In IndieGameDev, I link to a question that someone asked a number of interatcive fiction (a.k.a. “text adventure game”) writers: “Why write?”.
Although it was posed to people making a specific type of computer
game, the question is applicable to anyone in a creative field. It’s a
worthwhile read.
On The Farm, I point to a
number of articles in which the writer refers to buying a Mac Mini for
one’s mom, dad or other relatives. It’s an interesting meme.
For your enjoyment, here’s the video for the song Clowny Clown Clown [4.4. MB Windows Media, enclosure], which comes off Crispin Glover’s 1989 album, Big Problem Does Not Equal the Solution. The Solution = Let It Be.
It features two Crispin Glovers: one with Brylcreemed hair and a suit and the
long-haired version, dressed exactly the same way he did on his
“freak-out” appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
If you have a clown phobia, this video will only make things worse.
The video is safe for work, but weeeeeeeeeird.
[via Movie City News Indie]:
Crispin Hellion Glover, who’s best known for playing George McFly in the Back
to the Future films, has spent the last two decades getting weirder. My housemate,
“Brother Pete” Onlock, the weirdo in our six-man house in my second and
thrid years at Crazy Go Nuts University, considered Glover to be a sort
of personal hero, especially after that meltdown he had on Late
Night With David Letterman.
In the late 1980’s, Glover published his home phone number in a number
of offbeat publications, promising callers some interesting taped
messages. In 1989, having a morbid curiosity and the phone number from
Keyboard World magazine, I called the number and was treated a rant
about rats that was both creepy and hilarious.
There have been rumours about a magnum opus film project on which he’s
been working for years. It looks like we’ll finally get our chance to
see it: the film, titled What Is It? will be premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 29 and 30.
According to Movie City News’ Indie section: “Most of the actors in the
film have Down’s Syndrome, but the
film is not about Down’s Syndrome. Mr. Glover explains the plot thus:
‘Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are
snails, salt, a pipe, and how to get home, as tormented by an hubristic
racist inner psyche.'”
Oh, my.
Here’s the poster for What Is It?
Oh, my again.
That’s nothing, however. For the full “Oh, my!” experience, you’re going to have to watch the trailer [NOT SAFE FOR WORK:
some nudity, and completely whacked out]. It reminds me of Pavlov Video Chicken I, the piece reviewed in the “Bad Conceptual Art”
skit from the 1978 Saturday Night Live.
I am eagerly awaiting the DVD release so I can host a “Bad Art Night” party.
As an added bonus, here’s the video of Crispin Glover’s infamous appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
[6.5 MB AVI file, enclosure]. I remember watching this when it was
broadcast and wondering “Is he acting, or is he really flipping out?”
Just yesterday alone, 2,251 people (or, more accurately, 2,251 computers at
unique internet addresses) went directly to the permalink for my entry,
which features an 80’s-era Bill Gates striking poses reminiscent of
LavaLife personal ads on his desk. (I still have my doubts as to whether the
photos are genuine).
Dan Dickinson came up with the caption
for the second photo, “640K of this action should be good enough for
anybody”. If you have any other caption ideas, please post them in the
comments!
Here’s the last of my “Hamburgers” media posts. It’s the NPR Fresh Air
interview with Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. (Yeah, this
interview’s old, but it’s still good.)
My quickie notes taken while listening to the interview:
become one of the lowest-paid, in spite of being one of the most
dangerous
minimum-wage-paying industry in the US
poorly-paid poorly-trained workforce than a small well-paid
well-trained workforce.
$8/hr starting wage, managers who get paid an $80K salary and full health and dental coverage for their employees.
Growth of the industry parallels the decline of minimum wage (in real terms) in the US.
rise in the minimum wage
perfect vehicle for Food-borne illnesses”. It used to be that your
burger came from the meat of perhaps one or two cows — now a butger
can come from a large number of cows, which means that one sick cow can
contaminate the meat across the country.
in
the US. A lot of communities have local governments who are unwilling
or unable to spend money building playgrounds; in those places,
McDonald’s is the only alternative. The problem: McDonald’s marketing
— they’re targeting kids and selling htem unhealthy food. The rise of
childhood obesity parallels rise of fast food industry.
places like 7-11, which have implemented practices to keepas much money
as possible in a safe which employees cannot open. The average take
from a 7-11 robbery is $37; you can make thousands if you rob a fast
food place at the right time. Half of fast food robberies are inside jobs.
Most people
in the fast food industry aren’t bad people but business people; give
them business reasons to change their practices and they’ll do it.
influences on the landscape of the industry. The McDonald’s model —
the mass reproduction of a specific retail environment — has inspired
other retailers : The Gap, Sunglass Hut, Banana
Republic. The outskirts of one American community is pretty
indistinguishable from
another
Vegas at a fast food convention. Mikhail Gorbachev was a keynote
speaker. At his keynote, he praised McDonald’s entry into Russia and
asked the fast food executives to invest in Russia. Schlosser says he
was reminded of the old Roman practice of brining leaders of countries
they conquered and putting them on display at circuses.
internalize the costs that they’re imposing left and right on society.”
The interview is in two parts: