Culture#1
What the fuck is culture, really? Well, in my world it’s a lot of things, from books and movies to internet memes and stuff that wouldn’t exist without the society we live in. So there.
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Make someone (then do it again)
Darius Kazemi calls himself an internet artist, and who am I to disagree? Anyone who can make something as wonderful as the Make someone page deserves whatever moniker they’d like.
So go ahead, make a person. Then make another until the day’s wasted away.
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Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel sets
Do you need some extravagant fashion sets in your life? Not much of that going around during a pandemic, and – let’s face it – it’s not like most of us would go to a show anyway. That doesn’t mean that they’re not cool though, like this New York Times gallery of Karl Lagerfeld’s most fabulous Chanel sets. Like it or not, those are some wild sets designed to showcase fashion…
And yes, I might be digging deep in my Pocket reading queue. Still cool though, even if the link is from last year.
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Don’t go to the movies
A discussion recently led me to send this AV Club link, about going to the movies in a pandemic, to a friend. I figured it should be here too. The quote below is Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, talking about what’s so dangerous with going to a movie theatre right now.
I’m a huge fan of movies. I really enjoy them. They’re a great way to have some fun and escape from the world—which we need, especially right now. But going to see a movie in an indoor movie theater, it’s just about the last thing I would do right now. From what we understand, the virus is transmitted through through aerosolized droplets that come out of our mouths, oftentimes when we talk or when we laugh or when we sing. And so, being in a room for two hours with a bunch of folks who are laughing at a movie, and where air is not being circulated in an efficient way, and where you don’t know who has been in there before you, that’s really hazardous exposure. I just don’t think it’s worth it.
Dr. Abdul El-SayedThe whole piece, with quotes from medical professionals, is worth a read.
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Gary Larson’s back
Well I’ll be… This is great news, and all thanks to a clogged pen:
So a few years ago—finally fed up with my once-loyal but now reliably traitorous pen—I decided to try a digital tablet. I knew nothing about these devices but hoped it would just get me through my annual Christmas card ordeal. I got one, fired it up, and lo and behold, something totally unexpected happened: within moments, I was having fun drawing again. I was stunned at all the tools the thing offered, all the creative potential it contained. I simply had no idea how far these things had evolved. Perhaps fittingly, the first thing I drew was a caveman.
Be sure to read the whole story, and then check out the new stuff from the creator of The Far Side.
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Bruce Sterling bids farewell to Beyond the Beyond
Beyond the Beyond, the blog by Bruce Sterling hosted by Wired, is shutting down this month. It’s been a staple for the blogosphere, so it makes me sad to see it go. Read the farewell post, and – if you were a passenger on the ride – take this moment to reminisce a bit. Also, how nuts is it that Wired didn’t pay for all that content?
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Just Cancel All Conferences Already
The number of cancelled conferences due to COVID-19 is growing, SXSW is the latest big one to cancel. It’s not just the organizers that take a hit when a conference is cancelled or postponed, hotels and restaurants, tourism in general, and so forth suffer too.
I propose that all conferences and trade shows should be cancelled. Let’s reboot and restart, kill off the whole circuit and find something new. If you do business visiting these things, then you’ll find another way, because business will be done no matter what. And if you make your living on or around the shows, well, you’ll have to adapt. That’s the way of things.
Maybe I’m just channeling my inner hatred for crowds, and the fake importance of the stage, but I don’t feel that cancelled conferences is such a bad thing. Take this opportunity to find other ways to get what it is you get from conferences. Write down all the good things, and replace them with alternatives. I’m pretty sure that’ll be easier than you thought.