Archive for February, 2010

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Take A Walk On The Zef Side With Die Antwoord

[ 2 Comments ]Posted on February 8, 2010 by admin in Music

Monday, February 8th, 2010

The name of South Africa’s suddenly “Internet Famous” Rave/Rap/Zef sensation “Die Antwoord” means “The Answer” in Afrikaan, but it’s hard to figure out what the question was.

The first time you see & hear South Africa’s Die Antwoord , you might think to yourself something like “Wow, America really hasn’t cornered the market on white trash wiggerdom, has it?” But that would not only be a choice of words that many would find offensive, it would be horribly inaccurate as well. The fact is, I’m not sure there are words to describe the band. They sort of look like someone traveled to the future and dragged Vanilla Ice from the geriatric ward, paired him with Pink’s abandoned trailer child, and then stuck them out in the Cape Town slums to fend for themselves. Or like extras living on the fringe of the alien ghetto in District 9. However one chooses to describe them, they manage to pull off a sort of punk/rap vibe with a weird mixture of contrivance and authenticity reminiscent of the Sex Pistols. Sure, it sort of knows it’s camp, but it’s genuinely good camp, so it works. Or do they really mean it? It’s hard to tell. The band is fronted by “Ninja” (aka “Watkin ‘Waddy’ Tudor Jones” aka “Max Normal”) and Yo-Landi (Yolandi Visser), both former members of Max Normal.TV, and in the press so far, they’re not letting on if it’s meant to be a joke or turned out that way by accident. My hunch is that in spite of their sudden and unexpected Internet Fame, that there’s some method to the madness. The production values are pretty high, punk-mulletted rapper chick Yolandi Visser is – in spite of a brilliantly crafted image to the contrary – an educated college hottie, and Ninja has been around for a while in the Cape Town Afrikaan “Zef” scene that this all seems to bank on for its cred. If your Afrikaan is as rusty as mine, there are sites that explore Zef slang and culture, and if you were wondering, the band’s name means “The Answer”. Which leaves one a little disturbed about what the question must’ve been. Read the rest of this entry »

Normal People vs. The People vs. George Lucas

[ Comments Off ]Posted on February 7, 2010 by admin in Popular Media

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Because we all know what happens when George Lucas gets his hands on a Storm Trooper. Or at least you South Park viewers do.


The 2009 Trailer. See The 2010 Trailer Below.

I have to admit that as much as I love film (and I DO love film, with a passion), there’s still a level of film fetishism that I don’t really grasp. Sure, I’ve watched Blade Runner over 200 times, but who in their right mind hasn’t? No, I have to draw the line at things like dressing up as a character from a film. At least when it’s not Halloween. Which is why I’ll never understand the legions of Star Wars Storm Troopers that convene on a regular basis, in full battle regalia, and at their own considerable expense. Or the people who maintain Wookieepedia. Or people that create web sites that tell you the best times to pee during a film. At the same time, I have to admire the dedication this kind of thing requires, especially in the case of the people behind a project like The People vs. George Lucas, the new documentary about the poor souls whose lives were destroyed by the numerous changes Lucas made to the original Star Wars Trilogy on re-release. The producers of the film put it this way: “The People vs. George Lucas explores the titanic struggle between a Godlike filmmaker and his legions of fans over the most popular franchise in movie history. At its core, PvsG is the examination of a high-profile, dysfunctional love story. George created this humongous and intricate sandbox for us to play in; but is he the sole owner of it, or does it now belong to the ages? And what happens to your role as a creator when your audience claims it owns your art? We basically looked at the conflicted dynamic between George and his fans from a cultural perspective, and asked ourselves those questions.” Although I’ve yet to see the film, I think a simpler assessment may be in order. Maybe it’s just a bunch of web-enabled misanthropic fanboys venting the rage that used to be confined to their smelly bedrooms, but which – thanks to the power of crowdsourcing – must now be endured by the entire world. I jest of course; it promises to be an amusing film, and makes its debut at SXSW 2010 the week of March 12. See the teasers above left and below. Read the rest of this entry »

Reality Is A Life Or Death Situation

[ Comments Off ]Posted on February 6, 2010 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

It’s interesting that in spite of the fact that one of the few things you can count on about this planet is that no-one gets out alive, no-one seems to have advice for how to die well.


