Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Spoil 1.34

Meanwhile back at the ranch:

Itzehoe - Wie die Polizei heute mitteilte, hätten die alarmierten Beamten die Riesenspinne zunächst nicht zuordnen können. Sie riefen eine Zoohandlung zu Hilfe. Noch vor Eintreffen des Experten erschien allerdings ein aufgeregtes junges Paar aus der Nachbarschaft im Garten.
Es hatte seine Spinne schon überall gesucht. Die beiden Besitzer hatten zuvor das Terrarium wegen der großen Hitze einige Millimeter zum Lüften geöffnet und nicht damit gerechnet, dass die Spinne die Scheibe aufschieben könnte. Bisse von Vogelspinnen sind laut Polizei für Menschen nicht lebensgefährlich. (Spiegel.de)
If only the hapless citizens of the scenic town of Itzehoe knew that we Australians have to wrestle spiders, crocodiles, sharks, wombats and drop-bears on a daily basis. The drop-bear is the most deadly of all mammals. Its gaze will induce sudden death. Crypto-zoologists argue that this creature is the original template for the Medusa of Greek myth.

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Boil 1.37

Time travel and extended grammar. Clutching at last straws in hope for Cultural Studies:

The major problem is quite simply one of grammar, and the main work to consult in this matter is Dr Dan Streetmentioner's Time Traveller's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations. [...] Most readers get as far as the Future Semi-Conditionally Modified Subinverted Plagal Past Subjunctive Intentional before giving up. The Hitchhiker's Guide skips lightly over this tangle of academic abstraction, pausing only to note that the term 'Future Perfect' has been abandoned since it was discovered not to be.

Friday, May 27, 2005

Spoil 1.33



George Lucas or Georg Lukacs ?

Thursday, May 26, 2005

File 1.12

ET IN ARCADIA EGO. The first time I encountered this phrase was not in a pastoral painting or poem, but as an object in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. It was inscribed across the pate of the skull that sat in ostentatious splendor in Charles Ryder's Oxford rooms. When the great art historian Erwin Panofsky came to write his article on the two meanings of the classical motto, he congratulated Waugh for both grasping and exploiting its ambiguity. For who, exactly, was the "I" in "And I too was in Arcady"? Read innocently, the tomb inscription discovered by Poussin's shepherds seems to be a wistful epitaph for a pastoral idyll enjoyed and then lost. The monstrous skull in Guernico's earlier version, though, was unequivocal in its declaration that "even in Arcady, I, Death, am present." The cunning of Waugh's conceit is to lure the reader into assuming that Ryder's revisitation of Brideshead speaks an elegy for a golden agen when in fact it turns into a long graveside oration for the death of faith, love, dynasty, England itself.
S. Schama, Landscape and Memory, 519.

Labels:

From behind 1.34




Spoil 1.32

Letter to an Archaeologist

Citizen, enemy, mama's boy, sucker, utter
garbage, panhandler, swine, refujew, verrucht;
a scalp so often scalded with boiling water
that the puny brain feels completely cooked.
Yes, we have dwelt here: in this concrete, brick, wooden
rubble which you now arrive to sift.
All our wires were crossed, barbed, tangled, or interwoven.
Also: we didn't love our women, but they conceived.
Sharp is the sound of pickax that hurts dead iron;
still, it's gentler than what we've been told or have said ourselves.
Stranger! move carefully through our carrion:
what seems carrion to you is freedom to our cells.
Leave our names alone. Don't reconstruct those vowels,
consonants, and so forth: they won't resemble larks
but a demented bloodhound whose maw devours
its own traces, feces, and barks, and barks.

Joseph Brodsky

(via languagehat)

File 1.11

...from factual, scholarly accounts to the strangest of details, in a kind of continual regression expressed in the form of my own marginal remarks and glosses, which increasingly diverged into the most varied and impenetrable of ramifications...
Sebald, Austerlitz

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

From behind 1.33



Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison

via Bibi's Box

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

ARLANC 1.14



Beads, Things and Flowers

Boil 1.36

Who hasn't marvelled at the intrepid dexterity of The Roper as he accomplishes feats of derring-do and high adventure ? And all told in a prose style atwixt Hemingway's stoicism and Nabokov's scornful elegance.
Now The Cartoonist makes available to us afficionados the collected Roper exploits in a finely crafted PDF volume.

