Detritus Mirabilis

Dumbo dumbo dumbo, dumbo

2011-10-09T02:20:00.000-07:00

The video starts interesting enough and slowly leads you to the realms of Wtf-land. It is hard to define the genre of the music though. I would say a bit psychedelic, a bit pop maybe? A very noisy texture which does not bother the listener, which is a rather rare achievement in the these days. Please enjoy responsibly.

MUZAK

2011-06-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

La musique
Musiki
Music

Flow is important, where it carries you, where you land, how you tumble along with the tune, rolling with white sheets on a summer morning, marking the spring that will; maybe, never, come. Bit score and plenty more. Laziness, sleuth, lack-a-droll. Culminating beat which never leads but rewinds comfortably. Very blossomy. Le like.

Rockabilly: Japanese Style

2011-04-10T04:46:00.000-07:00

There is not much for me to tell.

An Interesting Conversation: Sans Alpha, Sans Omega

2011-04-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

[eidola: pathosformel]

...I am predisposed to like things...I suppose, there is value in them...

Why do you even like things? Why do you even bother, enjoying, appreciating? It is, in essence, conservationism, against progress; you are a progressive minded person... Would it not be so much better if you helped the natural process? You are just postponing the inevitable.

What do you mean?

You know, ...destruction, rust, entropy. Might as well go with it, instead of running against the stream like a horny fish; unlike it, you have a choice.

Do I?

I think so. In a sense. Is it not the whole point with your kind being special, beloved, sentient, and all that? You have a choice to live in the bliss offered by the knowledge that your actions are inconsequential, that your affections are void of any true value; when the sack is void, so is the burden. The fish, on the other hand, will be always burdened, with a heavy determination, which will never pay off. It will disappear, blind, having never been offered to understand.

You are quite the devil, I thought you would lure my mind with promises, and entrap with unforeseeable effects of my desires, the whole Faust deal...

Officium non facit reum nisi actuum sint rea. My title is inconsequential, my acts..., they are at best neutral. It is just that, well, it works faster for some souls if you throw in riches, erotica, and fame.

What do you get out of it then?

Nothing really, there is no divine bet or rebellion, I am just a force, consequence without much cause, I get what gravity gets out of gravitating things at things....

-D.M.

Singularitarian

2010-02-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Singularity is a funny subject. It is the dark monolith through which our minds cannot project to imagine what lies beyond, and some say it is not so far away. Nevertheless the youtube bit is fairly fun to watch and entertaining. It is a redo of the classic "I am the very model of a modern major general" by Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. Enjoy. (you might need to squint a bit to read the subtitles)

The original is equally fun to watch...here:

Benni Hemm Hemm

2010-01-21T16:04:00.001-08:00

Apart from the fact that most nordic languages are cursed with liberally scattered letters and they sound as if the speakers are stuck in a limbo of constant coitus I find them on occasion to be very entertaining. Please enjoy this particular song which is quite enjoyable. Or else.

Anime Source

2010-01-14T02:15:00.000-08:00

"Have a nice new year, and enjoy this stupidly long chart."

For us anime enthousiasts getting your hands on the newest, slickest, coolest anime is an act of securing your status in this vicious sub-cultural clique. Either that or we are just eager to get our next fix of animated drama, violence, and intricate storylines that you'd except from a Victorian era romance novel. (...Dare I say, when Mr. Jenkins was left with nothing on him, but his top hat, the heart warming light emanating from the sooting gas lamp glistened, nay, slid off of his well waxed moustache and muttonchops...) Hence I present to you a decent source of all there is to come this winter. What to expect, and all that... Apart from the questionable name of the blog itself, it has very decent information and is worth a visit. I implore thee to click on this very link.

TvTropes

2010-01-14T02:06:00.000-08:00

"This wiki is a catalog of the tricks of the trade for writing fiction. We dip into the cauldron of story, whistle up a hearty spoonful and splosh it in front of you to devour to your heart's content."

Internet is full of wonderful little things, trivial musements, on which you can waste precious heartbeats. TvTropes is not one of them. It is of the ruling class, an indisputable blue blood, one of the greatest blackhole of attention that I came across and managed to survive. Be it you are semi curious about everything there is about story telling, or that you just wanted to find what's the deal with a certain plot in an obscure movie/series/anime, it will grapple your yearning interest and consume hours without you noticing it.

Fine Art of the Week

2010-01-14T01:59:00.000-08:00

Pathosformel's flickr account is ripe with eye pleasing goodness. It is worth a check given that you are willing to follow the link.

Music as Relationship

2010-01-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

"Muse gave you a mediocre handjob and then shat the bed"

Tweeter firing up your creativity: here's a possibilty I never weighed probable. Still this particular personnage who happens to have a fairly "funny because it's true" insight, apparently transformed his postings into a list of most drole nature. Here it is. The link.

