[E]ach time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him…
THOUSANDS FEAR FOR THEIR HEARING, FLEE FOR THEIR LIVES! The infamous Ballet mécanique is coming to Washington, DC, but not in any way it’s been heard before. And it’s not going to be for just one performance…it’s going to be played over 30 times. George Antheil’s 1925 masterwork, which was never heard in its original…
The International Society of Cubists officially launched its Web site today, a brilliant rejection of natural form and perspective that metaphysically establishes the implication of movement, analytically redefines spatial relationships, and is an absolute bitch to navigate. “What the hell is this? I can’t tell how to get anywhere,” one of the site’s first visitors…
Superman will help teach British children about Jesus in state-mandated religious education classes, The Telegraph reports. —Superman to the rescue of Jesus (JoanneJacobs.com) I’m blogging this one not just because it’s odd enough to be interesting, but because of Joanne Jacobs’ final suggestion, just before “Posted by joannej”. Similar:Humans Aren’t Mentally Ready for an AI-Saturated ‘Post-Truth…
—Ten Things About Ten Things About Writing (Paperback Writer) A top ten list of top-ten lists about writing. (A former student of mine, Kathy Kennedy, wrote “Short Stories: 10 Tips for Novice Creative Writers” as part of a technical writing class.) Similar:Lincoln’s last play; or, the continuing fascination with “Our American Cousin”E. A. Sothern as the…
With upswept roofs and, often, curvaceous, geometric shapes, and bold use of glass, steel and neon, it decorated many a motel, coffee house and bowling alley in the 1950s and 1960s. It epitomises the spirit a generation demanded, looking excitedly towards a bright, technological and futuristic age. As it became clear that the future would…
I panicked and tried to pat out the fire with my hands but the brittle, dry macramé cord was fully ablaze within a few seconds. All I could do was stand there and scream for help. The owl was now a fireball which was scorching my wall and dropping cinders onto the carpet. —Macramé Disaster (Catenema)…
—Galleries — Bridge Drawings (Ex Astris Scientia) A very cool collection of cut-away schmatics of the various designs of the bridges for Star Trek. Starts with the bridge as it appeared in the Star Trek pilot episodes, the original series, the movies, and various refits of the same set for the various Federation starships encountered throughout…
The first thing that occurred to me was the similarity between the bridge on the Enterprise and a small theater. The view screen made an obvious film screen and the seating centered around the command chairs and behind would fit well in the small space I had. I therefore decided to make my theater into…
Understanding the Abramoff pictures requires investigating the absurd Washington phenomenon known as the “glory wall.” Also called the “wall of fame,” “me wall,” and “ego wall,” the glory wall is where members of the establishment flaunt their connections by displaying photos of themselves with more famous people. —John Dickerson —”As I Was Saying to the…
You can have your “19 years-old,” or whatever you are. I love being 33, because I can look back on everything that I’ve done, and smile. I’ve done it all, baby, while you were in diapers, literally. […] You can have your crappy music, stupid scenes, cliques, fashions or whatever.. I’ve sooo outgrown that, like…
—Randomized Garfield Garfield strips, chopped up and re-assembled randomly. Funnier than the originals. Via memepool. Similar:The Most Disastrous Typos In Western History The Most Disastrous Typos In Western H…BooksMystery Science Theater 3000: The Definitive Oral History of a TV Masterpiece The show was awash in quick, smart wis…HistoryBias is a noun. CultureTheory Trading CardsThis set…
1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them. 2. Forget about good. Good is a known quantity. Good…
I’ve just finished making a video about the similarities between the ancient Hindu art of spiritual discipline and the rather more modern art of online gaming. Watch the higher self rack up high scores getting to the next level of consciousness in the transcendentally physical world of Half-Life 2: Deathmatch! —Jim Munroe —Yoga Deathmatch (No Media…
The magic of movies, for so many in our increasingly visual society, is a far more stimulating and efficient storytelling experience than the labor intensity of reading. —Thane Rosenbaum —Yeah, but the Book Is Better (Forward) Not an elitist rant, but a thoughtful essay by an author who has written the screenplay of his own novel.…
Subjective journalism does NOT mean glorifying the writer. Notice how, by the end of “Bow, Nigger” we know everything about the player’s experiences, the thoughts, feelings and theories that emerge during the short light saber battle, but we know nothing about the author him/herself. It’s subjective, but it isn’t self-publicising. It isn’t autobiography. Hunter S…
In the new world of interchangeable, interdependent entertainment modules – athlete performs four songs on soundtrack to movie based on videogame! – a football injury can have unexpected repercussions. I’m here looking for some insight into the growing practice of adapting games into movies. There are plenty of them – Double Dragon, from Gramercy Pictures,…
Interwoven into the scarf material are pixels containing red, blue and green light-emitting diodes (LEDs), so adjusting the brightness of each type of diode turns the scarf a different overall shade. —Chameleon scarf coordinates with your outfit (NewScientist.com (will expire)) O brave new world, that hath such gadgets in it! (I Googled for photos but I…
“Let’s walk around looking for people who are laughing to themselves because of something they’ve just thought of,” I say. “When we find them, you take their photograph and I’ll ask them what they were thinking about that was so funny.” —Jon Ronson —The tickle inside (Guardiian) There aren’t actually any pictures on the website, but…
—Gillespie & Montfort’s ”The Executor” (BathHouse Magazine) An intriguing piece of very short fiction, written by two authors who alternated sentences. The presentation works with color and type size in a simple but effective way. It’s not long, and has a creepy but oddly touching payoff. Similar:The Passenger (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 9) Dead…