I’ve always had a sneaking
suspicion that this one
only works for Tibetans

It’s interesting that thanks to the self help industry we have so many books at our disposal that tell us how to live, but scant few on how to die. Sure, there’s a plethora of paperbacks devoted to grieving, loss, and dying, but that’s still about how to live, albeit while watching someone else die. A quick Google search of the phrase “how to die” turns up the Deathclock and a bunch of tips on suicide, but even suicide is a conscious act of the living, not a process of dying. You also find things like the book How to Die in the Outdoors: 100 Interesting Ways, and New Scientists’ How Does it Feel to Die? Again, not very useful if you just want to die well. There is of course The Tibetan Book of the Dead, but I’ve always had a hunch it only works for Tibetans. And there’s always religion in general, which is a proven and reliable way to prepare you for the life after this one. Oh. There we go again. A guide for living. So how does one go about dying? This topic has been very much on my heart and head for a while now, ever since about a two months ago, when my mom entered what may very well be her last days. It started with a negligent act on the part of the health care facility she was in, which is another topic altogether. I will very likely become a health care activist as result of the experience. But what this whole experience has also brought to my attention is the odd fact that neither of my parents seemed to have had an understanding of how to die well. I’ve experienced death firsthand many more times than most people who aren’t in either the military or a medical profession. Quite a lot, and at an early age. I’m thankful for that; it’s given me a strong set of beliefs that helps me deal with a lot of other things in life, and helps me help others when they experience the loss of a loved one or experience trauma. When I think about my own death though, I hope that I’m able to face this “final event” with dignity, and that I can avoid a medically prolonged life of drugged suffering. And I hope those around me who are meant to be of support as I die “get it”. My poor mother, a devout Catholic, was visited by one of the priests Read the rest of this entry »

Super Bowl Sunday: What’s REALLY In That Seven Layer Dip?

[ Comments Off ]Posted on February 5, 2010 by admin in Holidays

Friday, February 5th, 2010

For some, Superbowl Sunday is about football. For me, it’s all about TV commercials and the mysteries of the mythical Seven Layer Dip.

Can you really call it “salad” when it has a jar of mayonnaise in it?

For better or worse, Superbowl Sunday is upon us once again. I have to admit that I fall in the “worse” camp; as I mentioned last year, I find watching the Superbowl about as appealing as eating Ortolan. The last time I really enjoyed the event was in 2006, when I made a few hundred dollars selling “XL” imprinted t-shirts and mugs. Always the opportunist, it occurred to me well ahead of time that it’s hard to try and lay exclusive rights to Roman numerals. However, there are a couple of things peripherally related to the game that continue to fascinate me. One is the fact that it’s a time when football fans – who have otherwise been known to pierce drywall with TV remotes because of badly timed commercials – are actually interested in watching them. And although I personally don’t watch TV myself, I’m something of a TV commercial junky. So here, for your enjoyment and mine, is the largest collection of Superbowl commercials in the world. If you can get a connection, that is. Adland.TV’s server was having trouble as of this writing. Why are you trying to watch TV on the Internet anyway? Don’t you have a TV? Anyway, I think they’re lying; you can also try Superbowl-Commercials.org. THEY have 49 years worth, they just make you click through 10 pages to get to each one. So what’s the other thing that fascinates me? The seven layer dip. Yes, there’s a Wikipedia page. I’ve never had it, and I remain – after three years of research – unsure as to what defines it, aside from the fact that well, it has seven layers. So I have a few thoughts on the topic below, but please, feel free to chime in if you have some useful facts or a decent recipe that doesn’t involve mayonnaise, a can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, or canned “black olives”. Read the rest of this entry »

You Won’t Find The G-Spot With Your iPad

[ Comments Off ]Posted on February 4, 2010 by admin in Technology

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

If you’re an Apple or Google lover who thinks Microsoft is The Evil One, you really need to get up to speed. No, One Bing Shall Not Rule Them all.

If you’re the sort of person who thinks of Microsoft as The Evil One, you haven’t really followed what Google and Apple have been up to lately. And if you think that tablet devices don’t have a big future you’re probably also fortunate that you don’t have investment dollars either, because you’d be kicking yourself down the road for the opportunities you missed. Yes, the tablet wars are on. Steve Ballmer rushed the announcement of the HP/Windows Slate to beat Steve Jobs recent unveiling of the iPad. And hot on the tails of Jobs’ announcement, Google released a rather feeble concept video of their Chrome Operating System in use on an imaginary tablet device (images here). And then of course there’s the lawsuit against the Indian company that allegedly stole the CrunchPad and renamed it the JooJoo. But what’s really going to be interesting about how this all plays out is that it’s not about the devices per se, it’s about who controls how you do what you do, and all the big players know this. Yes, Apple kicked Adobe in the face over flash, but in a way, who cares? Flash has been a crashmonster since its inception. What’s really at stake here is how you get on the web, where you buy things, and how you do your business. And Apple’s closed system on the iPad is geared toward this end. Google already has search pretty well locked down, and they additionally want you phoning and creating all your office documents through tools like the Google Phone, Google Voice, Google Docs, and G-Mail. Imagine a future in which the coolest new device doesn’t play nice with the coolest new tools you want to use on it. And if you can’t even install your own software, because it’s all located on a remote server that you have no contorl over. And to take “Evil” to a new level in this realm, now that Apple makes their own chips for their exclusionary device, they’re essentially like Intel and Microsoft rolled into one. Adding a little irony to all of this is the fact that Apple is talking to Microsoft about replacing Google on the iPhone with Bing. Who is your evil nemesis now? Read the rest of this entry »

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