Mummies, Japanese Ones.

2010-01-13T14:51:00.000-08:00

"Lurking in the halls of Buddhist temples and museums across Japan are a host of monster mummies — the preserved remains of demons, mermaids, kappa, tengu, raijū, and even human monks. Here are a few remarkable specimens for the adventurous and brave at heart."

Pinktentacle, a fair and well fitting blog about Japan, and things of that nature has a nice article about Japanese mummies. Apparently similar to circus oddities genre instead of contenting multiheaded fetii laid in formeldehyde, Japanese decided to fabricate mummies of demonic nature as well as aquatic. Please follow the link to the pinktentacle article.

Decline of Music

2010-01-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

We have come a long way. Internet, social equality, and all, you see. It probably went all wrong somewhere along the way with the thing of giving power to the masses though. This post is here to remind us. Just kidding, things were shit back then too. Or maybe not... That, and the first semi intelligent youtube comment I have seen in a decade. Either that or I am losing sanity. Nevertheless fantastic music.

YellowBlaze Tattoo

2010-01-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

"Shige of Yellow Blaze Tattoo in Yokohama, Japan, has emerged as one of the foremost tattooers in the world, not just of the Japanese style, but of all styles."

I do not really care much about tattoos except when they are actually impressive as in not in the likeness of any popular mark (e.g. bacon, reddit, hadoken, britney spears, butttop tribal, etc..), and not in the form of any foreign scripture, and not in, well, any form but something like what you see in this picture. These tattoos make me wanna be a Yakuza harlot.

It is true that years will make the best tattoo look like a wrinkled old comic book, however with tattoos like these we are talking dedication and a fond reminder of how much of a badass you were, and you still might be. Follow the link to appreciate body art.

Felix the Cat.

2009-10-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

It's the slickest cat ever, reanimated for the sake of rather sulky music, raspy voice, and who knows what else. The video is an eerie eye opener and makes you want to say: "holy fuck, it's trippy in those times yo..." In case you didn't get the cartoon, it's a way of telling little children that all the girls that you will ever love are needy, attention hogging leeches that will suck you dry and the only remedy is to rip them apart from your life.
Enjoy.

Samurai Champloo?

2009-10-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

Nope, not really, but from the same guy who did the music: Jun Seba. Japanese, dj, producer, jazz-man, a concoction that often ends in pure awesome. The kind of stuff that makes you go blind if you sniff at it too much. Anyhow, Nujabes, fantastic video and mellow hip-hop. Apparently owner of the Hydeout production company too. Savor.

Edit: another song, from the Hydeout productions, rather promising.

Vark, it's an aardvark

2009-07-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

Apart from the fact that it is an awkward name to pronounce the website's promise is amazingly reasonable. Similar to Yahoo answers it is a 'post question online get answer from the masses' service, but unlike Yahoo it filters it by only asking your social network. Instead of getting spam and batshit insane answers with few making any sense or being moderately reasonable from random people you get it from your friends, or friends' friends, and so on. Give aardvark a try I say, if nothing else just to feel the excitement of tapping into the power of collective subconscious for persistent questions. It says you usually get an answer in at least five minutes.

FMyLife

2009-07-08T03:18:00.001-07:00

FML is a great site where you can read about the misadventures of other people and feel glad you're not them, and decide whether they deserved it or not by voting. It picks you right up if you are feeling like you are withering away with existential pain that scorches your very soul into a fiery pyre of hopelessness.

Secret of Monkey Island Remake goes well with cookies

2009-07-08T02:44:00.000-07:00

[from destructoid]

Monkey Island remake is a mot a mot remake of the original, only with fancier graphics. Talk about milking the cow.

Russian Fallout Game: Radiation Never Tasted So Good

2009-07-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

Words are unnecessary, it is simply awesome.

With great beard comes great responsibility

2009-07-06T04:38:00.001-07:00

Behold This Swarthy Face from Room5Films on Vimeo.

There is a lot clinging to the manhood's most important facial feature apart from yesterday night's soup croutons and morning breakfast's encrusted omelette remains: Virility, wisdom, confidence, determination, ideological fixations, intellectuality, and so on and so forth.

A beardless century had us passed by thanks to the ludicrous advent ironically named 'democracy' which required gentlemen to be well shaved in order to show their submissiveness to the norms of the society. Beard wearers were marked as cultural oddities, derelicts, revolutionaries, people who do not have enough money to buy hyper expensive shaving creams and apparatus, and other belittling and sometimes outright derogatory stereotypes. Beardless men were portrayed as objects of desire for women, successful businessmen, a pillar to the community, philanthropists, fertile beasts endowed with a more than average breeding organ. They fitted in the idea of a perfect and less complicated world.

