Nowadays, the internet sometimes feels like a once well-to-do neighbourhood that became a slum after an industrial park & motorway were built through it. And I'm the lifelong resident who refuses to leave, unable to accept that the decaying, now unsafe area will never regain its former grandeur.
I always think that Marguerite (1907) by Henri Matisse looks like an underground/indie comic book published by Fantagraphics in the 1990s.
Historian of the future: 'How on earth am I supposed to unentangle and process the utter mess that is the first third of the 21st century?'
Historian's boss: 'Just delete all the data; it's unhelpful nonsense that tells us absolutely nothing.'
"When the Doctor loses control of the Tardis, he finds himself transported him to #Scarfolk, a town forever timed-locked in the 1970s. There he faces dangerous foes including a telekinetic child-owl called Roy; an overhead projector possessed by a demon, and a group of tutting pensioners"
Pumpkin soup. European vs US recipe sites.
Euro: Pumpkin, carrot, onion, garlic, stock, fresh herbs, knob of butter, sprinkling of parmesan. 140 calories.
US: Canned pumpkin substitute, garlic'n'onion powder, 6 sachets herb flavorings, 2 lb butter, 5 tbsp salt, 9 slices processed American cheese, orange food dye. 3650 calories.
Unfortunately, I wasn't even joking...
I started an exact recreation of The Bayeux Tapestry with only characters and designs from #TheBeatles' Yellow Submarine animated film... Fortunately, a voice in my brain intervened and screamed, 'What in god's name are you doing? This will take you years!' So, I've put it aside.
For now.
The concept of royalty still makes no sense to me. It's like a cultural ouroboros or non sequitur.
'I am your self-appointed ruler. As such, I authorise my appointment as your ruler. Them's the rules, and I will humbly dedicate my life to upholding those rules; they're what make this nation great.'
Everyone: "We urgently need ethical tech that deals with the big issues facing us as a species"
Tech bros: "Understood. What about an AI app that lets you anonymously switch someone else's heart off & on again? Y'know, for fun. Such an app would only consume about the same energy as 4 Saudi Arabias"
Of course, back in the 1970s, there was a huge 1950s/rock & roll revival.
And now Gen-Z are avidly buying up obsolete tech - VHS tapes, boomboxes, early MP3 players and digital cameras, etc.
And so it goes...
In the cellar sorting thru a box of CDs. It's like a 90s time capsule. So much of the stuff I listened to at the time I hardly listen to now: Smashing Pumpkins, Paul Weller, Radiohead, Stone Roses, Sparklehorse, My Bloody Valentine, Faith No More, Pixies, spoken word/stand-up (Hicks, Izzard et al)
In the 1990s, there was a late-1960s/1970s revival, approximately 25-30 years after the fact.
It's now 25-30 years since that revival in the 90s.
Despite similar time spans, back in the 90s the 1970s felt so distant, remote, and even alien.
And yet, now, the mid-90s feel like they were about an hour ago.
#music #1990s
Revisiting Vonnegut, who satirised *right now* back in the mid-60s:
Fascism, racism, communism & absurd, confused ideas of patriotism in contemporary USA.
And how ruthless lawyers and the establishment try to frame a billionaire as insane because he wants to help people and share his wealth.
Ok. Here we go.
Those who know, know.
You might want to, erm, stand well back.
Later on I'm showing some friends the original, unaltered 1977 cinema release of #StarWars, taken from a 35mm theatrical print. I *may* have gone over the top by re-creating a pre-film reel of trailers, idents, and adverts, including the obligatory local Indian restaurant ad.
Hey, companies that build web browsers, include a simple, integrated 'block website' function, you cowards.
This morning I tried to fill a colander, rather than a pan, with water. Good morning.
After almost two weeks of this heat, my brain has turned to glitchy mush. Yesterday evening I struggled to put the lid back on a bottle of water and then realised why it wouldn't work - it was a Bic biro pen lid. I find my mislaid glasses in the fridge. I look for the spoon that's already in my hand.
Mel Brooks was born before the advent of talkies; he was born the same year Winnie the Pooh was published; he was even born a decade before the birth of Mel Brooks. I liked Blazing Saddles as a kid. And The Producers. I really like him as a person, but you can see his gags coming from a mile off.
Saw someone on here recommend 'Coolcations' - holidays in higher-up destinations, such as Switzerland, to avoid the heat.
Well, I'm more than half a kilometre above sea level right now and it's 35 degrees. You could try going higher, of course, but you might die, or at least turn into fondue, before you get there.