Saturday 2 May 2015

fearbook

Dangerous Minds has a features an excellent profile on a magazine whose run in the late1950s and 1960s appealed to a certain niche readership and had quite a devoted following. The periodical Famous Monsters of Filmland not only showcased the distinctively creepy artwork of Basil Gogos on the cover but also invites a discussion on such cult phenomena since fandom is always something well-documented for those wanting to know more or to rediscover what was formerly frowned on as a poor investment of time and energy, unlike say Cat Fancy.

uncanny gulch

H introduced me to this fun but slightly unsettling Chinese app called myidol. One takes a shapshot of one’s face and the app (all in Chinese but intuitive and guiding enough to figure out—though a bit offputting since one is not exactly sure what one is consenting to, like most of the things on this platform) and allows one to create a three-dimensional paper-doll avatar that one can put in miniature animated adventures, like a cowboy in a Wild West shootout, motorcycle daredevil, cheerleader, etc. The rendering is seamless and an accurate reflection—the character coming across as a Voltron pilot.

Friday 1 May 2015

human rights watch

At a very urgent juncture, the world was administered extreme unction in the aftermath of World War II in the form of the United Nations whose working-group applied the aspiration of universal human rights, which is a very good and needed model to aim for. This convention, however, is somewhat effacing to if not the true underlying factors then at least to that propaganda that inspired much of the outrage and tragedy that is failing to impart any real lessons unfortunately.

The mass deception and hysteria broke out owing in part (if not wholly) by appealing to scapegoats and the worst of people’s prejudices, applying the template of a host majority’s fears on minority groups, defined as outsider or other by the prevailing, dominant outlook. Of course, those draftsmen would prefer those others to be loyal adherents to progressive causes and progressive thinking, but the concept of a universal right worth protecting also obligates recognising a cultural identity—by that very difference—which may be in stark opposition to what’s been enshrined. There’s plenty of room for interpretation and the notion that one could choose to worship any way he or she sees fit or not at all or the inherent equality among the sexes, as I feel and values I cherish, could become quite a problem for others (given that this lack of choice in the matter is the way and the way it has always been and there’ve not been complaints worth registering), as could peddling a certain style of democracy over others, as the Swiss, for instance, might regard governance American style wholly inadequate and theirs the highest standard. Not that we should not hope for egalitarian goals and convictions that respectful of others nor that a certain set of ideals engenders greater foreignness but we ought not forget that the notion of rights is something malleable and conceived to protect those that may not ascribe to them.

rinse cycle

A group of clever engineering students in China have come up with a concept for a stationary bicycle with a workout routine that doubles as laundry duties. The design is still in its earliest phases and there are some obvious hurdles to its manufacture, like plumbing but hopefully in short order, rows of exercise bikes might start appearing in wash-salons and in laundry rooms. The drudgery of both chores is sure to be compounded by being tethered to dirty clothes for the entire duration but it might equally provoke thought on each task, making the environmental impact a little less through peddle-power.  Be sure to check out the link for more bright ideas whose time has come.

shoutbox

Via the inestimable Boing Boing, here is a parody on the Guardian’s Comment is Free section. I admit I don’t really understand that forum, which seems like a solicitous den of baiting and columnists finding a place for spare thoughts that were well formulated but didn’t really fit with their assignments but I suppose most of the internet is fashioned that way—just with guiding rivulets hewn deeper to direct the flow. I suppose ours is not to reason why. Each of the entries seems like an absolute jewel and we will be checking this blog, Comment is Weird, regularly.