Number 61 » culture

The Creation of

Matthew Gipp — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:32:47 +0000

The late anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, writing in Tristes Tropiques:

My hypothesis, if correct, would oblige us to recognize the fact that the primary function of written communication is to facilitate slavery.

Dan Videl unpacks it, then injects it into a rumination on Tino Sehgal’s recent exhibition at the Guggenheim. Via Robert Cottrell.

Just Like Mombot Used to Make

Matthew Gipp — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:37:22 +0000

In the throes of an economic downturn, with unemployment rates mounting, the very idea of a robot chef might seem indulgent at best — at worst, downright offensive.

On the subject of designing lovable robots to prepare our food.

Karaoke Killings

Matthew Gipp — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:50:19 +0000

“The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade [...]” ☞

Forks

Matthew Gipp — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:18:11 +0000

Want to bury some warm childhood memories under a mountain of cold analysis? A close examination of the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ aesthetic.

A recent post of Things Magazine—where I happened upon the above link—offers a review, of sorts, of such ‘graph fetishism’.

The Cherry Blossom Front

Matthew Gipp — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:14:59 +0000

From Japanese writer Yoko Tawada, a rumination on snowless winters in Tokyo.

Auto Everything

Matthew Gipp — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:57:21 +0000

Cargo rockets, auto-driving cars, color-coded freeway lanes, never walking anywhere: Magic Highway USA (or, the future of American infrastructure as imagined by Disney in 1958).

The Uncanny Valley

Matthew Gipp — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:12:25 +0000

Too Wild Things?

Matthew Gipp — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:05:07 +0000

New York Times film critic A. O. Scott’s thoughtful piece on whether Where The Wild Things Are—and the whole nascent crop of kids’ movies that don’t even pretend to be just for kids—represents a brand new problem for overprotective parents.

The New Yorker‘s Richard Brody weighs in.

Halloween Vigil ’09

Matthew Gipp — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:32 +0000

Every year, the possibly deranged Michael Pusateri collects time-lapse photography of Halloween costumes and detailed “Well who are you supposed to be?” stats viz. those Trick ‘r Treaters who are unlucky enough to land on his doorstep.

In 2009, ‘nothing’ was the second most popular costume. Also note the ~30% increase in attendance vs. 2008. Possible economic indicators?

What Ever Happened to Despair?

Matthew Gipp — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:45:23 +0000

What is a mind—a soul or a brain? As David Brooks wrote last month, that’s the trendiest question in modern science.

But when you think about it, the issue broke free of academic science a long time ago. For sure, it’s undermined the popular distinction between clinical depression and plain old despair. And it’s given rise to a new, annoying trend in literature: the neuronovel.

Building Glaciers

Matthew Gipp — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:59:16 +0000

A story in the Christian Science Monitor about Chhewang Norphel, a seventy-something Indian man who builds artificial glaciers.

The idea is simple: Divert the unneeded autumn and winter runoff into a series of large, rock-lined holding ponds. As the days grow colder, the ponds freeze and interconnect into a growing glacier.

h/t Kottke

A Hypnotizing Hunt Leaves Russians Bewildered – Ellen Barry

Matthew Gipp — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:12:28 +0000

“Earlier this month, a sodden and unshaven man emerged from the woods near the southern Russian village of Goryachy Klyuch, telling rescuers he spent three nights perched in trees to get away from jackals.” •

Flesh vs Drones – Adbusters

Matthew Gipp — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:13:01 +0000

Somewhere, far off in the distance, a drone may or may not be dropping 50kg units of hellfire on some yet-to-be-named combatants. It’s not even post moral … it’s a Zen algorithm that melts steel. •

The Strange Case of Cable News

Matthew Gipp — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:41:30 +0000

How many Americans watch cable news channels like CNN, MSNBC or Fox News?

Fewer than 1%—on a good day.

Repeal Helmet Laws?

Matthew Gipp — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:47:37 +0000

“Our estimates imply that every death of a helmetless motorcyclist prevents or delays as many as 0.33 deaths among individuals on organ transplant waiting lists.”

New(ish) study supports adage that self-destructive motorcyclists are good news as long as you’re waiting for an organ.

Podcast: This American Life #391: More is Less

Matthew Gipp — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:36:56 +0000

Why are healthcare costs going to bankrupt most American families by the year 2020? Listen and find out!

Matt Taibbi – The Anti-Cult of Personality

Matthew Gipp — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:48:57 +0000

“Maybe if you spend enough time dwelling on these imagined terrors, like the creation of Obama-friendly “civilian security squads” (the Obama-Stasi!), you might eventually forget for a few minutes that you owe $89,000 in credit card debt. Is that what’s going on here?” •

Roger Cohen – America’s Limits

Matthew Gipp — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:30:26 +0000

“The United States, like some heavyweight who’s taken one punch too many, is still groggy from the money fever of gutted pension funds, toxic securities and lunatic leverage. My sense is the world, like Merrill Lynch, was about three nanoseconds from complete meltdown.” •

The Giant Pool of Money

Matthew Gipp — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:07:22 +0000

An episode of This American Life from May 2008 centered on how the mortgage crisis happened. Includes heartbreaking anecdotes from people who got screwed by brokers/traders and gratifying anecdotes from traders who screwed themselves.

If you’ve got an hour and want a simple, effective explanation of the mess we’re in, then listen to it online.

Crop Circles

Matthew Gipp — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:21:12 +0000

Crop circles, now a vehicle for advertising