Cinema is the ultimate pervert art. It doesn’t give you what you desire, it tells you how to desire.
—Slavoj Žižek
—found in The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema (2006 documentary by Sophie Fiennes)
stridor

stridor · /ˈstrʌɪdər/ · /striy-dər/. noun. A harsh, grating sound. A whistling sound or vibrating when breathing. From Latin strīdēre (to creak).
[Read more…]Links: September 27, 2020
- The Glorious RBG: I learned, while writing about her, that her precision disguised her warmth. ※ And from a language perspective (I am what I am), you can’t go wrong with scholar of language—legal and otherwise—Bryan Garner’s interview with Ginsberg that begins with the question, “Do you think that law is essentially a literary profession?” → Part 1 and Part 2 (30 min. total).
- More than 5500 galaxies in this one eXtreme Deep Field image taken by the Hubble Telescope. Who do we think we are (and why do we think so highly of ourselves)? → Hubble XDF
- The Slow, Troubling Death of the Autopsy
- Corey Arnold’s Fish-Work in the Bering Sea photos ※ And, why not here: How marketers convinced America to eat fish sticks
- Including this one not because I agree with everything (or even most) of what Jaron Lanier says, but because he is undeniably “a character.” → The Conscience of Silicon Valley ※ While I’m here, not Lanier, but tangentially related: the brain-computer interface is coming and we are so not ready for it
- 23 beautifully illustrated letters by Van Gogh, Warhol, Kahlo, etc. show the long-lost art of hand writing
- The secret taxonomy behind IKEA’s product names, from Billy to Poäng ※ From another place in the world of words entirely: Do You Speak Fox?
- How Can We Pay for Creativity in the Digital Age?
- This week’s CuriosityCluster: interesting maps → Charles Booth Maps Descriptive of London Poverty // A History of Accuracy in World Maps // Zuni maps // A historical atlas refashioned with modern technologies // David Rumsey’s Historical Map Collection (check out these 19th Century Maps Drawn by Children // 16000+ maps from the 16th to 19th centuries in the Ryhiner Map Collection // Brilliant Maps ※ Bonus: How North Ended Up On the Top of the Map and the Ugly Gerry Font, created from the maps of gerrymandered election districts in the US.
- Today in 1922, The Power of Love, the first 3D film shown to a public audience, debuts at the Ambassador Hotel Theater in Los Angeles. This would prove to be the only showing of the film, since lost, and the only film released using the two-camera, two-projector format patented by producer, Harry K. Fairall, and cinematographer Robert F. Elder. In addition to the 3D format, the film also allowed viewers to look through just one lens or the other of their glasses to choose between a happy or unhappy ending. ※ You might recognize the Ambassador Hotel: in addition to its famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub, frequented by practically every cinema celebrity, director, and producer from the 1920s-1960s, it was also the site of Bobby Kennedy’s assassination in 1968.
0000E8
In ▸ 0000E8, a new element/color/object reshapes the world in its image.
Cucumber Slinky

Having recently sliced off a bit of my finger, I appreciated the ▸ amazing knife skills needed to make a cucumber slinky.
Withheld: September 27, 2020
That interview with the Rubik’s Cube inventor (because I’m still mad at him) ☡ The Supreme Court or The Nominee Who Must Not Be Named (because the impending theocracy) ☡ Breonna Taylor (because what can I add to the ludicrious outcome so far)
Responses: September 27, 2020
- Reader B.: “Such riches! ¶ I especially admire those book covers. Reminds me of a James Blaylock novel where someone figures out a meditation technique based on old sf paperback covers.
- Reader J.: “Well done on Kirby Ferguson. I’d say the jury’s out on human rationality, what with the national IQ test coming up this November, but every little bit helps.”
- Reader K.: “Based on your link a few weeks ago, you must love Allie Brosh as much as I do. There’s a new interview! And a comic/chapter from her new book!”
- Reader S.: “Your piece on the language of suicide. Beautiful and challenging.”
- Reader T.: “Some time ago you shared the story of prisoners uniting to create a meal honoring George Floyd. I was reminded of that when I saw this thread on a death row inmate making cheesecake using what he had. It’s heartbreaking on its own and because we continue the barbaric practice of state murder.”