heldentum oder the last star fighter

Der Spiegel has an interesting, if rather critical, article on the State Chancellery of Bavaria’s newest on-line presence that comes in the form of a role-playing game, Aufbruch Bayern—which is difficult to translate without sounding too grandiose but basically means, Bavaria, the Awakening. Government officials are under fire for the costs that went into developing the game (as compared to past initiatives, like social networking avatars that spoke for the free-state) but it’s not such a terrible thing—H tried it—with trivia and geography questions and no overbearing patriotism, though there were some not so subtle marks of environmental (Energie Wende) indoctrination—having the goal to charge one’s electric car, conspicuous rooftop solar cells, or a bright idea represented by an energy efficient light bulb rather than a maligned heat-bulb.

All of these things are good and positive, if not a bit heavy-handed—not the questions, nothing about the hero being Siegfried or Parsifal or integration or multi-culti or anything too Deutsch (though the player is guided by Lady Bavaria throughout), but the game may not keep kids’ attention for too long. Watching H play made me think about that sci-fi movie, The Last Star Fighter (DE), where a besieged alien race tries to find new defenders by sending out arcade games to test the competency of players and potential pilots. An Earthling teenager who was the high-scorer on the test-game was picked up by armada’s recruiter and helped defeat the enemies and save the galaxy. I think every young video-gamer back then secretly hoped they were in training, too, and the US military has tried this same ploy. Maybe the Bavarian government’s investment in a game is also a secret head-hunting scheme to search for talent to rescue the euro-economy or to manage the energy-transition—or to hone the right skills for taking on the challenge. Maybe we should keep playing until we reach the end. If this were the case, then Aufbruch Bayern would certainly have been worth the effort.

data-set or compendium

With the encouragement of the European Commission and the contribution and support of several dozen institutions to seed and sew the collection, the internet gateway, Europeana, has just gone live.

This open-source repository for research and incubation aims through collaboration and a commitment to academic integrity without inviting proprietary restrictions to concentrate the curatorial efforts of an array of museums and special exhibitions into one source, searchable and discoverable and also insatiable. It looks like a very promising platform, multilingual and infinitely accessible, yet nothing rivals being able to explore every well-worn and studied nook and cranny of one’s local institutions. Check out the site to learn not only of something new and undiscovered, presented beautifully, but also the apotheoses—what can be added as well to expand this resource.

munity on the bounty

For the US (and I wonder who were the competent authorities in this decision-making process) to reward a former Swiss banking executive with a king’s ransom (some one hundred million dollars) for disclosing the apparent practices of his employer and the handling American clientele is undoubtedly incendiary and no recompense (should any materialise) can justify the damage being done to dialogue and diplomacy.

The already strained relations regarding reciprocation and transparency are being trounced further, and no caution was heeded though this routine has been well-rehearsed by some desperate (despite intentions) elements of the Germany government, who offered similar bounties for equally ill-gotten intelligence. Swiss banking culture, being what it is, models the integrity, discretion and independence of the confederation and cannot expect to assimilate the heavy-handed and rogue tactics of failed regimes that provoke such flight in the first place. Had the US Internal Revenue Service or the tax-code that governs their work been crafted and enforced in an equitable manner at the onset, there would be no need to try to deputize informants to act as its agents.

johnny appleseed or be you and I behind an arras then

It’s painful to contemplate—and is by no means exclusive or necessarily defining but as far as trends go, so goes America, so goes the world—how American influence and leadership is being hijacked and replaced by the pretenders of corporate hegemony.

Industry lobbyists have courted (bullied) the government to such an extent, that legislators and officials have little choice when it comes to drafting rules and regulations in support of business of gaffers and the artisans that produce all the props of security theatre and the clawing theatrics greed. In blocking most any scene, the portrayal of need is unconvincing and rather an unashamed taut for the wardrobe or lighting-and-sound department. How many new uniforms, calliopes, magic lanterns, gels and flats do we need, in the name of safety, security, integrity or unmotivated invention?

The framework that’s been crafted is not just to the benefit to the darlings of contracting world, but a legislative landscape has been staged that’s overly favourable to the establishment, both in government and in business, and is very much against competition and growth and has sanctions in store for anyone not willing to play by the rules. This type of performance has a lot of different venues and circuits but is probably most stellar in the politicking of ways basic and unalienable—food and footprints. So many stage-hands are helping to ensure that no one or nothing is ever forgot, exposed and articulated except when the truths are embarrassing or uncomfortable for the directors and producers, and nothing’s committed with an ounce of anonymity. As for food, it is acquiring similar markers but to a different end—invasive and not readily refused.

funkloch

I find it remarkable how much infrastructure has been dedicated a-pace with progress to the traffic in invisible forces. Of course, not everything out of the past has become obsolete and ought to be gutted or cannibalized for spare parts—even if it has been outmoded.

One can still find veritable jungles of aerial antennae on rooftops and maybe they’re not deemed worth salvaging, but I’d rather would-be metal thieves engage in this enterprise before turning elsewhere. Though there is no more broadcast television to tune on to, maybe these remnants might be re-purposed for some new technology—like signal repeaters or something else that we cannot yet predict. Maybe they shouldn’t be scrapped just yet—and not just for aesthetic reasons.
 I bet all those dormant telegraph wires could be revitalized and deputized for a good use too. Though television has taken the high road and almost exclusively is beamed down from beyond the atmosphere, the signal towers have been retrofitted as cellular towers. The principles behind telephony are not terribly advanced, considering that one is just glomming onto an established network. A Funkloch is a German term for the increasingly rare places out in the countryside where there is no cellular coverage—a signal-hole. Though decidedly unaesthetic but I suppose practical since most castles were built in strategic locations, on the high-ground with a commanding vantage, some historic turrets (mostly in private hands, like the tower of Burg Gößweinstein near Forchheim) now also host an array of communications equipment. The network of fortifications used to communicate via bonfires and smoke-signals, across the valleys and over considerable distances, and no one could foresee the same ancient brigade bearing our new-fangled wirelessness.