Beginning anew in 2012

Hey folks. Happy 2012. Yep, we're still here. And yep, we're still dreaming big.

As a reminder, the original intent of this project was to construct a physical, scaled replica of the 2008 U.S. presidential electoral map using drinking apparati. It was an idea that arose out of two tangential but complementary interests. But, as discussed by Kevin, we realized early on that a full-scale model is probably out. Even the more modest 55,000-bottlecap map was a bit daunting. So despite early enthusiasm, the project faltered.

But the dream didn't die.

Enter the year 2012 and a new wave of primaries, a new set of candidates to squabble over their exact shade of red or blue, a renewed sense of campaign fatigue setting in months before a single vote is cast. But it's important to keep one ear turned toward your 24-hour news network of choice (which, if you're a Muppet, is not Fox News), because there's a lot at stake in this year's election. No matter what you think of President Obama and whether you want him reelected, come November we want a renewed commitment to progress and action, a replenishment of optimism, a revival of exhilarated idealism and successful development and implementation. We need leadership, and we sure as hell aren't getting it from Congress. Specifically, we need solutions, direction, answers to our problems as a society and a culture:

Whether or not you "believe" in climate change, Mother Earth is without a doubt suffering a massive freak-out; yesterday, the last day of January, was 53 degrees in Chicago, a symptom of the warmest winter since the 1930s. We're entering a whole new era of privacy concerns with social media and Internet availability and permanence, even extending to our kids, many of whom are getting cyber-bullied. Sometimes they're cyber-bullied for being gay, which is something you'd think we would have moved past by now, given my own generation's nonchalance about sexual identity. And bullying in the U.S. isn't just personal; thanks to a 2010 Supreme Court decision, corporations (including the millionaires and billionaires who run them) are in a prime position to bully the electoral system by pumping money to candidates who support their own agenda -- sometimes to the detriment of the rights and interests of the individuals who don't have millions of dollars and a lobbyist on speed-dial. Syria is immersed in violence. Everyone hates the current American tax structure, but no one can agree on how to get specific with tax reform. Almost 40 years after Roe vs. Wade, we still haven't settled the tension surrounding abortion. Needless to say, there's a lot going on, and there are a lot of reasons to care about this year's presidential election.

That's why we're re-focusing this project. We shall no longer look to the past, to 2008. We shall look ahead to 2012. We have until November to play around with the details, to practice sculpting the western seaboard in cups or bottlecaps or deflated ping pong balls colored with Sharpies or whatever else we're using to create this silly but completely necessary project.

It's a new year, and come November 2012 we shall endeavor to deliver a new map that accurately records and reflects on the changing ideologies of Americans across the country. (Though if Romney continues his lackluster rise to the top of the GOP pile, I have a feeling we're going to need more blue chips than red ones.)

Update on Project Progress

There was a party on Saturday at which both Kevin and Brittany were present, along with approximately 50 potential interns. However, due to the presence of a watermelon filled with vodka, we failed to make any progress on this project.

[end progress report]

Let's get this party started

So. We're gonna make a map. To scale. Unfortunately, I missed out on Principles of Cartography, so I'll have to start from scratch.

The way a map is constructed is important, and your map's construction can say a lot about your values. Or so I've heard. Whatever our map ends up meaning, there are some mechanical details we're going to have to work out. Like, for example, the scale.

America is big. This, in and of itself, isn't really a problem. With the right scale, you could get a properly proportioned physical map of an entire continent (or, if you're more locally-minded, a map of the CTA's "L" lines) tattooed on your arm.

Our problem, however, is two-fold. First, rather than a physical map, we want a political map, both in the "third grade social studies" sense and the "reflective of the outcome of a political event" sense. The second problem is that we're really mapping 50 states and one federal district, not a country, so each entity on our map will need to be discernable. So the scale will be important.

When deciding on the scale, it'll be important to keep the nature of our building materials in mind. Cans (about 2.5 inches in diameter), SOLO cups (about 3.75 inches in diameter at the open end), and bottle caps (about .75 inches in diameter) will all come in handy. If we want to get all topological on you, we might even use the bottles themselves (what's up, Mt. McKinley?). But clearly, our media will have implications in terms of scale.

It'll probably be easiest to start off small, so let's think about the District of Columbia. The district covers 68.3 square miles, or 274,189,639,680 square inches. At full scale, Washington DC could be covered by approximately

• 43,870,342,300 cans
• 19,497,929,900 SOLO cups
• 487,448,248,320 bottle caps

And that's just Washington DC. So full scale is probably out.

To attempt to keep this somewhat manageable, let's say Washington DC will be one bottle cap on our map. If we make it any smaller, we won't be able to see it. If we make it any bigger, we'll have to switch into fundraising mode so we can buy a large farm on which to construct our map.

With the scale set, the rest of the map can start to take shape. Rhode Island will be about the size of a SOLO cup. Illinois will be about 77 beer cans. But the best part about this scale is that we would only need about 55,550 bottle caps to cover the entire country. Bottoms up!

