TrentLapinski.com :: TrentL’s Blog

• Red Night Club http://twitpic.com/11ul57 #
• VIP with Andre at Red http://twitpic.com/11v1bb #
• Go Saints! #
• Manning just Farved it. Go Saints! #
• @Dillinger1984 I see you survived, perhaps next time you shouldnt throw up so much? in reply to Dillinger1984 #
• Did anyone else notice the Saints were announced to Audioslave's "Shape of things to come" and the Colts to Linkin Park? @tmorello #
• Is the internet still hungover from yesterday? #
• Google Buzz…. *yawn* Google really needs to learn how to give a keynote presentation. #
• Looks like Digg is going to copy Reddit and sub-Reddits http://bit.ly/bvIO4x #
• @google How about a Google Buzz invite? #
• @ResaMichelle Giving out Google Wave invites is like handing out onions wrapped as candy. It's just confusing and brings tears to the eyes. in reply to ResaMichelle #
• @robbystarbuck Can I be an extra? I'll stand in the back and look at people with shifty eyes. in reply to robbystarbuck #
• Looks like I can't go for a jog after I get off work… perhaps I'll go for a swim in the street? #itsraininginsocal ? #
• Touché Bluetooth headset, I lost you, again, only to later find you in my jacket pocket. D'oh. #
• Redlights + late = FUuUuUu #
• Zero One, One One Zero One, Zero One One One – We're turning into robots! #
• FaceBook chat just launched Jabber/XMPP support so you can now use 3rd party IM clients! http://bit.ly/aJO1vv #
• Out of hundreds of e-mail contacts, dozens of Gtalk buddies, Google Buzz auto followed 3 people, and only put me on 5 people's lists. #fail #
• Follow me on Google Buzz for shits and giggles! http://www.google.com/profiles/trentl #
• Tonights plans: Buy a microwave to warm up last nights leftovers. #FML #
• Help me afford a ticket to Coachella and buy my 49 key keyboard / MIDI controller. http://bit.ly/bmN2Qg #
• @jennydemilo Puppy love! My little bastards sleep in my bed more than I do. http://bit.ly/aP5nJG in reply to jennydemilo #
• http://twitpic.com/12xeoi Sutra with Andre #

• Been sick, still don't feel good, work tomorrow and they are moving me back to the noisy far away office for reasons unknown. FML. #
• This is not taking a nap. #
• Busta Rhymes at Flight. I have work tomorrow? http://twitpic.com/10zjil #
• I just saw a dude with a ponytail wearing that shirt with the wolves howling at the moon and instantly thought of the internet. #
• They just played a RHCP song on the radio and said, "Now here's a song from the 90's." Yea, thanks for making me feel old. #
• Dear collared shirts, I hate you. #
• Does CBS really need to advertise the Super Bowl? I'm pretty sure everyone already knows they're going to get drunk this Sunday. #
• One of my goals in life is to be able to wear jeans every day of the week again. I love jeans, it's lame I can only wear them on Friday. #
• Did I have to be included on the new FaceBook layout? I hate having to relearn how to use the site every time they change it. #
• FUUU!!!! @NetworkSolutions for charging $12 for domain forwarding, thanks to that I'm switching Registrars. #
• Me too! http://bit.ly/b42FmB #
• @arnoldkim I noticed Slashdots decline too, seems everyone went to Digg, and now Reddit. in reply to arnoldkim #

• Now that's a football game. I called it: Saints vs. Colts Superbowl. #
• Watching Kindergarten Cop, I loved this movie as a kid. "It's not a tumor!" I can't believe Arnold is still our Governor. #
• So cute…. http://i.imgur.com/FJsAP.jpg #
• As a Mac user of 20 years I find it funny that the people who detested Macs a decade ago are now bigger fanboys then I am. #ipad #islate #
• Why does Hollywood insist on using Irish or Scotish actors in place of Russians, Greeks, Armenians, and Germans? They don't even look close! #
• @mikey4402 Minus the Bear rocks live, seen them several times. in reply to mikey4402 #
• The Apple tablet is coming! But, will it pay my bills? #
• @rachaelaspen If someone kind wants to buy me one, yes. Otherwise, we'll see. in reply to rachaelaspen #
• iPad! #
• Wait until you have an iPad in your hands… we're all going to want one. #
• @rachaelaspen Neither does anyone else. #iPad in reply to rachaelaspen #
• Do you know what's worse than a migraine? NOTHING. #

Update: Hard has updated their website and are issuing full refunds to the 18,000 people who bought tickets. They also claim no one was seriously injured. While the Hard promoters and producers clearly messed up, it’s now beginning to also look like the entire thing was blown completely out of proportion by the fire department, and police.

