I just saw a great documentary on an anti-globalization, anti-capitalist, anti-corporate greed group calling themselves “The Yes Men.” Here their website–really worth checking out.
Day 394: White Folk
People have been talking about this blog quite a lot–even in academia, which is why this entry may be quite fitting:
There are some entries that are rather haphazardly put together, but a number of them are witty and entertaining. Enjoy.
Day 386: Jimmy Kimmel is Fucking…Who Now???
Some of you may have seen this aready (or the video of Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon that kicked this off), but just in case you haven’t, watch this first:
and watch this and try to name all celebrities in the clip:
Day 384: World Pillow Fight Day 2008–Chicago Event
March 22, 2008 is World Pillow Fight Day. A number of cities around the globe are organizing events you should definitely attend. Pillow fighting is a recent phenomenon that emerged out of flash mob culture and has become increasingly popular. Most major cities have local “Pillow Fight Clubs” and organize events regularly. Some of the most popular events are the annual Valentine’s Day pillow fight in San Francisco (video below), or the biannual pillow fight organized by Columba University as a means to relieve stress before finals week.
On World Pillow Fight Day all events are synchronized and should start at the exact same time. Here the website and a list of events in major cities: http://www.pillowfightday.com/index.php.
Join me and many others at the Chicago event:
March 22, 2008 @ 2 p.m. in front of the Art Institute of Chicago (Monroe & Michigan)
Bring a feather pillow, a trash bag, and lots of peace and love. Spread the word (without using paper).
If there need to be wars in the world, this is what they should look like!
Here the 2008 SF Valentine’s Day pillow fight:
and one of the early ones in SF:
Day 378: Me So Political…Me Believe Everything You Say Loong Time
Yesterday, a very excited and “visibly angry” Hillary Clinton gave a speech in which she accused Barack Obama of distributing campaign material containing false information (wait, or was she angry at him for winning?…not sure…I tend get confused). Obama returned fire claiming that all statements made in the material are factually correct. I’m not known as one to get involved in the truth business very often, but here I feel I have to make an intervention. Hillary, in the name of all better-suited Democratic presidential candidates such as Obama, I apologize for hurting your feelings. In lieu of financial reparations (which we all know you need badly, but alas…), here a website with only true statements about you (to play just keep clicking’refresh’). best, cj
P.S.: since politics is so exciting and in the U.S. first and foremost an identity choice, I have decided to end all phone messages I leave on machines until November with “ok, I’ll talk to you later. My name is X X and I approve this message.” Seems only right for a responsible polit-hipster these days, no?
Day 344: Neologisms and Slaves
I am very busy writing at the moment, so this post is simply a small assortment of things I have recently come across that struck me as rather weird.
First: neologisms. I thought William Gibson was the master of those, but here some examples of neologisms I had previously been unfamiliar with despite my devotion to Gibson’s writings:
DILLIGAF:
Does It Look Like I Give A Fuck
“You hurt your leg? Well, DILLIGAF! “
“Oh you got another new phone; DILLIGAF!”
googleganger
Similar to that of a doppleganger, it is another individual with the same name as you whose records and/or stories are mixed in with your own when you Google yourself.
“Hey, I just googled my name and found that I have three googlegangers!”
California Car Pool
When each member of a group uses their own car to go to the same destination. Typically, describing the case where the group is together at the start or close enough to share rides.
And finally this:
Day 331: Conan’s Super German Laser Light Show
While the writers are still on strike late night hosts are trying their best to start up their shows again without writers–with varying success. Leno is pretty lame, Letterman is talented enough to pull it off half-way decently, Jimmy Kimmel actually periodically inserts re-runs of old segments in order to provide his currently unemployed writers with royalty payments, and Conan, well Conan is pretty much back to his anarchic self that initially made him famous–great to see, in fact. Refusing to shave until the strike is settled and his writers get a fair contract, Conan refuses to put on his regular skits (the ones usually written by his staff) and instead pretty much builds his current shows on completely random ideas (such as wasting time by talking about how he needs to waste time in the absence of writers) that are actually hilariously funny (well, he makes them funny). Here my favorite example: the super German laser light show Conan introduced last night and seems to want to keep in his repertoire. Tonight’s installment is not yet on youtube, hence here last night’s episode:
P.S.: just in case anyone has not heard: the Golden Globes were cancelled due to the strike–nice. If only we could now make other strikes and situations of exploitation as popular and widely supported as this one…
Day 293: Flight of the Conchords
I am still desperately trying to finish an article while fighting off the remnants of my cold’s second attack wave that hit me last weekend. My brain is still rather mushy, hence I have to take frequent writing breaks that are devoted to tea with honey and some gentle comedic brain-exfoliation. My current go-to comedic duet: Flight of the Conchords. I haven’t enjoyed New Zealand exports this much since the second half of Death Proof. Here two examples (the first one is hardcore gangsta rap, which, I hope, won’t offend any of my readers; the second one is a piece I like to listen to if I want to put myself in a sexy mood–saucy!). Enjoy.
Day 291: Racism in Porn Industry
Next spring I will be teaching a class with the title “Race, Diversity, Neoliberalism.” A friend just forwarded me this video–should I send it out to the enrolled students in order to prepare for my class, I wonder?
Use Of ‘N-Word’ May End Porn Star’s Career
Also, really quickly: when people hear that I’m colorblind I always get the same responses people think are hilarious (“quick…what color is this?”), or questions like “so…what does X look like to you?” (correct answer on my part: “normal!”). To remedy this, here a website that illustrates to the curious the weird ways in which colorblind people perceive what you others still like to claim is ‘correct’ reality (just by majority rule–you just wait until I’m done spreading my genes!).
http://colorvisiontesting.com/what%20colorblind%20people%20see.htm
Day 285: Shock Video Craze
Dear all, I dearly wish my return from a brief blogging hiatus could take place under less traumatic circumstances. As I always do, I got up this morning, made some coffee, sat down in front of my computer, and checked my e-mail. One of my friends sent me a link to a website featuring a video he urged me to see. I did. I died a little inside. My day is ruined and my breakfast is standing beside me unfinished. What a cruel start into what could have been an enjoyable and productive weekend. As it is, I will spend it not writing and running but most likely under the covers in the fetal position, silently weeping.
Reason: there is apparently a new global craze revolving around internet shock sites people are forced to watch while their reactions are being filmed and subsequently posted on youtube. The site that kicked off this new trend…well, you know what: I will not provide the link here. Instead, I will provide the link to a collection of reactions to the video people posted on youtube. If you really want to see the video, you can surely figure out the web address on your own. But let me warn you: even though I am trying to look at this from a safe critical distance and actually find the video interesting (as well as the reactions) from a purely psychanalytic standpoint, it is hard not to be “slightly” taken aback. Have you seen Pasolini’s Salo lately? No? Well, then look up the site for a quick recap. Let me know how it went.
Here some reactions–enjoy:
Cerebral Jetsam 