But who is this mysterious Roper? Is it Thomas Pynchon's secret identity? Or did James Bond "comingle his genetic essence" successfully with Fantomas and clone The Roper? Questions for another day.

Sunday, May 22, 2005

ARLANC 1.13

The enigmatic universe 0.4

My windshield wipers have fallen in love

Saturday, May 21, 2005

ARLANC 1.12



The enigmatic universe 0.3


Oomingmak


(Image found at one man safari)

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Kalkwerk|Limeworks

und er gebe den Gedanken, die durch drei oder vier Jahre absoluten Schweigen seinerseits unterbrochene Korrespondenz wieder aufleben zu lassen, auf und entferne das Briefpapier von seinem Schreibtisch und ruecke den fuer die Niederschrift bestimmten Papierstoss wieder genau vor sich auf die Schreibtischplatte. Aber kaum habe er den fuer die Niederschrift bestimmten Papierstoss vor sich und also wieder ideale Verhaeltnisse fuer die Studie, sei er unfaehig, mit der Niederschrift anzufangen, laengere Zeit sitze er da und schaue den Papierstoss an, so lange, bis ihm klar sei, dass er auch dieses Mal wieder nicht mit der Niederschrift anfangen kann, und dann ruecke er wieder das Briefpapier vor sich hin und so gehe das mehrere Stunden, einmal liege das Briefpapier, einmal der fuer die Niederschrift der Studie bestimmte Papierstoss vor ihm, dieses Papierstosshinpapierstossher, Briefpapierhinbriefpapierher mache es ihm aber mit der Zeit gaenzlich unmoeglich, tatsaechlich mit der Niederschrift der Studie anzufangen, wie auch die Korrespondenz zu eroeffnen, und er eroeffne weder die Korrespondenz, noch fange er mit der Niederschrift der Studie an...

and he resigned the thought to revive the correspondence that he himself had kept at total silence for three or four years, and he would remove the correspondence stationery from his desk and would shift back before him onto the desk surface the pile of papers meant for the completion of the study. But just when he had before him the pile of papers meant for the completion of his study, and therefore once more ideal conditions for the study, he would prove incapable to begin the completion, for a long time he would sit and watch the pile of papers, when he would realise that this time again he would not be able to begin the completion, which was when he would shift back the correspondence stationery and this is how it would go on for several hours, one time the correspondence stationery, another time the pile of papers meant for the completion of the study would lie before him, and this pile-of-papers-back-and-pile-of-papers-forth, correspondence-stationery-back-correspondence-stationary-forth in due course would disable him actually to begin the completion of his study, as well as commence his correspondence and he would commence neither his correspondence, nor begin the completion of his study.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Boil 1.35



Miyazaki, Kiki's Delivery Express

Here the tune from the finale OST

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

File 1.10

The enigmatic Universe 0.2

Kuutamokeikka

From behind 1.32

Boil 1.34

In einer Nacht, Ende der fuenfziger Jahre, findet im Wiener Stadtpark ein Raubueberfall statt. Folgende Personen klammern sich dabei an einen Spaziergaenger: es sind Rainer Maria Witkowski und dessen Zwillingsschwester Anna Witkowski, Sophie Pachhofen, vormals von Pachhofen, und Hans Sepp. Rainer Maria Witkowski heisst nach Rainer Maria Rilke so. Alle sind um die 18, Hans Sepp ein paar Jahre aelter, doch auch er ist ohne jede Reife. Von den beiden Maedchen zeigt Anna die groessere Wut, das aeussert sich darin, dass sie sich vor allem der Vorderseite des Ueberfallenen zuwendet. Es gehoert besonders viel Mut dazu, einem Menschen, der einen von vorn ansieht (er kann aber nicht viel sehen, weil es finster ist), das Gesicht zu zerkratzen, bzw. es auf seine Augaepfel abzusehn. Denn die Augen sind der Spiegel der Seele, der moeglichst unbeschaedigt bleiben sollte. Sonst glaubt man, die Seele ist hin.
E. Jelinek, Die Ausgesperrten, 7


Monday, May 16, 2005

File 1.09

Another new hope for Cultural Studies

ENGLISH SENTENCES WITHOUT OVERT GRAMMATICAL SUBJECTS

This paper by Quang Phuc Dong* of the South Hanoi Institute of Technology** begins "There is an extensive literature dealing with English imperative sentences. As is well known, these sentences have no overt grammatical subject..." and ends "... it is clearly no accident that many quasi-verbs are homophonous with normal morphemes." However, it is no ordinary linguistics paper, and if you don't at least skim it you'll be missing out on some great example sentences. And if you actually read it, you'll learn interesting facts about some very common words.