In my lifetime I’ve been to dozens of clubs, concerts, and raves all over the world and never before have I showed up to not hear a single second of music.

My friend Tyler bought tickets for Hardfest / Hard Summer (a massive rave) and offered to take me as a birthday present. One of my favorite electronic acts Underworld was performing I’ve been waiting for them to come to LA and play a show. We went all the way to Inglewood and made it inside The Forum and got on the floor by about 10pm but there was no music, the lights were on, and there was over fifteen thousand plus people sitting around not sure what the hell was going on.

Occasionally some really annoying guy would come on stage and yell at the crowd and insult them without explaining what it was he was trying to accomplish, or what was going on. Meanwhile they lacked security guards, and the few they did have had no way to even talk to each other so they couldn’t coordinate. Even so I was shocked that the crowd acted peaceful as they simply waited patiently for hours for the show to start. Occasionally the crowd would chant something like “fucking bullshit” or “we want music” but it was to no avail.

Tyler and I made our way to the soundstage and around 11:35PM they started hastily packing up their laptops and most valuable equipment fearing it might get damaged if a riot were to break out. We knew that if the show didn’t go on people were going to get upset, and were surprised nothing major had happened so far. By midnight, they had a decent amount of their equipment packed, and it was clear the show most likely was not going to happen.

Around 12:05 they turned all the lights on so Tyler and made our way near to the exit and waited by it. Shortly after that they went on stage and told everyone to leave. We both took off running down the hall towards the exit as we heard the roar of the crowd behind us. When we made it to the top of the stairs and out the building we were surprisingly greeted by a row of riot police in full gear with batons in hand. They did not look happy to see us. It was incredibly unsettling.

From there we ran to my car and got the hell out of LA.

Now that I reflect on everything it was a really horrible, disappointing, and scary experience. I’ve never seen an event with thousands of people already there and the show simply being stopped before it even had a chance to begin by the police. No matter what actually did prompt the show to be canceled the fact the police showed up in full riot gear to control a relatively peaceful unarmed crowd simply reinforces my belief that we live in a police state.

Meanwhile Twitter has lit up with rumors ranging from tear gas being fired at the crowd (this one is possibly true), fights breaking out (only four arrests were made according to the LA Times, so even this seems unlikely), a gang fight (didn’t happen), a DJ being shot in the leg backstage (not true), and someone dying of an overdose (no legit reports of anyone dying). All of which is unsubstantiated and we probably won’t find out the truth of what actually happened until tomorrow, if ever.

Update: Just wanted to touch on a few things that took place last night that were considerably messed up.

• Security was blocking some exits between 10:15-11:45ish. I’m not sure the security guards knew what they were doing or why they were doing it because the majority of them in yellow jackets didn’t have walkie talkies, or any way to communicate. Only the security guards in the light blue shirts with the headsets on had any idea what was going on, and even so they weren’t instructing or working with the majority of security in yellow jackets.

• At around midnight when they finally let people exit the dance floor there was a row of riot police with batons already in their hands waiting directly outside ready to confront unarmed paying attendees of a show they canceled. It was incredibly threatening, and unnecessary.

• In my opinion the police over reacted, and misread the situation considerably. There was absolutely no reason to draw a weapon of any kind. Why the police put on full riot gear and had their batons in their hands ready to hit people was beyond me. At the very least they should have left them on their belts and only reached for them if there was a rational reason to.

• All the caps from the $5 water bottles were removed for whatever reason. Considering this was supposed to be a rave it would have been nice to be able to save our water.

• I witnessed a group of people not able to get water from the water fountains who then had to try and get water from the bathroom sinks. Even so, the bathroom sinks barely worked and it was taking them forever to fill the bottles. Considering a lot of people were on E and drinking alcohol denying access to water is a huge mistake which probably ended several people in the ER for dehydration due to pure and simple greed.

• I really do not blame the crowd for anything that took place for the event was clearly over sold, poorly organized, under staffed, and in an inappropriate venue that was not sectioned properly. I blame the promoters and producers, as well as the police for over reacting. While the police presence was understandable, the use of riot gear was not warranted. Given the outrageous demoralizing circumstances the crowd was actually relatively peaceful.

When I was in 3rd grade my Mom had just finished reading the book with me, as I was a Roald Dahl fan. When I heard they were making a James and the Giant Peach movie and filming it in San Francisco I was thrilled. I was even more excited when my Mom took me to an audition to be in the movie itself. At first, I actually didn’t get the part. I knew another kid in my class who had auditioned as well and he had been called back as an extra. I was bummed.

It was a big deal with the other kid getting to miss school to be in the movie, so I clearly remember when he got to leave. After just one day of filming a bunch of kids dropped out, and I got a surprise visit from my Mom about an hour after she dropped me off at school she came back and took me into the city. Next thing I knew I was on set. They sent me to wardrobe, gave me an impromptu 1940’s haircut, and put me in a maroon robe.