This was the promise of the beardless age: obey every whim of the society or you will be cast out; throw your ideals, conform to achieve the privilege of being a slave, obey to others whimsical ideologies, shave it for the sake of getting laid, sell your soul for a job, fake respect from your peers, and a stale marriage.

Unfortunately it still is a beardless century but now people are realizing the truth that will save us from our shackles: with great beard comes great responsibility.

Moleskine: A trendy artist's passage to manhood

2009-05-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

[trebor61 'skine art]

Moleskine is good. Dare I say, I possess one myself. My pen dances on it like an expensive whore on silken sheets. But let us cast the quality of the product aside. Let us reassess the fact that I have been seeing the thing in the hands of every other clueless twat with enough money to spend on an expensive notebook. That including me. But let us cast aside that it is a trend item. Let us reassess the fact that some people have been putting the 'legendary' notebook to good use. Let us reassess the fact that the above mentioned good use can be exemplified by the following website where people do actually put scans of their 'skine books. Almost inspirational if you will...

detritus back in business.

2009-05-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, after an abrupt yet necessary pause, the blog that dives deep in the massive collective consciousness to harvest the rarest and the most succulent barnacles which grow out of the boiling hot water and mineral spewing chimneys and seaweed that grows on the coasts of the underwater saline lake where microscopic life forms squiggle their ways with unprecedented grace which one can only look at with genuine awe as if looking at unicorns eating placenta discarded by mothers who recently birthed their sons and daughters or hermaphroditic individuals and other oddities... I do not really know where I am going with this metaphor, yet the message is clearer than ideological fixations of a Conservative mindset: the blog is back and will be updated every two days.

Sesshu Toyo

2009-03-22T02:29:00.000-07:00

[landscape with broken ink: Sesshu]

This month's dead japanese artist is Sesshu Toyo.

Wikihivequeenpedia dictates that it literally means 'snow boat'. I do not care if it means a ... well I do not care. He was an ink painter and a zen priest. Or a zen priest who painted with ink. As is with all interesting personalities he also comes with his own quirky story:

'There is a well-known episode about young Sesshū: he did not study Zen and Buddhism very much but always painted, and so he was punished, and tied to a pillar in the hall of the temple. After a while, a priest came to see him and jumped up with surprise. There was a mouse very close to Sesshū's foot-- but it was actually a picture which Sesshū had painted with his tears.'

Okay, so the guy knew how to draw pretty pictures, but was that it? Yes. He did only start learning to paint when he was 32. The age when most of his contemporaries in Europe died of a plague or a revolution. Toyo died when he was 87 proving that Japanese lived long then too. His legacy seems to have continued by those who are influenced by his art, namely the Unkoku-rin School.

His paintings are considered national treasures in Japan. Follow the links to some great vintage art.

Autumn and Winter Landscapes.
Birds and flowers.
Haboku style landscape.
Landscape of four seasons.
View of Ama-no-hashidate.

Wonka's Chocolate Factory

2009-03-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

Gobstopper Trailer - watch more funny videos

A contemporary horror genre approach to an all time classic. Too bad it is just an internet spoof. On a side note why Christopher Llyod doesn't act in more movies is just beyond me.

Music Update

2009-03-19T13:46:00.001-07:00

To be honest I do not have the time nor the patience to listen in depth or assess the musical value of any of the random findings that I come across during my internautical excursions. Just like our explorer forefathers when encounter happens I know it happens for a reason: assume their lands, kill their tribes and post it online. Thus here it is, for your consuming pleasure.

au revoir simone
Similar to a few, has relaxing indie sound. Suprisingly to its indie roots, it certainly does not include constipated boyish whiny vocals. Certainly a plus.

connie converse
Connie is cool, you can hear it from her voice, soothing, folksy, simple and elegant. They do not make it like that anymore. Savor it.

absynthe minded
Made in Belgium. Not too bad.

late of the pier
Nothin original, bordering on lame candy for the masse, maybe even poppish, but here it is just because the blepbloppyness. If something is gonna pass around for popular music it might at least contain some bleep, and blop.

the whitest boy alive
A electronic dance music project in evolution, again nothing too gritty, or new, worth a listen nonetheless.

Insanity

2009-03-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

tetris HD

Proof that games are art, now they too have a pungent kitsch branch.

Elder Sign

2009-03-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

When our masters awaken nothing will save the humankind from the horror that rises within the very core of our world. Till then there is Elder Sign.

Elder Sign provides you with the casual relief that you need to go on with your daily life once again. Remember, you don't have to face alone the dread and hopelessness that arises from the futility of your efforts in the face of one which will rise from R'yleh. Ask your doctor about Elder Sign now!

