My Birthday Wish: I want to take things to the NEXT LEVEL

I've been using a service called Twitter for awhile and have been loving it. One of the coolest things about it is the ability for people to post status updates (like on Facebook) but those status updates are delivered straight to your phone via text messages.

So I started thinking about how useful this could be... I wish I knew when parties were busted before I left the house (although that'll never happen with us!). OR maybe if everyone got text messages, we could start doing interesting things with secret passwords... secret locations... scavenger hunts... We could really take things to a whole new level.

So please join this experiment with me. Send a text message 40404 with "follow ninjaskillz" to receive mobile updates about awesome events in SoCal. The updates won't be too frequent, but they'll certainly be worth it. This is not just to let you know about events, but it will also be used to create brand new experiences... imagine if we all gathered in a park and 300 people all simultaneously received a text message with instructions to [insert action here].

I'm sure you all get the picture ;-)

Please pass this on to anyone you would normally invite to our kind of events. Think of it as a birthday present to me. Zero Tolerance For Assholes! No creeps!

And before vicious rumors start spreading that you'll get charged for signing up, these are just standard texts messages. So if you can receive text, sign up!

text message 40404 with the phrase: follow ninjaskillz

Love you lots!

-Mark Zabala ( @markzabala on twitter )

To all my friends looking for employment right now.

I decided to write an article on how to find a good job in a bad economy. This is based on how I landed my dream job, what I would've done differently, and how I feel about applicants now that my company is looking for people. Please feel free to leave me a comment there! I'm trying to get into the habit of writing more (I've previously worked for two college newspapers) and I would love to heard your feedback.

View my article here: cli.gs/U02BZr

Also, there are a lot of great employment tips and links here: jobsearch.about.com/

I've also been hearing about this site as a job search board: www.theonlinebeat.com/

And here are all the "newer functionality" job sites: www.emilychang.com/go/ehub/category/C61/

Psychedelic Space Disco - New Mix!

Stream it: bit.ly/VspER
Download it: bit.ly/21ZgRk

A lot of my friends love funky music like house or breaks. So do I, but I'm also a fan of the energy-driven spacey sounds of psytrance. Most of my groove loving friends won't go near psychedelic trance with a 10 foot pole. I mean, the house music scene is kind of derived from the disco days of bellbottoms and afros. That is a world very far removed from the world of aliens, hindu gods and alternate dimensions. For the uninitiated, these themes are as associated with the psy scene as vampires and black are associated with the goth scene... or crying and cutting is with the emo scene.

But wait. Can't hyperdimensional alien being get their funk and groove on too?

That was the idea behind this mix. Psychedelic Space Disco. Hope you enjoy the experiment. If you are immediately anything anti-psy, just give this a try. I think its different enough ;-)

Tracklisting
Bubble - Clear - Mushy Records
Mojo - Elephants - Mushy Records
Spacecat and Pixel - Clear Test Signal - H2O Records
Twilight - Impulse - Mushy Records
Elec3 - Sprite - Liquid Solid Records
U-recken - The Other Side (Visual Paradox Edit) - Com.Pact-records
Visual Contact - Natural Vibes - Com.Pact Records
Switch (Irad Brant)- Megasonics Live Mix - 3d Vision
Dynamic vs CPU - Scream - H2O Records
Dynamic - Buenas Noches - H20 Records
Eskimo-Balloonatic - Part 2 - Radio Sucks-Phantasm Records
Astrix - Coolio - Infected Mushroom Remix - HOM-Mega Productions
Infected Mushroom - Shakawkaw - Vibe Tribe Remix - BNE / Yoyo Records

HOMECOMING CANCELLED

So there are 2 types of promoters in this world. Responsible Promoters and Irresponsible Promoters. As it turns out, some Irresponsible Promoters organized an event at the SAME location as our HOMECOMING event was supposed to be on the night before our event. It brought down the wrath of the local officials and effectively shut the space completely down.

We scrambled and ran around frantically trying to obtain another location where we could give you the event that we promised you... and we just couldn't find one. We love our family and don't ever want them to spend their hard earned cash on a half-assed party. As such, we are going to have to cancel HOMECOMING.

