In case you missed it as a favorited tweet, take some time to read through this Reeves Wiedeman piece on March Hutchins, Gray Hat Hacker. It's an interesting tale that involves several global cyberattacks, FBI members and possibly a dark past. It's fascinating to get a closer inside look on the WannaCry ransomware attack and the Kronos Trojan, straight from an individually (potentially) involved with both.
Really enjoying this Ad Space show from Devin Goebel. The pieces are comprised of various letterpress carvings from Will T. Hatch, created 70 some odd years ago and made infamous at the Hatch Show Print printing press. It's remarkable that these carvings that have been used for so long still have life in them dependent on who is creating with them. Goebel's prints may have an air of "vintage" to them but they feel completely fresh.
On display now at the actual Hatch Show Print gallery in Nashville but you can also see a great deal of it here.
Podcasting is already the future, and present, of the creation and consumption of spoken-word audio.
We need none of these things, and we need none of the proprietary platforms that try to bring those things.
Podcasting is already winning, using the power of the open web. https://t.co/Qan4CZCDNO
I really enjoyed the book "If the universe is teeming with aliens... where is everybody? 75 Solutions to the Fermi paradox." I interviewed the author, physicist Stephen Webb, on my podcast this week (transcript available): https://t.co/Mqyc5WO421
Excerpt: https://t.co/bg0eazKVbh
The second episode of Vidalotry, the podcast that explores Gore Vidal, is now available. "Candidate Vidal" explores the political career of Mr. Vidal and it's a twisting, turning and sorted tale. Even more interesting is Vidal's refreshingly progressive take on just about every question tossed his way. For instance, this interview from 1981:
Q: Every American boy is told that he could become President. Do you still believe you could become President? Vidal: Every American girl now is also told she can become President. The Presidency is not something I don't think you really want to have now. The political situation is such that the actual governing United States is not done by the President or Congress, it's done by the Chase-Manhattan Bank - a very important bank, the oil companies, the defense industries... People in Board Rooms run the United States.
In one breath he reminds the interviewer of the equal capabilities of Men and Woman to be President and clarifies that our political system is run by private influence.
It's a phenomenal episode filled with parallels to our "modern" political world, here in 2018. It's streaming on all platforms or you can fire it up right here.
I dunno if I just started paying attention again or if he found new life in his art but Chad VanGaalen has really been pushing all my buttons lately. His latest album, Light Information, is a real treat but his videos are just unstoppable. This new one for Host Body continues in his trend of depicting otherworldly space travelers interacting or morphing into new forms or experiencing a fever dream but there's a good bit of something extra going on as well. Maybe it's the strange overlays or maybe it's the random jokey asides but, whatever it is, it works for me. A whole lot.
Excellent piece from, of all people, Michael Ian Black entitled The Boys Are Not All Right that tackles the notion that our Nation's gun problem stems from men. Men are performing these heinous acts and Men are clearly having a hard time traversing what it means to "Be A Man." To be clear, the article isn't about shaming men or contributing to your horrible Uncle's notion of Weak Snowflakes but, rather, a contemplative take on the archaic model of masculinity.
Too many boys are trapped in the same suffocating, outdated model of masculinity, where manhood is measured in strength, where there is no way to be vulnerable without being emasculated, where manliness is about having power over others. They are trapped, and they don't even have the language to talk about how they feel about being trapped, because the language that exists to discuss the full range of human emotion is still viewed as sensitive and feminine.
He follows this by saying that "most men will never turn violent... Most will learn to navigate the deep waters of their feelings without ever engaging in any form of destruction." And that's an important addendum. This isn't an article saying Men Are Bad but, rather, a call to say that we need to rethink how we're training boys to be shutoff from emotion.
I'm not a parent and I'm sure there are plenty out there that are raising wonderful, mindful, emotionally aware kids. I am optimistic for the next generation.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to get a singular screenshot or image that encapsulates the vibe of Futurismo, a label that's "specialising in New Wave, No Wave, Synthpunk, Post Punk and Avant Pop." They've reissued a bunch of LP's from the likes of Devo, Gleaming Spires and Psychedelic Furs to name but a few. Their aesthetic is, clearly, extremely 80's but it's done in the most legitimate and tasteful way. It hits on all of the tropes but it manages to steer clear of ever being kitschy; it's just good.
They aren't incredibly active on social media so I suggest just cruising their official site and immersing yourself in their Tumblr for the full experience. They aren't responsible for everything on the Tumblr but pieces like this or this are sure to stir some inspirational gears.
The latest episode of Hott Minute is likely their strongest yet. Why? Because they got themselves a theme song courtesy of Nashville band Tower Defense that is downright perfect, they discuss a smattering of crushable topics including Camus and Janelle Monae and manage to vamp on everything.
Head over to their Episode page to hear the goods or just do yourself a favor and subscribe to the dang thing!
Pretty smitten with the work of Martin Ontiveros lately. His subject matter tends to veer towards the occult, aliens, metal symbology and giving just about everything a dark spin. However, it also does a great job of not losing sight of actually being fun and a little ridiculous at times - a balance that is hard to achieve. This Baphomanic blank is a great example - it's a totem representing the devil itself but it's also downright adorable.
Plenty to see in his feed and a few things to see in his store. Take the deep dive.