This is funny.

Seeing as you guys were having a dialogue about what kinds of activities are available in online games . . .

Once Upon a Time...

...is your Mr. Alex approved Billmon replacement. Enjoy the soul crushing depression...

The Legend of John Frum

I heard a fascinating story on BBC radio yesterday morning about a cargo cult in the South Pacific. Indigenous cultures which fetishize Western goods and technology are labeled cargo cults (a western anthropological term). It seems to be an adaptation of traditional beliefs to a drastically revised world view. For us to consider the point of view of the unindustrialized world carries a high risk of false assumptions. It's important to remember that there are as many globalisms as there are perspectives.

Link to a Smithsonian Magazine story about the cult of John Frum.
Link to a video documenting John Frum Day, via Google Video.
below: A wicker plane built by a cargo cult.)

Get 'Em, Al!

(CNN) -- Outspoken comedian and liberal radio host Al Franken announced Wednesday that he intends to run for the U.S. Senate from his home state of Minnesota.

On his Web site -- alfranken.com -- the NBC "Saturday Night Live" veteran said he will vie for the seat now held by Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.

I know I'm preaching to the choir...

...but if accurate, man, this is just messed up...

Power of the Dark Crystal

Threads...

...is a BBC docudrama from 1984. It has a running time of 1 hour, 47 minutes. It is quite possibly the most depressing film I have ever seen...

Appropriation: The World of Lorecraft...

From Spelljammer to Cthulhu to Darwin...

A few things to chew on...

The Year 12,000

These drawings are from a fascinating design commission by the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal of the commission was to develop a system of signs and monuments to communicate the danger of nuclear waste deposits to future generations, for up to ten-thousand years. The document unpacks the different modes of meaning and abstraction which are relevant to the communication between civilizations across yawning expanses of time and forgetfulness. The advice of the design committee was largely ignored by the bureaucrats, who shied away from more abstract or emotive forms in favour of signage.

Link to the "Expert Judgement on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Sandia National Laboratories report " (the design commitee report)
Link to "U.S. Department of Energy : Permanent Markers Implementation Plan" (the government follow-up)
Link to a related Village Voice article.

source: Jill Butler, Kritina Holden and William Lidwell. Universal Principles of Design (Gloucester, Mass: Rockport, 2003),24-25.