Dark Horse Comics

2009-03-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Dark Horse Comics, the largest independent comics publisher, has a myspace page... I wonder why no one told me that before, maybe because I am too busy browsing the net instead of going out and getting social. Let it be clear however, that I also am an avid fan of illustrated stories. And of course by illustrated stories I do not mean any of adolescent super hero stuff. I mean adolescent cool stuff. Reading Dark Horse's select comics is like listening to Radiohead, whereas DC comics/Marvel are probably comparable to Britney Spears. Of course I can only hope that my remark sends throngs of comic fans in a mouth foaming, semi catatonic melancholy as their souls tremble in awe of independent boots.

The e-issues also feature enhanced episodes of accomplished webcomics among an abundant variety of indie gems. That in itself is a very progressive step and is in particular motivating for the talented comicians of the internet, and deserves praise. To be honest I wonder how XKCD would look if it had a Frank Miller's Sin City'esque tone.

Check the link to the Dark Horse myspace.

One of those days...

2009-03-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

I have been there. It is hard to grow out of it. To all the computer abuse victims out there, you are not alone.

Kutiman Mixes YouTube, good music milked from the sweet teats of the masses ensues

2009-03-11T03:05:00.000-07:00

With ThruYou, Kutiman does an awesome job mixing unrelated clips which he collected around YouTube. All aside, it is wonderful to see all those clips of amateur musicians, family trips and random creepy stuff which nobody ever watches put into use.

You can download it directly or go ahead with the torrent. God I love internet.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

2009-03-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Today's featured dead Japanese artist is: Utagawa Kuniyoshi!

A fine specimen of ukiyo-e artists, Utagawa's works can be found in the following link which looks depressingly dull but holds wonders.

The Unfinished Swan

2009-03-08T07:29:00.001-07:00

The Unfinished Swan - Tech Demo 9/2008 from Ian Dallas on Vimeo.

"The Unfinished Swan is a first-person painting game set in an entirely white world.
Players can splatter paint to help them find their way through an unusual garden."

Quite an original idea indeed, and the story seems engaging as well. That "puck" effect however can be a new addition in my nightmare collection which is already enhanced with imagery from other games.

I was trapped in a maze and I tried to scream but all I could say was "puck"...

James Pond: code name robocod

2009-03-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

Feeling nostalgic, I was looking around for vintage games and came across a personal favourite: James Pond. The robocop theme spoof song is just about enough to bring tears to my eyes in fond remembrance.

QPQQQPQ

2009-03-07T10:25:00.000-08:00

anger

As the title implies, experimental music, performed by a person who is Japanese. If you like noise rock, electronic noise, and your eggs scrambled then you might like it too. Don't say I didn't warn you. For some odd reason it took me to the depths of the dungeons of the first Diablo game. Slightly disturbing yet intriguing and you just want to keep listening. Follow the link at your own risk.

Wondermark

2009-03-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

More internet comics! Wondermark is a fine example which uses post industrial revolution era drawings to poke fun at general things, hypocrisy, 'absurde', and modern state of affairs in a very anachronistic manner. Enjoy the link.

Lucas Art Adventure Game Posters

2009-03-07T10:17:00.001-08:00

Full sizes available to download? Enough Said. Follow the link down the memory lane.

Fucking Bitch

2009-03-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

'Waiting for Steve' is a nice rock band from Dijon/Paris. You know, the mustard. Sounds similar to Yeah Yeah Yeahs and that is why I like it I suppose. Besides I have a soft spot for the french, and vocals of the female kind. It has a fresh sound and worth a listen, follow the link to their myspace.

Happy Up Here

2009-03-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo.

When is Röyksopp not good? I do not want to know the answer. Though, it seems to be even better when infused with Space Invaders. Apparently the "official video for the first single from 'Junior'", it was posted a mere 12 days ago. It is effectively obsolete by internet standards of course, but hey, oldies but goldies right?

Definitely an aesthetic approach to pixelated good old times, it explores a new depth of video game melancholy. Or take away that accomplished criticism bullshit and call it simply awesome because it uses cult imagery. I cannot really decide. Neither should you. Enjoy.

(thanks Phil)

KOLLAPS:

2009-03-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

More Russian animated goodness: I came across Moscow based artist Kol-Belov's animated series several years ago, and was impressed for the lack of a better word. My previous entry about Russian flash animation rekindled that impression and I plunged into the nets once more to see if I will be able to find it. Unfortunately I remembered neither the titles of his work nor his name.

"dark, industrial, creepy movies..."
I was lucky, after finding koms.ru ("namely Ideologically Distinctive Animation System, Koms is "a non-commercial community of artists, which presents the new wave of Russian flash-animation.") it was no trouble finding Kol-Belov since his work has very distinctive characteristics. In addition to these, the generic Orwellian feel, and almost abstract and somewhat Gigeresque design of his stories also add enough spice to complement the bitter sweet taste of mechanized desperation and modern futility.

Enjoy the links.

link to kollaps
link to Kol-Belov youtube channel.

