Look, YouTube is littered with garbage countdown lists but sometimes they are legitimate doses of entertainment. I don't know that I can call all of these "nightmare fuel" but there are some amusingly weird creations in here worth perusing.
we've all seen the videos of this behavior. The real answer likely lies somewhere between true communication and learned mimicry. Either way, they're smarter than we generally credit them.
Been grappling with staying on Twitter. This evaluation echoes my internal sentiments quite well. It's not going to get better over there and continuing to use it is endorsing the actions of a terrible and dangerous guy.
To be clear, I don't think all of these ideas are bad - not by any stretch of the imagination. Korine seems to be correct that attention spans have changed; the way we consume media has changed and, thus, the way media is created should change. In fact, it already has. The fusion of short form content, interactive / gaming content and fever dream nonsense does not seem far off in the future. It's closer than we think.
I don't agree with Korine's takeaways from the article 100%. Much of what is described sounds unhinged, unfocused and absurd to the point that it'll never be a reality. It's too many ideas to actually happen - a videogame but also a short 1second film but also face remapping software but also physical masks that look like demons but also a clothing line. Seriously, that's all in there. Lots of good individual ideas but hard to imagine them all parsing together.
But maybe I'm a Ludditte. Maybe Korine is a visionary. OR maybe his success isn't dependent on being embraced by a huge audience, so doing 1,000 different things that a small group adores will be enough.
It's a lot to think about and I suggest you take it all in and marinate on it.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent a letter to the DEA saying they did their research and believe marijuana should go from Schedule I to Schedule III in classification. It's a huge NO DOI request but one that the country desperately needs.
I say this not as a huge pothead that wants to see more drugs legalized but as a rational, compassionate, human being that understands that if liquor is legal, there's no ground to stand on for marijuana being Schedule I. It's clearly absurd and idiotic.
Anyway, just a note to keep an eye out for more news. The DEA can choose to move forward or do nothing. I'm hoping for some action.
Really fascinating thread about leveraging robots and tech to monitor and update our infrastructure, jobs people do not want to do and robots can do better. Wild stuff.
It's directed by Casey Pierce, who has done work with Twen, Molly Martin, Jessie Baylin and so many more. The video itself evokes the infamous Eames "Powers of Ten" short or the 1982 cult classic feature Koyaanisqatsi. It exists on an epic scale - from celestial bodies to earthly creations to cellular division. It's a video that begs to be immersed in, not watched casually.
Much of the feedback I've heard about the sugar sk*-*lls music so far is that people have a hard time connecting with the vocoder vocals. I understand this take but I'd point out that the robotic nature of the vocals is sort of the point, since the content of the lyrics is incredibly emotional. Listening to the lyrics on "Two-Chambered" is a legitimately moving experience for me. Particularly this bit:
I know where to look
But not where to find you
Within memory
All I know is this
It strikes me as heartbreaking - searching for someone but knowing they only exist as a memory. It is delivered by a robotic voice but it's as human as it gets.
Anyway, I'm superbly biased on my enjoyment of the video and the song but I think you'll dig it. I hope so at least!
Wonder Popular Science piece here on successful nuclear fusion. Scientists have now been able to fuse atomic nuclei and get an energy gain - more energy coming out than going in. About 1.5 times as much coming out. Not a huge amount but a fairly momentous step forward in the realm of science. Even more exciting is that they've been able to do it more than once.
The article is enlightening but, truth be told, I got the majority of my comprehension on this topic from the latest episode of The Cross Cut, my bi-weekly podcast that combines recent news with film chatter. Hosts Jesse and Forest talk about the fusion and the 1997 film The Saint. One they liked, one they did not. I'll let you guess which.
A great listen and a fascinating topic to learn more about.
