Click image for a bigger cow.
This painting has a harsh realism to it – which I find rather intriguing. Many romantic painter can really turn the most dreadful moments into cheesy art, but Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret keep it simple and honest. Character traits not many painters posses, most of them love drama and spilling it all over their canvases …
I think the Microsoft campaign has done it’s job well: everybody is talking about those cute (more Kylie here) or stupid ads (the dreadful Launch Party video).
Honestly, I often wonder how kids survive that mixture of high fructose sweets and this kind of TV?!
No surprise that kids are all mental and hysterical these days. How can you be a calm and centred person after watching this kind of stuff for years?
I bought my first Lebkuchen in early September – so the Silly Season officially started in late summer this year.
Have you bought your Christmas presents yet?
Be a good consumer and shop for Jesus!
"Can have a bigger Overdraft please?"
From Wikipedia:
In May 2009, the US owed China $772 billion. In total, lenders from Japan and China held 44% of the foreign-owned debt.
No, your personal life is not a "brand" that needs to be shared and fostered by sharing every minute of your life on the intranets.
Collecting and recording every titbit of your existence is not the same of actually living it. Canned memories are not the same as experience. Or are you planning to "experience" it all once you retire and finally grow up?
Oh, it’s meeeeee …
The last German General Election was a bore. Both candidates were as exciting as a medical bill. All parties avoided talking about the serious issues still waiting to be solved. Since the great Fatty (Helmut Kohl) left politics Germany had "Reform Stau" – Health Care, Taxes, Social Services and very important Education need a serious overhaul.
But all recent Governments dragged their feet and made small changes, but nothing that really worked.
Modern Germany has always been a consensus driven society. Our "Soziale Marktwirtschaft" was created as a working compromise between Capitalism and Socialism. This worked pretty well. Germany is one of the World’s leading Industrial Nations, although it’s a small country without serious resources …
The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun – click for a larger version.
The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun – click for a larger version.
The Great Red Dragon and the Beast from the Sea – click image for a bit larger image.
The Number of the Beast is 666 – click image for a bit larger image.
William Blake was a very unusual artist. While most of his contemporary colleagues were wallowing in Romanticism he dug deeper. A lot of his work is romantic, but there is always a dark background that makes you feel uneasy and intrigued at the same time.
From Wikipedia:
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry has led one modern critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". Although he only once journeyed farther than a day’s walk outside London during his lifetime, he produced a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced ‘imagination’ as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself".
Considered mad by contemporaries for his idiosyncratic views, Blake is held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. His paintings and poetry have been characterized as part of both the Romantic movement and "Pre-Romantic", for its large appearance in the 18th century. Reverent of the Bible but hostile to the Church of England, Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions, as well as by such thinkers as Jacob Boehme and Emanuel Swedenborg.
Wikipedia also has a great article about William Blake’s appearances and influence on popular culture.
His Dragon series are some of the most famous classical paintings – also some of the most disturbing.
I always find it amazing that many mammals spend so much energy and time caring for their younglings.
Some do not only do they carry the baby in the womb, but also after birth. This is very unusual in nature: most reptilians, insects and fish simply leave their young behind.
Click image for a bigger punch.
A real heartbreaker the young Mr Curtis. I love the simplicity of the portrait.
It would be great to have spiritual gurus guiding us to the afterlife. Too bad none of them have been there themselves … so they are all fake!
This is one of the back entrances of a big beer tents at the Oktoberfest. The tent is closed, because it’s overcrowded. No matter if you have travelled half the globe or a local, there is no way in.
In the evenings a lot of drunks will hang out here as well, half-conscious or sleeping – many lying in their own sick.
The Oktoberfest has been transformed into a hardcore costume drinking festival. The traditional "Gemütlichkeit" is all gone.
Most foreigners are not used to the strong beer in a one litre Steiner – or Masskrug. During a day in a beer tent people easily drink 3 to 7 litres of beer.
The beer tents are often closed, because they are overcrowded (so good luck finding a nice place for yourself and your friends). Binge drinking (or "Komasaufen" in German) has become a serious problem.
The traditional music in the tents has been supplanted by cheesy disco music and vulgar pop songs in English (to please the tourists). Just because the band wears Lederhosen doesn’t make it "original". By trying to be more international the traditional aspects have been replaced by pseudo culture and are therefore no longer special.
At the beginning of the Oktoberfest there is a special parade for Trachtengruppen, who often come from all over Europe. Each Trachten / Costume is VERY specific.