("Quang Phuc Dong" is a nom de guerre (linguistique)... of James D. McCawley, who "created the interdisciplinary field of pornolinguistics and scatolinguistics virtually on his own.")

Found at languagehat

Saturday, May 14, 2005

From behind 1.31

Friday, May 13, 2005

File 1.06

HERZSTUECK
Eins Darf ich Ihnen mein Herz zu Fuessen legen.
Zwei Wenn Sie mir meinen Fussboden nicht schmutzig machen.
Eins Mein Herz ist rein.
Zwei Das werden wir ja sehn.
Eins Ich kriege es nicht heraus
Zwei Wollen Sie dass ich Ihnen helfe.
Eins Wenn es Ihnen nichts ausmacht.
Zwei Es ist mir ein Vergnuegen. Ich kriege es auch nicht heraus.
Eins heult
Zwei Ich werde es Ihnen herausoperieren. Wozu habe ich mein Taschenmesser. Das werden wir gleich haben. Arbeiten und nicht verzweifeln. So, das haetten wir. Aber das ist ja ein Ziegelstein. Ihr Herz ist ein Ziegelstein.
Eins Aber es schlaegt nur fuer Sie.

HEARTPIECE
One May I lay my heart before you.
Two Only if you won't sully my floor.
One My heart is pure.
Two We will find out.
One I can't get it out.
Two Do you wish that I help you.
One If you wouldn't mind.
Two It is my pleasure. I can't get it out either.
One cries
Two I will surgically remove it. What else is a pocket-knife for. We will have it presently. Better to work than despair. Right, there we are. But this is a brick. Your heart is a brick.
One But it is only beating for you.


new hope for cultural studies

This article seeks to supplement or reconfigure the problematic notion of Footloose as Ontology while engaging - within the historically contextualised framework of quasi-religious trends in cultural approximations - the current of interior but less accessible privileges of periodisation. The substrate of 1980s popular culture reveals significant levels of disorder in alternatives to a Foucauldian approach, yet shows little concern toward the multifarious mobilisations of the binary other, while treating psychoanalytic knowledge as a symptom of the embodied self in view of discursive normativities vs. resistances.

anonymous

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Boil 1.33



Yumeji's Theme

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

biosphere pre_alpha 0.2

wie zu erwarten war, kommen die landsleute gut weg. schliesslich kann man keine bzw. nur sehr spezielle reisen verkaufen, wenn die bevölkerung am zielort als ansammlung speicheltriefender monster dargestellt wird. besonders unterhaltsam finde ich die auflistung bestimmter alltagsmarotten der landsleute: sie pflegten sich mit einem soliden handschlag zu begrüßen, äßen ihr früstück nicht von tellern sondern von holzbrettchen und tränken kein wasser aus der leitung. nützlich ist auch der im kapitel "umgang mit behörden" aufgeführte hinweis, daß wirklich gefährlich ausrastende deutsche am senken, nicht am heben der stimme zu erkennen seien. wer unbedingt jüdische symbole in der öffentlichkeit tragen wolle, solle dies dezent tun. entgegen einer weitverbreiteten annahme hätten die deutschen von heute durchaus humor. witze über bestimmte aspekte der deutschen geschichte allerdings könnten andere als die vom erzähler vorausgesehenen reaktionen hervorrufen.

jens hoffmann, "gorgeous glimpses", in: konkret 3/2005, s. 21

From behind 1.30

I formed golden visions of the station I was about to occupy. I little suspected that the gaiety and lightness of heart I had hitherto enjoyed were upon the point of leaving me for ever, and that the rest of my days were devoted to misery and alarm.
W. Godwin, Caleb Williams, 7.