We were in a series of old warehouses where they had built the set. They literally had created a giant peach sitting on top of truck in what was supposedly the streets of New York City. The set had that distinct Tim Burton feel to it, as he produced the movie.

My Mom actually knew one of the assistants, and I was suddenly shoved right in front of the camera for several scenes at the end of the movie.

It was an interesting experience, I got to meet all the actors and actresses, and the director Henry Selick. I also got to eat a lot free food.

As for the other kid from my class, he sadly didn’t even make it into the final version of the film.

I love how Obama has no problem bailing out his buddies at GM, AIG, and has completely reversed his opinion on pork barrel spending. Worse yet, he’s even trying to potentially cover up meeting with executives at coal companies.

The White House on Tuesday dashed hopes that the federal government would help California overcome a mammoth budget crisis that has brought the state dangerously close to an economic meltdown, saying the state will have to solve the problem on its own.

“It’s obviously not an easy time for the state of California,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told a briefing when asked if the administration would provide emergency financing for the state.

“We’ll continue to monitor the challenges that they have, but this budgetary problem unfortunately is one that they’re going to have to solve,” Gibbs said. (Reuters)

In other words, the Obama administration won’t bailout or assist the largest state in the union with the biggest economy that is home to one of the nations largest supplies of agriculture, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood.

I’m pretty sure without California the United States is pretty much screwed. We live in a post industrial society built upon corn syrup, the tech industry, and entertainment industries. Yet somehow a car company in an already abandoned city who hasn’t made a decent vehicle in 20+ years is somehow more important?

I understand that Obama wants to restore this countries means of manufacturing and production, but letting the only state that has lead the way in improving the quality of life for the rest of the country for the last 50+ years probably isn’t the answer.

Perhaps California should secede. At least then we could finally legalize and tax marijuana, release everyone put in prison for non-violent marijuana related charges, and use the savings and tax revenue to pull us out of the recession.

Why don’t you put that in your pipe and smoke it.

While I do not condone the violence that has errupted in Iran, there is something to be said about a country where people actually still stand up for what they believe in (on both sides of their political fence).

Iran recently had a Presidential election, the results of which are being disputed, and the people of Iran have taken to the streets in protest despite the government outlawing protests.

Earlier on Monday, hundreds of thousands of people, some shouting “death to the dictator”, marched through the streets of Tehran to protest against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran’s conservative-dominated Guardian Council is considering complaints filed by Mir Hossein Mousavi and fellow defeated candidate Mohsen Rezai, alleging that the poll was rigged. (BBC)

The whole situation in Iran is all too familiar, for it was it was only 9-years ago that George W. Bush stole the election in the United States. Sadly, something American citizens are still in denial about. While marches took place against Bush, no one took any further acts of civil disobedience to right the wrong even though protesting is legal in this country (despite what the Department of Defense thinks).

Worse yet, there were no protests in our streets when Bush let 9/11 happen (even if it was simply out of incompetence it still happened on his watch and he should be held accountable for doing nothing to prevent it), there were no calls for impeachment when he invaded Iraq on false pretenses, and when Karl Rove potentially rigged the election in 2004 no one even bothered to look into allegations of voter fraud, let alone demand a recount.

Under the American people’s cowardly watch we allowed Bush and his cronies to destroy any hope for peace in the middle east, spawn a war on terror that didn’t exist until they came up with it, and demolish the world economy.

Democracy and capitalism have failed the United States and the world because we have done nothing to stop the corruption and greed that made them fail. Even though we thought we got our voice back with Obama in the last election nothing has changed, and nothing will change until you, your family, and your friends do something about it. Bush and Cheney even broke the Geneva Conventions, and are guilty of condoning and promoting the use of torture, and for some reason we’re still letting these war criminals walk around free spewing lies and hate. They are the real terrorists.

In most American’s eyes the Iranian’s are our enemy, but at least their people have the balls to dispute their election and protest. For protesting and standing up for what you believe in when the government becomes corrupt and no longer functions as it should is democracy. Something that American’s have long forgotten.

Interestingly, the UN, Germany and France have expressed concern over the potentially rigged election in Iran:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was following the situation closely.

“The position of me and the United Nations is that the genuine will of the Iranian people should be fully respected,” he told reporters.

EU foreign ministers expressed “serious concern” and called for an inquiry into the conduct of the election, while France and Germany each summoned their Iranian ambassadors to explain what was going on. (BBC)

I have a question for the UN: Where the hell was your concern when Bush stole the US election in 2000?

On a final note, props to Twitter for recognizing the situation.