Synthesizer Shaikh - SamIAm

2009-03-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

[photo: from]

It is an interesting album, it grows onto you as you keep listening. Listen and decide for yourself is the general approach in these cases, but by default, you gotta hand it to the guy for free distribution of work which took two years to complete. I enjoyed it generally so here is the link.

Also, nice photo album.

Indescribable Horror

2009-03-01T07:08:00.000-08:00

Cthulhu plush looks terrible but has high awesome value just for the concept, it is nothing new but in case you think it is a great gift for your 2 year old nephew go for it. Sooner they accept the truth about our true masters and the horror which will lead them to madness, the better it is.

Apocalypse: Anytime Now...

2009-02-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?

I do want to be there when the already thinned out line between satire and reality vanishes into the harsh winds that blow dryly over the barren post-apocalyptic wasteland.

A prospective classic Onion segment which brings tears to my eyes (Ah-ha, double entendre).

Space Something Miners and Turrets and Enemy Ships Approaching...you get the idea

2009-02-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

The game itself is mildly addictive. I call it a net-defense type, a sub genre of desktop tower defense, and its basic premise is that you build a network of resource conducting pipeline to power your miners and turrets. Wave after wave, a variety of enemies attack from four corners of the space, and most quests are about you being able to survive those attacks. It is however a good game if not great. It falls in the category of casual games though. Not that today's hardcore games are much more sophisticated than this one, but the play mechanics dictate so. Follow the link to the game.

Sita Sings The Blues

2009-02-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

"Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by e-mail. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920’s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as “The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told.”"
-Reel13 blog

Not much more need be told. 20's jazz and 4000 B.C.'s epic narrative gets a bit annoying after a while but that is the fault of the century that we live in. Enjoy the link.

Movie Generator

2009-02-23T17:21:00.000-08:00

Every sci-fi movie ever made in one single chart. Goes to prove that engineering is about taking the fun apart in everything, then adding new fun.

Don't shit your pants

2009-02-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

A survival horror game.

When I started this blog I was fully aware the density of the refuse internet could come up with. This particular example shines like no shit has even shone before. Follow the link to a game that will put you under such an unprecedented distress that you might shit your pants.

Michiko to Hatchin

2009-02-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Anime!

I will cut to the chase.
Michiko to Hatchin is produced by
Manglobe which also produced
Samurai Champloo and Ergo Proxy.
Hiroshi Shimizu, and Shinichirō Watanabe key character designer and music producer.

Just those two names should be about enough reason to watch it. Unfortunately I cannot say more about it without further ripping off from this very well written article from "Tim Maughan Books". Pay it a visit for more information about the series and other anime goodness.

Violence?

2009-02-19T19:09:00.001-08:00

Blood?
check.
Zombie meatbag creatures?
check.
Shotgun?
check.

Shotgun Fun Fun. Created by a certain Chad the game delivers what its name promises. Violence is the key word here kids and it works like a charm. The game is simple. Walk, jump, climb around, aim with a shotgun and shoot the creatures that awkwardly look like everyone you ever wanted to kill (you know, just to get in that scoreboard), and bathe in their blood, hear the lamentation of their women. I could do without the Conan reference of course but I will not pass away this opportunity. The game is rather dull, and by rather I mean extremely and you will not probably play it longer than a couple of minutes but hey, it gets the message across.

Not much else needs to be said. Follow the link to play the game.

Bossa

2009-02-19T18:49:00.000-08:00

Who gives half a crap about bossa nova? Apparently I do. And so should you if you have a sliver of hope left in your heart for all that is aesthetic and pleasant. Which brings me to today's blog du jour.

Aguas de marco, or waters of march is a melancholic bossa nova piece (as if any other form exists HA!) that has been around forever. It is basically a huge haiku, or more precisely a shopping list of things that will portray a nice laid back evening under the spring sun. But the blog entry is about its variations, namely a coke ad, trader joe's fan advert, an original performance, a sealab episode bum pumpumpum... To be honest the coca cola ad really hits the spot.

Russian Animation

2009-02-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

Russian Animation always hits the nail on the head when it comes to pinpointing human discomfort and despair even in the most lighthearted variations of its genre. Or so do the ones I have seen so far.

It is indeed rare in a sense. Except for the occasional anime which goes deep into human psyche but does not cut down on the giant robot battles and teen drama, and pseudo-artistic independent french animation that only gets the third place in international award ceremonies because it is french and artsy, we are only offered unadulterated ingenuity by the Russians much like in the previous centuries when the books were still cool.

So there you go, the link leads to an article with the latest examples of flash animations of Russian origin. Lucky for us it is not a variation of [#] [adjective] [noun] genre internet lists and gives a nice background story and critique of each animation it presents.