Sunday, May 08, 2005

From behind 1.29



Chungking Express, dir. Wong Kar Wai

OST Goodie: Dennis Brown 'Things in life' (4.7mb)

Spoil 1.31

Lucas Film n00bs PWNED

Original Cease and Desist

From: Lucasfilm Ltd.
To: Marc
Re: Unauthorized Use of STAR WARS Copyrights and Trademarks on website: http://nuar.lunarpages.com/video/SW_mirrors.htm

Gentlemen:

Lucasfilm Ltd. and its affiliated and related entities (collectively "Lucasfilm") are the exclusive owners of all rights in and to the Star Wars films, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and the forthcoming motion picture Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Those motion pictures and the characters and unique elements which appear therein (the "STAR WARS Copyrights and Trademarks") are protected by the copyright and trademark laws of the United States and other nations.

L33t translated:

From: Clan Luc@ss
To: m4r(
Re: Stop haXXing our trailer or we will tell the mods on you!

n00bz:

Clan Luc@ss and krew (aka. “Griefers”) are so ubAr 133t that we even made Star Warz, The Empire Respawns, and The Jedi Go PvP. We also made some crap about some fag named Jar-Jar, but that was totally teh SUXXOR!!!1!!11! (oops. our bad) But we still totally pwn those flix. Those movies are mega ph4t lewt and we even found some sploitz that let us re-release them and make MAD BANK!

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Boil 1.32

ARLANC 1.11

The enigmatic universe 0.1
Oh I'm never gonna dance again,
Guilty feet have got no rhythm.
Wham, Careless Whisper


Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Biosphere (extended remix)

An innermost cosmology of skin and bones
and sinews he
my erstwhile friend - this monstrous apparition - yet
invisible, obscured like moonlight set
over on the yonder shore
I sigh and see its form no more.

Illgill, P. Z. John Swaine's Dreadest Hour, p. 651

Beware !

The fictional universes depicted in movies like the Star Wars or Star Trek series tend to get very complex (for beginners: the former features Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, the latter Captain Kirk, the Enterprise, and a loyal crew made up of people like engineer Scotty; if you get them mixed up, you are worthless).

posted by johannes, Tuesday, May 03, 2005
http://www.monochrom.at/english/

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Biosphere 1.0x (Reservat)

And when old age took me in its hold
all words that once from the stores of hidden lore
and maddening tomes rose as flames so bold
and tender, fell and fell. before
all seemed lost I came to them once more
and probed for their soothing tones
and yet these learned shackles at last I cast off
- since when the cosmos' aches haunt my bones, my bones...
The Apocryphal Canto, lines xii-xix.

Monday, May 02, 2005

Filing 0.1

In my adulthood I fared no better
The purport was hidden in the letter
Of all the works I did peruse
Their volume was of little use
Until one day I broke free
To make a hobby of domesticity

Morning Air, Canto Four, lines 3197-3201.

Boil 1.31

Focus on Wong Kar-Wai

File 1.03 (schon vergessen?)

Im unendlichen Raum zahllose leuchtende Kugeln, um jede von welchen etwan ein Dutzend kleinerer, beleuchteter sich waelzt, die inwendig heiss, mit erstarrter, kalter Rinde ueberzogen sind, auf der ein Schimmelueberzug lebende und erkennende Wesen erzeugt hat; - dies ist die empirische Wahrheit, das Reale, die Welt.
A. Schopenhauer, "Zur idealistischen Grundansicht". In: R.Taylor, The Romantic Tradition in Germany. (London: Methuen, 1970), 198.

In infinite space countless glowing spheres, around which about a dozen smaller, lighted spheres revolve which are hot on the inside and covered with a frozen, cold crust on which a layer of mould has produced living and cognisant beings; - this is the empirical truth, reality, the world.
A. Schopenhauer, "On the idealist assumptions".
In: R.Taylor, The Romantic Tradition in Germany. (London: Methuen, 1970), 198.

File 1.07

There was a time in my demented youth
When somehow I suspected that the truth
About survival after death was known
To every human being: I alone
Knew nothing and a great conspiracy
Of books and people hid the truth from me.
Pale Fire, Canto Two, lines 167-172.