Augmented Reality

 I got this video from here: in effect, what’s happening is that these brave experimenters have found a way to superimpose a metaverse (Second Life) onto reality. Gargoyle tech, here we come. 

How Terrorism Works / ANTI-EMOISM in Mexico

Here’s a link to an article that summarizes some conclusions drawn about the current state of how terrorism actually works and spreads, and how our policies/reactions to it affect it. I can’t vouch for its accuracy, I only present it because there’s an aspect of it I find believable, and fascinating that I want to discuss. Link.

I think the thing I find most interesting about this article is the conclusion that “the new-wave of terrorism has become about ‘youth culture,’ not the Koran.” Especially when taken with the next article. What’s it about? A WAVE OF ANTI-EMO RIOTS IN MEXICO. 

It’s not a joke, though it does seem at first like something the Onion should be publishing, since the idea does seem basically absurd. But as I consider it, each of these two items are connected very fundamentally, and not nearly as far apart as they might seem. The article about the emo riots has one social worker claiming that the essential motivation behind the violence towards emo kids in Mexico is homophobic  - in that being emo is strongly associated with queer / LGBT sexuality. 

I can’t claim to be an expert on either subject, but I’d also conjecture, since it seems we’re in that realm, that it’s also the association of weakness, and the display of weakness, in addition to that confusion brought on by a confrontation with a radically non-macho lifestyle (in the latter case). It becomes a war against the elements of the self that are incongruous with the youth’s desired world-view. So in the same way that teens become either part of the radical violence towards emos, or become one of the persecuted, it fundamentally reflects their existence in a kind of more abstract realm of identity; one where media and image is as crucially important to sense of self as well as simply who one actually is. 

And I bet you’ll never guess where I place some of the blame for this second, new realm of identity. It’s fostered by each new development of technology, especially the internet. In the case of emoism, you cannot mention it without hearing about Myspace, or Livejournal blog entries, instant messenger communication, and a general transference of emotional expression into isolating media formats. 

The article on terrorism would seem to argue that the guilt for isolating the terrorists is in fact placed at our own feet. I am hesitant to address it since I don’t have stats or research to back up any statements I might make in concordance or against the article, though I would say it ignores the basic cowardice and universal ethical violations of a suicide bomber’s actions. And that is exactly where it enters the same realm of identity and isolation through the filter of technology: each day, we are saturated with abstract instructions of how we should feel about this “war on terror,”  yet, save for those right in the heat of it, my guess is that the bulk of both sides’ conceptions of what each side represents are were mostly formed through the incredibly skewed filter of sensationalism, or in reaction against it. 

Essentially I’d like to contend is that what we need to do is find a way to use the incredibly powerful technology we have as a tool for uniting people, though perhaps, like its users, this new sphere of self-awareness is still adolescent, and as it matures, we will see it change from a means of not just being a one sided presentation of one side’s interpretation, but be more like an electron’s orbit about the nucleus; except the center of the issue will be the undefined and unknowable quantity, and our path around it will be our best instructions as how to understand it.  

If this entire rant seems completely pseudo-sciencey and mad, too vague, or just completely thick, I apologize. I did my best in typing it in one go to get it readable, and since I myself had a lot of different (and often conflicting) thoughts on these two stories, it was hard to pick one point to settle on. Back to more lighthearted stuff soon. 

EDIT: It occurs to me I have a certain amount of credibility in writing about this, since,  at least, from the emo perspective, as far as being an American emo-kid went , and as a teenager, neither was that long ago for me.  Though I was a bit surprised / not surprised to learn about the new connotations of sexuality it carries, since myself and most of the guys I hung out with were desperately in love with one girl respectively and mooned over her ceaselessly, and that was the standard definition of emo at the time. 

Also, after a while, most of them mixed in with the hardcore crowd and became a weird cross between styled and meat-headed type dudes. Interesting stuff!  Also, I realized that as I was typing this, I was wearing a Thursday shirt. But semi-ironically, I promise. 

Just Add Water Valentine’s Day Show 2007

Here’s some video of JAW doing our final game at our 2007 Valentine’s Day show. We’re playing World’s Worst, a game where the audience gives us a type of thing, generally some kind of noun, and we give them the world’s worst examples of that aforementioned thing. Everything is made up on the spot. Link to our homepage.

Lord of the Rings Sweded

It’s Lord of the Rings, Sweded style. This is pretty damn fine. I was a bit dubious about the whole “sweding” meme– it seemed far too quirky and instantly cool to be authentic, but I have to admit, I’m amused by this, which strikes me more as parody. Anyhow, I reccommend it. 

Free Novel: Infected by Scott Sigler

Random House is making Scott Sigler’s new novel, Infected, available as a PDF download. Link here, here and here. Thanks to Boing Boing for pointing this out- it’s a limited download, and if you feel like reading a good explanation as to why that’s a bad idea, here’s a link to the original post on Boing Boing. Link. 

Cliche Fiction Stories That You Should Never, Ever Write

Strange Horizons, an online sci-fi magazine, as part of their submissions guidelines, includes this list of stories that they never, ever want to see again. In any case, the list is hilarious. Full list here: link.

MAME Doctor Who

Just when you thought Doctor Who fanboyism couldn’t get any more awesome, it does. This shit just got real. A FUCKING MAME TARDIS CASE?!?! I have always wanted to play Neo-Geo games inside the TARDIS. That is the dorkiest thing I have ever feverishly coveted. Got this off of BoingBoing.

Link, Link to original article.

Edo Period UFO

Pink Tentacle has a small article on an ancient close encounter of the third kind; normally I find UFOs boring (sorry, X-Files) but OLD UFOs? Now you’re speaking my arcane language. Anyhow, it’s a laugh to check out. Link. 

Online Southpark Episodes

SouthparkStudios.com has almost every episode of South Park online and viewable in really high resolution. Pretty awesome stuff. Link. 

Possibly the Most Brilliant Spam I Have Ever Read

This is comedy gold. This was one of the comments that was to be posted on my blog that my spam catcher caught; I can’t actually tell if it was spam or not. If it wasn’t it, you’re now immortalized as such! If it was: goddamn. That’s some clever tautological shit right there. 

“Not much on my mind. Basically not much exciting going on today. Eh. Today was a complete loss. I’ve pretty much been doing nothing. Not much noteworthy happening to speak of. Not much on my mind recently. I haven’t gotten anything done for a while. Not much on my mind worth mentioning. Shrug. That’s how it is. I feel like a fog. I can’t be bothered with anything these days. Pretty much nothing seems worth thinking about, but oh well. I guess it doesn’t bother me. More or less not much noteworthy happening today. Maybe tomorrow. Not much on my mind worth mentioning. I haven’t been up to much lately, but I guess it doesn’t bother me. Pretty much not much exciting going on. Pfft.”