The Oktoberfest has become a victim of it’s own propaganda, many people wear fake Dirndls and Lederhosen like they would go to a toga party with too much beer. These are costumes without any relationship to traditional "Trachten", which are very specific for various Bavarian regions and also very expensive.
The so called "Trachtengruppen" – which are often seen on TV and magazine pages as a synonym for the Oktoberfest – only come on the first weekend for a traditional march and opening ceremony. The other days of the Oktoberfest belongs to the fakes in cheap costumes.
Fake Trachten again – the wasteband loop (I don’t know the proper english word for it) indicates if the girl is taken / married or not. If it’s on the left side she is single and on the right means she is married / in a relationship.
I have been on many "Little Oktoberfests" in other countries and they were as "original" as what’s happening in Munich right now. It has become a hardcore beer Mecca for anglo-saxon combat drinkers, a alcohol tsunami which has to be experienced, endured and barfed through.
Not much "Gemütlichkeit" there …
BBC News: Gaddafi want a Security Council Reform
Now this is how you say some obvious truths and combine it with great theatrics.
I agree that the UN Security Council is crap: it basically is a relic from WWII, it is neither fair, nor does it reflect the current global power situation. It’s just a a political instrument for the US, Russia, China and the Brits to play their global games. Yes, I know that the French are also part of it, but they don’t really play on a global scale anymore.
But a tyrant asking to reform an international institution is a great act of hypocrisy. He hardly runs his country on a fair and balanced basis …
Update: short video of Gaddafi
I am sure such workstations are used to answer complaints and send birthday letters. Right?
I am still waiting for an affordable Hello Kitty netbook – I would buy it instantly!
Early design is terribly dry and frugal, don’t be fooled by the flowers (to make it look nicer and more organic). But still today most designs are straight lines and boxes. Designers love right angles. How boring!
Let’s smash some shop windows – that will change the world!
During many (leftist) peaceful demonstrations against global warming, globalization, global finance and global anything there is always a hardcore "black block" ready to smash things up.
Political violence obviously works – if used correctly and not just to stupidly smash things up.
Democracy works by the separation of power and therefore regulated violence. The power of the streets certainly can change "the system" and influence politicians, but it’s always a question against whom you apply that pressure / violence.
Small shopkeepers are hardly "the system". Even smashing up a Bank or McDonalds won’t change anything and won’t impress anyone. They simply claim it as an insurance accident.
I have never heard of the "black block" attacking Lobbyists or Politicians directly. Why not storm a fundraiser sponsored by dirty industries? Or blockade a lobbyist agency or other policy wonks?
Attacking symbols of the system looks good on camera, but isn’t effective. Violence / pressure only works applied with brains and endurance.
Otherwise the political power is wasted and your stupid violent action makes you the laughing stock of your opponents.
First you have to learn to cope with boners from looking at almost anything. You try to dry hump and masturbate your way out, because you are too young and too stupid for a proper girlfriend.
Finally you get a girl friend, but you have to learn to behave, be nice and please her lust too.
You grow older and you are in serious relationships. Sex no longer is a spontaneous and overwhelming experience – it’s just all too bloody complicated now.
Life gets a bit easier, you are no longer under constant sexual pressure. It would be a great time to enjoy sex with a mature attitude and some knowhow. But now you have to cope with the "excitement" of failure when your penis simply refuses to work because you are too stressed or simply not interested in sex right now …
As an old fart you start to totally loose interest, pressure and stiffness for the whole affaire – and you wonder why you spent most of you life wasting so much time chasing and pleasing women …
Alcoholism is still one of the biggest pests hurting our societies. Being drunk is accepted by most societies (don’t try it in Saudi Arabia), but being stoned isn’t. And thanks to binge drinking many kids die, become alcoholics or cause serious problems. Cheap booze is also affecting many adults. In Britain there a great worries about the huge unhealthy amount of alcohol that is consumed just while watching telly or sitting at home.
Alcohol is a serious drug (like nicotine), but it legal and accepted as a "social lubricant" and accepted "escape" from modern life.
A total ban is certainly a drastic step and certainly would help to a certain extend. But a smarter move would be making strong drinks very expensive or banning them altogether, including such products aimed at young people and teenagers like Alco pops (sweet juices mixed with strong drinks like Vodka or Whiskey).
Also we have to look closer why people want to knock themselves out so desperately – like misguided idea of a War on Drugs – a battle against alcoholism can only succeed if people are more content and less under pressure.