We HATE to do this. This sort of this is right up there on the list of things that we as organizers NEVER want to have to do. However, we owe it to you to throw the absolute best event that we can. Something that exceeds your expectations.

ALL PRESALES WILL BE REFUNDED.

Fear not! For all of you decom party peeps, the folks at Space Island and Trinity are throwing an afterparty.
www.spaceisland.org

They have a killer lineup and a great location.

We hope this reaches you in time to plan your night. Please accept our most humble apologies. Had this been within our control, things would have gone differently.

NINJASKILLZ & HIPGENESIS

DISCOUNT TIX for this Saturday! Apocalyptic High HOMECOMING!

LIMITED PRESALE TICKETS ARE $16: beticketing.com/_U2_add.php

GET EM FAST! TICKETS AT THE DOOR ARE $25

ON OCTOBER 4TH, 2008

NINJA SKILLZ MUSIC AND HIPGENESIS PRESENT:
HOMECOMING

Yeah... its exactly what it sounds like...

Imagine if you will, a Homecoming Dance done only how the LA Underground can do it. Come in all your Playa Finery from earlier in the day or HOWEVER YOU WANT!

* 3 AREAS OF SOUND FEATURING L.A.'S BEST IN HOUSE - BREAKS - PROGRESSIVE - DOWNTEMPO
* 8 SMALLER ROOMS SPONSORED BY A.H.S. SCHOOL CLUBS ( CHECK OUT DETENTION...)
* LOCATED ON OUR BRAND NEW DOWNTOWN L.A. CAMPUS!
* YEARBOOK PHOTO BOOTH
* MASSAGE
* PANCAKES
* ART CURATED BY URBAN CANVAS
* A GAGGLE OF CRAZIES AND YOU!

Featuring the not-so-high-school-cafeteria-sounding:

JOHN KELLEY ( Moontribe, Ball of Wax )
DJ BLUE ( Blue Insomnia )
WOLFIE ( DJWolfie.com )
SAYNT ( Ninja Skillz, L.A.L.A. )
JESSE WRIGHT ( Pocket Underground, L.A.L.A. )
JUPITER ( The Do Lab, LeftHouse Recordings )
JOPLIN ( Pork 'N Beats )
MARK ZABALA ( Ninja Skillz, MarkZabala.com )
DARKMATTER ( Hipgenesis )
NICK THE NECK ( Pocket Underground )
20 MEAT ( Fluid Sound )
HYJYNX ( Ninja Skillz )
YONA (www.podcollective.com/podsoun...ona.mp3)
COREY SAGE ( RLD )
ZAK BROWN ( Hipgenesis )
FAITH ( L.A.L.A. )
KUMAR ( L.A.L.A. )
THE MIGHTY NEW MATIC (Live Trip Hop PA)


We will have pieces available and presented by:

Marc Coronado of Ain Soph Aur - Custom Fashion Designs
Dan Joyce - Portraits, paintings and mixed media
Michael Pukac - Fine artist and Live Painter
Hex - Graffiti Art and Paintings
Josh Separzadeh - Digital Photography
Theresa Morgan Knopf - Paintings and Mixed Media
Elle Seven - Drawing, Paintings & Collage
Jessica Kost - Paintings and mixed media
Radhika Hersey - Paintings
and perhaps a few surprises


PHOTO BOOTH & SLIDE SHOWS BY KT LEE @ EYENEX.US & CURIOUS JOSH @ CURIOUSJOSH.COM

WE WILL be running shuttles from the Decomp Location to the event!

WE WILL ALSO be running shuttles from the parking lot at First and Central in Downtown LA.

ALL SHUTTLES will be identified as R.L.U.S.D ( Red Light Unified School District )

IMPORTANT: the Decomp parking lot will be closed from 12am-7am. If you are coming to our party, either park on the street or move your car to the 1st and Central Parking Lot before then.

SPIKE THE PUNCH!!!!!!!

Inspiring Final Lecture

www.youtube.com/watch

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. For more, visit www.cmu.edu/randyslecture.