;)
Monday, January 18, 2010 at 4:39PM While the nature of contemporary reality and the status of religious fundamentalism cannot solely be laid at the feet of the camera, which winks sheepishly atop its tripod, it is culpable enough that, perhaps, we could all stop snapping photos with our cellphones every time we drink the same thing in the same bar with the same people.
Friday, August 28, 2009 at 4:12PM The Unborn is a kind of Zen that's rarely discussed and not well known. I first encountered it in an article (attached) by Alan Watts. This is an excerpt from a book, Bankei Zen. The text is worth a read, and the title is one of the most hilarious (out of context) and meaningful (in context) lines I've ever read.
Alan Watts, Bankei, Unborn, Unborn Zen Friday, July 24, 2009 at 12:20AM Normally I'd just post a quick comment on this wonderful blog, but being the brave souls that they are Paul and Liz don't allow comments on their blog. So, I'm linking to it and posting a comment here. Firstly, I know this particular article is a couple of years old. Secondly, if you do check out their blog, try not to read the banner.
It will unfairly bias your reading of the content. It'll do so much the same way that a bright pink, "Hello Kitty!" tank top on a twenty-seven year old man will unfairly bias your opinion of his sexuality. I'm asking you to judge this article by its actual writing, and all things considered (its being posted on a blog, the blog's being written by uber Christians, etc.) it's not that bad. Had Paul (probably maybe Liz) simply slashed at Dawkins and defended Intelligent Design, I'd never have found the article. And, even if I'd found it, I wouldn't bother with it.
But, Paul (probably maybe Liz) had to go and bring Oolong Colluphid into things. This particular article is titled "Where Oolong Colluphid went wrong." For those of you who may not be immediately familiar with Colluphid, he is the author of several controversial works on theology: Where God Went Wrong, Some More of God's Greatest Mistakes, Who Is This God Person Anyway?, and, of course, Well That About Wraps It Up for God.
I could point out the weaknesses of Paul (probably maybe Liz)'s arguments. I could draw a dividing line between myself and atheists like Dawkins, but really and truly I just needed to publicly state my support for Colluphid. For anyone desiring a brief audio-visual introduction to Colluphid's work, please click here.
Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 2:11AM If only Baudrillard were alive. He really should have lived long enough to encounter this. I remember reading in one of his books about how we add "noise" into digitally created audio to make it sound more real. I can only imagine where he'd take the new iPhone apps. The iPhone vibrates. Vibration can cause pleasure. Enter MyVibe. It's a free app that turns one's phone into a vibrator.
OK, so what's the big deal you ask? There are multiple apps that promise to transform your phone/camera/music player into a sex toy. The big deal is that some of the apps offer sound effects. Which sounds are being added to improve the app's performance? The iPhone offers applications that will make it sound like a traditional vibrator. It simulates a sex toy's sound. If only Baudrillard were alive, I would kill to read his analysis of this, not for where he'd take it so much as for the way he'd get there.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 6:06PM What's the difference between Araki's shot of a naked woman and someone else's? I don't want to broaden this too far. I'm not trying to draw a line between pornography and art (a good friend of mine already has: it comes down to shoes). I've never before been convinced that the way a person views a subject can truly be conveyed through a photograph. But, there's a signature to Araki's work. He accomplishes something with it that I can't deny.