31 January 2012
Finally! The internet explained!
‘nuf said…
Posted by Alec Hanley Bemis
Tags: Ants, Mountain Out of a Mole Hill, Nature Worship, The Internet, The Problem with Technology
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21 January 2012
The unintentional gothic poetry of disgraced New York politician Carl Kruger
A brief but evocative tale of his rise from difficult circumstances; his pleasureless grasping at power; and his eventual fall from his perch can be read over here. I’ve just quoted the poetic manner in which he expresses his impressions of this experience:
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He choked back tears and boasted about his rise with pride. “If you were to take my life and bottle it, and drink what was inside that bottle, it would be like a cough medicine,” he told me. “It wouldn’t taste very good, but it’d be good for you.”
The bottle was empty now. In late December, he pleaded guilty, as did Turano, to engineering yet another Albany corruption racket.
“My world is over,” Kruger told me. “I’m frightened of the future. Just frightened. And that’s very hard for me to say, because I was always the guy that you came to to sort out your problems, then sweep up the floor and leave. Now my floor is swept up, and I’m part of the sweepings.”
Posted by Alec Hanley Bemis
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12 January 2012
I aspire to take photos that have not been taken
I aspire to take photographs that belie this quote from Geoff Dyer’s unique & inspiring book on photography, The Ongoing Moment:
- That’s what this book is trying to do also: to find out what certain things look like when they’ve been photographed and how having been photographed changes them. Often it turns out that when things have been photographed they look like other photographs, either ones that have already been taken or ones that are waiting to be taken.
I aspire to take photos that have never been photographed before. For the most part, I don’t think the images hit the mark; rather I just end end up having fun with my cell phone… (Not a bad thing!)
But rather than mull on that, let’s linger a second on Dyer. Perhaps “unique” does a disservice to his talents. Many creative people are praised as being unique, but he actually deserves the adjective. See, too, his book But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz. I find myself purchasing it (or almost purchasing it) as a spontaneous gift for various friends & associates & new acquaintances at least once a year.
Dyer writes books that have never been written before. My hallowed view of the people who make photographs that have never been photographed before extends to people who are able to write books that have never been written before. More snaps after the jump…
Posted by Alec Hanley Bemis
Tags: But Beautiful, Geoff Dyer, Photographs, The Ongoing Moment, The Problem With Nostalgia, The Problem with Originality
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9 January 2012
Random bit of beauty
A picture by Paul Klee (via Cité de la Musique).
Posted by Alec Hanley Bemis
Tags: Cité de la Musique, Paris, Paul Klee
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6 January 2012
The ever more subtle distinction between reality and fiction
That distinction is well demonstrated in these two videos. The first is a real crowd pleaser which has already made its way around the internets. The second is more of a slow grower. At first it seems like a lo-fi amateur video but it quickly evolves into something more probing: an investigation of screens & perception itself.
Bearded Dragon playing Ant Crusher
The Notwist: “Good Lies”
Posted by Alec Hanley Bemis
Tags: Ant Crusher, Bearded Dragon, Screens, The Notwist, The Problem with Technology, Viral Video