The new Hummer is an object that personifies the skeuomorph - something which appears to be functional but is in fact decorative. The underlying decorative nature is what in fact makes the Hummer the ultimate example of the SUV as pure kitsch. The original Hummer was designed to traverse mud fields, ford rapids and scale mountainous terrain and as such was perhaps overkill for doing groceries in suburbia. It looked rugged and cool and in fact was very rugged, too rugged - i.e. bloody uncomfortable. The new Hummer sought to correct that - to create the oxymoron of comfortable and utilitarian, military chic for comfortable civilians, something as obviously stupid as the civilian comfort, white leather interior 4 wheel drive Lamborghini
Read More
Reuters: "Austrian rightist [slight understatement] Joerg Haider, the best-known West European politician to visit Iraq in recent years, was proudly photographed in February beside President Saddam Hussein -- or was he? A German coroner says the man Haider met was one of at least three Saddam Hussein lookalikes, men who have undergone surgery and mimic the president's gestures and expressions perfectly." Projected cost of a war with Iraq: $100 - $200 Billion Mach3 Turbo: $7.99 Hmm... As "Chaplinitis" swept across America around 1915, Charlie Chaplin look-alike contests became a popular form of entertainment...Legend has it that Chaplin himself once entered -- and lost -- one of these competitions...in a San Francisco theater." [thanks Justine] Chaplin lookalike This brings to mind what Christopher Hitchens says about Churchill's wartime speeches: "what was not revealed until the late 1970's - that many of these exercises in 'Finest Hour rhetoric were recorded and delivered...
Read More
Q: Why do sounds like scratching a blackboard and scraping metal make some people cringe or shiver? A: The danger warning sounds emitted by some of the great apes are of a similar frequency and tone to the sound made by fingernails dragged on a blackboard, so possibly a primal instinct for danger is being stimulated. New Scientist: Questions and Answers
Read More
Alain Robert has a hobby, he climbs very tall buildings with no safety equipment. A year ago I saw a documentary, where, half way up the outside of the Sears tower, he pauses, lets go one hand, reaches into his chalk bag, retrieves a cigarette and starts smoking - clearly unaware of the health risks. Canary beats the 'Spiderman'
Read More
"Gideon Burrows asks why British government representatives are at this year's Sofex arms fair when countries known to be 'sponsors of state terrorism' - such as Iraq - are also there" The right to fair arms
Read More
"Dija heya tha onea baht..." I find it depressing that there is an overwhelming bias to the right amongst bloggers. People like wit and levity and left wing writing has a tendency to appear whiny and over sincere. The PJ O'Rourke's can scoop up all the laughs, 'cos lets face it, they can afford to be frivolous and decadent. But there are plenty of precedents for left wing humor, from Swift to Michael Moore, so where are they all in weblog land. (oh - and please don't forward any libertarian examples, I've just eaten)
Read More
Grauniad: When did you encounter the internet? Chomsky: In the early days of the military Arpanet, my daughter was studying in Nicaragua. Because the US was essentially at war with them, contact was difficult. I managed to use MIT's Arpanet connection and she found one, so we could communicate thanks to the Pentagon! David: When did you buy your first anorak? Chomsky: I was living with the Eskimo's in Northern Canada, and was presented with one made out of woven seal's whiskers. The Guardian | Working IT out: Noam Chomsky
Read More
As if things weren't already complicated enough for the cerebrally challenged Bush administration, the North Korean's admit to telling porkie pies, and have been working on a nuclear weapons program while the US has helped them build power reactors. The main problem, however, is that cash starved North Korea has shown willingness to sell some of its more threatening weapons technology. "The Bush administration has relayed information to U.S. allies in Asia that North Korea has tested key parts of the intermediate-range No-Dong missile in Egypt. Officials said tests were designed to determine whether North Korean components and technology could help complete missile programs in Egypt and other Middle East countries." Middle East Newsline -
Read More
Martin Schwimmer notes that Toyota have registered scionsucks.com and scioncarssuck.com
Read More
Scion is Toyota's new brand aimed at generation Y - you know - the ones who laugh at you 'cos the crotch of your pants isn't six inches from the floor. Well apparently these guys now have buying power and a whole boat load of lurid tricked out gear that would make Vin Diesel whimper is about to hit the consumer market.
Read More