hegemony rules

The blog Business Guys on Business Trips has some great comics, including this one about the term “Information Architect.”

So, I’m sitting in my empty apartment watching bad TV after a long day of moving most of my worldly belongings into a pod for my move to Chicago. The “bad TV” in this case is the movie Fatal Attraction, which was being sponsored by…

wait for it…

eHarmony.com.

I’m at a loss. A loss!

The second entry in an ongoing series.

Oh my eyes and/or ears and/or brain!

(via Slog)

I know that today’s kids may be inundated with stimuli, thus requiring toys to be more hyper-extreme-kewl to keep their attention, but I’m quite frightened by the newest version of Tickle Me Elmo. Imagine a toy that writhes around on the floor, spasming and laughing maniacally. Check out the video below, or on YouTube.

Since when did The Eagles become an accepted part of the hipster soundtrack? I’m seriously considering leaving Vivace now because of this disturbing development. (And, no, I’m not talking about The Eagles of Death Metal, which would be much more tolerable).

OMG – now it’s Hotel California. And the hipsters next to me are singing along. Wrong – all wrong!

I like zines, which is no surprise to anyone who knows me. I’m happy to spend money on supporting handmade art, and zines have a material quality about them that I find intriguing.

So, I found this zine at Cafe Vita or somesuch place last week (in the “free” area next to The Stranger). It’s published by an artists’ collective called the S.S. Marie Antoinette (SSMA).

(Strange note here: I just saw the movie Marie Antoinette on Saturday, which was good. Oh, and Sofia Coppola must have some pretty great music supervisors working with her. So, the zine – I’d picked it up a few weeks ago, but hadn’t actually looked through it until today. Synchronicity?)

ANYWAY, the zine contains an engaging article about making art, which includes the following quote about “getting into the mood” for artistic creation:

Art is intense production. If you want to be cute and happy listen to a Belle and Sebastian record while knitting. That’s crafts! We’re talking Art here! It’s intense! Start with a coffee!!! Preferably a Grande Americano, no room, at least four shots, and some intense music, like Daft Punk or Andrew WK on repeat! Something with a constant 4/4 dance beat is all you need. Okay, so now you’re ready to make art!

This quote pretty much embodies the reason why I like reading zines – the creators always have strong opinions, with which I may not always agree, but I’m impressed with their intensity and drive to create.

BTW – while researching the SSMA, I found SeattleDIY.com, which publishes a great PDF guide to DIY spaces in Seattle.

I’m kind of nuts about magazines. Actually, really, certifiably crazy. Recent discussions of limits on airline carry-ons had me freaked out, not so much because of the “danger” of flying, but because people wouldn’t be able to bring reading material on the plane. What, no Harper’s or New Yorker? No Premiere or EW? No Vanity Fair? No …shudder… US or In Style? (I mean, the SkyMall catalog may offer fascinatingly useless products like this and this and this, but, seriously, it’s no match for news about Suri.)

I live for airport magazine stands. Sure, I’ll get my indie magazine fix (Bust, Readymade, Venus, Magnet, etc.) before going to the airport, but nothing can stop me from purchasing whatever horrible rag has the most interesting celebrity gossip (Are Vince and Jennifer finally tying the knot? Will Paris’ celibacy pact make her smart enough to get into MENSA?).

If I had too, I could give up all of my trashy, and even my indie magazines, save one. Kitchen Sink.

I think too much, do you?

Seriously, it’s the best. Smart reviews of pop culture, music, politics, and comics. And, if you’re in the Bay Area, they’re always hosting some cool event or another. ANYWAY, go buy yourself a copy, or better yet, subscribe.

As if I needed any extra points added to my geek test score, I found myself watching Who Wants to be a Superhero? on the SciFi channel last night. After guffawing (yes, while others laugh or chuckle, nerds are known for their raucous guffaws) far too many times than I’d care to admit, I decided that I could have easily competed on the show.

Since a radioactive copy of Madness and Civilization fell into my hands last night, I have been transformed. I will now only answer to the name of “Perpetual Grad Student!”

She can transcribe interviews with both eyes closed! She dazzles her enemies with her knowledge of actor-network theory. She confuses her foes with her voluminous vocabulary, shouting words like “hegemony,” “ontology,” “epistemological,” and “identity” at a moment’s notice! Her ability to ingest large quantities of coffee and procrastinate playing sudoku creates a rip in the time-space fabric, thus allowing her to travel into the future when her dissertation is already finished (I wish!).

Such is the stuff dreams are made on. Unfortunately, my real superhero identity, according to Lee’s (Useless) Super-Hero Generator, is “Electrifying Shyning Mirakle” (I checked the “Kewlifier” box on the form, hence the CRAZY spelling). Apparently, while riding on my “Mirakle Rocket,” I can hypnotize anyone using my “Mirakle Carbine.” Actually, there’s a much better superhero creator at the Scifi.com site, but it doesn’t generate a name for you, or tell you what your secret power is.

God, I’m so lame.