Bsmart profile picture

Bsmart

He who dies with the most toys, is, nonetheless, still dead.

About Me


"I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong." - John Lennon

New! I just put up a personal photo gallery. You can check it out here .

Basic Info

My name is Brandon and I am a multimedia designer living in Ogden Utah. I love to design and create web pages and applications, and all types of multimedia and artwork. I have recently embraced the wonders of web standards and I love to use XHTML and CSS in my designs. I currently work for the government and try to make a positive impact when I can. I also own my own studio , where I create Multimedia (Print, Interactives, and web sites) for various clients. I love Art of all kinds, though I prefer Expressionism and non-definitive Abstract as far as paintings go. Some of my favorite Artists include: Salvadore Dali, Basquiat, Warhol, and well, there are too many to list here. I enjoy taking photographs of just about everything and then turning them into my own works of art. I enjoy painting, singing, playing guitar and the didjeradoo, and being outdoors (camping, hiking, etc).

I started this profile as a way to hook up with old friends, and hopefully meet some cool new ones. I want to meet people who share some of my interests and who are genuine in their lives, not just in their profiles.

On Politics:

Leave the Rat Race. America deserves better than a two-party political system. We can make it happen. Light the flame, the revolution is near. I wholeheartedly disagree with the war in Iraq (and any other war for that matter) and think new, younger leadership is needed for our country to prosper, let alone survive. I consider myself an Environmentalist, and I think that there is nothing more important than doing everything I can to ensure that this world is properly taken care of. I strongly support sustainable living, alternative & renewable energy sources, and conservation.

On Religion:

I really am a Buddhist (not the kind that prays to statues) and I try to be as active as possible in the SGI-USA organization. For those of you who have no idea what that is, a description of the SGI follows: Soka Gakkai International (SGI)-USA is an American Buddhist association that promotes world peace and individual happiness based on the teachings of the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism. Our members reflect a cross section of our diverse American society, representing a broad range of ethnic and social backgrounds.

Click here to learn more.

Personal Info

As far as my personal life goes, I am happily married with one son, Aiden, who is 2 years old, and another little boy on the way (no name chosen yet, see "Baby Names" Blog entry above). I have 1 brother and 1 sister, and a cute little niece named Maia.

My Interests

    Multimedia (that pretty much covers all bases The Great Outdoors Music Buddhism & Spirituality Anything Creative Learning Eating Sleeping

I'd like to meet:


Artists, Musicians, and other creative people, especially in the Salt Lake City/Wasatch Front area. Old friends, other Buddhists and Environmentalists. Anyone who is open-minded and non-judgemental.

Mike Patton (again: I met him once at a Fantomas show here in SLC, but only for a moment).

Music:

I love all music, though I prefer not to listen to country when possible. I believe all music is generally good and has it's place. If I were to list all of the bands I like on here, you would be scrolling for days.

Movies:

Mostly comedies and action.

Television:

Real Time with Bill Maher, the Simpsons, other good comedies. Lately I'm really into the show House, on Fox (I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't).

Books:

    The writings of Nichiren Diashonin Buddha in your mirror Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield (Quite possible the best story I have ever read) Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions, by Richard Bach Siddartha, by Herman Hesse Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown

Other than those, I usually read technical books. I recommend anything by Eric Myer if you are into web design.

Heroes:

Musically:

    Mike Patton, he is so versatile and talented. Plus he is one of the most productive musicians and unique vocalists alive today. Ed Kowalczyk, Lead Vocalist of the band Live. Also much love and respect to all of the fallen singers, Brad from Sublime, Shannon from Blind Melon, Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Jerry Garcia...
Spiritually:
    Daisaku Ikeda (SGI president) Nichiren Diashonin Ghandi

My Blog

Responsibility, what it means to me...

So OK I am going to rant a bit more here, I think it has been a few months since I made a blog entry so here it goes.I want to talk about what responsibility means to me. Not the kind of responsibilit...
Posted by Bsmart on Sat, 13 Jan 2007 09:53:00 PST

The 3 Poisons...

I was fortunate enought to attend an awesome lecture by SGI USA Youth Leader Greg Martin this weekend, and I just wanted to share some of the incredibly profound concepts I learned.First is a Buddhist...
Posted by Bsmart on Wed, 01 Mar 2006 08:31:00 PST

Does this scare the shit outta anyone else?

Al-Zawahri Mocks Bush Over Terrorism WarBy NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer 48 minutes agoCAIRO, Egypt - In a new video aired Monday, al-Qaida's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri mockedPresident Bush ...
Posted by Bsmart on Tue, 31 Jan 2006 05:25:00 PST

Sputniks...

I ran across this article the other day, thought it was good enough to share...The New York Times         & nbsp;       &...
Posted by Bsmart on Sat, 21 Jan 2006 12:04:00 PST

The 10 Worlds Explained...

This to me, is a profound explanation of the internal and external influences that affect all of us in daily life....What are the The Ten Worlds? One way that Buddhism explains life is through a...
Posted by Bsmart on Mon, 19 Dec 2005 03:55:00 PST

WTF?

SGI President Ikeda's Daily Encouragement for December 19 Encouragement-offering encouraging words-is important. Nichiren Daishonin states, "The voice does the Buddha's work" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 708). ...
Posted by Bsmart on Mon, 19 Dec 2005 03:42:00 PST

All you ever wanted to know and more about me...

Check out this page to find out all about the day you were born and more...You entered: 4/2/1977 Your date of conception was on or about 10 July 1976 which was a Saturday. You were born on a Saturday ...
Posted by Bsmart on Mon, 19 Dec 2005 03:26:00 PST

Helping people become happy is hard...

Well I have been trying to get a few of my friends out to one of our Buddhist meetings that we have every week. I think it would really help alot of them in many areas of their life. It's funny, the ...
Posted by Bsmart on Wed, 02 Nov 2005 12:22:00 PST

Seattle Pics...

Hey everyone, I thought you might like to see some of the photos I took on my trip to Seattle last weekend. I will eventually post them on my web site, brandonsmart.com, but for now I am being  l...
Posted by Bsmart on Thu, 20 Oct 2005 08:38:00 PST

True Happiness: What it is and what it isn't...

*The following is my own opinion, and is my interpretation of the teachings of Nichiren Diashonin, or to go even further, Shakyamuni Buddha (the original Buddha). Nichiren and Shakyamuni's teaching ar...
Posted by Bsmart on Thu, 13 Oct 2005 10:45:00 PST