This might be the best subject line ever. There was some kind of Kim Jung Un meme going around on Google+ back in the day and I created the image above to send to my friend in Bisbee, AZ. He recently resurrected it and it went viral (in Bisbee) under the subject line: “Un Dead?”
Category Archives: Media & Culture
Rolling Stones: “You get what you need”
This was just what I needed.
Low tech Simstim
I’ve been haunted by thoughts of The Peripheral. (The impending arrival of WG’s new book I suppose) A low-tech hack occurs to me, reminiscent the Simstim from Gibson’s earlier work.
At designated times a host avatar (someone famous or just someone really interesting) puts on their Simstim goggles and goes about their normal day. Or an abnormal day, if they prefer. This is where the ‘talent’ would come in.
Simultaneously, I put on my goggles (and get comfortable), seeing and hearing everything you see and hear. You might provide a little narration where appropriate. Some “avatars” would be better at this (the narration) than others. I might like to hear everything Eddie Murphy (for example) might care to say.
An optional feature: I could text you things to say. For example, if you’re stalling down Broadway in Manhattan, I might have you go up to a native and say, “Can you tell me how to get to the Statue of Liberty or should I just go fuck myself?”
I’m a little surprised this isn’t already a thing. Out of work comedians could charge by the hour. (Something like this is already happening on YouTube, isn’t it?) Struggling art historians could give tours of the Louvre or The Museum of Modern Art.
The “best” of these could be recorded and experienced at reduced prices. Maybe even “George Carlin’s Greatest Hits” compilations. If George were still alive.
These wouldn’t have to be funny/famous people. I’m thinking of a trail guide in Montana or a white water rafter in the Grand Canyon. No narration, thank you.
One Single Word
Reply
“According to scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, there is only one word in existence that’s the same in every language, and that word is ‘huh’. By recording segments of informal language from across five continents, the scientists have revealed that the world ‘huh’ is the same in 31 different languages, making it the most universally understood term in the world.”
“The researchers have suggested that the reason ‘huh’ is the only word to have spontaneously adopted the same meaning in almost every language is because there is no other word that is capable of filling its place. According to the study, ‘huh’ is the only word capable of stating that there is a problem, signaling that it has to do with a lack of knowledge and asking for a response without being aware of what that response may be.”
The Weight
I never tire of these. The face of each performer radiates joy.
Junk
We are the sum of what we stuff in rented storage units. I’m considering renting one and leaving it empty.
1,000 Days
I started keeping track of consecutive days on the (meditation) cushion on December 4, 2014. As of today, May 31, 2019, I’ve missed just two of the last 1,638 days. Today is the 1,000th consecutive day on the cushion. The only day that really counts, of course, is today. But I’ve found that logging my meditation practice helps me be consistent, something I do every day. And I can’t think of anything else I’ve done every day for 1,000 days.
I look forward to my daily meditation. I average 45 minutes a day but time really seems to stand still. One of my favorite things about the practice.
Like the scene in Big… only better
Manly Scents
I don’t wear cologne but have an idea for a line of “manly scents.”
- Model Airplane Glue
- Marks-A-Lot
- New Car
- BBQ Chicken Wings (Dry Rub)
- Mimeograph
iHeartMedia has revamped one of its AM radio stations to a podcast channel
“The conglomerate’s AM 1470 in Allentown, Penn., will now feature back-to-back podcast programming. The initial podcast selections for this change include several of the flagship shows from HowStuffWorks, which iHeartMedia acquired in September 2018.”
What about commercials?
“It was followed by a massive traditional block of radio commercials: the iHeartRadio app, Bank of America, “Best Fiends” mobile game app, an air conditioning company, Outback restaurants, Capital One bank, Curious Goods (a local store), the Home Depot, a pet store, My Computer Career training program, Walgreens, NAPA Auto Care Center, Choice hotels, AARP, Progressive insurance, and the iHeartRadio app again, this time emphasizing podcasts and introducing the next podcast.”
I seem to recall this being tried back when podcasting first appeared. A San Francisco station? Not sure why I’d want to let this Allentown station pick the podcasts when I can do that myself. Maybe for people to lazy or stupid to do that? Is there an in-car angle?