August 18, 2017
Misunderstanding Japan
BBC Radio 4: Misunderstanding Japan "What images come into your head when you think of Japan?
Dr Christopher Harding explores how Western media representations of Japan, from the very first Victorian travellers through to Alan Whicker and Clive James, have revisited the same themes." [more inside]
Goodbye, Chuck Entertainment Cheese
In a reversal of the current trend towards automation in the service industry, Chuck E. Cheese [previously] is retiring its animatronic show.
Father John Misty has written a touching farewell.
Surf II: End of the Trilogy (that's the joke, and maybe the best one)
Long ago in "The Good Old Days", surfers ruled. It was bitchin'! That was before the threat of chemical pollution, nuclear waste and the horror of Buzzz Cola....And so opens Surf II (YT, trailer): The Nerds Strike Back (via), a 1980s teen gross-out surf parody with added nudity*, stocked with some notable actors, and a soundtrack suitable for a surf film from 1984. Currently placed somewhere between one of the worst movies ever (next to another 1980s "sex comedy," Lunch Wagon [nsfw trailer]) and on the other extreme, just as funny as Naked Gun [trailer]. The film is considered an acquired taste, but if it might be your taste, you can watch it on YouTube (disregard the title, there is no second part). [more inside]
tonite
Nature, filling your soul with hope, or...the other way around.
Zero Gravity Canyon, San Rafael Swell, all kinds of swell times. The San Rafael Reef, or San Rafael Swell, is an easy drive from Salt Lake City, and holds many adventures. The Narrows of Little Wild Horse Canyon is a perennial favorite of families who take their kids into the slot canyons for the coolness of them. I had never heard of Zero Gravity Canyon until today, when I read this tale. [more inside]
At the end of a terrible week, a brief respite
Moon-made
James Hamblin (Atlantic) wonders if the eclipse is a conspiracy: "I am not saying the eclipse isn’t going to happen. I’m just saying there are two sides to every story." Meanwhile, Brian Hickey (PhillyVoice) reaches out to flat-Earthers for their opinions on the so-called eclipse.
Reacting swiftly, Mayor Quimby has declared Mob Rule.
A busy week for the President: a Nazi uprising in Charlottesville, resulting in one dead and several wounded, received a slow response and alarming equivocation from Trump regarding which “side” was worse. Widespread public backlash at his Nazi apologia - across the political spectrum - led to the resignation of several industry and public sector leaders from various advisory councils. Charities began canceling Mar-a-Lago events. One Congressman begin steps to introduce Impeachment. A week into the debacle, key advisor Steve Bannon “resigns”, with possibly more to be purged. Undaunted, Trump is planning another campaign rally in Phoenix, making noises about pardoning convicted criminal ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
A cautionary tale from a small-town newspaper
"The story of the most flagrant mistake in the modern history of sports journalism begins with a 21-year-old editor. His name is Kris Freeman." [Deadspin] [language NSFW]
“Nestlé knew exactly what it was doing.”
Bad break? KitKat maker accused of copying Atari Breakout game in ad. [The Guardian] “Nestlé has been accused of copying Atari’s classic 1970s video game Breakout [wiki] for a KitKat marketing campaign. In a complaint filed on Thursday in a federal court in San Francisco, Atari said Nestlé knowingly exploited the Breakout name, look and feel through social media and a video, hoping to leverage “the special place it holds among nostalgic baby boomers, Generation X, and even today’s millennial and post-millennial gamers”. Atari cited an ad titled KitKat: Breakout [Vimeo], in which adults and children sitting on a sofa used paddles to knock down KitKat bars.”
Turkey Twizzlers, cornflake tart, jam roly-poly, and spotted dick.
The Great British School Dinner has significantly changed over the decades, from porridge and bread and dripping, through to pea soup and chocolate concrete with mint custard. Here are 17 dishes from recent decades, what happened to Turkey Twizzlers, the perfect steamy spotted dick, some pink custard, a mention of spam fritters, and mince and dumplings in 1980. Tempted? You can go to a cafe and try some. Nowadays, the options are less stodgier; at "big school" meatballs or curry are sometimes on the menu. Oh, Vienetta. However, not all healthy options are popular. Payment is sometimes complicated and can lead to barm controversy. Though Friday is usually fish and chips day, there's Angel Delight at this school!
Fair Slice Now
Socialism: As American As Apple Pie (Single link The Nib webcomic history essay)
Didn't he do well!
RIP Bruce Forsyth, British showbiz legend and holder of the Guinness world record for longest career as a male TV entertainer. He had hit Saturday night shows in every decade from the 1950s until 2010s (his first television appearance was in 1939 at the age of 11) [more inside]
Top or Bottom: How do we desire?
Three great minds consider what queer memes of a top shortage reveal about the racialized orders of desire and new directions for gay critique.
A Run on Irish Passports
The Irish Passport is a newish podcast about about the culture, history and politics of Ireland, by Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney.
The newest episode is about The Brexit Irish - the people who have rushed to turn their notational Irishness into a physical passport post the Brexit referendum. [more inside]
Emotion: Side C
Cold to the Touch is a synth-inflected summer single from Ralph, who released a self-titled EP, her first, earlier this year. [more inside]
Those are your family and friends, but you won't talk to them.
This Twitter thread nails it: "White liberals spend more time denying reality to PoC than they do hearing reality from their white conservative family and friends." [more inside]
Mandatory Fun Time
Journey through the centre of the earth
Antipodes map tells you what is precisely on the other side of the planet from any location you give it. In Australia the universal answer is water.
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