My Finds for the Day

Various snippets from various outlets worthy of sharing: 

 

 

xkcd: “Twitter”

 

 

Rob Sheridan and Tamar Levine: “Broken Robot Girl #1″

 

 

 

The Squires of Dimness are on Twitter!

 

And last but not least, an excellent read over at TySexual/The Alternative Preference marked with honest words.

 

Brits and Americans Clash Over Slash

 

Rolling Stone, America’s Rock n’ Roll magazine, kicks out its high and mighty top [insert arbitrary number here] lists on every category imaginable-classifying, quantifying, and qualifying things barely tangible enough to be ranked-pertaining to the music industry (and popular culture and politics).  A moderately current list of note is Rolling Stone’s “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.  

Now forget the current lack of credibility floating around Rolling Stone’s aura, and forget the obvious criticism concerning this list.  Simply focus on the exclusion of Slash, a.k.a a certain Mr. Saul Hudson.  Let us also ponder on the fact that the term “guitar slinger”, or even “legendary guitar slinger”, was practically coined specifically for this man.  My bias aside, even non-rocker-musically-ignorant-extra-terrestrials know that the name Slash belongs to a talented and widely respected guitarist; this reputation alone should have at least afforded Slash the ninety-ninth percentile.  Let me remind you, he was not number thirty, not fifty, nor eighty-two.  He was not ninety-nine.  Rolling Stone, for whatever reason, completely and entirely slashed him from the history of rock, guitars, and … Oh and I forgot to mention, he also has his own guitar line.

 

A list in which Slash HAS been included: The second subcategory of the first definition for “slash” in the Urban Dictionary.  Glad that is settled.  Oh wait, never mind because also within the category of “slash”, rounding out number six, reads the following British-English definition:

Urinate (chiefly British)
“I’m dying for a slash, but there’s a line for the bog.”

Ignoring the “bog” and diving straight in for the “slash”…peeing?  Really?  No, not enough terms for urinating exist; let us add a few more.  Because PISS, PEE, URINATE, DRAIN THE LIZZARD, et cetera are not sufficient.

Sadly the body’s balancing of water and electrolytes and the legendary musician battle it out throughout the numerous definitions listed.  Long live the contributor who wrote:

“Slash f***ing ROCKS! When he’s on stage playing his Gibson Les Paul guitar with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth – you can see true Rock N’ Roll right in front of your eyes!”

Thus, next time you see Slash walking down Sunset Boulevard, stop and give him a hug.  He seems to be experiencing difficulty and harsh times, failing to win over the hearts of American magazines and the British vernacular.   

P.S.  Jack White stuck at number seventeen?  Weak-he too deserves a boost.  Not that I am biased or anything.

 

“Violence of the Lambs”, Not Without Controversy

“The greatest threat to civilization in the next half century is not nuclear arms or global warming or a superresistant virus that will wipe us out by the millions.  John Jeremiah Sullivan contemplates the coming battle between man and best.” 

In one of my classes (for which I should be writing a paper; however, I am squandering my time writing other things…) we are discussing culture jamming.  While in a biology lecture (neither indulging in cell membrane communication nor researching a paper topic for the aforementioned class) I happened upon this article in an old issue of GQ (I am behind in my periodical reading).  I know, I know…GQ.  But! This article demands attention, and it certainly claims its fair share in blogs and online journalism.  John Jeremiah Sullivan exquisitely writes with sophistication, purpose, and yes a little trickery, but who does not enjoy a quality piece of literary prank now and then?  The article foreshadows the near future, years when man and beast rival for ownership of land and resources, years that Sullivan predicts loom not too far ahead.  I have listed some links with fair discussions of the article; however, I advise first reading the actual article before its criticism so as not to spoil the punchline.

The article: Sullivan, John Jeremiah. “Violence of the Lambs.” Gentlemen’s Quarterly Feb. 2008.

 Noteworthy links:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020402772.html

http://stevereads.blogspot.com/2008/01/in-penny-press.html

http://outside-blog.away.com/blog/2008/01/gorillas-pissed.html