“Release of nuclear weapons is now authorized.” — BSG (Season 3, Episode 11)
I: Way back …
The Best and Worst of 1994 and Predictions for ’95: “Here are the views of Internet World’s regular contributors on the year’s best and worst trends, events, resources, and sites, plus prognostications.”
My favorite, by Mike Godwin, reads: “There’s not much that’s bad on the Net, but because cyberspace does imitate life, we shouldn’t be surprised that in 1994 some less-than-desirable material showed its insolent face. Pick any tragic event and you can probably recall seeing a newsgroup that taunted its seriousness. There was alt.tonya-harding.whack.whack.whack. Then we had alt.lorena.bobitt.chop.chop.chop. And no, I haven’t forgotten alt.oj-simpson.drive.faster.”
I look back on those days a bit fondly … before the deluge of spam, back when Gopher mattered (it’s how I found the TRON project in Japan), but in addition to the nostalgia it’s interesting to see the ways in which a dozen years really matter, and how difficult it is even for industry and cultural insiders to see or understand trends. Of course, a number of disruptive technologies followed in the wake of 1994, such as the first search engines, which made the Web manageable even as it grew (to think of the days when there were only a few hundred website) … but I’m rambling again.
Ah, talk and ytalk …
II: Laughing all the way …
Money Quote:
“Ewan McGregor — whose own penis has shown up in at least four of his movies, most recently “Young Adam” — on how films in the U.S. so rarely show male nudity: ‘You’re quite safe from penis shots in America because American people don’t have penises, so you can’t see them in film.'” (MTV News)
Folklore.org: Macintosh stories (“Anecdotes about the development of Apple’s original Macintosh computer, and the people who created it.”)
I am amused by the 10 most dangerous toys of all time: 1. Lawn Darts, 2. Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab (why did I never get one of those?) and 4. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Dolls, among others.
Magnum, Rehoboam, Methusaleh and Nebuchadnezzar … just a bunch of wine bottle sizes.
Although the story is nearly two weeks old now, I am still interested in the report of triplets for woman with two wombs: “A woman with two wombs has given birth to three children in what is believed to be the first case of its kind, a hospital official said Friday.”
Of course it is not the first case of its kind — it is the first reported case of its kind, the first we have on record, etc. The frequency was also worthy of note: “Separate or partially joined wombs are uncommon, although not rare. About one woman in 1,000 has them, according to Khalaf.” Anatomy, physiology, etc. … amazing stuff.
I was also amused at the end of the year by some Che Guevara irony and such — Target axes Che Guevara CD case: “Target Corp said on Friday it had pulled a CD carrying case bearing Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s image after an outcry by critics; some who label the Marxist revolutionary a murderer and totalitarian symbol; while others say Guevara is a philosophically improbable candidate for merchandising.” Not as if he hasn’t been “merchandised” on t-shirts, posters, etc. for quite a while now. I would be amused, however, by the Pol Pot line of cookware, the Stalin book of excuses for procrastinators, etc.
III: Turn the page …
Some friends recommended Blindsight by Peter Watts (recently released first-contact sci-fi, I believe); at the same time Being No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity by Thomas Metzinger was recommended (philosophy), and it seems interesting — Memorial Library has it, but it’s currently checked out. The novel by Watts is not (yet) checked out, though I do not really have time for more novels. On a curious note, the library still lists Kaavya Viswanathan’s How Opal Mehta got Kissed, got Wild, and Got a Life as “on order” (1 copy ordered as of 04/27/2006), although that is an order that will not and cannot be filled — for those who have forgotten, Opal Mehta … was the author‘s foray into the world of plagiarism last spring, and the novel was pulled after more and more stolen passages were found by readers. A revised second edition with the offending passages removed or altered was then dropped. As far as literary scandals are concerned, Viswanathan’s 15 minutes of fame ticked by rather quickly, and by mid-May most people with whom I spoke had forgotten about it (or never heard of it in the first place).
2005 and 2006 also brought us JYY LeRoy and James Frey … who knows what 2007 has to offer …