Banning poverty would be the best weapon against alcohol …
We humans are not really brave. We do not laugh in the face of danger, we simply choose to be ignorant and hope that the problem will go away.
Ignorance seems to be a psychological mechanism to help us to cope with fear and anxiety – we simply choose to filter danger out and hope for the best.
Many personal or big catastrophes’ could have been avoided with more care or more fear. Fear is a good warning signal and fear can be overcome by being smarter and better prepared.
It makes no sense living on a volcano and hoping it won’t explode, the smart thing would be to move away. But tell that to the people of Pompeii.
Any event can be turned into success with the right amount of beer and boobs. Thanks to greed the so called "Gemütlichkeit" has been turned into a costume party with too much beer.
Watch the official trailer here.
I admire Tim Burton for his unique style and approach to stories and movie making. But I wonder why he is now constantly remaking classics like Alice in Wonderland and Willy Wonka?
I am sure a guy like him should have great story ideas himself or buy some from gifted writers? I think it’s a waste of time and talent to redo classics …
Simple – yet dynamic design with very unusual colour. Also the direction is unusual – normally dynamic motion in images goes from left to (upper) right.
Official site: www.themenwhostareatgoatsmovie.com
The movie features a great cast of many of my favourite actors. It is based on the book with the same name.
The military is always eager to find the ultimate weapon, but I think this is the first movie that perfectly illustrate the madness behind it – combined with our current mad ideas of esoteric and spirituality.
Click image for a larger view.
This is a great a advertising idea for tooth paste: tell the consumer to brush his teeth after consuming a sweetie.
More health tips should be advertised in this way.
New York Times: How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?
Another excellent essay by Mr Krugman on how his species got it so wrong. It is amazing how much Academics are as much sheep and follow accepted ideas without checking for themselves as "mere mortals”.
It also shows that the idea of "free and self-regulating markets" was too good to be true – and a wet dream for economists. The theory was too perfect NOT to use to explain everything. In that respect economists are like most people: they love simplicity.
I highly recommend reading his article, because he points out many interesting connections and "glitches".
Economist.com: Too many people?
The Economist has special debates on it’s websites, which are brilliant! Not the usual flame wars and hate speech you find in normal internet “discussions”.
Their debates run over several days and experts deliver great arguments for both sides.
This debate is highly recommended (but already closed).
When you live outside the US you can’t watch many web videos of commercial shows: “this content is not available in your country”
Bugger.
I can understand that copyright owners want to sell their shows to foreign markets, but often the shows arrive a year later and there is usually NO WEB option to watch the stuff. And often I want to see the original version – not a cut down and dubbed mess …
But don’t despair! With FoxyProxy and a proxy server you can watch all that great stuff – if you are willing to fiddle a bit with your browser and pay for a good proxy server to watch restricted videos from YouTube, Hulu or the BBC iPlayer …
Basically all you have to do is this:
* find / buy a free proxy server suitable for the restricted website you want to access
* download & install FoxyProxy in Firefox
* enter the proxy servers address and your account info when you buy a commercial proxy service
* and switch FoxyProxy on or off when you need to access restricted content
From Monster to best friend and lover – the vampire has been transformed into the new human idols on our screens.
The times when vampires were “just” blood sucking monsters are over. Since “Interview with a Vampire” (or better say the Lestat-Books by Anne Rice) that image is history.
Now they are mostly our friends, more like much older sisters and brothers – incredibly sexy and wise. And now they even want to be our chummy friends!
The vampires bite was always a sexual act and a very horny symbol. Since we still can’t show two people making love on TV (killing each other is oke) we simply let them bite each other to show what can’t be shown.
Plus Vampires get away with many immoral act, because they have evolved into a super species. As ancient beings they have transcended social niceties and laws.
Overall it’s simply a wet dream for the powerless masses – hungry for sexual and power fantasies onscreen for their tiny minds. “If I only were a Vampire I could have such a horny life, kill the evil humans and get away with it …”
Click image for a cleaner look.
I often wonder how old paintings really looked like when the artist originally painted them. Too many ingredients like egg yolk age or darken over time, so we only see a darker version.
The Mona Lisa was recently cleaned and “improved” – and she looks great and much more natural.
More cleaning please!
There has been a big commotion here in Germany about the bombing of two road tanker hijacked by the Taliban and some civilian causalities (who might have helped the Taliban or were simply curious bystanders).
