Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Harper's website has posted Simon Critchley's piece on Obama, which appears in the November issue. The intriguing title of Critchley's forthcoming book, The Book of Dead Philosophers, led me to do some looking around on the web, and I found this excellent Top 10 List on philosopher's deaths that he did for the Guardian. Recommended coffee break reading.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Issues with Issue 1
This morning I was pleased to see that my friend Steve McLaughlin is getting a lot of attention for his collaborative work Issue 1. I was also pleased to discover that I am included in the anthology. Many people are, understandably, unhappy. Depending on how one looks at it, those included are either the recipients of a gift or victims. The reaction seems rather split. I have little doubt that it will be removed from the web, but I am enjoying the dialog it has triggered on its own page, Silliman's Blog, Amy King's Alias, and Harriet.
Issue 1 is edited by Steve and Jim Carpenter. The website lists Steve, Vladimir Zykov, and Gregory Laynor as co-researchers. There seems to be a lot of poor speculation about the authorship of the poems. For those who are not familiar with Jim Carpenter or who won't take the five minutes to research him, he is the creator of Erica T Carter or etc3, a random poem generator. The poems attributed to the authors of Issue 1 are most likely randomly generated poems using this software or another of Jim's creations.
The problem with this anthology is that it directly provokes an array of actual authors. Personally, I am flattered to be included in this anthology (no doubt because of my personal friendship with Steve), but I do sympathize with those that are unhappy to have their names included. My girlfriend, a law student not included in this anthology, has great fear about the potential of the internet to invade privacy and hurt reputations. Although I may not share these anxieties, I respect her opinion and have learned from it. People may be genuinely upset when false actions are attributed to them. So, in my opinion, this is a rather disrespectful piece of art.
That disrespect will be a pro for some, a con for others. While this is intentionally provocative, we must admit that the stakes are very small, and anyone with half a brain or an internet connection will know that these are unoriginal works. So what is the actual harm? Therefore, we must also recognize Steve and Jim's bravado.
The merit of this piece results from the collision of theory and the real world.We could use more of this interaction in almost every aspect of our lives.
Issue 1 is edited by Steve and Jim Carpenter. The website lists Steve, Vladimir Zykov, and Gregory Laynor as co-researchers. There seems to be a lot of poor speculation about the authorship of the poems. For those who are not familiar with Jim Carpenter or who won't take the five minutes to research him, he is the creator of Erica T Carter or etc3, a random poem generator. The poems attributed to the authors of Issue 1 are most likely randomly generated poems using this software or another of Jim's creations.
The problem with this anthology is that it directly provokes an array of actual authors. Personally, I am flattered to be included in this anthology (no doubt because of my personal friendship with Steve), but I do sympathize with those that are unhappy to have their names included. My girlfriend, a law student not included in this anthology, has great fear about the potential of the internet to invade privacy and hurt reputations. Although I may not share these anxieties, I respect her opinion and have learned from it. People may be genuinely upset when false actions are attributed to them. So, in my opinion, this is a rather disrespectful piece of art.
That disrespect will be a pro for some, a con for others. While this is intentionally provocative, we must admit that the stakes are very small, and anyone with half a brain or an internet connection will know that these are unoriginal works. So what is the actual harm? Therefore, we must also recognize Steve and Jim's bravado.
The merit of this piece results from the collision of theory and the real world.We could use more of this interaction in almost every aspect of our lives.
Friday, June 27, 2008
second
infringed be not
shall Arms bear
and keep to
people the of
right the State
free a of
security the to
necessary being Militia
regulated well A
shall Arms bear
and keep to
people the of
right the State
free a of
security the to
necessary being Militia
regulated well A
Thursday, March 22, 2007
New Cell Phone
I recently acquired a new cell phone. Friends, please drop me a line for the number. But I will give you a hint...
Those who have cell phones might know that cell phone companies recycle their numbers. So you don't get calls from people dialing the wrong number, but rather those looking for the people who previously had your number.
Well, yesterday I listened to a voice mail that said, "Rick! I saw in the news that you got a new job. Congratulations. We haven't talked in a while, call me back."
A few hours later I answered a call, and the response was "Is this the Santorums?"
Uh-oh. And today it was confirmed. Just moments ago someone greeted me on the phone by shouting "Senator!".
Yes. I have Rick Santorum's old cell phone number.
Those who have cell phones might know that cell phone companies recycle their numbers. So you don't get calls from people dialing the wrong number, but rather those looking for the people who previously had your number.
Well, yesterday I listened to a voice mail that said, "Rick! I saw in the news that you got a new job. Congratulations. We haven't talked in a while, call me back."
A few hours later I answered a call, and the response was "Is this the Santorums?"
Uh-oh. And today it was confirmed. Just moments ago someone greeted me on the phone by shouting "Senator!".
Yes. I have Rick Santorum's old cell phone number.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The (Blank) Space: Notebook Entry
More cannot be said than can. That's really the whole point. In this way zero is greater than infinity. What one should realize is how nothing pertains to the individual. The point of a monster movie is not watch out for the zombies but HOLY SHIT! THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING! (Then again, the nothingness is in the details.) Lack of comprehension exposes the absolute humanity, humanity as residue. Nothing is more important, fun, sad, urgent, &c.. The articulation of this experience has value, but may not be per se the experience, which can be employed successfully in art & media.
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