Robokill

2009-02-18T01:37:00.000-08:00

A fantastic flash arcade shooter by Rock Solid Arcade where you control a robot and guess what... shoot things. It reminded me of the Alien Breed series from back in the good old days. To play the full game you have to pay, but you can play the first 5 levels for free and it is a good amount of play. Follow the link for the game.

2009-02-17T16:15:00.000-08:00

Black Thin King from Birdo Studio on Vimeo.

Do I know what Black Thinking is?

Yes I do, it is a sales pitch website for OCB, rolling papers I presume, trying to get people to buy more rolling papers. Also it sounds a lot like a porn movie starring an black person who does a lot of thinking about which of them bitc... nevertheless, my point is neither of those, but a promo for the company, a neat animation called Black Thin King, reminiscent of the very first cartoons with jerky characters and objects who cannot stand still for a second as if they have been popping some pills for the very first time.

So try not to smoke, but buy rolling papers, they seem to come up with neater promos than tobacco companies anyhow.

Polish Movie Posters

2009-02-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

It seems that there is something about USA that makes the rest of the world so irritated that they end up doing one thing much better than Americans could do, just to spite them. And fuck up the rest. I do not really know much about Poland, other than that it is nothing great, and has a border with Germany. But they did co-produce Avalon with the Japanese and they have absolutely fantastic movie posters. I mean some of them are actually better than the movies themselves and make American movie posters look like elementary school collages.

The site hosts a personal list of the best 50 polish movie posters and gracefully spares us the shit by not littering them with useless comments. Actually there is not much to say apart from how amazing they are. So enjoy the link.

The Political Compass

2009-02-17T15:17:00.001-08:00

Are you a communist, or a neo-liberal? Do you have anarchic tendencies, or do you lean towards taking fascist measures because those minorities are stealing your job?

To be honest I do not partake in internet quizzes, nor do I click to those Learn Your IQ adverts since they are as useful as an asshat on your elbow (to cover that asshole), however I must say that there are a few online tests which hold some scientific ground. The Political Compass is one of them. The only actual political leaning test that has somewhat valid results. The test itself is tuned for American public and some of the questions hold references to present issues in US politics. On the other hand if you cannot say that an anarchist is an anarchist in America and elsewhere in the world why do we even bother coming up with an terminology, right? So it should be applicable to anyone from the western democracies as long as they read the newspapers once in a while to see what is going down. In the case that you still believe that Stalin was the man, or chairman Mao is looking over your shoulder to see that you take care of that makeshift steel mill I would not say that you can get accurate results.

They also have a map that shows the famous composers' leanings. It is always nice to know that Wagner, however good a composer he was, also was leaning towards neo-liberal authoritarian, much like Thatcher and Bush.

Follow the link straight to the test.

Dresden Codak

2009-02-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

"What: Dresden Codak is an illustrated celebration of science, death and human folly."

Dresden Codak is a delectable webcomic that is oftentimes laced with philosophical and sciencific lingo cooked with content aged in geek barrels. Here are the latest two episodes (59, 60) which are hilariously forcing you to google some of the terms and names just to get a fair percentage of the overall humour, that is unless you know your philosophy and mathematics.

Follow the link for the homepage.

Robot and the Cities that Built Him

2009-02-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

A very promising flash game prototype. Concept is simple, well conveyed, and prospectively addictive. Needs more blood and mayhem in my opinion but it is a matter of taste I suppose. The developer claims to have created it in one week and uses this fact to lower your expectations masterfully. Enjoy.

Free Will: yeah right!

2009-02-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

Fun article from Scientific American about the nature of the thing that we perceive as free will, and why it does certainly not exist. The article takes the issue in hand providing a "scientific buffer zone of uncertainty" while explaining the facts so that it does not offend any of the major gods of science, but the message is subtly there in case you did not know it already: You can never be as spontaneous as Natalie Portman wanted you to believe you could be in Garden State, and yes, movies lied to you once again.

Apparently knowing that you are just a simple organism who has no more free will than any other makes you more prone to cheat on psychological research tests and slightly more inclined to listen to Cure and to cut yourself just to see if you still feel. Since logically you cannot feel responsible for your actions given that they are predetermined and you do not really stand a chance to change anything at all, only thing that is left is to accept the bitter fact that you are just deterministically inclined to feel sad and gloomy when shit hits the fan that is stoic morality (i.e. whatever distorted representation of altruistic or egoistic rulebook chiseled in your brain along with reptilian instincts).

Also it turns out that the inherent feeling that things could have been otherwise if you were given a chance, and knowing that you should have had the power but you failed with every consecutive breath you took, and you will never be presented a chance, ever, tends to make you a humbler and eventually a more moral person.

I would say it is good to know, but what's the point if I was already meant to say th...gah, what's the p..

Jazz Update: the final update?