Germany is shitting it’s pants to admit that the beloved “peace mission” is actually a war and that innocent people will be killed.
Especially the great coalition Government of Frau Merkel would love to make everything appear happy and easy. But we have crossed the line a long time ago.
America, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands complained many times before that Germany, France and Italy try to not get their hands dirty. But there is no cozy way to get rid of the Taliban.
War is a terrible thing and rebuilding Afghanistan was obviously hard and bloody to rebuild. Germany needs to commit to that task and not be afraid to call a war religious fanatics a war. They have no problem killing innocent civilians and our soldiers …
Most Westerners waste precious fossil resources by travelling alone in their cars or on their bikes. In developing nations cars, motor bikes and even push bikes are for mass transport.
If you travel alone on a car 95% of the petrol will be wasted to move the car – not to transport you.
If the distance allows it than use public transport or a bike – or a small vehicle with a better weight to passenger ratio.
Westerners should see cars and motorbikes no longer as cool lifestyle choices(for their penis or social status), but as serious tools to be shared with others. The age of unsustainable individual transport has to come to an end.
Today I wanted to buy some packaged sliced salmon. It looked good from the outside and wasn’t cheap either. Out of habit I checked the content description. It contained the obvious stuff like salt, sugar, anti-oxidants … and pork!?!
I understand that industrial food production relies on many chemicals to improve it’s products and make food last longer.
But pork shouldn’t be in my salmon. Thankfully the producer was honest enough to put it on it’s label – something many of his competitor won’t do.
In recent months there have been several scandals here in Germany about artificially stretched bacon and cheese – so consumers always beware!
I don’t put all the blame on the food industry: consumers want huge amount of classy food for discount prices. It’s no surprise for me that the industry uses many “techniques” to improve food to make it look & taste great, but sell it at ever low prices.
BBC News: A storm brews over food, water & power
Europeans, Americans and China are in a new land grab for food security. They all buy huge patches of farmland in Africa and other places to produce for their own people.
Many poor nations sell their produce to rich nations to bolster their finances, while their own population goes hungry. The rich once again take away food from the poor big style.
Men lose their minds speaking to pretty women
Thank you so much mother nature:
… to see if other men were affected in the same way, they recruited 40 male heterosexual students.
Each one performed a standard memory test where they had to observe a stream of letters and say, as fast as possible, if each one was the same as the one before last.
The volunteers then spent seven minutes chatting to male or female members of the research team before repeating the test.
The results showed men were slower and less accurate after trying to impress the women. The more they fancied them, the worse their score.
But when the task was repeated with a group of female volunteers, they did not get the same results. Memory scores stayed the same, whether they had chatted to a man or a woman.
In a report on their findings the researchers said: ‘We conclude men’s cognitive functioning may temporarily decline after an interaction with an attractive woman.’
The Saga of three great brothers finally ended with Ted Kennedy’s death. Normally I am not a fan of political dynasties, but the Kennedys were a unique bunch. But I guess that era is now over …
Cooking shows have always been a part of the TV diet. But in recent years cooking shows – crossed with the madness of reality tv and gaming shows – has become a whole need breed of televised craziness.
I think the whole madness started with Iron Chef:
It was TOTALLY over the top and removed from “normal” cooking. It pleased poor people as well as gastro snobs.
Programs like Top Chef and Hell’s kitchen are often rude and more like a soap than a cooking show. It’s no longer about food, but just competition and kicking someone’s arse.
It all Big Brother these days: people watching other people living and doing their job. Social porn at it’s worst and nevertheless very successful, because everybody can relate to it.
Where are all the TV shows were you could learn something or get inspired? Where are the TV shows that show the better side of humanity instead of nasty competitions and slimy fights? Don’t we have already enough of that?
But I guess such shows are a relief to many suppressed viewers, because they can “identify” with those onscreen bastards and act out their fantasies while wasting their lives in front of the telly …
Click image for more fire.
This is an amazing shot – and a sad story. Wildfires are natural, but global climate change seems to make them worse … thanks humanity!
In the last thirty years packaging has developed from a necessity to a wasteful threat. Plastic trash from retail packaging create huge mountains of trash on land and huge garbage patches in our oceans.
Especially modern convenience food is one of the greatest sin: small portions sealed in a huge amount of plastic. In the old days the butches simply wrapped your bacon in same paper …
Designers and the industry have to come up with better sustainable solutions. And we consumers have to support more sensible solutions as well …