that simple. i, admittedly, may not be the most helpful in this department but zircon, liontamer, bgc, and others have been perennial champions of giving advice, detailed suggestions as to what to do to your mixes to get them ready. now what's so hard to understand about that? absolutely nothin, me thinks.

only possibly my biggest influence =) my band, Strut, used to cover a lot of sublime songs...

dan - well shit, man, you've convinced ME hahaha well, madbrain, there you have it. don't worry, though, i love idiots and non-idiots alike so no love lost, geek brother. i think i might have just been a little put off by my being a computer nerd, apparently... and sounding like one, even! but please don't spin this with the old "you can't take criticism" routine as i doubt i know anybody that has incurred more. if anything, i am known for my belligerently unorthodox musik by the way, dan, i re-uploaded Perspektiv for you http://www.zykomazika.com/Perspektiv.htm

brother, it has been a long time! how goes it? much thanks, by and by. did you, by chance, catch a glimpse of the previous album, Perspektiv? if not, let me know and i'll make it available for you

you're an idiot. has it occurred to you that, perhaps, you have a pre-disposed expectation that vocal music found at this site would sound "computer geekish" and, as a result, you'll hear that regardless of what it is you're actually hearing? seeing as how i'm niether a computer nerd nor do i sound like one, i think this is a textbook case of "DURR." the physical construction of your vocal chords has very little to do with your personal, hobbyist interests be it playing videogames or beating in the faces of morons like yourself =). what you are referring to (or at least trying) is the lack of confidence that an amateur singer (who might also be socially undercooked) has when recording their voice for the first few times. what you hear around here and vgmix are young men and women who are exploring their musical horizons, including their voice, and out of a lack of confidence in their ability to sing, hold back and hence, give you the "computer geek" sound. so in the UNLIKELY event that you are actually suggesting that i have a lack of confidence in my ability to sing (or a lack of confidence in just about anything, honestly), i think you are suffering from a serious case of mistaken assessment. however, if by geek you mean that i trump you in IQ, possess a cock and sack of balls twice the size of yours and can very well beat your ass in just about anything, then sure, brother... i'm a geek. by all means. i hope we're clear. =) p.s. also... linkin park electronica? are you fuckin serious? hahahahahahahaha p.s.s. thank you all for your kind words and comments. what's next in the pipeline makes Circumstantial Zen look like child's play.

i could so totally picture jay chow singing over this. this is ridiculously calming then again, when is kaijin musik not? even when he tries to rock out, it sounds calming. this is such a well-executed piece of music. so far the only complaints i'm seeing are purely stylistic ones... these are elements of the genre that kaijin is totally dedicated to. it's like criticizing brian mcknight for not having enough distorted guitars. this is fine. this is done with a sure hand - there is no amateur work here and the interpretation of the original is very thought-provoking. listening to this takes me back to middle school, no doubt - if you don't think that is powerful, you have no idea how difficult time travel is and how awesome it is when it is accomplished. i would like some thicker drums as i don't think they have enough presence in the mix but otherwise, it is money. $$$ YES

oh what the hell. you should know, i absolutely love the original. i had so much insane fun remixing this very theme years ago and i can hear how much fun you were having with this. this is one odd mix of tones you have here... what the hell are those drums and chip leads doing with an organic acoustic guitar? my brain wants to not like it but haha i love it! i mean, you don't even really do much with the melody line... it stays static almost throughout. you don't exactly lift it out of the original but at times, with the chip instruments, it sounds like you might as well have. that's funny; i'd normally have a conniption about that but this is just too cool. at 2.17, your track takes on a whole new meaning of BADASS, though... the vibe is what floors me. very rarely does a piece of music that i get to hear at the site truly transcend the physical musical elements to the point that it warrants this kind of consideration purely based on how it makes me feel. i mean, there's no way that the mixture of uber-processed and subdued drums, a distant, warm and muddy acoustic guitar, some NES-y chip leads, weird percussive breaks, other aural oddities and what sounds like it was filtered through a water bong... could work this well. but it does. very creative, very bold, very smart. very good in my book YES