Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #368 - July pages in my Browser
Hi Mom, See the picture up top of my Ultimate team, the brilliantly named Christopher EWOKen on Costume Night, Friday, July 8th, 2016. We even won the game, which was only our second win of the season.
Today's blog is dedicated to various things, mostly links, that have accumulated in my space in the last week or two. I have this habit of opening links in my browser, intending to explore more later on. Often, later never happens and I end up storing the links in a text file because my bookmarks is a vast wilderness of randomness and clutter.
So what we have here is a collection of links of things to read, things to watch, things to listen to, and things to know about that have accumulated in the past week.
In the spirit of sharing, Mom, I share with you and with my readers.
I find these assorted grab bag posts to be very interesting.
I can also, then, use this blog entry as storage, keeping the new links all together in one place and as links, not text. NICE.
THINGS TO READ
I am thrilled with the versatility and comprehensiveness of the Internet. I start telling my students about a short story, and after a quick Google search, here's a link to Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I must Scream," one of the all time greats and a strong warning about the dangers of AI control.
Then, I stumbled upon a great new site: AEON. I am pasting its "about" text below and links to two articles: one about masturbation and one about pornography. But the site covers a broad range of subjects as explained in the "about." And you can sign up for a newsletter on daily or weekly frequency. I strongly recommend it.
Aeon is a digital magazine of ideas and culture. We publish some of the most profound and provocative thinking on the web. We ask the big questions and find the freshest, most original answers, provided by leading thinkers on science, philosophy, society and the arts.
Aeon has four channels, and all are completely free to enjoy. Most weekdays, we publish Essays – longform explorations of deep issues written by serious and creative thinkers.
From Monday to Friday, we also publish Ideas – short provocations, maintaining Aeon’s high editorial standards but in a more nimble and immediate form.
Aeon’s Video channel streams a mixture of curated short documentaries and original Aeon content, including a series of interviews with experts at the forefront of thought.
Finally, Aeon’s Conversations invite the reader in to put their own arguments and points of view. With Conversations, old-style web comments give way to a new form of collective inquiry.
Aeon was founded in London by Paul and Brigid Hains. It now has offices in London, Melbourne and New York. Aeon is a not-for-profit and operated by Aeon Media Group Ltd. We are committed to big ideas, serious enquiry and a humane worldview. That’s it.
https://aeon.co/essays/does-too-much-pornography-numb-us-to-sexual-pleasure
DAVID BYRNE
I have been a follower of David Byrne since the 1970s and his years in the band Talking Heads. Now, I like to keep an eye on his web site (link above). He always posts provocative and inspiring things about art, music, and politics. Lately, he has written about the violence sweeping our country and the need for change in these two very wonderful posts well worth a read.
http://davidbyrne.com/guns-are-about-freedom-our-freedom-to-live
http://davidbyrne.com/how-change-happens
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| Malala Yousafzai "I am stronger than fear" |
Some other stuff. A cool Michigan press that will publish a John Scalzi book -- Miniatures -- in 2017 illustrated by one of the artists I patronize, Natalie Metzger.
SUBTERRANEAN PRESS
I recently came across Arlen Schumer, whom I met in New York in 1985 while doing an internship at Marvel Comics.
He shared this lecture/essay with me on the FIVE THEMES OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE from his web site after my sharing of his tribute to Elie Wiesel.
THINGS TO WATCH
NETFLIX DOCUMENTARIES
On my bike ride Monday, Sue Creager recommended Fed Up to me. I am kind of tired of fiction, and so I think Liesel and I should start binge watching documentaries on Netflix. The link has a good list.
But, instead, last night, we started watching AMC's Preacher, which is pretty good.
Apparently, the Pilot is an example of everything you're not supposed to do on TV.
AMC
With its mix of dark humor, profanity, blasphemy, gore and general weirdness, Garth Ennis’ Preacher comic was long thought unadaptable to film, as Rachel Talalay struggled to make a movie version for many years. Now it’s finally being made…and it’s coming to basic cable. That fact, plus stoner comedian Seth Rogen attached as a producer, and a trailer that de-emphasized any supernatural elements, have all combined to make fans a little wary of what’s coming. Now, however, fan screenings of the pilot, such as the one last night at L.A.’s WonderCon, have spread the good word – the unfilmable has been televised, and so far it’s everything it needs to be.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT
SAFECAST
I subscribe to Sean Bonner's newsletter. You can, too, at the previous link.
Bonner is a co-founder and global director of Safecast and he does a lot of writing. Go to his site and read his about page.
Since today is about sharing, I am just going to share the SAFECAST about page and the link again hot embeded to the name.
ABOUT SAFECAST
Safecast is an international, volunteer-centered organization devoted to open citizen science for the environment. After the devastating earthquake and tsunami which struck eastern Japan on March 11, 2011, and the subsequent meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, accurate and trustworthy radiation information was publicly unavailable. Safecast was formed in response, and quickly began monitoring, collecting, and openly sharing information on environmental radiation and other pollutants, growing quickly in size, scope, and geographical reach. Our mission is to provide citizens worldwide with the tools they need to inform themselves by gathering and sharing accurate environmental data in an open and participatory fashion.
Safecast has deployed an innovative model of rapid integrated development, including hardware design, software design, engineering and science, visual design and communication, and social design factors. From the start we have embraced open-source and open-data methodologies, along with new fabrication technologies, such as 3D printing, laser-cutters, and on-demand fabrication of components. We promote rapid, agile, and iterative development, and benefit from having a technically skilled pool of collaborators around the globe.
The value and credibility of Safecast data was quickly recognized in Japan and abroad, and we soon became the essential “go-to” independent source of information on radiation issues in Japan and elsewhere. Our community is inclusive and non-partisan, and includes people of all ages and from all walks of life. Energetic outreach activities allow us to share our experiences with individuals and groups worldwide through frequent workshops, talks, and educational programs.
But most importantly, Safecast has enabled people to easily monitor their own homes and environments, and to free themselves of dependence on government and other institutions for this kind of essential information. We are happy to be playing a major continuing role in the emergence of technically competent citizen science efforts worldwide.
THINGS TO LISTEN TO
I like Ian Holloway and the British Space Group.
New band - recommended by Colin MacCreery:
LAMB.
More about Lamb on Musical Monday.
That's all for today...
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Reflect and connect.
Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you.
I miss you so very much, Mom.
Talk to you tomorrow, Mom.
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- Days ago = 370 days ago
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1607.09 - 10:10
NOTE on time: When I post late, I had been posting at 7:10 a.m. because Google is on Pacific Time, and so this is really 10:10 EDT. However, it still shows up on the blog in Pacific time. So, I am going to start posting at 10:10 a.m. Pacific time, intending this to be 10:10 Eastern time. I know this only matters to me, and to you, Mom. But I am not going back and changing all the 7:10 a.m. times. But I will run this note for a while. Mom, you know that I am posting at 10:10 a.m. often because this is the time of your death.
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