Month: January 2004
Blather Vs. The Hierophant of Fortean Times
It's not often that he does interviews, locked away as he is in his Fortress of Arrogance, but blather.net managed to coerce the Hierophant to 'fess up... The Hierophant is the gossip columnist of the damned, the scourge of the crazies. More precisely, he has a monthly column in Fortean Times, the Journal of Strange Phenomena, from where he launches scathing attacks on any malarkey that crosses his path. He does, however, have a warm spot for anything to with Loch Ness, cults or UFOs, or in particular, anyone making outlandish claims... Blather: Good day to you sir! And to you, sir. Blather: How are things in the Himalayas this time of year? Hierophant: Very much as they are for most of the rest of the year - chilly, isolated and full of screaming, sexually-frustrated nuns. Blather: Tell us about your HQ, in vague, coded analogies, please. Hierophant: We have...
Strange Attractor Journal One
Friends of Blather: March 2004 sees the release of Strange Attractor Journal One, the first in an irregular series of anthologies collecting histories, art and ideas from the margins of our culture... The Journal has evolved from a series of ongoing live events, held in London, England. Conceived in 2001 by documentary filmmaker John Lundberg and Journal editor Mark Pilkington, these "information happenings" combined lectures, films, performances and demonstrations and touched on topics as diverse as intentional communities, sacred geography, hoaxing and the Theremin. Strange Attractor created a space where speakers like Iain Sinclair and Jon Ronson rubbed shoulders with time machine builders, occultists and members of the London Esperanto Society. Continuing in this vein, Strange Attractor Journal One features 18 contributions from anthropologists, historians, musicians, artists, bibliophiles, occultists, cultural critics and a ventriloquist. Topics covered include the cargo cults of Vanuatu, a 19th century Italian artists' and anarchists' commune,...
Heidelberg, Germany – The Neckar, the Monkey, and the Thingstätte
Photographs taken on a recent Blather trip to Heidelberg, in Germany... Unfortunately, I didn't get much time for photographs, and the weather was quite dull. But there's some interesting stuff to see thereabouts. See Tom Galvin's site about Heidelberg » See Things to do in Heidelberg » All photographs except the last one were taken on a Sigma SD-9. The last photograph was taken on a Canon S-330 IXUS, and I used the Photostitch function. All Photographs © 2004 Dave Walsh A view of the river Neckar, from Heidelberg (click for larger) The Print Academy, Heidelberg The Print Academy, Heidelberg #2 The Brass Monkey, Heidelberg. Apparently rubbing the big coin brings good luck. Though someone did tell me that it his rather formidable balls that had to be rubbed. Brass monkey... balls? The inscription beside it says, according to Ms. Wurzel Tod: As you look at me, world (or traveler),...
Lollipops! Vodka & Insects
These gifts were presented to me by Agent F, who said ' ' know only one man in Dublin who would appreciate these enough'... Got a rather interesting gift last week... or rather, two. Two lollipops... one vodka, one tequila. The former contains a scorpion, the latter a worm. Described by the giver: 'I know only one man in Dublin who would appreciate these enough'. I'm saving them for a special occasion, so I'll report later on the experience of actually eating them, hopefully while settling down to watch Naked Lunch. 'I think it's time for you boys to share my last taste of the true black meat; the flesh of the giant, aquatic, Brazilian centipede.' Maker's website (under 'insectivore') » BBC: 'Waiter, there is an ant in my mash' » About Tequila/Mezcal Worms: People were asking me about the whole worm in tequila story.... so here's what I found......
Flann O’Brien and Erwin Schrödinger
And the research that demonstrated that there is no god and two St. Patricks... On January 4th, Eugene Doherty wrote to the Forteana mailing list, looking to elicit assistance from Flann O'Brien fans: I was asked to do a review of the Third Policeman for an SF fanzine... I was reading in a book of anecdotes about scientists how Erwin Schrödinger of cat bothering fame had spent the war in Dublin. Further research lead me to the fact that O'Brien was aware of him and the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies to the extent of making a joke about his/their proving that there were two St Patricks and no god. What I am wondering is if anyone can tell me if he pursued this line of interest/study any further to the extent of incorporating ideas of quantum mechanics into the Third Policeman or any other books. It doesn't seem to...
Anthromorphism and Fast Food TV Culture
OK, so I'm an animal lover. But I'm sick of the over-the-top anthromorphism that kids are being fed. Who's going to suffer in the long run? Provoked by a thread on p45rant.com » The Times: We're falling into a Mickey Mouse trap if we don't teach kids the truth about animals » I have to agree with the The Times article, to some extent. I'm emphatic in my love of animals, and am often guilty of anthropomorphism... I have a long-established obsession with otters, I dote over cats and dogs, but I think I know where to draw the line. You Are What You eat Anthropomorphism would appear to be a vital part of childhood - learning the ways of human society through animals stories, and so on. But am I alone in wondering about the conflict between telling kids that animals have feelings and that we shouldn't kill them......
The Hubris: Man Made GloFish
Another amazing step for humankind! The invention of a fish! That Glows! In the Dark! Oh... the humanity... Whenever I come across such a gross example of human hubris, I think of this passage: The first man I saw was of a meagre aspect, with sooty hands and face, his hair and beard long, ragged, and singed in several places. His clothes, shirt, and skin, were all of the same colour. He has been eight years upon a project for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers, which were to be put in phials hermetically sealed, and let out to warm the air in raw inclement summers. He told me, he did not doubt, that, in eight years more, he should be able to supply the governor's gardens with sunshine, at a reasonable rate: but he complained that his stock was low, and entreated me 'to give him something as an encouragement...
The Sunken Towns of Ireland
For years now, I've been fascinated by accounts of 'sunken cities' of the Irish coast. I've found four so far... is there more? Through sunken cities, blameless Strangers now but trust renewed Silence decades long, retreating We'll laugh as though each joke was new in the ruins finding treasures Lost when life was rent in two - Sunken Cities by the Fatima Mansions Cillstifiann In Lahinch, Co. Clare, there's a popular legend concerning the sunken town of Cillstifiann, which if seen through clear water, will bring death to the witness. The story comes from the Annals of the Four Masters, which states that 'an earthquake occurred in West Clare almost 1,000 years ago, splitting the land between the Cliffs of Moher on the north and Baltard Cliffs on the south... The subsequent tidal wave engulfed the whole district between these two headlands'. One of the hamlets said to be buried...
Marine Update: European Commission Warns Ireland about water quality levels
But of course, it took the shellfish industry to get the EC off its arse. The Department of Marine and Natural Resources is facing large fines from the EU, if it doesn't get it finger out - and has received a written warning from the European Commission, due to the inherent danger to the shellfish farming industry. So while it's a good thing that the government are being goaded into water quality adherence, it's only for the good of industry and public health. Not a mention of the fact that dirty water is inherently bad thing, regardless of economics or human interaction. The Department of Marine and Natural Resources is said to be working with local authorities on the matter, especially on the matter of waste water treatment... Read more in The Irish Examiner » Also in the last week: Scare over farmed salmon safety » Salmon farmed in Scotland...
Blather & The Reverend Al Sharpton
Weird. Why is US presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton linking to blather.net? Bizarre. While obsessing over my webstats Found that 2004 US Presidential Candidate Rev. Al Sharpton somehow gave me 1 referral from his website to www.blather.net - the logs only say they came from the homepage. What the feck? I know feck-all about Sharpton, other than the fact that the first reference to him on today's Google News relates to apparent financial improprieties. www.sharpton2004.org