"Be curious, not judgmental." - Walt Whitman

Hey folks. Sorry it's been so long. Passed out under the table for awhile. It's just as well, since I was sick of waiting for Chicago to finally fucking remember it's spring. I'm making the type a little bigger so my hungover and thus vision-impaired friends can enjoy along with the rest of the class.

It occurs to me that we may have been unclear when putting forth the mission statement of Project New Age Walt Whitman. This project, and this blog as the public image of the project, are the result of a drunken conversation while watching some friends bend the rules of beer pong and simultaneously (but unrelatedly) talking about politics. The premise knocked us over with its simplicity: We assemble a scale replica of the 2008 presidential electoral map out of drinking apparati, as pictured above. (Note that the plural form of "apparatus" is "apparatuses," but that just looks stupid so we're going with the cacti approach.) The material construction of the apparati is not set in stone; red Solo cups are an obvious option, as are blue Bud light cans. If that looks overwhelming and we want to do a little shading, we could go smaller -- bottle caps or the like. My roommate in college saved hundreds of bottle caps to decorate her coffee table. I can't remember if she ever did it. I do remember consistently owning her at beer pong, which is really why we're all here anyway.

So obviously in order to collect these drinking-enabled art supplies, we'll need to...drink a lot. This is where the games come in. While I'm as down as the next person for a straight-up chug war until we both pass out, I'm a much bigger fan of competitive sports that pit drinker-friend against drinker-friend. Beer pong, flip cup, caps, quarters, bags, Chandelier, Numbers, King's Cup (aka Circle of Death), Up and Down the River, F@#* the Dealer, feats of strength -- you name it, I'll kick your ass at it, as will my good buddy Kevin.

If you want to be a part of such a project, then you should be an intern*. These research parties during which we amass the drinking-enabled art supplies will be invite-only. Our interns will be bouncing at the door (assuming we get a couple of bouncer-sized interns) and checking the list (not really, they'll be busy drinking). If you're accepted for internship, you'll be featured on the blog. Check out the internship requirements here, and then just send us an email at newagewhitman (at) gmail (dot) com with your name, favorite beer, and/or suggestion for how to conquer the tricky coastline along the Gulf of Mexico with various drinking-enabled art supplies.

Godspeed.

* Formal title only, no payment expected except the gift of a good time.

New Age Whitman Twitter Profile Picture Contest

Everything has a Twitter account. New Age Whitman will be no exception. If you're so inclined, follow us @NewAgeWhitman. We'll see what comes of it. I'll tell you one thing right now, though. Nothing will come of it without a kick-ass profile picture.

In pursuit of such a picture, I introduce the first (yeah, we'll call it first for now) New Age Whitman contest. Make us a kick-ass profile picture. The picture must posses the following qualities:

• Must be clever (ideally relating to drinking, elections, and/or Walt Whitman)
• Must be visually appealing
• Must be original, or an original combination of other images
• Must be less than 700 kilobytes (Twitter is picky like that)

Entries can be submitted along with internship applications or on their own. If you want, you can tweet your entries at us. A good contest entry will get you bonus points for internship consideration, if applicable.

Alright, get to work. This is the beginning of something big.

Seeking Interns

The New Age Whitman Project seeks interns. To apply, please send a resume, cover letter, head shot, any x-rays (including dental), and a thirteen-hundred word essay on your favorite beer. Applications can be submitted directly to newagewhitman (at) gmail.com.

JOB SUMMARY:
The two creators of New Age Whitman -- that'd be Kevin and Brittany -- intend to complete an art project during Kevin's two weeks in Chicago this coming August. It will be a two-part endeavor: The first part will involve a lot of drinking in order to accrue the necessary art materials. That's where the interns come in, because Kevin and Brittany only have so much mileage left on their respective livers and we'd like to keep them functioning until at least the age of 35. The art project aspect will be fulfilled by the design and execution of a scale map of the United States using blue and red beer cans to recreate the 2008 electoral map. You potential interns don't need to worry about that part though; Kevin promised to do all the math. You just need to drink.

REQUIREMENTS:
- Availability on nights and weekends and possibly during the day sometimes
- Contributions to the blog where appropriate
- Lots and lots of beer pong, flip cup, and whatever other drinking games we can think of
- Some light clerical and housework

IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL POSSESS:
- Bachelor's degree in anything (extra points if it's substance-related, like visual arts)
- Liver of steel
- Sense of humor
- Commitment to the arts and the mission at hand
- No allergies to cats
- Knowledge of the application process for the National Endowment for the Arts

Payment will occur in lots of beer. If we get an NEA grant, we'll also pay you money, but you may have to help with that application process.

Come with us on a journey. We don't yet know where it will lead, but rest assured, this experience will transform your life.

NOTE: Since Obama won in 2008, we're assuming the blue can (Bug Light) will have a slight edge over the red can (Budweiser). Of course, Obama was born in Africa so he didn't really win the race. Arguments about that, Al Gore, the Northwestern Wildcats, and puppies sitting in baskets will likely dominate work conversations. Semi-relatedly, if you have knowledge of other beer cans that are varying shades of red or blue, please mention that in your cover letter.

Continent!

August 2011. Get pumped.