2009-02-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

After the previous post I ended up attending the Soul Prophets' live performance in SJU Jazzpodium, a newly formed jazz band whose music I stumbled upon in the ever endless depths of the internets by divine interference of sheer luck. Their music was in accord with the regulations of jazzyness, well executed, and entertaining. To put it more informally the performance was quite awesome. Only slight downside of the place was awkward light setting of the podium, a bit to bright and colorful for my taste, but I cannot really complain too much about it without making a nitpicker out of myself.

Jazz Update

2009-02-13T11:33:00.001-08:00

I have been looking around for some decent jazz concerts lately. Okay, I will be honest, not lately, just tonight. So I look around for decent music once in a while. Sue me. Anyhow, I came across several bands out of which alban darche trio sort of got my attention. Follow the link to their website.

Mindfuck Movies

2009-02-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

16 supposedly mind fuck movies. Like all internet lists it is missing some, and adding others that do not belong to the list. Fuck all internet lists anyways. But let's admit this: they are a good way to get to know new stuff. So even though I watched most of the list anyhow I am still going to post it for the occasional reference. Follow the link for the list. Oh I also forgot, there is actually an article. Do I read articles that are attached to subjective internet lists. No. Neither should you.

European Cannibalism

2009-02-01T03:23:00.000-08:00

Fun article about European medical cannibalism. I wonder how primitive modern brain surgery protocols will look in two centuries.

Prince of Persia

2009-02-01T03:06:00.000-08:00

Prince of Persia Animation Reference 1985 from jordan mechner on Vimeo.

Prince of persia animation ref... Brings back memories.

The Cuckoo Bird

2009-01-31T14:54:00.000-08:00

A song that piqued my interest in the documentary which I mentioned in the previous entry.

Desperate Man Blues

2009-01-31T13:39:00.000-08:00

An inspiring documentary about a man and his passion of collecting blues and jazz records. Joe Bussard is one of those rare people who actually protect and preserve a cultural pillar without expecting anything in return.

I am well aware of the cheesy intro sentence, but that is what it is. Personally I always liked old jazz records, and fervently detested U2 (by reference that Bono is the biggest crap in the world and symbolizes pop and rock music in general) and derivatives (anything that is recorded after 50's) for a very long time. Actually crappy music is why people get high on drugs and consume insane amounts of alcohol in pubs. That and low self esteem. And the prospect of getting some action. And the fact that they falsely reward you for things you would regret otherwise. I could go on but this is not an AA support blog.

Of course 'tis my environment who dictates me which musical aesthetics should be considered worthy of attention. So I will recoil to my pseudo zen philosophy that all ages have sincere and true music, and that you just have to look for it.

Nevertheless, the "old bastard" as he puts it, has tens of thousands of records, all classics. He apparently did it by traveling the back roads of Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia, knocking on the doors of derelict or old-timer houses, most of which do not even have a road connection. His short rant in his myspace page explains much more:

"I'm an Old Bastard! I collect vintage 78's from the thirties. I don't like anything made after the the thirties. Rap music is pure garbage Now don’t classify that stuff as music, good Lord. You run into a teenager, 16 or 17, ask them what noise is. “I don’t know.” How could they know ‘cause that’s all they hear. All you gotta do is listen. It’s a shame that all that’s great in this country is gone. Rock music is garbage – Straight from hell. Look at the people who do it. Idiots, they’re like animals. 99% of ‘em’s drug heads. The Beatles are crap You ought to step on them. That’s what you do with beetles. It’s just a sign of the times, a bunch of weirdos banging crap. It’s too bad their plane made it over here. If one had to crash that should have been the one. That would have helped our music situation for years. Elvis Presley – Couldn’t stand him Stupid looking thing. I’m just tellin’ it like it is All you gotta have is a pair of ears and something in between that resembles a brain. I really believe that anybody who listens to that hard rock stuff has to be on drugs, ‘cause a person with a normal brain couldn’t listen to it. Go to www.vintage78.com and see my site. Or you can check out the new box set at www.fonotone.com"

As a lesser music appreciator in this era it is nice to get to listen a true music appreciator from an earlier one. If not the music, the methodology and the enthusiasm should be duly noted. Long story short, for wonderful music and sincere music appreciation go visit whatever links I posted on this entry.

Click for posters but not necessarily art.

2009-01-25T02:28:00.000-08:00

Clickforart is a website where you can buy original art, posters, and printed cushions (namely cool limited edition art goodies). It seems to me that it is just another good idea to capitulate on our reptilian primal instinct: buy artsy stuff so people won't notice the deep abyss that lies within your soul. The good part is, you can select it to be framed. They do have some cool stuff as the site description clarifies accurately, but I will never forgive them for making me write "cushions" in the tags box. Click the link to visit.

Kero One

2009-01-24T06:46:00.000-08:00

Apparently a self made rapper/recorder/mc/dj/recordowner/etc., Kero One recorded his own music, created his own record label, and tried to distribute it. Then somehow he became an overnight prodigy in Japan. That goes to show it does not matter how hard you work, but how lucky you are. On other news: quite good music.

Kero One myspace.

6-Shooter Film Series makes cinema fun again.

2009-01-24T06:09:00.000-08:00

Six Shooter Film Series is a collective of original films each from a different country and each explores a different genre. I for one cannot wait to see Big Man Japan which is about a middle aged/slacker Japanese super hero. The movie pokes fun at Japanese cult 'giant monster demolishing city' genre with a dash of dark humor. For more information about Six Shooter Film Series follow the link.

Crazy 4 Cult 2

2009-01-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

Cool classic/cult movie illustrations. You can buy the originals if you have the money. Follow the link.

x818

2009-01-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

x818 is a collective of tumblr's and websites of similar nature full of interesting concepts, photos and mp3's around certain themes. What are those themes? Slot car wall sculptures, diy storages, a collection of old hotwheels adverts, gloomy, black and white old Tokyo photos... For more you will just have to have a look. While visiting do not forget to question contemporary minimalism and its effects on blogs.

Sir David Frederick Attenborough

2009-01-23T18:25:00.001-08:00

David Attenborough is a renowned naturalist and broadcaster, and if you are from this world you probably will recognize his voice. His documentaries are nothing short of bed-time stories in terms of clarity and ability to stimulate imagination. Best consumed with a glass of milk and cookies, or a spliff... Click the link to see those that are on google videos.

Free indie of the year: 2008

2009-01-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

The bytejacker presented the free indie of the year a couple months ago. Follow the link to get your hands on some indie gaming if you are bored of mainstream $50 trash.

Riddick: the game looks ridiculously awesome, maybe because it is.

2009-01-23T08:58:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, Riddick is one of the cooler characters of the movie industry. Chronicles of Riddick is an amalgamation of games, movies, and animations, and it is dark, sci-fi, and brutal. Thus it is as close as the movie industry can get to European illustrator's crazy ass sci-fi illustrated comics. Corny like Conan yet rightfully so, and exploiting this fact to the full extent to achieve a well built story with interesting yet familiar elements, Riddick is an obvious fertile ground for a dark space stealth survival game with its own detailed mythological background.

Atari is taking care of the project and The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is set to hit the shelves on Spring 2009.

There is a nice article about it at destructoid.

loscil

2009-01-23T02:47:00.000-08:00

A friend told me of this band insisting that it really is good studying/working/coding music. It turns out he was right.

From their myspace description:

"loscil started in 1998 as part of Vancouver's "Multiplex" multimedia collective. In 2001, loscil joined Chicago's Kranky label and released "Triple Point". There have been 3 subsequent Kranky releases; "Submers" in 2002, "First Narrows" in 2004 and most recently, "Plume" in 2006. Along with these full length CD releases with Kranky, loscil has released a vinyl only EP with New Zealand's Involve records and made several compilation appearances including the recently released "Idol Tryouts 2" by Ghostly International. There is also a net-only release of drones on the net label one."

Follow the link for their web page.

Bill Viola

2009-01-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

I am not an art critique but Bill Viola's modern video art strolls on the hills adjacent to the epitome of aesthetic if nowhere else. I had a chance to see one of his works in Den Haag, Holland thanks to a friend who is doing a thesis on his works. I can summarize it as inspiring and soothing yet powerful imagery and ultra slow motion making sweet love one's mind.

Compared to eerie and lucid, almost poetical composition of his works real life seems to be a caffeine induced rat race on a labyrinth, entangled corridors full of leftovers of unlucky competants, with no end (or cheese) in sight.

Follow the link for his works.

National Film Board of Canada

2009-01-22T07:18:00.000-08:00

Apparently NFB has released most of their films online. I am not very knowledgeable about their movies but if they are as tasty as their bacon and as well composed as French-Canadian girls then I cannot see why I should not give it a try. Click the link below for their homepage.

NFB of Canada

Lost in a moment

2009-01-18T09:25:00.001-08:00

lost in a moment from dennis wheatley on Vimeo.

Beautiful bossa /jazzy sound by "shrift" and a well shot video. Add a sushi bar in Tokyo to the recipe and you get an audio visual experienve which triggers feelings similar to those of inexplicable happiness on a laid back sunday evening with rainy skies.

shrift

Introduction

2009-01-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Detritus is a blog about interesting media, articles, games, etc. that I come across while browsing the internet. As the name suggests it hopefully will feed on internet's brown, muddy, stinking and foul detritus as some tend to be quite extraordinary; one cannot fully argue that it is not nutritious as well.

It will hopefully be updated every day, with the exception of Tuesdays and Fridays.

As a reddit follower and being a person addicted to information in general, I will try to filter the puss and eventually maintain a pasteurized glass of hot blog with honey.

Cheers.